Come sail away, maaaan! This show is the culmination of several days worth of wrestling on the Chris Jericho Rock and Rager Cruise that happened at the end of October 2018. Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling joined Chris Jericho, many wrestling legends, and about 2,000 passengers for an incredible feat. The main event for all this wrestling was an advertised Bullet Club vs. Alpha Club match. Plus, Ring of Honor put a 16 man tournament on to determine a new #1 Contender for the ROH World Championship. Without further ado, let's embark for an incredible show.
Streaming for Vengeance
Chris Jericho Cruise 2018
Streamed on November 3, 2018
The video opens with highlights of the first round.
The 2nd Round looks like this
The First Bracket...
Dalton Castle vs. Christopher Daniels
Marty Scurll vs. Flip Gordon
In the other bracket...
Mark Briscoe vs. Adam Page
Cheeseburger vs. Jay Briscoe
ROH Sea of Honor Tournament2nd Round
1) Christopher Daniels vs. Dalton Castle
We've got Colt Cabana and Jay Lethal on commentary for tonight. That should make things interesting. (And for the first time in probably 100 times this blog, I wish I had been on this cruise.)
Dalton Castle is unable to wrestle due to a concussion. BUT he's got a replacement. And it is.... SMOOTH SAILING Ashley Remington (Dalton Castle in a new gimmick. Lol)
Christopher Daniels looks him over asking the fans if they are kidding him. "That's not Dalton."- The fans. Daniels asks for the microphone. "Wait (x10). You're NOT Dalton Castle?!" Daniels says he trusts that it is not Dalton Castle if the fans say it is not. The Code of Honor is honored
The bell rings. Slow going here early on with some games being played by both men. Shoot-Off finger jokes by both men. Random rollups by both men. Castle/Ashley tries to help Daniels up, but they trade rollups instead. Punches to the stomach by Castle/Ashley. But a Vader splash gets met with Daniels' knees. And now, Daniels decides to return the punches to the gut and adds in a knee to the pain. More focus on the gut here. (They're wrestling as you can see the ocean in the background in a lot of camera angles. I'm getting Bash at the Beach 1995 flashbacks here.) Reverse bear hug by Daniels. Arabian Moonsault by Daniels seconds later.
Daniels continues to press the attack, but Ashley now fires back. Clothesline by Ashley. Running knee into the corner and a running bulldog for a 2. Judo Throw by Daniels. But he almost gets rolled up for a 3. Seconds later... HE DOES GET ROLLED UP FOR A 3!
Winner: Ashley Remington/Dalton Castle
Match Grade: C-. A little too much fun and games for my taste, but it was an alright tournament match for what it was.
After the match, Remington gives Daniels a fruit basket as a consolation prize. Lol.
2) Flip Gordon vs. Marty Scurll
Marty and Flip Do the Atlantic Ocean? Lol. Big reaction for both men from the live crowd. Marty might have an advantage in crowd support. Scurll asks for the crowd to stay quiet. He asks for the Code of Honor, but would you shake the hand of a guy who calls himself "The Villain?" Marty refuses to shake his hand when he offers it. Now he wants to hug it out. They hug it out. ROCK BOTTOM BY SCURLL.
BELL RINGS! 1-2-Kickout! Apron kick by Scurll. Back in the ring, Scurll hits a running back uppercut for a 2. Flip comes back with some great flips and a moonsault press off the middle rope for a 2 count. Chops in the corner by both men. Scurll catches Flip jumping on the middle rope and uppercuts him. Flip fights Scurll off the corner with a headbutt. But Scurll comes flying back up. Superplex is blocked again by Flip. Another headbutt by Flip. BIG KICK TO THE CORNER BY SCURLL! SUPERPLEX CONNECTS! 1-2-Kickout.
Scurll goes to work on the hand of Flip with stomps and a variation of the abdominal stretch with torture going into the arm of Flip. More stomps and attacks to Flip. Running backbreaker by Scurll. Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreaker by Scurll. Flip starts trying to fight back after all this and more. He catches Scurll running into the corner. Flip hits a springboard dropkick. Running dropkick into the corner now. Pop-up Flip Combo by Flip. Springboard Sling Blade for a 2. Flip is moving incredibly quick! 450 SPLASH!!! 1-2-SCURLL KICKS OUT AT 2.9!
