The first night of the Global Wars tour is here! 4 shows over 5 different nights, and I'm planning on covering them all... if the signal holds up. More on that later.
Without further ado, let's do this!!!
ROH/NJPW Global Wars 2018
11/7/2018
Lewiston, Maine
1) Eli Isom vs. Flip Gordon
Thankfully, Flip Gordon is seemingly ok after that NASTY crash and burn from Sunday.
The bell rings. A good opening period here where Isom and Gordon work through arm holds early on. Isom and Gordon flip and avoid each others moves, going to a standoff after a double dropkick spot. Gordon catches Isom with a dropkick. Gordon seconds later hits a nice flip and Pele Kick. Springboard Moonsault for a 2. Senton Dive over the top to the floor on Isom by Gordon. Only a 2 count though once they are back in the ring. BIG CHOPS exchanged by both men. But Gordon gets the upper hand. Big running dropkick into the corner by Flip, who is the aggressor in this match. (This is not something we're used to seeing in Flip Gordon matches).
Gordon locks in a headlock, and Isom fights to his feet. Forearm by Isom who begins to build momentum. They crumble in the center of the ring in an awkward moment. That was a definite botch. Big back suplex by Isom for a 2 count. Flip hits a big kick to the head of Isom for a 2 count. Isom hits a big wheelbarrow into a German Suplex for a 2 count. Isom gets caught in a Falcon Arrow for a 2 count by Flip. Springboard Spear by Flip. Flip 5 (F5) for the win.
Winner: Flip Gordon
Match Grade: C. I wanted to like this match more, but there were some definite problems in this match. These guys had a couple instances of miscommunication, and the match suffered as a result. But I can't hate on it too much especially since I'm just glad Flip is ok after that nasty fall on Sunday.
The Code of Honor is adhered to after the match.
2) The Bouncers (Bruiser and Milonas) vs. So Cal Uncensored (Kazarian and Sky)
The Bouncers come out through the back part of the arena with a ton of empty seats to be found. I hate seeing that as ROH has been really good lately with or without The Elite on the card. And here comes one of the reasons why: SCU! SCU!!!!! Lewiston is officially the worst town SCU has ever been in! Lol.
The bell rings. Kaz is playing with the flab of Bruiser early on and gets him to chase him around the ring. Then Scorpio Sky gets involved to double up on Bruiser. Soon though, Milonas gets the tag to start going at it with the smaller Sky. SCU uses their speed and agility early on here to trip up The Bouncers. Kaz and Bruiser have a bad botched hurricanrana spot that was difficult on both men to try to pull off. BUT seconds later, Bruiser nails Kaz full on with a senton... KEG splash off of the apron. That did not look good. I wish they had botched that. Lol
Kaz is getting worked on now by Milonas. And now Milonas gives Kaz a multitude of stinkfaces while Bruiser tags himself in and nails the CANNON BALL!!!!! 1-2 Kickout. Bruiser is now biting Kazarian. Bruiser: "I CAN'T BITE! I HAVE NO TEETH!!! LOL!" The Bouncers continue to attack and pummel the much smaller Kaz. Kaz probably wishes DDP Yoga had more carbs right about now. Lol. Kaz escapes The Bouncers corner and tags in Sky. Sky starts unloading with kicks and attacks to The Bouncers. Double stomp to the back of Milonas. Head scissors toss into Milonas on Bruiser by Sky. (You get that? Lol.) Combination DDT by SCU to Bruiser. Sky gets caught diving onto Milonas on the floor and gets dumped on the apron. Milonas Buckle Bombs Sky into Kaz into the corner. Last Call connects for The Bruisers, and SKY BARELY BREAKS UP THE PINFALL ATTEMPT! The PowerPlex is broken up as Sky dumps Bruiser to the floor. Powerbomb by SCU to Milonas out of the corner. 1-2-3.
Winners: SCU (SCU!!)
Match Grade: C+. Another match that had a few too many botches for my taste, but this delivered at a better level than the opening match. I liked the work by all four men in this. It's hard to have this type of match between a large team like The Bouncers and a smaller, more agile team like Sky and Kazarian.
After the match, The Bruisers offer a beer to SCU as their method of The Code of Honor.
3) Jeff Cobb vs. Cheeseburger
This isn't even a match. This is a dang execution.
