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When Ring of Honor's Wrestlemania weekend shows from Orlando, FL arrived in
my PO Box, they jumped to the top of the queue. I've read and heard
fantastic things about this show by everyone from Mike Johnson to Richard
Trionfo of PWInsider Florida to CZWFans.com posters. This will be my first
time seeing Dragon Gate wrestlers at work, so forgive me if I mess up any of
their signature moves. On to Dragon Gate Challenge II, held on March 28,
2008.
Quick note: I am writing this after I have seen the show. I
suggest now that you buy this DVD immediately. Top to bottom, it is one of
the best shows I've ever watched. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't
read any further.
Becky Bayless is in the gym among the crowd talking about the crowd when the YRR
hijack a mic and start to take over the show. Becky is rolling her eyes,
as opposed to her tongue when Sal made out with her to finish a DVD earlier in
the year. They annoy a Bushwhacker. Sal makes out with Becky again,
and ugh she's still into it.
Erick Stevens is in the back talking about being born and bred in Florida.
He says he has to and will have a huge weekend, starting tonight in the six man
tag where his opponents will be No Remorse Corps.
Nigel McGuinness vs. Delirious
This is a non title match. Before the match, Nigel takes the mic and he
tells the crowd he's been told to welcome the crowd, since it is a new town and
he is the champion. He says some people probably want to see him lose the
belt and the crowd chants Austin Aries. He says that there are people from
40 different states and 20 different countries in the crowd. Wow. He
dares one of them to get in the crowd.
Nigel goes for a Full Nelson into a hammerlock, powering Delirious to the mat.
Snapmare and dragon kick by Nigel. Delirious gets up and goes after him
with chops and a snapmare/dragon kick combo of his own. Nigel with a kick
to the gut and European Uppercut. He whips Delirious into the corner, but
Delirious gets on the apron and taunts him. He imitates Nigel's pose on
the mat. Nigel shows him how it's done, but Delirious kicks him out of the
ring. Delirious fakes a dive and chops Nigel in the head, then somersaults
onto him off the apron.
Delirious gets kicked in the groin when he goes for a Panic Attack. Nigel
sweeps Delirious to the mat, but gets headbutted in the midsection. Nigel
clubs him then works the arm over with a divorce court. Hammerlock Divorce
Court gets one. Nigel with a shot to the midsection and European Uppercut
to Delirious. He pulls the arm on the ropes. Delirious goes for a
sunset flip, but Nigel whips his arm to the mat.
Delirious blocks the mule kick in the corner and fires away with strikes before
hitting a step up enziguri. Kick to the face and leaping lariat.
Neckbreaker to the knee by Delirious. He goes for the Cobra Stretch, but
Nigel gets him into the corner. Delirious blocks a charge and hits a
missile dropkick to the back of Nigel. He hits a Panic Attack, then gets
ready for Shadows Over Hell. Nigel gets out of the way and hits a big
lariat. He goes for a Tower of London, but gets shoved off. Nigel
blocks Shadows Over Hell and makes Delirious tap with the London Dungeon.
Your winner, Nigel McGuinness!
Kenny King & Sal Rinauro vs. The Vulture Squad (Ruckus & Jigsaw)
Sal goes after Jig before he can get in the ring. Ruckus goes for a
handspring, but King dropkicks him to the floor. King leaps over the top
rope onto everyone on the floor. He tosses Ruckus into the ring and the
YRR double team him. Sal hits a springboard lariat for two. King
tags in and hits Ruckus in the back. Clothesline by Kenny for two.
King places Ruckus on the top rope. Ruckus shoves him off, but King hits a
step up enziguri, followed by a top rope bulldog by Sal for two. Sal works
over the back, then hits a fist drop. King tags in again and gives Ruckus
a leg lariat for two. Ruckus cartwheels out of trouble and tags Jigsaw in.
Jig dives off the top with a cross body on both YRR members. Ruckus hits
Razzle Dazzle on Sal, then double teams him with a sit out powerbomb for two.
