Csonka’s ROH Best in the World 2019 Review

Csonka’s ROH Best in the World 2019 Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Rush defeated Flip Gordon @ 10:20 via pin [***]
– Dalton Castle defeated Dragon Lee @ 14:20 via pin [***½]
– The Allure defeated Jenny Rose & Kelly Klein @ 9:30 via pin [*½]
– Best of Three Series Final Match: Kenny King defeated Jay Lethal @ 14:45 via pin [***½]
– PURE RULES MATCH: Jonathan Gresham defeated Silas Young @ 18:05 via submission [***]
– The Briscoes vs. Nick Aldis & Eli Drake fought to a double countout @ 11:00 [**¾]
– ROH TV Title Match: Champion Shane Taylor defeated Bandido @ 12:45 via pin [***¾ ]
– ROH Six Man Title Match: Champions Villain Enterprises defeated Lifeblood @ 17:01 via pin [***½]
– ROH World Title Match: Champion Matt Taven defeated Jeff Cobb @ 9:50 via pin [**¾]

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Rush vs. Flip Gordon: They changed up Flip’s music, it sucks. They lock up and Rush shoves Gordon around, just being a dick. Gordon chops him so Rush just fixes his hair and no sells Gordon. Gordon slaps him and Rush is no longer tranquilo, kicks his ass and sends him to the floor where he slams him to the barricades. Back in and Rush follows with chops and a basement dropkick. Rush continues to deliver chops, but Gordon fires back and hits an enziguri. The springboard missile dropkick connects, but Rush follows with a uranage. He lays the boots to him, and tranquilos. They trade strikes, PELE by Gordon and follows with forearm strikes and then knee strikes. Rush is down. Gordon follows with another knee strike and then does the deal with the falcon arrow for 2. The springboard spear now connects for 2. Rush now fires back, getting pissed and lighting up Gordon with strikes and chops. Gordon cuts him off with a powerbomb for 2. The cradle follows for 2. Rush catches the suicide dive and slams Gordon into the barricade. Back in and Rush gets repeated covers for 2. Rush looks for the bull’s horns and hits it for the win. Rush defeated Flip Gordon @ 10:20 via pin [***] This was a good opener with Gordon lasting longer with Rush than most, but ultimately failing. It was god, but Gordon never really came off as overly competitive and they never hit that next gear.

– Nick Aldis arrives and wishes Colt Cabana a speedy recovery, and reveals his new tag team partner for tonight… but James Storm interrupts and Storm calls Aldis the protected champion and says he’s had Cabana & Aldis beat, he’s earned his spot. Eli Drake is revealed as the new NWA signee and Aldis’ partner for tonight. Drake says that the hottest free agent in wrestling is here, at best in the world, which is what he is. Offers from all companies came in and is the present and future. He grew up near Baltimore and used to watch men walk around with that 10-pounds of gold, and he will turn the business upside down.

We are proud to announce the signing of this man to the National Wrestling Alliance… ELI DRAKE! pic.twitter.com/HwyLgN6vxb

— NWA (@nwa) June 29, 2019

Dalton Castle vs. Dragon Lee: Castle is wearing new really high trunks to cover his back brace. Lee goes John Woooooooooo and hits two bull’s horns for a near fall, playing off of the Rush loss. Castle cuts off the dive and hits an apron bomb. Castle slams him to the barricade a few times and into the crowd. Castle poses in the ring, and Lee struggles to his feet and then slams Castle to the barricade. Back in and Castle lays the boots to him, and follows with a DDT for 2. Castle follows with grounded elbows and then rips at his mask. Castle lays in strikes, and covers for 2. He keeps things grounded, lays in more strikes and again rips at the mask. They trade strikes, but Castle hits a suplex and covers for 2. Castle rips at the mask again, follows with strikes, but Lee catches him with a RANA and suicide dive. He whips Castle to the barricade, and then again. Back in and the back breaker and PK connect for 2. Castle cuts him off with a suplex, but Lee hits combination cabrone. Castle hits another suplex but Lee hits a German. The knee strike and poison RANA follows for 2. Desnucadora is countered but Lee follows with an enziguri but Castle hits a lariat. Lee counters into a RANA for 2. The knee strike connects and then another gets 1. Lee argues with the ref, desnucadora is countered and bangarang connects. Castle doesn’t cover and instead hits the bull’s horns for the win. Dalton Castle defeated Dragon Lee @ 14:20 via pin [***½] This was very good overall, with Castle looking better than he has been and picking up the rebound win he needed while sending a message to Rush.

