The Bearded One
Love is not admissable evidence.
SuperCard of Honor III is my personal favorite Ring of Honor show. I have seen this show more times than I can count and I love it every time. It took place March 29, 2008 in Orlando, Florida. There are two scheduled title matches. The first is a title match for the FIP World Heavyweight Title between Roderick Strong and Erick Stevens. Nigel McGuinness is also scheduled to defend his ROH World Title against Austin Aries. The main event is a Dragon Gate six-man, which is always awesome. Lets get to it.
Delirious vs Go Shiozaki
Shiozaki is tentative to shake Delirious hand before the match. Delirious starts the match out with a game of red light/green light and its pretty funny stuff. Delirious informs the referee that there are no chops in this match. Delirious steals a guys hat and throws it at Shiozaki after avoiding a chop attempt. Shiozaki finally connects with a couple of chops and Delirious wants a DQ. A leaping lariat gets a two count for the masked man. Shiozaki lands a couple of more chops with Delirious draped off the ropes. Shiozaki delivers a loud chop to the back of Delirious and then locks in a sleeper. A sunset flip gets two for Delirious, but some more chops gives Shiozaki the advantage again. Shiozaki goes for a moonsault, but Delirious gets his knees up. A flurry of moves gets Delirious a near fall. Delirious connects with the Panic Attack and goes for the Shadows Over Hell, but is met with a Superkick from Shiozaki. Shiozaki gets a two count with a bridging German Suplex. The Go Flasher gets the pinfall for Go Shiozaki!
Rating: ** ¾ The opening match was incredibly fun and got the crowd going for the rest of the night. It had its funny moments in the beginning before turning into a good wrestling match. It was a good opener that really got Shiozakis chops over as a dangerous move.
Backstage Larry Sweeney and Shane Hagadorn talk about how good things are going and they have a little business to take care of.
The YRR (Kenny King, Sal Rinauro and Chasyn Rance)
vs Bushwhacker Luke, Dingo and Alex Payne
Yes, that Bushwhacker Luke. I dont care what anyone says, thats pretty freaking awesome and he gets a big pop. Dingo and Rinauro start the match off. Dingo locks in a nifty looking submission that looks kind of like the Tequila Sunrise. Rinauro has been getting dominated so far. Rance and King beat down Payne then toss him back in the ring and Rinauro takes advantage. The YYR take turns abusing Payne. Payne is able to counter a King suplex attempt into a DDT and makes the tag into Dingo, who comes in and cleans house. Payne hits both Rance and King with a dropkick. In comes Luke who continues taking out the YRR. Payne is used as the human battering ram and then the three wrestlers on Lukes team do the Bushwhacker walk, but YYR attacks them from behind. A crazy triple team combination gets the pinfall for the YRR.
Rating: ** ¼ That was another fun match to start off the show. The YRR picked up a win and the fans got to see Bushwhacker Luke. It was all in good fun and It delivered on that.
Larry Sweeney and Shane Hagadorn make their way to the ring after Davey Richards and Rocky Romero defended their tag team titles in a match that was taped for PPV. He offers to buy them out and Roderick Strong makes his way to the ring and tells Sweeney its his group and they have no interest. This brings Erick Stevens out
FIP World Heavyweight Title
Erick Stevens vs Roderick Strong (C)
The fight immediately goes to the outside and fight around ringside. Strong is already bleeding from the chest due to chops from Stevens. Stevens beats Strong down in the corner and then throws the referee down. The bell has never sounded for the match to start. They both take the ref out before turning their attention back to each other. They are just beating the living daylights out of each other around the ringside area. This is crazy! Stevens is busted open now. Strong wedges a chair in the turnbuckles and tries to whip Stevens into it. He is able to stop himself and turns the table on the champion and Stevens throws Strong through the chair. These two are just brutalizing each other! Strong delivered the sickest back fist I have ever seen before attempting a half Nelson back breaker through the chair, which Stevens blocks! TKO through the chair on Strong! Holy crap! They continue to slug it out around ringside and now Strongs head is busted open. Stevens bites the open wound on Strongs head before hitting some more vicious sounding chops. Strong avoids the Choo Choo and he connects with a lariat. A release German Suplex gives Stevens the opportunity to connect with the Choo Choo and he follows it up with a lariat. Strong lands a crazy enziguri and follows it up with a Sick Kick. They slug it out once more in the middle of the ring. Strong grabs a chair and blasts Stevens skull in and then calls in Richards and Romero. Richards hands Strong a pair of scissors and clippers and they shave Stevens Mohawk.
