After a lackluster Night 1 of some power struggles and match issues, ROH came back for the 2nd Night of their ROH/NJPW Global Wars Tour. Could they overcome a rough first night to deliver the goods the second time around?
LET'S DO THIS!!!!!
ROH/NJPW Global Wars 2018
Night 2- 11/8/18
Lowell, MA
1) Bushi vs Matt Taven
Matt Taven comes out with his championships and slaps hands with some of the fans. He cuts a promo in front of the crowd. He declares that he fulfilled his objective in being ROH World Champion by the time he came back to Lowell, MA. (Of course, he made his own version of the title to do that. But who cares anyways?) And here comes BUSHI! And Bushi refuses to honor the Code of Honor.
The bell rings. Bushi hits a hurricanrana early on, but Taven catches him with a kick to the head and a dropkick through the ropes (sending Bushi to the guard rail). Both men get sent into the guard rails. BUSHI NAILS A SICK LOOKING JUMPING FRONT FACE LOCK INTO A DDT THROUGH THE ROPES ON THE RING APRON! DANG!
Matt Taven catches Bushi in the ring with a knee to the face. And now, Taven takes control with a plethora of punches. Irish Whip into the corner followed by a face first suplex for a 2. Taven hits a bunch of kicks on Bushi and a DDT for a 2 count. Big enziguri by Taven, but Bushi responds in kind. Taven gets caught in the corner with a double kick from Bushi followed by a missle dropkick out of the corner. Bushi-rooni isn't so smooth for Bushi tonight. Big mule kick by Bushi. Taven gives Bushi some forearms and hits a big kick out of the ropes. Climax by Taven (Headlock Bulldog DDT) for a 3.
Winner: Matt Taven
Match Grade: B-. This was a very solid opening match. I thought both guys brought it, especially Taven who stood out much better in this type of match than he does whenever with The Kingdom. Bushi was never going to win this match, but he made it look competitive.
After the match, Taven and Bushi shake hands. And Bushi kicks him down low.
2) The Bouncers vs. Juice Robinson and Dalton Castle
This is going to be a fun match, especially with Juice and Dalton as a team! Here come The Bouncers with the keg. It looks like there's a lot more people at this show compared to the last one. It may be a smaller venue, but perception is reality. Even in a smaller venue, if butts are in the seats, it looks better. Bottom line. Juice and Dalton come out together in sparkling outfits, including Juice pulling off an 80s Macho Man style look! The Boys help Dalton and Juice up on the apron and do their poses. The ring is littered with streamers right now. I love it. This may be the highlight of the whole tour, and this is only Night 2. Code of Honor is adhered to after Juice and Dalton check the acoustics in the building. Lol.
The bell rings. Juice and Dalton are just working up this crowd for all that it is worth. Milonas is also doing his part, screaming OW while getting his head twisted by Juice. Juice hits a jumping senton for a 2. The Boys are annoying The Bouncers by holding the beer. And now The Bruiser is chasing one of The Boys around. But Juice and Dalton dump him to the floor. Now Dalton and Juice double jab Milonas. "JUICE" "DALTON" chants! Dalton gets caught posing in front of a woozy Milonas who crushes him when falling down! LOL. The Boys are fanning Milonas. Juice tells them to help him push Milonas off of Castle. And now, even Todd Sinclair (the referee) gets involved. And now, even The Bruiser gets involved after drinking a beer. And with his help, they get Milonas off of Castle. LOL. Now, Juice goes back to the apron. Tag to Juice to make him legal.
Milonas and Juice are the legal men. Juice continues to work up the crowd. Juice gets thrown off from a Pulp Friction attempt. Big splash into the corner. And now The Bouncers are in control. The two men continue to assault Juice. Bruiser tells the referee that he can't bite Juice because he has no teeth. Milonas gets tagged in, and he just crushes Juice underneath his weight for a 2 count. A crossbody by Milonas misses. (You read that right! A crossbody.)
Tag to Castle. Castle fires off with forearms to The Bouncers. Big lariat to The Bruiser. Bruiser knocks Castle down, but he gets caught in the running knee position on the top of the corner. Running dives by Dalton. Tag to Juice. Juice and Castle team up on Bruiser. Knee into Bruiser into the corner. CANNONBALL BY JUICE! Double Suplex to Bruiser! Milonas gets suplexed ON TOP OF BRUISER! 1-2-KICKOUT! Dalton flies over the top to Milonas, but he gets caught by Milonas and slammed on the apron. Juice avoids a double team by The Bouncers. LEFT HAND TO BRUISERS! PULP FRICTION!!!!! 1-2-3!!!
Winners: Dalton Castle and Juice Robinson
Match Grade: B+. That match was just so much fun. It is the first time for Dalton and Juice to team up, and it just made so much sense. The comedy in this match worked, and the action was solid. Ironically, this may be the best match I've seen on this tour so far from an entertainment level. Please give us more Juice and Dalton as a team please.
After the match, The Bouncers offer a beer. The Boys give beers to Juice and Dalton. Cheers to the beers!
3) Flip Gordon vs. Frankie Kazarian
Kaz is here. SCU!!! BIG ovation for Flip Gordon.
The bell rings. Flip and Kaz put on a back-and-forth opening sequence with rollups and tieups. (Thankfully, it seems as if Flip Gordon is ok after that nasty fall Sunday.) Big dropkick by Flip Gordon to Kaz. Springboard dropkick now by Flip. Guillotine legdrop on the ropes sends Flip to the floor thanks to Kaz. Back in the ring, a running side Russian legsweep by Kaz to Flip. Kaz continues to press the attack. Flip gets caught in a Straight Jacket Submission move by Kaz. (It looked awesome) Flip uses his loose leg to escape. But Kaz reasserts control and nails a jumping hurricanrana from the ring to the floor on Flip. Slingshot DDT by Kaz gets a 2.
