ROH Episode #395 Recap/Review: 4/15/19

It should prove to be another quality show as The Briscoes square off against the team of Jeff Cobb and Willie Mack in the main event, the winner qualifying for NWA's upcoming Crockett Cup. There's loads of other stuff to unpack, so let's get to it.

Shane Taylor vs. Luchasaurus

The two trade rest holds for a bit before resorting to strikes. Taylor flips Luchasaurus onto the ring apron and counters his offense with a rope-hung stunner. Taylor remains dominant throughout while Luchasaurus tries to fight back with a strike combination culminating in a shining wizard. Taylor kicks out and the two trade clubbing forearms before Taylor hits Luchasaurus with a lariat. Quickly recovering, Luchasaurus nails a kick combo before planting Taylor with a chokeslam.

Taylor blocks a standing moonsault attempt from Luchasaurus, then connects with a uranage/running knee strike combo. Taylor finishes him off with his Greetings From 216 finisher to pick up the W.

A good match and a decent way to start off the show. Fairly quick, but entertaining nonetheless. Both competitors displayed decent chemistry and delivered some entertaining sequences in the process. Above all else, it proves two things: 1) Taylor is legit underrated, and you should really be keeping an eye on him, and 2) Luchasaurus is most definitely "boy" material (watch OSW Review). Aside from that, not much else to say.

Katie Forbes & Mazzerati vs. Mayu Iwatani & Sumie Sakai

Iwatani and Mazzerati start the match, exchanging in a quick series of hold, Iwatani display her trademark athleticism in the process. Sakai and Forbes are then tagged in, and Forbes manages to ground Sakai with a series of hip attacks, then a stinkface in the corner. Mazzerati is then tagged, their tandem in control for the time being as Sakai is worked over. Sakai manages to halt the punishment with a fisherman's neckbreaker to Mazzerati.

Iwatani gets the hot tag and immediately goes to work, connecting with a tandem springboard somersault arm drag, then a running basement dropkick to her opponents. Mazzerati whips Sakai into Iwatani as Forbes gets them both up for a double samoan drop. Iwatani fights backs, hits a couple of kick on Forbes then connects with a superkick to Mazzerati before Sakai hits her with a rolling cutter for the victory.

Despite the detail I put into the recap, I really didn't think much of this match. Iwatani showed off her GOAT status as per usual, and Forbes displayed some impressive strength in the process. That's really about it.

Willie Mack & Jeff Cobb vs. The Briscoes (Jay and Mark), Crockett Cup qualifier

Mark and Mack start this match off throwing a series of hard knife-edged chops. They bounce off the ropes for a bit before Mack hits a Thesz Press, tagging in Cobb who works Mark over with a series of shoulder charges then a delayed vertical suplex. Jay is tagged in and he employs some surprising technical prowess in an effort to wear down Cobb. The Briscoes employ various quick in an effort to further weaken the World Television champ.

The brothers continue their punishment on Cobb as they send him to the outside, where Mark hits him and Mack with a top rope corkscrew senton. They continue their isolation of Cobb before he hits Mark with a desperation dropkick; Mack gets the hot tag and he flies in like a bat out of hell, throwing in as many strikes and kicks as he can muster at the brothers. It's to no avail, as they halt Mack's momentum with classic tag team fundamentals.

Mack eventually fights back with a pop-up flatliner to Mark; Cobb gets the hot tag and he goes to work tossing the brothers, eventually suplexing them both at the same time. The brothers try to halt their opponents' momentum once again before Cobb superkicks Jay and Mack gets the hot tag. Jay is sent to the outside and Mack teases a somersault tope; Jay eggs him on to come outside the ring and Mack takes the bait as Mark hits him with a wrecking ball dropkick, then connects with a blockbuster off the apron to Cobb.

Back in the ring, the brothers plant Mack with a Doomsday Device. Cobb helps Mack fight out a Redneck Boogie attempt as they subsequently hit a stunner/german suplex/frog splash combo on Mark. Trying to conjure up some more tag offense, Cobb is sent to the outside where's he met with big boot from Jay. Mack trades hands with Mark for a bit before Jay is tagged in; he hits Mack with a snap hurricanrana/Jay Driller combo to get the win and secure a spot in the Crockett Cup.

A damn fine match and a great way to cap the show off. While not an all-time classic, you could definitely use this match as an example of what tag team wrestling should look like. The chemistry these teams had with one another was second to none; it really didn't feel like this was the first time they'd ever faced off. The counters and psychology employed in this match is second to none, especially from The Briscoes. Say what you want about them as people, but as wrestlers, they're the cornerstone of modern tag team wrestling and I will hear no argument to the contrary. But that's nothing to take away from Cobb and Mack, as they also displayed excellent cohesion as a team.

While it was a decent show overall, the only must-see match here is the main event. Then again, if you're up to witnessing the power and glory of Luchasaurus, watch the opening match as well. I can definitely tell you one thing: this episode has helped build my hype for the Crockett Cup, which is coming in almost two weeks' time. And that's about it. If you like some good old-fashioned tag team wrasslin' with a modern twist, then give the main event a peep.

ROH Wrestling Episode #394: 4/8/19

It's the last episode filmed before last Saturday's SuperCard, and everyone (mostly me) is wondering: Who's gonna show up? What's gonna happen? Well, we're definitely getting Jonathan Gresham vs. Silas Young. As for the rest of the card? We'll just have to wait and find out.

Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. Clark Connors, Alex Coglon and Carl Fredericks

The LA Dojo trio try their best to keep up, but to no avail as Castle & the Boys keep steady control of the match from the get-go, tagging in and out and throwing various tag-team maneuvers, working over each opponent in the process. After another attempt at fighting back, the LA Dojo gang fall when Boy 2 catches Fredericks in a small package pin to pick up the W for his team.

Honestly, this was kind of a blur and I barely remember most of the match. Both teams looked good, but it was hard to care. Not sure what they're doing with Castle at this moment, but here's hoping it's something interesting from here on out. Moving on.

The Voros Twins (Chris and Patrick) vs. The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas)

The Bouncers do their usual job of overpowering their much smaller opponents straight from the start. Following a quick counter, the Voros Twins attempt to work Bruiser over with some tag-team offense. This proves to be ineffective as Bruiser eventually powers out and tags in Milonas, who commences tossing the brothers around like it's nothing. The Bouncers hit their superplex/frog splash combo to secure the victory.

A short but fun squash, apropos of The Bouncers at this point. As far as tag teams go, they're becoming one of my favorites to watch. They're incredibly entertaining and you can tell how much fun they're having with each subsequent match. Hopefully we'll get to see more substantial characters in the future, but until then, I'm having a blast watching them toss around some vanilla midgets for a couple minutes every week.

Silas Young vs. Jonathan Gresham

To no surprise (especially from Gresham's end), it's a techincal bout from the start as both wrestlers exchange a series of holds and counters in an effort to gain leverage. The action spills out onto the floor as Young and Gresham trade chops, evenly matched so far. Avoiding the 20-count, they get back in the ring and Young momentarily gets the advantage with his trademark backbreaker/lariat combo. Gresham tries to answer back with a pescado, then a diving crossbody.

Young avoids the crossbody, then peppers Gresham with punches and stomps in the corner, holding the advantage for the time-being. Gresham absorbs some more punishment before mounting a comeback, first with a pinning combination out of the corner then a DDT. Following a drop toe-hold into the corner, Gresham hits Young with a corner dropkick. After a quick exchange on the outside, the two get back inside, trading pinning combinations in an effort to eek out a quick victory.

After their technical exchange, they eventually start dishing out strikes and headbutts. Young brings out some of his impressive arsenal (including a death valley driver/double stomp combo) as Gresham tries to power through the punishment, attempting to mount a comeback. He throws various strikes at Young and tosses him with a couple of german suplexes, pure aggression and intensity fueling his momentum. He hits Young with a quebrada press moonsault, then a tope con hilo through the second rope.

Gresham then connects with a shooting star press, quickly transitioning into an ankle lock. Young rolls out of it and sends Gresham into the referee. With this quick distraction, Young low-blows Gresham then rolls him up to get the win.

Even though it dragged in parts, this was still a great match. I loved how the technical/hard-hitting dynamic of this bout, as both men exchanged fluid strikes, counters and holds, displaying some good chemistry in the process. Both wrestlers played their roles perfectly; Young as the sneaky brawler picking his spots and bending the rules, and Gresham as the plucky technician fighting from behind, constantly displaying a never-say-die attitude throughout. The spots were well-executed and both men got in some impressive signature offense (loved Gresham's transition into an ankle lock from a shooting star press). Despite the dodgy and occasional slow parts, a great match overall and a nice way to end the show.

Not gonna lie, this was a pretty "meh" episode save for Gresham/Young. Skip the first two matches and focus on the main event, unless you like chubby dudes beating small frys; in that case, watch The Bouncers' match. Overall, not the best episode, but I've seen worse. Here's hoping the quality picks back up next week.

ROH Wrestling Episode #393 Recap/Review: 4/1/2019

Apologies for my tardiness on this one, as computer issues combined with work prevented me from getting this out sooner. Moving on, it's the go-home show to G1 SuperCard, and we've got what should be a fantastic main event as The Kingdom defends their World 6-Man Tag Titles against Villain Enterprises. I'm already hooked, but let's get into the rest of the meal before we dine on the main course.

Mark Haskins vs. Rush

It's a technical bout at the start as the two wrestlers trade a series of quick holds and counters in an effort to gain leverage. It then transitions into a brawl, with hard elbow strikes thrown between the two. Rush then shrugs off several rapid chops from Haskins before grounding him with a hard chop of his own. Haskins gets back up and delivers several more chops before the action spills outside the ring. Rush throws more hard chops at Haskins before tossing him into the barricade.

Back in the ring, Rush is in control for the moment, but Haskins fights backs with a series of shoot kicks before sending Rush to the outside with a dropkick. He then goes for a suicide dive; attempts an evasion, only for Haskins to swing through the ropes and drill him with one on the other side of the ring. Haskins hits Rush with a diving double stomp, but fails to connect with his signature pumphandle driver; Rush responds to this with a rebound german suplex, then a TKO cutter.

Rush teases his finisher and hits the "Tranquilo" pose, a signature move from his CMLL stable Los Ingobernables. Haskins interrupts the taunt with a bridging armbar attempt. Rush counters into a crossface attempt and Haskins counters with a triangle choke attempt. Rush then counters that with a bucklebomb, but is slow to pinfall. Haskins capitalizes on Rush's tardiness with penalty kick, then a Samoan driver.

Rush kick out of the pinfall attempt, and the two trade kicks and counters and everything in between. After tossing Haskins into the corner with a belly-to-belly suplex, Rush finally connects with his Bull's Horns finisher and picks up the W.