Rating: **** I know that wasnt technically a match, but it was one of the most intense fights I have ever seen in wrestling. Strong and Stevens went out and brutalized each other with some of the craziest shots I have ever seen. They beat each other up for a long time and you could just feel the hatred between these two. It was just a sick, sick fight.
Relaxed Rules Match
Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black vs Jay and Mark Briscoe
We get a video package highlighting the history between these two teams, which is way too much to get into here. Remember when I said that during the SuperCard of Honor IV review? Were still dealing with much of the same storyline here. Jacobs says the Age of the Fall is in Orlando and that they are a revolution for the downtrodden. They got a homeless man a ticket for the show. He says hes got some business to take care of with Aries later and calls the Briscoes out. I really miss Jacobs in ROH.
The fight starts immediately as the Briscoes charge the Age of the Fall. The action spills to the outside and Mark hits a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the floor! Jacobs and Black get thrown into the crowd and the Briscoes bust out a trampoline! They use it to catapult themselves onto Jacobs and Black in the crowd! The fight is spilling all over the arena and it is impossible to call. It is just pure chaos! The four eventually make their way to the bleacher section, which has an opening in it for an entrance it looks like. The Briscoes bring in a table. Mark and Jacobs fight up through the bleachers and tease throwing each other over the edge. The fans chant Please dont die! Black is placed on the table; however the homeless man pushes him off. Jay knocks the homeless man on the table and Mark dives off the bleachers to take him out! That was insane! I think you can guess what the crowd is chanting. Jay finally rolls Black into the ring, but Jacobs puts a plastic bag over his head. Its a two-on-one situation as Mark is still hurt from the dive. The Age of the Fall do everything they can, but they cant put the older Briscoe away. Jay is able to fight back and even gets a couple near falls. The numbers game eventually catches back up to him. Black climbs to the top for a Phoenix Splash but Mark makes the save! They go for the Doomsday Device, but Jacobs catches Mark in the End Time and Mark passes out! The Age of the Fall win!
Rating: ***3/4 This was a war. Jacobs, Black and the Briscoes went out there and killed each other for over 15 minutes and there was not a boring moment in the match. It was all action from start to finish and the crowd was red hot for it. Add in a creative finish and you got yourself a great match.
Backstage Erick Stevens is recovering from the fight from earlier. He says the war is just beginning and its not going to stop until he gets the FIP World Heavyweight Title.
The Age of the Fall says Austin Aries will become ROH World Champion and they will become tag champions. Lacey says see has a back-up plan.
BxB Hulk and Shingo vs Kevin Steen and El Generico
I wish the Dragon Gate wrestlers could still wrestle in ROH, but I guess this will have to do. These are two of my favorite Dragon Gate guys. Generico looks so weird in blue. Generico and Hulk start the match off for their respective teams. The two trade holds and dropkicks and we get a standoff after Hulk connects with one. Steen gets tagged in and after a minute Shingo enters the match as well. Neither man can take his opponent off his feet. They exchange about 20 shoulder blocks before Steen sidesteps Shingo and sends him to the floor. This gives Generico the opportunity for Generico to hit a double springboard flipping Senton on him! Holy crap! A big backhand from Shingo gives the Dragon Gate guys the advantage over Generico. Generico gets dropkicked and it sends him into the corner and Steen tags himself in. Steen sends Hulk into Genericos boot. A front flip leg drop by Steen gets him a near fall. Hulk fights back against Generico, but a leg lariat stops the comeback. Generico is using his speed and Steen is using his power to work over Hulk, who really needs to tag in Shingo. A drop kick and moonsault combination gives Hulk the chance to tag in Shingo. The fresh Shingo is able to come in and clean house. Shingo hits some kind of crazy slam for a near fall and this one is just breaking down. Ow! Steen connects with a pumphandle neckbreaker onto his knee on Hulk. He climbs to the top but is met by Shingo. Generico pulls him off and hits a swinging DDT. This action is too fast to call as these guys are just flying out there! Steen goes for the Package Piledriver but Hulk fights out of it.