Flip hits a thrust kick and a Pele. Springboard Spear by Flip. Kaz wisely rolls over to avoid a pinfall. Kaz and Flip trade shots. Heel to the forehead by Flip followed by the Falcon Arrow for a 2. (Flip is amazing in the stuff that he can do effortlessly.) Flip slingshots over the ropes, but he eats a cutter from Kaz. 2 count only. Kaz and Flip are on the corner, but Flip keeps throwing him off the corner. On the third time, Flip catches Kaz with a kick to the leg and a running dropkick to Kaz's back in the corner. A springboard spear gets met with a Codebreaker, but Kaz gets only a 2.999. Kaz climbs the corner. Flip hits a climbing kick to the head of Kaz on the corner. Flip climbs up the corner. 450 Splash into Knees!!!! Flip escapes a pin. Exchange of rollups by both men. FLIP catches Kaz with a rollup for a 3!
Winner: Flip Gordon
Match Grade: B. That was another really fun match on this card and a return to standard for Flip after yesterday. As for Kaz, he continues to show that he has plenty of miles left in his career. Some fun exchanges in this match and some good chemistry between the two.
4) Women of Honor Proving Ground Match
Sumi Sakai vs. Jenny Rose
Brandi Rhodes is on commentary. Jenny needs to survive 15 minutes or get a pin on Sakai to get a future title shot. If Rose wins, she gets the title shot at the end of the tour.
The bell rings. Good back and forth between the two women so far. Rose establishes her dominance early on and locks in a surfboard type submission using her knees against the back of Sakai. Sakai fights back and goes for the armbar. It looked like Rose tapped, but she was just trying to get out of the hold. She gets her legs on the ropes barely. Rose is on the floor. BIG APRON DROPKICK BY SAKAI! Dang. They are upping their game tonight. But Sakai eats the guard rail thanks to Rose. SPEAR on the floor by Rose. (Now THIS is what I want to see out of this division. This isn't paint by the numbers. This feels like the makings of a good wrestling match.)
Sakai is rolled back in the ring as Rose climbs up the corner. Clothesline off the top by Rose for a close 2 count. Victory Roll gets a 2 for Sakai. Big lariat by Rose only gets a 2, but that was close. GERMAN SUPLEX by Rose. Again Sakai BARELY kicks out. This is a really good match here. Rose gets caught with a Saito Suplex. 7 minutes have passed.
The women trade forearms. And now, the overhand chops are out for Sakai. Rose fights back with a multitude of forearms. Back suplex by Sakai. She runs into Rose for a 2 count. Rose rolls her up for a really close 2. TJ Neckbreaker by Sakai. Rose hits a Codebreaker on Sakai. Rose and Sakai are fighting on the corner. FRANKENSTEINER!!!! 1-2-3!
Winner: Sumie Sakai
Match Grade: B+. THAT! THAT is what I want to see out of this division. That was a competitive women's match in which these girls just completely went for broke. Great back and forth action between the two women, and the best WOH match I've seen.
They shake hands after the match.
5) Scorpio Sky vs. Jay Briscoe
A Chicken Farmer from Sandy Fork, DE takes on a member of SCU! SCU!!!!
Jay Briscoe jumps him and the bell rings. They are brawling on the floor. Or should I say "Jay Briscoe is just assaulting Sky on the floor?" Sky gets whipped into the railing at ringside and back into the ring. Sky fights back in the ring with some punches. Hurricanrana by Sky to Briscoe. But Briscoe catches Sky running with a dropkick. They are back outside and brawling again. Sky suplexes Briscoe on the floor to a loud THUD. They go back to the ring, but Sky gets caught with a Cutter while jumping the ropes.
Jay goes on the attack with some strikes and chokes. BIG SPLASH INTO THE CORNER and a dropkick by Briscoe gets a 2 count. Back to the kicks and strikes for Briscoe. Headlock applied now by Briscoe. Sky gets out and hits a big neckbreaker to get a breather. Strikes exchanged. Codebreaker to the face. 2 count for Sky. Punches for Briscoe who asks for more. Big Lariat by Jay. Neckbreaker by Briscoe for a 2 count. Jay Driller blocked by Sky. Sky hits a double stomp to the back of Briscoe. Slingshot Cutter by Sky for a 2 count. Loud SCU chant. Sky goes up top and goes at it with Jay. Mark Briscoe comes out to interfere. And here's Kaz to fight off Mark. Briscoe goes for a steel chair. Sky ROLLS up JAY for a 3!!!!!! AN UPSET!!!
Winner: Scorpio Sky
Match Grade: B. Another solid match on this show here with a big ending that helps put more credibility in SCU's corner. Now, Sky has pinned a former 2x World Champion in ROH. Good back and forth action with a shocking ending.
6) Bully Ray and Silas Young vs. Evil and Sanada
Bully continues to tell off the audience and the ring announcer. "Do you know who I am? And do you know where I'm from? I'm from New York City." He offers $20 for anyone who can throw something at his head. Streamers and garbage come flying into the ring, and after about 30 seconds, he finally gets hit in the head with something. Someone finally hits him, and he says he's a man of his word. He goes to the front row where the woman that hit him was. He proceeds to shred up the $20 into pieces and throw it at the woman. She got her $20. Wow. I bow at the greatness that is Bully Ray on this one. That was great heat. Silas Young comes out. And here comes EVIL and Sanada. EVERYTHING IS EVIL!!!! Poor Evil doesn't have his scythe. I also love it whenever you hear an "EVIL" chant. Only in wrestling... and politics. But that's another story. Streamers are flying into the ring for Evil and Sanada. Bully goes to talk on a microphone, but it is not working. Bully gives up.