The bell rings. Burger tries a headlock, and Cobb just shoves him off. Cobb just grabs the rope as Cheeseburger wraps his 98lb body around one of Cobb's legs trying to take him down. Cobb is just bouncing Cheeseburger off of him. Cobb now unloads with a big chop. Cobb is hesitant to attack Cheeseburger, but it's a match. And he tosses Cheeseburger from one end of the ring to the next. Cheeseburger slides out of a bear hug and gets a front guillotine. Cheeseburger eats a big dropkick by Jeff Cobb jumping up to hit him on the top of the corner. Now, Cobb hits a DELAYED VERTICAL SUPLEX OFF THE TOP ROPE! 1-2-KICKOUT . Standing moonsault by Cobb misses. Forearms by Cheeseburger have no effect. Cobb eats a pop-up stunner by Burger. Burger hits a corner Shotei. Cobb crumbles to the mat. Burger hits a springboard senton splash and only gets a 1. Shotei is blocked by Cobb. Twisting Suplex followed by the Twisting Slam. 1-2-3.
Winner: Jeff Cobb.
Match Grade: D. Sometimes, you just should not do a match. This is a match I had no interest in ever seeing, and I feel lesser for having seen it. It's not the fault of the two athletes either, but it's part of the bigger problem of what you can do logically with Cheeseburger. This was not a match to book him in.
4) ROH WORLD 6-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Kingdom vs. Dalton Castle and The Boys
I put the title stipulation in ALL CAPS because it was just announced as the match was introduced.
Dalton hits Vinny with a "Boy Bag." Matt Taven jumps Dalton Castle to start the match. And now, TK joins with Taven in beating up Castle in the corner. Dalton's boys are knocked off the apron as TK continues to work on Castle. Castle gets the advantage and tags in one of The Boys. Boy #1 is supposedly legal. The ref just lets The Boys double team TK before The Boys tag Dalton back into the match. 3-2 offense here as The Boys just dump Taven and TK to the floor. And The Boys are now being thrown over the top rope over and over and over again into The Kingdom. Castle does his classic fake dive and pose. Vinny sucks one of the boys under the ring and comes back up to attack Castle and The Boys. BANGARANG to Vinny for only a 2 as The Kingdom interfered to break up the count.
The Kingdom goe for Rockstar Supernova. The Boys catch the other members of The Kingdom, but Taven reverses a Bangarang attempt into a big knee. Castle runs out of the ring. One of The Boys comes out with a hand/claw gimmick. Taven hits TK by accident. The Boy now hits Vinny with a bunch of moves including a Standing Sliced Bread. The Boy goes slasher with his fingernails to Vinny. The Boy tosses off the shirt at Dalton's request. Castle and Taven go back at it with a rapid fire of forearms. They fall to the floor. Castle gets thrown into the guardrail. They continue to fight up the aisle. The Kingdom catch one of The Boys with a double team move for the win.
Winners: The Kingdom (Still 6-Man Tag Team Champions)
Match Grade: C. Again, this is nothing really special. I'm not a huge fan of The Kingdom or what they do. And the comedy spots in this match didn't work for me. There's just nothing in this match that deserved any attention at all.
After the match, Taven tells Castle that he's going to destroy him in New York City at Final Battle.
5) The Briscoes vs. Cody & Adam Page
This seems to be another night where ROH is going to have The Elite lose on their way out. We'll see if I'm right. Cody comes out with Brandi Rhodes. No Burnard The Business Bear. :(
The bell rings. Page and Mark Briscoe start this off. Forearms are firing in a rematch from The Jericho Cruise. They play up doing the one-up gimmick from that show, but Mark just pulls his hair down and starts fighting. Tag to Jay Briscoe and to Cody. Cody fires off with the fast offense and the classic Goldust uppercut. Tags back to Mark and Page. Mark fights off The Elite. But Cody face first suplexes Mark onto the knees of Page. And we've lost signal.
(While I'm waiting for this signal to come back, this has been a decent show up to this point. But nothing consequential has really happened. The performances have been decent, but there hasn't been a mindblowing match on this show either.)
And we're still waiting for the signal to come back. This is one complaint I have about ROH in general: They have signal losses too often.
WE'RE BACK!
And The Briscoes are beating up on Hangman Page. Page gets the tag to Cody. Cdoy unloads on both Briscoes. Snap Slam to Mark Briscoe for a 2 count. (The Power went out in the building. That's why they lost signal.) Ian makes a great joke about Sabu showing up when the lights went down. Cody goes back after Mark, but The Briscoes reestablish control. Now, it's Cody that is getting worked over by The Chicken Farmers from Delaware. Cody avoided a big dive by Mark Briscoe.