Both men exchange blows to the crowd reaction. Hard shots by both men. Lariat finally by Scurll. Small package by Flip for a 2. Great exchange here by both men with some moves happening too quick for me to write down. Flip and Scurll start going at it again with strikes! Multiple chops by Scurll in a row! Flip fights back with forearms. BIG FOREARM STRIKE by Scurll! Michinoku Driver for a 2 by Flip. FLIP CATCHES SCURLL WITH A SURPRISE ROLLUP FOR THE 3 COUNT!
Winner: Flip Gordon
Match Grade: B+. A really fun match here in this tournament. Flip and Scurll had a great chemistry in this match with both working together to tell a great story. Flip gets one of the biggest wins of his career by pinning Scurll clean here.
After the match, Flip tries to hug it out with Marty, but Marty just rolls out. It will now be Flip Gordon vs. Dalton Castle/Ashley Remington in the 3rd Round.
3) Jay Briscoe vs. Cheeseburger
Is this Cheeseburger in Paradise or Cheeseburger about to enter hell? Jay asks for the mic. He tells Cheeseburger that he will die if he faces him. So, just walk away and take the countout. Cheeseburger gets the mic and flips off Jay instead!
The bell rings. Burger tries to run around Briscoe, but he runs into his big boot! Briscoe begins the assault. Burger tries to fight back, but Briscoe no sells his punches. Snap suplex by Briscoe. Burger climbs back up to his feet while Briscoe just stands and waits. Briscoe makes a mistake running into the corner, but Burger is too small to do anything. Briscoe just bulldozes him over. Death Valley Driver. 1-2-kickout by Cheeseburger. Camel Clutch by Briscoe now. Break his back. Make him humble! Hack-Toe! Briscoe jumps up to only land crotch first on Burger's knees.
Burger tries to get some momentum going! SHOTEI!!!!! 1-2-Kickout by Briscoe. Cheeseburger goes up for a springboard, but he eats a superkick coming down! Snap Neckbreaker. 1-2-Burger will not stay down. Jay Driller!!!!!
Winner: Jay Briscoe
Match Grade: C. Well, I will say this: Jay Briscoe won as dominantly as he should have, maybe a bit less. They gave the little guy a bit of offense, but the prophecy was fulfilled: Briscoe just killed a Cheeseburger on the Jericho Cruise.
4) Mark Briscoe vs. Hangman Adam Page
This should be a good match. The winner gets Jay Briscoe in the 3rd Round.
The bell rings. Spit in the face by Briscoe. Chops exchanged by both men. Page cannot chop nearly as well as Briscoe here, and the fans let him know about it. Mark has had enough and slams Page. Now, it's a slamming contest! Lol. Suplex by Briscoe. Page gets back on his feet. It's a Suplex Contest now?! What the hell? Delayed vertical suplex by Page. Page goes back to chops now. A match starts up now.
Page gets caught in the corner, but Briscoe eats a big boot coming off the top rope! The crowd says that was weak. Lol. Firearm Carry Face Plant. Deadlift Fallaway Slam Bridge by Page for a 2 count. "THAT WAS STRONG!"- The fans. Lol. Jawbreaker by Briscoe. BIG LARIAT by Briscoe to twist Page upside down. 2 count. Page goes up on the corner. And a bird goes up to the crowd by Briscoe. Lol. Superplex by Briscoe. 2 count. I stand corrected: A FREAKING BIRD FLEW INTO THE CROWD WHILE THE MATCH IS GOING ON?! "Keep the bird!"- The fans.
Exchange of blows between both men in the ring. Big rolling elbow. Suplex pin by Page for a 2 count. Fisherman Buster by Briscoe for a close 2 count. Lethal is losing it on commentary about the bird landing in the fans. Big spinning lariat by Page. Powerbomb by Page for a 2. Backdrop by Briscoe. Briscoe eats a boot, but he gets a Death Valley Driver in on Page. Rite of Passage blocked by Briscoe. Buckshot Lariat misses. MARK BRISCOE ROLLS HIM UP?! 1-2-3!!!
Winner: Mark Briscoe
Match Grade: C+. All anyone cared about for the longest time was the bird and getting themselves over. So, I think that speaks for how well the match went. The match itself was fine. But it didn't really do much to impress.
The Semi-Finals are now set: Dalton Castle/Ashley Remington vs. Flip Gordon and Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe.
ROH Sea of Honor Tournament3rd Round
5) Dalton Castle vs. Flip Gordon
This is Round 3 during the night now. Colt is joined by Amanda Leon and Matt Taven on commentary. Castle is Castle for this, sans The Boys. Flip is over as ever with the live crowd. Castle is stunned by Flip's disrobing and entrance. Castle asks Flip not to touch anything on his body as he has a very bad sunburn. Lol. Code of Honor is adhered to.