All four men are down now after a crazy sequence that I cant even begin to describe! Steen and Shingo go to the outside and Generico hits the Yakuza Kick followed by a half-Nelson Suplex on Hulk. Steen hits a Swanton Bomb on him and Generico pins him. Hulk kicks out! Steen misses a moonsault and Shingo connects with the Blood Fall. Hulk hits the EVOP on Generico but Steen makes the save. Shingo lifts Generico onto his shoulder and Hulk hits a springboard leg lariat! Steen makes the save again. Hulk hits a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the floor onto Steen. Back in the ring, Shingo hits a Super Death Valley Driver on Generico and goes for the pin, but the Generic Luchador kicks out! A lariat by Shingo has no effect on Generico. A second one does and the Last Falconry gets the pinfall victory for the Dragon Gate wrestlers!
Rating: **** This was an absolutely amazing match. They went all out for nearly 20 minutes and there wasnt a dull moment. If you are able to look past the tag rules being ignored for the second half of the match, then you should enjoy this match. It was incredibly fun from start to finish and the crowd was hot throughout. It was just insane.
Backstage Erick Stevens is shaving the rest of his Mohawk off.
ROH World Title
Austin Aries vs Nigel McGuinness (C)
These two had one of my favorite Ring of Honor matches at Rising Above in 2007. McGuinness suffered a concussion early in that match, but the match was still amazing. This should be great as well. They exchange holds early on, but nothing really comes of it for either wrestler. Aries attempts the Last Chancery but McGuinness slips to the floor. Aries fakes the Hit Seeking Missile, the same move that concussed McGuinness. Aries briefly locks in the Last Chancery before McGuinness reaches the ropes. The Pendulum Elbow gets a two count for Aries. McGuinness grabs a handful of face to gain the upper hand in the match. McGuinness sends Aries shoulder first into the ring post. McGuinness uses the ropes to further punish the shoulder of Aries. McGuinness is focusing his attack on the left shoulder and arm of the challenger. Aries gets a roll up for a quick two count and he follows it up with a knee strike. A couple of chops later and he gets another two count.
McGuinness sidesteps a corner attack and hits the kick to the back and clothesline combination. Aries blocks a Tower of London attempt and goes for a brainbuster, but he cant get him up. McGuinness locks in the London Dungeon but it was too close to the ropes.
Aries locks in the Last Chancery once again but the champion is able to get out of it by raking the eyes of the challenger. McGuinness goes for the Tower of London once again and Aries blocks it once more. He connects with a missile dropkick. He goes for another dropkick but McGuinness is able to block it. McGuinness finally connects with the Tower of London, but it only gets a two count. They go to the outside and the champion is thrown into the barricade. Aries follows it up with a dropkick to the face. Back in the ring, Aries connects with three more dropkicks and he only gets a two count. McGuinness goes for the headstand but is met with yet another dropkick. Aries hits the ropes but is met by a huge lariat from McGuinness and both men are down.
They slug it out in the middle of the ring and Aries is able to avoid the Jawbreaker Lariat and hits a brainbuster. He goes for the 450 but misses and McGuinness locks in the London Dungeon! Aries almost reaches the ropes but the champion drags him back to the middle. A roll up gets two for Aries and then he locks in the Last Chancery! McGuinness fights out of it and locks in the London Dungeon again. Aries blocks the Jawbreaker Lariat again and a backslide gets a two count. A kick to the head is followed up by a brainbuster for Aries. He connects with the 450 splash and goes for the pin, but McGuinness gets his foot on the ropes. He rolls to the outside and Aries tries to hit the Heat Seeking Missile, but McGuinness moves out of the way and Aries goes face first into the barrier! McGuinness sits Aries on the barrier and hits a lariat that sends the challenger into the crowd. McGuinness drags the limp body of Aries back into the ring and pins him but Aries kicks out. Aries hits a Crucifix Bomb but McGuinness rolls through and connects with the Jawbreaker Lariat! McGuinness retains his title!
