wrestling / Video Reviews
Review of Honor: Return Engagement
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Loading...Return Engagement
April 19th, 2008 | Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Ring of Honor review as I have been pretty deep into Puro Reviews for a while. I’m taking a small break from those to cover some ROH. I pulled out this DVD from my collection. The reason for the strange name of the event is because it focuses primarily on two rematches. After a screwjob finish to his first ROH World Title match, Kevin Steen would be getting his rematch. Also, after a classic in this arena a year before, the Briscoes would meet the Motor City Machine Guns once again.
The show opens with the Motor City Machine Guns cutting a promo in the back about their forty minute classic a year earlier. They may have lost but they’ve studied the Briscoes and are ready for the rematch. Chris Sabin doesn’t look confident but Alex Shelley nails his promo. The Briscoes also speak, saying there will be no question about who the best team is after tonight.
Austin Aries vs. Silas Young
It’s weird to think that this dude jumping around and coming out to Journey is the same Silas Young that is running around ROH now. Austin Aries is in the midst of an angle where he was pondering joining the Age of the Fall. Aries is an established star, even winning the “Ace of ROH” series against Bryan Danielson the year before, while Young is trying to earn a regular roster spot. He holds his own on the mat with Aries but makes the mistake of putting him in a headscissors, which Aries quickly breaks before hitting the heat seeking missile to the outside. Inside, Young uses his power advantage to take a bit of control until Aries connected on two big dropkicks. Young blocked the Brainbuster, hitting a backbreaker and clothesline for two. He tries an Arabian press but Aries gets his knees up. Kick to the head is followed by the Brainbuster, trasistioned into the Last Chancery submission and Young taps out.
Winner: Austin Aries in 5:52
Perfectly fine match here. It was meant to work as an extended squash and Young was able to show off a bit of his skills throughout. **¼
Jimmy Jacobs strolls out, clapping for Austin Aries. Jacobs brings up the fact that Lacey kissed Aries and he’s not a jealous guy but he doesn’t want other people touching his things. Jacobs believes that Lacey doing that means that Aries is joining the Age of the Fall. Aries responds, saying that Jacobs sent Lacey to him to convince him to join AOTF. Aries says that they talked and did other nonverbal communication, where they showed each other what they could do for each other. Aries brings out the verbal ether, saying that Jacobs is what Aries ate a lot of on that night…a pussy. He says that Lacey is with him now and he’s not joining the AOTF. That’s the only warning Jacobs gets.
Alex Payne vs. Mitch Franklin
Being from Chicago, Alex “Sugarfoot” Payne is pretty over. Both guys are from ROH’s training school. Franklin would go on to become the lumberjack character known as Grizzly Redwood. They work through some mat stuff but in less than a minute, Jimmy Jacobs is back with a microphone. He threatens Aries, saying the Age of the Fall is about action. He brings out the Necro Butcher who whacks Franklin with a steel chair. He has barbed wire wrapped around his fist and he lays out Payne. Somehow, this changed to a handicap match. Necro nearly kills Franklin with a Chokeslam on the chair. He knocks out Payne with a right hand and pins both men, saying he’ll see Takeshi Morishima in New York next month.
Winner: Necro Butcher in 2:31
Fine for what it was. It was meant to showcase Necro as a threat and it did so. Slightly higher score than usual because Necro was fun. *
Adam Pearce and Brent Albright w/ Larry Sweeney and Shane Hagadorn vs. Claudio Castagnoli and Pelle Primeau
Primeau, like the two guys in the previous match, is a graduate from ROH’s wrestling school. Pearce quickly gets annoyed with the fans doing Claudio’s “Hey” signature. He demands Pelle instead and when he gets him, he awkwardly slams him on his face. Pelle clearly takes the heat as his two larger opponents take turns beating his ass. It works because Pelle was born to play the face in peril. He nearly gets free but Albright just slaps him in the back, making a sickening sound. He finally makes the tag to Claudio, who is on the road to a World Title shot. Claudio comes in hot and does the big swing to Albright. That move will never not be impressive. As he does his thing, Pelle lays out Pearce with a dropkick outside, but Hagadorn wallops him. Pearce comes in and tries to hit Claudio with his briefcase, but hits Albright instead. Claudio takes him out and pins Albright after the Ricola Bomb.
