DVD REVIEW: RING OF HONOR VENDETTA
By Ed Shirreffs on 12/5/2008 12:34 PM
On June 28, 2008, Ring of Honor held
Vendetta II in Chicago Ridge, IL. I should have looked at this one before the
excellent Northern Navigation, but no biggie. We'll just take a step back.
The show opens outside by the dumpsters. Jimmy Jacobs is being emo with one of
his followers, Allison Wonderland. He gives her some orders.
Alex Payne & Silas Young vs. Rhett Titus & Delirious
Before the match, Rhett says he has nothing but respect for his partner. He
turns this match into a tag match. He invites Daizee Haze out to the ring to
manage them. Three way chant.
At the opening bell, Titus gyrates before Delirious can go crazy. Payne gets an
early two count with a roll up, followed by another two count with a crucifix.
Leg lariat by Payne. He comes off the ropes with a hooking clothesline for
two. Young tags in and applies a wristlock, into a headlock, into a side
headlock takedown. Nigel McGuinness joins for commentary. Titus gets head
scissors applied on the mat.
Young escapes and gets two with a standing moonsault. He sends Titus into the
corners, then throws him out by the bow tie. He charges, but Titus elbows him
down. Titus has to force Delirious to come in. They start to do a double team,
but Rhett confers with Daizee and Delirious complains. Payne takes advantage
with a roll up for two. Suplex gets only one by Payne. Delirious meets him
with a headbutt and Titus tags himself in. Body slam to Payne and he goes to
the top and gyrates. Young pushes him down and makes the tag. Senton to Rhett
gets two. Payne tags back in and gets two with a back suplex. Silas tags back
in to continue pounding Titus. Young drives him into the corner. Snapmare and
Dragon Kick. Kick to the chest and Young covers for two.
Chinlock on the mat by Young. Dropkick by Titus, but Delirious is distracted by
Daizee. Haze tells him it's OK and Delirious comes in, but turns his back on
Young and gets attacked by Young. Delirious fires back, but misses a charge.
Silas bounces off the rope and kicks Delirious. Elbow to the head by Payne.
Delirious blocks a charge and hits a leaping lariat off the ropes. Repeated
strikes to Payne. Titus makes a blind tag as Delirious does a sunset flip.
Titus with a very suggestive cover for the win.
Your winners, Rhett Titus & Delirious!
Aries finally gets Jacobs in a grudge match tonight. He's a man of little
words.
Erick Stevens vs. Jay Briscoe w/ Mark Briscoe
Reversals and mat wrestling by Briscoe and Stevens, but it's more intense than
the traditional opening usually is. Side headlock by Stevens. The two meet in
the middle of the ring, but neither budges. Rana and leg lariat by Briscoe. He
kicks Stevens in the corner, then charges with a clothesline in the other
corner.
Stevens and Briscoe trade chops. Jay floats over, but is caught with a Samoan
Drop by Stevens. The two trade chops. Side slam by Stevens for two. He clubs
Jay in the back and works him over in the corner. Charging forearm strike in
the corner. Stevens goes for the Choo Choo, but it's blocked and Jay comes off
the top with a Famouser for two. Jay wears down Stevens on the mat. Briscoe
works on Stevens in the corner with shots and chops. Stevens chops back, then
hits a flying shoulder tackle from the middle rope for two.
Vertical suplex by Stevens into a Russian Leg Sweep for two. Reverse bear hug
by Briscoe. Low dropkick by Stevens, followed by a Dragon Screw. Cross body by
Briscoe off the top. Jay and Stevens exchange more shots. Jay sends Stevens
into the corner. Jay with some chops in the corner. Stevens avoids a running
boot and hits a Choo Choo to Briscoe's back. Stevens nails a release German
Suplex, then slams him to the mat for two. Stevens can't get the Doctor Bomb
and he charges into a Big Boot. Jay with a DVD for two. Gordbuster by Jay,
followed by a big superkick for two. Stevens avoids a big boot and rolls Jay
into a Doctor Bomb for the win.
