Welcome to our live coverage and match ratings of Ring Of Honor's 17th Anniversary show. Feel free to make your predictions in the comment section below, and check out our rating guide before tearing us a new one.
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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, often graded on a curve based on time allowed in the match. Don't take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!
Marty Scurll defeated Kenny King
5.5/10
- Kenny King brings out a mock Marty Scurll to get in "The Villain's" head. Scurll promptly superkicks them.
- King is on fire with a Blockbuster and Blue Thunder Bomb.
- They make Sam's Town look like it's configured for 200 people. It's already quiet, as King applies a crossface armbar.
- There's no heat for Kenny King's offense, the crowd just doesn't care. Scurll gets the crowd up a little with a tornado DDT to the floor.
- I really like Kenny King's practical jabs and strikes.
- I didn't expect to see a 619 out of Marty Scurll, but that's what happened.
- That Eddie Gordo kick from King doesn't work for me. It's telegraphed by a mile.
- King counters Graduation with the Royal Flush. Scurll hits King with the umbrella to win after King tried to use a chair.
- Scurll forgot to throw the umbrella out and had to cover for it.
ROH World TV Championship
Jeff Cobb (c) defeated Shane Taylor
7/10
- A couple of SIRLOIN BEEF SUNSABITCHES in this one.
- A couple of Cobb suplexes leads to Taylor countering with a POUNCE. Period.
- Cobb practically beats Taylor out of the ring, but gets slammed on the apron.
- Taylor does a half-Cannonball off the apron. It didn't look too hot. He misses one in the ring.
- The beef is swingin'. They're slugging it out.
- Cobb hits a damn delayed pumphandle t-bone suplex. That's insane to hit on Taylor.
- They swing again, and Cobb knocks himself out of the ring with a clothesline.
- Cobb press slams Taylor off the top, but that and a standing moonsault isn't enough.
- Taylor doesn't get the win with a spinebuster, a uranage or a flying splash.
- SHANE TAYLOR DID A CANADIAN DESTROYER! Wow. No 3 count.
- Tour of the Islands hits, but Taylor isn't done! Another one finishes it.
- Fantastic match.
- Backstage, Cobb challenges Will Ospreay, but ROH deleted the tweet. I imagine someone clued in ROH that Will Ospreay is still in the New Japan Cup. Woops.
Women Of Honor World Championship
Mayu Iwatani (c) defeated Kelly Klein
5.75/10
- Klein comes out with an entourage and both women adhere to the Code of Honor.
- Klein is beating the brakes off of Iwatani early. The size difference is huge. Klein has some great cravat knees.
- There are some nice grounded strikes to the body by Klein.
- Iwatani finally gets a Northern Lights Suplex and a double foot stomp. Her strikes are on point.
- Iwatani offering herself up to take punches from Klein is stupid both in kayfabe and reality.
- Iwatani takes a German Suplex on her head! HOW THE HELL IS IWATANI NOT PARALYZED?!?!
- Iwatani hits a moonsault but gets turned inside out by a clothesline.
- Iwatani wins with a small package. Klein can't believe it.
- This was solid, but there was some miscommunication and some spots that didn't make sense. These two have really good chemistry though.
ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) wrestled Matt Taven to a time limit draw
6.5/10
- Matt Taven comes out and says he's not waiting anymore. He wants the World Title match right now. It's happening. Wow.
- Jay Lethal obliges. Here we go. An hour in. Good move. This crowd would be taking a NAP by the time this went on.
- Taven opens with a nice suplex.
- Taven counters a Lethal Injection with a nice back roll and lands a wheel kick. Lethal is selling the shoulder heavily.
- There's a really weird spot where Lethal has a submission on, but his shoulders are down. Caprice claiming the ref didn't count Lethal's shoulders during the submission because Taven wasn't in control.....that's not the way it works.
- Taven is laying in his strikes. You can tell he has something to prove.
- Lethal gets a couple of suicide dives. I wonder how much sense that makes in a situation like this.
- Taven works over the shoulder with a single arm DDT, and armbar and a Rings of Saturn. We're over 20 minutes in.
- Lethal is about to hit Hail to the King, but Vinny's balloons distract him. He gets hit by a bat while TK distracts the ref. Gresham tries to make the save and gets beaten down. Why is Todd Sinclair even there?
- "Let's put him away for good" says Kingdom, as they pull out a table. Has a table ever ended anyone's wrestling career? Either way, Lifeblood makes the save.