Spinebuster by King to Ruckus for two. Ruckus kicks King off his feet.
Sal and Jigsaw go at it. Sal goes for the eyes. Double Stomp Jig n'
Tonic to Sal get the Vulture Squad the win.
Your winners, The Vulture Squad!
Larry Sweeney is in the back with his newest charge, Shane Hagadorn. He
talks about the trouble he's causing with his other clients to cause a takeover
of ROH during the biggest weekend of the year.
ROH vs. Dragon Gate Challenge Match #1: Genki Horiguchi vs. Austin
Aries
The lock up, but Genki quickly gets a waistlock. Aries gets him into the
corner and elbows him in the face. Another waistlock by Genki, but Aries
reverses. Genki with various holds. Aries gets a side headlock.
He shoulderblocks Genki to the mat, then hits some arm drags. Very fast
paced to start. Aries ties up Genki on the mat and puts the shoulders down
for two.
Gutbuster, STO, and swinging elbow by Aries for two. Genki goes for the
eyes. Genki and Aries jockey for position on a back slide. Aries
gets the better of it and makes Genki bail with some knee strikes. Genki
drags Aries to the floor and whips him to the barricade. He tries to use a
chair on Aries. Aries tries to chop back, but Genki goes for the eyes
again.
In the ring, Genki with a big leg lariat. He wraps Aries leg around the
rope in the corner, then dropkicks the thigh. Genki takes Aries to the mat
and hits a big splash on the left leg. Genki wrenches back on the ankle.
Aries claps him in the head, but is quickly taken back down with a low dropkick.
Genki with a scoop slam. He misses a springboard moonsault off the second
turnbuckle. Aries with some chops in the corner. Aries with a chop
off the top rope and a chop on the mat for two.
Aries dumps Genki and hits a suicide dive. Elbows in the corner.
Genki blocks the corner dropkick and plants Aries with a swinging DDT out of the
corner for two. He calls for the end, but Aries drives him into the corner
and hits a series of strikes before a running dropkick for two. Genki
blocks Aries' brainbuster and hits one of his own for two.
Genki and Aries trade two counts. Back slide by Genki for two. Genki
avoids the roll up and gets more two counts. Knee to the chest by Aries.
Genki with an inside cradle for two. Aries kicks him in the head, then
hits a Brainbuster, followed by the knee strikes into Last Chancery for the win.
Your winner, Austin Aries!
After the match, the lights go out and a spotlight is shone on Aries.
Jimmy Jacobs is above the crowd to continue recruiting Aries for AOTF. He
guarantees that Aries will win the ROH World Title with AOTF on his side.
Lacey gets into the ring and asks why Aries is in such a hurry to leave.
She offers to show Aries what their revolution can do for them. Tammy
Sytch comes to the ring next and she looks terrific. She asks if Austin
remembers her from Manhattan. She says he is confused and tells him he has
too much going on to worry about it. She says just come to him, saying
she's brought mediocre wrestlers to stardom. He interrupts and says that
he is not mediocre. She points to her low cut top and says she can do more
than Lacey can. He says his problem is not getting ladies, but rather his
problem is gaining the ROH Championship. Until he wins that, he has
nothing left to say and leaves the ring.
Lacey says it takes guts for Tammy to stand in Lacey's ring all alone.
Lacey calls her old and washed up and threatens to pop the saggy implants.
Sunny says the only reason she is in wrestling is because Sunny paved the way
for whores like her and she doesn't have what it takes to be a diva. Jimmy
interrupts and says the Age of the Fall is about action. Lacey kicks Tammy
in the gut, then hits a DDT.
ROH vs. Dragon Gate Challenge Match #2: El Generico & Kevin Steen
vs. SpeedMuscle (Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino)
Steen has a coughing fit before shaking hands. This match is being fought
under Dragon Gate rules. SpeedMuscle quickly go after their opponents.