Your winner, Erick Stevens!
Brent Albright and Roderick Strong are taking on Sweet n' Sour, Inc. tonight.
Roddy promises to kill Davey when he gets back from Japan.
Lights Out Match: Chris Hero vs. Pelle Primeau
Hero jumps Pelle from behind at the bell. Pelle with some shots, but he runs
into a Roaring Elbow and is down for 7. Hero with a chop and kicks in the
corner. Hero drops Pelle onto the canvas for a 5 count. Hero kicks Pelle
again, then flips him over on the mat to drive him down to the mat for a 7
count. Kick to the chest. Pelle with an arm drag and he blocks a charge. Hero
slaps the taste out of Pelle's mat and it's another 7 count. Hero drops Pelle
onto the mat, tailbone first. Hero breaks the count with a Rolling Elbow.
Pelle gets up at six. Pelle goes down to a forearm from Hero. He scores with
the only two moves he can do, an arm drag and a headscissors takedown. Pelle
dropkicks Hero through the ropes, then hits an armdrag that sends Hero into the
guardrail. Hero gets up at nine. Pelle rolls him in the ring. He gets tied up
in the ropes and Hero smacks him in the face with an enziguri. Pelle gets up at
seven. More shots back in the ring from Hero. Pelle with an arm drag, followed
by a DDT. Springboard seated senton to Hero, followed by a double stomp and
Hero is down for seven. Hero kicks Pelle in the back of the head as Primeau
lands on his feet. Hero tries to pull a fast one by kicking out Pelle's legs as
he gets up, but the ref has none of it. SnS distracts the ref and Albright runs
in and gives Hero a Half Nelson. Hero struggles to get up at nine, and as the
ref has his back turned, Del Rey gives Pelle an axe kick, so the ref figures he
is down.
Your winner, Chris Hero!
In the back, Sweeney and Hero revel in another knockout win. The promo would
mean a lot more if Hero had really knocked out Primeau.
Age of the Fall (Necro Butcher & Tyler Black) vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
The fighting starts quickly as Steen brawls with Necro on the floor and Generico
goes at it with Black in the ring. Generico gets right up from a body slam, but
he is attacked from behind by Necro. Necro comes back in and dumps Necro from
the ring. Leg lariat by Generico to Black.
Steen tags in. He and Black slap each other, then exchange forearms. Tyler
comes off the ropes, but Steen charges, then blocks Necro from entering the ring
by kicking the rope into his crotch. Steen blows his nose on Black's shirt,
then rubs it in Black's face. Split Legged Moonsault by Generico to Black gets
two.
Steen back in with a scoop slam. Backpack Senton by Steen and Generico for
two. Necro brings Steen to the floor and attacks him. Black avoids the Yakuza
Kick and he gets punched in the face by Necro. Necro tags in and fires away on
Generico. Bulldog by Necro gets two. Necro knocks Steen off the apron, then
kicks Generico before tagging Black in. Suplex by Black. He stands on
Generico's face, then stomps for two. Black mounts and punches Generico for
two. Necro hits Steen from behind with a chair.
Black wraps up Generico with a waistlock. Necro again comes over to knock Steen
off the apron. Necro tags in and stomps Butcher in the head, then kicks Steen
off the apron once more. Necro sends Generico face first into the turnbuckle
and holds him as Black nails a dropkick. Back suplex by Generico. Necro
prevents the tag from being made and AOTF knock down Generico. As Necro goes to
get out of the ring, Steen crotch punches him and launches Necro off the apron.
Generico makes the hot tag to Steen, who comes in and chops Black. He blocks a
charge and hits a missile dropkick off the second rope, followed by a back
senton, then a cannonball in the corner. Black avoids a package piledriver,
then kicks Steen. Steen and Black tag in their partners.
