ROH – Final Battle 2005 DVD Review

ROH – FINAL BATTLE 2005 – EDISON, NJ, 12.17.05

Review by Brad Garoon and Jacob Ziegler

Top 5

JZ says: I’ve been using the top 5 as voted on by the ROH message board. After each show (or double shot weekend), go to The ROH Message Board and vote for the top 5. In parentheses after a guy’s name is his position in the last Honor Roll, and how many consecutive weeks he has been listed.

ROH WORLD CHAMPION: Bryan Danielson (since 9.17.05)
ROH PURE CHAMPION: Nigel McGuinness (since 8.27.05)
1) Roderick Strong (1, 7)
2) Austin Aries (NR, 1)
3) Jay Lethal (NR, 1)
4) Christopher Daniels (2, 7)
5) BJ Whitmer (3, 3)

Intro

BG says: Low Ki talks about his work in NOAH and the improvement he’s made in the last year. Tonight he faces KENTA for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight title. All of this is played over a video of Ki in ROH with pictures of KENTA flying around. That was very similar to the Joe vs. Kobashi video, and just as good.

JZ says: Low Ki opens the show talking about his big match tonight while clips of some of his best moments run in the background. That’s a different way to open a show and it was a nice change.

MATCH #1: Milano Collection AT vs. Jimmy Rave

BG says: They lock up and Rave takes Milano to the corner. Milano grabs a wristlock but Rave reverses to his own. Milano puts on a headlock and then gets a bow and arrow lock. Rave flips over for 2. Milano goes back to the headlock and puts on an octopus stretch. Rave gets to the ropes. Milano ties Rave up in the ropes and then dropkicks him to the floor. Back in the ring Milano hits another dropkick for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Rave forces him to the corner. He hits a clothesline to the back of the head for 2. He drops Milano on a northern lights suplex attempt for 2. Milano hangs Rave on the second rope and then from the floor hits a dropkick landing on the apron. It gets 2 back in the ring. Rave drop toeholds him into the turnbuckle and hits a snap suplex for 2. He slams Milano to the mat by his hair for 2. He hits a swinging neckbreaker for 2. He puts on a crossface but Milano gets to the ropes. Nana beats on Milano with the referee distracted so Milano nails him with a baseball slide. He hits Rave with an enziguiri and a pair of clotheslines. He hits a senton and climbs the ropes. He hits a crossbody for 2. Rave hits a backbreaker and Ghanarea for 2. Milano hits a clothesline and a springboard senton for 2. He hits a climbing Shining Wizard for 2. Rave blocks a piledriver and hits the running knee and Greetings from Ghana for the win. Great opener that got the crowd all kinds of fired up. Rave still has as much heat as ever, no matter how many feuds he loses.
Rating: ***¼

JZ says: Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard (just returned from a trip to Japan I hear) are the hosts for this historic event. They so some chain wrestling to start as the crowd is just all over Jimmy Rave; he gets such great heel heat. Milano wows the crowd with some innovative offense, particularly submissions. Milano outwrestles Rave, so Rave comes back with cheating. Rave hits several of his signature moves but Milano is able to kick out and keep going. Rave hits the running knee and the Greetings from Ghana to get the win at 12:44. Good match, but Nana’s dancing after the match outshines it completely.
Rating: ***

The Champ is Here

BG says: Bryan Danielson isn’t intimidated by Naomichi Marufuji signing the open contract sent to NOAH. He’s beaten dozens of Japanese wrestlers, so he isn’t sweating Marufuji.

JZ says: Bryan Danielson, the ROH World Champion, is backstage to cut a promo about his title defense against NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji tonight. He says that nobody can beat him.

MATCH #2: Azrieal vs. Colt Cabana

BG says: This was originally supposed to be Cabana taking on Homicide in what would seemingly be the end of their feud but Homicide was badly injured in his match with Steve Corino. Azrieal tries to bring some comedy to the match early on but Cabana isn’t having it. They trade hammerlocks very quickly and Azrieal struts around. They trade wristlocks and Azrieal tries to lighten Cabana up again. Cabana is all business. Azrieal tries to trick Cabana into tripping so he slaps him across the face. He grabs a front facelock but gets hit with a dropkick for 2. Azrieal goes for a crossbody but Cabana hits him with a dropkick for 2. They knock heads and fall to the mat. Azrieal hits a hurricanrana and a running forearm. He hits an enziguiri and gets a roll up for 2. He hits the Demon Driver for 2. Cabana comes back with a series of strikes and a shoulder block off the second rope. He hits a missile dropkick and a lariat for the win. Fun match that got over how messed up Cabana is over the Homicide feud.
Rating: **¾

Homicide and Ricky Reyes come to the ring after the match. Homicide tells Cabana that because of his injury he’ll miss six months of action. He warns him that after he kills Steve Corino he’s coming after him. He says to stay out of his business until then or he’ll do bad things to him. Intense stuff.

