A Review by Kevin Wilson
Date: May 15th, 2015
Location: Toronto Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto, Canada
Announced Attendance: Unknown
This event toes the line a bit between what I review and don't review for this website. Normally I do not review events that take place in America, but I am making an except for the ROH/New Japan shows as every match had a New Japan wrestler in it so it really was a joint event, not Ring of Honor using a couple New Japan wrestlers. This was the third of four events that the promotions put on together but it was the only event shown in iPPV, so it is the one I am watching first. One title match on this one but mostly just Ring of Honor vs. New Japan goodness. Here is the full card:
- Gedo and Moose vs. Silas Young and Takaaki Watanabe
- Chris Sabin vs. KUSHIDA
- Jushin Thunder Liger and Matt Sydal vs. Michael Bennett and Matt Taven
- Cedric Alexander vs. Kazuchika Okada
- BJ Whitmer and Adam Page vs. Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian vs. Rocky Romero and Baretta vs. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish
- ACH vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- ROH World Television Championship: Jay Lethal vs. Tetsuya Naito
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Michael Elgin
- Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Roderick Strong, Raymond Rowe, and Hanson vs. AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson
It will feel odd watching a New Japan event with English commentary, hopefully it enhances it and doesn't take away from the matches. Onto the show!
Gedo and Moose vs. Silas Young and Takaaki Watanabe
Damn Watanabe looks different than I remember him. Watanabe and Gedo start off and Watanabe tosses Gedo to the mat.
Gedo outsmarts Watanabe and punches him to the mat, so Watanabe tags in Young. Gedo tags in Moose also, Young goes for a shoulderblock but it doesn't work. Chops by Young and an eye rake, he goes for a suplex but Moose blocks it. Dropkick by Moose and he tags in Gedo. Gedo goes off the ropes but Young hits a backbreaker followed by a lariat. Cover, but it gets two. Young tags in Watanabe, snapmare by Watanabe to Gedo and he applies a reverse chinlock. Stretch hold by Watanabe and he covers Gedo for two. Watanabe picks up Gedo and he tags in Young. Young clubs Gedo in the back and chokes him in the ropes before tagging Watanabe back in. Irish whip by Watanabe but Gedo moves when he charges in. Young runs in to knock Moose off the apron, double Irish whip to Gedo but Gedo kicks Watanabe and punches Young. Gedo finally tags in Moose and Moose headbutts everyone. Lariats by Moose and he hits a body avalanche on both his opponents. Rebound crossbody out of the corner by Moose, he targets Watanabe but Watanabe avoids his charge. Gedo comes back in to help, Young goes for a split legged moonsault on him but Gedo moves. Watanabe lariats Gedo out of the ring, he elbows Moose and drops him with a release German suplex. Lariat by Watanabe to Moose, but Moose doesn't do down. He tries again but Moose picks him up in the air and hits a hard lariat for a two count. Watanabe knees Moose back and he tags in Young, Young gets annoyed with Watanabe but as soon as he turns around he eats a spear from Moose. Cover, and Moose gets the three count! A solid opener to start things out and get the crowd into it. Moose looked really good, but besides what he was doing it was a pretty basic match. Good display from the big man though.
Chris Sabin vs. KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly
They take turns trading armdrags to start off, they all go for dropkicks but none connect. O'Reilly and KUSHIDA go to grab Sabin but Sabin slithers out of the ring so O'Reilly and KUSHIDA trade elbows. KUSHIDA goes off the ropes but O'Reilly hits a big boot. Sabin pulls O'Reilly out of the ring but KUSHIDA comes off the apron with a seated senton. I just noticed the outside area is huge, is that normal for Ring of Honor? KUSHIDA and Sabin gets back into the ring as KUSHIDA controls the action, headscissors by KUSHIDA but O'Reilly returns. KUSHIDA gives him the headscissors also but Sabin rakes his eyes. Sabin throws KUSHIDA into the corner but it is reversed, Sabin kicks KUSHIDA back and he puts KUSHIDA in a tree of woe. Dropkick by Sabin to KUSHIDA and he throws O'Reilly into KUSHIDA while he is still hanging. Sabin picks up KUSHIDA and he hits a headbutt, Sabin puts KUSHIDA on the second turnbuckle and jokes him. Stomp by Sabin, snapmare, and Sabin applies a cross-arm submission to KUSHIDA. O'Reilly comes back and he kicks Sabin in the leg before hitting a knee and a leg sweep. KUSHIDA flips O'Reilly out to the apron, but O'Reilly applies a cross armbreaker over the top rope. Sabin breaks it up by superkicking O'Reilly in the head, Sabin gets back in the ring and he covers KUSHIDA for two. Sabin picks up KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA knees away, KUSHIDA flips out to the apron and he kicks both O'Reilly and Sabin before snapping both of their arms over the top rope.