Tag to Page and Jay Briscoe. Big forearm fight between the two. Page gets the advantage. Big clothesline by Page. Page is put on the apron, but he uses that opportunity to hit the Shooting Star Press to Mark on the floor. Bridging German Suplex to Jay back in the ring for a 2 count. Jay dumps Page to the floor. Mark and Jay are going at it to The Elite. Neckbreaker by Jay back in the ring to Page for a 2 count. Redneck Boogie by The Briscoes only gets a 2 thanks to Cody interfering. Cody and Jay are brawling in the ring. SUPERKICK to Jay. Brandi is on the apron and Mark hits her by accident. Cody checks on her, but Cody eats a low blow. BUCKSHOT Lariat. Jay and Mark are on the floor. Page goes up and NAILS THE TOP ROPE MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR TO THE BRISCOES! Mark is put in the ring and takes Cross Rhodes, but Page is thrown into the pin to break it up.
Outside, Jay and Cody are brawling. Cody gets thrown into the guard rails. The Briscoes are double temaing Page. JAY DRILLER! FROGGY BOW! 1-2-3!
Winners: The Briscoes
Match Grade: B-. The match itself was very good from what I saw. This is the continuation of the losing of The Elite on their way out of ROH. The Briscoes are a good team to lose to though as they are continuing to be a marquee act in ROH.
6) Juice Robinson vs. Christopher Daniels
SCU! Here comes Daniels. And here comes JUICE!!! Glad to see Juice stateside for a few days. Maine shows Juice only one streamer as he comes into the ring. Oh, come on. He deserves more than that. The Code of Honor is adhered to.
The bell rings. Daniels and Juice trade arm wrenches. Big chop by Daniels. Dropkick now by Daniels, who may have Juice by about 20 years in this match. Big back leg attack by Juice for a 1. Delayed Vertical Suplex by Juice. Senton Splash. 1-2-Kickout. Hard whip into the corner by Juice. CANNON BALL.... MISSES!!!!! Daniels escaped and starts going on offense against the former IWGP US Champion. STO by Daniels. Northern Lights Suplex by Daniels gets a 2 count. Koji Clutch by Daniels, but Juice is way too close to the ropes.
Daniels continues to press the attack. A headlock is put in as the fans clap for Juice to get back into the match. Daniels hits an Arabian Moonsault. 48 years old, folks. And Daniels doesn't need a "You Still Got It" chant. Daniels continues to press the attack and reapplies the headlock. Juice gets out and hits Daniels with a big spinebuster.
Juice starts going at Daniels with a series of lariats. Daniels is in the corner. CANNONBALL!!!! Full Nelson Slam only get a 2. Blue Thunder Bomb by Daniels to Juice for a 2.99999999!!! Daniels climbs up to the top rope, but Juice splits the legs of Daniels while he's on the corner. Daniels just crumbles to the mat. Juice climbs up that same corner. And now Daniels does the same to Juice, only using the rope instead of splitting the legs. Forearms from Daniels are met with jabs by Juice. Juice gets beaten to the punch once, but he hits the Left Hand. Pulp Friction avoided. Judo Throw avoided. PULP FRICTION!!!! 1-2-3!
Winner: Juice Robinson
Match Grade: B-. This was a fine match between the great Juice Robinson and the legend Christopher Daniels. While they didn't do anything too crazy, they did produce a very solid in-ring contest. The crowd noise didn't do a lot for this match, but I thought the effort was there for a good grade.
Daniels holds Juice's hand up after the match in a show of respect.
7) The Young Bucks vs. Silas Young and Bully Ray
I don't doubt that The Young Bucks will lose this match. I'm just asking how they will lose this. I think it's obvious what's going on here with The Elite.
The bell rings. Bully is mouthing off like a teenager in high school. Silas and Nick Jackson are starting the match. Silas gets caught in the corner of The Bucks, who take advantage by double-teaming Silas with multiple tags and multiple moves. Bully gets tagged in by Silas. He wants Matt Jackson. The tag is made. And Bully points at a "chubby kid" in the crowd and wants the ref to make him shut up. Bully overpowers Matt early on. Matt finally unloads with fast offense on Bully. The Bucks double-team Silas and Bully with some classic tandem offense.
Matt gets wishboned over the ringpost by Bully Ray, which obviously will lead to the heel domination of the next part of the match. Bully and Silas double up on Matt with some classic heel tactics. In particular, they are working over the bad back of Matt Jackson (which Matt has been selling since last January). Frequent tags by the heels. Bully does the jabs, but Matt Jackson hits him with a spear. The referee didn't see any tags. Therefore, Matt still gets assaulted by Bully. Tag to Silas who locks in a Camel Clutch. Tag back to Bully. But Matt catches Bully on the top of the corner with a hurricanrana. Bully stops Matt with a big sidewalk slam. Seconds later, Bully misses a big senton splash off the corner.