A great match and damn fine way to start the show off. It was everything I expected it to be: fast-paced, hard-hitting, and lots of counters. It was really impressive how quickly they transitioned the match; at first, it was a fluid technical exchange, before turning into a 100 MPH brawl as both men threw out their strongest strikes while simultaneously pulling off smooth-as-butter counters (I especially loved the trading of submissions before Haskins' PK/Samoan driver combo). This match was a excellent mish-mash of styles, and ultimately a fantastic showing from both men.

Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO and Brody King) vs. The Kingdom (c) (Matt Taven, TK O'Ryan and Vinny Marsegila)

The match starts with Scurll and Taven in the ring as the rest of their respective teams brawl on the outside. The two soon make their way to the outside as the match turns into an all-out battle. The teams scuffle some more before King hits a picture-perfect somersault tope onto The Kingdom. It all eventually settles down as Scurll and Taven end up back in the ring as they started. Following a referee distraction, The Kingdom work quick to isolate Scurll from his teammates and pick him apart.

After being worked over for a brief respite, Scurll fights back with a sunset flip/enzuguiri combo to Taven. PCO gets the hot tag and he starts destroying The Kingdom, planting O'Ryan with a pop-up powerbomb and spiking Taven with a package piledriver. Marseglia gets back and throws chops with PCO, actually managing to ground him with his variation of Sliced Bread #2. Marseglia misses a swanton bomb attempt, and Villain Enterprises take advantage.

Scurll teases a crossface chickenwing attempt, leaving Marseglia enough time to make a quick tag to O'Ryan. The Kingdom hit Scurll with a spinebuster/diving headbutt/frog splash combo, only for King to break up the pinfall. The royal trio bust more tandem offense as they isolate Scurll once again. This doesn't last long as Scurll manages to send Marseglia and Taven to the outside before PCO barrels onto them with a Scurll-assisted somersault tope.

VE gets some more tag-team offense before The Kingdom once again halt their momentum, blocking a PCO moonsault attempt and hitting King with a russian legsweep/running knee strike combo courtesy of Marseglia and Taven. After further damaging King with their Rock Star Supernova powerbomb, The Kingdom continue their previous breakdown of Scurll. PCO interjects and counters respective suicide dives from O'Ryan and Marseglia. Taven manages to connect with his attempt, only PCO to jump back in the ring and deliver a somersault tope through the second rope to Taven.

Back in the ring, O'Ryan and Scurll are the legal men. Marseglia powerbombs PCO off the ring apron onto the entrance ramp, then does it again once PCO tries to fight back. After O'Ryan accidentally knocks Marseglia off the apron, Scurll locks in the crossface chickenwing on him while King holds Taven back; O'Ryan taps and Scurll gets the victory for Villain Enterprises as a new team is crowned champion.

A fantastic match from bell to bell, with a rather surprising ending. It was the very definition of a clash of styles as two polar opposite teams merged to create a wild, spontaneous affair: The Kingdom, with their expert tag-team precision and Villain Enterprises with their penchant for chaotic brawling. To say the very least, it was an absolute treat to see them mesh together. Add a surprise (and a welcome one, at that) finish, and you've got an excellent match and a damn good main event. While I don't know what this means for Scurll's fate at SuperCard, it's nice to see him going into the match with some added momentum, as well as holding ROH title gold in what seems like forever.

A damn good go-home show, if I do say so myself. While it was only a two-match card, both matches were excellent, with a shocking title change in the process. I was already hype for SuperCard, and the well-produced promo packages did a good job reaffirming it. A great episode from top to bottom. Even if the SuperCard-hyping segments took up a fair chunk of the show, we still had Haskins/Rush and VE/Kingdom, and that's most certainly nothing to complain about.

ROH Wrestling Episode #392 Recap/Review: 3/25/19

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.

ROH Wrestling Episode #391 Recap/Review: 3/18/19

It should prove to be a jam-packed episode this week, as we'll see the likes of Zack Sabre, Jr., Rocky Romero, The Briscoes, Shane Taylor and more in action. Let's dive right into it.

Shinobi Shadow Squad (Cheeseburger, Eli Isom and Ryan Nova) vs. The Briscoes (Jay and Mark) and Silas Young

Jay and Isom start the match off with a series of rest holds, evasions and counters. Nova and Mark are tagged in as Nova gets the upper hand following some well-placed strikes, and Triple-S go to work on Mark. Their momentum stops as Cheeseburger is tagged in and is immediately isolated from his team as The Briscoes and Young start working him over. Cheeseburger manages to evade further punishment for the time being as Isom gets the hot tag; he takes out Mark and Young with well-placed dropkicks then his variation of an Air Raid Crash to Jay.

The two jockey for position before Jay hits Isom with a death valley driver, then Mark connects with his Froggy Bow finisher; Isom kicks out, much to their dismay. Isom answers back with a brainbuster to Jay, who kicks out. The brothers hit Isom with a lariat/chop block combination before Jay spikes him with the Jay Driller, picking up the W for his team.

A fun match and a solid opener. Triple-S continues to build momentum as a 3-man team while also simultaneously raising Isom's stock, who continues to put on good performances against the Who's-Who of ROH. Nova did decent work with the time he was given, and I'm an unabashed mark for anything Cheeseburger. Also, this match furthers The Briscoes' reputation as the end-all, be-all of tag team wrestling in ROH. Not too much more to say here. Just a decent match with a solid showing from both parties involved.