JZ says: The crowd is heavily behind Colt Cabana, and why shouldn’t they be? Cabana was originally going to face Homicide again, but he got injured wrestling Steve Corino so Azrieal is in. Azrieal tries to get Cabana to dance and act goofy, but Cabana has not been in much of a dancing mood since the Homicide feud really got going. Azrieal tries to have a nice match but Cabana just slaps him in the face. He’s pretty angry. He beats up Azrieal for a while before hitting the Lariat and scoring the win at 7:18. That wasn’t much of a match, but it got over the fact that Cabana is not messing around right now. He does help Azrieal up after the match though.
Rating: *¾

The lights go out and Homicide’s music hits and he is on his way out with Ricky Reyes. Homicide says he has to have surgery and he will be out of action for six months. He says his beef is with Steve Corino, and he’s not here to fight Cabana tonight. He still spits on him though and throws the microphone at him. He leaves before any fisticuffs are thrown.

MATCH #3: ROH Pure Title Match – Nigel McGuinness vs. Claudio Castagnoli

BG says: There are two referees here because of how cheat-happy Nigel has been against Claudio. Nigel starts things off with a wristlock and a palm strike to the forehead. He hits a great armdrag and a nifty hurricanrana for 2. He starts celebrating too much and Claudio palms him in the forehead. He tries to fake a closed fist warning but the referee on the outside catches him and he gets warned. Neither referee sees Claudio use a closed fist, but Nigel is caught throwing one in retaliation and loses his first rope break. He puts on an armbar but Claudio uses the referee to reverse to his own. The second referee sees Nigel bounce off the ropes to escape and charges him for it. Claudio gets a roll up for 2. He gets a backslide for 2. He gets another roll up for 2 and Nigel bails. Claudio goes for a suicide dive but Nigel moves and Claudio hits the second referee. Back in the ring Nigel hits a hammerlock DDT. He stays on the hammerlock but Claudio rolls away. Nigel hits a high impact European uppercut for 2. He hangs Claudio in the corner and punts his back. He puts on an armbar and Claudio uses his first rope break. Nigel puts on a chinlock and Claudio uses his second rope break. Nigel goes for the hand stand kick but Claudio pulls him back down by his foot. Claudio unloads with European uppercuts and hits a dropkick to the face. He hits another European uppercut for 2. Nigel blocks the Ricolabomb but gets hit with a northern lights suplex for 2. He hits Nigel with the Tower of London but Nigel uses his last rope break to break the pin. Nigel lays out the referee going for the rebound clothesline and then hits Claudio with a DDT. He grabs the iron and tries to repeat the finish from Detroit but the referee is down. Claudio hits Nigel in the head with the iron and picks up the win. But uh oh, the second referee saw Claudio use the iron and Nigel wins by disqualification. I really dug the way the two referees were used in this match, and it was probably the best match between the two so far.
Rating: ***

JZ says: This is Nigel’s first defense since Showdown in Motown, which they helpfully show a clip of. He beat Claudio by DQ in that one. This is his sixth title defense overall. Finally, it is the fifth time they have faced each other (one four-way and four singles matches). Sadly, none of their matches have broken three stars yet. There are two referees in this match, due to champ’s chicanery in the previous match. Nigel loses his first rope break due to using closed fists, and the second one escaping from an armbar. In both cases the second referee caught him, thereby justifying his existence. Nigel tries to stall outside the ring so Claudio goes for a dive, but hits second referee Paul Turner instead. Nigel is happy with this development. Back in the ring he goes to work on the arm of Claudio, as the crowd gets behind the challenger. Claudio fights back and hits the Tower of London but Nigel uses his third rope break. First referee Todd Sinclair goes down so Nigel grabs the iron and tries to use it, then tries to frame Claudio. This time it doesn’t work and Claudio actually uses the iron to get the victory and win the Pure Title at 14:36. But wait! Paul Turner is back in the ring and tells Sinclair that Claudio did in fact use the iron, and disqualifies Claudio, who insists that he is an angel. I don’t believe that Claudio would cheat, and therefore I declare that finish to be foul. Their best match to date though, easy.
Rating: ***¼