Tag to Nick and Silas. Nick is going off on Silas Young with dropkicks, knees, and bulldogs. Double stomp and running knee by Nick Jackson for a CLOSE 2 count. Superkick Party signaled. Superkick Party avoided. Backbreaker and clothesline by Silas for a 2 count. Rise of the Terminator music for The Bucks from the audience. Silas goes for Misery and misses. Big knees to the face by Silas. Anarchist Suplex by Silas for a deep 2 count. Silas goes for The Plunge, but he misses. Superkicks are out from Nick Jackson. Leapfrog X-Factor into the moonsault on both men. Sharpshooter by Nick to Silas. Silas pulls himself towards the ropes. Bully gets double superkicked!!!! AND WE LOSE SIGNAL AGAIN?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
We come back and Silas Young and Bully Ray got the win.
Winners: Silas Young and Bully Ray
Match Grade: C. Again, this is the night that it has become abundantly clear that The Elite are leaving ROH. ROH has made the decision that they will put over everyone on their way out, and they may not win a match for the rest of their contracts. It's a time honored tradition for someone to do the honors on their way out. And that seems to be where we are now.
Main Event
Kushida, Lethal, Sabin, and Gresham vs. Los Ingobernables De Japon (Bushi, Evil, Sanada, and Naito)
Let's hope the power holds up for the 20 minutes this match will likely last.
The bell rings. Naito and Gresham start us off here. Naito fakes a tie-up and tags in Sanada. Sanada and Gresham do some mat wrestling and some deception. A double kick is dropped, but Sanada is unable to drop Gresham into the Paradise Lock. Tag to EVIL and Sabin respectively. Bushi helps Evil take the advantage on Sabin. Sabin uses his quickness to escape the attacks of EVIL and Bushi, but Evil kicks him in the quad. Tag to Kushida who double up on EVIL and Naito (who runs in to help EVIL). Kushida tags in Lethal who does the cartwheel dropkick to EVIL. 2 count. Gresham tags in and helps do a bunch of splashes to EVIL. Lethal's team tags in and out in order to continue wringing the arm of EVIL.
LIJ distract the referee and go on the attack on Lethal's team. They are brawling all over the ringside area. EVIL and Kushida come back into the ring. And now, it's Kushida who gets his arm wrenched. Tag to Naito by Evil. More arm wrenching to Kushida. Neckbreaker by Naito. Naito drags Kushida into the corner and tags in Bushi. Bushirooni! The shirt is used to choke Kushida as Naito goes to the referee to continue distracting him. Frequent tags and offense by LIJ to Kushida. Sanada puts the Paradise Lock in on Kushida and kicks the glutes to release the hold. Nice guy. (Ian throws some shade on the arena trying to say its name. "The lights are on for me to say the name.")
Lethal gets the tag. And Lethal is now going after all of LIJ. Jay runs the ropes and runs into the boot of Naito. Sabin and Kushida throw Naito outside. Big running sentons off the apron to the floor by Sabin and Kushida to Sanada and Evil. Sanada is back in the ring, getting quadruple teamed by Team Lethal. A LONG 2 count. Lethal Injection avoided. Magic Killer using the ropes by Sanada.
Lethal tags in Gresham. Bushi gets tagged in by Sanada. Forearms traded. Stunner by Gresham followed by an Enziguri and a Snap German. Bushi is now going to be the victim of a quadruple team. Octopus Lock on Bushi. Evil breaks it up just in time. Tag to Naito by Bushi. Evil, Sanada, and Naito triple team Gresham. Almost get a 3. Big enziguri by Sabin just as Naito was going for Destino. Sanada takes a double team by Sabin and Kushida. Lethal Injection to Bushi. DARKNESS FALLS FOR LETHAL! Gresham gets decked with a lariat. Naito covers for 2. But he can't escape.... DESTINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 1-2-3!
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon
Match Grade: B. Some really nice action between the two teams down the stretch with a lot of diving and high risk moves. It wasn't the best LIJ match that I've seen in these ROH vs. NJPW shows, but it was a fun one with Lethal's team bringing in some nice offensive maneuvers into the match.
Show Grade: C. I'm naming this show "Darkness Falls" because Darkness Falls is one of EVIL's main moves. Also, it describes what will be the last few weeks of The Elite's time in ROH, some of the botches that happened in the earlier matches, and the lost signals that happened during the show. The production problems just hurt this show, and the card was not that great either to be honest. This is not an indictment on ROH period. It's just a fact that sometimes you hit a home run, and sometimes you just have to settle for the single. This was settling for the single tonight.
