McXal's Reviews

There's literally nothing I can say in this introductory paragraph which can add anything of real value here. As news of Jamin Pugh's death broke I simply Tweeted that I didn't have the words. I still don't now. Wrestling fans of any tenure sadly tend to become accustomed to shocking, unexpected, tragic and premature loss of life to some of our favourite stars. But even in that context, I'm struggling to think of a death in professional wrestling that has struck me in such a profound, deep and sorrowful manner as the loss of Jay Briscoe. It is a crushing, heartbreaking loss - first and foremost to the Pugh family and the tight, close-knit community of which they are a part - but to the entire wider wrestling community as well. The outpouring of grief, love and memories across social media is testament to just how much Jamin Pugh the man and Jay Briscoe the wrestler meant to so many. It spoke volumes to the type of man he was, and to just how influential a performer he was, despite never being signed to WWE or being permitted to appear on AEW television. And yet in many ways that makes his loss feel even more unfair. After twenty years of graft, of dedication, of blood (and after Sinclair's mismanagement of ROH in their dying days threatened to push he and his brother towards obscurity), 2022 was an incredible renaissance for the Briscoes. Now employed by one of North America's 'big two' (even if Tony Khan reportedly was blocked from putting him on AEW TV), the Briscoes rocketed back to prominence and enjoyed arguably the most critically well-received run of their entire careers in their famous trilogy with FTR. 2022 ended with them as 13-time ROH Tag Champions, poised to be a focal point of Ring Of Honor in 2023 and with Khan behind them possessing the funds and wherewithal to finally ensure their skills could be spotlighted to as many people as possible. In short, they seemed poised to finally get the kind of exposure - and the kind of financial rewards - that their incredible career deserved. 

On a personal level, obviously Ring Of Honor is what I've spent the last twenty years of my life reviewing, writing about and discussing. I've not counted, but if I were to tally up the total amount of matches I've reviewed of each wrestler, I'd be surprised if it wasn't Jay Briscoe whom I've reviewed the most. His body of work across a twenty year ROH career is staggering; from the young teenage prodigy at Era Of Honor Begins...to the dreadlocked, grizzled, world class performer with blood running down his face as he stepped through the curtain with the Tag Championship back around his waist at the end of Final Battle 2022. And I'm thankful that I've been able to sit and enjoy every moment of it. I'm grateful that I was able to meet him - even as a fan - on a number of occasions. I'm glad that I was able to be there live for Jay vs Mark at 5th Year Festival Finale (in my view the definitive Jay vs Mark singles match). He was in the MOTN in my first live ROH show (Anarchy In The UK; Briscoes vs Davey Richards & Matt Sydal), and thirteen years later even in the darkest days of Sinclair's regime he was MOTN in my most recent ROH live show (Honor United 2019 Night 1; vs Jonathan Gresham). It is the least I can do to use whatever platform I have to celebrate, champion and promote the life, work and legacy of Jay Briscoe; the wrestler. He will not be forgotten. He was loved, respected and will be missed all over the world. To paraphrase one of his famous promos, which many tribute videos posted over the last couple of weeks have also used - page one of ROH's 'history book' truly will be dedicated to the Briscoe Brothers. 

The live portion of this show was taped after the January 18th Dynamite went off air (as well as, I believe, the interview segments). Effectively twenty four hours after news of Jay's death broke. Controversially there was minimal mention of him on that episode of AEW Dynamite (allegedly the work of Warner Executives) with Khan instead doing as much as possible to put together this free-to-air tribute show in tragic circumstances on very little notice. He managed to get ROH's usual announce team - Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman - to the building...but truthfully this card does have the feel of an AEW Dark/Elevation taping rather than a true ROH show. Although to be even more truthful, the card here is of little importance whatsoever. The burning questions I had for Tony Khan regarding ROH's future as we exited 2022 are of even less significance. This show is about celebrating the life and work of a terrific performer and a hugely-loved human being. We're in Fresno, CA

In all transparency, other than his brief appearances on recent episodes of AEW Dark, Shinno isn't a wrestler I am familiar with. He is nearly 40, with a creditable, tenured career on the Japanese indies stretching all the way back to his early career with the Kaientai Dojo where he trained. He has a solitary AEW win on his resume (over Nick Comoroto back in November) to go with five AEW Dark defeats. Ordinarily I'd be criticising why this needed to be a Pure Title Match given Shinno has no credibility as a challenger (why not just have him face Yuta in a non-title Pure Rules Match?) but that seems unfair on a night like this. Former ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn, former Tag Champion BJ Whitmer and world-renowned veteran Dean Malenko are the ringside judges.