Winners: Claudio Castagnoli and Pelle Primeau in 9:18
This worked about as fine as it could have. Primeau took a good beating, Claudio looked like a million bucks and they furthered the angle of issues between Sweet n’ Sour members.**½
Brent Albright walks out on his team, upset with how the match ended.
Backstage, Kevin Steen cuts a promo about how seriously he’s taking the main event tonight. He’s even willing to work out!
Four Corner Survival
Ashley Lane vs. Daizee Haze vs. Lacey vs. MsChif
For those unaware, Lane is the future Madison Rayne. Haze and Lacey are ROH regulars here and have been rivals pretty much forever. As with Four Corner Survival rules, only two women are legal at a time. MsChif starts with Lane, scaring her with a scream. After some back and forth, Haze gets tagged and wants Lacey. Lacey declines, backing off the apron. Side note, MsChif is a week away from winning the SHIMMER Championship, which she would hold for a record 715 days. We eventually get Lacey vs. Haze, but Lacey quickly has a “knee injury” and tags out. Lane is getting the bulk of the time and is taking a beating. Lacey tags herself in with Lane down and she charges at Haze to knock her off the apron, proving she feigned the knee injury. Lacey works her offense, which I always liked since it all targets the neck and back. She ends up getting beat up by both MsChif and Haze, who end up double teaming her. Each girl gets a chance to hit their stuff in a big flurry of offense. MsChif gets real close to winning with a body scissors rollup. She then dives off the top and wipes out everyone on the outside. Lacey and MsChif go at it inside and Lane blind tags in. She comes off the top with a cross body for two. Haze and Lacey renew their rivalry on the outside. MsChif lays out Lane with the Desecrator, giving her an unsuccessful debut.
Winner: MsChif in 10:30
I’m a sucker for SHIMMER, especially during this time period and I really had fun with this. All four girls were given a chance to shine, they were given a fair amount of time and the crowd was into it. I couldn’t ask for much more. ***¼
Jimmy Jacobs comes out now and holds the ropes for MsChif to leave. He wants to talk to Lacey but the fans chant “SHE FUCKED AUSTIN!” Ouch. He wants to know the truth about Aries. Lacey apologizes and says they need to go their separate ways. This set in motion a pretty violent feud between Aries and Jacobs. Aries meets Lacey in the aisle and makes out with her while Jacobs cries in the ring. Fellow Age of the Fall members Tyler Black, Joey Matthews and Allison Wonderland come out to console him.
Chris Hero w/ Sweet n’ Sour Inc. vs. Delirious
I just reviewed another 2008 show with this same match. Not only does Delirious do his signature insane bell antics, but he throws in some mocking of Hero. Commentary is good at mentioning that Hero is now more serious and has cut back on the shenanigans. Hero attacks and they have some back and forth with neither guy gaining real control until Delirious starts in with headbutts. Hero turns it around by, oddly enough, attacking Delirious’ ass. Yes, there are a few moves targeted on the butt. Delirious does his best to avoid Hero’s now signature knockout elbows. He hits Daizee Haze’s signature heart punch since he was pretty infatuated with her at this point. Hero stops a Panic Attack with a roaring elbow, followed by a second that knocks out Delirious for the count.