The bell rings. The fans want Ashley back. A shoulder tackle by Flip sends Castle backing off in pain. Flip just hurt his sunburn. Aloe Vera chant now! Lol. Peacock Pose by Castle. Castle uses his amateur wrestling, but Flip ... well, flips and chops Castle. Castle again yells in pain and goes outside to get a water bottle to cool off his chest. Lol.
Castle goes after Flip, but he gets caught in the corner with chops. Back rake by Flip!!! LOL!!!!! Castle sells it in extreme pain! Castle is outside and Flip hits a suicide dive. Springboard Splash back in the ring by Flip for a 2 count. Flip again hits a big standing moonsault splash on Castle who continues to sell the burn. More chops by Flip. Big lariat by Castle now who takes over control of the match. Slam by Castle. Castle rubs ice over his chest while Flip is still recovering. Lol. He continues the attack, but Flip starts fighting back. DDT by Castle. 1-2-kickout. More attacks to a laying Flip. Deadlift Gutwrench Powerbomb by Castle.
Flip is in the corner now. Boot to the face of Castle. Springboard Dropkick by Flip to Castle. Castle goes back into the corner. Running Dropkick. Spear by Flip. 1-2-KICKOUT! Flip climbs up the corner. Castle catches him. Knee to Flip while draped on the top rope. Castle continues to press the attack. Rollup by Flip!! 1-2-3! That was sudden! Castle is holding his tricep. I wonder if he hurt his arm in the match or if that was a way to protect Castle.
Winner: Flip Gordon
Match Grade: B-. I know this may be high, but I enjoyed the heck out of this match from the early going. Castle selling that sunburn was one of the funniest things I've seen from a wrestler in quite some time. Every move that did something to his "sunburn," he was selling to the point of hilarity. Another good win on the record of Flip Gordon here as he beats a former World Champion to advance to the finals.
After the match, Castle shakes Flip's hand and holds up his arm.
6) Brother vs. Brother
Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe
Winner of this match will face Flip Gordon in the finals of the tournament. I predict that a Briscoe will win. Too corny? How about this? I predict that "Reach for the Sky, Boy" will be played for the winner.
The bell rings. Running dropkick by Mark. They are not wasting time. Urinage by Mark. Mark is going nuts on Jay. Froggy Bow! 1-2-KICKOUT by Jay. Jay rolls out, and he hits him with a dropkick through the ropes. Mark throws a chair in the ring. Jay gets it and throws it at Mark. Now, Jay goes to work on his younger brother with a bunch of strikes and kicks. Family, right? Jay just continues the assault with uppercuts and strikes. Both men are outside. They are exchanging blows in front of the fans at ringside. Sandal to the head of Mark by Jay followed by a beer shot.
Both men are back in the ring. Strikes exchanged by both men, but Jay gets the advantage. Jay attacks him with relentless aggression with a splash in the corner and a running boot to the face of a sitting Mark. Jay has the chair and props it between the upper and middle turnbuckles in one of the corners. Mark throws Jay back into the chair head first! Then, MARK JUST LAUNCHES JAY INTO THAT CHAIR HEAD FIRST!!!!! The chair is now opened up. Jay is sitting on the chair. Flying Crossbody off the top rope by Mark! 1-2-KICKOUT!
Mark now starts stomping and striking Jay. Boots to the head of Jay by Mark, but Jay starts no selling it. They are exchanging boots and kicks!!!! This is intense! Snap Rana by Jay. Clockwork Neckbreaker! Mark barely kicks out. Mark spits at Jay. Boot by Jay to Mark. Jay Driller blocked by Mark. He drives his brother into the corner and puts him on the corner. Jay gets thrown off the corner and a quick pin for a 2 count. Suplex by Mark. Froggy Bow avoided. Running dropkick in the corner by Mark. FISHERMAN BUSTER! 1-2-Kickout! Damn.
Chair around his own brother's neck. He climbs up to the top rope. Jay gets up and throws the broken chair to his brother's face! Jay Driller! 1-2-3!
Winner: Jay Briscoe
Match Grade: A-. These two just absolutely killed each other on this boat. It was a hardcore, hard-hitting slugfest between two brothers who are used to doing that type of violence to other tag teams. This was the most entertaining match so far of this awesome tournament.
It will now by Jay Briscoe vs. Flip Gordon in the Finals of the Sea of Honor Tournament. After the match, the Briscoes hug it out and pose for the crowd.