The bell rings. Bully continues to mouth off to the fans from the apron. Sanada and Silas start us off. Loud Sanada chant. Silas does a great roll-through in the tie up. Sanada follows through with some great flips and roll-throughs of his own. Silas and Bully mouth off at each other. Silas throws his shirt at Bully. Silas goes to shake Sanada's hand. Sanada is a little hesitant. They shake hands, and Silas catches him with a kick. But Sanada nails him with a dropkick. Silas and Bully continue to argue.
Tag to Bully. (I can't wait for the day that Silas and Bully implode.) Bully chops Evil on the apron. And now, Evil wants the tag. Tag to EVIL. LOUD EVIL CHANT! EVIL and Bully are just screaming at each other. Lol. Evil takes an early advantage. Bully hits him with a shoulder tackle and DOES A MUTA POSE! The crowd tells Bully that was racist. Another shoulder tackle by Bully. But he misses Evil running in the corner. Back and forth by both men. Evil knocks Bully down with shoulder tackles.
Silas is back in the ring this time with Evil. Sidewalk Slam for a 2 by Evil. Blind tag by Bully. Evil goes to attack Silas, but he gets caught by Bully. DOOMSDAY DEVICE by Silas and Bully. Evil is worked on in the corner by Silas and Bully. Frequent tags by the heels as they work on Evil. Bully is doing some seriously messed up stuff in trying to get some heat including a Preying Mantis pose while jabbing at Evil. Evil gets Bully and throws him off the corner. Bully SCREAMS in pain.
Tag to Sanada and Silas. The dropkicks are flying by Sanada. Quick insane offense by Sanada. Misery hit on Silas Young. Bully stops the count. Evil and Bully are brawling on the floor. Sanada catches Silas and locks in the Paradise Lock. And will Sanada help kick him out of it? No. Bully knocks him over and rolls Silas over. But Bully hits Silas by accident. Double suplex to Bully. MAGIC KILLER BY LIJ!!!! 1-2-3!!!!
Winners: Evil and Sanada
Match Grade: B. Another really fun tag team match on this show. Sanada and Evil are just a great tag team combination. They are the present and the future of NJPW. Bully Ray was awesome in his role as the heel in this.
After the match, Silas and Bully are arguing and getting in each other's face. Bully pushes Silas. Silas pushes Bully. They tease fighting at each other. Bully offers to hug it out, and Silas just leaves.
7) Christopher Daniels vs. Jeff Cobb
SCU!!!! Here comes Christopher Daniels. SCU has gone 1-1 tonight. And it's about to go 1-2. The Fallen Angel is an Indy legend though, and he'll give Cobb a good match here. Code of Honor adhered to.
The bell rings. Cobb uses his power advantage early on here to get an armbar on Daniels. Daniels floats over into a headlock. Shoulder tackle by Cobb to Daniels. Cobb strikes at Daniels repeatedly. This is the story of the older, faster Daniels trying to fight this young monstrous world-caliber athlete... and having a lot of difficulty. More holds and strikes by Cobb. Daniels eats a big dropkick by Cobb while on the top of the corner. Cobb hits a big DELAYED VERTICAL SUPLEX off the corner and a STANDING MOONSAULT on Daniels. Again, Cobb is a BIG dude doing these moves. Enziguri by Daniels. Running knee sends Cobb to the floor. Arabian Moonsault by Daniels to Cobb on the floor. 48 years old doing that move.
German Suplex in the ring by Cobb followed by a running European uppercut. Cobb signals for the end. Flatliner into the Coji Clutch by Daniels. Cobb just stands up!!! Daniels rolls him up for a 2. Daniels catches Cobb on the corner. HURRICANRANA OFF THE CORNER BY DANIELS! ANGEL'S WINGS!!!! A 1 count only. Daniels: "OH MY GOD!" Cobb hits a big strike to Daniels. Big Tilt-A-Whirl back slam. Tour of the Islands Twisting Slam. 1-2-3.
Winner: Jeff Cobb
Match Grade: C. This was a basic match here. Nothing more. Nothing less. And unforunately, there was not too much Daniels could do to legitimately seem like he had a shot against Cobb. This seems to be Daniels' Farewell Tour. Meanwhile, Cobb continues to look like the monster that he should.
After the match, Daniels holds up Cobb's hand.
We're having some signal difficulties again during this show. I'm starting to think it wasn't just the building as ROH tried to tell us last night.
8) Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Briscoe
Cody comes out with Brandi and his IWGP US Championship.
The bell rings. Clean break by Cody early on. Mark will not do the same moments later, and Cody fires back. Shoulder tackle by Mark. Fast paced offense now as Cody catches Mark with the Goldust uppercut. Mark goes to the floor and avoids a dive. Mark attacks Cody from behind in the ring. Superkick by Cody sends Mark to the floor. Dive through the ropes to the floor by Cody. Cody chases after Mark who uses Brandi to block Cody from attacking him. Mark goes back in the ring and kicks the middle rope into Cody's crotchal area. Mark does a dropkick through the ropes to Cody on the floor. And now, the brawl is on as the camera cord is wrapped around Cody's throat. Suplex on the floor by Briscoe to Cody. Cactus Jack Apron Elbow Drop to Cody. Bang Bang.
Back in the ring, Mark goes on the attack on Cody. He strikes and drives Cody to the mat. Suplex connects. Neck wrench by Mark. Cody escapes but gets knocked back down by Mark. Mark insults and mocks Cody. Mark goes to the top rope, but Cody nails the top rope Judo throw. Cody gets sent into the ring post. Belly to Back throw by Mark sends Cody face first. Choke by Mark now. Cody is placed on the top rope. Mark climbs up and bites the face of Cody. Cody elbows Mark off the corner. Moonsault connects!!
Exchange of strikes and blows. Cody goes back on offense. Snap Slam for a 2. Beautiful Disaster Kick. 2 count. Cross Rhodes avoided. Figure Four leg lock instead on Mark. Mark rolls it over, and Cody gets to the ropes. Cody and Mark are on the apron. Mark dropkicks him off the apron. Running Blockbuster off the apron to the floor on Cody. Froggy Bow Connects! Cody rolls towards the ropes and gets his foot on the rope by 3. Mark goes back to work. Low blow by Cody. Cross Rhodes! 1-2-3!
