In this week's episode, Lifeblood looks to settle some unfinished business they with The Kingdom as Tracy Williams & Mark Haskins (Lifeblood) take on Vinny Marseglia & TK O'Ryan (Kingdom). We'll also see Dalton Castle, WOH Champion Kelly Klein, and much more. So without further ado, let's hop on in.
Eli Isom (w/Cheeseburger & Ryan Nova) vs. PJ Black
The match starts off with a series of holds and counters in an effort to gain leverage. They run the corners for a bit before Isom attempts a springboard dropkick, which Black counters with a boston crab. Black gains control for the time being, locking Isom in a variety of submission attempts. After rolling through Black's springboard crossbody attempt, Isom hits a desperation german suplex. The gloves are off as the two trade strikes and chops in the center.
Furthering his comeback attempt, Isom hits Black with an Air Raid Crash, then connects with a suicide dive. His momentum is halted following a miscued springboard attempt, and Black takes advantage with a super hurricanrana. Black follows up with a springboard 450 Splash, then a moonsault double stomp to pick up the W.
A good match and a decent way to start the show off. Isom is showing match after match that while he's quite there yet, he has the potential to do so. He's been putting on consistently solid performances in the ring, and if he gets a chance to build up his personality, there's certainly some potential his stock will rise in ROH. Black once again shows off his veteran dependability here, displaying an interesting moveset while simultaneously doing a good job of putting Isom over as a legitimate threat. Not the best in the world, but a decent opener.
Ray Lyn vs. Kelly Klein
Lyn seems to have the upper hand at the start after a quick counter and a dropkick, taunting the crowd while throwing stomps and forearms in the process. This stops once Klein catches a crossbody attempt and turns it into a fallaway slam. After some build-up, Klein hits Lyn with her K-Power finisher and secures the victory. After the match, Klein addresses her status as champion and details her problem with the newly-found WOH stable The Allure (Mandy Leon, Angelina Love & Velvet Sky). The trio gang up on Klein and stand tall.
Don't get me wrong. I like Klein, but this new babyface turn is just seems...off to me. Like I get it's possible to simultaneously be a dominant powerhouse and a face, but with Klein it just doesn't seem to click. Perhaps I'm being a tad harsh as this feud literally just started, but first impressions are first impressions. Maybe down the road it'll gel better. Let's hope so.
Dalton Castle Promo
Castle addresses his attack on his Boys following his shockingly quick loss to Rush at G1 SuperCard. He asks the Boys to come the ring, assuring them it was a mistake and that it was a matter of frustration. He continues on and asks for forgiveness, which The Boys accept. Unfortunately, they take the bait as Castle attacks them, removing their masks (and identities) in the process. We're now left to wonder where Castle goes from here.
This one's interesting. With such an outlandish, flamboyant gimmick, it almost doesn't seem possible Castle could ever be a heel as far as modern wrestling standards go, and considering his run so far in ROH, I honestly didn't think it'd be possible. But I gotta say, this was a pretty well-executed segment. Castle put on a good performance here, shedding crocodile tears while expressing his perceived remorse, hooking the crowd in only to dash their hopes of a reunion, cementing his heel status. Not sure where his character is going to go from here, but for the most part, I'm interested.
The Kingdom (Vinny Marseglia & TK O'Ryan) vs. Lifeblood (Tracy Williams & Mark Haskins)
The Kingdom jump Lifeblood just as the bell rings in an effort to gain leverage from the start. Marseglia and Haskins start the match out, and is seemingly in trouble as O'Ryan is then tagged in. This ends as soon as it starts, as Haskins manages to fight back and tag in Williams, who start working over O'Ryan with fluid tag-team combos. Williams then manages to lock up Marseglia & O'Ryan, leading to him and Haskins throwing on dual camel clutches on their rivals.
This momentum only goes so far as a quick referee distraction causes The Kingdom to turn the tables in the match, working over Williams and targeting his left shoulder. Williams fights back, hits guillotine leg drop on Marseglia and manages to tag out. Haskins flies in like a bat out of hell, taking down Marseglia & O'Ryan with rapid-fire strikes; he furthers the punishment outside the ring with a penalty kick/apron suplex combo on Marseglia. Lifeblood then execute a shoot kick/frog splash combo, only for O'Ryan to kick out.
After planting him on the top turnbuckle with a single-arm DDT, Williams then lays out O'Ryan with a discus lariat, then follows up with an ankle lock. Marseglia breaks it up and calls O'Ryan out for their tag finisher; being apropos of his "Crazy Horse" moniker, O'Ryan is unable to execute due to a bum leg. Taking advantage, Haskins send Marseglia to the outside as Williams hits a knee-centric death valley driver. Haskins locks in the sharpshooter and taps out O'Ryan, getting the victory for his team.
A good tag team match and a nice way to end the show. The two teams displayed solid chemistry, trading momentum fluidly and dishing out some good-looking sequences in the process. I'd say the overall MVP of the match was Haskins; the dude is a fucking animal, displaying pitch-perfect cardio and altogether being the best part out of any spot in the match. But this isn't taking away from the other three men, as they all put a damn good showing. Both teams are super underrated, continuing to prove their limitless worth in ROH with this match.
A fairly decent show overall. The main highlights are the Black/Isom curtain jerker and the tag team main event, and if you want to see some decent character work, check out the Dalton Castle segment. Not too much more to say here, folks. Tune in next week and we'll see what happens.
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