7) ROH Sea of Honor Tournament Finals
Flip Gordon vs. Jay Briscoe
We're in Daylight again as it is Day 4 of the Tournament. Jay Lethal has rejoined Colt Cabana on commentary. Remember, the winner of this match and the tournament gets a shot at the ROH World Championship down the road... or ocean... or river... whatever.
Jay jumps Flip before the bell actually rings. The bell rings, and Jay takes the fight to Flip on the outside of the ring. Jay chokes Flip with a shirt. Flip gets a kick on Jay while on the apron. Flip sends Jay back in the ring. 450 Splash into Jay's knees, and Jay rolls him up for a 2 count. Jay continues the assault and chokes Flip again with a shirt. Stomps in the corner by Jay. Flip tries to fight back, but he eats a running boot by Briscoe. Flip starts fighting back finally with a running strike and a Springboard Dropkick out of the corner.
Flip goes for a running dropkick, but Jay moves out of the corner. Saito Suplex by Briscoe. Dropkick now to a running Flip. Springboard Crossbody by Flip to Jay to give him a few seconds worth of a break. Exchange of blows here by both men. Jay just mauls Flip, but Flip uses his flips to get the advantage. Springboard Spear! 1-2-Kickout by Briscoe. Flip gets caught on the corner. Jay climbs up, but Flip gets out of the corner, gets Briscoe down on the middle rope, and hits a running dropkick to the back. But seconds later, Briscoe reverses a suplex into one of his own.
Running boot by Briscoe. Flip rolls over Briscoe and hits a superkick! Falcon Arrow by Flip for a DEEP 2 count. Big lariat to a running Flip. JAY DRILLER!!!! 1-2-KICKOUT?! FLIP KICKED OUT!!!! The crowd chants for one more. Jay tries, but Flip backs Briscoe into the corner. Flip gets Briscoe up. FLIP 50 (F-5 into a Cutter)! 1-2-3!!!
Winner: FLIP GORDON (ROH SEA OF HONOR TOURNAMENT WINNER)
Match Grade: B. A good finale to the tournament, but it wasn't the strongest match of the tournament. Still, this is a HUGE deal for Flip Gordon. He just beat 2 former world champions on track to becoming the #1 Contender for the ROH World Championship. I'm interested in seeing how Flip does in his title shot and WHEN it takes place. Will it be at Final Battle or a throwaway ROH house show event? And is Flip ready to carry the World Championship? With The Elite leaving ROH probably in 2019, you have to consider the possibility that they may put the strap on him in order to have new blood in the main event scene.
Main Event
Bullet Club (Cody, Marty Scurll, and Kenny Omega) vs. Alpha Club (The Young Bucks and Chris Jericho)
Don Callis and Scott D'Amore are on commentary with Colt Cabana! Awesome! The Bullet Club are decked out in Tie-Dye. Here comes The Young Bucks with the trademark jackets and bandanas. Jericho comes out to Judas, and the crowd is singing it! Jericho comes out to Young Bucks attire!!!! HAHA! That was a great entrance. Kenny gets in Don's face after he turned on Omega a few weeks ago. Y2Jackson/Bucks of Jericho chants from the crowd. "ALL THESE GUYS" chants now too. "VINCE CAN'T TOUCH THIS!!!" chants! Lol.
The bell rings. It's going to be Nick and Cody starting this off. Cody refuses to shake Nick's hands. Nick gets Cody with a dropkick. Now there's a break. Nice exchange from the two. And Cody exchanges birds with the live crowd. Tag to Matt by Nick. Tag to Jericho now. A pair of ax handles by both when being tagged in. Now, Matt does it again when he's tagged in. Nick gets tagged in and does a double stomp to the arm instead! Cody goes out, and Marty takes over. And The Bucks of Jericho triple team The Bullet Club. Stereo triple dives to the floor!!! Wow. "This is awesome" chants already.
Marty tags in Kenny Omega. It's Kenny and Jericho now! Big reaction from the crowd. "Holy (bleep)!" chants. Kenny gets tagged out by Cody, who wants a piece of Jericho. Jericho goes to work with chops. 2nd Rope Dropkick by Jericho for a 2 count. Tag to Nick Jackson. It's Cody and Nick again. Scurll puts a knee into the back of Jackson as he runs into the ropes. Superkick off the apron by the now legal Scurll to Jackson. Back in the ring, Scurll double stomps the knees of Jackson. Cody gets tagged in and hits a big delayed faceplant suplex. Kenny tags himself in and hits a big ax handle to Nick along with a running backbreaker. Two boots in the corner by The Bullet Club.