_ _ _ _ _
Here's hoping that Night 2 will be better and with a lot less interruptions. Until then, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
Without further ado, let's do this!!!
ROH/NJPW Global Wars 2018
11/7/2018
Lewiston, Maine
1) Eli Isom vs. Flip Gordon
Thankfully, Flip Gordon is seemingly ok after that NASTY crash and burn from Sunday.
The bell rings. A good opening period here where Isom and Gordon work through arm holds early on. Isom and Gordon flip and avoid each others moves, going to a standoff after a double dropkick spot. Gordon catches Isom with a dropkick. Gordon seconds later hits a nice flip and Pele Kick. Springboard Moonsault for a 2. Senton Dive over the top to the floor on Isom by Gordon. Only a 2 count though once they are back in the ring. BIG CHOPS exchanged by both men. But Gordon gets the upper hand. Big running dropkick into the corner by Flip, who is the aggressor in this match. (This is not something we're used to seeing in Flip Gordon matches).
Gordon locks in a headlock, and Isom fights to his feet. Forearm by Isom who begins to build momentum. They crumble in the center of the ring in an awkward moment. That was a definite botch. Big back suplex by Isom for a 2 count. Flip hits a big kick to the head of Isom for a 2 count. Isom hits a big wheelbarrow into a German Suplex for a 2 count. Isom gets caught in a Falcon Arrow for a 2 count by Flip. Springboard Spear by Flip. Flip 5 (F5) for the win.
Winner: Flip Gordon
Match Grade: C. I wanted to like this match more, but there were some definite problems in this match. These guys had a couple instances of miscommunication, and the match suffered as a result. But I can't hate on it too much especially since I'm just glad Flip is ok after that nasty fall on Sunday.
The Code of Honor is adhered to after the match.
2) The Bouncers (Bruiser and Milonas) vs. So Cal Uncensored (Kazarian and Sky)
The Bouncers come out through the back part of the arena with a ton of empty seats to be found. I hate seeing that as ROH has been really good lately with or without The Elite on the card. And here comes one of the reasons why: SCU! SCU!!!!! Lewiston is officially the worst town SCU has ever been in! Lol.
The bell rings. Kaz is playing with the flab of Bruiser early on and gets him to chase him around the ring. Then Scorpio Sky gets involved to double up on Bruiser. Soon though, Milonas gets the tag to start going at it with the smaller Sky. SCU uses their speed and agility early on here to trip up The Bouncers. Kaz and Bruiser have a bad botched hurricanrana spot that was difficult on both men to try to pull off. BUT seconds later, Bruiser nails Kaz full on with a senton... KEG splash off of the apron. That did not look good. I wish they had botched that. Lol
Kaz is getting worked on now by Milonas. And now Milonas gives Kaz a multitude of stinkfaces while Bruiser tags himself in and nails the CANNON BALL!!!!! 1-2 Kickout. Bruiser is now biting Kazarian. Bruiser: "I CAN'T BITE! I HAVE NO TEETH!!! LOL!" The Bouncers continue to attack and pummel the much smaller Kaz. Kaz probably wishes DDP Yoga had more carbs right about now. Lol. Kaz escapes The Bouncers corner and tags in Sky. Sky starts unloading with kicks and attacks to The Bouncers. Double stomp to the back of Milonas. Head scissors toss into Milonas on Bruiser by Sky. (You get that? Lol.) Combination DDT by SCU to Bruiser. Sky gets caught diving onto Milonas on the floor and gets dumped on the apron. Milonas Buckle Bombs Sky into Kaz into the corner. Last Call connects for The Bruisers, and SKY BARELY BREAKS UP THE PINFALL ATTEMPT! The PowerPlex is broken up as Sky dumps Bruiser to the floor. Powerbomb by SCU to Milonas out of the corner. 1-2-3.
Winners: SCU (SCU!!)
Match Grade: C+. Another match that had a few too many botches for my taste, but this delivered at a better level than the opening match. I liked the work by all four men in this. It's hard to have this type of match between a large team like The Bouncers and a smaller, more agile team like Sky and Kazarian.
After the match, The Bruisers offer a beer to SCU as their method of The Code of Honor.
3) Jeff Cobb vs. Cheeseburger
This isn't even a match. This is a dang execution.
