It's the last night of the Global Wars Tour. Let's not waste any time.
ROH/NJPW Global Wars 2018
Night 4- Toronto, ON, Canada
11/11/18
1) Final Battle Women of Honor Survival Match Qualifier
Kaitlyn Diemond vs. Karen Q
Both women exchange arm wrenches. Big overhead arm drag by Diemond. Q knocks her back down to the mat. Sumie Sakai comes down to the ring to scout her possible opponent for Final Battle. Q continues to punish Diemond. Cartwheel superkick by Q gets her a 2 count. Some innovative offense with backhandspring attacks in the corner by Q, but she's still unable to put Diemond away.
Diamond gets some momentum going with some kicks to Q. Side Effect by Diemond ALMOST gets a 3. Diemond locks in a reverse Boston Crab. Q gets to the ropes. Full Nelson Slam by Q gets a 2. Boston Crab by Q gets the tap out.
Winner: Karen Q.
Match Grade: C. This was much better than Night 3's WOH match and there seemed to at least be some rhythm going on in this match. It still wasn't great, but it was a fun way to start off the show.
After the match, Sakai gets in the ring and shows off her WOH title. Q swings at Sakai. Sakai hits a Judo hiptoss. Kelly Klein attacks Sakai. Q and Klein argue about who is going to get the title. Then they attack Sakai. Madison Rayne comes into the ring and goes after Kelly Klein. Referees and security get into the ring to separate the four women. Klein is attacking the security for getting in her way. Good stuff here. Klein pulls out Q and attacks her. SUMIE SAKAI FLIES OFF THE TOP ROPE THROUGH THE WOMEN AND THE SECURITY ON THE FLOOR! Wow. Sakai goes back in the ring and faces off with Rayne. But she walks off before any physicality takes place. REALLY GOOD AFTER MATCH ACTION here.
2) Chuckie T vs. Adam Page
The bell rings. Early jockeying for position. Page no sells Chuckie's shoulder tackle, but Chuckie sells Page's shoulder tackle by falling to the mat. Taylor gets Page down with a shoulder tackle a half minute later. Chuckie gets caught in the crossbody and suffers a Fallaway Slam. He's tossed to the floor and hit with a flying dive through the ropes by Page. Chuckie brought back to the ring. He dumps him on the mat and hits a Deadlift Pumphandle Fallaway Slam Bridge for a 2 count. Page establishes a bit of dominance here. Chuckie dives off the corner and meets the boot of Page right in his face. Chuckie comes back in and hits a powerbomb on Page.
Page is on the floor. Chuckie misses a dive to the floor, but he tosses Page into the guard rails at ringside. Chuckie meets the ring post face first (with his hands up). Page misses his Shooting Star Press off the apron and gets hit with a Flatliner on the floor. Page is rolled back in the ring. Chuckie goes for a double stomp, misses, and gets hit with a clothesline. Powerbomb. 1-2-Kickout. Rite of Passage is blocked. Standing Sliced Bread by Chuckie ALMOST gets a 3. Seconds later, Page hits BUCKSHOT LARIAT!!! Rite of Passage is countered into a SNAP PILEDRIVER by Chuckie! Forearms are exchanged by both men. RITE OF PASSAGE!!!!!! 1-2-3!
Winner: Adam Page
Match Grade: B-. Solid match between the two men here. I actually thought that Chuckie T. could possibly win this match due to Page leaving in January. Nice back and forth action with Chuckie getting some good offense in.
3) The Kingdom (Vinny and TK) vs. Naito and BUSHI
Streamers shower the ring for Naito and Bushi as they enter the ring.
The bell rings. Bushi and Vinny are in the ring. Vinny goes after the mask of Bushi. He's untying the mask, and Naito breaks up the attempt. DDT by Bushi. He stomps on Vinny and uses his shirt to choke The Horror King. Naito gets the most lax allowance of a tag I've ever seen. Tag to TK by Vinny. TK gets arm dragged and dropkicked. Tranquilo Pose by Naito, but Vinny runs in to drop an elbow on Naito. Vinny goes after Bushi's mask until the ref puts him back into his corner. TK and Naito are still legal as TK continues to press the attack on Naito.
