I decided to take a break after exhausting myself covering the War of the Worlds Tour. But rest assured, I'm back at it again. We've got Jay Lethal/Punishment Martinez and Bullet Club/SoCal Uncensored for the ROH 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Let's get to it.
Jay Lethal vs. Punishment Martinez
After sending Martinez to the outside, Lethal hits seven consecutive suicide dives. The action gets back in the ring as Lethal starts working Martinez' legs, taking control at the beginning. Martinez tries to gain the advantage, but is unsuccessful as Lethal continues his game plan. After a series of counter-strikes, Martinez plants Lethal with a sidewalk slam, seemingly getting the upper hand.
Fighting back, Lethal continues working the legs of Martinez, targeting his left knee in particular. Despite the constant attack, Martinez is still able to connect with a top-top spinning heel kick; Lethal kicks out. Lethal slaps the figure-four leglock on Martinez, doing everything he can to damage Martinez' knee. Following a Lethal Injection counter, Martinez drops Lethal with a lifting full nelson toss then follows it up with a curb stomp; Lethal kicks out once again.
Martinez gets Lethal on the top rope, hoping to deliver a super chokeslam. Lethal counters and delivers his Hail To The King diving elbow drop; Martinez kicks out and the two trade kicks. Martinez tries to gain momentum but his knee buckles; Lethal takes advantage with a superkick, then a Lethal Injection to pick up the W.
Thoughts: A damn fine way to start off a show. Take two elite performers and put them in a match, and you can't go wrong. I really dug the story that was told with Lethal constantly working Martinez' legs as if he were a lumberjack chopping a tree down. Even deeper, it's a story of Lethal's path to redemption following a string of losses. Despite taking the L, Martinez still looks strong as always; he loses no momentum in defeat here. Not much more to say here.
Joey "Diesel" Daddiego vs. Shane Taylor
Daddiego throws a flurry of punches, then tries to get Taylor up on his shoulders. Predictably, he's unsuccessful as Taylor fights off and goes to work punishing him. After ducking a corner cannonball attempt, Daddiego goes right back at it with the punches to Taylor, then delivers a Death Valley Driver. The two end up on the outside, where Taylor counters Daddiego; the punishment commences once again as Taylor rag-dolls Daddiego around the outside. After setting him up on two chairs, Taylor nails Daddiego with an apron splash, then attacks a referee as well as several security members.
Thoughts: For a squash match, this was actually quite entertaining. It seems like they're rebuilding Taylor's monster heel persona by having him just destroy literally everyone within his immediate vicinity. I dig it, and I'd like to see where it goes from here.
Bullet Club (Hangman Page, Cody, Marty Scurll) vs. SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky)
Cody and Sky start the match off with a series of rest holds. Cody plants Sky with a delayed standing gourdbuster. After the commercial break, we see Daniels put Scurll in a headscissors, who quickly maneuvers out of it. He tags in Page while Daniels tags in Kaz; it's an evenly-matched affair as the two exchange arm drags, hip tosses and rest holds. The two then start throwing punches, throwing technique out the window.
Page throws a rolling elbow at Kaz, then hits a signature dropsault/moonsault combo on Daniels and Kaz. Cody is tagged in and inadvertently hits Scurll with a Disaster Kick. Following the mistake, SCU start a methodical beatdown on Cody. Scurll and Sky get the hot tags, with Scurll getting the advantage. Kaz tries to break it up but is met with a superkick to the knee; Scurll and Cody the execute a drop toe-hold/sliding dropkick combo on Sky, then Page puts a cresecendo on it with a standing shooting star press.
Scurll nails Sky with a patented apron superkick, only to be dumped outside and met with an arabian press moonsault from Daniels. Cody then executes a double-jump plancha to Sky and Daniels, but is then met with a slingshot hurricanrana from Kaz, who the receives a shooting star press off the apron from Page. After this whole ordeal, Cody and Daniels end up on the top rope, jockeying for position; Cody ends up suplexing Daniels onto all of the other featured competitors.
Getting back in the ring, Daniels delivers an STO to Scurll following an eye-poke; Page then hits him with a flip-over release powerbomb, only for Kaz to send him out to the apron and nail him with a slingshot cutter. Following a springboard cutter to Cody, Sky tries to nail Scurll with a jumping knee strike; Scurll counters and plants him with a pumphandle neckbreaker onto the knee. Daniels and Kaz break up a Crossface Chickenwing attempt, only to be met with a dual Buckshot Lariat from Page.
Cody plants Sky with his Din's Fire vertebreaker, then Page nails him with the Rite of Passage for the W.
Thoughts: For just being an exhibition match, this was nevertheless a damn fine way to end a show. It was expected to be a spotfest (not in a high-flying sense, but you get it), with each wrestler delivering their signature moves. And I'll be damned if I didn't say they looked great doing it. The back-and-forth sequences were absolute magic, showing the impeccable chemistry all six men have with each other. Plus, I loved the closing sequence; really digging that they're putting Page over more frequently, because he sure as shit deserves it.
Overall
A really good episode. I wish I wasn't so basic about it, but that's really all I got for it; just a solid show from top to bottom. It's hard to pick, but I think I preferred the Lethal/Martinez match over the main event, though not by much. Also, I surprisingly dug the Shane Taylor squash match. One of the better episodes they've put out in recent weeks, I'd say.
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