The Allure vs. Jenny Rose & Kelly Klein: Sky is at ringside. The faces rush the ring and they brawl right away. They lay the boots to the Allure, run them together and follow with corner attacks. Love cuts off Rose, talks shit to Klein, and Klein tags in. They lock up and Klein grounds the action, Love counters out and hits a shoulder tackle. Klein fires back, but Love cuts her off with a neck breaker. The spin kick follows for 2. Klein hits a side slam and covers for 2. Rose tags in and double teams follow. Love powders, Rose chases and Sky cuts her off. Love rolls her back in and covers for 2. Leon tags in and starts working in slow motion and covers for 2. Love tags back in and hits double knees. Rose to the floor, Klein backs off Sky and Leon attacks her. Love then hits a high cross off the top and to the floor. Back in and Love covers for 2. Leon tags back in and Rose hits a spear. Klein tags in as does Love. Klein hits clotheslines and a Saito suplex. The DDT follows and then slams Leon down. One for Love connects but Leon fights back with a DDT. Leon gets speared on the apron by Rose, and then slammed to the floor. Leon slams Rose to the barricade, Klein hits a fall away slam off the ropes on Love and covers for 2. Sky takes the ref, Leon hits Klein with a shoe, botox injection by Love and that’s it. The Allure defeated Jenny Rose & Kelly Klein @ 9:30 via pin [*½] This was not good, really slow, disjointed, and ha no flow or heat.

– Post match, Maria Manic debuts and Allure bails so Manic can beat up security geeks. This came off really well.

Best of Three Series Final Match: Jay Lethal vs. Kenny King: Jay refuses the handshake. They lock up and work to the ropes. Lock up again and King starts attacking the arm he injured on TV, grounding the action until Jay makes the ropes. The slam from King follows, and goes back to the arm. They work into counters and King misses the springboard dropkick, and Jay hits the cartwheel dropkick. Jay follows with grounded strikes, hits the suplex and covers for 2. King attacks the arm, cutting off Jay, but Jay quickly dropkicks him to the floor. He follows and slams him to the apron. Jay lays in chops, sets up a chair but King fires back and sets him in the chair and charges but gets a drop toehold into it for his troubles. Jay lays the boots to him, uses the chair and looks to Pillmanize the arm, but King escapes and suplexes Jay onto the apron. King rakes the eyes, back in and they trade strikes until King hits a neck breaker for 2. The crab follows, and transitions to an arm bar. Jay escapes, lays in rights, and they trade. Jay hits a backdrop, clotheslines, and then a missile dropkick. King cuts off the injection, but Jay hits the royal flush on King for 2. Jay dropkicks him to the floor, and follows with a suicide dive. King then counters the second into a spinebuster on the floor. Back in and Jay cradles him for 2. King hits the blue thunder bomb, heads up top and hits a shooting star press for a good near fall. King gets his blind man’s cane, but Jay rolls him up for 2 and then follows with the figure four. He releases, hits the injection and covers for 2. Jay takes him up top, looks for a cutter, but King fights him off and follows with a blockbuster. King hits the injection and royal flush and that gets the win. Kenny King defeated Jay Lethal @ 14:45 via pin [***½] This was a very good match that told the story that they knew each other very well and were willing to one up each other in order to win. The crowd was into it and it was fun.

PURE RULES MATCH: Jonathan Gresham vs. Silas Young: They lock up and work to the ropes. Gresham works a side headlock, but Young counters out as he looks for an arm bar but Young cradles him for 2. He follows with chops; they work into counters as Gresham burns a rope break early on. They lock up and Gresham grounds things attacking the arm and grounding things. Young follows with chops, hits a shoulder tackle but Gresham tries to ground him and Young uses a rope break. Gresham offers Young his arm, they work to the ground but Young locks on an abdominal stretch. Gresham counters into an octopus hold and Young has to use a rope break, his second. Gresham grounds the action, but Young escapes and Gresham trips him up and follows with chops. They criss cross and Young uses a closed fist and receives a warning. A second will DQ him. They work to the floor, with Young taking control. Back in and Young hits the slingshot double stomp. He follows with a suplex, and grounds the action. Gresham powers up but runs into a back breaker for 2. Young whips him to the buckles, does it again and locks on the abdominal stretch. Gresham counters out, but Young gets the rolling half crab and Gresham burns his second rope break. He lays the boots to him, but Gresham powers up and hits a suplex. He follows with chops, but Young hits the back breaker/lariat combo for 2. The grounded full nelson follows; Gresham fights, and burns his final rope break to escape. The belly to back suplex follows, hits another, but Gresham counters the third as Young shoves him to the floor. Gresham makes it back in and Young hits the anarchist suplex and works a full nelson. Gresham counters out, and cradles him for 2. The octopus hold follows, and Young burns his final rope break to escape. They trade forearm strikes, Gresham hits an enziguri and they fight over a suplex and do the Tiger Mask/Dynamite Kid spill to the floor. Back in and Gresham low blows Young as the ref fixes the apron and attacks the arm and locks on the octopus hold. Young taps. Jonathan Gresham defeated Silas Young @ 18:05 via submission [***] This was a good match that played to the stipulation and style well, but won’t be for everyone due to the slow pacing. I liked the finish as Gresham got revenge on Young for his previous nefarious ways.