The opening period is cagey; Shinno going to his ferocious kicks to break Yuta's rhythmical chain-wrestling. He also uses the ropes to somersault out of a hold which I felt constituted a rope-break but referee Mike Posey didn't agree. Olympic Slam by the champion gets 2. Sensibly he goes after Shinno's legs in an effort to negate those powerful kicks. A submission on the legs does eventually force Shinno to utilise his first break at the three-minute mark. Gory Stretch locked in...but Hagane escapes and tries to batter Wheeler with forearms instead. COBRA TWIST instead by Yuta! He is picking apart his challenger here and inevitably draws Shinno's second rope-break moments later. RUNNING ENZI by Shinno, connecting as Yuta tries to ascend to the top rope. It knocks Wheeler to the floor, where Shinno is able to line him up for an Asai Moonsault up the aisle! Missile dropkick back in, but Shinno tries to hit a running strike in the corner seconds later only to be caught and dumped with a capture German suplex by the champ. Flying body press MISSES for Yuta, and he eats a Michinoku Driver for 2! Shinno is slow to capitalise on that though and finds Yuta sufficiently recovered to absolutely level him with a lariat. Flying body press nailed this time - for 2! MMA ELBOWS! Yuta applies a crossface submission to win at 09:25

Rating - *** - As mentioned in my intro paragraph, I'd probably have preferred that this wasn't a title match, but this was actually a lot of fun. I really like how Yuta has developed his game over recent months. This is a man who has spent an extended period of time under the tutelage of Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and William Regal - and in a very real sense his wrestling demonstrates that. The sadistic ferocity with which he cranks on submissions, or the way he would attack a body part to specifically counter the threats of his opponent, are all very reminiscent of Bryan and Regal in particular. The quality of Wheeler's performance and a few crackling, exciting exchanges made this a pretty enjoyable ten minutes of action.

A tearful Samoa Joe delivers a heartbreaking tribute to Jay. I found this one incredibly difficult to watch; one of many pieces of footage since Jay's death which has genuinely brought tears to my own eyes. He pays tribute to Jay as a performer - but more importantly as a father, a family man and a 'brother'.

Adam Cole is next, giving a deeply personal interview talking about all the ways that Jay helped him as a wrestler, a performer and a person. He speaks entirely out of character here and talks about Jay pushing for him to hold the World Title for longer in 2013 (rather than the short reign that was initially planned for him) because Jay believed he was 'something special'. 

That leads to an airing of the Jay Briscoe vs Adam Cole ROH World Title Fight Without Honor from Final Battle 2014.

We're not done with Adam Cole either, because next he comes out to deliver another sincere and heartfelt tribute for the live crowd in Fresno as well. It marks the first time he's stepped into an ROH ring in any capacity since 2017. 

Matt Hardy is next to give his tribute. He recalls being genuinely scared of Jay Briscoe the performer, but so taken with the kindness and humility of Jamin Pugh the man and father. 

As I said, if you're being realistic this card does read more like an episode of AEW Dark than an ROH event. But there is some real connective tissue between Jay Briscoe and Shafir here. As the announce team point out, Jay Briscoe loved a fight and there is no doubt that Shafir is a dangerous fighter. But she is also the wife of Roderick Strong, someone Jay goes back an extremely long way with and retained a friendship with even after Roddy left for WWE. She is visibly emotional as she steps through the curtain for what will, in all likelihood, be another enhancement match against Mayra (who is making her ROH/AEW debut tonight).

