McXal's Reviews

With the 19th Anniversary Show broadcast the same weekend, one shouldn't expect much groundbreaking content from this episode. Indeed, this episode is basically an hour of TV devoted to all the talent that didn't make the pay-per-view. That said, however, Ring Of Honor are trying a new concept this week; the first ever 'Pure Wrestling Gauntlet Match'. None of the big hitters from the Pure Division are included but at least we are filling the hour of television with something new. We also have a borderline grudge match as Mike Bennett looks for payback on Beer City Bruiser after being attacked after a match a few weeks ago. Once again we'll join Quinn McKay, Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman in Baltimore, MD.

Last time we saw the Bruiser on television he was teaming with Brian Milonas to face Brian's long-time friends in The OGK; Taven and Bennett. A clearly disgruntled BCB grew frustrated at his partner during the match for not going all-out to hurt his friends and that situation culminated in ugly post-match scenes where The Righteous got into Bruiser's head and convinced him to attack The Kingdom. He smashed a beer bottle over Taven's head then laid out Bennett too - so tonight Mike comes for some payback. He isn't alone either as Taven joins Ian and Caprice for commentary.

Bruiser attacks Bennett during his entrance, making the point that he will do anything to win matches. He continues beating on him until he is able to dump Mike into the vacant front row. Bennett makes his way back to the ring and tries to make it more of a wrestling match but can't cope with BCB's size and is quickly bludgeoned to the ground again. After commercials he switches tactics; kicking Bruiser's leg from him and nailing him with a running elbow to the head. In response Beer City drops an elbow across the ankle that The Righteous injured! He launches an all-out attack on the existing injury, drawing fierce criticism from Taven who decries Bruiser for turning his back on their friendship. Bruiser is relentless, hitting a knee-DT then deathlocking the legs. BOX OFFICE SMASH out of nowhere! But Bennett is clearly too injured so has no ability to follow up. He eventually does with some Machine Gun Chops, then continues to batter Bruiser's head with strikes even whilst noticeably hobbling around. Bruiser blocks the Spear though, then almost murders him with a reverse elbow. Leg-capture DDT gets 2 for Bruiser, so he starts fishing around under the ring until he finds a beer bottle. He smashes it on the ringpost and heads inside trying to glass Bennett...so Todd Sinclair throws the match out at 07:05 (shown)

Rating - ** - The non-finish did hurt this match, but it was actually progressing nicely before that. I like Bruiser far more as a brutish big man brawler than I do as a comedy drunk so really appreciate the direction they are taking him. He worked a really smart match here, jumping Bennett and using his size to dominate him but also showing solid technical work in targeting the leg too. 

Matt Taven leaves the announce table and sprints down the aisle to save Bennett from being glassed. Bruiser walks away rather than fight The OGK 2-vs-1...

The format for this is standard for a Gauntlet Match, but the inclusion of the Pure Wrestling Rules does add a unique twist. Remaining rope-breaks or closed-fist warnings carry over from one match to the next meaning if a wrestler expends all three breaks on one opponent but then advances they will then contest the remainder of the Gauntlet Match without any rope-breaks to call upon. Six men are scheduled to compete ranging from established Pure Division workers like Fred Yehi and Wheeler Yuta, ROH Dojo/Future Of Honor talents Dante Caballero and Eric Martin then veterans like World Famous CB (Cheeseburger) or the returning Will Ferrara. 