Now, Naito hits an atomic drop and enziguri on TK. Naito spits on TK. Naito goes for the corner attack, but Vinny breaks it up on the outside. Naito is sent to the floor, and Vinny hits a cutter on Naito on the floor. Back in the ring, TK continues to pound on Naito. Tag to Vinny. More attacks by Vinny and stomps in the corner. Tag to TK. Double Flapjack by The Kingdom. Bushi gets taken out by TK. Naito gets spun awkwardly to the mat. Vinny tags back in and goes after Naito. Tag by TK. Spinebuster/Flying Headbutt (by Vinny) ALMOST gets a 3 for TK over Naito. TORNADO DDT BY NAITO!
Bushi and Vinny are legal now. Running hurricanrana by Bushi. Dropkick off the corner. BUSHI-ROONI! TK attacks Bushi from behind. DOUBLE HURRICANRANA to THE KINGDOM. Knee to the head of Bushi. REDRUM (DOUBLE KNEES BY TK/ SENTON SPLASH OFF THE TOP BY VINNY)! 1-2-KICKOUT! The double team finisher is broken up by Naito. Naito wants the tag. Naito gets the tag. SLINGSHOT PENDULUM DROPKICK! Tandem Offense by LIJ with a dropkick to the face of Vinny. TK takes out Bushi on the floor. Naito takes the finisher from The Kingdom. 1-2-2.999999! BUSHI BROKE IT UP AT THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND!!! Bushi ties up the referee and sprays the mist in TK's eyes. Vinny knocks down Bushi, but he turns into.... DESTINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 1-2-3!
Winner: Naito and Bushi
Match Grade: C+. An average tag match between two teams that usually never face each other.
After the match, Matt Taven attacks Naito. Christopher Daniels comes out to stop the attack. The Kingdom gets thrown together by Daniels and LIJ. BUSHI dives through the ropes into The Kingdom.
4) Christopher Daniels vs. Matt Taven
I guess that was the start of that one! The bell rang. Daniels goes to work on Taven in the corner. Dropkick in the middle by Daniels. Both men are on the outside. Taven is on the floor, and Daniels hits the Arabian Moonsault off the ropes to the floor. 48 years old, folks. Enziguri to Taven. Angel's Wings reversed. Just the Tip Knee to the Face by Taven. Taven now goes to work on Christopher Daniels as...
Dalton Castle and The Boys are going to the announce table. He takes Ian's headset to call the match. Back in the ring, a backdrop by Taven gets a 2. Taven chokes Daniels as Castle gets fanned by The Boys. Face First Sit-Down Suplex by Taven. Taven looks like the missing member of The Ascension with his haircut. Moonsault into the knees of Daniels gets a 2 for Daniels. Backslide gets a 2 as well. DDT by Taven. 2 count. Daniels is fighting off Taven. STO by Daniels. Daniels now builds up momentum with a bunch of strikes to Taven. Blue Thunder Bomb only gets a 2. Enziguri by Taven. A Back Suplex into a Powerbomb by Taven. Taven continues to press the attack on Daniels with a variation of Side Russian Leg Sweeps.
ANGEL'S WINGS by Daniels. Taven rolls to the ropes. The Kingdom are back out. Vinny gets knocked off the apron. TK throws the fake ROH World Championship in the ring. Taven hits a low blow on Daniels while the referee is distracted. Climax. 1-2-3.
Winner: Matt Taven.
Match Grade: C+. Again, another average match here. I liked the hot open of the match, but I didn't exactly care for the majority of this one. Again, I'm hot and cold on Taven. From show to show, it really depend.
Back in the ring, Christopher Daniels stands up saddened by taking yet another loss. His last match is scheduled to be at Final Battle.