Swandive lariat by KUSHIDA to Sabin and he hits a back elbow, roll-up by KUSHIDA and he suplexes O'Reilly at the same time to get a two count cover on both of them. KUSHIDA goes off the ropes and he puts Sabin in the Hoverboard Lock, but O'Reilly comes over and puts KUSHIDA in a guillotine choke. Sabin gets a foot on the ropes to break up both submissions, O'Reilly and KUSHIDA trade armbreakers and then kicks to the arm. Leg clutch backdrop suplex by O'Reilly, but KUSHIDA kicks out at two. O'Reilly picks up KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA gets away, and Sabin kicks off KUSHIDA to hit a tornado DDT on O'Reilly. Sabin picks up O'Reilly and all three trade strikes with each other until O'Reilly lariats both of his opponents to the mat. Brainbuster by O'Reilly to Sabin, but it gets a two count. O'Reilly applies the cross armbreaker but KUSHIDA breaks it up with a moonsault. KUSHIDA waits for O'Reilly to get up and hits a reverse STO into the turnbuckles. Superkick by KUSHIDA to Sabin and he goes for a Shiranui, but Sabin blocks it. Armdrag by KUSHIDA, he quickly applies the Hoverboard Lock and he rolls Sabin away from the ropes. Sabin can't reach them again and O'Reilly is in no position to help, and Sabin taps out! This was a fun three-way match. Three ways that get sub ten minutes tend to just be non-stop (if not always logical) action which this one fit the description of, but all three were so smooth. They didn't have time to do the 'take turns' type spots so they didn't, and all three stayed actively involved from start to finish. Well-paced and entertaining. Mildly Recommended
Jushin Thunder Liger and Matt Sydal vs. Michael Bennett and Matt Taven
Sydal and Taven start things off for their respective teams. Sydal and Taven trade introductory holds with neither having any luck, jumping footstomp by Sydal and Taven crawls to his corner. Liger and Bennett are tagged in, side headlock by Liger and he goes for a shoulderblock with no luck. Shoulderblock by Bennett but Liger back bodydrops him out of the ring. Liger goes to do a dive but Bennett bails so Liger rolls himself back into the ring. Sydal comes in and they dropkick Bennett out of the ring when he returns, but Maria grabs Liger from the floor. Superkick by Bennett to Liger but it gets a two count. Bennett stomps Liger in the corner and he tags in Taven. Neckbreaker by Taven and he covers Liger for two. Bennett shoulderblocks Liger in the corner and he applies a chinlock. Dropkick by Bennett and he tags in Taven. Taven hits a moonsault out of the corner, cover, but it only gets two. Taven knocks Sydal off the apron and he tags Bennett back in. Double kicks by Liger but Bennett superkicks Taven by accident. This gives Liger time to tag in Sydal, and Sydal hits a seated senton. Hurricanrana by Sydal to Bennett and he hits a standing moonsault on Taven for a two count. Sydal goes up top but Bennett elbows him off, then Taven dropkicks Sydal off the apron. Liger lariats Bennett and Taven out of the ring but Maria jumps up on the apron and distracts Liger. Liger hits a Shotei on both Bennett and Taven while he keeps staring at mmm, then he lariats both of them as mmm grabs his head and pulls it into her chest. Liger gets all the nice things. Bennett and Taven finally manage to hit a double superkick on Liger, Sydal comes back in the ring and he knees both of them. Sydal goes up top and goes for the shooting star press, but Taven superkicks him on the way down. Bennett grabs Sydal and with Taven they hit the Hail Mary, picking up the three count! Ok so the Maria bit was really funny even though it was equally ridiculous. It was also the only memorable thing about the match as while the rest was fine it wasn't anything special either. Good finishing run and you may also find the Liger/Maria segment funny (probably not), but as a full match pretty run of the mill.
