McXal's Reviews

It's another pay-per-view weekend, but since Death Before Dishonor isn't until the Sunday Sinclair are acknowledging that most of their markets may well see this show before the PPV as well so are branding this a Death Before Dishonor 'bonus' hour. We'll see the Briscoes face MexiSquad up first, and the Tag Titles on the line in the main event when Kenny King and Dragon Lee (in his third consecutive TV main event) challenge Chris Dickinson and Homicide. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman are on commentary, with Quinn McKay as host in Baltimore, MD.

We haven't seen the Briscoes interact with Bandido too extensively since the post-Pandemic relaunch, but in late-2019 and early-2020 Jay and Bandido in particular were seeing a lot of each other. They tore the house down in a singles main event during the Global Wars Espectacular Tour, ending with Bandido pinning the former World Champion. Fast forward to February 2020 when Jay would get his own back in tag team competition when the Briscoes defeated MexaBlood (Bandido and Flamita) in a stunning match. Now that Bandido has the World Title, both Briscoes would love to beat him and earn a title shot. They also want as many tag team wins as possible because they are still rebuilding after Papa Briscoe relegated them to the very bottom of the tag rankings after the Fight On The Farm.

Why do the dumbass cameras keep zooming in on Bandido's belt even though it still has Rush's nameplate on it? Why not just take that name-plate off? It makes ROH look so foolish - this isn't a live show. Jay demands he start the match with the champ, then proceeds to trade hurricanranas with him at speed. During commercials the Briscoes isolate Horus instead, showing all their experience as a tag team. They take the luchadors outside for a brawl where they do all they can to incapacitate the champion so he can't help his partner. Bandido makes the save with a frog crossbody...then THROWS Rey into a rana on Mark to send him packing. But Bandido is still wounded from the brawl outside, so Jay is easily able to take him down with a boot to the face before once again the Briscoes use all their years of experience to single out an opponent for abuse. Horus tags, joining the champ for a double superkick on Mark. Everyone takes turns trying to cave in an opponent's face with a big running strike, until they all lie motionless on the mat. Iconoclasm from Mark to Horus, but Bandido flings his body into the ring with a Tornillo moments later. Pop-Up Cutter drops Mark, and he then counters the Day One Neckbreaker too. RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR by the Most Wanted Champion. Roll Of The King gets 2 on Mark. The Briscoes shove Bandido to the floor and give Horus the Doomsday Device to win at 09:33 (shown)

Rating - *** - I'd possibly set my expectations a little too high for this one. It got lost in 2020 what with the pandemic, the hype around the Pure Tournament and Scurll's sacking, but the Briscoes vs MexaBlood match from Free Enterprise was one of my favourite ROH matches of the year. They got nowhere near those heights this time; it felt very much like what it was, i.e. a TV undercard, empty arena version of the same match. The Briscoes win to further their claim for a Tag Title shot, and I did like the quiet reminders that Jay is a former World Champion - they did enough here to lay the ground for a future Bandido/Jay title match should they feel the need to. 

This is a Pure Rules warm-up match for the Technical Best, since he challenges Jon Gresham for the Pure Championship at Death Before Dishonor. Gresham himself is on commentary to watch.

Woods has the commentators purring inside twenty seconds as he launches Ferrara into the air with a gutwrench suplex. Will grabs the wrist of his opponent and uses it to stop Josh creating distance or using his power. Ferrara actually has to use a rope-break just to save himself from being suplexed though. Gorilla Lock applied moments later, leaving Ferrara with just a single rope-break remaining. Will keeps grabbing the wrist and arm and it's starting to affect Woods. Not enough to stop him delivering an empathic exploder suplex though. Josh stares daggers at Jon Gresham at the announce table...and the momentary distraction sees Ferrara lock in a shortarm scissors. Woods MUSCLES Ferrara off the ground - whilst still in the hold - and tosses him to the ground like trash. Ferrara burns his last rope-break protecting himself from a German suplex, and starts attacking the arm again. Josh finally gets away a big suplex - delivering a bridging German suplex hold to win at 06:15 (shown)

Rating - ** - This was ok, albeit slightly strange that ROH had Josh Woods taking a bit of a beating from Ferrara (who is - as an on-screen talent at least - is completely irrelevant and rarely seen) when they are prepping him to be Pure Champion. Even Gresham on commentary did very little sell Josh as any kind of threat to the belt. The purpose behind this match just wasn't clear, and without a defined role it failed in several instead; not working as a stand-alone match, not working as a squash, nor working as effective build to a pay-per-view.

Gresham leaves the commentary table and smirks at Woods, and is perhaps even sarcastic as he offers his next challenger a handshake before walking to the locker room.

Just like when he went to Best In The World looking to win back the TV Title he never lost, now Lee is trying to repeat the same feat in the tag team division. When he ruptured an ear drum shortly before the 19th Anniversary he pulled out of the show and (with substitutes competing on his behalf) lost both belts. VLNCE UNLTD and LFI are heated rivals, as we saw most recently when they shared a violent Street Fight at Glory By Honor Night One. 

