Just wanted to give my quick thoughts on the first of two joint ventures between Ring of Honor and NJPW. Last Night's show, Global Wars, took place at the Ted Reeves Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Cananda. It was a pretty decent show so let's break it down.
1.) Michael Bennett vs. ACH
This was a fine opener, but it wasn't a thrilling match. ACH got a few nice spots in, but there was never any doubt in the fan's minds on who was winning. Bennett has a big match against Tanahashi on Saturday, so Bennett needed to look good. Mission accomplished. Rating: **
2.) Michael Elgin vs. Takaaki Watanabe
Similar situation to the first match where Elgin needed to look good before he faces AJ Styles for the IWGP Championship this weekend. There were some fun moments, but again this was never in doubt. Rating: **
3.) The Decade vs. Red Dragon vs. The Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoes won in a fairly short but fun matchup. Red Dragon has a match coming up with the Young Bucks for the ROH Tag Team Championship, but the Briscoe Brothers are back and will probably have a big match against the Tag Team Champions at Best in the World. Rating: **
4.) Cedrick Alexander vs. Roderick Strong
Pretty good match and certainly a step up from the first three matches. The video package that was shown before the match was pretty good and had me looking forward to the match. The match delivered with good action and a nice finish where the young up-and-comer beats the veteran. This was a nice win for Roderick and a very good beatdown segment from the Decade. Rating: ***
5.) Forever Hooligans vs. Time Splitters vs. Young Bucks (C) for the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles
This was the best match of the first part of the show. This was a fast paced match with a lot of fun spots. The crowd was very into this match and they had every right to be. The mid-air double superkick near the end of this match was nasty. Really fun stuff from all guys involved. If you like spot heavy action, this will be a good match to watch. Rating: *** 1/2
INTERMISSION! They ran a video package highlighting the path that Kevin Steen has taken since he first became World Heavyweight champion to now. They were hyping the fact that he could regain his championship in the same building he won his first championship in.
6.) THE NEW STREAK is DEFENDED: RD EVANS 105-0
RD Evans may be the best comedy wrestler out there right now, and on this show he tricked Bobby Cruise into a "match" and won with a roll-up. Very fun stuff, but not rate-able.
7.) Shinsuke Nakamura and Jado vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jushin Thunder Liger.
This was a fun match, but again, nothing too memorable. It was strange but awesome to see Nakamura and Tanahashi in an ROH ring. I knew from the moment I saw Jedo was in the match who was taking the pin. Jedo, one of the bookers for NJPW, is not a star anymore and doesn't like to put himself over. This was a nice showcase to see two of the biggest stars in NJPW and one of the true legends of Japanese wrestling in Liger. Rating: **1/2
8.) Silas Young vs. Matt Taven vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jay Lethal (C) in a four-corners match for the ROH TV Title.
This was a fun match that was a nice showcase for the mid-card scene of ROH. Silas Young looked good here as did Ciampa. Overall, it wasn't anything special but they got heat for Jay Lethal and Truth Martini. Lethal retains with a Lethal Injection on a distracted Matt Taven. Rating: **
8.) Kazuchika Okada and Gedo vs. AJ Styles and Karl Anderson
This was a fun match and was the better than the other big tag match. This was another case of knowing who was losing in Gedo, the other half of the brilliant booking team from NJPW. Okada was over with the crowd but Bullet Club was way more over. The crowd loved AJ Styles and showed him a lot of support. AJ looked very good, as did Okada and Anderson. AJ Styles wins with a nasty brainbuster and a Styles Clash on Gedo. Rating: *** 1/2
9.) Kevin Steen vs. Adam Cole for the ROH World Championship
This was a good match that featured some brawling and some good wrestling. The finish was a bit anti-climactic, but the match was pretty darn good. Both guys worked their butts off and put on a worthy main Event. There were a few nice near falls and some fun moments including Turnbuckle Brainbuster, ala El Generico, form Kevin Steen! Good stuff. Cole ultimately walked away with the belt after a Superkick to the face. Rating: ***3/4
Overall, this was a good show. It wasn't great, but it was as good as I expected with the much better card in New York this Saturday. The stream worked well, which is an achievement for ROH, and the product looked good on camera. I am looking forward to War of the Worlds this Saturday. Stop on by for coverage!
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