Winner: Chris Hero in 9:49
Something about this never clicked for me. It did the job in helping to establish the more serious Chris Hero but not much else. It was kind of dull for the most part. **
Non-Title Match
ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
Their match a year earlier was one of the best tag team matches I have ever seen. Both teams adhere to the Code of Honor. When things start, it goes at a very quick pace. All four men get to do some impressive things and strut their stuff. The Guns are the first duo to pull out double team offense and it’s glorious. The Briscoes fire back with some of their own. It doesn’t move as fast but it’s still pretty damn good. Some of what is done is too hard to fully do play-by-play on. There’s a point where Sabin hoists up Shelley to dropkick Jay and then back suplexes him onto Mark. Sabin fakes a dive outside, allowing Shelley to do the dive. Todd Sinclair tries to prevent Sabin from diving out onto everyone after but Sabin just ends up leaping over him. Once things calm down inside, Sabin starts taking a beating from the Briscoes. They do a great job on him until he nails an enziguri and makes the hot tag. Shelley does his thing, which is always highly entertaining. He does a karate pose which irks Mark Briscoes, who is known for his crazy karate antics. He just eats a tornado DDT for his efforts. Jay tries to get involved but Sabin leaps off of Shelley’s back and takes him out. Sabin hits Mark with an ace crusher and Shelley puts him in the Border City Stretch. Sabin gets an octopus hold on Jay but neither Briscoe taps. Jay starts fighting him tem off but eats a huge kick only to nail Alex with a Death Valley Driver. They try for the springboard doomsday device but Sabin interrupts and Shelley rolls Jay up for two, following with the skull fuck. Sabin gets two on a tiger suplex before Mark hits an exploder on Alex, landing on the pin. As Sabin goes for Cradle Shock, Mark front flips out onto Shelley. Jay escapes the move and hits a big lariat. Jay Driller connects but Sabin somehow kicks out. That would almost never happen in current day ROH. Shelley breaks up the pin after a springboard doomsday device connects. Mark misses the shooting star press and Shelley gets tagged in. He hits Sliced Bread No. 2 for a near fall. Jay ends up looking for a top rope Jay Driller but Sabin leaps up and takes him out with a super German. Mark climbs up with Shelley and wants a super cutthroat driver but Shelley blocks and nails a super Sliced Bread, getting the win.
Winners: The Motor City Machine Guns in 23:38
Not quite on the level of their classic in 2007 but still a fantastic tag team match. It didn’t slow down at all like a lot of tag matches do. They went at a breakneck pace the entire time, did some incredible things and had the crowd on the edge of their seats. This is tag team wrestling done right. ****¼
The teams shake hands and Lenny Leonard wants a rubber match down the line. After the Guns leave, the Age of the Fall rush out and attack the Briscoes. Jacobs, Black, Necro, Matthews, Wonderland and even Zach Gowen. Mark is battered with a spike repeatedly.
El Generico vs. Kota Ibushi
In 2016, Sami Zayn vs. Kota Ibushi sounds like something that would be incredible. I remember it being great here but both guys have improved drastically over the years. We get a feeling out process between the two. Kota hits the first big move with a great looking dropkick. Ibushi goes on a small flurry but Generico gets his knees up on a standing moonsault. Generico now works him over with chops and strikes. A springboard cross body gets him two. He stays on the offensive, getting two on a split legged moonsault. Ibushi starts a rally with some high octane kicks. Generico goes up top where Ibushi greets him with a handspring kick, sending him to the outside. Ibushi follows with a moonsault. Back inside, Ibushi reels off more kicks. Generico avoids one but Kota seamlessly moves into a twisting moonsault for two. Things look so effortless or Ibushi. Blue thunder bomb from Generico gets two. He nearly kills Ibushi with a Michinoku driver that somehow doesn’t end it. Combination of strikes from Ibushi and a boot from Generico. Neither guy falls and they come back to face. Generico goes for a big boot but Ibushi leaps back and kips up to avoid it. It’s gorgeous. He hits a kick and German for a close near fall. He goes up top but Generico greets him, looking for the BRAINBUSTAAA! Ibushi fight shim off, knocking him to the mat. He comes off with a moonsault but Generico rolls away. Ibushi instantly does a second moonsault for two. You have to see these spots to truly appreciate them. Generico now gets a close call after a splash. They go through more great back and forth. Yakuza Kick from Generico who calls for the BRAINBUSTAAA again. Ibushi blocks and scores on a super reverse rana for a near fall. Finally, Ibushi hits the Phoenix Splash and wins.