5) The Briscoes vs. EVIL and Sanada
The bell rings. And EVIL is as popular in Canada as he is in America and Japan. Mark and EVIL start off this match. Both using underhanded tactics to take an advantage early on. Solid transitions and wrestling displayed by both men. Jay jumps Evil from behind, and The Briscoes go to work. Evil avoids an attack and knocks down Jay Briscoe. Tag to Sanada. Sanada trips up Mark but can't get the Paradise Lock in. Jay gets the tag in and clotheslines Sanada. The Briscoes get Sanada on their side of the ring and go to work. Mark attacks the eyes of Sanada as Jay distracts the referee. Mark comes in and continues the attack. Suplex to Sanada and another tag to Jay. Double Shoulder Tackle to Sanada. Jay continues to press the attack. BIG running clothesline and a kick to Sanada for a 2 count. Another tag to Mark. Great tag team wrestling by The Briscoes. Sanada starts to fight back with openhand slaps across the chest of Mark Briscoe. Sanada gets a big dropkick off the top of the corner. Jay gets between Sanada and Evil, and Mark Briscoe pulls Evil off the apron to the floor to stop any idea of a tag. Split dropkick by Sanada.
TAG TO EVIL! Evil goes to work on the Briscoe Bros. Big shoulder tackle to Mark Briscoe. Back elbow by Evil. Sidewalk Slam. 2 count only. Mark Briscoe knocks down Evil with a big clothesline. Both men are trying to get a Fisherman Suplex on the other. EVIL gets him after about 20 seconds of trying. Tags to Sanada and Jay Briscoe. They are trading shots. Jay gets caught and ... PARADISE LOCK! Sanada asks the fans to get on their feet. Sanada dropkicks the glutes of Jay to get him out of the move. Now, Mark gets locked into the Paradise Lock. And Sanada, the nice guy, gives the other brother equal treatment. Sanada thrown to the floor. Evil gets knocked down by Mark Briscoe with a dropkick and a blockbuster off the apron. The Briscoes double team Sanada. REDNECK BOOGIE! 1-2-KICKOUT AT 2.99999 by Sanada. Evil shoves Mark Briscoe into the guard rail. Jay is on his feet. Jay Driller blocked. Double team by Evil and Sanada. 1-2-KICKOUT by Jay. Magic Killer blocked by Mark Briscoe. Evil and Mark are on the outside. Sanada gets Skull End in. Chair is slid in. Mark uses another chair on the back of Sanada. JAY DRILLER! 1-2-3!
Winners: The Briscoes
Match Grade: B. That was a fun tag team match between two great teams. This didn't get to that next level, which is actually a good thing. It gives both teams something to work towards if they meet again in the future (G1 Supershow in April, perhaps?)
After the match, Evil shows the referee the chair that was used. Evil uses the chair on The Briscoes!!!!
6) Jonathan Gresham vs. Flip Gordon
Silas Young replaces Caprice Coleman at commentary. Flip gets a ton of streamers.
The bell rings. Both men do an excellent series of technical wrestling here early on, trading attempts at submissions. Shoulder tackle by Gresham. Flip gets him to the floor and dives through the ropes on him. Flip is holding his knee. The referee is checking on him.
Gresham is in the ring. Flip rolls in, and they're continuing the match apparently. Flip is hobbling as he hits a couple moves. He's not going for any flips right now. Chops by Flip. They trade some go-around switches. Gresham grabs the bad leg and gets a Half Crab on the bad leg of Gordon. Gordon gets to the rope barely. Gresham continues to work on the bad leg of Gordon. Chops by both men. Kick ot the knee of Flip. Both men reverse a ton of ROLLUPS and are literally rolling around the ring. Flip gets a kip up, but he immediately grabs the knee. He does get a kick up to knock Gresham down. Falcon Arrow by Flip gets a 2. He goes to the top rope. Gresham climbs up after him. Hurricanrana off the top rope by Gresham! Gresham presses the attack with running forearms to Flip. He nearly gets him 3x over, but he doesn't get the 3.
Snap German Suplex by Gresham gets a 2. Flip is still hobbling. Springboard Spear. Flip 5 by Flip. 1-2-3.