The Briscoes vs. Nick Aldis & Eli Drake: James Storm is on commentary. Mark and Drake begin. They lock up and work into counters. Mark grounds the action, but Drake takes him to the ropes and they trade and now Jay & Aldis tag in. They lock up and work to the ropes. Jay grounds the action, Aldis counters out and Jay knocks Drake to the floor. The Briscoes double team Aldis, Aldis fires back but Jay tags back in and more double teams follow. To the floor and Drake takes out Mark, allowing Aldis to take control. Drake joins in and double teams follow as Drake covers for 2. Jay blind tags in and the Briscoes take control. They lay the boots to Drake, working quick tags and more double teams. Drake fights back and hits a neck breaker and tags in Aldis. He follows with chops, and hits the Michinoku driver for 2. Jay fights back and hits the dropkick. Mark and Drake tag in and trade strikes as it breaks down and Mark hits a uranage and enziguri. The iconoclasm follows for 2 on Drake. Mark calls for froggy bow, but Aldis as cuts him off allowing Drake to hit a run up superplex. Jay tags in and takes out Aldis but Drake hits the burning hammer for 2. Jay fights him off, hits a RANA and red neck boogie connects and Aldis makes the save. Aldis fights off the Jay driller, locks on the cloverleaf, but Mark makes the save. He dumps Aldis and hits a cactus elbow to the floor. Drake and Jay brawl into the crowd as Aldis suplexes Jay on the floor leading to the double countout finish. The Briscoes vs. Nick Aldis & Eli Drake fought to a double countout @ 11:00 [**¾] This was pretty good, but the heel vs. face dynamic was off and the finish was beyond flat.

– Storm and Drake brawl to the back, the Briscoes beat down Aldis and bring in a table. Kamille makes the save, but the Briscoes beat down security and then lay Aldis on the table and Mark puts him through it with froggy bow. Marty Scurll then arrives and helps Aldis to his feet.

ROH TV Title Match: Champion Shane Taylor vs. Bandido: Taylor talks trash and Bandido attacks. They trade strikes, pick up the pace and work into lucha passes and Bandido hits a knee strike and head scissors. Taylor cuts off the RANA and apron bombs him. He follows with chops, rolls him to the apron and connects with elbows. Back in and Bandido fires back, but Taylor cuts him off and hits a running back elbow for 2. Taylor grounds the action, hits a head butt and tells the ref to count on Bandido, looking for the KO. Bandido back to his feet, and hits a dropkick and follows with strikes. The enziguri and tornilo press connect. The face buster follows, Taylor to the floor and Bandido follows with a Fosbury flop. Back in and Bandido hits the RANA into a cradle for 2. Taylor fires back, hits a lariat and covers for 2. Bandido hits a moonsault press, but Taylor cuts him off and hits a uranage. The second rope splash connects and the cover gets 2. Taylor follows with kicks, but Bandido counters greeting from 216 and hits a superkick. The 21-plex is blocked, Taylor fights him off and hits a powerbomb, knee strike and package piledriver for a good near fall. Taylor to the ropes again, but Bandido catches the high cross and hits a powerslam for a really good near fall. Bandido up top and hits the shooting star press for 2. Taylor quickly cuts him off with greetings from 216 to retain. Champion Shane Taylor defeated Bandido @ 12:45 via pin [***¾] This was a really good and fun match, playing off of the stylistic differences well and creating some good drama down the stretch.