The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas) vs. Joe Keys and Brian Johnson

Johnson and Keys showboat and mock the physiques of The Bouncers, who take it in stride. Johnson and Keys try to work over Bruiser to little success as Milonas remains untagged for a good portion of the match. He eventually gets tagged in and begins to dish out punishment to Johnson and Keys. The Bouncers hit Johnson with a hanging spinebuster/second-rope leg drop to secure a victory.

A nothing match, but entertaining nonetheless. Bruiser and Milonas have great chemistry, working especially well in the kinds of situations. I look forward to more of it, because they make seemingly uninteresting squashes a fun time.

Madison Rayne vs. Thunder Rosa

Rayne is the aggressor at the start, taking Rosa down and throwing straight rights and nailing her with a couple of clotheslines. Following a distraction from her tag team partner Holidead, Rosa shifts the momentum to her favor and takes control, breaking down Rayne's back with a series of stomps and kicks. Rayne throws a few strikes then a desperation spear in an attempt to fight back. She continues her momentum with a second-rope crossbody, then an enzuguiri.

Rosa counters a reverse DDT attempt and hits Rayne with a spinning gory bomb, which Rayne kicks out of. Rosa grows frustrated at Rayne's resiliency, then picks Rayne up for a running powerslam attempt. Rayne counters, hits the reverse DDT and gets the win.

A decent match before the main event. Rayne is a super-underrated worker, and she proved it with another solid performance tonight. Though that's nothing to take away from Rosa as she put just as good of a showing. They have great chemistry stemming from their past tag-teaming against one another, and they translated it well into singles action here. Nothing spectacular, but another solid showing from the Women Of Honor division. Here's hoping their weekly exposure increases.

Rocky Romero vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.

To no one's surprise, it's a very methodical, slow-paced match from the beginning as the two exchange holds in an attempt to gain leverage, displaying their technical prowess. ZSJ tries to wear Romero down, who finds a counter to each of ZSJ's holds. Impressive counters from both wrestlers are on display here, turning into a proverbial game of chess as they go hold-for-hold. Romero counters ZSJ with a jumping snapmare/dropkick combo, catching him off guard and getting the advantage for a brief spell.

The two trade snapmares before ZSJ gets the upperhand with leg snap counter (or whatever you call it) to Romero's arm. In control now, ZSJ starts picking apart Romero, employing various holds in order to break Romero (the Japanese stranglehold in particular). Romero manages to counter ZSJ with a stranglehold of his own. ZSJ fights out of it, but is met with a springboard tornado DDT from Romero. The pace picks up as Romero hits ZSJ with a running headscissors/springboard crossbody combo.

ZSJ halts Romero's momentum first with a bicycle kick, then countering a Romero high knee into an STF. ZSJ toys with Romero for a bit before he fights back, hitting ZSJ with desperation strikes then hanging him up on the top turnbuckle for a corner knee strike. Romero has control for the most part now despite ZSJ hanging him up in the rope with a octopus stretch for a brief spell. Romero hits ZSJ with a rope-hung double stomp, which ZSJ kicks out of.

Romero attempts to put ZSJ away with a Sliced Bread #2, who evades, locks in an abdominal stretch on Romero then rolls through into a kneeling octopus stretch, tapping out Romero and securing another victory in ROH.

An excellent main event as both men put on a masterclass showing of technical prowess. Each hold and counter was so fluid and effective; it really felt like anybody's ballgame up until the very end. My favorite part of this match was the pacing: very slow and methodical from the start, then gradually picking up steam until the very end when it becomes a high-speed battle for victory. ZSJ shows once again why he's the best technical wrestler out there, while Romero gets showcase his prowess, proving to be one of the more underrated performers in wrestling today. A great match and another excellent main event.

This week's episode was pretty solid from top to bottom. It had a pretty good opener in the 6-Man tag match, a fun squash from The Bouncers, a decent Women Of Honor match and a superb main event, really offering something for everyone. Consistency is the name of the game for this episode. Check it out when you get the chance.

ROH 17th Anniversary Show Recap/Review

Apologies for the tardiness on this one, as I've had a busy work schedule and other engagements to attend to. Anyways, this should hopefully prove to be an excellent show, as the card is stacked from top to bottom. With the pleasantries out of the way, let's not waste any more time and get right into the show.

Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll

The match starts fast-paced as Scurll delivers charging uppercut to King, then hits him with his trademark apron superkick on the outside. Back in the ring, it's a battle of leverage back in the ring as the two trade a series of knife-edged chops. Scurll seems to have the upper hand until King hits him with a spinning enzuguiri, then a springboard blockbuster. The tides seemingly shift to King's favor as he uses his size and power advantage to work Scurll over.

Scurll evades a corkscrew dive attempt from King and plants him with a tornado DDT off the ring apron, perhaps taking the advantage back; King shows off his resiliency after being hit with a half-nelson/enzuguiri/folding powerbomb combination from Scurll. They trade strikes for a brief respite before Scurll hits King with a 619, then rolls him up in a pin attempt; King kicks out. The action goes back to the outside as the two trade counters and pin attempts; King is irish-whipped into the ring apron, but steps up and hits Scurll with an impressive corkscrew somersault dive.

Back in the ring, Scurll hits King a superplex, then tries to roll into another suplex attempt; King blocks and hits him with his Royal Flush finisher. However, he's unable to capitalize as Scurll rolls to the outside. King brings a chair into the mix, hoping to put Scurll; the referee takes it away and during the distraction, Scurll nails King with the umbrella, pinning him and taking home the first victory of the show.