Cedric Alexander vs. Kazuchika Okada
Tie-up to start and they trade wristlocks, Alexander gets in the ropes and Okada gives a clean break. Irish whip by Okada but Alexander shoulderblocks him. They trade armdrags, headscissors by Alexander and they both return to their feet. I wonder if Alexander knows he is wrestling one of the best in the world. Shoulderblock by Okada but Alexander delivers a dropkick. Alexander chops Okada in the corner and he kicks Okada in the back of the head for a two count. Okada flips Alexander out to the apron, swandive attempt by Alexander but Okada moves. Okada puts Alexander on the top turnbuckle and dropkicks him off of it, as Alexander falls down to the floor. The lights in the arena go out (not intentionally), but wrestling fans are civilized so no one was mugged. They get a spotlight on them as Okada puts Alexander hanging over the apron, but the lights come back just as Okada hits a DDT down to the floor. Back in the ring Okada stomps Alexander in the corner. Alexander gets back up and chops Okada, but Okada delivers a sliding kick. Waistlock by Alexander, he spins Okada around and hits the jumping kick. Okada falls out of the ring, Alexander goes off the apron and he dives out onto Okada with a tope con hilo. The lights go out again but they return as they get back in the ring, and Alexander hits a swandive lariat. Okada goes off the ropes but Alexander hits a Michinoku Driver for a two count cover.
Alexander slaps Okada, he goes off the ropes but Okada hits a flapjack. Jumping elbow by Okada in the corner and he snaps off a DDT. Okada hits a scoop slam, he goes up top and he delivers the diving elbow drop. Okada goes for the Rainmaker but Alexander ducks it and hits a springboard tornado DDT. Alexander charges Okada but Okada gets Alexander on his back and hits the reverse neckbreaker for a two count. Suplex by Okada but Alexander gets him up and he hits a fireman's carry into a head kick. Alexander kicks Okada in the corner and he does it again. A third jumping kick by Alexander, cover, but Okada gets a shoulder up. Back kick by Alexander, he avoids the dropkick and he hits a rebound kick out of the corner. Okada slips away, Alexander goes off the ropes but Okada plants him with a dropkick. Tombstone by Okada and he nails the Rainmaker for the three count! Not bad but there were a lot of transition issues here. That is not unusual with two wrestlers that aren't familiar with each other, sometimes it turns into 'taking turns' so to speak. It wasn't bad but it was just a bit disjointed at times, I haven't seen Alexander before and I don't think they meshed too well, seemed like two wrestlers from different worlds. A disappointing match for me.
BJ Whitmer and Adam Page vs. Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian vs. Rocky Romero and Baretta
Only two wrestlers are legal at a time. Baretta and Kazarian begin the match, they trade quick pin attempts but neither has any luck. Kick by Kazarian and he hits a swinging neckbreaker, and Baretta crawls back to Romero. Romero tags in to face off with Kazarian, shoulderblock by Kazarian and Romero crawls to Baretta. Kazarian taunts Romero so Romero pokes Kazarian in the eyes. Kick to the back by Romero and he tags in Baretta. Kazarian gets away and tags in Page, Page throws Baretta into the corner and rakes his face. Baretta rights back and tags in Romero, Irish whip to Page and Romero kicks him in the chest. Standing moonsault by Baretta but it gets a two count cover. Daniels runs in but he gets the same treatment, but Page gets the tag in to Whitmer. Whitmer chops Romero and he hits a back elbow for a two count. Swinging kick by Romero, Whitmer tags in Daniels but Romero hits a drop toehold, Romero goes off the ropes and he hits a dropkick. Romero tags in Baretta, and Baretta hits a slingshot boot rake. Baretta chops Daniels, Kazarian kicks Baretta from the apron and then trips Baretta so that Daniels can hit a moonsault off the ropes. Mounted punches by Daniels, Daniels and Kazarian double team Baretta for a bit as Daniels hits a jumping kick out of the corner for two. Double underhook by Daniels but Baretta drives him back and Whitmer tags himself in by tagging Daniels. Whitmer punches Baretta, cover, but it gets two. Whitmer slaps at Baretta, elbow by Whitmer and he throws Baretta out of the ring. Page then comes off the apron with a shooting star press as Baretta gets on his feet, he slides him back into the ring and Whitmer covers Baretta for two. Whitmer picks up Baretta and he tags in Page. Daniels comes in the ring with Page and elbows him, Page mushes him back but Daniels throws Page out of the ring. Baretta stomps Kazarian and he finally makes the tag to Romero.