The bell rings. Burger tries a headlock, and Cobb just shoves him off. Cobb just grabs the rope as Cheeseburger wraps his 98lb body around one of Cobb's legs trying to take him down. Cobb is just bouncing Cheeseburger off of him. Cobb now unloads with a big chop. Cobb is hesitant to attack Cheeseburger, but it's a match. And he tosses Cheeseburger from one end of the ring to the next. Cheeseburger slides out of a bear hug and gets a front guillotine. Cheeseburger eats a big dropkick by Jeff Cobb jumping up to hit him on the top of the corner. Now, Cobb hits a DELAYED VERTICAL SUPLEX OFF THE TOP ROPE! 1-2-KICKOUT . Standing moonsault by Cobb misses. Forearms by Cheeseburger have no effect. Cobb eats a pop-up stunner by Burger. Burger hits a corner Shotei. Cobb crumbles to the mat. Burger hits a springboard senton splash and only gets a 1. Shotei is blocked by Cobb. Twisting Suplex followed by the Twisting Slam. 1-2-3.
Winner: Jeff Cobb.
Match Grade: D. Sometimes, you just should not do a match. This is a match I had no interest in ever seeing, and I feel lesser for having seen it. It's not the fault of the two athletes either, but it's part of the bigger problem of what you can do logically with Cheeseburger. This was not a match to book him in.
4) ROH WORLD 6-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Kingdom vs. Dalton Castle and The Boys
I put the title stipulation in ALL CAPS because it was just announced as the match was introduced.
Dalton hits Vinny with a "Boy Bag." Matt Taven jumps Dalton Castle to start the match. And now, TK joins with Taven in beating up Castle in the corner. Dalton's boys are knocked off the apron as TK continues to work on Castle. Castle gets the advantage and tags in one of The Boys. Boy #1 is supposedly legal. The ref just lets The Boys double team TK before The Boys tag Dalton back into the match. 3-2 offense here as The Boys just dump Taven and TK to the floor. And The Boys are now being thrown over the top rope over and over and over again into The Kingdom. Castle does his classic fake dive and pose. Vinny sucks one of the boys under the ring and comes back up to attack Castle and The Boys. BANGARANG to Vinny for only a 2 as The Kingdom interfered to break up the count.
The Kingdom goe for Rockstar Supernova. The Boys catch the other members of The Kingdom, but Taven reverses a Bangarang attempt into a big knee. Castle runs out of the ring. One of The Boys comes out with a hand/claw gimmick. Taven hits TK by accident. The Boy now hits Vinny with a bunch of moves including a Standing Sliced Bread. The Boy goes slasher with his fingernails to Vinny. The Boy tosses off the shirt at Dalton's request. Castle and Taven go back at it with a rapid fire of forearms. They fall to the floor. Castle gets thrown into the guardrail. They continue to fight up the aisle. The Kingdom catch one of The Boys with a double team move for the win.
Winners: The Kingdom (Still 6-Man Tag Team Champions)
Match Grade: C. Again, this is nothing really special. I'm not a huge fan of The Kingdom or what they do. And the comedy spots in this match didn't work for me. There's just nothing in this match that deserved any attention at all.
After the match, Taven tells Castle that he's going to destroy him in New York City at Final Battle.
5) The Briscoes vs. Cody & Adam Page
This seems to be another night where ROH is going to have The Elite lose on their way out. We'll see if I'm right. Cody comes out with Brandi Rhodes. No Burnard The Business Bear. :(
The bell rings. Page and Mark Briscoe start this off. Forearms are firing in a rematch from The Jericho Cruise. They play up doing the one-up gimmick from that show, but Mark just pulls his hair down and starts fighting. Tag to Jay Briscoe and to Cody. Cody fires off with the fast offense and the classic Goldust uppercut. Tags back to Mark and Page. Mark fights off The Elite. But Cody face first suplexes Mark onto the knees of Page. And we've lost signal.
(While I'm waiting for this signal to come back, this has been a decent show up to this point. But nothing consequential has really happened. The performances have been decent, but there hasn't been a mindblowing match on this show either.)
And we're still waiting for the signal to come back. This is one complaint I have about ROH in general: They have signal losses too often.
WE'RE BACK!
And The Briscoes are beating up on Hangman Page. Page gets the tag to Cody. Cdoy unloads on both Briscoes. Snap Slam to Mark Briscoe for a 2 count. (The Power went out in the building. That's why they lost signal.) Ian makes a great joke about Sabu showing up when the lights went down. Cody goes back after Mark, but The Briscoes reestablish control. Now, it's Cody that is getting worked over by The Chicken Farmers from Delaware. Cody avoided a big dive by Mark Briscoe.