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Match Grade: B-. Another fun, harmless match here as Cody continues to wind down his ROH tenure. I expected Mark to get the win here, but Cody got probably one of his last wins in ROH here. Very good effort by both men, but the match never did reach that true next level. Nor do I think it was expected to.
9) Adam Page vs. Tetsuya Naito
Oh, this should be good! Naito again wears the suit and cape. And he takes his damn good time getting ready to start the match. Tranquilo folks. Tranquilo. Naito tries to get Todd to do the Tranquilo fist bump, and just as Todd lifts his arm, Naito just walks off.
The bell rings. A tie up leads to Naito just spitting on Page. Naito fakes a dive and does the Tranquilo pose. Take it easy. Page and Naito go back at it with some great wristlock/hammerlocks and move reversals. Page tosses Naito to the floor and does the Tranquilo pose. Naito dropkicks him in the back and does the pose! Lol! They brawl on the floor now with Page being thrown into the railing. Naito rolls himself back in the ring. Page follows.
Page is down in the corner. Naito spits on the back of the referee! Wow. Naito dropkicks the spine of Page. Neckbreaker by Naito. Neckwrench by Naito. Page fights out. Page gets a big clothesline in on Naito. They trade shots after getting to their feet. Lariat by Page. Naito gets clotheslined to the floor. Dive through the ropes to the floor on Naito who gets sent back into the rails.
Page and Naito are back in the ring. Corner dropkick and Bridging German by Page to Naito for a CLOSE 2 count. Tornado DDT by Naito. Page is put on the corner. Hurricanrana by Naito! Scorpion Death Drop/Reverse DDT for a 2. Page avoids Destino . Corner Dropkick avoided by Page. Rite of Passage avoided. Enziguri by Naito. LARIAT by Page. 1-2-KICKOUT BARELY by Naito. "This is Awesome" chant. (Well, it's very good so far. I'll say that.)
Naito is on the floor. Page goes to the top rope and NAILS THE MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR ON NAITO!!!! Naito is thrown back in the ring. BUCKSHOT LARIAT!!!! Page goes for Rite of Passage! DESTINO!!!!! 1-2-SINCLAIR says Page got his shoulder up. Hmmm... I'm not sure about that one. Naito and Page exchange punches. Spit by Naito to Page. Superkick by Page. BRAINBUSTER BY NAITO To Page! DESTINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 1-2-3!
Winner: Tetsuya Naito
Match Grade: B. Very good match between the two men despite the miscommunication towards the end. These guys deliver regardless of the environment they are in. Page is going to be a big deal regardless of where he ends up next.
Main Event
Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham vs. Chris Sabin and Kushida vs. The Young Bucks vs. The Kingdom (TK and Vinny)
The bell rings. Lethal and Kushida start us off. Yes! Loud Kushida chants. Dueling strikes to start us off. Kushida hits his cartwheel dropkick. Gresham tags in and catches Kushida with a German suplex. Lethal tags back in and continues the assault on Kushida. Gresham again tags in and catches Kushida off guard. Sabin gets a blind tag of his own, allowing him and Kushida to double team Gresham. More tags by Sabin and Kushida continuing to work on the arm of Gresham. The Kingdom tags Gresham and TK is recognized as the legal man. They double team now on Sabin with frequent tags. Matt Jackson tags in, and The Young Bucks start going nuts. Wheelbarrow Facebuster by The Bucks to Gresham. Flapjack by The Kingdom to Nick Jackson. Sabin and Kushida double team on TK in the ring. Some old fashioned MCMG Dream Sequence.
There is so much action going on that it's hard to cover all of it. Double Suicide Dives by Lethal and Gresham to the others on the floor. SUPERKICK PARTY IS ON! SUPERKICKS TO LETHAL AND GRESHAM! Nick dives to the floor. TK is rolled into the ring. Matt and TK are going at it. Springboard Double Stomp into the Lungblower by The Bucks. Sabin gets a blind tag from TK. It's now Kushida and Sabin vs. The Bucks in the ring. Insanity is about to happen. Stereo Sunset Flips into Knee Strikes. Sabin and Kushida hit Stereo Senton Splashes on the apron to others on the floor. Dragon Screw Leg Whip to Kushida. Lethal and Gresham unload on the others. Four Submissions are on at once in the ring. Now, it's The Bucks vs. Gresham and Lethal. Superkicks. Lethal Injection into SUPERKICKS! Sabin uses opponents to walk on them to get a tornado DDT. (Think Matrix using human bodies to do a DDT.) CANNON BALL BY GRESHAM THROUGH THE ROPES! LETHAL INECTION TO SABIN! GRESHAM GETS THE PIN AFTER A SHOOTING STAR PRESS ON SABIN! 1-2-3!
Winners: Gresham and Lethal
Match Grade: A-. That match was utterly insane. I couldn't keep up with half of the things they were doing in the best way. All 8 men helped produce a really fun, fast-paced, well performed main event. And while The Bucks were awesome in this match, they weren't the only good things about this match. ROH has a future post-Elite, and Gresham got a good rub here by pinning Sabin to win the match for his team.
Show Grade: A-. This was a LOT better than Night 1. There were no terrible matches on this card at all as each match delivered in its own way. The highlight for me was definitely the main event, but there were several other matches in the undercard (see Dalton/Juice vs. The Bouncers and Bully/Silas vs. EVIL/SANADA) that performed very well. Naito vs. Page was also a very good match for the tour here. More importantly, this is just a great show to watch wrestling. W-R-E-S-T-L-I-N-G. It's alive and well in 2018. ROH hit the home run tonight.