Rating: **** ¼ This was a fantastic match that rivaled the one they had at Rising Above. It did sort of lose some steam after Aries missed the dive, but that is just a minor complaint. It seemed like Aries had won the title several times but McGuinness always found a way to keep fighting. This is just a great match between two of the best wrestlers on the roster.
After the match, the Age of the Fall make their way to the ring. Jacobs say it was destiny for Aries to lose so they would be there to pick him up. Lacey says she will show Aries why he belongs with them. They go to leave the ring, but Tammy Sytch, otherwise known as Sunny, makes her way to the ring. Sunny was my first celebrity crush and she still looks great. She questions Aries about leaving with Lacey, but they leave together anyways. The Age of the Fall slap her around a bit before the Briscoes make the save.
Backstage McGuinness says he is still the best wrestler in the world. He challenges anyone to a match.
Dragon Gate Six Man
Muscle Outlawz (Genki Horiguchi, Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino)
vs Typhoon (Dragon Kid, CIMA and Ryo Saito)
I have seen enough of these matches to know that I wont be able to type fast enough to cover this match, so this might be a tough read. I will do my best to call it, but I cant promise anything. If you have ever seen one of these matches you know how fast paced and insane they are, so hopefully you will understand.
Saito and Horiguchi start the match off and we get a quick standoff. Doi and CIMA get tagged in and we once again get a standoff. Dragon Kid and Yoshino get tagged in and Yoshino gets sent to the outside. These guys are flying out there, which is to be expected with these guys. CIMA and Kid double team Doi with some pretty sweet offense and get a two count. Yoshino comes to the aid of Doi and gets a two count. Tags arent necessary in Dragon Gate rules, which can make things kind of confusing. Typhoon triple teams Yoshino and hit some nice stereo dropkicks. Yoshino goes to the eyes of Dragon Kid to give his team the advantage. Muscle Outlawz hit stereo dropkicks of their own on Dragon Kid. Typhoon regains the advantage and are working over Doi. CIMA locks in a cool variation of the bow and arrow on Doi and rolls him up for a two count. Muscle Outlawz take turns coming off the top to punish the left arm of Dragon Kid. Some more triple team moves by the Outlawz on Dragon Kid gets a two count. Saito tries to save him, but both he and Kid get tied up in the corner and hit with a cannonball by Doi.
Dragon Kid finally fights them off and hits a 619 on Yoshino. Saito and CIMA enter the match and they take it the Muscle Outlawz. Dragon Kid hits a moonsault to the floor on Yoshino. CIMA goes for the Mad Splash, but Horiguchi gets his feet up. I cant keep up with all of this action, but Im doing my best. Yoshino hits a sick back senton from the top on Saito. Dragon Kid hits a springboard Stunnner for a two count. Yoshino and Dragon Kid each have an Octopus Stretch locked in on members of their opposing teams and they battle it out with each other with the hold locked in! CIMA gets a two count with a Perfect Driver on Horiguchi. Yoshino hits a huge missile dropkick on Dragon Kid. The crowd is chanting Please dont stop and I agree. Doi goes to the top but is stopped by CIMA. Dragon Kid goes for a stacked hurricarana, but Doi counters it into a powerbomb! Huge dive over the top by Horiguchi! CIMA places Yoshino on the top and connects with a super Perfect Driver and goes for the pin, but Yoshino kicks out! Everyone is on their feet and cheering. Typhoon hits one of the craziest triple team combinations on Yoshino, but he kicks out of the pin. Dragon Kid goes to the top, but Doi stops him and hits a super Doi Fives. Doi hits the Muscular Bomb on Dragon Kid and that is enough to pick up the victory! Im exhausted after watching that.
Rating: **** ½ That was insane. It was a great example of a Dragon Gate six man match and it was fast-paced action the entire 25 minutes it lasted. It seriously looked like it was in fast-forward at points. If you have never seen a Dragon Gate six man, you need to see one soon. They absolutely blow your mind the first time you see one, and after that they still remain just as exciting. Thos was just a crazy match that all wrestling fans should see.
Show Rating: SuperCard of Honor III is my favorite Ring of Honor show and for good reason. There is not a bad match on the card and the worst stuff is still fun and entertaining. There are three four star matches, plus a great fight between Roderick Strong and Erick Stevens and an awesome brawl between the Briscoes and the Age of the Fall. This is definitely a top five Ring of Honor show in my opinion and it is as close to perfect as perfect can get. Ill give it a 9.5 out of 10.
