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ROH Presents - Dragon Gate Challenge II
By Garoon and Ziegler | June 23, 2008
ROH debuts in Orlando and brings a handful of Dragon Gate stars with them.
March 28, 2008 - Orlando, Florida
Introduction
BG Says: The weekend’s Video Wire begins with clips of Dragon Gate participation in ROH. They show clips of all the wrestlers that will be visiting on the weekend’s shows except for BxB Hulk since he hasn’t been in ROH before. I think they should have just used the footage they have of him from FIP. Next up the Minnesota Home-Wrecking Crew and Tyler Black cut a promo about getting Austin Aries in the Age of the Fall while they’re in Orlando. Jimmy Jacobs demands it of them. The ladies think they’ll have better luck than Black. In Philadelphia the newly expanded Sweet N’ Sour Inc is excited. Larry Sweeney says they’re going to get the ROH titles first and Vince McMahon’s money second. Brent Albright is still behind Adam Pearce but he’s apprehensive about aligning with Sweeney. Back in Orlando Lacey & Rain find Aries. Aries says that he doesn’t want to think about the Age of the Fall or Tammy Sytch, he just wants to focus on his upcoming ROH World Championship match. The Video Wire ends with part 2 of the Nigel McGuinness sit down interview. Dave Prazak asks McGuinness if his head injury going into the Sixth Anniversary Show was all a ruse. McGuinness won’t answer the question, but says that he’ll take every opportunity to retain his title. Of his upcoming title defense against Aries he says that he knows Aries is a tough competitor but he’s been missing something since coming back from TNA. Of Kevin Steen he says that the fans like him because they look like him. Of Claudio Castagnoli he makes fun of the accent and the hairline and says that he doesn’t deserve title match. Things wrap up with a clip of McGuinness laying Aries out in FIP during Aries’s FIP Championship match against Roderick Strong.
Rebecca Bayless starts the show by reminding us that Bushwhacker Luke, Tammy Sytch and the stars of Dragon Gate are all in attendance. The YRR interrupts on the house microphone. Bayless acts annoyed even though she whored it out to them the last time they were in ROH. They tease Bushwhacker Luke, who’s signing autographs. Rinauro makes out with Bayless again.
Backstage Erick Stevens talks about coming up in Florida. He has to have a big weekend now that ROH is debuting in Florida. Tonight he’s going to beat the No Remorse Corp along with CIMA and Go Shiosaki. He really needs to start cutting promos outside of the cookie cutter babyface mold.
JZ Says: Rebecca Bayless welcomes us to the ROH debut in Florida, and mentions that Bushwhacker Luke, Tammy Sytch, and the stars of Dragon Gate are all here for what’s sure to be a big show. The YRR interrupt and make their presence known in front of the familiar Florida crowd. They yell at Bayless and then go over to mock Luke. Rinauro makes out with Bayless again. I think she liked it!
We cut to Erick Stevens backstage, who has a big weekend coming up! Florida is his home state and where he made his name, which is very exciting for him. He’s teaming with CIMA and Go Shiozaki against the No Remorse Corps in tonight’s main event.
MATCH #1: Nigel McGuinness vs. Delirious
BG Says: Before the match McGuinness cuts a promo that ROH forced him into. He’s not going to play to the crowd. He knows the Florida fans want Aries to beat him this weekend. Nobody in Florida can take him out, not even Austin Aries. His title will not be on the line in tonight’s match.
Delirious freaks out at the bell. McGuinness goes after his arm. He kicks the back. Delirious responds in kind. He plays cat & (Mickey) mouse with McGuinness. He baits McGuinness to the floor and playfully keeps him out of the ring. He hits a somersault dive off the apron. Back in the ring McGuinness hits a low blow to block the Panic Attack. He hits a hammerlock takedown. He hits an arm whip. He hits another hammerlock takedown for 2. He works over the arm in the ropes. He slams it to the mat. Delirious hits a headbutt to the gut to block the handstand kick. He hits an enziguiri. He hits a leaping clothesline. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. He goes for the Cobra Stretch but McGuinness gets to the corner. Delirious hits a dropkick to the back off the top. He hits the Panic Attack. McGuinness dodges the Shadows and hits a lariat. He hits a European uppercut. He blocks the Shadows with a knee to the arm and puts on the London Dungeon for the win. Perfectly acceptable pseudo squash for the champion there.
Rating: **½
JZ Says: The crowd is split 50-50 on the ROH World Champion. He cuts a pretty good promo about the fans that hate him, and does a good job trying to turn the ones who were cheering for him. Nigel is such a terrific heel, I’m glad they developed this character. Delirious does a lot of comedy in the early going but eventually gets in some his signature moves. The finish is pretty cool, as Nigel nails a lariat but wants to finish him with the Tower of London. Delirious blocks it and tries Shadows over Hell, but Nigel falls backwards and Delirious hits his arm on Nigel’s knee and that weakens it enough for Nigel to lock on the London Dungeon to get the win at 9:07. That was a fun opener and it’s good to keep Nigel in a non-title match since he’s facing Aries tomorrow night, it helps build bigger suspense for that match.
Rating: **¾
MATCH #2: Kenny King & Sal Rinauro vs. Ruckus & Jigsaw
BG Says: Rinauro and King attack before the bell. King blocks Ruckus’s handspring with a dropkick. He dives onto everyone on the floor. Back in the ring Ruckus gets double-teamed in the corner. Rinauro hits a springboard clothesline for 2. King tags in and hits a clothesline for 2. He hits Ruckus with an enziguiri up top. Rinauro hits a super bulldog for 2. He hits a fistdrop. King tags in and hits a leg lariat for 2. Rinauro tags in but Ruckus uses his fancy moves to gain control. Jigsaw tags in and hits a crossbody to both opponents. He cleans house with strikes. Ruckus hits a handspring elbow. He hits a fisherman suplex into a powerbomb from Ruckus for 2. King hits a spinebuster on Ruckus. Ruckus hits a leg lariat. Rinauro pokes Jigsaw’s eyes. Jigsaw and Ruckus hit the double stomp/Jig N’ Tonic combo for the win. I hate that the YRR jobbed here, but at least they dominated the majority of the match.
Rating: **
JZ Says: It’s nice to see the YRR getting to appear on a few more shows, and it’s smart to bring them in front of the Florida crowd since they know them do well. The YRR control most of this match until the Vulture Squad makes a comeback in the last minute or two, until Jigsaw and Ruckus hit the double team Jig N’ Tonic on Rinauro for the win at 5:03. It didn’t last long enough to really get anything going, but I would like to trade the YRR for the Vulture Squad.
Rating: *½
Larry Sweeney schools Shane Hagadorn
BG Says: Sweeney and Hagadorn are the only members of Sweet & Sour Incorporated at the show tonight because everyone else is holding out for more money. The hostile takeover has begun. That’s certainly a creative way to make up for the revolving roster and certain wrestlers’ overseas bookings.
MATCH #3: Genki Horiguchi vs. Austin Aries
BG Says: Horiguchi is looking mighty different since his last appearance in the United States, having turned heel and glamming out in Dragon Gate. They feel each other out to start. Aries hits a leg clap. He hits armdrags into an armbar. He ties Horiguchi up and rolls back for 1. He hits a gutbuster and the STO. He hits the Powerdrive Elbow for 2. Horiguchi goes to the eyes. He goes for the Backslide from Hell but Aries blocks and hits knees to the head. Horiguchi bails. He pulls Aries to the floor and goes for a chair shot but the referee gets in the way. He goes to the eyes again. Back in the ring he hits a dropkick to the knee. He splashes the leg and puts on a leglock. He dropkicks the leg. He hits a bodyslam but misses a double jump moonsault. Aries hits a chop off the top, his leg seemingly fine. He dumps Horiguchi to the floor and hits the Heat Seeking Missile. Back in the ring he hits elbows in the corner. Horiguchi blocks a dropkick and hits a swinging DDT for 2. Aries comes back with a dropkick for 2. Horiguchi blocks a brainbuster and hits it himself for 2. He avoids the Beach Break and trades roll ups with Horiguchi. Horiguchi gets the Backslide for Hell for 2. He gets a roll up for 2. Aries hits a knee to the face. He hits the kick to the face and the brainbuster. He hits knees to the head and puts on the Last Chancery for the win. That had to be therapeutic for Aries, since he’s booked as a relative nobody in Dragon Gate. He essentially continued the string of squashes here, though Horiguchi was slippery enough to give Aries a little trouble.
Rating: **¾
After the match Jimmy Jacobs appears on top of a lighting rig. The crowd tells him to jump. Jacobs says he’s been waiting two months for an answer. He wants Aries to think about how much momentum he’d have in his World Championship match the following night if he allows the Age of the Fall to join him. He guarantees a championship win. Lacey gets in the ring and tells Aries to come with her. Tammy Sytch walks to the ring and is actually taller than Aries in her heels. Yeesh. She offers to take Aries under her wing but makes a reference to mediocre wrestlers she’s managed and insults him. She essentially tells him to focus on her boobs. I can’t stop focusing on how sad it is to watch a washed out looking middle aged woman whore herself to a much younger man. Aries assures everyone that he does just fine with women without anyone’s help. He also doesn’t need help beating McGuinness for the title tomorrow night. He leaves the ring. Lacey threatens to pop Sytch’s fake boobs. Sytch tries to make a connection between her career and Lacey’s but I’m not seeing it. She says Lacey is a wrestler because she can’t be a diva. How does that get cheered in ROH? Didn’t the crowd just cheer Allison Danger at the Sixth Anniversary Show for saying the stuff that Lacey is getting booed for now? Jacobs distracts Sytch from the rig, distracting her long enough for Lacey to hit a DDT.
JZ Says: This is the first match in the ROH vs. Dragon Gate series slated for tonight, and the only singles match in the bunch as well. They trade moves for a while, as this is apparently one of those “I do my moves and then you do your moves kind of matches. Aries gets the win when he hits the brainbuster and locks on the Last Chancery and Horiguchi taps out at 9:07. That was a fun little exhibition match.
Rating: ***
Jimmy Jacobs is out after the match and is once again trying to recruit Aries to join the Age of the Fall. Aries goes to leave, but Lacey comes out to try and convince him to join as well. I think that if Lacey and Rain together suggested that I join a group in the way they did to Aries earlier I would do it. But that’s just me. Unfortunately, Tammy Sytch found her way to the building in Orlando and she’s coming out again. Sytch once again overestimates her importance to wrestling. Lacey has enough and gives her a DDT. What a weird feud, as Tammy should easily be the heel in this since she is a non wrestling piece of eye candy with fake tits, which is exactly what idiot ROH fans claim to despise.
MATCH #4: El Generico & Kevin Steen vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino
BG Says: This is something of an indy dream match if you ask me. Steen and Generico are actually associated with opposing factions in Dragon Gate, as Generico is aligned with Shingo Takagi’s New Hazard and Steen is aligned with the Muscle Outlaw’z the faction that his opponents in this match are in. Doi and Yoshino attack before the bell. Doi hits Steen with an armdrag. Yoshino and Generico tag into the match. Generico hits an armdrag into an armbar. Yoshino gets to the ropes. He hits a legdrop for 2. Doi tags in and hits a back elbow for 2. Steen tags in and hits a back elbow for 2. Generico tags in and hits a bodyslam for 2. Yoshino tags in and they make a wish. Yoshino stays on the leg. Doi tags in and holds Generico’s arm for a Yoshino double stomp. Doi hits a slam and Yoshino hits a springboard legdrop. Doi holds Generico for a low dropkick from Yoshino. Doi puts on an abdominal stretch. Yoshino tags in and they hit a double gutbuster and a dropkick sandwich for 2. Yoshino gets a crucifix pin for 2. Generico comes back with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Steen tags in and cleans house. He hits a dropkick on Yoshino. He crotches Doi in the ropes and hits an enziguiri. He hits a powerslam on Yoshino for 2. He trades strikes with Doi. Doi ties him in the ropes and hits a dropkick. He hits a somersault senton off the top. He hits the Dai Bosou.