MATCH #4: Alex Shelley vs. Steve Corino

BG says: Prince Nana knocks out Corino’s ring announcer so Corino lays him out. Shelley attacks Corino and the match is on. Corino hits an armdrag into an armbar. He dumps Shelley to the floor where he gets rammed into the barricade. Nana gets a few licks in but Corino scares him off. Shelley hangs Corino’s arm up on the top rope and then goes to work on it. He puts on a hammerlock and runs Corino into the turnbuckle. Shelley shoves Corino back to the floor where Nana attacks. Back in the ring Shelley goes back to work on the arm. Nana distracts the referee long enough for Shelley to set up a chair in the corner. Corino ends up ramming Shelley’s head into the chair. Shelley kicks the arm but Corino comes back with chops and a high knee. Shelley gets a roll up for 2 and puts on a cross armbreaker. Corino gets to the ropes. Shelley climbs the ropes but Corino cuts him off. Shelley shoves him away and Corino injures his knee. Shelley hits him with a tornado armbreaker for 2. He puts the cross armbreaker back on but Corino gets to the ropes. Shelley kicks at the arm but Corino comes back with a leaping kick. He hits an STO for 2. Nana holds him for Shelley but ends up getting knocked down. He runs in and Corino hits him with a flatliner while hitting Shelley with a DDT. He hits a lariat and a northern lights bomb on Shelley for 2 when Nana takes out the referee. Corino dumps Nana but Shelley catches him with a roll up for the win. Dull match with a needlessly overbooked ending.
Rating: **¼

Homicide immediately attacks Corino after the match. He opens up a bottle of Drano and goes to pour it on him but Cabana pushes him out of the ring. J-Train and Homicide beat on Cabana and Homicide pours the Drano in his mouth. The usual gang of nobodies makes the save.

JZ says: Shelley’s music rules. Shelley basically rules come to think of it. Nana knocks down Corino’s ring announcer, so Corino knocks Nana down and goes to work on Shelley. Oddly enough, Shelley was against Steve Corino at last year’s Final Battle 2004, as Shelley teamed with Roderick Strong to take on Corino & CM Punk. That was the night Shelley was booted from Generation Next. Shelley recovers and beings to dismantle dissect Corino’s arm. Shelley sets up a chair but Corino reverses and sends Shelley face first into the chair. Nana blatantly interferes but Corino handles him easily. Nana then hits the referee and is still not disqualified. That’s ridiculous. Shelley gets a rollup for the win at 11:04. That was a boring match with a bad finish, which is not something I often say about Shelley’s matches.
Rating: **¼

Homicide runs out and kicks the hell out of Corino and brings out the Draino and tries to pour it on him. Cabana makes the save, which draws out Julius Smokes, who holds Cabana while Homicide pours the Draino down his throat. I’m really into this feud since the last show.

MATCH #5: Four Corner Survival – Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal vs. Christopher Daniels vs. BJ Whitmer

BG says: The Scoopster brings Jay Lethal out to the ring to explain why he went ruthless on Samoa Joe during their match on the last show. Lethal says that Joe didn’t take him under his wing, he held him down under his fat. He looked at Joe’s paycheck a few weeks back and noticed that he was making a heck of a lot less. Considering all that he’s accomplished in ROH this year, it has to be Joe holding his paycheck back. He declares himself the hottest free agent in wrestling and tells managers across the country that his services are open for bidding.

There are a lot of issues in this match. Joe and Daniels are currently in the middle of a phantom feud with no real issue. Lethal turned on Joe at the last show. Also, Whitmer has been hassling Daniels over the last few shows, accusing him of abandoning his friends. Joe has the NWA X-Division title with him. Lethal runs from Joe at the bell. Joe and Whitmer keep it intense in the opening moments of the match. Daniels comes in for Whitmer and has a great exchange with Joe until Lethal attacks Joe from behind. Whitmer pulls Daniels to the floor and works him over there. Lethal and Whitmer spend some time keeping Daniels down and away from tagging Joe. Lacey gets a few shots in on Daniels until Allison Danger comes in to make it a cat fight. Joe comes in for Whitmer so Daniels sneaks a tag to Lethal. Joe kills him for a while until the match breaks down into a brawl between all four men. Joe hits the muscle buster on Daniels onto the X-Division title but Whitmer nails Joe with a chair. Lethal kicks Whitmer out of the ring and then hits a diving headbutt on Daniels for the win. This was the best four corner survival match in a really long time, which I’m chalking up to the quality wrestlers who actually have issues with each other going into the match. The match also served to create problems between Lethal and Daniels as well as Joe and Whitmer, so good stuff all around.
Rating: ***¾