Tag to Page and Jay Briscoe. Big forearm fight between the two. Page gets the advantage. Big clothesline by Page. Page is put on the apron, but he uses that opportunity to hit the Shooting Star Press to Mark on the floor. Bridging German Suplex to Jay back in the ring for a 2 count. Jay dumps Page to the floor. Mark and Jay are going at it to The Elite. Neckbreaker by Jay back in the ring to Page for a 2 count. Redneck Boogie by The Briscoes only gets a 2 thanks to Cody interfering. Cody and Jay are brawling in the ring. SUPERKICK to Jay. Brandi is on the apron and Mark hits her by accident. Cody checks on her, but Cody eats a low blow. BUCKSHOT Lariat. Jay and Mark are on the floor. Page goes up and NAILS THE TOP ROPE MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR TO THE BRISCOES! Mark is put in the ring and takes Cross Rhodes, but Page is thrown into the pin to break it up.
Outside, Jay and Cody are brawling. Cody gets thrown into the guard rails. The Briscoes are double temaing Page. JAY DRILLER! FROGGY BOW! 1-2-3!
Winners: The Briscoes
Match Grade: B-. The match itself was very good from what I saw. This is the continuation of the losing of The Elite on their way out of ROH. The Briscoes are a good team to lose to though as they are continuing to be a marquee act in ROH.
6) Juice Robinson vs. Christopher Daniels
SCU! Here comes Daniels. And here comes JUICE!!! Glad to see Juice stateside for a few days. Maine shows Juice only one streamer as he comes into the ring. Oh, come on. He deserves more than that. The Code of Honor is adhered to.
The bell rings. Daniels and Juice trade arm wrenches. Big chop by Daniels. Dropkick now by Daniels, who may have Juice by about 20 years in this match. Big back leg attack by Juice for a 1. Delayed Vertical Suplex by Juice. Senton Splash. 1-2-Kickout. Hard whip into the corner by Juice. CANNON BALL.... MISSES!!!!! Daniels escaped and starts going on offense against the former IWGP US Champion. STO by Daniels. Northern Lights Suplex by Daniels gets a 2 count. Koji Clutch by Daniels, but Juice is way too close to the ropes.
Daniels continues to press the attack. A headlock is put in as the fans clap for Juice to get back into the match. Daniels hits an Arabian Moonsault. 48 years old, folks. And Daniels doesn't need a "You Still Got It" chant. Daniels continues to press the attack and reapplies the headlock. Juice gets out and hits Daniels with a big spinebuster.
Juice starts going at Daniels with a series of lariats. Daniels is in the corner. CANNONBALL!!!! Full Nelson Slam only get a 2. Blue Thunder Bomb by Daniels to Juice for a 2.99999999!!! Daniels climbs up to the top rope, but Juice splits the legs of Daniels while he's on the corner. Daniels just crumbles to the mat. Juice climbs up that same corner. And now Daniels does the same to Juice, only using the rope instead of splitting the legs. Forearms from Daniels are met with jabs by Juice. Juice gets beaten to the punch once, but he hits the Left Hand. Pulp Friction avoided. Judo Throw avoided. PULP FRICTION!!!! 1-2-3!
Winner: Juice Robinson
Match Grade: B-. This was a fine match between the great Juice Robinson and the legend Christopher Daniels. While they didn't do anything too crazy, they did produce a very solid in-ring contest. The crowd noise didn't do a lot for this match, but I thought the effort was there for a good grade.
Daniels holds Juice's hand up after the match in a show of respect.
7) The Young Bucks vs. Silas Young and Bully Ray
I don't doubt that The Young Bucks will lose this match. I'm just asking how they will lose this. I think it's obvious what's going on here with The Elite.
The bell rings. Bully is mouthing off like a teenager in high school. Silas and Nick Jackson are starting the match. Silas gets caught in the corner of The Bucks, who take advantage by double-teaming Silas with multiple tags and multiple moves. Bully gets tagged in by Silas. He wants Matt Jackson. The tag is made. And Bully points at a "chubby kid" in the crowd and wants the ref to make him shut up. Bully overpowers Matt early on. Matt finally unloads with fast offense on Bully. The Bucks double-team Silas and Bully with some classic tandem offense.
Matt gets wishboned over the ringpost by Bully Ray, which obviously will lead to the heel domination of the next part of the match. Bully and Silas double up on Matt with some classic heel tactics. In particular, they are working over the bad back of Matt Jackson (which Matt has been selling since last January). Frequent tags by the heels. Bully does the jabs, but Matt Jackson hits him with a spear. The referee didn't see any tags. Therefore, Matt still gets assaulted by Bully. Tag to Silas who locks in a Camel Clutch. Tag back to Bully. But Matt catches Bully on the top of the corner with a hurricanrana. Bully stops Matt with a big sidewalk slam. Seconds later, Bully misses a big senton splash off the corner.
