Apologies if my posts have been a bit formulaic. Work's been exhausting and I haven't really put much time into my creative process. I promise to change that ASAP. Anyways, moving on. It should be a high-quality show as The Briscoes put their Tag Titles on the line in the main event. But before that, let's get to everything else.
Luchasaurus vs. Kenny King vs. Rhett Titus vs. Chris Sabin vs. Flip Gordon vs. Shane Taylor, Six-Man Mayhem
The match starts off Sabin trying to work over the bigger Luchasaurus; after a few kicks, he's successful, managing to nail him with a second-rope hurricanrana, sending him to the outside. King enters the ring as Sabin tags in Titus and the two lock horns for a bit before teaming up to take out Taylor and Luchasaurus, displaying chemistry reminiscent of their days as the All Night Express. Following this, it's pure chaos all six men weave in and out of the ring displaying their signature offense.
Taylor eventually is the last man in the ring as the other five competitors wade it out on the outside. Luchasaurus tries for a dive but is met with a straight right from Taylor, who then hits Titus and King with a cannonball off the apron. Luchasaurus quickly recovers, though, and dives onto Taylor and the former members of ANX. Out of nowhere, Gordon takes almost everyone out with a flip dive off the balcony. He tries for more offense on Taylor, but King finds an answer to it with a chair shot; this is all for naught as he gets ejected for his troubles.
Titus tries to pick up momentum with some fast offense on Luchasaurus, then shows some surprising strength with a samoan drop to Taylor; however, he quickly recovers and plants Titus with his Greeting From 216 finisher to pick up the victory.
As far curtain jerkers go, this one was an absolute blast. It was fun, unbridled chaos, with each wrestler in the match looking like a million bucks (loved the brief ANX reunion). That is, except for Sabin; I assume this was the match that caused his devastating knee injury and it especially sucks considering Sabin probably won't be able to fulfill his World Title opportunity for the rest of the year. Despite the sad feels from Sabin, this was match was entertaining as hell and a damn good way to kick off the show; a high-energy spotfest and an absolute thrill from beginning to end.
Marcus Kross and Griff Garrison vs. The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas)
Kross and Garrison try their best, but it's all for naught as The Bouncers utterly destroy them before hitting Garrison with their patented Last Call (superplex/frog splash) tandem finisher for the quick W.
I like The Bouncers, but this was whatever. A quick squash I barely have any thoughts on.
Colt Cabana & Chuckie T vs. The Briscoes (Jay and Mark), ROH World Tag Team Championship match
Chuckie T comes to the entrance ramp, announcing Cabana will be replacing Beretta for the night (who's out with a family emergency). The two teams spent most of the beginning of this match on the outside, duking it out and trying to gain leverage over the other. The Briscoes seem to get the upper hand after Mark hits a wrecking ball dropkick, then an apron elbow drop. The brothers start working over Chuckie, weaving in and out of the ring and cutting him off from Cabana.
Cabana eventually gets the hot tag throws his signature offense at the brothers; first a springboard moonsault, then dual bionic elbows then a couple of flying hip attacks for their troubles. Chuckie and Jay and Chuckie are eventually tagged back in; this in-ring action devolves quickly onto the outside as the teams duke it out once again. The brothers seem to get the advantage after Cabana is met with an apron blockbuster from Mark.
Despite Cabana and Chuckie's best efforts, the brothers power through as Jay hits Chuckie with a clubbing lariat then spikes him with a Jay Driller to pick up the win and retain their titles.
A fantastic match from to bell to bell. Cabana and Chuckie proved to be a excellent combo, and enough has been said already of The Briscoes; their use of in-ring psychology is second to none, and they proved it once again here. The way they cut the ring off and double-team their opponents really is breathtaking, speaking as a man who loves him some good old-fashioned tag-team wrasslin'. The match as well-paced, all competitors picked their spots incredibly well and everyone looked strong. You really couldn't ask for more in a tag team match, as far as non-PPV matches are concerned.
Jay Lethal Segment
Lethal comes to the ring and addresses the current state of ROH. He laments the effects Bully Ray and The Briscoes have had on the product as of late, as well as Matt Taven falsely proclaiming himself to be the real ROH World Champ, pining for the ROH of old. Juice Robinson, joined by the rest of Lifeblood, interrupts Lethal to agree with his sentiments state that his stable is dedicated to restoring the same values and traditions the company was built upon.
Lethal goes down the line on the stable, handing out compliments to each member of the stable; praising Finlay's lineage and respect for the business, Williams' technical acumen, Dashwood's experience and grace under pressure following her 2018 injury, Haskins' toughness and resiliency, Bandido's rising star power as well as Robinson's status as a 2-time (and current) United States Champion. Following the showering of praise, Robinson challenged Lethal to a match between his constituency versus Lethal and four wrestlers of his choosing, which Lethal accepted.
A surprising ending to the show, but an entertaining one nonetheless. As good of a heel he was in 2014-15, Lethal shows he also excels in the babyface role, delivering a very heartfelt and genuine promo; you could definitely tell how much he cares about the company. Not only that, but the compliments he dished out at Lifeblood felt very natural; his respect for each and every one of the members really shone threw here. Aside from the segment itself, I'm hype for who Lethal brings with him to what should be an excellent match.
A damn good show, and a refreshing step up from last week. We started off strong with the excellent 6-Man match, continuing the pace with The Briscoes/Chuckie T and Cabana and ending with a sharply put together ending segment, teasing an upcoming match. I had fun from beginning to end, and I anticipate you'll have have fun with this one, even if you're not an ROH diehard such as myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment