Dalton Castle defeated Dragon Lee
5.5/10
- Dalton Castle has targeted Rush by challenging Dragon Lee.
- Lee comes out and attacks with two big dropkicks, but gets powerbombed on the apron.
- Castle is being really aggressive and tossing Lee around. Ironic that his heel work is going to get him over as a babyface again.
- Castle methodically works over Lee, who finally comes back with a week double underhook backbreaker.
- The offense gets a lot better with a Lee outside in dropkick, and a couple of dueling suplexes.
- This work isn't great. A little sloppy, off base, and doesn't connect.
- I see you with the Angel Hernandez reference @IanRiccaboni, and I respect you for it.
- Castle does Bangarang and Cabana says "WELL LADIES AND GENTLEMAN THAT HAS TO BE THE END OF THE MATCH."
- It wasn't. The Battle Cry finishes it for Castle. Or the Devil's Horns, or the Peacock's Feathers.
- This just didn't click for me.
The Allure (w/ Velvet Sky) defeated Kelly Klein & Jenny Rose
4.5/10
- Angelina Love shoulder blocking Kelly Klein to the mat is something that probably shouldn't ever happen.
- There's some miscommunication, but Angelina has a great spot where she dives off the top rope to the floor.
- Jenny Rose flattened Mandy with a spear.
- Klein has an ambitious falling front DDT that I think could be a good move. Her fallaway slams are already great. She hits another from the second ropes.
- Kelly Klein gets hit with a high heel, and Angelina pins her with a kick.
- The lights go out and Maria Manic debuts. Allure escapes.
- Maria Manic beats up a bunch of security guards. Torture Rack and an Awesome Bomb. She won the crowd over.
- LMAOOOOO Colt Cabana: "THAT'S TATTOOED ON HER STOMACH!?"
Rubber Match
Kenny King defeated Jay Lethal
5.75/10
- We're for SURE getting some slow chain wrestling with some kip ups to start this one.
- We do, but then King eats a drop toe hold into a chair.
- Kenny King suplexes Lethal into the apron.
- Lethal uses King's Royal Flush against him.
- King catches Lethal on a suicide dive with a spinebuster... kind of.
- King does a Blue Thunder Bomb and doesn't bother trying to pin. He connects with one of the ugliest shooting star presses you'll ever see.
- Lethal is busy blaming Amy Rose for him not winning with Lethal Injection.
- Kenny King beats Lethal with a Lethal Injection and Royal Flush. The crowd reacted great to the finish of this.
Pure Rules
Jonathan Gresham defeated Silas Young
6/10
- Here are the rules -- no closed fist punches to the face, and only three rope breaks per wrestler.
- The first five minutes of this match are them going through rules spots and burning rope breaks.
- This entire match has been explaining the pure rules. Silas gets his warning for a punch and burns a second rope break.
- There is some really good wrestling, and counters and transitions, including a rolling half crab from Young for a second rope break on Gresham.
- Silas Young has the tiniest goddamn trunks I have ever seen.
- Young has a great backbreaker into pin into sitting full nelson that leads to Gresham's last rope break.
- Gresham has no rope breaks so has to work transitions and reversals in and out. Gresham forces Young's hand into a rope break on an Octopus hold.
- There's a great double suplex over the top rope.
- Jonathan Gresham punched Silas in the balls! The way Silas has beaten him. Gresham wins with an Octopus hold.
- I think if they run this back without killing a bunch of time having to explain the rules, it'll resonate better. The finish ruled.
Briscoes vs. Team NWA (Eli Drake & Nick Aldis)
6/10
- Nick Aldis comes out during the pre-show to reveal who his replacement tag team partner for tonight will be.
- James Storm comes out, who is interrupted by Eli Drake. It's him, and he's signed with the NWA.
- Drake and Aldis aren't exactly on the same page early on, but it's their first time teaming.
- Drake does a nice neckbreaker and Aldis does a nice Michinoku Driver.
- Eli Drake impresses with a Burning Hammer and a run up superplex.