Yoshino tags in and gets hit by a Generico crossbody for 2. Generico hits a backbreaker. The split legged moonsault hits knees. Yoshino hits the Ude Yoshino for 2. Doi hits a back elbow. He hits the Doi 555. Steen hits a superkick. Generico hits the swinging DDT. Steen hits the pumphandle neckbreaker for 2. Yoshino puts on the From Jungle. Steen makes the save. The Outlaw’z hit a facebuster/flapjack combo. Yoshino hits a dropkick on Steen and a senton on Generico for 2. He absorbs Generico’s big boot. He hits the Torbellino. Doi hits the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 2. Steen clotheslines both opponents. He powerbombs both opponents. He climbs the ropes and hits Yoshino with a super gutbuster after Generico throws the little man up top. He hits the Swanton Bomb and Generico hits a big splash for 2. Doi saves Yoshino from the BRAINBUSTAH. The Outlaw’z hit a sleeper slam/powerbomb combo on Generico for 2 when Steen saves. Steen dumps Doi to the floor and dives onto him. Generico hits the Half & Half on Yoshino for 2. He hits the brainbuster for 2. Steen hits the package piledriver and rolls Yoshino into Generico’s brainbuster for the win. There wasn’t much rhyme or reason to the match, it was just four guys dumping out their offense at a breakneck pace. The spots down the stretch were really breathtaking. I think Steen and Generico need to make a run for the Twin Gate belts in Dragon Gate.
Rating: ****
JZ Says: This is match number two in the challenge. Doi & Yoshino have numerous ROH matches under their belts. This one is under Dragon Gate Rules, which means no tags are necessary. They still build towards hot tag spots though, but that’s not at all the first time that’s happened. This is an awesome collection of spots that all hit pretty clean and never look too contrived. Steen hits the Package Piledriver on Yoshino and Generico follows with the brainbuster and ROH goes up 2-0 at 17:38. That could have been the main event and the fans would be going home happy.
Rating: ****
Intermission
BG Says: Rebecca Bayless catches up with Steen & Generico after their match. Steen thought Orlando would be a fun place for a vacation but it’s too hot. The Dragon Gate guys are so fast that they’re sweating like crazy. Tonight they proved how good they are as a tag team, so they want a tag title shot. Steen also wants a World title shot. All the gold is coming to Canada. Steen is going to have sex with his wife with the belts on. They leave to find a pool to relax in, but Generico isn’t allowed to skinny dip.
JZ Says: Rebecca Bayless is backstage, and she heads outside to grab a word with the winners of the last match. Steen puts over the Dragon Gate guys and the toughness of that match, and ends it by going to find someone’s pool to cool off in.
MATCH #5: Shingo & BxB Hulk vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black
BG Says: Poor Shingo loses his last name every time he comes to ROH. Shingo & Hulk come out to Shingo’s music, so Hulk doesn’t dance. Age of the Fall has actual music to go along with their entrance screaming now. Hulk and Jacobs start. They fight it out on the mat. Jacobs stomps on Hulk’s foot and puts on a wristlock. Hulk hits the Mouse and a spin kick. Shingo and Black tag into the match. Shingo hits a shoulder tackle. Black hits armdrags. He hits a head scissors takedown. Jacobs tags in and gets chopped around the ring. Hulk tags in and hits an elevated legdrop for 2. Black tags in and trades chops with Hulk. Hulk hits a back heel kick. Shingo comes in and hits a DDT. He hits a senton and Hulk hits a standing corkscrew senton. Black sends Hulk to the floor. Jacobs hits a Cactus Elbow, getting 2 for Black in the ring. Jacobs tags in and hits a double stomp. Black tags in and they hit the Double Dropkick of Woe for 2. Black stomps on Hulk’s face. Jacobs tags in and hits an elbowdrop. They hit a double choke takedown. Jacobs hits a back suplex for 2. Black tags in and they pummel Hulk on the mat. Black hits an elbowdrop for 2. Jacobs tags in and gets hit with a springboard dropkick.