Multiple tags from the Bullet Club as they take their turns beating down on Nick Jackson. 3 Boots fails as Nick sends Cody into his own corner. Marty prevents the tag. Nick gets caught in the corner in a Shattered Dreams position, but Cody decides just to flip off the crowd. Nick fights off Scurll and Kenny and hits a big crossbody to Cody when he's too busy showboating. Kenny comes in and stops Nick from tagging. Bulldog/Clothesline combo by Nick. He tags in Jericho!
It's Jericho and Scurll. He just takes it to everyone. A springboard dropkick for Omega on the apron. Jericho is on fire! Double axhandle to Scurll. Lionsault to Scurll for a 2 count. Chops in the corner by Jericho. Chicken Wing countered into the Walls of Jericho. All 6 men are in the ring, and The Bucks have Kenny and Cody in Cease and Desist (Double Sharpshooters)! Kenny overpowers Nick and sends him into Matt, breaking up the Sharpshooters. Scurll flips Jericho off of him.
Tags to Cody and Matt Jackson. Matt is going nuts here. Double clothesline to Kenny and Cody. (Cody and Kenny are failing to be on the same page.) An insane sequence of moves happens next that I can't even describe well: It's a mix between You Can't Escape meeting knees and Matt Jackson doing his double stomp rolling into the backstabber on Cody. Again, you have to see it to appreciate it. Combination splashes on Cody for a CLOSE 2 count. More Bang for Your Buck avoided by Cody as is the Meltzer Driver. Snap Slam by Cody on Matt Jackson.
Nick Jackson and Omega get tagged in. Kotaro Crusher by Omega. Triple Team Train sequence to Nick Jackson in the corner. Kenny covers after another double team, but Jericho breaks it up. Snap Dragon to Matt Jackson. Now, one for Nick Jackson by Omega. V-Trigger gets stopped by a now legal Jericho! Omega and Jericho face off and exchange blows! Snap Rana to Jericho! Kenny is in the ring and signals for Rise of the Terminator! SUPERKICKS! THE BUCKS have opened up a SUPERKICK RAGER!!!! TRIPLE SUPERKICK TO OMEGA BY THE BUCKS OF JERICHO! 1-2-KICKOUT!
A TRIPLE TEAM MELTZER DRIVER INTO THE WALLS OF FREAKING JERICHO!!!! Scurll runs in to eat a Codebreaker to break up the submission! Cross Rhodes! Double Superkick to Cody by the Bucks! Double Rana by Omega to the Bucks! Reverse Snap Rana to Matt Jackson! WALLS OF JERICHO ON OMEGA AGAIN! Nick adds salt to the wound by doing a modified slingshot X-Factor to Omega while still in the hold. The referee gets distracted, and Scurll uses the umbrella on Jericho. Omega covers! 1-2-JERICHO KICKS OUT!
The Bucks are on their corner. Enziguri to Omega. Tag to one of the Jacksons. Cody stops Nick from hitting the Meltzer Driver with Matt. Matt gets caught by Omega, but he can't do anything with the bad back! Matt goes on the attack to Omega's back. V-TRIGGER TO MATT JACKSON! A 2ND ONE! ONE WINGED ANGEL! 1-2-3!!!!
Winners: THE BULLET CLUB
Match Grade: A+. This was a truly great main event match. All 6 guys were excellent in this match with each one having moments to shine. The match just kept building and building to the end. A good mix of everything you would hope to see from these guys and from a 2018 main event match. They could have phoned it in. It wasn't as if they didn't have a truly captive audience. Lol. Still, they went nuts in this 6-Man Tag and produced one of the better ones I've ever seen.
After the match, both teams hold their hands up. They meet in the middle of the ring. Jericho and Omega are talking.
Jericho talks afterwards about how this was a blast. End of show abruptly.
Show Grade: B+. This show was a lot of fun. No frills. No cheap storylines or interview segments. They lumped 3 rounds of the Sea of Honor Tournament in a non-stop fashion and added a huge main event match at the end in 2 hours and 24 minutes worth of action. The best matches were, for me, the main event, The Briscoes match, and Flip vs. Scurll. The Dalton Castle stuff had me laughing throughout this show though, including that riot of a Semi-Final match with Flip Gordon. If you are a member of Honor Club, this is worth the $12.99. And if you are a fan of pro wrestling, this is worth the market value of $25 bucks on FITE. Go in expecting a fast-paced wrestling product from beginning to end.
Well, that does it for this show and this review. Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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