A great match and a solid way to kick the show off. Both wrestlers are more-than-capable performers and they definitely showed it here, pulling from their bag of tricks and displaying an impressive repertoire of moves (holy 619, Marty). It was also a nice battle of egos as King and Scurll took turns capitalizing on the other's showmanship and grandstanding. A fun start to the show from two superb competitors.

Shane Taylor vs. Jeff Cobb (C), ROH World Television Championship match

It's a heavy-hitting affair from the beginning as the two big men exchange clubbing strikes and suplexes, both competitors instantly getting right back up from the other's suplex attempt. Taylor takes the advantage for a brief respite after a devastating shoulder block to Cobb, who tries to fight back, but to no avail; Taylor baits him on the ring apron and hits him with a cannonball senton to the outside.

Back in the ring, Cobb dodges another cannonball attempt from Taylor, peppering in more strikes before tossing him with a delayed pumphandle suplex. Clubbing blows are exchanged once more; Taylor nails Cobb with a brutal knee strike and Cobb grounds Taylor with a thunderous lariat off the ropes, the sheer force of it sending Cobb to the outside. Cobb gets back in the ring and the two men are back at it again with a brutal exchange of strikes; Taylor seems to get the better of Cobb and goes to the second rope, but Cobb counters with a dropkick, then tosses Taylor off the top rope following a superplex attempt.

Taylor gets back to his feet and plants Cobb with a pop-up spinebuster, then hits him with a uranage/second-rope splash combination; Cobb kicks out. Taylor busts out more impressive offense, including his own version of a Canadian Destroyer; despite this, Cobb kicks out yet again. Taylor pulls down his knee pad and jaw jacks Cobb, who catches him with his Tour Of The Islands finisher. Taylor powers out of it and Cobb hits him with another, picking up the W and retaining his title.

Goddamn, what an excellent match. A nice throwback to the hoss battles of yore with a new-school twist. Both displayed superb resiliency and stamina through such a hard-hitting affair; each strike they threw was more brutal than the next. And the athleticism on display from both men here was incredible as well, doing things wrestlers their size shouldn't be able to do (you already know I saw that Canadian Destroyer, Shane Taylor). Cobb remains one of the best big men in wrestling here, while Taylor builds his momentum up that much more, continuing to impress with his underrated talent and ability. A great showing of power, athletics and endurance from both men in this match. Couldn't ask for more of a bout like this one.

Kelly Klein vs. Mayu Iwatani (C), Women Of Honor Championship match

Klein is the aggressor from the beginning, dishing out clubbing strikes and stomps to Iwatani, then tossing her around the ring. She then slows the pace down and begins working Iwatani over, tightly securing the advantage for the time being. Iwatani fights back with a series of sling blades, kicks and a bridging northern lights suplex, breaking down Klein's advantage. Frustrated, Klein tosses Iwatani to the outside.

A -self-detrimental move by Klein as it allows Iwatani to collect her stamina and hit Klein with a german suplex. But Klein quickly recovers and answers back with a german suplex of her own. After a brief ground exchange, Iwatani hits Klein with a side kick and a snapmare, then a second-rope moonsault. She then goes to the top rope for another moonsault, but Klein manages to block this attempts and gets her knees up.

She plants Iwatani with her variation of a samoan driver (dubbed the K-Power), but Iwatani kicks out of the pinfall attempt. Frustration growing, Klein starts smacking Iwatani around and talking trash. Iwatani takes advantage of the situation and cradles Klein in a small package pin to get the victory and retain her title.

A decent match and a nice build to what hopefully should be an interesting rivalry in Women Of Honor. The two continuously display good in-ring chemistry, as Iwatani's speed and agility meshes well with Klein's power and strength. They also told a fine story here; from Iwatani's perspective, it's a tale of overcoming the odds and outsmarting the powerhouse. And from Klein's perspective, it's a tale of frustration and desperation; her title reign was cut short and she's desperate to reclaim it. The hatred of her opponent for usurping her throne ultimately seemed to outweigh her focus of getting her title back, and that's what cost her in the end. I'm probably reading into this way too much, but whatever. A good match that builds up another feud in the women's division.

Lifeblood (Tracy Williams and Mark Haskins) vs. The Kingdom (Vinny Marseglia and TK O'Ryan)

Before the match even starts, Matt Taven comes out to lament the state of his title and beckons Jay Lethal to come out to the ring immediately and start their World Title match, which Lethal obliges. With Lifeblood/Kingdom now thrown out, this leads into...

Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal (C), ROH World Championship match

In a surprising turn of events, we get our World Title match sooner than expected. The Code Of Honor is ignored at the start of this match, signifying the blood feud these two have developed in recent time. Both men come out of the gate swinging, going blow-for-blow and trying to gain the advantage. It's a methodical, evenly-matched contest so far as neither competitor holds the advantage for very long, no doubt turning into a game of chess.

After a few evasions, Taven takes down Lethal and begins working him over, slowing the pace down to his liking. Lethal fights back and hits Taven with a dragon screw leg-whip; after teasing each others' finisher (Taven teasing Lethal's Figure-Four in the process) for a while, Taven hits Lethal with a spin kick and starts to break down Lethal, taking advantage of his hurt shoulder. Lethal fights back and comes up with a gameplan of his own, targeting Taven's back with a series of backbreakers and grounded knee strikes.

Lethal continues his advantage up until Taven answers back with a dropkick to his injured shoulder. Lethal responds with a snap powerslam, then an inverted cloverleaf attempt, turning into a modified surfboard, but not getting the full effect due to the shoulder. Despite this, Lethal still remains in control; Taven tries to mount a comeback, but his past knee issues come into play and his momentum is halted. Lethal then back-body-drops Taven out of the ring and nailing a suicide dive. Lethal uppercuts Taven, then delivers another suicide dive.