Shingo tags in and hits Jacobs with an exploder. He hits Black with another DDT. Hulk dives onto Black on the floor. Jacobs hits a head scissors takedown. Shingo catches him with a gutbuster. He hits the Yo Throw for 2. Hulk tags in and kicks Jacobs’s head. He dropkicks Jacobs into a German suplex. Black tags in and kicks Shingo’s head. Hulk hits a series of kicks for 2. He hits a bodyslam and a standing shooting star press after missing a moonsault. It gets 2. He climbs again but Black crotches him and hits a reverse superplex. He holds on and hits the Paroxysm for 2. Jacobs hits Shingo with a spear. He and Black hit their double-team sequence. Jacobs puts on the End Time but Shingo makes the save. Black knocks Shingo to the floor with a hurricanrana and dives out after him. Hulk hits a moonsault press on Jacobs. Shingo and Black tag into the match. Shingo hits a clothesline. He and Hulk hit a Doomsday Leg Lariat for 2 when Jacobs makes the save. Hulk hits Jacobs with the EVO. Black hits big boots to both opponents. Shingo comes back with the Pumping Bomber for 2. He hits the Last Falconry for the win. This was very similar to the last match, but with more attention paid to the legal man rules. Today I liked this just a touch more than the previous match, but on any given day I could see my preference switching.
Rating: ****
In a backstage promo Shingo and Hulk say they’re number one. It sounds like Shingo says “we come back,” as well but it’s very hard to tell. Shingo turned on Hulk a couple months later in Dragon Gate, so it’s unlikely this team will reappear in ROH after this weekend.
JZ Says: This is the third match of the Dragon Gate Challenge series. This is my first time seeing Hulk. This match is similar to the previous one but really just as good. All four guys hit lots of big moves and plenty of near falls. The finish comes when Shingo hits the Last Falconry to get the pin on Black at 16:16 and bring Dragon Gate to within one point, so it’s two to one. Black and Jacobs have great chemistry as a team and Shingo and Hulk compliment each very well too, and this was just a smooth, extremely fun tag team match. I love WrestleMania weekend.
Rating: ****
MATCH #6: The Briscoe Brothers vs. Ryo Saito & Dragon Kid
BG Says: I would have given anything for ROH to bring in Susumu Yokosuka instead of Dragon Kid so that Typhoon’s real tag team could be showcased. I wonder why Bobby Cruise does traditional Japanese ring announcing for the NOAH wrestlers but not the Dragon Gate wrestlers. Jay and Kid start. Kid is worried about the size discrepancy but Saito tells him to tough it out. Kid stomps on Jay’s foot. Saito puts Kid on his shoulders so he can knuckle up with Jay. Jay overpowers Kid, hurting Saito’s back. Kid and Saito hit a double drop toehold and a dropkick sandwich. Saito hits a hurricanrana on Mark. Kid follows suit. Jay regains control with strikes. Mark tags in and hits a vertical suplex for 2. Saito and Jay tag into the match. Mark hits a Manhattan drop and a knee kick with some extra force from Jay for 2. Kid tags in and hits a dropkick. He hits a kneedrop for 2. Saito hits a double stomp off the top for 2. He swings Kid into Jay. Mark tags in and hits a gutwrench suplex and a kneedrop for 2. He hits a Finlay Roll. A moonsault hits knees. Jay tags in and hits a clothesline. He hits a bodyslam and a legdrop for 2. He hits a Rocker Dropper for 2. He hits a back elbow. Mark tags in and hits a fistdrop for 2.