_ _ _ _
ROH/NJPW Global Wars 2018 Night 1
I hope you enjoyed this review. I'll be back with more tomorrow and Sunday Nights. Until then, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
LET'S DO THIS!!!!!
ROH/NJPW Global Wars 2018
Night 2- 11/8/18
Lowell, MA
1) Bushi vs Matt Taven
Matt Taven comes out with his championships and slaps hands with some of the fans. He cuts a promo in front of the crowd. He declares that he fulfilled his objective in being ROH World Champion by the time he came back to Lowell, MA. (Of course, he made his own version of the title to do that. But who cares anyways?) And here comes BUSHI! And Bushi refuses to honor the Code of Honor.
The bell rings. Bushi hits a hurricanrana early on, but Taven catches him with a kick to the head and a dropkick through the ropes (sending Bushi to the guard rail). Both men get sent into the guard rails. BUSHI NAILS A SICK LOOKING JUMPING FRONT FACE LOCK INTO A DDT THROUGH THE ROPES ON THE RING APRON! DANG!
Matt Taven catches Bushi in the ring with a knee to the face. And now, Taven takes control with a plethora of punches. Irish Whip into the corner followed by a face first suplex for a 2. Taven hits a bunch of kicks on Bushi and a DDT for a 2 count. Big enziguri by Taven, but Bushi responds in kind. Taven gets caught in the corner with a double kick from Bushi followed by a missle dropkick out of the corner. Bushi-rooni isn't so smooth for Bushi tonight. Big mule kick by Bushi. Taven gives Bushi some forearms and hits a big kick out of the ropes. Climax by Taven (Headlock Bulldog DDT) for a 3.
Winner: Matt Taven
Match Grade: B-. This was a very solid opening match. I thought both guys brought it, especially Taven who stood out much better in this type of match than he does whenever with The Kingdom. Bushi was never going to win this match, but he made it look competitive.
After the match, Taven and Bushi shake hands. And Bushi kicks him down low.
2) The Bouncers vs. Juice Robinson and Dalton Castle
This is going to be a fun match, especially with Juice and Dalton as a team! Here come The Bouncers with the keg. It looks like there's a lot more people at this show compared to the last one. It may be a smaller venue, but perception is reality. Even in a smaller venue, if butts are in the seats, it looks better. Bottom line. Juice and Dalton come out together in sparkling outfits, including Juice pulling off an 80s Macho Man style look! The Boys help Dalton and Juice up on the apron and do their poses. The ring is littered with streamers right now. I love it. This may be the highlight of the whole tour, and this is only Night 2. Code of Honor is adhered to after Juice and Dalton check the acoustics in the building. Lol.
The bell rings. Juice and Dalton are just working up this crowd for all that it is worth. Milonas is also doing his part, screaming OW while getting his head twisted by Juice. Juice hits a jumping senton for a 2. The Boys are annoying The Bouncers by holding the beer. And now The Bruiser is chasing one of The Boys around. But Juice and Dalton dump him to the floor. Now Dalton and Juice double jab Milonas. "JUICE" "DALTON" chants! Dalton gets caught posing in front of a woozy Milonas who crushes him when falling down! LOL. The Boys are fanning Milonas. Juice tells them to help him push Milonas off of Castle. And now, even Todd Sinclair (the referee) gets involved. And now, even The Bruiser gets involved after drinking a beer. And with his help, they get Milonas off of Castle. LOL. Now, Juice goes back to the apron. Tag to Juice to make him legal.
Milonas and Juice are the legal men. Juice continues to work up the crowd. Juice gets thrown off from a Pulp Friction attempt. Big splash into the corner. And now The Bouncers are in control. The two men continue to assault Juice. Bruiser tells the referee that he can't bite Juice because he has no teeth. Milonas gets tagged in, and he just crushes Juice underneath his weight for a 2 count. A crossbody by Milonas misses. (You read that right! A crossbody.)
Tag to Castle. Castle fires off with forearms to The Bouncers. Big lariat to The Bruiser. Bruiser knocks Castle down, but he gets caught in the running knee position on the top of the corner. Running dives by Dalton. Tag to Juice. Juice and Castle team up on Bruiser. Knee into Bruiser into the corner. CANNONBALL BY JUICE! Double Suplex to Bruiser! Milonas gets suplexed ON TOP OF BRUISER! 1-2-KICKOUT! Dalton flies over the top to Milonas, but he gets caught by Milonas and slammed on the apron. Juice avoids a double team by The Bouncers. LEFT HAND TO BRUISERS! PULP FRICTION!!!!! 1-2-3!!!
Winners: Dalton Castle and Juice Robinson
Match Grade: B+. That match was just so much fun. It is the first time for Dalton and Juice to team up, and it just made so much sense. The comedy in this match worked, and the action was solid. Ironically, this may be the best match I've seen on this tour so far from an entertainment level. Please give us more Juice and Dalton as a team please.
After the match, The Bouncers offer a beer. The Boys give beers to Juice and Dalton. Cheers to the beers!
3) Flip Gordon vs. Frankie Kazarian
Kaz is here. SCU!!! BIG ovation for Flip Gordon.
The bell rings. Flip and Kaz put on a back-and-forth opening sequence with rollups and tieups. (Thankfully, it seems as if Flip Gordon is ok after that nasty fall Sunday.) Big dropkick by Flip Gordon to Kaz. Springboard dropkick now by Flip. Guillotine legdrop on the ropes sends Flip to the floor thanks to Kaz. Back in the ring, a running side Russian legsweep by Kaz to Flip. Kaz continues to press the attack. Flip gets caught in a Straight Jacket Submission move by Kaz. (It looked awesome) Flip uses his loose leg to escape. But Kaz reasserts control and nails a jumping hurricanrana from the ring to the floor on Flip. Slingshot DDT by Kaz gets a 2.