Winner: Flip Gordon
Match Grade: C-. Obviously, I don't know whether that knee injury was a legit one or whether that was part of the storyline. But that doesn't change the fact that it wasn't nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. Hopefully they'll get an opportunity to do another match.
After the match, Flip gets on the mic. He calls out Bully. Flip challenges Bully to an "I Quit" Match. Oh hell yeah! Here's hoping his knee is going to allow him to work that match.
7) ROH World Tag Team Championships
So Cal Uncensored (Kaz and Sky) (c) (w/Christopher Daniels) vs. Super Smash Bros. (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson)
The bell rings. Kaz and Greyson have a really good opening segment of wrestling. Then, Sky and Uno get tagged in and continue the slow build with a lot of arm wringers being traded between the two. Sky gets caught with a shoulder tackle. Kaz gets tagged in and hits a spinning kick. Roll-through slam by SCU to Grayson. Pendulum Dropkick by Kaz. Seconds later, SSB hit some tag team offense on Kaz. Grayson is the legal man working over Kaz. Tag to Uno. They now are isolating Kaz in the corner. Frequent tags by SSB and attacks. Uno is doing gross things like biting Kaz and "eating" skin flakes. Kaz trying to avoid the attacks and gets to Sky.
Sky hits a big double stomp to Uno. Flying head scissors to Uno. Neckbreaker by Uno. Tag to Grayson. High Fly Flow!!!! Spinning Judo Throw. Asai Moonsault misses. Evil Uno and Grayson are on the floor. Kaz hits his flying hurricanrana over the top rope to the floor but sends Grayson into Uno. Then, Sky dives over the top onto SSB.
Tornado DDT on Grayson by SCU only gets 2. Quick tags by SCU. Grayson gets a double Pele kick. Tag to Uno. Big V-Trigger by Grayson. Uno calls for the end. They hit a double team move (reminded me of reDRagon's finisher). Kaz broke up the pin attempt. The two teams trade blows. Kaz and Uno are left standing, and they start brawling. Double Dragon Sleepers by SCU. SSB grab hands and keep each other from tapping. Big attacks by all four men. Sky and Grayson are trading shots, but Grayson dives outside onto KAZ. SENTON SPLASH BY UNO! 450 by Grayson! 1-2- KICKOUT BY SKY!!!! Wow. I bought that one. Tag to Grayson. Seconds later, SCU hits a Rock Bottom into the Backstabber. 1-2-3!
Winners: SCU (Still Tag Team Champions)
Match Grade: B+. Ok. I have only seen SSB wrestle twice thanks to ROH, but this was another incredible performance. They were never going to win this match, but they showed a lot of great athleticism in this match. The double splash moment popped me for a moment.
After the match, the two teams shake hands.
8) Baretta vs. Juice Robinson
Cody was supposed to defend his IWGP United States Championship, but he was apparently injured while throwing his shirt of all things on Night 3. So, they switched out Cody for Juice. Macho Juice still looks awesome.
The bell rings. Juice seems to have the power advantage in the early going against Baretta. Big chop exchanges by both men. Now, Juice works in the jabs. Juice gets flipped over the top rope onto the floor. Now, Baretta dives over the top to the floor on Juice. Juice rams Baretta backwards into the rail. CANNONBALL MISSES SICKENINGLY!!! Juice flipped over the top of the rail to the floor. OUCH! Baretta hangs Juice of one side of the guard rail and jumps off the rail on the other side of the aisle to hit a double stomp on Juice's back.
Baretta hits a slingshot elbow drop on Juice in the ring for a 2 count. Kicks to the back of Juice. Baretta continues to press the offense against Juice. Juice catches Baretta and suplexes him on the top rope. Juice is in pain on his back. Backbreaker on Baretta. Senton Splash to Baretta. Juice continues to sell the pain of the back as he spears Baretta into the corner. Juice goes for another spear, but Baretta moves. Juice nails that post hard and with momentum. Baretta gets up and nails a CANNONBALL DIVE OVER THE TOP ROPE TO JUICE ON THE FLOOR!