Doi and Steen don't budge after running into each other. Doi with an arm
drag and side headlock takedown. Steen follows with the same. No
tags needed, but Generico and Yoshino tag in anyways. Generico with an arm
drag. Damn these two are fast. Yoshino reaches the ropes.
Yoshino clubs Generico and gets one after a quick leg drop. Yoshino with a
headlock on the mat. Doi comes back in and kicks Generico. He takes
him down with a back elbow for another one. Generico reaches Steen, who
chops Doi in the corner. Steen charges for one. He kicks Doi in the
back, then hits a European Uppercut to the back. Generico tags in with a
double axe handle to Doi's back. Scoop slam for two. Doi knocks
Steen off the apron and trips Generico, getting him in a figure four position
before tagging in Speed and delivering a wishbone.
Doi tags back in again with a double axe handle to the arm. Yoshino with a
double stomp to that arm. SpeedMuscle with a great double team on
Generico, dropkicking him in the crotch while a Boston Crab is applied.
Snapmare by Doi and he ties Generico up. Yoshino keeps Steen at bay in the
corner. Yoshino back in with an axe handle to the back. Double
gutbuster and stereo kicks to Generico's head for two.
Yoshino places Generico in a submission and Doi holds off Steen, tossing him to
the floor. Yoshino turns it into a pin for two. Yoshino chops
Generico to the mat. He punches him in the head, then taunts Generico.
Generico and Yoshino trade shots. Generico with a Blue Thunder Driver,
putting both men down. Steen tags in and kicks Yoshino in the head before
delivering a missile dropkick. He crotches Doi by kicking the middle rope.
Steen gets ready to dive outside, but Yoshino stops him. Yoshino runs into
a powerslam for two.
Doi runs in and dumps Steen on the apron. They exchange strikes. Doi
ties Steen in the ropes and dropkicks him, before hitting a front flip senton
across the back while Steen is still hung up. Doi charges Steen and
Generico in opposite corners. Generico blocks a charge and hits a
crossbody on Yoshino for two. Backbreaker by Generico, but the split
legged moonsault is blocked. Sick inverted DDT by Yoshino for two.
Doi runs in and drops Generico, but Steen hits him with a superkick.
Yoshino is dumped to the floor. Swinging DDT by Generico and a pumphandle
neckbreaker by Steen for two when Yoshino breaks up the pin and all men are
down.
Yoshino with an Octopus Stretch. Steen breaks it up. SpeedMuscle
double team Steen with a flapjack/bulldog combo. They charge Generico in
the corner. Scoop slam by Doi. Yoshino hits a missile dropkick on
Steen, delivering a senton to Generico as he falls down from that for two.
Generico and Yoshino face off. Yoshino plants Generico and Doi kicks him
in the face for two when Steen breaks the pin up. Steen clotheslines
SpeedMuscle and powerbombs Yoshino. Powerbomb to Doi as well. Steen
goes to the top rope, but Doi gets to his feet. Generico comes to his aid
and chops Doi. Generico elevates Yoshino onto Steen's shoulders while
Steen is still on the top. Steen comes down with a gutbuster across his
knee. Steen hits the Swanton to Yoshino and Generico comes off the top
with a splash and the crowd gets up like it is over, but Yoshino gets the
shoulder up before three. I never say this, but this is awesome.
Generico goes for a BRAAAINNNNBUSSTAH, but Doi comes in and stops it.
SpeedMuscle with a nasty powerbomb/neckbreaker combo for two when Steen breaks
it up. Doi is tossed to the floor and Steen flips over the top onto him.
Half Nelson Suplex by Generico for two. He hits the brainbuster for
another near fall. He puts Yoshino on the top rope again. Generico
gets shoved off, but Steen crotches Yoshino and hits a Package Piledriver into
another Generico brainbuster and this one is in the books.
Your winners, Kevin Steen and El Generico!
The real winners are the fans, and they show their appreciation with a standing
ovation.
Becky is outside with a winded Kevin Steen and El Generico. Steen says
it's too hot and Dragon Gate is too fast. Steen vows to bring the belts to
himself and Generico...and Canada. He says he is going to make sweet love
to his wife with them. He goes off to find someone's pool. Heh.