Necro punches Generico, then pounds the back. Steen keeps Tyler from using a
chair, then assists Generico with a Victory Roll for two. Generico hits a
Yakuza Kick, then Steen goes for the Senton Bomb, but Necro gets his knees up.
Punches to the face by Necro. Necro sends Steen into a chair shot by Black as
Wonderland distracts the ref and rolls him up for the win.
Your winners, Age of the Fall!
After the match, Austin Aries gets on the mic in the rafters and repeats his
claim that Necro is just being manipulated.
Steen carries Generico to the mat.
Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli
I loved the match these two had on Northern Navigation, so I'm really curious to
see if this...prequel can live up to that one's standards. They take some time
feeling each other out, neither getting an advantage. They lock knuckles and
Claudio bridges Danielson down to the mat as McGuinness rejoins the booth.
Castagnoli comes down on Danielson, but Dragon gets the advantage with a monkey
flip. They lock up and really go at it. It finally ends with Castagnoli shoves
Dragon in the corner, with the ref struggling to get a clean break.
Castagnoli trips Danielson to the mat and twists the ankle. Dragon ranas out
and rolls up Claudio for two. They trade heys, which is a little annoying after
that headed lock up just a minute ago. Couldn't they have done this at the
start. Claudio goes for Dragon's airplane spin. Danielson wants to go for a
Giant Swing, but Claudio is too big and not tired enough.
Claudio frees himself from the headscissors, then goes to a side headlock and
maintains the hold. Back suplex by Dragon, but Claudio doesn't let go.
Shoulderblock by Claudio after Danielson throws him off. Dragon catches
Castagnoli in an Airplane Spin that has twenty rotations. Claudio immediately
trips him into a Giant Swing, "only getting 16" rotations. Both men try to nip
up after falling, but they are too dizzy. Impressive spot. Claudio almost lost
his balance a couple of times. Nigel is great on commentary after this spot,
wondering if this is what ROH has come to. Danielson lifts Sinclair up for an
Airplane Spin. Castagnoli goes for a Giant Swing, but Dragon says that's too
much.
Back to the action, the two trade Europeans. Danielson blocks a kick, then
kicks Claudio in the jaw. Dragon Kick by Danielson. Surfboard by Danielson.
Dragon wrenches down on Claudio's neck, then clubs him in the nose before some
kicks to the chest for two. Dragon goes to sap Castagnoli's strength with a
chinlock, trapping the arms. Knee drop and a kick to the back of the head from
Dragon.
European Uppercut exchange. Headbutt from Danielson, followed by another kick
to the chest. Dragon trips Claudio and goes for a heel hook. Claudio gets to
the ropes. Europeans from Claudio knock Dragon down. Diving European to a
sitting Danielson, followed by the Hey Elbow Drop. Castagnoli plants Dragon for
two.
Charging European in the corner, Danielson dumps Claudio on a second attempt,
then hits a suicide dive. Step up enziguri by Claudio. He goes for a
superplex, but Danielson shoves him off and hits a missile dropkick. Running
knee strike by Danielson for two. Cattle Mutilation is locked in. Claudio gets
out and drops Danielson with a European. Claudio goes for a Waterslide, but
Danielson rolls him over into the repeated elbows. Claudio gets up and knees
Danielson in the head before hitting the Alpamare Waterslide.
Danielson avoids a Ricola Bomb and hits a dropkick as Claudio goes for a diving
European. German Suplex by Dragon gets two. He goes for the Triangle Choke.
Claudio gets to his feet, but Danielson keeps the hold applied. Claudio is able
to get the bottom rope.
Kicks to the chest by Danielson. Claudio finally ducks one and hits a bicycle
kick. The two trade Europeans again. Danielson slaps Castagnoli. The fans
applaud for a spot they see in almost every match. Castagnoli finally knocks
Dragon down for a two count. Dragon avoids the Ricola Bomb with a small package
for two. Danielson catches the bicycle kick and hits a Roaring Elbow. Pop up
European from Claudio seals the deal.