Flip hits a thrust kick and a Pele. Springboard Spear by Flip. Kaz wisely rolls over to avoid a pinfall. Kaz and Flip trade shots. Heel to the forehead by Flip followed by the Falcon Arrow for a 2. (Flip is amazing in the stuff that he can do effortlessly.) Flip slingshots over the ropes, but he eats a cutter from Kaz. 2 count only. Kaz and Flip are on the corner, but Flip keeps throwing him off the corner. On the third time, Flip catches Kaz with a kick to the leg and a running dropkick to Kaz's back in the corner. A springboard spear gets met with a Codebreaker, but Kaz gets only a 2.999. Kaz climbs the corner. Flip hits a climbing kick to the head of Kaz on the corner. Flip climbs up the corner. 450 Splash into Knees!!!! Flip escapes a pin. Exchange of rollups by both men. FLIP catches Kaz with a rollup for a 3!
Winner: Flip Gordon
Match Grade: B. That was another really fun match on this card and a return to standard for Flip after yesterday. As for Kaz, he continues to show that he has plenty of miles left in his career. Some fun exchanges in this match and some good chemistry between the two.
4) Women of Honor Proving Ground Match
Sumi Sakai vs. Jenny Rose
Brandi Rhodes is on commentary. Jenny needs to survive 15 minutes or get a pin on Sakai to get a future title shot. If Rose wins, she gets the title shot at the end of the tour.
The bell rings. Good back and forth between the two women so far. Rose establishes her dominance early on and locks in a surfboard type submission using her knees against the back of Sakai. Sakai fights back and goes for the armbar. It looked like Rose tapped, but she was just trying to get out of the hold. She gets her legs on the ropes barely. Rose is on the floor. BIG APRON DROPKICK BY SAKAI! Dang. They are upping their game tonight. But Sakai eats the guard rail thanks to Rose. SPEAR on the floor by Rose. (Now THIS is what I want to see out of this division. This isn't paint by the numbers. This feels like the makings of a good wrestling match.)
Sakai is rolled back in the ring as Rose climbs up the corner. Clothesline off the top by Rose for a close 2 count. Victory Roll gets a 2 for Sakai. Big lariat by Rose only gets a 2, but that was close. GERMAN SUPLEX by Rose. Again Sakai BARELY kicks out. This is a really good match here. Rose gets caught with a Saito Suplex. 7 minutes have passed.
The women trade forearms. And now, the overhand chops are out for Sakai. Rose fights back with a multitude of forearms. Back suplex by Sakai. She runs into Rose for a 2 count. Rose rolls her up for a really close 2. TJ Neckbreaker by Sakai. Rose hits a Codebreaker on Sakai. Rose and Sakai are fighting on the corner. FRANKENSTEINER!!!! 1-2-3!
Winner: Sumie Sakai
Match Grade: B+. THAT! THAT is what I want to see out of this division. That was a competitive women's match in which these girls just completely went for broke. Great back and forth action between the two women, and the best WOH match I've seen.
They shake hands after the match.
5) Scorpio Sky vs. Jay Briscoe
A Chicken Farmer from Sandy Fork, DE takes on a member of SCU! SCU!!!!
Jay Briscoe jumps him and the bell rings. They are brawling on the floor. Or should I say "Jay Briscoe is just assaulting Sky on the floor?" Sky gets whipped into the railing at ringside and back into the ring. Sky fights back in the ring with some punches. Hurricanrana by Sky to Briscoe. But Briscoe catches Sky running with a dropkick. They are back outside and brawling again. Sky suplexes Briscoe on the floor to a loud THUD. They go back to the ring, but Sky gets caught with a Cutter while jumping the ropes.
Jay goes on the attack with some strikes and chokes. BIG SPLASH INTO THE CORNER and a dropkick by Briscoe gets a 2 count. Back to the kicks and strikes for Briscoe. Headlock applied now by Briscoe. Sky gets out and hits a big neckbreaker to get a breather. Strikes exchanged. Codebreaker to the face. 2 count for Sky. Punches for Briscoe who asks for more. Big Lariat by Jay. Neckbreaker by Briscoe for a 2 count. Jay Driller blocked by Sky. Sky hits a double stomp to the back of Briscoe. Slingshot Cutter by Sky for a 2 count. Loud SCU chant. Sky goes up top and goes at it with Jay. Mark Briscoe comes out to interfere. And here's Kaz to fight off Mark. Briscoe goes for a steel chair. Sky ROLLS up JAY for a 3!!!!!! AN UPSET!!!
Winner: Scorpio Sky
Match Grade: B. Another solid match on this show here with a big ending that helps put more credibility in SCU's corner. Now, Sky has pinned a former 2x World Champion in ROH. Good back and forth action with a shocking ending.
6) Bully Ray and Silas Young vs. Evil and Sanada
Bully continues to tell off the audience and the ring announcer. "Do you know who I am? And do you know where I'm from? I'm from New York City." He offers $20 for anyone who can throw something at his head. Streamers and garbage come flying into the ring, and after about 30 seconds, he finally gets hit in the head with something. Someone finally hits him, and he says he's a man of his word. He goes to the front row where the woman that hit him was. He proceeds to shred up the $20 into pieces and throw it at the woman. She got her $20. Wow. I bow at the greatness that is Bully Ray on this one. That was great heat. Silas Young comes out. And here comes EVIL and Sanada. EVERYTHING IS EVIL!!!! Poor Evil doesn't have his scythe. I also love it whenever you hear an "EVIL" chant. Only in wrestling... and politics. But that's another story. Streamers are flying into the ring for Evil and Sanada. Bully goes to talk on a microphone, but it is not working. Bully gives up.
The bell rings. Bully continues to mouth off to the fans from the apron. Sanada and Silas start us off. Loud Sanada chant. Silas does a great roll-through in the tie up. Sanada follows through with some great flips and roll-throughs of his own. Silas and Bully mouth off at each other. Silas throws his shirt at Bully. Silas goes to shake Sanada's hand. Sanada is a little hesitant. They shake hands, and Silas catches him with a kick. But Sanada nails him with a dropkick. Silas and Bully continue to argue.