ROH vs. Dragon Gate Challenge Match #3: Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs
& Tyler Black) vs. New Hazard (Shingo & BxB Hulk)
Hulk and Jimmy start. They go hold for hold. BxB with a wristlock.
They continue to go hold for hold. Hulk with some quick kicks. Black
and Shingo tag in. Shingo knocks him down. Black and Shingo with
some reversals. Black with armdrags and a headscissors takedown.
Running elbow strike to Shingo and Jacobs tags back in. Shingo takes
Jacobs down and tags Hulk in. They double team Jimmy for two.
Jimmy drive Hulk into the corner and tags Black in. Black and Hulk
exchange chops. Hulk kicks Black to the mat. Shingo tags in and
Black tries to fight off a double team. DDT by Shingo followed by a back
senton. BxB Star Press for two. Hulk kicks Jacobs in the head.
Jimmy fights back and punches Hulk in the head. He chokes him in the
corner, then chops Hulk on the ropes. They exchange chops again.
Black sends Hulk off the apron and into the guardrail. Jacobs runs off the
apron with an elbow drop and tosses Hulk into the guardrail once more.
Hulk is rolled back in and Black covers for two. Chinlock by Black.
Jimmy tags back in and stomps Hulk. Jacobs peppers Hulk's sauce in the
corner. He ties him in the tree of woe and the AOTF double team him with
dropkicks for two. Black punches Hulk in the head. Headbutt puts
Hulk on the mat. Black stands on his face and stomps him in the head.
Jimmy tags in with a standing elbow drop. AOTF with a double team
clothesline and choke. High angle back suplex by Jacobs for two.
AOTF punch Hulk simultaneously. Shingo tries to break it up, but Black
sends him to the floor. Black works on Hulk's arm. Hulk tries to
kick back, but Black stops him and tags Jimmy back in. Hulk dumps Black
and hits a springboard missile dropkick on Jimmy. Shingo makes the tag.
Black hits him, but Shingo fights back and suplexes Jimmy. DDT to Black.
Hulk dives over the top onto Tyler Black. Shingo and Jimmy trade punches.
Jacobs with a satellite headscissors takedown. He gets caught in a
gutbuster and Shingo flips Jimmy to the mat for two. Jimmy gets double
teamed, but Black makes a tag. He knocks Hulk down and kicks Shingo in the
head. Hulk with a series of kicks to Black. He kicks Black in the
face for two.
Hulk puts Black in the middle of the ring. He makes full rotation on the
backflip to land on his feet, then gets two with a standing shooting star press.
He goes to the top again, but Black crotches him. Black with an inverted
suplex off the top right into a Paroxysm for two when Shingo runs in.
Jimmy pushes Black out of the way and spears Shingo. Jacobs tags in and
hits a back senton to Hulk as Black has him in a torture rack. He quickly
follows with a kick to the head, followed by the End Time. Shingo finally
makes the save. Rana to Shingo by Black. Black dives over the top
onto Shingo on the floor.
Jacobs gets to his feet first. Jacobs punches Hulk. Hulk with a
moonsault press and both men are down. Shingo and Black tag in. They
clothesline each other, but neither falls. Black springboards into a
clothesline. Hulk dropkicks Jacobs off the apron. New Hazard double
team Black for two. Hulk with EVO to Jacobs and he kicks him to the floor.
Black with a big boot to Shingo and one that sends Hulk to the floor.
LARIATO by Shingo to Black for two. Shingo hits Last Falconry on Black for
the win.
Your winners, New Hazard!
Prazak says the real winners are the fans, and I swear I typed it first for the
last match before I heard him say it, not that it is original or anything.
New Hazard celebrate the first Dragon Gate win in the back. I don't speak
Spanish, so I can't understand what they are saying.