Shafir opens up by effortlessly tossing Mayra around the ring. Mighty actually tries throwing a few strikes then some kind of headscissors which looks awful...only for Marina to boot her in the face then tap her out at 02:10

Rating - N/A - Shafir's AEW work can be divisive. I'm not particularly interested in discussing that here, nor the quality of the match itself because it barely lasted two minutes. What I will say is that Marina had tears in her eyes for most of the contest and apparently put her hand up as one of the first who wanted to compete in honour of Jay on this event - which is to her immense credit.

Christopher Daniels talks about being around at the very beginning of Ring Of Honor, then dipping in and out for various periods of time throughout his career. It meant he got to see people come and go - but it also meant he got to see Jay arrive...but never leave. He pays tribute to the Briscoes as being synonymous with ROH and fondly remembers the many times he got to wrestle Jay in both singles and tags. 

They show the Jay Briscoe vs Christopher Daniels match from Survival Of The Fittest 2016: Night 2. It's a somewhat strange choice since it isn't their best match together - but I assume was picked over something like the Decade Of Excellence Tournament Final since Jay wins this one...

Eddie Kingston is equally heartbreaking in how dialled down, sad and quiet he is during his tribute. He ends with a bittersweet smile on his face and asks Jay to say hi to Larry Sweeney and Brodie Lee...

Long-time followers of my review series will know that I was ardently not a fan of QT during his brief, inconsequential runs in ROH. He's since given interviews that suggest he felt he wasn't given a fair shot, which is understandably unfortunate and frustrating for him - but as a fan at the time his work certainly didn't connect with me and make me want to see more from him. However, post-ROH he has fashioned an extremely successful career for himself with All Elite Wrestling, and he's back in an ROH ring along with Kingston (another man with a controversial history in Ring Of Honor)...

Marshall orders Justin Roberts to introduce him as a 'Ring Of Honor icon' then demands to follow the Code Of Honor with Eddie (before inevitably trying to cheap-shot him). King sees through it and chops QT so hard he falls out of the ring. The fans hold Marshall still so Eddie can chop him some more (then comically refuse to when QT tries to ask for their help)...and it's only some illicit use of the middle rope which brings Marshall back into proceedings. The Mad King starts ignoring his strikes though, before spinning him through the air with a big lariat. Exploder Suplex gets 2. QT blocks the Back Drop Driver...but Eddie easily avoids the Diamond Cutter and wallops Marshall with the Back Fist. Dragon Sleeper taps QT out at 05:07

Rating - ** - Again, nothing substantial or memorable...but largely fun for what it was. I did quite enjoy Marshall's slimy 'ROH Icon' act, and it was cathartic to watch Kingston pummel him for the majority of the match.

Austin Gunn talks about being a rookie in the ROH Dojo system, and having to find paramedics for Jay after he was cut during the main event of the first live event that Austin worked. The paramedics were leaving but gave him some bandaging to clean Jay up with...and his night ended with him having to makeshift stitch a huge wound on Jay's back. Ryan Nemeth also shares stories of being a rookie in the locker room and grateful for how welcoming and accepting the Briscoes always were to him.

Stokely Hathaway pops in to share his stories of working ring crew and being 'bottom of the totem pole', and yet still being treated with kindness and love by the Briscoes. 

This is a Proving Ground Match (or in AEW parlance, an Eliminator) meaning if Rayne can beat the ROH Women's Champion then she'll earn a title shot. Why wasn't Yuta/Shinno earlier fought under the same concept? Madison was part of ROH's Women's Division under Sinclair but left after growing frustrated with her spot. It would mean a lot to her if she could fight to the top of ROH's female division under Khan-ownership I'm sure.