JZ says: GMC calls Jay Lethal out first, to talk about the new side of Jay Lethal that was on display at the last show in Manhattan. Lethal calls Joe fat. He learned that Samoa Joe, his mentor, was making more than the protégé, which is him. He has some trouble with pronunciation, but this promo is going pretty well all things considered. He declares his services open for bidding.

All four of these men have issues with each other, so this should be an interesting four-way at least. Joe has the TNA X-Division title belt with him, along with a surly mood. Lethal avoids Joe at first and of course hits him when he’s not looking. This gives Daniels the opportunity to capitalize though. Lethal is getting pretty good heel heat here. Lacey tries to interfere but Danger stops her, and they fight in the middle of the ring for a while. That seems like a WWE thing to do. I guess it’s supposed to further the Daniels versus Whitmer feud. Joe tags in and finally gets his hands on Lethal and destroys him with some signature moves. People need to stop charging Joe in the corner, because he always hits the STJoe, don’t they know that? Everything breaks down and everyone is fighting everyone. Lethal brings the X-Division Title into the ring and Joe hits the Muscle Buster on Daniels right on top of the belt. Whitmer hits Joe with a chair, and then Lethal knocks Whitmer out of the ring and hits a diving headbutt on Daniels to get the victory at 15:01. That was a really good four-way with good stuff from everybody all around. I could have done without the women brawling, but whatever.
Rating: ***½

INTERMISSION

BG says: The Scoopster is with the Embassy. 2005 was a fluke bad year for them, but 2006 will see them climb to the top of ROH. Shelley decides that instead of beating everybody down, they should just play by their rules and take all their titles. Rave and Nana agree.

JZ says: GMC is with Prince Nana and Jimmy Rave. He first gives us an update on Cabana, who has been rushed to the hospital, but no word on Corino is available yet. Nana says that Rave and Shelley are going to change the business. Shelley says that they should take everybody’s titles, especially the ROH World Title.

MATCH #6: Davey Andrews vs. Ricky Reyes

BG says: Reyes has been beating up ROH students all over the place, and now it’s time for the top of the class to get his shot. He hit Andrews over the head with his trophy, and now Andrews wants revenge. Andrews hits a running forearm and a big boot in the corner but the match is interrupted for a Scoopster news break.

The Scoopster catches up with Steve Corino who is leaving the building because the Rottweilers are dangerous. Corino doesn’t want to deal with all this Drano business, and he’s leaving ROH because Homicide tries to murder people. Funny stuff.

Back to the match where Reyes is kicking the crap out of Andrews. Reyes puts on the dragon sleeper and Andrews is out cold. ROH didn’t find it necessary to show this match uninterrupted, so I don’t find it necessary to rate it. After the match Reyes destroys the Top of the Class trophy until Austin Aries rushes in from the back. Aries calls Reyes out on being carried by Rocky Romero for a year and getting drunk on recordings played on the Internet. Reyes swears a lot in saying that it isn’t done. Roderick Strong is in the ring too so let’s start the tag title match!

JZ says: The match goes for about five seconds until they cut to the back and GMC is asking Steve Corino why he’s leaving the building. He says that it’s gone too far and that the Rottweilers are dangerous, and that he has his family to think about. We’re back to Reyes kicking Andrews pretty hard. Reyes locks on the guillotine choke to get the win at about 2:19. That seemed like a waste of time. Speaking of a waste of time, Davey Andrews would leave wrestling 10 days after this match, so it’s a good thing ROH put all the time into him that they did. Reyes destroys Andrews’s Top of the Class Trophy after the match. ROH Wrestling School Head Trainer Austin Aries comes out to make the save for the trophy, but it’s too late. Aries gets on the mic and makes some comments about Reyes that I can’t really argue with.
Rating: DUD

MATCH #7: ROH World Tag Team Title Match – Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong

BG says: Aries and Strong beat Joe and Lethal at A Night of Tribute to get this shot. Technically if they lose this match they’ll still have two title shots coming their way due to other wins they’ve racked up. Strong and Mamaluke start. Strong grabs a wristlock but Mamaluke reverses to the Kayak. Mamaluke dropkicks the knee and gets a roll up for 2. Strong goes for a roll up but Mamaluke reverses to a triangle choke. Strong escapes and puts on an armbar. Mamaluke escapes and tags to Sal. Strong grabs a headlock but Sal escapes and gets his own. Aries tags in and hits a slingshot senton. He hits a fisherman’s suplex for 2. Strong tags in and kicks Sal to the floor. He chops him around down there and rolls him back into the ring. He puts on a chinlock and tags to Aries. Aries hits the corner elbow and a northern lights suplex for 2. Strong tags in and they hit a double back suplex for 2. Strong unloads with chops and hits a running forearm. Aries tags in and hits the corner dropkick for 2. Strong tags in and chops away. Sal hits a moonsault press for 2 but Strong comes back with a roll up for 2. Aries tags in and hits the power drive elbow for 2. He goes for a splash but Mamaluke pulls him to the floor. Mamaluke tags in and slingshots Aries into the bottom rope. He hits a side suplex for 2. He puts on a cross armbreaker but Aries gets to the ropes. Mamaluke puts on a chinlock and tags to Sal. Sal comes off the top with an elbow drop for 2. He hits a dropkick for 2. Mamaluke tags in and Sal hits a drop toehold into Mamaluke’s knee. Aries gets a sunset flip for 2. Mamaluke puts on a leglock but Aries reverses to a nerve hold. Mamaluke hits a chin breaker for 2. Sal tags in and Aries fights off the champions. Strong gets the tag and cleans house. He hits a sick dropkick on Mamaluke and a butterfly backbreaker on Sal for 2. Sal reverses the gutbuster to a hurricanrana for 2. Aries tags in and they hit the Hart Attack for 2. Aries hits a Finlay roll on Sal but gets caught by Mamaluke on the top rope. Mamaluke hits a superplex and Sal hits a splash for 2. Strong hits a backbreaker on Mamaluke. Aries hits Mamaluke with a brainbuster and Strong hits Sal with the half nelson backbreaker. Aries follows up with the 450 splash on Sal for the win and the titles. A little iffy when the Italians were in control, but when Generation Next was on fire this was a great time and Aries makes it two years in a row winning a title at Final Battle.
Rating: ***½

JZ says: The Miracle Jobber Connection is making their fifth title defense here. What a disaster their tag team title reign has been. Aries and Strong earned this shot by beating Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal back at A Night of Tribute. Strong and Mamaluke do some nice back and forth stuff to start. They wrestled a few times in FIP; Brad said the matches were good, I haven’t watched them yet myself. The challengers are dominating in the early going. Last year at Final Battle 2004 Aries beat Samoa Joe to end that amazing title reign. Something snaps in Mamaluke and he decides to play heel, and the crowd responds to it with boos and this match has finally picked up. Aries takes heat for a while until making the hot tag to Strong, who comes in and dominates, as he’s been known to do lately. They do some more stuff, until Strong hits Sal with a half-nelson backbreaker and Aries follows up with the 450 splash to get the win and the titles at 18:18. Despite the finish being a foregone conclusion, the match ended up being pretty fun and Mamaluke played a pretty good heel. I’m not sad to see the Rinauro and Mamaluke as champions experiment over, but I wouldn’t mind if they stuck around as a tag team. The problem with them is that they were given the titles with no build up and had an uphill road to climb the whole way, and they just weren’t the guys to do it.
Rating: ***¼