As always, you can find ROH reviews, news and exclusive interviews (nice little rhyme there) at http://www.rohworld.com/
Delirious vs Go Shiozaki
Shiozaki is tentative to shake Delirious hand before the match. Delirious starts the match out with a game of red light/green light and its pretty funny stuff. Delirious informs the referee that there are no chops in this match. Delirious steals a guys hat and throws it at Shiozaki after avoiding a chop attempt. Shiozaki finally connects with a couple of chops and Delirious wants a DQ. A leaping lariat gets a two count for the masked man. Shiozaki lands a couple of more chops with Delirious draped off the ropes. Shiozaki delivers a loud chop to the back of Delirious and then locks in a sleeper. A sunset flip gets two for Delirious, but some more chops gives Shiozaki the advantage again. Shiozaki goes for a moonsault, but Delirious gets his knees up. A flurry of moves gets Delirious a near fall. Delirious connects with the Panic Attack and goes for the Shadows Over Hell, but is met with a Superkick from Shiozaki. Shiozaki gets a two count with a bridging German Suplex. The Go Flasher gets the pinfall for Go Shiozaki!
Rating: ** ¾ The opening match was incredibly fun and got the crowd going for the rest of the night. It had its funny moments in the beginning before turning into a good wrestling match. It was a good opener that really got Shiozakis chops over as a dangerous move.
Backstage Larry Sweeney and Shane Hagadorn talk about how good things are going and they have a little business to take care of.
The YRR (Kenny King, Sal Rinauro and Chasyn Rance)
vs Bushwhacker Luke, Dingo and Alex Payne
Yes, that Bushwhacker Luke. I dont care what anyone says, thats pretty freaking awesome and he gets a big pop. Dingo and Rinauro start the match off. Dingo locks in a nifty looking submission that looks kind of like the Tequila Sunrise. Rinauro has been getting dominated so far. Rance and King beat down Payne then toss him back in the ring and Rinauro takes advantage. The YYR take turns abusing Payne. Payne is able to counter a King suplex attempt into a DDT and makes the tag into Dingo, who comes in and cleans house. Payne hits both Rance and King with a dropkick. In comes Luke who continues taking out the YRR. Payne is used as the human battering ram and then the three wrestlers on Lukes team do the Bushwhacker walk, but YYR attacks them from behind. A crazy triple team combination gets the pinfall for the YRR.
Rating: ** ¼ That was another fun match to start off the show. The YRR picked up a win and the fans got to see Bushwhacker Luke. It was all in good fun and It delivered on that.
Larry Sweeney and Shane Hagadorn make their way to the ring after Davey Richards and Rocky Romero defended their tag team titles in a match that was taped for PPV. He offers to buy them out and Roderick Strong makes his way to the ring and tells Sweeney its his group and they have no interest. This brings Erick Stevens out
FIP World Heavyweight Title
Erick Stevens vs Roderick Strong (C)
The fight immediately goes to the outside and fight around ringside. Strong is already bleeding from the chest due to chops from Stevens. Stevens beats Strong down in the corner and then throws the referee down. The bell has never sounded for the match to start. They both take the ref out before turning their attention back to each other. They are just beating the living daylights out of each other around the ringside area. This is crazy! Stevens is busted open now. Strong wedges a chair in the turnbuckles and tries to whip Stevens into it. He is able to stop himself and turns the table on the champion and Stevens throws Strong through the chair. These two are just brutalizing each other! Strong delivered the sickest back fist I have ever seen before attempting a half Nelson back breaker through the chair, which Stevens blocks! TKO through the chair on Strong! Holy crap! They continue to slug it out around ringside and now Strongs head is busted open. Stevens bites the open wound on Strongs head before hitting some more vicious sounding chops. Strong avoids the Choo Choo and he connects with a lariat. A release German Suplex gives Stevens the opportunity to connect with the Choo Choo and he follows it up with a lariat. Strong lands a crazy enziguri and follows it up with a Sick Kick. They slug it out once more in the middle of the ring. Strong grabs a chair and blasts Stevens skull in and then calls in Richards and Romero. Richards hands Strong a pair of scissors and clippers and they shave Stevens Mohawk.