Tag to Bully. (I can't wait for the day that Silas and Bully implode.) Bully chops Evil on the apron. And now, Evil wants the tag. Tag to EVIL. LOUD EVIL CHANT! EVIL and Bully are just screaming at each other. Lol. Evil takes an early advantage. Bully hits him with a shoulder tackle and DOES A MUTA POSE! The crowd tells Bully that was racist. Another shoulder tackle by Bully. But he misses Evil running in the corner. Back and forth by both men. Evil knocks Bully down with shoulder tackles.
Silas is back in the ring this time with Evil. Sidewalk Slam for a 2 by Evil. Blind tag by Bully. Evil goes to attack Silas, but he gets caught by Bully. DOOMSDAY DEVICE by Silas and Bully. Evil is worked on in the corner by Silas and Bully. Frequent tags by the heels as they work on Evil. Bully is doing some seriously messed up stuff in trying to get some heat including a Preying Mantis pose while jabbing at Evil. Evil gets Bully and throws him off the corner. Bully SCREAMS in pain.
Tag to Sanada and Silas. The dropkicks are flying by Sanada. Quick insane offense by Sanada. Misery hit on Silas Young. Bully stops the count. Evil and Bully are brawling on the floor. Sanada catches Silas and locks in the Paradise Lock. And will Sanada help kick him out of it? No. Bully knocks him over and rolls Silas over. But Bully hits Silas by accident. Double suplex to Bully. MAGIC KILLER BY LIJ!!!! 1-2-3!!!!
Winners: Evil and Sanada
Match Grade: B. Another really fun tag team match on this show. Sanada and Evil are just a great tag team combination. They are the present and the future of NJPW. Bully Ray was awesome in his role as the heel in this.
After the match, Silas and Bully are arguing and getting in each other's face. Bully pushes Silas. Silas pushes Bully. They tease fighting at each other. Bully offers to hug it out, and Silas just leaves.
7) Christopher Daniels vs. Jeff Cobb
SCU!!!! Here comes Christopher Daniels. SCU has gone 1-1 tonight. And it's about to go 1-2. The Fallen Angel is an Indy legend though, and he'll give Cobb a good match here. Code of Honor adhered to.
The bell rings. Cobb uses his power advantage early on here to get an armbar on Daniels. Daniels floats over into a headlock. Shoulder tackle by Cobb to Daniels. Cobb strikes at Daniels repeatedly. This is the story of the older, faster Daniels trying to fight this young monstrous world-caliber athlete... and having a lot of difficulty. More holds and strikes by Cobb. Daniels eats a big dropkick by Cobb while on the top of the corner. Cobb hits a big DELAYED VERTICAL SUPLEX off the corner and a STANDING MOONSAULT on Daniels. Again, Cobb is a BIG dude doing these moves. Enziguri by Daniels. Running knee sends Cobb to the floor. Arabian Moonsault by Daniels to Cobb on the floor. 48 years old doing that move.
German Suplex in the ring by Cobb followed by a running European uppercut. Cobb signals for the end. Flatliner into the Coji Clutch by Daniels. Cobb just stands up!!! Daniels rolls him up for a 2. Daniels catches Cobb on the corner. HURRICANRANA OFF THE CORNER BY DANIELS! ANGEL'S WINGS!!!! A 1 count only. Daniels: "OH MY GOD!" Cobb hits a big strike to Daniels. Big Tilt-A-Whirl back slam. Tour of the Islands Twisting Slam. 1-2-3.
Winner: Jeff Cobb
Match Grade: C. This was a basic match here. Nothing more. Nothing less. And unforunately, there was not too much Daniels could do to legitimately seem like he had a shot against Cobb. This seems to be Daniels' Farewell Tour. Meanwhile, Cobb continues to look like the monster that he should.
After the match, Daniels holds up Cobb's hand.
We're having some signal difficulties again during this show. I'm starting to think it wasn't just the building as ROH tried to tell us last night.
8) Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Briscoe
Cody comes out with Brandi and his IWGP US Championship.
The bell rings. Clean break by Cody early on. Mark will not do the same moments later, and Cody fires back. Shoulder tackle by Mark. Fast paced offense now as Cody catches Mark with the Goldust uppercut. Mark goes to the floor and avoids a dive. Mark attacks Cody from behind in the ring. Superkick by Cody sends Mark to the floor. Dive through the ropes to the floor by Cody. Cody chases after Mark who uses Brandi to block Cody from attacking him. Mark goes back in the ring and kicks the middle rope into Cody's crotchal area. Mark does a dropkick through the ropes to Cody on the floor. And now, the brawl is on as the camera cord is wrapped around Cody's throat. Suplex on the floor by Briscoe to Cody. Cactus Jack Apron Elbow Drop to Cody. Bang Bang.
Back in the ring, Mark goes on the attack on Cody. He strikes and drives Cody to the mat. Suplex connects. Neck wrench by Mark. Cody escapes but gets knocked back down by Mark. Mark insults and mocks Cody. Mark goes to the top rope, but Cody nails the top rope Judo throw. Cody gets sent into the ring post. Belly to Back throw by Mark sends Cody face first. Choke by Mark now. Cody is placed on the top rope. Mark climbs up and bites the face of Cody. Cody elbows Mark off the corner. Moonsault connects!!
Exchange of strikes and blows. Cody goes back on offense. Snap Slam for a 2. Beautiful Disaster Kick. 2 count. Cross Rhodes avoided. Figure Four leg lock instead on Mark. Mark rolls it over, and Cody gets to the ropes. Cody and Mark are on the apron. Mark dropkicks him off the apron. Running Blockbuster off the apron to the floor on Cody. Froggy Bow Connects! Cody rolls towards the ropes and gets his foot on the rope by 3. Mark goes back to work. Low blow by Cody. Cross Rhodes! 1-2-3!