Your winner, Claudio Castagnoli!
The Briscoes are interviewed in the back. Like one of their usual promos, just
with less profanity.
Sara Del Rey vs. MsChif vs. Daizee Haze
Del Rey is portrayed as an angry monster right now, but she stands around as
MsChif poses with the belt she desires. At least she doesn't shake her hand.
Del Rey immediately goes after MsChif as Daizee tries to get involved. Del Rey
throws Haze off her back. MsChif and Haze team up to drive Del Rey down to the
canvas. MsChif dives off the top rope to the floor onto Del Rey. Haze goes up,
but she ends up diving on MsChif. Haze is thrown into the guardrail. Del Rey
sends MsChif back into the ring and kicks her. Del Rey lifts up MsChif, but
Haze comes off the top with a dropkick.
Haze and MsChif go for jawbreakers. Standing moonsault by MsChif gets two when
Haze breaks the pin up. Del Rey gets back up and kicks Haze down. She catches
MsChif and applies a Boston Crab. Neckbreaker by Haze gets two. Haze is able
to get a modified bulldog for two. MsChif plants Haze with a DDT, but Del Rey
breaks the pin up and delivers a German Suplex that knocks MsChif's head on the
bottom turnbuckle. Royal Butterfly for Haze and Del Rey takes the match,
Your winner, Sara Del Rey!
Larry Sweeney is in the ring to reveal the Mystery Partner (not much of a
mystery if you look at the DVD box beforehand, or read this review). Johnny
Fairplay walks Adam Pearce to the ring first. The mystery partner is...Go
Shiozaki! Sweeney has an extra surprise in the Honky Tonk Man. HTM gears up
for a song, but Sweeney tells him that he isn't getting enough for it.
Adam Pearce & Go Shiozaki w/ Sweet n' Sour, Inc. vs. Brent Albright & Roderick
Strong
Pearce and Strong kick things off with a lock up that ends up in the corner.
Pearce gets a cheap shot in. Pearce knocks down Strong with a shoulderblock,
but runs into a cross body. Strong with a leg lariat, followed by a wristlock.
Albright tags in, but Pearce is able to get to his corner and tag in Go.
The two meet with shoulderblocks and neither man goes down. Deja vu. Leonard
and Prazak whine on commentary about Go joining up with Sweeney. Albright gets
the advantage on a Knuckle Lock and Go drops to his knees. Go up to his feet
with a Northern Lights Suplex. Albright with a dropkick, snapmare, and Dragon
Kick.
Strong tags in and teams with Albright to chop Go, before they both knock him
down for two. Albright back in. Snapmare and a knee to Go's face. He knocks
Pearce off the apron, so the ref misses the cover. Roderick tags back in and
works on Go in the corner. Strong and Albright keep with the strategy of fresh
tags. Strong charges in the corner and sits Go on the to rope. Pearce sneaks
in to pull Strong off the top, allowing Go to hit a knee strike off the top.
Pearce tags in and works over Strong. Punches to the gut, and a cheap shot at
Albright, before Go tags back in. Dropkick to Strong. Go pounds Strong as
Roddy lies on the apron. Clothesline by Go keeps Strong from making a
comeback. Albright interferes. Pearce "tags" in and covers Strong for two.
Pearce with a Stinger Splash in the corner for two with a cocky cover. Pearce
and Go exchange shots, but Go nails a headbutt. He chops Strong off the top and
to the mat. Albright distracts Go. Go with a superkick to Strong's head. He
covers for two.
Pearce tags in and goes to the top, connecting with a Big Splash for two when
Albright breaks the pin up. Pearce runs into a kick, but he hits a chokeslam.