Rating: **** I know that wasnt technically a match, but it was one of the most intense fights I have ever seen in wrestling. Strong and Stevens went out and brutalized each other with some of the craziest shots I have ever seen. They beat each other up for a long time and you could just feel the hatred between these two. It was just a sick, sick fight.
Relaxed Rules Match
Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black vs Jay and Mark Briscoe
We get a video package highlighting the history between these two teams, which is way too much to get into here. Remember when I said that during the SuperCard of Honor IV review? Were still dealing with much of the same storyline here. Jacobs says the Age of the Fall is in Orlando and that they are a revolution for the downtrodden. They got a homeless man a ticket for the show. He says hes got some business to take care of with Aries later and calls the Briscoes out. I really miss Jacobs in ROH.
The fight starts immediately as the Briscoes charge the Age of the Fall. The action spills to the outside and Mark hits a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the floor! Jacobs and Black get thrown into the crowd and the Briscoes bust out a trampoline! They use it to catapult themselves onto Jacobs and Black in the crowd! The fight is spilling all over the arena and it is impossible to call. It is just pure chaos! The four eventually make their way to the bleacher section, which has an opening in it for an entrance it looks like. The Briscoes bring in a table. Mark and Jacobs fight up through the bleachers and tease throwing each other over the edge. The fans chant Please dont die! Black is placed on the table; however the homeless man pushes him off. Jay knocks the homeless man on the table and Mark dives off the bleachers to take him out! That was insane! I think you can guess what the crowd is chanting. Jay finally rolls Black into the ring, but Jacobs puts a plastic bag over his head. Its a two-on-one situation as Mark is still hurt from the dive. The Age of the Fall do everything they can, but they cant put the older Briscoe away. Jay is able to fight back and even gets a couple near falls. The numbers game eventually catches back up to him. Black climbs to the top for a Phoenix Splash but Mark makes the save! They go for the Doomsday Device, but Jacobs catches Mark in the End Time and Mark passes out! The Age of the Fall win!
Rating: ***3/4 This was a war. Jacobs, Black and the Briscoes went out there and killed each other for over 15 minutes and there was not a boring moment in the match. It was all action from start to finish and the crowd was red hot for it. Add in a creative finish and you got yourself a great match.
Backstage Erick Stevens is recovering from the fight from earlier. He says the war is just beginning and its not going to stop until he gets the FIP World Heavyweight Title.
The Age of the Fall says Austin Aries will become ROH World Champion and they will become tag champions. Lacey says see has a back-up plan.
BxB Hulk and Shingo vs Kevin Steen and El Generico
I wish the Dragon Gate wrestlers could still wrestle in ROH, but I guess this will have to do. These are two of my favorite Dragon Gate guys. Generico looks so weird in blue. Generico and Hulk start the match off for their respective teams. The two trade holds and dropkicks and we get a standoff after Hulk connects with one. Steen gets tagged in and after a minute Shingo enters the match as well. Neither man can take his opponent off his feet. They exchange about 20 shoulder blocks before Steen sidesteps Shingo and sends him to the floor. This gives Generico the opportunity for Generico to hit a double springboard flipping Senton on him! Holy crap! A big backhand from Shingo gives the Dragon Gate guys the advantage over Generico. Generico gets dropkicked and it sends him into the corner and Steen tags himself in. Steen sends Hulk into Genericos boot. A front flip leg drop by Steen gets him a near fall. Hulk fights back against Generico, but a leg lariat stops the comeback. Generico is using his speed and Steen is using his power to work over Hulk, who really needs to tag in Shingo. A drop kick and moonsault combination gives Hulk the chance to tag in Shingo. The fresh Shingo is able to come in and clean house. Shingo hits some kind of crazy slam for a near fall and this one is just breaking down. Ow! Steen connects with a pumphandle neckbreaker onto his knee on Hulk. He climbs to the top but is met by Shingo. Generico pulls him off and hits a swinging DDT. This action is too fast to call as these guys are just flying out there! Steen goes for the Package Piledriver but Hulk fights out of it.