Kid hits a chinbreaker but Mark easily regains control with a back suplex. Jay tags in and they hit the double toss. Jay puts on the Stretch Plum. He hits a bodyslam and Mark hits a split legged moonsault for 2. Jay hits a big boot for 2. Mark tags in and eats a stunner after Jay feels a tiger feint kick to the back. Saito tags in and hits an overhead suplex on Jay. Kid hits Jay with a hurricanrana on the floor. Saito hits the Fisherman Express on Mark for 2. Mark hits an exploder for 2. Kid hits a dropkick to the arm. He puts on the Christo. Jay makes the save. Kid hits a springboard Diamond Dust for 2. Jay hits a spinebuster. The Briscoes throw Kid high into the air. They hit a double superkick for 2. Saito helps Kid hit a super duper hurricanrana on Mark. Saito hits a big splash for 2. Kid hits a DDT. Kid sunset flips Saito, helping him add force to a German suplex that sends Jay into Mark. Jay comes back with the DVD for 2. Mark hits a guillotine kneedrop for 2. Saito hits Mark with a German suplex. Jay hits Saito with a big boot. He hits the Complete Shot into the corner. The Briscoes hit the springboard Doomsday Device for the win. This was grittier (re: less polished), with more contrived spots and a much slower start. Still the opening was funny and they kept the crowd hot with constant spots.
Rating: ***½
JZ Says: This is the fourth and final match of the Dragon Gate Challenge Series, and ROH is up 2-1. This match is similarly structured as the other two tag team matches in this series. For some reason this one didn’t click as well as the other two, or maybe it’s just a result of seeing three similar tag matches in a row that did it to me. I’m also not a huge fan of Dragon Kid, so that probably has something to do with it as well. This was still a good tag team match, just not on the level of the previous two. The Briscoes get the win with the springboard Doomsday Device on Saito at 18:04 (it was also the longest of the three).
Rating: ***½
A Sweet & Sour Proposal
BG Says: Backstage Sweeney takes a minute to call Sara Del Rey on the phone to try to bring her back into the fold. Once Sweeney realizes he’s on camera he no-sells the conversation and tells Hagadorn that he’s ready to sign a few more wrestlers. They go to the ring to do it now.
The Briscoes gave Dragon Gate a taste of the Briscoes, and tomorrow night they’re getting revenge on the Age of the Fall. After that they’re going to get the belts back.
Sweeney approaches the No Remorse Corps in the ring before the main event. He says he wants the cream of the crop in Sweet & Sour Incorporated. He thinks the NRC could be making more money. He wants them to dissolve their stable and sign with him. Strong reminds Sweeney that they’re all three champions, and they don’t need him. Sweeney slips Richards his card in an amazingly subtle moment and says that they should think about it. He leaves so that the main event can begin.
JZ Says: Before the match can start Larry Sweeney comes out with Shane Hagadorn to try and buy out the NRC. Strong refuses and they want to focus on their main event coming up.
MATCH #7: Erick Stevens, CIMA & Go Shiosaki vs. The No Remorse Corps
BG Says: CIMA and Romero trade holds to start. CIMA gets a crucifix pin for 1. Romero hits a leg kick. CIMA misses a dropkick. Romero kicks his back. Shiosaki and Richards tag into the match. Richards hits a pair of big boots. He kicks the back, firing up Shiosaki. Shiosaki hits a big chop. Strong tags in and trades chops with Shiosaki. Shiosaki hits a dropkick. Stevens tags in and chops Strong in the corner. He hits an overhead suplex for 2. CIMA tags in and hits a bodyslam. He hits a senton. He puts on a 3-in-1 and rolls Strong up for 2. Shiosaki and Stevens hit a double chop. Shiosaki hits a bodyslam and puts on a camel clutch. CIMA hits a dropkick to the face for 2. Romero tags in and hits a kneedrop. He dumps Shiosaki on the floor where Richards whips him into a knee kick. Back in the ring Strong hits a second rope stomp. He hits some chops of his own. He hits a dropkick. Richards tags in and hits a knee to the gut. Romero tags in but Shiosaki dodges all of his offense and hits a chop. Stevens tags in and cleans house. He hits Strong with a Samoan drop. Richards sends Stevens to the floor where he and Romero double-team him. Back in the ring Strong hits an elbowdrop. Richards hits a clothesline for 2. Romero tags in and holds Stevens in the octopus stretch so Strong can hit a dropkick.