Juice is put back into the ring. Baretta climbs back up the top rope. Crossbody countered into a CODEBREAKER! 1-2- KICKOUT! Baretta hits a Tornado DDT out of nowhere. Both men are on the apron now. Baretta NAILS A PILEDRIVER ON THE APRON!!!! Baretta picks up Juice and puts him back in the ring. Baretta hits a Shining Wizard. 1-2-KICKOUT! Juice gets THE LEFT HAND FROM GOD on the chin of Baretta. What a match! Juice climbs the corner. Baretta splits his legs sending Juice down to saddle the corner. Baretta climbs up the top of the corner. Juice headbutts Baretta and punches the midsection. Juice climbs back to the top of the corner. But Baretta speeds up and NAILS A TOP ROPE BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX!!!!!
Baretta gets caught on the shoulders of Juice. A Lumbar Check by Juice. The two men are just trading shots at this point back and forth, back and forth. LEFT HAND FROM GOD! Pulp Friction countered. Dudebuster countered. Juice goes for the rollup, but Baretta barely kicks out. Enziguri by Baretta. Baretta does his Shawn Michaels corner flip, but he clotheslines Juice coming back into the ring. Dudebuster blocked. Juice can't capitalize. SNAP PILEDRIVER BY BARETTA! 2 count. This is awesome!! SPRINGBOARD INTO THE LEFT HAND OF GOD!!!! PULP FRICTION! 1-2-3!
Winner: Juice Robinson
Match Grade: A-. That was a great match between two up and comers in NJPW and ROH. These guys just threw their bodies all over the arena and put on a great match. I don't know how you can ask much more out of them. They wrestled a New Japan style tonight, and it worked near perfectly. Well done to both men.
Juice grabs a mic. "Thank you very much!" Juice tells Cody that he's coming back for that title.
9) KUSHIDA and Chris Sabin vs. The Young Bucks
The bell rings. Nick and Kushida start us off. They trade off moves. Matt and Nick get their tandem offense in early here with some dives. Nick and Matt do some frequent tags to continue double ax handle drops on the arm of Kushida. Nick breaks the pattern by doing a double stomp on the arm instead. Sabin and Kushida soon start breaking out some classic tag team moves as well, including some call backs to Sabin's former team MCMG. They do "Crossing The Streams" double apron dives to the Bucks. Frequent tags now by Kushida and Sabin. They now continue to torture Nick Jackson with a multitude of arm wrenches. Matt runs in, but he gets caught. Two arm submissions on The Bucks, but they get to the ropes.
Sabin has a rest hold on Nick Jackson. More tag team domination by Sabin and Kushida. Nick fights off a double team by doing a double stomp to Kushida's back, rolling through, and hitting the backcracker to Sabin. Tag to Matt. Matt starts unloading on both Sabin and Kushida. SUPERKICK TO KUSHIDA! Inverted Code Red to Sabin. Nick Jackson tags in and kicks Sabin. Neckbreaker off the top into the knees of Matt for a 2. Some great reversals and flips by both teams in stereo. SUPERKICKS!!!! 2 count only for The Bucks. Matt is now legal again for The Bucks.
Meltzer Driver blocked. Sabin dives out through the ropes into Nick Jackson. Pele into the Cradle Shock, but Nick gets to break it up. Kushida gets tagged in. Back to the Future blocked. All four men are in the match. So many shots and attacks. Clothesline Bulldog by Matt Jackson to both Sabin and Kushida. MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK is countered into a Triangle Choke. Overhead Belly to Back Suplex Off The Top Rope by Sabin. Kushida nails a moonsault while Sabin hits a neckbreaker on Matt for a 2 count. Nick broke it up. Kushida tags in Sabin. SUPERKICKS by The Bucks! Sabin accidentally tombstones Kushida thanks to being superkicked while having Kushida in position. Nick hits a big dive off the corner! 5 STAR MELTZER DRIVER! 1-2-KUSHIDA BREAKS IT UP!!!!
Matt gets The Sharpshooter in on Sabin. Nick hits the facebuster on Sabin and moonsaults Kushida. Sabin taps!!!