Lethal then hits another suicide dive, completing his trademark trio of dives. Following another suicide dive, the action gets back in the ring as Lethal shifts his focus from Taven's back to his bum knee, attempting to break it down further in a variety of ways. After a referee distraction, Taven tosses Lethal shoulder-first into the turnbuckle and begins working over Lethal's injury, furthering the game of chess these two have played so far. Lethal fights out of a cross armbreaker attempt, but Taven answers back with a reverse russian leg sweep into a crossface.

Lethal seeks for the bottom rope as Taven transitions into a Rings Of Saturn attempt. Despite Lethal finally grabbing that bottom rope, Taven is still in full control and as he continues his attempt at absolute obliteration of Lethal's left shoulder. Lethal continues to fight back, rolling out of a frog splash attempt from Taven and hitting him with his signature Lethal Combination. He attempts his Hail To The King finisher, but Taven blocks it and attempts a superplex; Lethal blocks that and attempts it once again, only to be distracted then subsequently jumped by Taven's Kingdom constituents Marseglia and O'Ryan.

Jonathan Gresham comes down to fight them, but the numbers advantage works to his detriment. Marseglia and O'Ryan try to further damage Gresham, but Haskins and Williams come to his aid, evening the odds. They chase Marseglia and O'Ryan out and while the referee is distracted, Taven low-blows Lethal and hits him with his Climax finisher; surprisingly, Lethal kicks out. Both shocked and frustrated, Taven snaps off a rolling neckbreaker on Lethal then connects with a frog splash; Lethal still kicks out.

Lethal gets the knees up on another frog splash attempt then connects with a cutter. The two throw punches for a spell before Lethal catches Taven's springboard attempt into a torture rack/rolling slam combo. He then plants Taven with a death valley driver before attempting Hail To The King once again; Taven counters with a crucifix pin attempt, but Lethal answers back by cinching in the figure-four leglock. Taven breaks out of it, but not before enduring excruciating pain during the hold. On the ring apron, the two exchange suplex attempts before Taven connects, driving Lethal through the table Marseglia and O'Ryan set up earlier.

After some time elapses, Taven gets Lethal back into the ring and onto the top rope, connecting with a series of rope-assisted enzuguiris then a backpack stunner. After a back suplex slam, Taven tries to follow up with another one; Lethal counters this with Taven's own Climax finisher. He then takes another page out of Taven's playbook by hitting him with a running knee strike before hitting him a Lethal Injection; much to everyone's surprise, Taven kicks out. Lethal responds with a cutter on the ring apron, then another cutter on the outside.

Taven somehow manages to get back into the ring, and Lethal's frustration increases, leading him to set up a table of his own on the outside. Lethal gets Taven on the table and slowly climbs the ropes; Taven manages to spring back up and DDT Lethal onto the ring apron. Taven then introduces a ladder into the match, forming a makeshift bridge between the table and the ring. Lethal blocks a powerbomb attempt and connects with a springboard dropkick, then a sliding dropkick. With Taven draped upon the ladder, Lethal calls for Hail To The King one more time, which Taven evades.

After going through the ladder, the ringside crew rush to Lethal's aid and Taven responds to this with an over-the-top rope dive onto all three men. Back in the ring, Taven hits Lethal with a cutter of his own, then his signature Just The Tip running knee strike, which Lethal kicks out of. Frustrated, Taven responds by hitting Lethal with three more running knees; rather than cover him, Taven smack-talks Lethal, slaps him and spits in his face before connecting with another Just The Tip. Lethal kicks out and Taven goes up to the top rope, once again attempting the frog splash, which Lethal counters with a cutter.

With a brief respite to somewhat recover, the two slowly rise up as they trade trash talk and slaps. Lethal first connects with an enzuguiri, then a series of superkicks before hitting Taven with another Lethal Injection; much to everyone's shock, Taven once again kicks out. Having gone the full 60 minutes, the match ends in a time limit draw as Marty Scurll comes out to take the belt and leave with it.

Wow. Just. Fucking. Wow. It really is a struggle for me to collect my thoughts as I'm still trying to process everything that went down, but for the sake of this article, I'll power through. To say this was a great match would be a gross, perverted understatement. This match was beyond excellent and should no doubt set a top-tier standard for ROH matches from here on out, which is saying something given ROH's stigma.

Everything came together here and then some. The ring work was SSS+ tier as both men pulled out all the stops and reached deep into their bag of tricks (sometimes even stealing tricks from the opposing side) to create something remarkable. The storytelling was pitch-perfect and both competitors handled it with the utmost grace and plumb. It took Lethal's determination to be the standard-bearer of ROH, Taven's quest for validation and combined it with a deep-seated hatred five years in the making. And the fact they managed to blend the narrative throughout the match really speaks to the talents of both men.

Lethal continues his reputation as an elite performer and one of the best world champions in wrestling today, Taven's stock rises as he builds his credibility as a world-class talent, and Scurll benefits by having two absolute stars for opponents in the G1 Supercard main event. Really, the only person who loses is whoever has to follow it, as far as crowd reaction is concerned. But jumping off that, this was just an absolutely beautiful match from beginning to end, and might I say a Match Of The Year candidate. Oof. Okay, moving on.

