Csonka’s ROH Best in the World Review 6.24.16

Csonka’s ROH Best in the World Review 6.24.16

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Kyle O’Reilly defeated Kamaitachi @ 13:50 via submission [***]
– ACH defeated Silas Young @ 11:10 via pin [**¾]
– Mark Briscoe defeated Roderick Strong @ 15:40 via pin [***½]
– Bullet Club defeated Moose and War Machine @ 12:53 via pin [***]
– ROH Tag Team Title Match: Champions The Addiction defeated The Motor City Machine Guns @ 12:20 via pin [**]
– Unsanctioned Fight Without Honor: BJ Whitmer defeated Steve Corino @ 15:00 via pin [***½]
– ROH World TV Title Match: Champion Bobby Fish defeated Dalton Castle @ 16:59 via pin [**½]
– ROH World Title Match: Champion Jay Lethal defeated Jay Briscoe @ 12:47 via pin [****]

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– We get an opening video package, showcasing the Lethal vs. Briscoe main event for the ROH World Title.

– Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are on commentary.

Kamaitachi vs. Kyle O’ Reilly: Kamaitachi has done some spectacular things in CMLL (and also NJPW, one of the best matches of the year vs. Dragon Lee) and looks to deliver here against one of ROH’s most consistent performers in O’Reilly. After some grappling, they opted to beat the hell out of one another with strikes. O’Reilly tried for an arm bar, but Kamaitachi got the ropes right away. O’Reilly took control with a series of strikes and knees, and then went to work on the arm. O’Reilly took a very methodical, and direct approach here, staying focused on the arm. O’Reilly’s knee “buckled” on a counter, allowing Kamaitachi to not only fight back, but to also take control of things. Kamaitachi worked a solid heat here, nothing flashy but the crowd isn’t exactly into him one way or another; they also aren’t that into O’Reilly as the face in peril. Kamaitachi sent O’Reilly to the floor, but O’Reilly managed the hanging arm bar in the ropes and the crowd started to wake up as O’Reilly and Kamaitachi traded strikes. They brawled to the floor, where O’Reilly missed a kick and hit the post, further injuring the leg that had been worked on. Kamaitachi then hit his super senton off the top and to the floor onto O’Reilly. Fellow NJPW performer Jay White is in the front row. Back in the ring and Kamaitachi kept attacking the knee, while O’Reilly kept going after the arm. Good back and forth down the stretch, with O’Reilly getting the desperation jawbreaker lariat for the double down. Kamaitachi would counter the brainbuster and hit the Xploder into the corner. O’Reilly avoided meteora, and then locked in the triangle choke. Kamaitachi escaped with kicks, they again hit the striking exchange, O’Reilly hit the brainbuster into the arm bar and Kamaitachi tapped. That was a strong PPV debut for Kamaitachi due to the fact that he went toe to toe with the next ROH world title contender, looked right at home in a good match; O’Reilly didn’t lose any steam giving Kamaitachi so much either. My main complaint is that I wish the limb work meant more to the overall match, it eventually played into the finish, but a lot of it came across as busy work as it wasn’t sold nearly as much as it could have down the stretch. It was good, but I have watched way better from both this year.

– Post match, Kamaitachi spit at O’Reilly’s hand as he tried for a handshake.

Silas Young vs. ACH: Young, attacked right away, no code of honor for him, and went into kicking the shit out of young ACH. ACH would try to do something really athletic to fight back, but Young, would just cut him off with old-fashioned brutality. That was the early trend for this match, which worked into the angle heading in, where Young is the grizzled veteran who didn’t believe ACH was a real man or real wrestler. Young was completely dominating here, not letting ACH to get anything going. Finally, at about the 6-minute mark, ACH started to put together a flurry of offense, and scored a near fall off of a bridging German suplex. Young managed to cut him off again, staying one step ahead of his opponent. Young then went up top, stopped by ACH, but Young scored with the sunset flip bomb and hangman’s neck breaker for a near fall. Young hen decided to get a chair, the ref stopped him and that allowed ACH to score with a huge dive, wiping out Young and some security guys. Back in ACH countered misery into a roll up. Young missed the moonsault and Ach scored with a brainbuster and then midnight star for the victory. The story here was good, with the veteran staying one step ahead of the youngster and brutalizing him to send a message; in the end the youngster was faster and was able to overcome and pick up the clean victory. Not quite as good as the opener, but a strong effort overall.

Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong: Strong shoved Mark and refused to shake hands. Mark was wearing a wig, which we discovered as Strong grabbed him by the hair and he ripped it off. Mark now looks like Jay with the shaved hair and beard (Hmmmm). Mark took control, sending Strong to the floor, hitting a dive and using some redneck king fu. Mark missed with the Cactus jack elbow off the apron and was then posted, allowing Strong to take control and hit a back breaker off of the barricade. Strong just tossed Mark around the ringside area, rolled him back in and covered for 2. Mark tried to fire up with some strikes, but ate a leg lariat, which stopped that. They battled back and forth for a suplex, which Mark finally got, covering for 2. Strong then hit the Angle slam, leading to them trading chops and strikes center ring. They did a double down spot, leading to Mark putting some offense together and setting Strong up top. Mark hit the fallout off the ropes, but only got 2. Mark then hit an Xploder, which got a near fall. Strong fought back with kicks, but Mark got the DVD and headed up top and froggy bow was countered by Strong’s knees. Strong hit the side-to-side elbow strikes and then a flapjack for a near fall. Mark countered the double knee gut buster into the Boston crab. Strong was able to kick him to the floor, Mark back in and they battled up top, SUPERPLEX into the double cradle for a near fall. Double knee gut buster by Strong, Gibson driver into the Strong hold, but Mark got the ropes. Mark escaped the back breaker on the apron, sent Strong to the floor and then hit the Cactus elbow drop. Back in, Mark leaps off the top and Strong counters with a dropkick. Both men are down; they get to their feet and trade chops and forearms. Strong then turns Mark inside out with he sick kick for a near fall. That was a hell of a sell by Mark there. Strong dropped the kneepad, but he missed the knee and Mark hit a running kick and fisherman’s buster for a near fall. Another fisherman’s buster and Mark was able to put him away. That was a very good back and forth match, the best on the show so far. The match was built around Mark feeling disrespected, and fighting to show that he was on Strong’s level. This was really good work from both.

– They shook hands and embraced post match.

– ROH needs to fix the micing, because the crowd sounds dead even though you can see reactions.

– Matt Taven is out on commentary.

Tornado Tag Match: Moose and War Machine vs. Bullet Club (Adam Cole and The Young Bucks): Bullet Club hit a trio of superkicks and then dives to take control of things at the beginning. They brawled on the floor, leading to Moose scoring with a dive that wiped everyone out. Taven ran down Cole on commentary as War Machine chased the Bucks up the ramp. The Bucks hit low blows as Moose and Cole battled at ringside. We finally got back to the ring at about the four-minute mark, where Bullet Club worked over Rowe with double and triple teams. Moose returned and started to put some offense together, with jabs to all three; they cut him off and told him to suck it and Cole did the “ADAM COLE BABY!” when he’d hit Moose. The triple superkick followed, Hanson was knocked back to the floor as Bullet Club isolated Moose. Rowe returned and picked up both Bucks on the floor, but as he looked to slam them, Cole hit the superkick to end that. Back in the ring, Moose hit a run up high cross onto all three and then Hanson returned and got to run wild. Moose and War Machine were finally back in at the same time, and started to just abuse Bullet Club with power moves. Hanson then missed the suicide dive, crashing to the floor. Superkicks by Cole and Matt followed, and then Nick hit an assisted moonsault to the floor. Hanson somehow went unnoticed back into the ring, and hit the senton off the top to the floor onto the pile. Moose and War Machine isolated Cole, but the Bucks made the save. Cole hit the destroyer on Rowe, but then Hanson hit the greetings from Asbury Park and planted Cole on his head. Hanson went for a moonsault but ate superkicks on the way down. Stokely Hathaway on the apron, he ate triple superkicks and did Moose. Meltzer driver on Moose and Cole covers for the win as the Bucks give him kisses on the cheek. The finish (Bullet Club winning, Moose eating the pin) was expected. That was a fun and chaotic match, not great, but everyone played their roles well and I enjoyed it. The only par that lacked was commentary, as Taven (in a heel role) wasn’t the guy to send the message that the ROH locker room wanted revenge on Bullet Club. He was really there to remind us that he existed and that he is promising a “New Kingdom” sometime down the line.

ROH Tag Team Title Match: Champions The Addiction (Daniels and Kazarian) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (Shelley and Sabin: The Machine Guns have beaten the Addiction two times since reuniting. The addiction attacked before the bell, which seems to be a running theme this evening (4 of 5 matches). After a brief skirmish on the floor, the Guns took control until Daniels got in a cheap shot, allowing Kaz to beat down Sabin. Kaz is in great shape, and has slimmed down and toned up. Sabin managed to get a tag, Shelly ran wild on the champions for a bit until they used double teams. Sabin ran in and it broke down for a bit, Sabin got taken out and the Addiction took control back after a blind tag and double teams by the Addiction. They worked a methodical, and at times bland, heat on Shelley. Miscommunication by the Addiction allowed Shelley to get the hot tag to Sabin. Sabin worked over Kaz, he and Shelley then double-teamed him and then Sabin hit the suicide dive onto both Kaz and Daniels. The Guns sent Daniels to the floor, and after double superkicks, got a near fall on Kaz. Daniels then sent Shelley to the post, leading to a double team powerbomb on Sabin for a near fall. All four back in, leading to a series of kicks and Shelley hitting slices bread on Daniels, but Kaz them cut him off and all four men were down. Kamaitachi randomly ran out, attacked Jay White and they brawled into the ring. Daniels hit a low blow on Shelley as Nigel was trying to get them separated. Sabin was left alone, and the Addiction hit the best Meltzer ever and the champions retained. Post match, the Addiction celebrated with Kamaitachi. The match was merely ok, as it felt as if it was missing something the whole time. They were playing the hits, but it just never connected. I also feel as if the Kamaitachi connection with the Addiction is ill advised, as if they are pushing he and White into alliances right away, where they will come across as secondary citizens.

– We get a video package for Whitmer vs. Corino.

Unsanctioned Fight Without Honor: Steve Corino vs. BJ Whitmer: Nigel wants nothing to do with this match; it has been signed, the men tested and waivers are in place so that ROH is not liable for anything. Corino was back to the blonde hair, which plays well off of his promo from TV this week. Both guys brawled right away, wearing white, and with that being the case and the fact that Nigel said that they “had been tested,” I am expecting blood. They introduced chairs, and it appears that Corino lost a tooth. Whitmer punished Corino, hitting a hangman’s neck breaker out of the tree of WHOA as Kelly discusses Corino’s neck surgery. Corino battled back and attacked the knee of Whitmer with chair shots, he then Pillmanized it with the chairs. Then went Harley Race with the short knuckle punches to bust Corino open. Whitmer is moving tables as the doctor checks on Corino, who tried to refuse medical attention. They then battled by the table in the corner, Whitmer hit an Xploder, but the table did not break; it must be Japanese. Whitmer did it again and the table finally broke, but Corino kicked out at 1. Whitmer then beat on Corino with pieces of the table, but superkick and the western lariat by Corino got him a near fall. Corino then got a bottle of beer and busted it over Whitmer’s head. Double juice time! Corino then drove what was left of the beer bottle neck into the head of Whitmer, who is now pouring blood. Corino then stole the doctor’s bag and grabbed rubbing alcohol and poured it over the open cut on Whitmer. Corino then went to the floor, undid his boot and took a sock off. He poured coins into the sock. Whitmer had a roll of quarters himself and nearly KO’d Corino with them, getting a near fall. They then went face to face and started to beat the shit out of each other with rights, and Corino scored with the package piledriver for a near fall. LIGHTS OUT now, and when we came back, Kevin Sullivan was in the ring in his purple robe. He spiked Corino with the golden spike, Xploder by Whitmer and he wins. I thought Corino and Whitmer did and very good job of selling the hatred of their feud, and added to that with the imagery of the blood and the white outfits. They were delivering a match that we don’t get to see that often these days (as far as mainstream US wrestling goes), and in that aspect it felt refreshing and appropriate, due to their history. And then they ran the Kevin Sullivan deal, making it two bad finishes in a row. If you had to do the Sullivan stuff, it makes sense in a match with no rules, but you have to separate it from the other finish. Also, imagine working that match, that style, bleeding and busting your ass to make people care only for a 66 year old Sullivan determining the finish, a finish that was completely deflating and took away from what they had done in many ways. And I say that as a big Sullivan fan.