As usual, Athena is extremely pumped. Rayne has a lot of experience though and refuses to allow herself to be bullied around the ring by the champion. The Fallen Goddess leaves the ring...and then catches Madison diving off the apron at her! STALLING GOURDBUSTER ON THE FLOOR! She taunts Skye Blue (who is in Rayne's corner) as Madison struggles with her midsection and arm. They return to the ring with a backbreaker by Athena, intent on exacerbating the challenger's injuries. That continues as she delivers a stranglehold lungblower as well. Somehow Madison trips Athena to the floor, and this time it's Blue's turn to goad her; distracting her for long enough for Rayne to blast the champ with a punt from the apron. She then HURLS Athena into the guardrails too. SIDE EFFECT ON THE APRON by Athena gets 2! Rayne favours her back badly after that, yet somehow lunges into a crucifix driver. Athena knocks her back then climbs he ropes. O-FACE COUNTERED TO A CUTTER! Athena actually bites Madison to escape the Rayne Drop...then puts her in a Crossface for the win at 08:27

Rating - *** - This was genuinely better than any match I can recall Madison having in her previous ROH tenure. I really love this Athena gimmick, and I think it makes for all kinds of entertaining matches - from squashing rookies/enhancement talents to lively bouts with veterans like we saw here. It was fascinating to watch a different dynamic than Athena is used to; trying to bully her opponent but finding Madison much more equipped to cope with it. But ultimately Athena's power and willingness to brutalise her opponent was too much even for a veteran and the champ essentially bludgeoned her way to victory. Possibly my favourite match on the show so far...

Athena knocks out Skye Blue with the ROH Women's Title belt for good measure, then leaves to jeers and boos from the audience.

A sorrowful BJ Whitmer reflects on his twenty year friendship with the Briscoes.

Current AEW (and former ROH) producer Zane Decker thanks Jay for always welcoming him and taking him seriously as a producer and part of the creative process. 

Robinson made his return to Ring Of Honor at Final Battle; his first appearance with the company since his failed stint as the leader of the Lifeblood faction in 2019. It was as leader of Lifeblood that he had multiple run-ins with the Briscoes, including a memorable Tag Title showdown in the main event of ROH/NJPW Honor Rising 2019 Night 2. It's not an ROH debut for Cutler either. He and his brother Dustin teamed up to face All Night Express at SoCal Showdown 2 in 2011...

Juice tries to dominate the opening exchanges, but finds Cutler in resilient form and able to knock back all of his early attacks - eventually knocking Robinson to the floor. Juice steals Cutler's aerosol spray and blasts it into Brandon's eyes (out of sight of the referee). The pace slows down as Juice methodically wears Cutler down...but again he finds Brandon in defiant mood. Ripcord clothesline gets 2 for Cutler. Airplane spin leaves them both disorientated - causing Robinson to miss The Taste and walk right into a big right hand for 2. Left Hand Of God by Juice...but his fist cracks into Cutler's face-mark causing him to scream in pain. Robinson tries to use the aerosol spray again, only for Brandon to pull out another hidden can from his tracksuit jacket and unload into Juice's eyes. That gets a close nearfall. An irate Robinson hits a cannonball and a diving DDT to win at 07:40

Rating - * - This lasted a little too long for my taste, and also felt incredibly damaging to the credibility of Juice Robinson. I don't watch AEW with enough frequency to outline exactly how damaging; but given that Robinson was supposedly portrayed as a viable contender to Samoa Joe's ROH TV Title just a month ago at Final Battle, having him almost succumb to defeat at the hands of the Young Bucks' stooge felt like a big step down. 

Prince Nana is the latest interviewee to put over just how much of a loving family man Jay was, and how close the Briscoe family was throughout his time in Ring Of Honor. 

Sakazaki is a semi-regular face on AEW Dark, having appeared multiple times among her commitments to the TJPW promotion in Japan. It's a big night for Moone though as it's just her second time working enhancement talent duty for AEW/ROH. She'll be hoping to impress enough to gain more work in future (having also appeared in such promotions as Impact, GCW, CWFH & Defy).

Riccaboni implies that Yuka is in the hunt for Athena's ROH Women's Title so clearly needs to win here. Moone has a size advantage and tries to use it early on. Sakazaki is forced into making a mistake and misses a wild missile dropkick. She does find her feet quickly though; landing a sliding elbow strike right to the face for 2. Sandra absolutely clocks her with a forearm...but is powerless to prevent Yuka landing a spinning brainbuster. Magical Girl Splash wins it for Sakazaki at 03:01

Rating - N/A - This was as lively as an enhancement match gets. It told a compact, snappy story with Moone trying to use her size but finding the likeable Sakazaki too skilled, quick and dangerous to overcome. 

