McXal's Reviews

After being on the air across the Sinclair Broadcasting network for almost a decade, Ring Of Honor TV celebrates episode 500 this week. Rightly celebrating such a milestone, ROH pack out the hour with two must-see bouts between tag team partners. Jon Gresham defends the Pure Title against a long-time rival, who became a friend, who became a stable-mate; former World Champion Jay Lethal. Then the main event sees the Briscoe Brothers ready to do battle once more. I've been an outspoken critic of the product at times, I'm on record as saying I preferred ROH before it became corporate-owned - but when the show is good I've also been steadfast in my praise - and I extend my sincere congratulations to all at ROH and SBG for reaching 500 episodes. Quinn McKay is our host as always, with Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman stationed at ringside in Baltimore, MD for commentary.

Lethal is actually a great person to talk about the significance of reaching Episode 500. He was picked up by ROH following his release from TNA, soon after the Sinclair takeover. After being a member of Special K, then a plucky protege to Samoa Joe during Gabe's era, Lethal returned under Sinclair and Jim Cornette and was earmarked as a centrepiece of the promotion. He won the TV Title on Episode 2, the start of a journey which took him to the World Title by 2015. By 2021 he is known as 'The Franchise' and his name is in the conversation alongside the likes of Joe, Danielson and McGuinness as greatest ROH Champion ever. Tonight he looks to become a two-time Pure Champion, having been selected by the 'ROH Experience' social media movement to face his tag partner. The Foundation have no problem with healthy competition - we've seen them wrestle multi-man tags against each other, and Gresh even won the Pure Tournament final beating Tracy Williams. Lethal and Gresham go back a long way though and shared an intensely competitive rivalry before becoming friends and partners. Both are committed to providing a stellar match and to providing the rest of the world with an example of what 'pure professional wrestling' truly is...but behind the pleasantries is a steely determination. Both NEED to win...

The Foundation come out together in a show of unity, with Rhett and Tracy remaining at ringside to observe. Close-up shots during the cautious early lock-ups demonstrate that the two men are even competing in matching trunks. Lethal looks to use his power to get the better of Gresham on the ground - but as you'd expect The Octopus has a number of intricate counters and chaining sequences and escapes with ease. He actually makes a dart for the Octopus Stretch early - without success so he starts taking Jay to ground where that power is negated. Repeated headlocks start wearing down the neck, blowing Lethal up and making him growingly frustrated. He tries to counter with the hiptoss dropkick spot only for Gresh to easily counter by grabbing his wrist. Lethal counters Gresham's arm kick spot in response. Back from commercials (losing three minutes on the cutting room floor) and we see that it is Jay working over the champion's arm and shoulder. Hammerlock back suplex gets 2, but more importantly means Lethal has an easier time gaining control of every mat exchange between them. Gresham uses his feet to wrench Lethal's arm and shoulder in response...but has sustained heavy damage so struggles to recover. He applies a wristlock, and when Lethal looks to counter with a shoulder tackle they both fall backwards nursing their arm injuries. Gresham wants a kimura - but is selling the arm hard and can't lock it in! Like a genius he moves into a different position where he can work the challenger's shoulder using his legs and healthy arm instead. Lethal Combination blocked, as is the Figure 4 when Gresh pulls at the arm again. ACE CRUSHER by Jay! Gresham uses his first rope-break to kick out. He leaves the ring to recover, ducks under an attempt at the tope suicida and tries to come back in with a rope-run hurricanrana! Lethal COUNTERS to a Boston Crab - right next to the ropes trying to tempt Gresham into using another break...and with the damaged arm trapped under the body damaging that further too. Gresh has no choice but to utilise his second rope-break. Once again he goes at Jay's arm with his legs...so Lethal arm wrenches him into the ground! He looks for the Lethal Injection...but the arm gives out! La Magistral by Gresham...COUNTERED TO A CROSSFACE! Transitioned to the Rings Of Saturn when Gresham tries to escape. The Pure Champ lunges at the ropes, taking his final break to escape defeat to The Franchise. Back to a vertical base, they each make a dart at each other's arms; a battle that Gresham wins as he holds the bad arm and uses a headscissor to pin Lethal! Against the odds he retains at 14:05 (shown)

Rating - **** - Limited TV time meant this doesn't touch the classics they had in 2018. Having established that, now lets point out that this was a fantastic match to put out onto free television. It wasn't the most exciting bout you'll ever see and in truth it ended just when you felt like they were ready to go through the gears and produce something really special...but this was just so intense. Babyface vs babyface matches are hard, as is working a lengthy technical wrestling match in this style. Yet this one never felt boring or dry - every little thing they did felt loaded with significance and rife with danger; every mistake potentially fatal to your chances as leaving with the Pure Title. The little things were what made it quite so engaging - the way Lethal used the Boston Crab to draw another rope-break whilst also cynically inflicting more damage on Gresham's arm being a great example. I had set my expectations a little high and honestly didn't love this as much as I thought I would - but taking a step back I really have to acknowledge and report that this was absolutely exceptional, world class wrestling being given away by a company for free to entertain a global wrestling fanbase still seeing their lives turned upside down by a relentless pandemic. One can't help but admire that

EPISODE 1 FLASHBACK - Haas and Benjamin defeat the Kings Of Wrestling to retain the ROH Tag Championship; the final time the Kings would appear together in Ring Of Honor.