Go tags in and knocks Albright off the apron. Suplex by Go gets two. Go misses
a charge. Strong hits an enziguri. Albright tags in and cleans house, knocking
Go down a couple times. Belly to belly suplex and 6-1-Knee to Go for two when
Pearce interferes.
Back body drop to Pearce, and Albright catches Go with an Exploder for two. Go
with a Superkick to Albright, but he is able to catch Pearce with a powerslam
for two. Strong crotches Pearce on the top before hitting a Superplex.
Albright with an elbow drop for two when Go breaks the pin up. All four men
exchange chops and shots. Everyone gets knocked down. Gutbuster by Strong to
Pearce. He dives out onto Go. Albright with Knee Strikes to Pearce and that
ends the match.
Your winners, Brent Albright & Roderick Strong!
After the match, Albright goes after SnS, but Pearce throws a fireball in his
face, then prevents the ref from pouring water on them.
Nigel McGuinness vs. Jerry Lynn
This is a non title match. McGuinness gets on the mic and he wants to thank
Lynn. He thanks Lynn for the opportunity he gave him in a match a few years
ago. Nigel wants to return the favor, and he offers Lynn the opportunity to
just head to the back and go get a job. Nigel holds the ropes open, but Lynn
says that after twenty of years in wrestling, he's seen hundreds of Nigel's come
and go while he is still standing. He's forgotten more than Nigel will learn
with his "don't curse" attitude.
Collar and elbow tie up, but Nigel quickly gets it into the corner. Side
headlock by Lynn. He takes Nigel to the mat with a side headlock takedown.
Nigel gets a wristlock and talks himself up, so Lynn takes advantage by tripping
Nigel, keeping him on the mat with a headlock. Shoulder tackle by Lynn,
followed by a dropkick. He came down awkwardly on his shoulder. The wily
veteran Lynn rolls up Nigel for two.
Nigel slaps Lynn. Lynn slaps him back and rolls the champion up for two.
European Uppercut from Nigel. Lynn chops back. Forearm exchange. Back body
drop by Lynn. Lynn teases Nigel from the floor. Nigel invites Lynn into the
ring to wrestle. No trickery from Nigel.
He goes right to Lynn's leg, but the vet is able to escape and apply another
side headlock. Nigel messes with Lynn's laces. He points out the untied lace,
then pounds him in the face when Lynn goes to look. Nigel drives Jerry to the
mat by his arm a couple of times. Nigel drives a knee into Lynn's shoulder. He
then uses the ropes to add more pressure.
Nigel playfully slaps at Lynn in the corner and puts a stop to any chance of a
comeback. Nigel bridges back on Lynn's shoulder. Lynn escapes, but Nigel
avoids an elbow drop. Nigel trips Lynn to the mat. Nigel whips Lynn into the
turnbuckle shoulder first. Jerry lifts Nigel onto the apron, but McGuinness
gets the advantage back by snapping Lynn's arm down on the top rope. He
clotheslines Jerry to the mat. Lynn leg drops Nigel out of the ring.
Lynn goes to send Nigel back in the ring, but Nigel goes for a Jawbreaker. Lynn
avoids it, but he is sent into the guardrail. Nigel charges, but gets
backdropped into the crowd. Jerry dives over the guardrail onto Nigel. Nigel
perches Lynn on the barricade, but Lynn blocks a charge and hits a swinging DDT
to the floor.
Back in the ring, Lynn hits a cross body off the top, then blocks a charge.
Headscissors takedown followed by a Spear from Lynn. Nigel blocks a piledriver
and drives Lynn to the mat with a Divorce Court. Nigel misses the jawbreaker
and is caught with a German Suplex for two. Nigel avoids the TKO and hits a
lariat for two.
Tower of London by Nigel for two. Lynn ducks a clothesline and crotches Nigel
in the corner before hitting a lungblower for two. Lynn blocks a Tower of
London, but he eats a European Uppercut. Nigel goes to the middle rope. Jerry
with a sunset powerbomb for two. Lynn meets Nigel with a clothesline to avoid
the jawbreaker and gets two with a TKO. I thought Lynn won for a second.