The Briscoes vs Kings Of Wrestling from Final Battle 2006 is shown

That leads to a ashen-faced ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli paying his own tribute to Jay. Claudio is extremely grateful to have been a part of the notorious Briscoes/KOW rivalry in 2010 and calls the climactic trios match at Final Battle 2010 (also including Papa Briscoe) one of his favourite matches

Daniels may not be a regular competitor on AEW television anymore, but he remains in incredible, evergreen condition and as a former ROH Champion poses a real threat to Double C tonight. At Final Battle Castagnoli entered an exclusive club of two-time ROH World Champions and will want to prevent Daniels from doing the same thing tonight...

Claudio is bigger, taller, stronger and faster; visibly intimidating Daniels and repeatedly causing him to retreat to the ropes in the early going. Be it standing, running or working the mat - Castagnoli looks to have Daniels' number through the first few minutes. He catches the challenger trying a leapfrog, drills him with a backbreaker then unceremoniously clobbers him straight over the top rope in a display of utter dominance. Daniels needs a strategy...and of course he has one. He snaps Claudio's neck over the top rope then charges him with a running neckbreaker seconds later. The champ comes up nursing his neck and throat and Daniels is like a shark sensing blood. He flapjacks him throat-first into the ropes then piles onto the neck still more with a cobra clutch. Flatliner/Koji Clutch combo next! Claudio desperately fights for some distance, so Daniels instantly shuts the gap and climbs onto him again with a guillotine choke. BRAINBUSTER BY CLAUDIO to escape! He peppers Daniels with European uppercuts which leave the challenger stumbling blindly around the ring...straight into a big boot for 2. Daniels jabs the throat to escape the Giant Swing and drills the neck again with a swinging flatliner. BEST MOONSAULT EVER PRESS...gets 2! Angel's Wings blocked...Giant Swing blocked. POP-UP UPPERCUT! Daniels kicks out! Giant Swing! Claudio thinks about the Neutralizer, but instead modifies it to hit a JAY DRILLER! Castagnoli retains at 13:36

Rating - **** - Probably a generous rating, but on a sombre night it was nice to be reminded of what I love so much about the work of both these men. Daniels is, and has always been, wonderful at the kind of strategic, innovative, diligent working of a body part that we saw here. They set the stage for him brilliantly with Claudio dominating the opening five minutes and forcing the resourceful veteran to formulate a cunning plan on the fly. I thought Claudio's subtle selling of the injury was really smart too. It wasn't overblown or theatrical, but there were little nods to it throughout - and from the moment Daniels started attacking his neck and throat it never felt like Claudio wasn't in real pain/danger as a result. Claudio is so great in this role as ROH Champion - being a placeholder for the brand and style of Ring Of Honor whilst it exists in its current zombified state, busting out effortless high quality title defences whenever the situation calls for it. 

Jay Briscoe's music blasts through the arena as Double C and Daniels embrace to end the show.

Tape Rating - N/A - I can't rate this as a show. It's effectively an AEW Dark taping with an ROH ring canvas and the match quality/wrestlers on display largely reflects that. Tony Khan did attract some criticism for running this as AEW's tribute to Jay Briscoe, with barely a mention of him on Dynamite. But it's important to remember that AEW management had barely 24 hours to pull this together. In the circumstances I would probably contest that the emotional interviews, the stirring video package, getting Riccaboni and Caprice in the building for commentary and a competitive ROH World Title main event certainly made for a watchable tribute to a legend tragically departed too soon. There will be questions to answer about the future of the Ring Of Honor brand; very little has been answered since my review of Final Battle 2022. But I'm sure a more meaningful and relevant tribute to Jay will be presented in future. Hell, one week later (when Khan was finally reportedly able to convince WBD officials to acquiesce and allow Mark Briscoe on television) we got a far more significant tribute on Dynamite - which I'll review momentarily. Whilst this may have been presented as an ROH event, so I've documented it as such, it really is impossible to review and critique this as part of the Ring Of Honor canon. The in-ring content is barely relevant. But as a first step in the grieving process for a beloved, deeply-missed performer this is certainly worth watching