Winner: Kota Ibushi in 16:01
Holy shit. Sometimes a match just needs to take your breath away. It didn’t have any fancy story behind it. It was just two athletic guys going at it, trying to see who the better man is. Some of the spots these two did were mind boggling. You really have to see Ibushi to believe it. The scary thing is, he’s only gotten much better over time. My favorite pre-2010 match of his. ****
The Age of the Fall (Joey Matthews, Tyler Black and Zach Gowen) w/ Allison Wonderland vs. The Vulture Squad (Jack Evans, Jigsaw and Ruckus)
Typical Jack Evans dancing after the bell. He basically serves poor Joey Matthews. They go at it for a bit with Matthews tying to slow Evans and finally doing so with a boot to the ribs. Tyler Black, the clear star of this match, takes some of the Vulture Squad’s signature flippy stuff. Without the annoying Julius Smokes at ringside, they really lack some personality. The AOTF start to take control and focus on Evans. Gowen does a springboard senton for two. His offense really does look cool. Evans starts to make a comeback, taking out Matthews with a springboard moonsault elbow. Ruckus gets the hot tag and does all of his flippy stuff. Black interrupts a rolling fisherman suplex but gets a kick for his troubles. With the heels ending up outside, you know the Vulture Squad. They take turns diving out onto them, with Evans capping it using a springboard 450 splash. Everybody goes into big spots one after the other in the ring. Black catches Evans and nails a Buckle Bomb, right into the Small Package Driver.
Winners: The Age of the Fall in 11:37
This worked perfectly as a buffer in between the Ibushi match and the main event. It featured a blossoming star, who got the win, and some spots to get the crowd into it. It was nothing more than a fun little six man tag. ***
Jimmy Jacobs is out again and sends his group to the back. He wants to fight Austin Aries face to face. Aries runs out and we’ve got ourselves a brawl. Of course, the AOTF come back out and the numbers game is too much for Aries. Black and Matthews hold Aries and Jacobs brings out his trademark spike. He signals to stab him in the throat but Lacey shows up and begs for mercy. Jacobs threatens to use the spike on Lacey, which Black encourages. Jacobs ends up crying and walking away without doing anything.
ROH World Championship
Nigel McGuinness (c) vs. Kevin Steen
These two had a match at a previous ROH show that ended up being named “Injustice” because Kevin Steen got robbed. This is the rematch. Steen attacks during Nigel’s entrance to the point where the formal introductions are done while Steen kicks ass outside. He dominates for a while but Nigel turns it around by targeting the left arm, even slamming it on the barricade. Thanks to his never ending rivalry with Bryan Danielson, Nigel mocks his “I HAVE UNTIL FIVE!” Steen comes back and goes for the Sharpshooter but Nigel desperately reaches the ropes. It’s great because even though Steen is the babyface, he does the heel things to get revenge. Steen gets the Sharpshooter on his second attempt but again, Nigel reaches the ropes. He hits the corner cannonball, but is too hurt to capitalize. We get our first real lariat when Nigel has Steen crotched on the top rope and levels him for two. Steen is alive though, applying his third Sharpshooter. Again, it is broken. Steen takes to the air, getting two on a frog splash and swanton. They go through a strike exchange with Steen stopping a jawbreaker lariat with a superkick. Package Piledriver connects but that slimy Nigel gets his boot on the bottom rope. A frustrated Steen tries to do a Package Piledriver on the apron but gets clotheslined and sent through a table. Inside, a lariat isn’t enough to keep Steen down. Nigel tries Steen’s finisher but it gets reversed into a pin for two. Steen has his fourth Sharpshooter stopped by a rake of the eyes. Nigel uses the fact that Steen is blinded to finally hit the Jawbreaker Lariat. He pulls the tights for good measure and retains.
Winner and Still ROH World Champion: Nigel McGuinness in 18:19
Nigel McGuinness had the best ROH World Title run in history in my opinion. This wasn’t one of his best performances but I still thought it was damn good. They played off of their past and Steen came in with a game plan, looking for the Sharpshooter, while avoiding the lariat. Nigel wisely had to go to the eyes in order to hit his move, while still cheating. Great heel champion work. ***¾