Lynn bounces off the ropes and right into a lariat for two. Another lariat from
Nigel gets another two. Lynn ducks the short arm and rolls up Nigel for two.
Chinbreaker by Nigel and he throws another lariat, but Lynn still kicks out.
Lynn ducks the Jawbreaker for another two count. Nigel traps Lynn's legs and
rolls him up for the win.
Your winner, Nigel McGuinness!
Grudge Match: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries
Jacobs gets on the mic and talks about how his mutilated, destroyed, and
outsmarted Austin Aries, so tonight, he wants to outwrestle Aries. He offers
that the winner gets to pick any match they want next time they come to Chicago.
The bell rings and they go to the mats with a collar and elbow, then break at
the ropes. Another collar and elbow. Waistlock takedown by Aries. Jacobs
bails. Jacobs gets back in the ring, and he kisses Aries. Aries slaps and
throws Jacobs to the flow, then dives off the top onto him before coming at him
with repeated knees. Aries puts Jacobs' leg in a chair and kicks at the chair.
Jacobs reverses an Irish Whip into a guardrail, but he gets back dropped into
the crowd. Jacobs throws Aries into a chair.
They fight towards the bleachers. Aries goes for a Brainbuster, but Jacobs
blocks with the End Time. Aries drives him into the wall to escape. Aries
sends Jacobs off of the bleachers, and he does something I can't see because the
cameraman doesn't get the shot. Aries sends Jacobs into a chair that a fan is
holding.
Aries drapes Jacobs on the apron and gets a running knee strike. Aries
slingshots over the top onto Jacobs head. Aries goes to the top rope, but
Jacobs uses the referee to block. He attacks Aries and puts him on the apron,
sending him face first into the ring post. Jacobs takes a moment to recover as
Aries is down on the floor. Jacobs dives off the apron onto Aries.
On the floor, Jacobs delivers a snap suplex. Jacobs sets up a chair and sends
Aries into the barricade. Jacobs sits Aries in the chair, goes back in the
ring, gets a head of steam, then dives over the top rope onto Aries, who goes
limp. Aries back is sliced open and Jacobs goes after the cut. Jacobs bites
Aries' hands. Aries is whipped into the corner for two.
Aries tries to chop back, but Jacobs stays on the offense by raking at the cut,
then biting at it. Elbow to the cut. Jacobs gets a foreign object out of his
tights and goes after the cut some more. Aries bites back, but Jacobs returns
the favor. Allison Wonderland distracts the referee so Jacobs can use the
foreign object on the cut again for two.
Aries fires back with some shots, but Jacobs goes back to the cut on the back,
then hangs Aries in the tree of woe. Jacobs charges. Aries frees himself and
hits a Stunner out of the corner. Jacobs locks in the End Time again, but he
gets dumped out of the ring. Suicide Dive by Aries. Aries with an Implant DDT
for two.
Aries mounts Jacobs in the corner and starts punching. Jacobs is able to dump
Aries to the floor. Jacobs runs into Aries' knee. They jockey for position on
the apron. Jacobs snaps Aries neck down on the top rope, then spears Aries
right into the guardrail.
Jacobs goes to the top and gets a big senton off the top rope for two. Jacobs
locks in the End Time. Aries drops him off and puts Jacobs in Last Chancery.
Jacobs gets out with a rake to the eyes. Aries blocks the Contra Code and gives
Jacobs a DVD on the apron. Aries covers for two as Jacobs gets his boot on the
bottom rope.