3) Wheeler Yuta vs Hagane Shinno (***)

2) Athena vs Madison Rayne (***)

1) Claudio Castagnoli vs Christopher Daniels (****)

AEW Dynamite (25th January 2023) – One week removed from Jay Briscoe’s tragic passing, and on what would have been his 39th birthday, his younger brother Mark finally makes his way to AEW television to participate in a poignant tribute match. As recently as January 23rd Dave Meltzer was insistent that Warner Bros were still not permitting Mark Briscoe on AEW TV…only for this match to be announced on the 24th to the delight of Briscoe Brothers fans everywhere. Tony Khan had reportedly been successful in his sustained attempts to get Mark on television, and to allow AEW to do a proper televised tribute to his fallen brother. Here they get the main event slot on Dynamite, with Mark taking on his long-time friend and a famous rival of Jay Briscoe – the former ROH World Champion Jay Lethal. Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman and Excalibur are on commentary in Lexington, KY

Lethal looks on the brink of tears just coming out to the ring (and is outright crying his eyes out by the time the bell rings). Mark gets an absolutely thunderous ovation and comes out carrying both ROH Tag Title belts. ‘Thank you Tony’ chants as we get underway and the two men follow the Code Of Honor. Lethal dishes out a big chop to fire Briscoe up…and before you know it they are tearing into each other with strikes. Lethal lands the hiptoss/dropkick combo, but is dropped in response by the DAY ONE NECKBREAKER! After commercials Briscoe is unleashing his patented Redneck Kung Fu on the former ROH Champion. Iconoclasm gets 2. Jay Driller blocked, and Jay drops him with the Lethal Combination. Lethal Injection nailed! But Mark rolls out of the ring to avoid being pinned and gets another huge pop. Lethal pursues him to the floor and drapes Mark across the timekeeping table. Briscoe quickly fires up and retaliates with the blockbuster off the apron. It’s his turn to lay his opponent on the table. TOP ROPE FROGGY BOW THROUGH A TABLE ON THE FLOOR! HOLY SH*T! Somehow Lethal kicks out at 2 when they finally return to the ring after that. Still Lethal blocks the Jay Driller…but walks into a vicious lariat when he looks to unleash another Lethal Injection. JAY DRILLER NAILED! MARK WINS! At 09:40 (shown), Mark wins his AEW debut

Rating - **** - It’s easy to write this off as a generous, charitable 4* rating due to the circumstances. But this genuinely was an absolute banger of a ten minute TV-style sprint. I loved how they structured it, from the respectful opening exchanges, to Lethal firing Mark up with big strikes all building to that insane Froggy Bow table spot on the floor. It was impossible not to feel the weight of the moment as you saw Mark carrying both his own title belt, as well as that of his fallen brother. Or of Lethal visibly crying before the bell rung. Mark winning with the Jay Driller felt inevitable – but I absolutely loved his adoption of the Day One Neckbreaker (including Jay’s signature inexplicable noises that he made whilst executing the move). They could’ve got away with making this merely an incredible moment and nobody would’ve complained – so it is to their immense credit that the match really is very good.

Mark looks directly into the camera and delivers a personal message first to Jay’s children, then to his brother directly. The locker room empties onto the stage to applaud (many of them in floods of tears) – and Dynamite goes off the air with a triumphant Mark Briscoe holding the ROH Tag Title belts aloft for quite possibly the last time.

As promised - I've also created (& linked above) a list of every Jay Briscoe/ROH match I've ranked 4* or higher, plus a few other matches I can remember having a blast watching, some hidden gems, championship wins etc. Please do check it out. If you jumped out on ROH at any point - maybe when the Sinclair buy-out happened, or perhaps when The Elite left to form AEW - please do take a look and seek out some stuff. Jay Briscoe (as well as his brother) have produced a remarkable body of work across a twenty year career in Ring Of Honor. They went through several evolutions in terms of look, character and style - but could always be relied upon to excel. Even in 2018-2021 under the final days of Sinclair's ownership, the Briscoes were as good as they had ever been and consistently one of the highlights of any show they were on.