King and Homicide start, Kenny proving himself a better and faster wrestler than the veteran former World Champion. The Notorious 187 has no choice but to tag Dickinson in, to be immediately confronted by Lee. Violence Unlimited team up on Lee; their lawless streak getting the job done where their individual ability to trade holds with the challengers had failed. Homicide bites, then fights with Dragon outside the ring - but LFI are no strangers to breaking a few rules and within minutes have turned the tables to isolate Homicide. They break plenty of rules to maximise the amount of time they can 2-on-1 the former World Champion...but when we come back from commercials we see him making a hot tag to Dickinson. The Dirty Daddy no-sells being huriccanrana' on his head to trap Dragon in a cross armbreaker. Lee escapes and hits a German suplex...but Dickinson no-sells and lands a DVD for 2. Ace Crusher from Cide to King! Kenny gets up and hits a dragon suplex/Tiger Driver combo to get his own nearfall. He takes Homicide up the ropes, hanging him in a tree of woe so Lee can hit the GHETTO STOMP! TORPEDO SUICIDA lays out Dickinson! Royal Flush scores for 2! Kennty takes out Homicide with the corkscrew pescado as in the ring Dragon and Dickinson trade strikes. Ripcord Incinerator nailed! So Dickinson dragon screws his leg! BARE KNEE INCINERATOR! Dickinson is out, and LFI win the titles back at 13:34 (shown)

Rating - *** - The match was really good for free television. The lack of crowd atmosphere detracted from the intensity, and it felt rather basic and unimaginative for the first half but it picked up big-time later on. We saw four high class wrestlers with such wildly different personalities that it was just fun to watch the various ways they interacted with each other. I'd really love to see a Dickinson vs Dragon Lee singles match out of this for instance. I am, however, completely sick of the constant title switching between factions. It isn't making me invest more in the Faction Warfare storyline. I don't think a particular group becomes more impressive because they have arbitrarily had a championship switched onto them this week. It's killing the credibility of the belts; the ROH Tag Titles and TV Title have never meant less than they have in 2021.

Tape Rating - *** - Three pretty decent matches make this a good hour of wrestling television. All three matches could have been better, and I wish ROH would get back to the two match format that worked so well for them in 2020 - but I am keenly aware that their roster is so bloated and TV time so minimal they pretty much have to do three matches a show just so everyone gets a chance to wrestle occasionally. I'd say that getting a title change in the main event makes this worth checking out - but that isn't the case since we've been bouncing the Tag and TV Titles around all year...only to end up all-but back where we started with Dragon as TV Champ and LFI holding the Tag belts.

This airs on the final Women's Division Wednesday episode before the Tournament Final, and puts the two finalists in the intriguing position of having to work together to overcome more established opponents. Sakai is the matriarch of the ROH women's division; wrestling the first ever women's match in the promotion back in 2002 and also becoming the first ever Women Of Honor Champion in 2018. She was knocked out of the 2021 tournament by Rok-C though. Her partner is (by a distance) the most popular female athlete currently performing in ROH. Chelsea made a surprise appearance at Best In The World and although her arm injury meant she couldn't participate in the tournament itself she has been watching every match and seems to be awaiting the winner. This was actually her first match in ROH (although it was taped exclusively for YouTube so hasn't aired until after her 'live debut' at Glory By Honor Night 2).

Sakai takes Alize straight down looking for a cross armbreaker, only for Miranda to bite her way free. Alize starts hitting all of her lucha spots which completely flummox Sakai...until she 'counters' an attempted springboard headscissors into a powerbomb. HEAT SEEKING MISSILE THROUGH THE TURNBUCKLES by Miranda! Cannonball off the apron by Chelsea! Rok-C doesn't want to be left out and hits a tope suicida...but celebrates and doesn't see Sumie climbing the ropes for her TOP ROPE DIVE to the floor! After all the theatrics on the floor, order is restored with Sumie trying to snap Alize in half with a half crab. The Lucha Baddie headbutts her way free and tags The Prodigy in. Green meets her - and tries to exert her dominance by dumping the teenager on the mat. She is then utterly shocked as Rok-C completely out-wrestles her (and poses to celebrate too). Chelsea dodges the back flip knee drop (since she's been watching all of Rok-C's matches) and smashes her in the face with an elbow. She tries to taunt Rok...only for The Prodigy to STO her to the deck and land the back flip knee drop anyway. Hot Mess dodges a couple of attacks in the corner and CURB STOMPS Miranda to the turnbuckles for 2. Alize looks a little like she's hanging on, but out of nowhere drops Chelsea with a swinging neckbreaker and escapes for a hot tag to Rok-C. Double crossbody by The Prodigy! She effortlessly takes the fight to two veterans at once - hitting a flatliner/DDT combo for 2. Saito Suplex from Sumie to Miranda gets 2! Rok-C tricks both opponents into colliding...and Alize hits a ripcord Ace Crusher. Drive-By nailed and Alize pins Sumie to win at 08:04

Rating - *** - This wasn't quite as crisp and effortless as the Women's Division tag match from Glory By Honor Night 2, but it had a lot of the same qualities. It was breathless, all-action and featured four women looking to push themselves and wrestle the best match they possibly could. I can't emphasise enough how many levels better this is than what the Women Of Honor division had become by the end of 2019. Alize and Rok-C were made to look superb here; Miranda's no-nonsense tenacity meant the 'veteran' team couldn't pin her down, but it was Rok-C's class which really shone. She easily stepped up to Sumie and Chelsea's level, so confidently in fact that by the end she was fighting them both by herself. It was absolutely the right call to have Sumie staring at the lights for Miranda too. Rok-C looked like a star all match, Chelsea needs to be protected since she is one of the few 'draws' in the division...and therefore Alize benefits immensely from pinning a former WOH Champion on the road to Death Before Dishonor.