- Amid all the shenanigans, Taven punches Lethal in the balls and can't get the pin after Climax.
- A frog splash doesn't work for Taven, and he eats knees on a second attempt before walking into a cutter.
- I'm confused as to how the handspring into the ropes "adds momentum" on the cutter.
- The Torture Rack lands for Lethal before a Rolling Rack Drop....on an injured shoulder. Then a Death Valley Driver.... on an injured shoulder.
- Lethal applies a Figure Four, and fortunately these two have the best Sam's Town crowd. This just isn't it for me.
- Taven superplexes Lethal off the apron through a table.
- 40+ minutes now.
- Lethal hits Climax and the Lethal Injection. Riccaboni and Coleman telegraphed the kickout by a MILE by calling the end of the match before the pinfall.
- It's not bad. It's a good match, but I've been watching the same character for years and been struggling to make myself care. Matt Taven has just never done it for me from a character standpoint, although he's a solid wrestler. The character is such a negative, everything has to go beyond normal.
- Taven DDTs Lethal onto the apron, with Lethal landing on his arm.
- I'll give Taven and Lethal credit, they have the Sam's Town crowd. That's not easy to do for any match as they're on of the most notoriously silent crowds in the States.
- Caprice Coleman says a riot would break out if Sinclair caused a DQ but I can't imagine anything that the Sam's Town crowd could ever possibly care about that would make them riot. Maybe the ring bell waking them up from the naps they schedule during TV tapings.
- A ladder is bridged off the ring apron, but Lethal misses an elbow drop.
- Trainers come out to help Lethal, but Taven hits a big dive to take them all out. Like six knees in a row don't win it for Taven.
- Taven gets caught with a cutter after flying off the top rope.
- A "this is awesome" chant at a LAS VEGAS ROH SHOW. Open up the checkbooks, SBG.
- Another Lethal Injection gets a two count.
- The bell rings. It's a draw. Taven and Lethal won the crowd over. They're begging for more time.
- Marty Scurll comes out in a suit. He steals the title.
- This hits the "recommended viewing" mark on my ratings. Do not watch this entire match. Watch highlights of it.
Mega Ran, Bully Ray
- Mega Ran follows the title match and has a decent performance.
- Bully Ray comes out and says he hates rap music, and it sucks.
- Ray trolls Ran and video games and says he's the only person who knows about the Garden in ROH.
- Bully Ray just challenged "a punk" to a New York Street Fight at MSG.
Rush defeated Bandido
4.75/10
- Dalton Castle on commentary and was hilarious at times, annoying at others.
- They start fast and furious and get a little ahead of themselves.
- Bandido does a great 360 and a couple of dives.
- Rush gets vicious with some of his stomps and kicks.
- A Canadian Destroyer lands for Bandido. This is getting pretty sloppy.
- Why did Rush hold on to the top rope for ten seconds? Either way, it sets up a 450.
- Rush catches Bandido in midair with a dropkick.
- Bandido did a nice huracanrana off the apron, but I'm so far detached from this match after the 450 spot.
- Rush gets the win with the Bullhorn.
- This was a mess. Not great and the spots just flat out didn't make sense in a lot of sequences. When people talk about spotfests for the sake of them happening, this was an example.
- Dalton Castle challenges Rush to a match at MSG. Rush accepts.
ROH World Tag Team Championships
Villain Enterprises defeated Briscoe Bros (c) to win the titles
5.75/10
- So apparently it's main event time, and the advertised Gresham vs. Silas Young and Lifeblood vs. Kingdom matches aren't happening.
- Silas Young is on commentary.
- Chairs are all thrown into the ring. Jay Briscoe flips outside onto Brody.
- PCO does a Michinoku Driver off the apron through a table on Mark.
- Brody charges PCO up by chopping him.
- Brody King does an insane Death Valley Driver through a table in the corner.
- Jay accidentally hits Mark with a kendo stick. Jay is busted open bad.
- Briscoes back body drop PCO on the apron.
- Brody gets blockbustered through a table at ringside.
- Jay Driller gets kicked out of by Brody, and Ian telegraphs the kickout again.
- PCO is busted open and eats cane shots before breaking it over his knee.
- Mark Briscoe is heaved onto a bunch of chairs at ringside off the top rope.
- Finally, PCO wins it with a moonsault.
- Silas Young's commentary took away from this match.
- No Marty Scurll out here to endorse, celebrate. Weird.
- PCO wrestled in tag team title matches at Madison Square Garden in 1993, 1994, and 1998, and will again in 2019.
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