Romero hits a swandive crossbody on Daniels, Kazarian comes in but Romero hits him with a hurricanrana. Romero cleans house as he lariats both Daniels and Kazarian, Baretta comes in and Daniels eats a double knee. Swandive dropkick by Romero, Daniels is covered but the pin is broken up. Whitmer and Page stay in and target Romero, but Baretta pulls Page out of the ring. Whitmer is dumped out of the ring next and Romero hits a jumping knee off the apron on him. Baretta goes off the ropes but Kazarian catches him with a dropkick. Romero returns (things have broken down a bit as you probably noticed) but he eats a double neckbreaker from Daniels and Kazarian for a two count. Romero armdrags Kazarian and Whitmer tags himself in, Page comes in too as Romero is isolated and Page hits a lariat on Romero for two. Exploder by Whitmer to Daniels but Baretta hits an enzigieri on Whitmer. Slingshot DDT by Kazarian to Baretta but Page then hits a DDT on him. Romero hits a jumping knee on Page and we end up with all six wrestlers hurt on the mat. Romero and Page are up first and trade shots, Baretta makes a blind tag to his partner Romero and he levels Page. Strong Zero to Page, cover, but Daniels breaks it up and throws Baretta into the corner. Kazarian tags himself in, he covers Page and he gets the three count! This was a bit too chaotic and all over the place for my personal tastes but it was still pretty fun to watch. The first 75% of the match they were well behaved and nothing exciting happened, then I guess the referee gave a signal and it was balls to the wall from there. But nothing really meant anything as if you waited 3 seconds something else happened and they were just cycling through their moves. I've give then credit for picking things up and getting the crowd into it and the action was smooth, but if they were going to go crazy just do a 10 minute match with 100% craziness instead of having a meaningless slow build.
ACH vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
They jockey for position to start, armdrag by ACH but they return to their feet. Nakamura pushes ACH into the ropes but he gives him a clean break, ACH charges Nakamura but Nakamura throws him to the mat. They trade taunts, swinging kick by ACH and he delivers a dropkick. Chops by ACH, he goes off the ropes but Nakamura catches him with a knee to the stomach. ACH chops Nakamura, he goes for a swandive move but Nakamura pushes him out to the floor. Nakamura goes out after him and puts ACH over the guardrail before hitting a running knee lift. Nakamura puts ACH over the apron and he hits a running knee followed by a knee drop. Nakamura gets in the ring with ACH slowly following. Kneedrop by Nakamura but ACH slides away from the cover. Knees by Nakamura in the corner and he chokes ACH, but ACH hits a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle. Elbows by ACH, Irish whip and ACH hits a kick combination. Lariat by ACH, cover, but it gets two. Back up, chops by ACH but Nakamura hits a swinging kick. ACH and Nakamura trade elbows, jumping kick by Nakamura and he throws ACH into the corner. Nakamura puts ACH across the top turnbuckle and he hits a running knee. Cover, but it gets a two count. Nakamura goes for an inverted powerslam but ACH elbows out of it, and ACH hits a stunner. ACH applies a waistlock, he spins Nakamura around but Nakamura blocks the suplex attempt. Nakamura goes for the Boma Ye but ACH moves out of the way and hits a swinging side slam for a two count. ACH goes up top and he hits a footstomp to the back of Nakamura's head, cover, but it gets a two count. Nakamura gets up on the apron and ACH dropkicks him down to the floor. ACH goes off the ropes and he nails the step-up tope con hilo. ACH rolls Nakamura back in the ring, he goes up top but Nakamura avoids the 450 Splash and hits the Boma Ye to the back of the head. Nakamura picks up ACH and hits the inverted powerslam, he waits for ACH to get up but ACH dropkicks him back. ACH charges Nakamura but he takes off his head with a Boma Ye, picking up the three count! This match was definitely good but it took awhile to get going, then it was over. It felt like it just needed a few more minutes as they were getting into the grove, but I guess with it being an iPPV there were some time restrictions. But the action was crisp, both hit their moves well and Nakamura of course is awesome. So overall still a very solid match, it just could have been better with a bit more time. Mildly Recommended