Tag to Nick and Silas. Nick is going off on Silas Young with dropkicks, knees, and bulldogs. Double stomp and running knee by Nick Jackson for a CLOSE 2 count. Superkick Party signaled. Superkick Party avoided. Backbreaker and clothesline by Silas for a 2 count. Rise of the Terminator music for The Bucks from the audience. Silas goes for Misery and misses. Big knees to the face by Silas. Anarchist Suplex by Silas for a deep 2 count. Silas goes for The Plunge, but he misses. Superkicks are out from Nick Jackson. Leapfrog X-Factor into the moonsault on both men. Sharpshooter by Nick to Silas. Silas pulls himself towards the ropes. Bully gets double superkicked!!!! AND WE LOSE SIGNAL AGAIN?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
We come back and Silas Young and Bully Ray got the win.
Winners: Silas Young and Bully Ray
Match Grade: C. Again, this is the night that it has become abundantly clear that The Elite are leaving ROH. ROH has made the decision that they will put over everyone on their way out, and they may not win a match for the rest of their contracts. It's a time honored tradition for someone to do the honors on their way out. And that seems to be where we are now.
Main Event
Kushida, Lethal, Sabin, and Gresham vs. Los Ingobernables De Japon (Bushi, Evil, Sanada, and Naito)
Let's hope the power holds up for the 20 minutes this match will likely last.
The bell rings. Naito and Gresham start us off here. Naito fakes a tie-up and tags in Sanada. Sanada and Gresham do some mat wrestling and some deception. A double kick is dropped, but Sanada is unable to drop Gresham into the Paradise Lock. Tag to EVIL and Sabin respectively. Bushi helps Evil take the advantage on Sabin. Sabin uses his quickness to escape the attacks of EVIL and Bushi, but Evil kicks him in the quad. Tag to Kushida who double up on EVIL and Naito (who runs in to help EVIL). Kushida tags in Lethal who does the cartwheel dropkick to EVIL. 2 count. Gresham tags in and helps do a bunch of splashes to EVIL. Lethal's team tags in and out in order to continue wringing the arm of EVIL.
LIJ distract the referee and go on the attack on Lethal's team. They are brawling all over the ringside area. EVIL and Kushida come back into the ring. And now, it's Kushida who gets his arm wrenched. Tag to Naito by Evil. More arm wrenching to Kushida. Neckbreaker by Naito. Naito drags Kushida into the corner and tags in Bushi. Bushirooni! The shirt is used to choke Kushida as Naito goes to the referee to continue distracting him. Frequent tags and offense by LIJ to Kushida. Sanada puts the Paradise Lock in on Kushida and kicks the glutes to release the hold. Nice guy. (Ian throws some shade on the arena trying to say its name. "The lights are on for me to say the name.")
Lethal gets the tag. And Lethal is now going after all of LIJ. Jay runs the ropes and runs into the boot of Naito. Sabin and Kushida throw Naito outside. Big running sentons off the apron to the floor by Sabin and Kushida to Sanada and Evil. Sanada is back in the ring, getting quadruple teamed by Team Lethal. A LONG 2 count. Lethal Injection avoided. Magic Killer using the ropes by Sanada.
Lethal tags in Gresham. Bushi gets tagged in by Sanada. Forearms traded. Stunner by Gresham followed by an Enziguri and a Snap German. Bushi is now going to be the victim of a quadruple team. Octopus Lock on Bushi. Evil breaks it up just in time. Tag to Naito by Bushi. Evil, Sanada, and Naito triple team Gresham. Almost get a 3. Big enziguri by Sabin just as Naito was going for Destino. Sanada takes a double team by Sabin and Kushida. Lethal Injection to Bushi. DARKNESS FALLS FOR LETHAL! Gresham gets decked with a lariat. Naito covers for 2. But he can't escape.... DESTINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 1-2-3!
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon
Match Grade: B. Some really nice action between the two teams down the stretch with a lot of diving and high risk moves. It wasn't the best LIJ match that I've seen in these ROH vs. NJPW shows, but it was a fun one with Lethal's team bringing in some nice offensive maneuvers into the match.
Show Grade: C. I'm naming this show "Darkness Falls" because Darkness Falls is one of EVIL's main moves. Also, it describes what will be the last few weeks of The Elite's time in ROH, some of the botches that happened in the earlier matches, and the lost signals that happened during the show. The production problems just hurt this show, and the card was not that great either to be honest. This is not an indictment on ROH period. It's just a fact that sometimes you hit a home run, and sometimes you just have to settle for the single. This was settling for the single tonight.
_ _ _ _ _
Here's hoping that Night 2 will be better and with a lot less interruptions. Until then, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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