All four men are down now after a crazy sequence that I cant even begin to describe! Steen and Shingo go to the outside and Generico hits the Yakuza Kick followed by a half-Nelson Suplex on Hulk. Steen hits a Swanton Bomb on him and Generico pins him. Hulk kicks out! Steen misses a moonsault and Shingo connects with the Blood Fall. Hulk hits the EVOP on Generico but Steen makes the save. Shingo lifts Generico onto his shoulder and Hulk hits a springboard leg lariat! Steen makes the save again. Hulk hits a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the floor onto Steen. Back in the ring, Shingo hits a Super Death Valley Driver on Generico and goes for the pin, but the Generic Luchador kicks out! A lariat by Shingo has no effect on Generico. A second one does and the Last Falconry gets the pinfall victory for the Dragon Gate wrestlers!
Rating: **** This was an absolutely amazing match. They went all out for nearly 20 minutes and there wasnt a dull moment. If you are able to look past the tag rules being ignored for the second half of the match, then you should enjoy this match. It was incredibly fun from start to finish and the crowd was hot throughout. It was just insane.
Backstage Erick Stevens is shaving the rest of his Mohawk off.
ROH World Title
Austin Aries vs Nigel McGuinness (C)
These two had one of my favorite Ring of Honor matches at Rising Above in 2007. McGuinness suffered a concussion early in that match, but the match was still amazing. This should be great as well. They exchange holds early on, but nothing really comes of it for either wrestler. Aries attempts the Last Chancery but McGuinness slips to the floor. Aries fakes the Hit Seeking Missile, the same move that concussed McGuinness. Aries briefly locks in the Last Chancery before McGuinness reaches the ropes. The Pendulum Elbow gets a two count for Aries. McGuinness grabs a handful of face to gain the upper hand in the match. McGuinness sends Aries shoulder first into the ring post. McGuinness uses the ropes to further punish the shoulder of Aries. McGuinness is focusing his attack on the left shoulder and arm of the challenger. Aries gets a roll up for a quick two count and he follows it up with a knee strike. A couple of chops later and he gets another two count.
McGuinness sidesteps a corner attack and hits the kick to the back and clothesline combination. Aries blocks a Tower of London attempt and goes for a brainbuster, but he cant get him up. McGuinness locks in the London Dungeon but it was too close to the ropes.
Aries locks in the Last Chancery once again but the champion is able to get out of it by raking the eyes of the challenger. McGuinness goes for the Tower of London once again and Aries blocks it once more. He connects with a missile dropkick. He goes for another dropkick but McGuinness is able to block it. McGuinness finally connects with the Tower of London, but it only gets a two count. They go to the outside and the champion is thrown into the barricade. Aries follows it up with a dropkick to the face. Back in the ring, Aries connects with three more dropkicks and he only gets a two count. McGuinness goes for the headstand but is met with yet another dropkick. Aries hits the ropes but is met by a huge lariat from McGuinness and both men are down.
They slug it out in the middle of the ring and Aries is able to avoid the Jawbreaker Lariat and hits a brainbuster. He goes for the 450 but misses and McGuinness locks in the London Dungeon! Aries almost reaches the ropes but the champion drags him back to the middle. A roll up gets two for Aries and then he locks in the Last Chancery! McGuinness fights out of it and locks in the London Dungeon again. Aries blocks the Jawbreaker Lariat again and a backslide gets a two count. A kick to the head is followed up by a brainbuster for Aries. He connects with the 450 splash and goes for the pin, but McGuinness gets his foot on the ropes. He rolls to the outside and Aries tries to hit the Heat Seeking Missile, but McGuinness moves out of the way and Aries goes face first into the barrier! McGuinness sits Aries on the barrier and hits a lariat that sends the challenger into the crowd. McGuinness drags the limp body of Aries back into the ring and pins him but Aries kicks out. Aries hits a Crucifix Bomb but McGuinness rolls through and connects with the Jawbreaker Lariat! McGuinness retains his title!
Rating: **** ¼ This was a fantastic match that rivaled the one they had at Rising Above. It did sort of lose some steam after Aries missed the dive, but that is just a minor complaint. It seemed like Aries had won the title several times but McGuinness always found a way to keep fighting. This is just a great match between two of the best wrestlers on the roster.