Jacobs bails and Aries follows. Jimmy catches him with a Contra Code off the
guardrail. Jacobs rolls Aries back in the ring and covers for two. Both men
battle from their knees. They exchange punches. Aries misses the running
dropkick in the corner and goes for the End Time again. Aries gets to his feet
and drives Jacobs into the corner. He throws Jacobs off on the Contra Code and
drives knees into Jacobs' head before reapplying Last Chancery. Black and Necro
come to the ring, but the Briscoes make the save. MsChif comes to the ring to
save Jacobs with a double stomp to Aries. MsChif sprays green mist into Aries'
face, allowing Jacobs to connect with the Contra Code. Aries is able to kick
out at two.
Jacobs goes for a spear, but is caught by Aries, who hits a Brainbuster for
two. He holds onto the head and locks in Last Chancery. More knees to the
head, then back into Last Chancery. Jacobs turns it into the End Time. Aries
struggles around the ring. The referee lifts the arm up, but on the third
attempt, Aries rolls over for two. Kick to the head by Aries. Aries charges
with the running dropkick. Another running dropkick. A third running
dropkick. Aries stand Jacobs up in the corner and gets a couple shots in before
hitting a fourth and fifth running dropkick. One more? Why not. Six running
dropkicks! Aries lays Jacobs on the mat and goes to the top, connecting with
the 450 Splash for the win.
Your winner, Austin Aries!
After the match, Aries takes the mic and says he gets to choose whatever match
he wants for August 16th. He tells Jacobs, the next Chicago match will be Jimmy
in a No DQ match against the Necro Butcher. After a minute or so, Jacobs gets
on the mic to run down the fans.
Match thoughts:
The Titus/Delirious tag was good match from a storyline standpoint. Rhett
teaming with Delirious and gradually turning him into a sleazebag could have
been a really fun undercard angle, but alas...
Stevens-Jay Briscoe was okay, but as Nigel said on commentary, it's nothing he
hasn't done before. Too many chop and shot exchanges, which are meaningless in
ROH now since ever match has one. I'd like to see them go at it with more
plunder next time, or Stevens as a heel.
The Lights Out match should have ended seconds in as soon as Hero hit that first
elbow to really get the move over. Pelle loses nothing since he's a punching
bag anyways, and Hero looks really good. Instead, the match goes on seven more
minutes, Pelle gets up from nasty shots, and Hero needs Del Rey's help to win.
Nice tag match between AOTF and Steen/Generico. They saved a ton for later
bouts down the line, and everyone got some good offense in. Good undercard
filler.
I definitely wish that I had seen this Danielson-Castagnoli match first. You
could see a lot of things they were doing here that they worked on in the next
match. Seeing this makes the Northern Navigation match seem better in
hindsight. If you can, try to check this show out before ROH NN. It's not as
good, but it makes the later match better.
Matches like this make Del Rey's new gimmick grow on me. It was kept short, so
the action didn't have a chance to let up.
The tag match with Go/Pearce against Albright/Strong felt average to me.
Nothing stood out, and what was supposed to stand out, the exchange of punches
and chops between two pairs of wrestlers, didn't because (if I can be a broken
record for a minute) you see it from every guy on the roster in almost every
match.
McGuinness-Lynn wasn't up to Nigel's usual standards, but it told a good story,
with the veteran trying to eke one out. A really great Rocky type story could
have been made here if this was a title match that Nigel gave to Lynn out of
pity or something. The crowd might have been into the near falls a lot more if
there was something at stake.
The main event was appropriately the best match on the card. Jacobs and Aries
put a lot of drama into the match. They started slow and built it up to a great
last ten minutes. It could have been a little better if the crowd wasn't silent
at key points. Still, worth checking out, especially if you've been a fan of
the feud these two were embroiled in.
Overall, a very good show. It's not on the upper tier of ROH shows this year,
but it's only a notch or so below it. Only a couple of matches are blah, and
the good stuff gets really good at some points. Nigel also is hilarious on
commentary during the matches he joins Prazak and Leonard for. Too many
chop/punch/strike exchanges throughout the card, though. Less is more. My
advice would be to buy this show.
Comments or questions can be directed to me at
edsh007@hotmail.com.