Bandido vs. Rush

It's quick, evenly-matched bout from the beginning as both competitors trade holds and counters in a rapid, succinct fashion as per the lucha libre style. Bandido takes Rush down with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, then attempts a hurricanrana off the apron; Rush blocks it and powerbombs him through the time keeper's table. Rush gets Bandido back in the ring firmly in control for the time being. After further punishment, Bandido dodges Rush's corner dropkick finisher and hits him with a corkscrew corkscrew crossbody.

After a dropkick then a suicide dive, Bandido follows it all up with a Fosbury flop onto Rush, seemingly shifting the advantage to his side. However, Rush instantaneously shifts it to his favor following a rebound german suplex. He stomps on Bandido in the corner and then teases his finisher before hitting the Tranquilo pose. The two trade strikes before Rush hits his variation of the Canadian Destroyer; Bandido responds with a tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana driver.

As both men get to their feet, Rush ascends to the top rope. Bandido hits him with a series of rope-assisted kicks and Rush responds by sending him to the ring apron and planting him with a deadlift second-rope superplex. Bandido answers back with a deadlift suplex of his own, then hangs Rush up in the ropes and hits him with a 450 splash. Rush kicks out, counters a springboard crossbody then hits Bandido with a tope con hilo. He gets Bandido up on the ring apron for a double underhook piledriver, which Bandido fights out of and answers back with a running hurricanrana off the ring apron.

Back in the ring, Bandido hits an inverted flipping Go 2 Sleep and Rush answers back with a belly-to-belly suplex into the turnbuckle. Rush sweeps the leg and stomps on Bandido for a spell before hitting him with that running corner dropkick to pick up the W.

An excellent match that was evenly contested from bell to bell. It was 100 MPH from the get-go as both competitors put on a fantastic display of speed and agility, apropos of the lucha libre style, no doubt. The counters and sequences were so fluid, you would've sworn this was a real-life video game. The chemistry these two have is absolutely remarkable, as both seem to match in both strength and quickness. Imagine a chess match at 2x speed and that's what you have with this match. Did it have to live up to Taven/Lethal? No. It accomplished all it needed to be, and that was be a necessary shot of adrenaline to the show, which has already gone through so much and was in desperate need of one.

Villain Enterprises (Brody King & PCO) vs. The Briscoes (C) (Mark & Jay), ROH World Tag Team Championship match

As the bell ring, both teams immediately take advantage of the no disqualification stipulation and toss any and every chair they can find into the ring. The four competitors engage in a chair duel with Mark coming out on top over King, then taking the chair to PCO. Mark takes King further out of the equation with a top-rope corkscrew senton to the outside. The brothers take turns isolating and working over the team of King and PCO. King fights back with a step-up twisting crossbody as PCO and Mark trade chops on the ring apron.

PCO drives Mark through a table with a michinoku driver, taking him out of the match for time being and allowing King & PCO to gang up on Jay; following a body avalanche/cannonball combo, the team then hit Jay with a chair-on-chair groin shot. Mark eventually gets back up and gets PCO's attention with a kendo stick, then flapjacks him onto the ring barricade. The brothers seemingly the advantage back and double-team King, who fights back; he irish whips Jay into a chair set up in the corner then hits Mark with a death valley driver through a corner table.

The advantage now sways to King & PCO's favor as they go to work on the brothers on the outside. The brothers fight back, first with kendo sticks to King and a back body drop to PCO on the ring apron, then onto the chair-elevated entrance ramp. The brothers (with Jay donning the proverbial crimson mask) get King back into the ring, but not for long as Mark puts himself and King through two table with a top-rope blockbuster. Following a Jay Driller kick-out from King, the brothers punish him with repeated kendo stick shots, PCO doing his best to get back into the ring.

The brothers try to double team a now-bloodied PCO, who tries to fight back by breaking their kendo sticks and hitting them with a double clothesline. It's no avail, however, as the brothers make good use of the broken kendo sticks, taking down King & PCO. On the outside, King attempts to mount a comeback for his team by chokeslamming Jay on the ring apron and tossing Mark from the top rope onto a stack of chairs. He then blocks a Jay Driller attempt and piledrives Jay off the ring apron through another table.

Back in the ring, King places a chair onto Jay and PCO hits him with the moonsault to secure the victory and winning the tag titles for his team.

Hot damn. An excellent way to end the show, if I do say so myself. This wasn't a poetic epic like Lethal/Taven, nor was it the epitomized slobberknocker that was Cobb/Taylor, and it definitely wasn't the high-speed chess match that was Rush/Bandido. This was a war; an absolute knockdown, drag-out, ultraviolent clash, and I loved every second of it. Both teams went through absolute hell, pushing each other's limits and going above and beyond the call of duty to bring us an absolutely brutal yet beautiful spotfest.

But even though it was essentially "just a spotfest," they told a good story in the process as well. The brothers were desperate and willing to go through whatever means necessary to keep their titles, and King & PCO played their role perfectly as resilient challengers who took all the punishment and went the distance in order to secure gold. It was bloody, it was savage, it was wicked. Above all else, it was a damn good fight and a excellent way to end the show with King & PCO on top.

Time will tell what the G1 Supercard brings us, but for now, this was the best show ROH has put out in 2019 so far. Granted, we're only three months in, but it has to be said. Top to bottom, everything was either good or excellent, with no in-between. Am I perturbed we didn't get Lifeblood vs. The Kingdom? Somewhat. Am I distraught over not getting Young/Gresham? A little. But given how the show as a whole came together without them, I think I adjusted quite well, so to speak. Match Of The Night is obviously Lethal/Taven, but we should give some consideration to Cobb/Taylor and The Briscoes/King & PCO.