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Match Grade: B-. Another fun, harmless match here as Cody continues to wind down his ROH tenure. I expected Mark to get the win here, but Cody got probably one of his last wins in ROH here. Very good effort by both men, but the match never did reach that true next level. Nor do I think it was expected to.
9) Adam Page vs. Tetsuya Naito
Oh, this should be good! Naito again wears the suit and cape. And he takes his damn good time getting ready to start the match. Tranquilo folks. Tranquilo. Naito tries to get Todd to do the Tranquilo fist bump, and just as Todd lifts his arm, Naito just walks off.
The bell rings. A tie up leads to Naito just spitting on Page. Naito fakes a dive and does the Tranquilo pose. Take it easy. Page and Naito go back at it with some great wristlock/hammerlocks and move reversals. Page tosses Naito to the floor and does the Tranquilo pose. Naito dropkicks him in the back and does the pose! Lol! They brawl on the floor now with Page being thrown into the railing. Naito rolls himself back in the ring. Page follows.
Page is down in the corner. Naito spits on the back of the referee! Wow. Naito dropkicks the spine of Page. Neckbreaker by Naito. Neckwrench by Naito. Page fights out. Page gets a big clothesline in on Naito. They trade shots after getting to their feet. Lariat by Page. Naito gets clotheslined to the floor. Dive through the ropes to the floor on Naito who gets sent back into the rails.
Page and Naito are back in the ring. Corner dropkick and Bridging German by Page to Naito for a CLOSE 2 count. Tornado DDT by Naito. Page is put on the corner. Hurricanrana by Naito! Scorpion Death Drop/Reverse DDT for a 2. Page avoids Destino . Corner Dropkick avoided by Page. Rite of Passage avoided. Enziguri by Naito. LARIAT by Page. 1-2-KICKOUT BARELY by Naito. "This is Awesome" chant. (Well, it's very good so far. I'll say that.)
Naito is on the floor. Page goes to the top rope and NAILS THE MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR ON NAITO!!!! Naito is thrown back in the ring. BUCKSHOT LARIAT!!!! Page goes for Rite of Passage! DESTINO!!!!! 1-2-SINCLAIR says Page got his shoulder up. Hmmm... I'm not sure about that one. Naito and Page exchange punches. Spit by Naito to Page. Superkick by Page. BRAINBUSTER BY NAITO To Page! DESTINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 1-2-3!
Winner: Tetsuya Naito
Match Grade: B. Very good match between the two men despite the miscommunication towards the end. These guys deliver regardless of the environment they are in. Page is going to be a big deal regardless of where he ends up next.
Main Event
Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham vs. Chris Sabin and Kushida vs. The Young Bucks vs. The Kingdom (TK and Vinny)
The bell rings. Lethal and Kushida start us off. Yes! Loud Kushida chants. Dueling strikes to start us off. Kushida hits his cartwheel dropkick. Gresham tags in and catches Kushida with a German suplex. Lethal tags back in and continues the assault on Kushida. Gresham again tags in and catches Kushida off guard. Sabin gets a blind tag of his own, allowing him and Kushida to double team Gresham. More tags by Sabin and Kushida continuing to work on the arm of Gresham. The Kingdom tags Gresham and TK is recognized as the legal man. They double team now on Sabin with frequent tags. Matt Jackson tags in, and The Young Bucks start going nuts. Wheelbarrow Facebuster by The Bucks to Gresham. Flapjack by The Kingdom to Nick Jackson. Sabin and Kushida double team on TK in the ring. Some old fashioned MCMG Dream Sequence.
There is so much action going on that it's hard to cover all of it. Double Suicide Dives by Lethal and Gresham to the others on the floor. SUPERKICK PARTY IS ON! SUPERKICKS TO LETHAL AND GRESHAM! Nick dives to the floor. TK is rolled into the ring. Matt and TK are going at it. Springboard Double Stomp into the Lungblower by The Bucks. Sabin gets a blind tag from TK. It's now Kushida and Sabin vs. The Bucks in the ring. Insanity is about to happen. Stereo Sunset Flips into Knee Strikes. Sabin and Kushida hit Stereo Senton Splashes on the apron to others on the floor. Dragon Screw Leg Whip to Kushida. Lethal and Gresham unload on the others. Four Submissions are on at once in the ring. Now, it's The Bucks vs. Gresham and Lethal. Superkicks. Lethal Injection into SUPERKICKS! Sabin uses opponents to walk on them to get a tornado DDT. (Think Matrix using human bodies to do a DDT.) CANNON BALL BY GRESHAM THROUGH THE ROPES! LETHAL INECTION TO SABIN! GRESHAM GETS THE PIN AFTER A SHOOTING STAR PRESS ON SABIN! 1-2-3!
Winners: Gresham and Lethal
Match Grade: A-. That match was utterly insane. I couldn't keep up with half of the things they were doing in the best way. All 8 men helped produce a really fun, fast-paced, well performed main event. And while The Bucks were awesome in this match, they weren't the only good things about this match. ROH has a future post-Elite, and Gresham got a good rub here by pinning Sabin to win the match for his team.
Show Grade: A-. This was a LOT better than Night 1. There were no terrible matches on this card at all as each match delivered in its own way. The highlight for me was definitely the main event, but there were several other matches in the undercard (see Dalton/Juice vs. The Bouncers and Bully/Silas vs. EVIL/SANADA) that performed very well. Naito vs. Page was also a very good match for the tour here. More importantly, this is just a great show to watch wrestling. W-R-E-S-T-L-I-N-G. It's alive and well in 2018. ROH hit the home run tonight.
_ _ _ _
ROH/NJPW Global Wars 2018 Night 1
I hope you enjoyed this review. I'll be back with more tomorrow and Sunday Nights. Until then, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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