MATCH #8: ROH World Title Match – Bryan Danielson vs. Naomichi Marufuji

BG says: As mentioned before, Marufuji signed the open contract sent to NOAH to get this title shot. Danielson takes Marufuji to the mat to start. They knuckle up and Marufuji stands on Danielson’s hands. He grabs a headlock so Danielson slaps him. They trade chops and Marufuji misses a dropkick. Danielson gets a roll up for 2. They both go for dropkicks and beg off. They trade strikes and Danielson grabs a dragon sleeper. Marufuji reverses to a leglock so Danielson floats into a front facelock. Marufuji flips around and reverses to a wristlock but Danielson goes to the corner to break. Marufuji blocks a blind charge and hits a momentum charged dropkick for 2. He puts on a chinlock and then works over Danielson’s face with his boot for 2. He puts on a dragon sleeper but Danielson hits a knee strike to escape. Marufuji kicks his head for 2. He dumps Danielson to the floor but Danielson rams his face into the apron. Marufuji tries to powerbomb Danielson from the apron to the floor but Danielson blocks. He rams Marufuji into the barricade and rolls him back into the ring where he gets 2. Marufuji actually taps out while Danielson is putting on the Mexican surfboard but the referee waves it off. Lame. Danielson turns the hold into a chinlock and then stomps on Marufuji’s thighs after flicking off the crowd. Where are people getting that Danielson isn’t a heel here? He puts on a modified figure 4 leglock but Marufuji gets to the ropes. Danielson hits a DDT for 2. He puts on a spinning toehold into a figure 4 leglock. Marufuji turns it over and Danielson goes to the ropes. Marufuji hits a dropkick and a drop toehold into another dropkick. He hits a back elbow and sets Danielson up top. Danielson blocks a hurricanrana but gets dropkicked on his way off the top for 2. Marufuji suplexes Danielson to the floor. Danielson pulls Marufuji out and hits him with a suicide dive. Back in the ring Danielson comes off the top with a dropkick. He hits a butterfly suplex for 2. They fight up top where Danielson gets crotched. Marufuji hangs him in the Tree of Woe and hits a baseball slide. He hits a springboard dropkick from the other side of the ring for 2. The replay of that move was awesome. He hits a superkick but Danielson comes back with a roaring forearm. He hits a German suplex for 2. He puts on the Cow Killer but Marufuji gets to the ropes. Danielson sets him up top and hits a back superplex for 2. Marufuji standing up there dumbfounded for so long looked ridiculous. Danielson puts on the Cow Killer and rolls Marufuji up for 2. Marufuji blocks the Regalplex and hits the Shiranui. He gets a roll up for 2. Danielson gets a roll up for 2. Marufuji gets another for 2 but Danielson comes back with one more for the win. The first half of the match saw no heat and a seemingly unmotivated Marufuji. The last few minutes were exciting, and Danielson’s character still rules my world.
Rating: ***½

Marufuji speaks his foreign tongue into the microphone after the match and the crowd cheers, despite not knowing what he said.

JZ says: This is my first time seeing Marufuji wrestle. The crowd is cheering both men during the pre-match introductions. It starts off slow with both guys feeling each other out. They wrestle inside the ring for a bit and then outside the ring for a bit, where Danielson takes time to argue with the fans. Back in the ring Danielson locks on the surfboard. They keep wrestling, and this match is good and all, but I just can’t think of anything to say that Brad won’t have covered in the play-by-play. Marufuji scores a springboard dropkick from all the way across the ring with Danielson tied up in the tree of woe. Danielson comes back and puts on the Cattle Mutilation, but Marufuji reaches the ropes. A super back suplex gets two, so Danielson locks the Cattle Mutilation in as the fans chant “please don’t tap.” Marufuji comes back and hits Sliced Bread #2. They exchange rollups and Danielson is able to hold Marufuji down for the three-count to retain the title at 23:42. That was good but I wasn’t blown away or anything. Danielson’s title reign keeps right on rolling.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #9: GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title Match – KENTA vs. Low Ki