An excellent PPV through and through. If you haven't already, put this at the top of your Must Watch list, because it's absolutely worth it.

ROH Wrestling Episode #390 Recap/Review: 3/11/19

It's a battle of stables in this week's episode of ROH as Villain Enterprises take on The Kingdom. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Let's dig into the rest of the episode before we get into what should an excellent main event.

The Kingdom (TK O'Ryan and Vinny Marseglia) vs. Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll and PCO)

Both teams jockey for position at the start of the match, trying to gain leverage over the other. After a distraction from O'Ryan, Marseglia slides Scurll out of the ring, slamming him into the barricade then throwing him back into the ring. Scurll manages to tag in PCO, who starts single-handedly taking out The Kingdom, shifting the advantage to VE for the time being. After sustaining a fair amount of abuse, O'Ryan hits Scurll with a desperation pele kick and tags in Marseglia.

PCO is taken out with an outside dive courtesy of Marseglia; The Kingdom then follow this up with a spinebuster/swanton bomb combination on Scurll. In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Marseglia hits another swanton, this time to PCO through a table, who shrugs it off like it's nothing. O'Ryan then hip-tosses PCO off the top rope onto a chair on the ring apron, seemingly taking him out for the time being. The Kingdom then hit Scurll with a side effect/moonsault combo; Scurll manages to kick out once again.

As PCO takes out O'Ryan on the outside, Scurll plants Marseglia with a powerbomb; VE then hits him with a boston crab/leg drop combination. PCO dives onto O'Ryan as Scurll locks in the crossface chickenwing on Marseglia, securing the victory for VE.

A solid match and a good way to kick off the show, though I am disappointed this wasn't a 6-man match for the titles. Still, the boys pulled out a decent effort here, displaying some crisp tag-team chemistry in the process. O'Ryan and Marseglia continue to impress me with how well they function as a two-man tandem; their fluidity and attack combinations are fantastic. I wouldn't have said this before, but expect them to be in the tradition tag title picture in the near future.

And this is nothing to take away from VE, who looked just as impressive in this outing. PCO did his thing by being the absolute freak of nature he is and Scurll ring-generaled (it's not a verb, but I'm making it one) his way to a victory. Good match, but I'm still bummed it wasn't a 6-man affair for the titles.

Holidead vs. Mayu Iwatani

Iwatani starts the match delivering a series of well-placed kicks, getting the early advantage. But after a quick exchange on the outside, Holidead turns the tables with a rope-hung stunner into a leg drop on the ring apron. Holidead uses her power advantage to work Iwatani over for a brief respite, Iwatani fighting back with a desperate series of kicks. She then counters Holidead's swinging side slam with a crucifix bomb.

Holidead continues to put up a fight, kicking out of a pin attempt and nailing Iwatani with a clubbing lariat. Iwatani comes back with a superkick, then a german suplex followed up by a kneeling roundhouse kick. She finishes the match with a moonsault to pick up the W.

A short, but fun match, and a nice way to bridge into the main event. The styles of both competitors gelled well here (Iwatani's speed and strikes against Holidead's strength and power), pulling out some supremely smooth sequences. While nothing mind-blowingly spectacular, a solid bout with great performances from both competitors. Holidead's reputation builds while Iwatani continues to bless the fuck out of us as champion (really hope this doesn't place any bad juju on her going into 17th Anniversary). Regardless of victory/defeat, everyone comes out looking like a million bucks here.

Dalton Castle vs. Kenny King

The match starts out with Castle grounding King, employing his technical prowess and showing off his amateur wrestling background. Shrugging off Castle's peacocking, King fights back and briefly works him over. Castle fights back with a knee strike/DDT combo, then a lariat after a series of teases. He then tosses King around with some suplexes, then hits him with a knee strike/bulldog combo out of the corner.

Following a gutwrench powerbomb from Castle, King rolls out to the outside to escape further damage. After shoving one of the Boys to the side, King then tosses the other Boy at Castle, distracting him long enough to plant him with his Royal Flush finisher for the win.

Nothing special here. Just a good match featuring more-than-capable workers that managed to have pretty solid chemistry, which is surprising given I've never really seen them face off in a 1-on-1 capacity. King builds up some momentum heading into 17th Anniversary with another W, while another loss builds up the despondency in Castle, who's seemingly teasing a heel turn with his increased aggression as of late. But aside from that, it's a decent match and a decent main event.

Post-match closer

Shortly after the match, the broadcast team runs down the card for 17th Anniversary. Shortly after, Matt Taven comes out to decry Jay Lethal, shaming him for destroying his "Real" World Title. He then invites Lethal to the ring, promising neither of his Kingdom constituents will be there. Lethal answers the call and the two briefly scuffle before O'Ryan and Marseglia come out to assist the beatdown. Jonathan Gresham tries to help, but it's to no avail as he's quickly disposed of. Taven puts Lethal through a table with a well-placed elbow drop to end the show.

A well-executed segment. It furthers support for Lethal as World Champion, while also allowing Taven to pepper in just a little bit more heel heat before the PPV. Taven's character has been one the most interesting things in ROH so far, and I'm more than hyped to see him get his well-deserved main-event spot.

A good episode and a decent go-home into 17th Anniversary. MOTN surprisingly goes to the curtain- jerker as Villain Enterprises and The Kingdom put on a damn good showing. The matches following it were decent and the closing segment was entertaining, albeit a bit formulaic as far as go-home shows go. Regardless, it's a solid episode throughout. Check it out when you get the chance.