Richards tags in and hits a northern lights suplex for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special. He hits a kneedrop. Strong tags in and props Stevens on his knees for a kneedrop from Romero. Romero puts on a choke so Stevens falls back. Romero hits a Tree of Woe dropkick. Richards flicks Stevens’s balls. Strong tags in and tries to keep Stevens from making the tag in an intense moment. Stevens hits a powerslam. CIMA tags in and hits the Superdrol on Richards. He stomps on Strong and Romero. He hits a springboard double stomp and a springboard dropkick on Richards. Romero hits a knee to the gut. Shiosaki hits Romero with a leaping shoulder tackle. He chops the crap out of Romero’s chest. He hits the Burning Sword for 2. Strong takes control with strikes. He sets Shiosaki up top and hits a superplex for 2. Stevens comes in and trades chops with Strong. He hits the TKO. Strong brings him to the floor to avoid the Doctor Bomb. He props Stevens on the apron for kicks from his partners. Richards hits a suicide dive. Romero tries to hit a hurricanrana on Shiosaki but gets powerbombed into the post. CIMA hits a suicide dive on Strong. In the ring Romero gets triple-teamed. Stevens and Romero hit the Superdrol. Stevens hits a German suplex for 2. Shiosaki hits a bodyslam and the moonsault. CIMA hits the Mad Splash for 2.
Richards trades kicks for Shiosaki’s chops. Strong hits the gutbuster. Romero hits a swinging DDT for 2. Shiosaki gets triple-teamed in the corner. Strong hits the Sick Kick for 2. Romero hits Stevens with a hurricanrana. Shiosaki launches him into a lariat from Stevens for 2. Strong hits a back suplex on the apron to Shiosaki. Stevens hits Richards with the Original. Richards gets a roll up for 2. CIMA blocks the handspring kick with a dropkick. He hits the Perfect Driver for 2. Strong hits him with the half nelson backbreaker for 2. Stevens trades chops with Strong again. Strong hits an enziguiri. Stevens hits the pop up lariat. He hits another lariat. Romero hits a knee kick. CIMA hits a superkick. Strong counters the Schwein to a roll up for 2. He gets another for 2. CIMA blocks the gutbuster and hits a double stomp. He hits the Schwein for 2. He hits the Crossfire for the win. I love that it took almost fifteen minutes for the babyface team to hit a single one of their signature maneuvers. The second half of the match was entirely made up of the home stretch. This was a worthy main event on a show with many like matches. It was a great mixture of the NOAH style tag and the Dragon Gate style tag as well (more Dragon Gate of course). The best part of the match was definitely that the rivalry between Stevens and Strong remained a strong focus, and the crowd reacted as such, going crazy when the two were in the ring against each other.
Rating: ****¼
JZ Says: Roderick Strong is the FIP World Champion, while Davey Richards & Rocky Romero are the ROH World Tag Team Champions. This is a rematch of sorts from the Live in Osaka show from last summer. This is not unlike most ROH six man main events, like the aforementioned one from Tokyo, or the one from Unscripted III back in Chicago in December. This match is a bit of a backdrop to the Strong versus Stevens feud, and it’s fitting since it started it Florida, and tomorrow night they will fight for the FIP World Title. The finish winds up being CIMA and Strong in the ring together, and CIMA hits the Schwein for a near fall, and the finishes him off with a cross armed powerbomb at 27:37. It probably could have lost a few minutes but the action was good and everybody had good intensity and the crowd was hot, so that made for a fun main event.
Rating: ***½
Overall
BG Says: These WrestleMania weekend shows always make me feel like a snowflake whore. Honestly though, I don’t care because the show deserves it. The show is shorter than usual and flies by. The main event is long but feels short and flies by. There are three matches more than worth your time, the Dragon Gate guys all deliver and even though the show is focused on them the ROH storylines still move forward. Grab this one up ASAP.
JZ Says: The WrestleMania weekend shows have historically been some of the best each year, and this one continues that trend. The last four matches are all terrific and kept the crowd going strong. This was also a little bit shorter show, which is something I’ve been hoping would happen for a while and it makes this a very easy show to sit through, it just flies by. Definitely pick this one up.
Topics: ROH Reviews |