ROH vs. Dragon Gate Challenge Match #4: The Briscoes vs. Dragon Kid
& Ryo Saito
Kid starts with Jay. Jay has a big height advantage. Kid stomps the
foot. Saito puts Kid on his back and he offers to do the knuckle lock
again. Jay accepts. Jay gets the best of it. Saito breaks it
up and they hit a double team drop toe hold, followed by stereo dropkicks.
Mark comes in and knocks down Saito. Headscissors by Saito. Kid with
a springboard rana. The Briscoes take a minute to strategize.
Jay pounds Dragon Kid in the corner. Mark tags in and continues the
assault. Kid drives Mark into the corner and tags Saito in. They
choke Mark. Mark and Saito trade shots. Mark tags Jay in. The
Briscoes double team Ryo for two. Jay clubs the back. Saito shows
fighting spirit and exchanges chops with Jay. Kid tags in and hits Jay in
the back after jumping off the top.
Dropkick in the corner by Kid. He snapmares Jay, then drives the knee into
his chest. Saito tags in with a top rope double stomp for two. Saito
swings Kid around with a kick to Jay. Jay with some forearms and Mark tags
in. Mark with some elbows to the back of the head. Gutwrench suplex
and a big knee drop by Mark for two.
Kid blocks a moonsault attempt by Mark. Jay makes a blind tag and nails
Kid with a clothesline. Scoop slam and leg drop for two. Mark tags
in and pounds Kid, then stomps the head. Another tag and Jay hits a
Guillotine Leg Drop off the second rope. Jay chokes Kid in the ropes.
Back elbow sends Kid to the mat and Mark comes in with a fist drop for two.
Another fist drop and two count. Stunner by Kid, but Mark hits a belly to
back suplex and tags Jay in. Double team chops in the corner, then they
launch Kid out of the corner, getting some great height on the throw.
Jay stretches Kid. Saito makes the save. Mark tags in with a split
legged moonsault for two. Jay with some palm strikes to the chest in the
corner. Mark and Jay double team Kid, with Jay getting two with a big
boot. Jay toys with Kid. Hard chops in the corner. Mark comes
in and the beat up Kid in the corner. Kid fights back and hits a
chinbreaker, making the tag to Saito. Saito and Jay trade rights.
Belly to belly by Saito. Kid slingshots over the top rope with a rana to
Jay on the floor.
Mark blocks a charge, but runs into the Fisherman's Express by Saito for two.
Mark with a side headlock and elbows. They exchange forearms. Mark
plants Saito on his head with an Exploder. Mark punches Saito.
Punches from Mark. Saito blocks him and Kid springboards in with a
dropkick to the arm. Octopus Stretch by Kid to Mark, but Jay breaks it up.
Jay catches Kid on a slide and puts him on his feet. Springboard Stunner
by Kid for two.
Nasty spinebuster plants Kid on the mat for two. Kid tries to fight off
the Briscoes, but he gets launched in the air. Double superkick for two.
Jay slams Kid to the mat and Mark goes to the top. Saito runs interference
and puts Mark on his shoulders. Kid climbs up to the top rope and ranas
Mark off Saito's shoulders. Saito dives off the top with a big splash for
two. Kid with a DDT to Mark. Saito backs Mark to the corner.
Kid with a sunset flip powerbomb to his partner as he is holding Jay. This
sends Jay onto Mark. Jay lifts up Kid with a military press into a DVD for
two.
Springboard knee drop by Mark after a backbreaker to Kid for two when Saito
makes the save. Mark and Saito don't budge on clotheslines. Jay with
a big boot to Saito. The Jay Driller is blocked. Jay puts Saito face
first into the turnbuckle. Springboard Doomsday Device gets ROH their
third win of the night.
Your winners, the Briscoes!
More shenanigans from Sweeney and Hagadorn in the back. Sweeney has a new
signing in mind and he wants to make that move right now.
The Briscoes say it is on tomorrow night. They will take care of AOTF,
then get their tag belts back.