After the match, the Age of the Fall make their way to the ring. Jacobs say it was destiny for Aries to lose so they would be there to pick him up. Lacey says she will show Aries why he belongs with them. They go to leave the ring, but Tammy Sytch, otherwise known as Sunny, makes her way to the ring. Sunny was my first celebrity crush and she still looks great. She questions Aries about leaving with Lacey, but they leave together anyways. The Age of the Fall slap her around a bit before the Briscoes make the save.
Backstage McGuinness says he is still the best wrestler in the world. He challenges anyone to a match.
Dragon Gate Six Man
Muscle Outlawz (Genki Horiguchi, Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino)
vs Typhoon (Dragon Kid, CIMA and Ryo Saito)
I have seen enough of these matches to know that I wont be able to type fast enough to cover this match, so this might be a tough read. I will do my best to call it, but I cant promise anything. If you have ever seen one of these matches you know how fast paced and insane they are, so hopefully you will understand.
Saito and Horiguchi start the match off and we get a quick standoff. Doi and CIMA get tagged in and we once again get a standoff. Dragon Kid and Yoshino get tagged in and Yoshino gets sent to the outside. These guys are flying out there, which is to be expected with these guys. CIMA and Kid double team Doi with some pretty sweet offense and get a two count. Yoshino comes to the aid of Doi and gets a two count. Tags arent necessary in Dragon Gate rules, which can make things kind of confusing. Typhoon triple teams Yoshino and hit some nice stereo dropkicks. Yoshino goes to the eyes of Dragon Kid to give his team the advantage. Muscle Outlawz hit stereo dropkicks of their own on Dragon Kid. Typhoon regains the advantage and are working over Doi. CIMA locks in a cool variation of the bow and arrow on Doi and rolls him up for a two count. Muscle Outlawz take turns coming off the top to punish the left arm of Dragon Kid. Some more triple team moves by the Outlawz on Dragon Kid gets a two count. Saito tries to save him, but both he and Kid get tied up in the corner and hit with a cannonball by Doi.
Dragon Kid finally fights them off and hits a 619 on Yoshino. Saito and CIMA enter the match and they take it the Muscle Outlawz. Dragon Kid hits a moonsault to the floor on Yoshino. CIMA goes for the Mad Splash, but Horiguchi gets his feet up. I cant keep up with all of this action, but Im doing my best. Yoshino hits a sick back senton from the top on Saito. Dragon Kid hits a springboard Stunnner for a two count. Yoshino and Dragon Kid each have an Octopus Stretch locked in on members of their opposing teams and they battle it out with each other with the hold locked in! CIMA gets a two count with a Perfect Driver on Horiguchi. Yoshino hits a huge missile dropkick on Dragon Kid. The crowd is chanting Please dont stop and I agree. Doi goes to the top but is stopped by CIMA. Dragon Kid goes for a stacked hurricarana, but Doi counters it into a powerbomb! Huge dive over the top by Horiguchi! CIMA places Yoshino on the top and connects with a super Perfect Driver and goes for the pin, but Yoshino kicks out! Everyone is on their feet and cheering. Typhoon hits one of the craziest triple team combinations on Yoshino, but he kicks out of the pin. Dragon Kid goes to the top, but Doi stops him and hits a super Doi Fives. Doi hits the Muscular Bomb on Dragon Kid and that is enough to pick up the victory! Im exhausted after watching that.
Rating: **** ½ That was insane. It was a great example of a Dragon Gate six man match and it was fast-paced action the entire 25 minutes it lasted. It seriously looked like it was in fast-forward at points. If you have never seen a Dragon Gate six man, you need to see one soon. They absolutely blow your mind the first time you see one, and after that they still remain just as exciting. Thos was just a crazy match that all wrestling fans should see.
Show Rating: SuperCard of Honor III is my favorite Ring of Honor show and for good reason. There is not a bad match on the card and the worst stuff is still fun and entertaining. There are three four star matches, plus a great fight between Roderick Strong and Erick Stevens and an awesome brawl between the Briscoes and the Age of the Fall. This is definitely a top five Ring of Honor show in my opinion and it is as close to perfect as perfect can get. Ill give it a 9.5 out of 10.
As always, you can find ROH reviews, news and exclusive interviews (nice little rhyme there) at http://www.rohworld.com/