Cook’s ROH TV Review 5.23.20

My apologies to Ring of Honor. You’re going from having the best in the business review your show for 411mania to…whatever people want to call my attempts at reviewing over the years. I’m not high on them myself, but I’d like to do whatever I can to help 411 in the memory of my dear friend. The ROH show is one I can watch on a weekly basis (for now), so I’m here to be your reviewer for the time being.

Sadly, we have to dedicate this review to Larry Csonka & a lady that’s appeared in the ROH ring. Hana Kimura appeared on three Ring of Honor shows in 2018, and was in a dark match on the ROH/NJPW G1 SuperCard in Madison Square Garden last year. The circumstances behind her death are disturbing, sickening & appalling. I’m not too familiar with her work outside of clips, but the death of a 22 year old with the whole world in front of her due to the actions of a toxic portion of a reality TV show fanbase is difficult for me to stomach.

ROH has posted the G1 SuperCard match on YouTube, which I invite you to view here before the review if you haven’t already.

Rest in Power, Hana.

Cook’s ROH TV Review 5.23.20

– We open with a video showing some of our favorite current ROH luchadores. ROH TV Champion Dragon Lee thanks us for watching, and introduces his first ROH match with Kamaitachi, who you & I know as Hiromu Takahashi. It’s a long running rivalry, to say the least.

ROH All Star Extravaganza 8: Dragon Lee vs. Kamitachi: Quick series of rollups, Kamaitachi takes the shine with a rana. Lee gets one of his own and hits what I expect will be the first of many dives in the match. Sunset flip powerbomb on the floor by Kamaitachi! Regular powerbomb on the floor! There’s a running kick off the apron, and Dragon Lee is getting dominated early. After a commercia;, Lee’s back on the offensive, and there’s the tope con hello! Steve Corino is eating trail mix while Dragon hits the double stomp to Kamaitachi whilst the man’s in the tree of woe on the bottom rope hanging over the floor! Lee with a vertical suplex into a sitout powerbomb for two. You notice I haven’t watched as much Dragon Lee as Larry. SUPER SENTON BY KAMAITACHI TO THE FLOOR! While they’re laying on the floor I’m wondering if I should just call him Takahashi cause it’s easier that way. I have plenty of time to contemplate as they get in the ring at 19. On their knees, they’re exchanging overhand chops. Back up, quick nearfalls for both men, Dragon Lee with a capture suplex for a two count. Lee rips his shoulder tape off, which I’m not sure is the best of ideas. Jeez, they’re laying these chops in. A wheelbarrow roll off the ropes that I prefer to call OOF gets two as we hit another commercial. We’re back and they exchange suplexes. Not sure what they exchanged after that, but it results in a two count. German suplex gets no count for Kamaitachi, another gets two. Lee locks in the Fujiwara armbar, then a Rings of Saturn variation but Kamitachi reaches the ropes. Lee just jumps over the ropes and ranas Kamaitachi from the apron to the floor because that’s what we’re doing today. Fans want them to fight forever. Series of Northen Lights Suplexes leads to a vertical suplex. Cover gets two. Phoenix by Lee turned into a Destroyer by Kamaitachi for two! Headbutts get traded up top, putting Kamaitachi in position for a double stomp, but then Kamaitachi reverses a powerbomb attempt into a Destroyer for two. In 2016 this was probably a bigger deal. Lee fights back then just dumps the boy on his head with a Phoenix-plex for three.

Winner: Dragon Lee (16:06 via pin)
Larry’s Star Rating: ****

– I don’t think I was as high on this as Larry or the 2016 commenters were, but it was a pretty great display of athleticism & the crowd was into it. It definitely worked for the crowd it was presented to, and both men would move on to big things in multiple promotions.

– Dragon Lee sits on a couch and talks about the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden, which reminded him of Arena Mexico. He thinks the experience helped him win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on that night.

ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: BONE SOLDIER Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Bandido vs. Dragon Lee: Dragon & Bandido start out, and Bandido hits a pretty amazing dive. Ishimori almost gets an advantage, but Lee comes back in and hits the rana off the apron! Ishimori with the moonsault to the floor! Commercial time, and we come back to Ishimori getting a nearfall off a knee to the face. Lee with a combination that leads to Kevin Kelly cursing. Bandido using that power advantage and hitting some big blows on Lee. Ishimori takes Bandido out, Lee with a sitout Last Ride gets two. Superhurricanrana, Dragon Destroyer, a lot of moves leave all three men in. Can’t say they aren’t getting their shit in. Pop up cutter by Bandido gets two on Ishimori. We’re five minutes in if you’re scoring at home, or even if you’re alone. Ishimori with another nearfall on a roll up. Bloody Cross by Ishimori gets two. Lee’s worn down, but now Bandido’s going after Ishimori. All three up top now…Bandido WITH A DOUBLE MOONSAULT SLAM WHAT THE HELL! It gets two on somebody while everybody loses their minds. Lee & Bandido reversals, reverse rana, Lee hits Bandido with Desnucadora and wins the championship!

Winner: Dragon Lee (8:55 via pin)
Larry’s Star Rating: ****

– So from what I’ve read, these guys got cut short on time due to a Bully Ray match or some such thing. There was a lot on this show. Honestly, though? It worked really well for me as a nine minute sprint with everybody hitting everything and showing urgency. Not every title match can go 25 minutes, even on a New Japan-affiliated show. I had a lot of fun watching this and a hard time recapping it.

– Dragon is outside now and talking about Final Battle & winning the TV Championship.

ROH Final Battle 2019: ROH TV Championship Match: Shane Taylor (c) vs. Dragon Lee: Taylor dominating early on. He’s certainly got the size advantage. There’s a chokeslam on the apron for Dragon’s trouble. Lots of strikes early on as we’re certainly seeing a different style of match for Dragon Lee here. Big legdrop to Dragon’s back on the apron. Taylor calls out Rush while in front of the camera. Ron Hunt looks on at his man Shane Taylor, who is all over Dragon Lee here. Couple of nearfalls. Taylor talking some smack, informing Lee that this is Ring of Honor and he runs it. Big shot in the corner. Caprice Coleman puts over Taylor’s work with the Boys & Girls Club while Lee tries to fight back. Big forearm by Taylor, who misses a charge and lands on the floor. Dive! Bigger dive as we go to commercial! They’re exchanging blows off the ropes when we return. Taylor hanging off the apron, and Lee kinda hits that double stomp. OK, he hit it, it just didn’t look awesome. Up top…another double stomp in the middle of the ring gets two! Dragon wants to exchange shots with Shane, which doesn’t seem like the best of ideas. Doesn’t go well for him. There’s a knee strike by Lee, big clothesline by Taylor, knee, Package Piledriver gets two! Caprice says nobody ever kicked out of it before and I can’t argue with him on that. German suplex by Lee, big knee, Taylor takes Lee down and heads up… well, never mind, we’re setting up another double stomp…hits that, a PK gets two! Hunt having a fit on the outside. Welcome to The Land gets two! This leads Taylor to get himself a chain and wrap it around his hand. Lee avoids it, hits a Destroyer. He gets the chain and ties it around his knee…wipes him out with a knee strike! Taylor kicks out at one and now he ain’t happy. A modified Desnucadora gets two! Hunt gets knocked off the apron, Lee lowers the kneepad and knees Taylor’s head off for the three count!

Winner: Dragon Lee (14:45 via pin)
Larry’s Star Rating: ****

– Did Larry ever call Dragon Lee the four star general? That’s what all these matches are getting from him! To me, this was the weakest match of the three, but I did appreciate getting to see Dragon Lee work a different style. These clip shows featuring one guy can fall into the trap of everything seeming the same. The first two matches were similar, so you needed something like this to wrap things up and showcase a different side of Dragon Lee. He wasn’t hitting people with chains in any of the other matches.

– Dragon Lee thanks all the fans of the Munoz Dynasty & Los Ingobernables, and says they’ll be back in action soon. They are the past, present and future of pro wrestling.

-Thanks for reading, good night everybody!

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Can't ask for much more than three four star matches on a clip show, right? We got to see Dragon Lee in a showcase of why ROH thinks he'll be a big deal going forward.