Dante Caballero and Will Ferrara, one of his ROH Dojo teachers, start out. This is apparently Will's first ROH in-ring showing since the 2019 Crockett Cup show with NWA. Dante takes control in some of the early exchanges and verbally taunts his 'coach' trying to get him to take a rope-break. Ferrara uses his ring-smarts to fight back but the size and power of Caballero means he can simply muscle Will away. That power comes into play again as he uses repeated body slams to work his opponent over; finally frustrating Ferrara so much that he wrist-locks Dante so hard he lands RIGHT ON HIS NECK! Clearly the arm is hurting after that, so Will starts using arm drags, armbars and cobra clutches to make it worse. Caballero doesn't have enough power in the arm to hit a piledriver and Ferrara counters into a shortarm scissors. Crucifix pin gets 2, but puts Dante in a position where he can power Ferrara into a gutbuster/mafia kick combo. Ferrara comes back with a jack-knife pin to advance at 05:56. Out next is World Famous CB, heading to the ring to face one of his biggest career rivals. The last match Ferrara had on ROH TV was a Fight Without Honor against Burger in fact, although they shake hands and agree to put the past behind them so they can fight WITH honour now. They kick off with a methodically-paced opening minute which obviously suits a tiring Ferrara much more than CB. Will tries to work the arm as he did with Dante, but more than that he remains close to his smaller foe and keeps him down on the ground. Burger tries to quicken the pace, only for Will to take him back to the mat into a Crossface. CB has no choice but to take his first rope-break to free himself. He makes it count though; building up some rhythm until he straight-jackets the arms and DUMPS Will on his head with a short-range powerbomb! That is enough for CB to advance at 04:14 (10:10 total). Entrant #4 is Eric Martin, another Future Of Honor guy and a trainee of Ferrara presumably coming to get some payback for his coach. Martin has decent size about him, with Ian and Caprice comparing him to a young Hangman Page on commentary. In a role-reversal from the previous match it is now CB looking to close the distance and keep the match grounded to negate Martin's size advantage...which comes to nothing when Eric almost takes his head off with a big boot then a Hansen-esque elbow drop flurry. 

Burger needs his second rope-break to prevent Martin from converting him to a Lion Tamer, but is hauled from the ground and given a thunderous back suplex instead. Even when World Famous looks to be building some momentum Martin simply takes it away with a big lariat. CB dragon screws him out of the corner then aims a flurry of strikes at the leg as well. The leg is intact enough for Martin to catch CB attempting a springboard crossbody (with leg-selling too!). Northern lights suplex ROLLED into the Lion Tamer! CB takes his final rope-break to escape. Shotei blocked, but Burger converts Martin into the 'Nudo de la Muerte' (Death Knot). Eric taps at 06:02 (16:12 total). The fifth of six entrants is Wheeler Yuta, confronted with the sight of CB on his knees nursing his back and completely shorn of rope-breaks. Cheeseburger flies at Yuta going for rapid-fire pins in an attempt to end it early - so Wheeler drops a senton splash across the bad back. Gory Stretch applied to work the back still further. CB has little more than pinfall attempts left in his locker now, but finds Yuta able to continually kick out. Shotei blocked into a German suplex! FLYING DDT OFF THE TOP! Yuta wins at 03:08 (19:20 total), advancing to a showdown with the final participant - 'The Savageweight' Fred Yehi. They go at breakneck speed; Yuta hitting a dropkick only for Fred to retaliate immediately with an exploder suplex. Yehi attacks Wheeler's arm, presumably as preparation for the Koji Clutch. Yuta remains 'The Decoder' though and starts countering Yehi's attacks - almost winning with a springboard crossbody. Yehi reacts just as brilliantly, recognising that he needs to slow Yuta down so grounding him and working over the leg. Wheeler forces Yehi to the outside, but Fred drags him out as well for an EXPLODER ON THE FLOOR! Just when all seems lost for Yuta he starts 'decoding' again. Yehi tries to choke him out but Wheeler targets the legs to counter and applies a knee bar. Yehi needs a rope-break to escape it. DOUBLE STOMP TO THE HEAD by Yehi, but in doing so it hurts his leg. Koji Clutch! Yuta hammers the leg to block it. KOJI CLUTCH AGAIN! Yuta taps at 06:23 (25:43 total)

Rating - *** - Adding the Pure Rules into a Gauntlet Match actually made a lot of sense and ensured there was real connective tissue between each bout rather than coming off as a series of short, random and largely pointless encounters like many Gauntlets seem to. I understand the reasons why, but it felt like too much air-time was given to promoting ROH's 'Future Of Honor' squad so the first half didn't interest me greatly - although Eric Martin did give a great account of himself. The urgency, intensity and quality picked up with Wheeler's arrival though meaning the final ten minutes were very exciting. Yuta and Yehi's match was really good, further demonstrating why both deserve long-term deals. If you've followed my reviews regularly then you'll know I am a big fan of Yehi so obviously I felt he was the right call to win. I'd love for him to get some kind of angle going, and also the opportunity to flesh out his character - albeit with only 45-minutes of TV per week it is hard to find room for him alongside everything else ROH has going on...

Tape Rating - ** - Quite obviously a filler episode, but the Pure Rules Gauntlet is definitely worth watching if you have thirty minutes to spare and enjoy that particular style of wrestling. That match took up the vast majority of the air-time leaving us with very little else to talk about (although Bennett/Bruiser wasn't terrible by any means)...