ROH Six Man Title Match: Champions Villain Enterprises vs. Lifeblood (Williams, Black, & Haskins): Marty and Haskins begin. They lock up and work into counters, and into a stalemate. Black and PCO tag in. Black attacks with kicks, but PCO cuts him off with a dragon screw. They trade, superkick by Black, and a mafia kick by PCO follows. Williams and King tag in and Williams lays in strikes, King cuts him off with chops but Williams locks on a hanging arm bar in the ropes. Williams follows with strikes and clotheslines, but King won’t go down. King hits aback elbow, Marty tags in and attacks the injured shoulder of Williams. The apron superkick follows, but Haskins takes Marty to the floor. King follows with an apron cannonball and then PCO also hits one. Back in and the champions maintain control with PCO working over Williams. Quick tags follow and King hits a running splash for 2. Williams fires back, hits a German and tags in Haskins. The challengers isolate Marty, working quick tags and double teams for 2. More double teams follow, and Black locks on the pendulum hold. Williams tags in and triple teams by the challengers follow for 2. Marty fights back, tags in King and he runs wild with chops. Forever clotheslines follow, slams Williams and then slams Black onto him and hits the senton. Marty in with the crab and PCO hits the leg drop. He follows with a suicide dive and King hits a senton back in the ring for 2. King isolates Haskins, double teams follow and King covers for 2. PCO tags back in and Haskins fight him off and Black hits the double stomp as William follows with a top rope splash for 2. Marty gets dumped, King dumped, and Haskins and Williams follow with dives. They hit the stuff piledriver on PCO for 2. Lifeblood argues with the ref, Marty breaks Williams’ fingers, King takes out Black and PCO hits the kryptonite crunch on Haskins. Black tags in and trades with Marty, hits a superkick and one for PCO as well. He hits another on PCO but PCO cactus clotheslines him to he floor. PCO up top and Williams attacks and apron bombs PCO. Back in and Back backslides Marty for 2. The superkick follows and the moonsault connects for 2. It breaks down, and King goes lucha with the double jump arm drag and tope. Black superkicks Marty, heads up top and moonsaults into the feet of Marty. Ganso bomb by King, PCO tags in and the PCO-sault finishes it. Champions Villain Enterprises defeated Lifeblood @ 17:01 via pin [***½] This was really good and chaotic fun, it had a few hiccups (nothing major), but was really strong overall.

– Post match, the Soldiers of Savagery layout Lifeblood, Bandido arrives and makes the save until Bully Ray arrives and attacks him. He gets a chair and Flip arrives and has a kendo stick to run off Bully. Flip joins Lifeblood after weeks of teases. But then a video runs, and Marty announces that the fourth member of Villain Club is the mercenary, FLIP GORDON! MARTY AND FLIP TAKE JAPAN. Flip then lays out Bandido and bails. Flip then hits a 450 on Williams through a table on the floor.

ROH Champion Matt Taven vs. Jeff Cobb: They lock up and work to the ropes. Taven follows with strikes, pulls the hair and works a headlock. Cobb fires back with chops and then dumps Taven. Cobb pulls him back up and tease a suplex as they pick up he pace and Taven counters back into a sleeper. Cobb escapes, catches Taven and hits an overhead toss. The delayed suplex connects and Taven powders. He stalls, spits at Cobb and then DDTs him on the apron. The suicide dive follows, and back in follows with chops. The rolling neck breaker and arm bar follows. Cobb rolls and looks to power out, but Taven drives him back to the mat and heads up top and misses the frog splash. Cobb hits snake eyes, and then a one armed suplex follows as Cobb favors the hurt arm. They trade, lariat by Cobb and another levels, Taven. The standing moonsault follows for 2. Taven follows with strikes but Cobb hits a northern lights for 2. The running uppercut follows and then the swinging Saito suplex connects. Taven counters into a RANA and hits just the tip. He hits it again and then a third gets 1. Cobb counters the climax, but Taven hits it the second time and covers for 2. Cobb now counters into a German, tour of the islands is countered into a spiked climax for the win. Champion Matt Taven defeated Jeff Cobb @ 9:50 via pin [**¾] This was a very abbreviated and rushed main event as they were running long. It was pretty good, and actually refreshing as it didn’t go 30 for no reason and also for the fact that Taven won clean.

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 31. On the show, the good brother, Jeremy Lambert, joins 411’s Larry Csonka; the guys will discuss their reactions to the news that Heyman & Bischoff will be ‘running’ WWE TV, talk about who they have more faith in, discuss the perceived lack of faith in Triple H and his team that they didn’t get to run one of the shows, and whether the move actually matters if Vince still has the final say in things. The show is approximately 68-minutes long.

* Intro
* Reactions to the headline “Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff Named WWE Executive Directors, Will Run WWE TV”: 1:00
* Who do you have more faith in, Heyman or Bischoff?: 23:30
* Does it show a lack of faith in Triple H and his team that they didn’t get to run one of the shows?: 38:40
* Does it matter if they still have to report and get approval from Vince McMahon?: 47:40
* WWE Rumored to Have Several NXT Call-Ups When Smackdown Moves to FOX: 51:20

You can subscribe and listen to the 411 on Wrestling Podcast via the above player on Transistor, or on the following platforms:

* iTunes
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* Stitcher
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7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

ROH Best in the World 2019 was an overall good wrestling show, but came off as an overall flat event with a small crowd that was in and out of the show. The Flip heel turn is questionable but could work since they’ve burned hm out as a babyface with high profile losses, and while I really enjoyed Taylor vs. Bandido, Bandido losing was questionable coming off of a really good BOSJ run. Elsewhere, the Allure do absolutely nothing for me, and Lifeblood’s continued good performances only to lose continue to come off as a big mistake. Again, it’s an enjoyable in-ring show, but wasn’t must-see in any way.