(c) Jay Lethal vs. Tetsuya Naito
This match is for the ROH World Television Championship. Lethal stomps down Naito as soon as the match starts but Naito comes back with armdrags and a sliding kick. Irish whip by Naito, reversed, but Naito hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Knee by Lethal and he mounts Naito in the corner, but Naito slides away and hits a back bodydrop. Lethal rolls out of the ring, Naito goes off the ropes but Lethal moves. Naito leaves the ring and follows Lethal, Naito charges him but Lethal drop toeholds Naito into a chair. Back in the ring, mounted punches by Lethal and he covers Naito for two. Lethal throws Naito out of the ring, he goes off the ropes and he hits a tope suicida. He hits a second one before returning to the ring and hitting a third. Lethal slides Naito back in, he goes up top and he hits a diving double ax handle for a two count cover. Reverse chinlock by Lethal and he hits a back elbow for two. Lethal goes off the ropes but Naito catches him with an elbow followed by a neckbreaker. Naito goes to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick, he trips Lethal from the apron and delivers his slingshot dropkick for a two count. Irish whip attempt by Naito but Lethal hangs onto the ropes. Kick by Lethal, he handsprings off the ropes but Naito catches him. Reverse STO by Lethal, he goes up top and he nails the diving elbow drop for a two count. Lethal waits for Naito to get up, roaring elbow by Lethal but Naito hits an enzigieri. Lethal comes back with his own kick but Naito hits a rolling kick as both men are now on the mat. They both slowly get up and trade elbows, Naito slides out to the apron and he goes up top, but Lethal joins him. Naito slides away, he re-joins Lethal back up and he hits the Frankensteiner for a two count. Naito picks up Lethal, Lethal slips away but Naito hits a suplex. Scoop slam by Naito, he goes up top but Lethal rolls out of the way of the Stardust Press. Lethal rolls up Naito from behind while using the ropes, but it gets two. Roll-up by Naito but he also gets a two, Lethal goes off the ropes and he nails the Lethal Injection for the three count! Another match that certainly passes the 'good' line but doesn't really go any further. This was a typical Lethal match, most the matches I have seen of his are good but rarely does he go to the next level, and today wasn't that day. Fun though, it was well-paced and they had pretty good chemistry which was definitely a plus. Mildly Recommended
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Michael Elgin
They tie-up to start, Elgin gets Tanahashi in the corner but Tanahashi gets away and elbows him. Elgin returns the favor, he throws Tanahashi into the corner but Tanahashi elbows him back. Tanahashi dives at Elgin, Elgin catches him but Tanahashi elbows away. Rebound crossbody by Tanahashi and he hits an armdrag, Irish whip by Elgin but Tanahashi holds down the ropes when he charges and Elgin falls out of the ring. Elgin pulls Tanahashi out with him but Tanahashi throws Elgin into the guard rail. Back in the ring, Elgin regains the advantage and he hits a somersault leg drop by Tanahashi is on hanging over the second rope for two. Delayed vertical suplex by Elgin, cover, but it gets a two count. Elgin applies a chinlock, Tanahashi goes off the ropes and goes for a sunset flip, it is blocked but Tanahashi moves when Elgin tries to sit on him. Tanahashi charges Elgin in the corner but Elgin moves and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Elbow drops by Elgin and he hits a body press for two. Chinlock by Elgin but Tanahashi elbows him back, heel kick by Tanahashi and he hits a jumping elbow smash. Scoop slam by Tanahashi, he goes on the second turnbuckle and hits a somersault senton for a two count. Uppercut by Tanahashi but Elgin hits a big boot. Lariat by Elgin, he grabs Tanahashi around the waist and he hits a German suplex for a two count. Elgin grabs Tanahashi but Tanahashi gets away and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Tanahashi goes up top but Elgin rolls through the crossbody attempt and gets Tanahashi on his shoulders. Tanahashi elbows away but Elgin hits a roaring elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count.
