Another Monday, another exciting episode of ROH. It's a jam-packed main event as the newly-formed Lifeblood take on ROH World Champ Jay Lethal and four of his constituents in 10-man tag action. It should prove to be an entertaining affair, but let's get to the rest of the show first.
Jenny Rose vs. Sumie Sakai vs. Madison Rayne
It's a fairly evenly-matched affair here as all three competitors jockey for leverage, none really getting the advantage for too long; an impressive spot in particular was the Sakai dropkick to Rayne leading to a DDT on Rose. After a series of back-and-forths between the three, Rayne is laid out on the ring apron as Sakai and Rose duke it out. Sakai misses the moonsault and Rayne is back in, hitting a ripcord cutter to both of her opponents.
Sakai nails Rose with a running dropkick off the apron, then her and Rayne get back in the ring. After jockeying for position for a brief respite, Rayne hits Sakai with a reverse DDT to pick up the W.
A decent way to kick the show off. Each competitor involved got ample time with their spots and executed them well, showcasing all of their strengths: Rose's power, Rayne's mat savvy and Sakai's tenacious, high-risk offense. They showed great chemistry and I look forward to the three working together again in the future, whether it be in the same triple-threat capacity or some 1-on-1 combination.
Lifeblood (Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Tracy Williams, Bandido and Mark Haskins) vs. Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, Flip Gordon, Dalton Castle and Jeff Cobb
Robinson and Lethal start match off and it's evenly contested; both wrestler trade blows with neither gaining the advantage. Castle emphatically demands a tag, which Lethal obliges. Castle and Robinson go at it for a bit, trying to gain leverage for their team; Robinson lands a few straight rights while Castle avoids the haymaker. Williams and Gresham are tagged in and the two display their technical prowess from the get-go, trading various holds and counters before Gresham gains the brief advantage.
Lethal and Finlay are tagged in and both display some impressive agility; Haskins is tagged in and demands Cobb, which Lethal obliges. Haskins tries to chop Cobb down with a series of strikes and evasion, while Cobb sticks to his power game. Gordon and Bandido are soon tagged in and it's a PWG highlight reel from the start as both wrestlers use their speed and agility to counter each other's offense.
After a couple of quick tags, Castle is back in and he begins working Bandido over with his own technical prowess. He suplexes Bandido into his team's corner then tags in Gordon; Bandido, fighting back, tags in Williams who suplexes Gordon a couple of times; Haskins is then tagged in and he starts aggressively working Gordon's left arm. Lifeblood starts making mincemeat of Gordon as they trade quick tags throughout.
Gordon manages to fight back with a springboard sling blade and ends his punishment, leaving Lethal and Haskins to duke it out. It soon devolves into chaos as each wrestler throws out their signature moves, turning into the clusterfuck I assumed it'd be. Multiple dives are traded between the teams before Haskins, Lethal and Gresham end up back in the ring, hitting Haskins with some impressive tag-team offense.
Castle is tagged back in and he goes after Haskins. He tries for the Bangarang, but Haskins counters and rolls through with a sharpshooter, tapping Castle and securing the victory for Lifeblood.
A fantastic match from bell to bell. It had everything you'd want in this kind of match: technical prowess, high-flying spots, tag-team chemistry and so much more. So much shit happened that I'm honestly having trouble trying to remember it all. If I had to pick my favorite moments, it'd either be Lifeblood teaming up to work over Gordon, the divefest or the brouhaha of offense from both teams as the sand in the hourglass began to run to the bottom. Haskins and Gordon are the MVPs of the match purely for their resiliency and toughness throughout the match. As JR would say, an absolute slobberknocker, and one you need to watch immediately.
A pretty dope episode altogether. A solid opening with the Women's triple threat, then a barn-burner of a main event. I promise you it's an absolute blast. Seek this one out ASAP; you definitely won't regret it.
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