BG says: They lock up and Ki ducks a kick. Ki grabs the capture armbar and falls to the floor. Back in the ring Ki grabs a legvice. He works over the arm but KENTA comes back with a hammerlock. Ki unloads with kicks but KENTA cuts him off with a back elbow. He hits some kicks of his own and gets 1. They trade strikes and Ki hits a dick head kick to the back of the head for 2. He elbows KENTA in the face while beating him in the corner but walks into a boot to the face. KENTA hangs him up on the top rope and puts on a sleeper in the ropes. He climbs the ropes and comes down with a big clothesline for 2. He hits a stiff kick to the back for 2. He shoots Ki to the floor where he unleashes some more kicks and tosses him into the barricade. Back in the ring KENTA hits an afterthought kick to Ki’s face for 2. Ki hits the Koppo kick and hangs KENTA on the top rope. He kicks him to the floor and follows him out with a springboard dive. Back in the ring Ki gets 2. He hits an enziguiri and a bodyslam for 2. He hits another and a stiff kick to the back for 2. He puts on a legvice but KENTA gets to the ropes. KENTA goes for a sunset flip but Ki blocks and hits a double stomp for 2. Ki puts on a reverse bear hug but KENTA gets to the ropes. They go to the floor where Ki rams KENTA into the barricade. Back in the ring Ki gets 2. He hangs KENTA on the second rope and hits a double stomp off the top to his lower back for 2. KENTA blocks a blind charge and hits a powerslam. KENTA hits a big boot and a Sick Kick. He hits a kick combo and a beautiful springboard dropkick for 2. He unloads with more kicks and hits a butterfly suplex into a cross armbreaker. Ki gets to the ropes. KENTA hits a falcon arrow for 2. He hangs Ki up top but Ki hangs him in the Tree of Woe. He stands on KENTA’s knee forcing him to jerk up and then nails him with a double stomp to the face. He’s slow to cover and gets 2. He unloads with Kobashi-esque chops and the crowd boos. KENTA goes for a striking combo but Ki catches him with the Tidal Wave out of nowhere for 2. He climbs the ropes but KENTA jumps up and hits him with a super falcon arrow for 2. They trade slaps and Ki goes down getting 2 for KENTA. Ki reverses the Busaiku knee kick to the Ki Krusher for 2. He hits the Tidal Krush but KENTA comes back with a tiger suplex for 2. Ki ducks midway through a striking combo and hits a great dropkick. He climbs the ropes and hits the douche bag double stomp for 2. He misses a phoenix splash and KENTA hits the Go 2 Sleep and the Busaiku knee kick for the win. This match flew by in no time and was just insane action from start to finish. It was missing some of the aura that was present in Joe vs. Kobashi, but then KENTA isn’t quite that kind of legend. This was still something that is totally worth going out of your way to see, and wrapped up the year in style.
Rating: ****½

JZ says: This is the first KENTA match that I have seen, but this is the fourth time I’ve watched it, so I know this match pretty well. I think I’m just going to sit back and enjoy watching these two ugly guys beat the crap out of each other. I will tell you, however, that KENTA pins Low Ki with the Go to Sleep and an additional knee strike to get the win and retain the title at 24:59. That match was tremendous, quite possibly my favorite Low Ki match ever. The fans chant “five-star match,” which it’s close to, but not quite.
Rating: ****½

Aftermath

BG says: Christopher Daniels can’t go to work anywhere in the United States without seeing Samoa Joe in the locker room or across the ring. The biggest mistake he’s made in his career was bringing Joe into ROH in 2002 because now all Joe does is muscle bust him on chairs and title belts. He thinks it’s time to end this feud in ROH. I say it’s about time they put some emotion into this feud. Thank you, Christopher Daniels.

JZ says: Christopher Daniels appears to be sick of seeing Samoa Joe. He regrets bringing Joe to ROH in the first place. Daniels says that it’s time to end his feud with Joe.

MVP

BG says: Low Ki, for putting on what I’d consider to be the best match of his career.

JZ says: KENTA, for impressing the hell out of me in the first match I’ve seen him in. It made me really pumped to see him and Marufuji against Joe and Danielson.

TOP 10 MATCHES OF 2005

BG says:
10) Samoa Joe vs. James Gibson, 6.4.05
9) Roderick Strong vs. James Gibson, 10.2.05
8) James Gibson vs. Bryan Danielson, 9.17.05
7) Samoa Joe & Low Ki vs. Kenta Kobashi & Homicide, 10.2.05
6) Bryan Danielson vs. Christopher Daniels, 11.19.05
5) Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong, 10.29.05
4) Low Ki vs. KENTA, 12.17.05
3) CM Punk vs. James Gibson vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels, 8.12.05
2) Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi, 10.1.05
1) Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong, 11.5.05

JZ says:
10) BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs vs. Roderick Strong & Jack Evans, 5.7.05
9) James Gibson vs. Roderick Strong, 10.2.05
8) CM Punk vs. Austin Aries, 6.18.05
7) Kenta Kobashi & Homicide vs. Samoa Joe & Low Ki, 10.2.05
6) CM Punk vs. James Gibson vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels, 8.12.05
5) Jimmy Rave vs. CM Punk, 5.7.05
4) Low Ki vs. KENTA, 12.17.05
3) James Gibson vs. Bryan Danielson, 9.17.05
2) Kenta Kobashi vs. Samoa Joe, 10.1.05
1) Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong, 11.5.05

BONUS MATCH – GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title Match – Naomichi Marufuji vs. Tastuhito Takaiwa, NOAH 12.9.01

BG says: Takaiwa nails a big lariat at the bell. He hits a double powerbomb and then powerbombs Marufuji out of the ring onto the ramp. That’s one hell of a way to start a match. He goes for another powerbomb on the ramp but Marufuji reverses to a hurricanrana and hits a superkick. Back in the ring Takaiwa puts on a chinlock but Marufuji escapes and hits a dropkick. Takaiwa drops him over the top rope and then puts on a leglock. Marufuji reverses to a leglock of his own but Takaiwa reverses that to a headlock. They trade strikes and Marufuji hits a flying forearm. Takaiwa no sells it and hits a lariat for 2. He puts on an armbar but switches to the Mark Nulty Special. Marufuji gets to the ropes. Takaiwa hits a delayed brainbuster for 2. He puts on a half crab but Marufuji gets to the ropes. Takaiwa beats him down in the corner and then hits a back elbow for 1. Those cocky covers are starting to catch up to him a bit. He dumps Marufuji to the floor where Marufuji nails a superkick. He climbs back into the ring and dropkicks Takaiwa off the apron. He flies out with a plancha and then rolls in to attempt a suplex into the ring. Takaiwa blocks and suplexes Marufuji to the floor, messing up his knee. Back in the ring Takaiwa sets Marufuji up top. Marufuji tries to block so Takaiwa clotheslines his legs out from under him. That was AWESOME. He climbs the ropes and comes down onto Marufuji’s knee with an elbow drop, then does it again. He puts on a figure 4 leglock but Marufuji gets to the ropes. Takaiwa sets Marufuji on the top rope and goes for a German superplex. Marufuji lands on his feet and Takaiwa gets stuck in the Tree of Woe. Marufuji hits a dropkick to the face followed by a springboard dropkick from the other side of the ring. He hits a missile dropkick for 2. Takaiwa comes back with a chimeraplex for 2. Marufuji ducks a lariat and gets a roll up for 2. Takaiwa reverses a hurricanrana to a DVD for 2. He sets Marufuji up top and hits a super DVD, but lifts Marufuji up at 2. Big mistake Takaiwa. He hits a double pyramid bomb and a lariat for 2. Marufuji rolls to the apron and Takaiwa sets him up top. He goes for a super bomb but Marufuji reverses to a neck crunching hurricanrana. He hits a superkick and the Shiranui for 1 when Takaiwa kicks out with authority. Takaiwa blocks a dragon rana and hits a turnbuckle powerbomb. He puts on a cloverleaf but Marufuji gets to the ropes. He goes for another but Marufuji rolls him up for 2. Takaiwa hits a lariat for 2. He sets Marufuji on the top rope but gets hit with a super Shiranui. Marufuji then comes off the top with a shooting star press for the win and the title. I’d have gone with the super Shiranui as the finish, but aside from that and Marufuji’s flaky selling of the knee this match rocked the shit all over the place. Marufuji got no straight up offense, only hitting things as a reversal to Takaiwa’s maneuvers, but in the end that paid off for him. Takaiwa shows him respect after the match.
Rating: ****

JZ says: This match isn’t on the DVD, but rather from Brad’s tape library, and we decided to start adding a bonus match to our reviews to spice them up a little bit. Marufuji gets murdered almost right off the bat with a big clothesline and a series of powerbombs. Takaiwa dominates, and every time Marufuji tries to fight back he gets knocked right back down. Speaking of getting knocked down, the way Takaiwa knocks Marufuji off the top ropes if awesome. Marufuji eventually hits a Sliced Bread #2 off the top rope, and follows it up with a beautiful shooting star press to get the win at 22:07. That was a really good match, with a great dynamic.
Rating: ****

You can pick up this show, as well as all other ROH shows at ROH Wrestling Dot Com.

Coming soon will be our review of HELL FREEZES OVER!

Have any thoughts, comments, or concerns? Like how we’re doing our reviews? Let us know!

E-mail Brad at [email protected]
E-mail Jacob at [email protected]

The 411: BG says: This is a great show from start to finish. The undercard is solid and the show builds towards the main event. It could be sold on the main event alone but it doesn't need to be as it is complimented by the rest of the card. Strong recommendation from me. JZ says: This is another in a long line of recommendable shows. The last two matches are very good, the tag team titles change hands, the Cabana/Homicide feud escalated again, the four-way was very good, and Claudio and Nigel stepped it up. ROH continues to roll right into 2006.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]