It should prove to be another action-packed episode as we've got the who's-who of ROH coming out to play: Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, Dalton Castle, Lifeblood and more. Let's not waste any more time and dive right into it.
Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. Lifeblood (Juice Robinson, Bandido & Tracy Williams w/Tenille Dashwood)
Castle and Robinson start the match, engaging in a series of theatrics, attempting and countering each other's signature strut before they both pull it off in the ring. Boy 2 and Williams are then tagged in; the Boys trade tags in and out in an effort frustrate Williams, who keeps his cool as he manages to catch them both with open-hand chops. Bandido is then tagged in, who builds up a modicum of momentum before Boy 1 catches him with a dropkick.
Castle and The Boys employ quick tags as they ground Bandido and work him over. Bandido fights back with a corkscrew crossbody to The Boys and Robinson gets the hot tag, delivering lariats and cannonballs to The Boys. Robinson then chops Boy 2 out of the ring and hits Boy 1 with an airplane spin/Juice Box combo. He then drops Boy 1 with his Pulp Friction finisher, but Castle is there to drag Robinson out of the ring to break it up. Bandido then takes Castle out with a pinpoint tope con hilo as Boy 2 replaces Boy 1 and attempts a small package pin.
Bandido is tagged in, and he somersaults over Boy 2 to hit Castle with a hurricanrana, following it up with a rope-hung springboard moonsault to Boy 2. Castle scuffles with the rest of Lifeblood on the outside for a brief respite before getting back into the ring. Bandido tosses Boy 2 at Castle to get him out of the ring before nailing Boy 2 with his 21-Plex finisher to pick up the W for his team.
A fun match and a solid way to kick off the show. The pace of the match really intrigued me; it started off with Castle and Robinson in a fuel of flamboyant personalities, then eventually evolved into a Bandido showcase, which is never a bad thing as he brings his A-game as per usual. It really is perplexing just how smooth and precise everything he does looks; it's honestly as if it's effortless and just a natural body tic. While I would've liked to see more of Williams' technical acumen, this was still a damn fine opener. Bandido and Robinson look like a million bucks, and it teases a potential heel turn from Castle, which could be interesting if done well.
Rhett Titus vs. Willie Mack (C), NWA National Championship match
Mack and Titus start the match off jockeying for position, trading holds and counters in an attempt for one to gain leverage over the other. The two exchange chops in the corner before Mack hits Titus with a leg lariat, then a running suplex. Titus manages to fight his way onto the ring apron, taking out Mack's right knee then delivering a big boot. Gaining control for a bit, Titus attempts a backslide pin only for Mack to counter and respond with one of his own.
Mack seemingly has control in this match, following an impressive succession of offense (a lariat, corkscrew back elbow, swinging scoop slam, running big boot then an inverted cannonball). He then hits Titus with a tope con hilo and gets him back in the ring; Mack then hits Titus with a samoan drop/standing moonsault combo. He follows that up with a stunner then a frog splash to pick up the victory and retain.
A brief, but fun match that highlighted the strengths of two supremely underrated talents. Mack brings out a cool and unique moveset, while Titus displays some impressive character work; when it comes to working a gimmick (however campy), Titus knows how to do it well. Couple that with some solid in-ring action (especially from Mack) and you've got a good midcard match and a nice way to transition into the main event.
Coast To Coast (LSG & Shaheem Ali) vs. Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham)
Ali and Lethal start the match off with a series of rest holds and counters. Lethal seems to get the upper hand following a series of shoulder blocks, but Ali answers back with some help from LSG, who is tagged in before the commotion. Lethal wriggles out of a suplex attempt and tags in Gresham, and the duo hit LSG with a dropkick/german suplex combo. After a quick tag-team maneuver, Ali showboats then attempts to work Gresham over, who answers back with a stunner, then tags Lethal back in.
Lethal and Gresham exchange tags as they pick apart Ali's left knee. Ali manages to fight out of the abuse with a side slam to Gresham as LSG gets the hot tag; he quickly takes out Gresham, then counters a Lethal Injection attempt with a twisting facebuster/corkscrew neckbreaker combo. Ali tags himself in as he and Lethal trade blow for a bit. Gresham is tagged in and missile dropkicks Ali's injured knee; LSG hits Gresham with a swinging flatliner while Lethal responds with a Lethal Combination.
Lethal gets LSG off the ring apron with a springboard dropkick, then he and Gresham plant Ali with a powerbomb/figure-four leglock combo. LSG breaks up the hold and tags himself back in, only for Lethal and Gresham to hit him with a roll-through cutter combo. Gresham pins LSG and picks up the win for his team.
Another good tag match and a decent main event. Both teams displayed superb chemistry with one another, which is a welcome surprise given their lack of exposure to one another in a tag team setting. Each counter and sequence felt very fluid and organic, and I especially loved how Lethal and Gresham consistently picked apart Ali's left knee; a nice display of storytelling from the tandem. A brief, but well-paced bout that displayed excellent tag-team acumen from both sides.
A very well-rounded episode. It started off well and ended in a similar fashion. Though I definitely fucked with the opener and Mack/Titus, MOTN honors probably has to go to the main event. They told the best story, and as a result, were the most fun to watch. This episode isn't particularly mind-blowing, but it's still pretty damn good, and you should check it out when you get a chance.
No comments:
Post a Comment