Winners: The Young Bucks
Match Grade: B+. That was a lot of fun. Sabin and Kushida continue to impress as a tag team, and I hope to see more of them either in NJPW or in ROH. As for The Bucks, they picked up a big win on this tour. I guess they aren't going to be jobbed out. There were plenty of times in this match I felt that Sabin and Kushida were going to win it.
Main Event
ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs. Kenny King
King attacks Lethal before the bell rings. Shotgun knees to the body of Jay Lethal. Lethal Injection blocked. King has Lethal outside and dives over the top onto Lethal on the floor. Snap suplex by Lethal on King on the floor. Lethal and King continue to fight on the floor. And now, King throws Lethal back in the ring. Lethal is firing back at King, but King gets a clothesline in. King is extra-aggressive here. Lethal rammed into the corner now. King misses a splash which allows Lethal to hit a cartwheel dropkick.
Lethal now has King down and begins the work on the body of King. King catches Lethal kicking at him and hits an Exploder Bomb into the corner for a 2. King spends too much time mocking Lethal to the live crowd. Spinebuster to Lethal. 1-2-kickout. Lethal rolls outside. King brings Lethal back in the ring and goes to work. Lethal catches King leapfrogging him and slams him down for a 2 count. Lethal goes to dive at King, but King grabs the title to distract Lethal. Now, King goes back in the ring and goes back on the attack. King throws Lethal into the ring post. King is starting to work on the shoulder of Lethal with elbows and knees. A nice submission hold by King (shoulder lock) on Lethal who gets to the ropes.
King spits on Lethal which fires up Lethal for a moment. Lethal is starting to shake off the attacks on the shoulder. Forearms are now being exchanged by both men. King continues to get Lethal down. He gets caught climbing the corner with a big suplex off the corner. (This crowd is pretty silent for this match.) Lethal starts doing his trademark dives through the ropes. He hits all 3 dives through the ropes to King. King is rolled in. Hail to the King blocked, but Lethal grabs the leg and locks in the Figure Four! King gets out of it. Cutter by Lethal. Lethal Combination gets 2. Lethal Injection stopped. Knee and kick to the face of Lethal. 1-2-Kickout. Royal Flush is blocked. Lethal Injection caught. Springboard Neckbreaker by Kenny King for a 2.
Chops by King in the corner. King puts Lethal on the top rope. He climbs up. Lethal fights King off and hits a dropkick barely. Spiccoli Driver. HAIL TO THE KING is caught with a crucifix rollup. Lethal Injection blocked again. ROYAL FLUSH! 1-2-KICKOUT by LETHAL. King climbs up the top rope. Shooting Star Press misses! LETHAL INJECTION! 1-2-KING KICKS OUT!!!! "This is awesome!" chant. Lethal punches wildly at King. He tells King to get up. King flips him off. Both men are in the corner. Jay is going nuts on King. Lethal gets so angry that he pushes off the referee. King gets the 3 count, but the referee caught him using the ropes! He waves it off. LETHAL INJECTION! 1-2-3!
Winner: Jay Lethal (STILL ROH WORLD CHAMPION)
Match Grade: A-. WOW. There were some amazing exchanges and moments in this match. King showed a lot in this match. The only problem was that there were some spots in this match that really didn't do much to grab my attention. That being said, there were a LOT of great moments especially in the last 8-10 minutes that helped raise this grade up. Jay Lethal deserves to be mentioned among the great wrestlers of this generation.
Show Grade: B+. There were a couple odd matches on this show that didn't do much for me, but there are some absolutely great matches on this show, including the main event, Juice vs. Baretta, The Young Bucks vs. Sabin and Kushida, and the Tag Team Championship match. The final night of Global Wars was a success as far as the in-ring product goes. And except for Night 1, the tour was a great one.
_ _ _ _
Thank you for checking out these last few posts on the Global Wars tour. I hope you enjoyed the reviews. Be sure to check out all my other wrestling-related reviews on Table of Contents. Until next time....
Take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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