The NRC comes out and Sweeney follows. He wants to sign the No Remorse
Corps and make big money. He says they got the belts, but they are
probably not making the money they deserve. He says they can dissolve the
NRC and bring them into Sweet n Sour, Inc. Strong says they are already at
the top and says there is no interest.
No Remorse Corps (Roderick Strong, Davey Richards, & Rocky Romero) vs. Erick
Stevens, CIMA, & Go Shiozaki
CIMA takes Rocky to the mat and controls the leg. Rocky reverses with a
wristlock. He gets CIMA on the mat and ties him up. CIMA gets an
early one count and they stand off. Side headlock by Rocky. Rocky
kicks the leg out from under him. Rocky puts on the brakes to avoid the
dropkick. Romero slides under the leg and gets a snapmare, then dragon
kick. CIMA tags in Go.
Rocky begs off and tags Davey in. Side headlock by Davey. Go throws
him off. Davey with a couple of big boots. Snapmare and Dragon Kick,
followed by a mule kick. Go no sells and chops Davey hard a couple of
times. Strong tags in and locks up with Go. Go runs through a chop.
Roddy and Go exchange chops briefly. Go with a beautiful dropkick.
Stevens tags in and headbutts Roddy in the corner. Belly to belly suplex
for one.
CIMA tags back in and kicks Strong. Scoop slam and back senton by CIMA.
He ties up the legs on the mat, getting a two count. Go tags back in and
teams with Stevens to chop Strong to the mat. Go covers, but the ref is
distracted. Go humbles Strong with a Camel Clutch. CIMA runs in and
dropkicks Strong in the face. CIMA and Roderick go to the floor, with CIMA
charging Strong into the guardrail. Go chops Strong, but Roderick avoids
the back body drop with a kick. He tags in Romero, who knees Go in the
throat. On the floor, Davey whips Go into a jumping knee by Romero.
Romero claws the face.
Strong tags back in with a stomp off the second rope. Chop to the chest by
Strong, followed by a standing dropkick. Davey tags in and knees Go in the
gut, followed by a headbutt. Romero in and he throws Go face first into
the turnbuckle. Romero with a cross body. Go catches him, but Romero
elbows out. Go chops Romero to the mat and tags Stevens in.
Stevens catches Strong with a Samoan Drop. Knee strikes by Davey. He
takes Stevens out to the floor. Richards and Romero work over Stevens.
Romero keeps Stevens from making the tag and Strong comes in with some kicks.
Chops in the corner by Roddy. Richards makes the tag and hits a running
clothesline. CIMA breaks the pin up. Stiff kick to the chest by
Davey and Romero is in for his turn to tee off on Stevens. Snapmare and
choke by Rocky.
Stevens tries to punch back and in one of the first missteps of the night,
Romero lamely stops him. Strong back in with some clubbing blows to the
back of Stevens. Richards gets two with a Northern Lights Suplex.
Davey applies the headscissors. Kick to the chest and Strong is back in.
He slingshots Stevens into a Romero forearm, then Romero comes in with a
slingshot knee drop for two. Romero with a sleeper hold. Stevens
stands up and falls down. Strong and Richards run across the ring to knock
Go and CIMA off the apron.
Stevens is put in the Tree of Woe. Romero is elevated into a dropkick.
Richards runs up and...flicks him in the nuts. Strong in with one of the
hardest chops of the night. Strong tries to keep Stevens from making the
tag. Davey tries to help, but Stevens keeps pushing. Strong trips
Stevens and hits a chop to the chest on the mat. Another sleeper hold to
Stevens. Stevens fights back and puts Strong down with a powerslam.
Stevens tags in CIMA and Strong tags Davey in. CIMA with a backcracker.
CIMA gets out of a double team and stomps Davey and Roddy. Springboard
kick to Davey's head, then a springboard dropkick as Davey is in the ropes.
Romero with a knee to CIMA's gut. Go in with a flying shouldertackle.
Go and Rocky trade forearms. Romero with a kick. Go with some hard
chops. He nails a vicious running chop. Go puts Romero on the top,
then chops him to the mat for two. Roderick in with a chop and forearm.