Elgin pulls Tanahashi out to the apron and goes for a powerbomb but Tanahashi knocks him down to the floor. Elgin knocks Tanahashi's legs out from under him, he brings Tanahashi out of the ring but Tanahashi throws Elgin to the floor. Tanahashi gets back into the ring, he goes up top and he dives out of the ring with a plancha suicida. Back in the ring, Tanahashi goes up top but he jumps off when Elgin charges in. The two wrestlers collide in the middle of the ring, back up they trade elbows, Tanahashi goes off the ropes but he misses the Sling Blade. Footstomp to the back by Elgin, he goes off the ropes but Tanahashi catches him and he nails the arm trapped German suplex for a two count. Tanahashi goes up top and he hits the High Fly Flow to Elgin's back, he goes up top and he goes for another one, but Elgin gets his knees up. Lariat by Elgin, he picks up Tanahashi and he powerbombs him into the corner. Tanahashi fires out of the corner with a Sling Blade, Tanahashi quickly goes up top and he nails the High Fly Flow for the three count! I'm so torn by this match. I loved the physicality of it, the reversals, the pacing, all the normal things that I enjoy in matches were all here. On the flip side there were some really sloppy moments and Elgin twice doing the 'reaching up' sell for the High Fly Flow was two times too many. Overall definitely a really good match and the MOTN so far, but the occasional rough patches did take things away from me a little bit. Both worked hard though to put on a good match and they held nothing back, so I still recommend it, just keep in mind that it isn't perfect. Recommended
Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Roderick Strong, Raymond Rowe, and Hanson vs. AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson
I'm not doing play by play for this match, I refuse! But I will highlight the action while I watch it. They do a massive brawl to start as Nick and Strong are the first two to stay in the ring. Looks like they are pretending to have tag rules, we'll see how long that lasts. Nick and Matt double team Strong and the action quickly disintegrates into a cluster. Nick goes up top and hits an avalanche tornillo onto everyone 45 seconds into the match as Briscoe eats a double superkick when he jumps off the apron. Gallows and Anderson get in the ring with Strong and double team him as the Bullet Club takes turns on Strong. Strong finally gets away and tags in Mark, Mark faces off with Matt and he hits a big boot. Anderson runs in but Mark tags in Jay, and Jay hits a lariat. Nick is tagged in but Jay punches him before hitting a big boot. Jay tags in Rowe, Rowe kicks Nick into the corner and Hanson hits a seated senton. Cover by Rowe but it gets two. Rowe hits a backbreaker, gutbuster, powerbomb combination on Nick and he tags Jay back in. The Nick beatdown continues for a bit until he makes the tag to Styles. Styles clears the ring, he grabs Hanson but Hanson hits a back bodydrop. Styles tags in Gallows, and Gallows and Hanson run into each other until Hanson hits a lariat. Boot by Gallows as he tags in Anderson, Matt comes in too with Nick as Hanson is attacked by everyone. Hanson then eats a five man superkick, cover, but it gets broken up.
Chaos ensues, and both Young Bucks as well as Styles hit 450 Splashes on Hanson, but Hanson kicks out. Gallows and Anderson go for the Magic Killer but it gets broken up, somehow all ten wrestlers end up outside the ring in short order and Styles gets on the apron, but Hanson hits him before he can do a springboard move. Rowe then goes up top and he dives out onto everyone with a tope con hilo. Back in the ring Strong takes Matt up top and he hits a superplex. He then puts Styles up top and he superplexes him as well, and finally he puts Anderson on the top turnbuckle and also gives him a superplex. Gallows climbs up top but Strong joins him, luckily Nick gets on the apron to help but Strong kicks him back. Strong goes up top, he grabs Nick with him and he superplexes him out of the ring down onto the pile of wrestlers. Gallows and Hanson get in the ring and then they do a run with wrestlers doing their finishers. Styles picks up Rowe and goes for a Styles Clash, but Strong breaks it up. Strong hits a backbreaker on Nick, then Jay drops him with the Jay Driller. Diving Elbow Drop by Jay, and he picks up the three count! It goes without saying this match was excessive, but was enjoyable. The only part the crossed the line to me (which says a lot) is the Strong superplex spots, as superplexes are supposed to hurt both in theory but he popped up from three in a row which was just a bit too much. But the rest of the chaos I was cool with as there were some awesome spots, I hadn't seen Rowe or Hanson before but both were impressive. For crazy moves this is the match for you but if you like structure and sanity then you may not like it so much. Mildly Recommended
Final Thoughts:
Whenever there is a joint show like this, you know some of the issues that are going to crop up. Some of these guys had never wrestled against each other and may have only met during the tour, so there is going to be more of a feeling out process than usual. This sometimes leads to good but not really memorable matches as the chemistry just isn't there. Also the matches weren't very long, with only two going over 15 minutes, so in a few of the matches they got through the 'feeling out' phase and a few minutes later the match ended. That being said there was a lot of solid action here and there wasn't really a 'bad' match on the entire card as there was no lack of effort. I thought Tanahashi/Elgin was the match of the night, it wasn't perfect but it felt like a war and both came out of it looking strong. The main event is what you thought it would be, I'd rather see that type of match in the mid-card as while it is fun to watch it is more mindless entertaining than anything else. A definite recommendation for ROH and New Japan fans, but it lacked a real standout match and the main event was (by design) a giant cluster with a somewhat flat ending.
Grade: B-
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event reviewed on 5/18/15
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