After spending most of ROH's first year of existence feuding with each other, singles matches between the Briscoes have been rare. I love their early matches (Honor Invades Boston and the First Anniversary Show), but to me their defining match remains 5th Year Festival: Finale - a match I was fortunate enough to be in the front row for. On that night they were recovering from a Tag Title loss and trying to get their team back on track by beating the sh*t out of each other to toughen themselves up...and that draws direct parallels to this clash in 2021. Since returning from the Covid hiatus, their tag team hasn't been able to get on the same page. Jay was distracted by EC3, Mark wasted their contractual Tag Title rematch teaming with PCO to get back at his brother, then when they did reunite they lost a #1 contendership match to LFI (albeit thanks to Flip Gordon) - where they both admitted they didn't feel right. At Papa Briscoe's suggestion they are getting back into the ring together, ready to beat each other up to get their tag team groove back. It is a main event we were scheduled to see at the cancelled 2020 'Past vs Present' show, and is the first time they have met since the semi-finals of the Sea Of Honor Tournament (part of the inaugural Chris Jericho Cruise) in 2018. Mark's only ROH singles win against Jay remains that first match at Honor Invades Boston way back in 2002. He has been 'Chicken', the little brother for so long. Can he finally take down his two-time World Champion big brother?

It doesn't take long for them to start throwing big strikes, eventually battling to an early stalemate. Opting out of that they decide to work the mat, shades of their very first encounter in Boston where they worked the mat and endlessly countered each other. Jay recognises that isn't his wheelhouse...and boots Mark off the apron instead. He recovers quickly, puts Jay on the floor and unleashes the Cactus Elbow. Looking to press home his advantage, he follows that with a suplex on the floor...but is met with a barrage of strikes from Jay which knocks him over the guardrail. The former World Champ takes too long climbing the ropes though, allowing Mark to nail him with the Iconoclasm. Urinage blocked...Day One Neckbreaker COUNTERED back to the Urinage! Jay tries to retreat to the apron, prompting Mark to call out that he will 'kill' Jay out there! They take turns blocking signature spots on the apron, until Mark breaks out the blockbuster to the floor. He grabs a steel chair and opens it up for a dive. But Jay knows it's coming! COUNTERED TO A DVD THROUGH THE CHAIR! Day One Neckbreaker gets 2. Jay Driller blocked into Mark's rolling DVD. FROGGY BOW! Jay kicks out at 2, much to his brother's frustration. Mark looks for the Cut-Throat Driver, but finds that even his throwback moves are scouted by his brother. Mark Driller blocked...JAY DRILLER! GETS 2! Big brother blasts Mark with a roaring elbow then gives him the JAY DRILLER AGAIN! Mark rolls out of the ring to avoid certain doom. Now losing his composure Jay starts setting up the time-keeping table and in doing so gives his brother time to recover. Mark hammers Jay down onto the table then scrambles to the top rope! FROGGY BOW THROUGH THE TABLE ON THE FLOOR! And he's still moving! He drags his broken body back into the ring...and wins by count-out at 15:06 (shown)

Rating - **** - This was a fun match, delivering all of what you expect from a Briscoe vs Briscoe match. It wasn't their best together, but it lived up to expectation and wound up being an exceptionally hard-fought and violent match providing a stark contrast to the silent, sterile empty arena setting within which they were fighting. The silence did mean this lacked some emotional punch. Watching these brothers brutalise each other without a captivated, roaring audience isn't ideal. But as greatest hits package of all their best stuff, bringing together flashes of some of their best matches together, this was a strong and fitting main event to end Episode 500. Mark beating Jay for the first time since 2002 was really great to see as well.

NEXT WEEK - Eli Isom vs Dak Draper, then a first match for Violence Unlimited as Brody King, Chris Dickinson and Homicide face Rush, Kenny King and La Bestia.

Tape Rating - **** - There isn't much going on by way of storyline content right now. With 19th Anniversary in the books and the company still to announce when their next PPV will be (perhaps with half an eye on allowing some fans to attend) Ring Of Honor isn't a company which feels like it has a lot of urgency to their product right now. But from a wrestling perspective the last few weeks have been great. In fact, the five match sequence from Isom/LSG headlining Episode 498 through to Briscoe/Briscoe which main events Episode 500 this is by far the best run of individual bouts in ROH TV history I'd argue. If, like me, you watch Ring Of Honor because you want to see good matches, then this episode is another fine way to spend an hour of your life.