ROH TV Title Match: Champion Bobby Fish vs. Dalton Castle w/The Boys: Basic back and forth to begin, with Fish frustrating Castle by outwrestling him. Castle finally grounded Fish, using his amateur wrestling and then looking for the gut wrench, but Fish countered and they had a stand off. Castle again took Fish down, hit some head butts and then posed. Fish then cut him off and then went to work on the knee, trying to set him up for the heel hook. Fish followed with the slingshot senton to the knee, and hit a snap suplex for a near fall. Castle fought back with a pair of running knee strikes, and then connected with the gut wrench suplex. After missing a charge, hey went back and forth, with Fish slamming him to the corner and hitting the suplex into the corner for a near fall. Fish went back to the attack of the knee, countered a suplex, but Castle got the delayed German into the bridge for 2. This led to back and forth strikes, and then clotheslines by Castle. Castle worked him over in the corner, but ate a boot on the charge. Fish jumped off the ropes and then we got a series of counters and Fish got the heel hook, but Castle got the ropes. They battled on the apron, and then Fish swept the leg and both fell to the floor. Fish slammed Castle to the barricade, and rolled back in as they did a countout tease. Fish went back to the floor, jumped off the apron and was caught and Castle dumped him into the crowd. Castle then dove over the barricade, taking out some security and Fish. They continued to fight on the floor, where Fish hit a slow and sloppy Xploder into the post. We got another countout tease here, and they made it back in. After trading strikes, Castle hit a series of suplexes, dumping Fish on his head (JESUS) at one point and dropping the selling of the knee during that series of moves. Fish then countered the bang-a-rang into a roll up for the win. They worked really hard, but I felt the match went to long, Castle abandoned the selling of the leg, and not only was the ending really flat, the match as a whole felt labored.

– The All Night Express arrived; they set up a presidential like podium for them. Caprice Coleman, their minister of information was with them, and the spoke about making wrestling great again. They have been overlooked, underrated and underpaid. They have united and are now called The Cabinet. Titus stole Silas Young’s gimmick, complaining about young punks and high spots. This was an excellent segment if the goal was to completely stop any and all momentum and to kill the crowd. This sucked, and at best should have been a segment for ROH TV.

ROH World Title Match: Champion Jay Lethal w/Taeler Hendricks vs. Jay Briscoe: They started slowly, with both guys looking to set up their offense. Lethal scored first with a takedown into the dropkick, but Briscoe then hit a RANA and they separated. Briscoe then started to put some offense together, hitting back elbows and uppercuts. Briscoe then hit the leg lariat to put a stop to that. We had a lot of back and forth here, with neither man getting to get much together at the same time. Briscoe missed a charge and was sent to the floor, allowing Lethal to score with a pair of suicide dives. Briscoe would fight back, and he then it a pair of dives as they play anything you can do I can do better. Briscoe then hit the over the top dive to one up lethal, and Hendricks then attacked Briscoe. The ref tossed her to the back as Nigel sat there and did nothing as usual, which is his job. Hendicks and Mandy Leon had to be separated by security. Back in the ring, Lethal hit the lethal combo for a near fall. Briscoe connected with a big spinning forearm strike, went for the Jay driller but opted for a powerbomb, which got a near fall. DVD by Briscoe followed for a near fall. Lethal rolled to the floor, and then ht a cutter onto the floor as Briscoe came through the ropes. Back in the ring, Lethal in control but when he tried a RANA off the ropes Briscoe held on. Briscoe looked for the jay driller off the ropes but Lethal turned that into the RANA. Up top and the elbow drop connects for Lethal, but Briscoe kicks out. Lethal into the figure four, but Briscoe got the ropes. Lethal injection countered, boot by Briscoe and lethal fights the Jay driller, but Briscoe it’s the Lethal injection! JAY DRILLER connects for Briscoe, but Lethal kicks out! That was a great sequence. Briscoe takes Lethal up top, they fight for position and Lethal hit the SUPER cutter! Lethal injection follows and the champion retains. This was a refreshingly clean match and finish after the horrendous booking of the last PPV. Some will say that the match was too short, but I will take a short and strongly worked match over one that over stays it’s welcome. They made the most of the time, worked a great main event that kept the crowd involved more than just about anything on the show. The story was that they knew each other well from their previous world title match, and it was going to come down to the man that made the first major mistake or hit the first really big move to get to our finish. This was also a great example of a heel winning clean where it doesn’t damage the babyface as well. Lethal continues as champion, and if they craft the right story, whoever beats him should have one hell of a moment.

– They shook hands post match.

– ROH returns to PPV on August 19th with Death Before Dishonor.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.8

The final score: review Average

The 411

I would call this PPV an above average, leading towards good event. There were no bad matches, but two of the finishes came off poorly (tag title, Corino/Whitmer) and the Cabinet segment prior to the main event had no place on the show and not only took time away from the main event, but killed the overall momentum of the show. This was far from a bad show, but it isn’t one I am comfortable recommending for the $45 price tag.