- Eli Drake is having a really good showing in his ROH/NWA debut.
- He eats a Redneck Boogie, but Aldis breaks it up.
- The action spills outside and we get a double countout.
- Drake and James Storm end up battling it out.
- Aldis is jumped by Briscoes. Colt Cabana isn't medically cleared and Ian hilariously talked Colt out of helping. "As a man who is my friend, who has been to my house, as a man who once picked me up a delicious left side Twix on the way to the venue, as a man who recommended me a great Thai place to eat that one time, I can NOT let you go out there"- @IanRiccaboni went above and beyond.
- Kamille tries to help and couldn't. Aldis gets elbowed through a table.
- Marty Scurll comes out after the beatdown to help Nick Aldis.
ROH Television Title
Shane Taylor (c) defeated Bandido
5.5/10
- Bandido is so athletically gifted, but so much of what he does doesn't make much sense.
- Bandido does a roll up facebuster and Fosbury Flop.
- Taylor drills Bandido with a punch.
- There's a lot of times when opponents have to wait for Bandido to do his moves, so they're just left standing there.
- The 21Plex gets blocked, and Taylor hits a great powerbomb.
- Package Piledriver gets kicked out of, and Bandido is alive.
- Holy shit. Bandido caught Shane Taylor in midair. I have never. That was one of the more impressive strength displays I've seen. He follows with a Shooting Star Press for two.
- I've been really underwhelmed by Bandido's ROH run, but that spot with Shane Taylor was nuts.
- Greetings from 216 gets the win for Taylor.
ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles
Villain Enterprises (c) defeated LifeBlood
6/10
- Villian Enterprises have new title belts and LOD spikes.
- We are only 15 months removed from PCO vs. WALTER at Spring Break 2 and it feels like 3 years ago
- Haskins and Scurll have great chemistry, something that happens when you work with someone dozens of times.
- Brody does a 7-10 Split dive off the apron, followed by a monkey flip senton onto PCO.
- Villain Enterprises work so, so well together.
- Brody King has great corner lariats, but PJ Black stays there readied to eat them and it doesn't look hot.
- Scurll does a Quebec Crab into a backbreaker senton with Brody. Somehow PCO doesn't die on a suicide somersault senton.
- Tracy Williams has a great streak, including a spiked piledriver on PCO.
- There was a complete trash fire kickout spot where PCO didn't kick out on time.
- PCO does, however, get powerbombed off the top rope to the apron. Sick.
- PJ Black with a beautiful lionsault, but it's shown up quickly.
- Brody does a spot that gets the hottest reaction of the night -- a springboard, slingshot arm drag to two opponents, followed by a tope con hilo.
- PCO slips but gets his moonsault.
- This was a really good match that was unfortunately mired by miscommunication.
- The Soldiers of Savagery come out to attack LifeBlood. Bandido makes the save. However, Bully Ray attacks from behind.
- Flip Gordon comes to help, too, and is putting on a Lifeblood shirt.
- Marty Scurll is on the screen, already dressed after his match that just happened, teasing his new member. It's Flip Gordon.
- PCO goes up to the rop rope, and can't do it. Yep Flip Gordon just ate shit super hard on a 450 from the top rope through a table right after joining Villain Enterprises.
- I've already reached out to ROH in hopes they'll send an update on Flip Gordon when available. That looked rough.
ROH World Championship
Matt Taven (c) defeated Jeff Cobb
5.75/10
- Cobb catches Taven with several dead lift suplexes.
- Taven yanks Cobb into the apron, and suicide dives him into the barricade.
- Taven works over the arm to prevent suplexes, but it doesn't work too well.
- Cobb goes right back to high crotch suplexes.
- Taven clobbers Cobb with a big knee, but not a lot of reaction.
- Taven keeps going for Climax, but Cobb won't let it happen.
- Taven pins Cobb with one of the sickest Climaxes ever, clean in about nine minutes
- Major timing issues.
Rating guide
10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor
Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a "star rating," which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive "TV match" lands at a 5. The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones. Don't take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!
Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.