Go blocks a charge, but Roddy immediately hits some clotheslines. Strong
hits a superplex for two. Stevens prevents a Gibson Driver and exchanges
chops with Strong. Stiff.
TKO by Stevens. He goes for a Doctor Bomb, but Roderick drives him to the
floor. Rocky and Davey kick Stevens on the apron. Richards wipes out
Stevens with a dive. Rocky is caught and driven into the ringpost.
CIMA dives onto Roddy and Davey. Rocky is all alone with his opponents.
Go charges with a chop. Choo choo by Stevens. Dropkick to the head
by CIMA. Stevens assists on a backcracker, then tosses Romero over his
head for two. Go hits a moonsault, followed by a Frog Splash by CIMA for
two.
Stevens is put to the floor, but he bumps into Go. Richards kicks him in
the face to no avail. More kicks to the face. Go with chops.
Davey with kicks. Superkick by Go. Enziguri by Davey.
Gutbuster by Strong. Springboard DDT by Romero. Richards covers for
two. The NRC charge Go in the corner. Richards drives Romero's knees
into Go. Yakuza kick by Strong for two.
Stevens and Rocky go at it. Romero with a rana. He misses the
knockout kick, but he kicks Stevens into the corner. High knee strikes to
Go and Stevens. Romero is tossed into a lariat by Stevens for two.
Davey with knees to Stevens. Strong suplexes Go on the apron.
Stevens slams Richards on the mat and goes for the Doctor Bomb, but is rolled up
for two. Stevens gets sent to the floor. CIMA drives Davey to the
mat for two. Strong blocks a superkick and gets two with a half nelson
back breaker.
Stevens and Strong come face to face. More stiff chops are exchanged.
You can start to feel them. Enziguri to Stevens' back. Stevens slams
Strong down and hits a lariat. Romero knees Stevens to the floor.
CIMA with a superkick. Strong gets a couple near falls on CIMA.
Strong misses the gutbuster and CIMA hits a double stomp. CIMA gets two
with the Schwein. CIMA wins with the Crossfire.
Your winners, CIMA, Erick Stevens, & Go Shiozaki!
Match thoughts:
Opening was a good way to whet the crowds appetite. Since it was non
title, it shouldn't have been long, and it was the perfect length.
Another short bout followed, but it was very quick with some good tag team
action, again just getting the table ready for the big matches.
I am loving these fast matches. Over forty minutes into the show, and
there have been no rest periods. Aries and Genki put together a totally
different match than the first two, one that featured an exciting exchange of
near falls. The post match segment was entertaining as well.
87 star match by Steen and Generico vs. the Muscle Outlaws. You will not
get a chance to catch your breath. This is a must see match. I can't
say enough good things about it. Worth rewatching at least two times, as
well.
The next tag match was nearly as good, and that is saying something.
Another unique match that I would classify as must see.
The final ROH vs. Dragon Gate Challenge Match was more of a normal tag match for
awhile, with the Briscoes dominating the smaller wrestlers. If I can be
corny for just a minute, the Dragon Gate wrestlers manned up and gave as much as
the got. Three incredible tag matches in a row. It was interestingly
booked to make the faster wrestlers look believable against the best tag team in
the world.
The last match is probably the most traditional one on the card in that Stevens
was dominated for a good chunk of the match by the heels. And while it
isn't up to the high standards set by what came before it, the match holds up on
its own and once again featured fast paced sequences that let all the wrestlers
shine.
As mentioned earlier, this is one hell of a show. I don't think I would
change one thing, other than maybe putting the six man tag on earlier since it
was outshone by the undercard. That's not a knock on the main event, that
is just a testament to how good the ROH vs. Dragon Gate matches were. I've
run out of superlatives to put over this show. This is as must buy as it
gets. You can't call yourself a wrestling fan and not make some kind of
effort to see this show. It's easily one of the best I've ever seen.
Near perfect.
Feel free to send any questions or comments to edsh007@hotmail.com
