What's All The Hubbub: ROH Final Battle 2008
Posted by Aaron Hubbard on 08.13.2010
Tyler Black becomes the face of Ring of Honor and Bryan Danielson slays the giant.
The Age of the Fall are in a back alley. Jimmy Jacobs talks about the raised stakes, telling Tyler Black not to fail him in his match with Austin Aries, and Delirious not to fail him in their ROH Tag Team Championship Match against Kevin Steen and El Generico.
We are in the jam-packed Hammerstein Ballroom.
CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI VS. KENNY OMEGA
Both of these guys are extremely talented wrestlers; Claudio is established and in the midst of his big heel turn, while Omega barely even registers on the roster. This is pretty standard speed vs. power stuff, although Claudio throws in some heel offense like the stun gun and a catapult into the bottom rope. Fortunately, Omega takes big bumps off of Claudio's offense and Castagnoli has the athleticism to make Omega's moves look good. The real story is that Castagnoli really lets Omega get in a lot of offense, even letting him do the Stop Sign Enzugiri. Omega gets a fluke small package out of the Riccola Bomb for the upset victory. Solid opener and a breakout match for Omega, who would become one of the breakout stars of ROH in 2009. MATCH RATING: **1/2
RHETT TITUS VS. CHRIS HERO VS. THE NECRO BUTCHER VS. JERRY LYNN
Jerry Lynn and Chris Hero are the ones with any real issue here. Necro and Titus are mostly here for comedic effect. Necro and Lynn butcher (pun intended) a series of reversals, although the crowd reaction to an arm wringer totally makes the segment. Titus is there to get his but kicked. Rhett and Hero start taking over Necro, although they do go to the effort to point out that they don't necessarily like each other, making blind tags and slapping each other. Rhett actually ends up stealing the show by sneaking around and pulling Necro off the apron so he smashes his head. Lynn gets his usual high-flying offense. Interesting moment as Titus tries a sunset flip bomb on Butcher on the floor, but Necro counters with a hurracanrana. Hero tries to win with the loaded elbow pad attached to his boot but Jerry wins with the Cradle Piledriver. Entertaining enough, but nothing really substantial. The most interesting thing was that Rhett Titus didn't take the loss. MATCH RATING: **1/4
Jimmy Jacobs comes out and bashes Necro Butcher for being a sellout, but the champions make the save, and since everyone is out, the match starts.
The Briscoes talk about their match with Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima
NEW YORK CITY STREET FIGHT
GO SHIOZAKI/DAVEY RICHARDS/EDDIE EDWARDS VS. RODERICK STRONG/ERICK STEVENS/BRENT ALBRIGHT
Not much other than brawling here, but that's really all you need. All six of these guys hit really hard and they have some good spots, like a German Suplex through a table and a kneedrop with a steel chair, both provided by Go, as well as a triple foot choke on Albright by Sweet & Sour Inc. Albright is able to fight off all three guys long enough for Stevens and Strong to make the save, and we get some nice exchanges between Richards and Strong, who have the most history thanks to the No Remorse Corps. Roderick murders Richards with a backdrop suplex off the apron through a table. Shiozaki and Albright have a nice series of moves before Stevens' full rotation German Suplex, Strong's sick kick and Brent's Crowbar put him away. The American Wolves abandon Go for tapping out, and Go gets a nice send-off back to Japan. MATCH RATING: ***1/4
KENSUKE SASAKI/KATSUHIKO NAKAJIMA VS. JAY BRISCOE/MARK BRISCOE
Nakajima is twenty years old at this point and is already one of the best junior heavyweights in the world. He does most of the heavy lifting for his team, but Sasaki works in most of his signature spots into the match. That's okay though, because it means lots of stiff kicks and attitude. The Briscoes have trouble getting any offense on the larger and more experienced Sasaki, but they are able to use their double-teams to control Nakajima. The Japanese go to work on Mark's bum knee, and also brutalize him with a flurry of chops and kicks in the corner. Mark actually has to resort to a Fisherman's Buster on Katsuhiko before he can tag out, but Jay doesn't really fare that much better. Sure, he gets a few huge blows like the reverse STO into the buckles and a Ron Simmons spinebuster, but Nakajima is able to hit his triangle enzugiri and tag out to Sasaki. They show some impressive double-teams of their own with Kensuke suplexing Nakajima into a senton of sorts, and tilt-a-whirling him into a kick.
Nakajima unloads with a series of crescent kicks, but tries the triangle enzugiri again and gets put in position for the Doomsday Device. Fortunately for him, Mark's knee keeps him from going for the Springboard. When they get Nakajima in position for the Doomsday Device a second time, Mark goes off the turnbuckle instead of the rope to get a better balance. Sasaki saves the match but probably hurts Nakajima in the long run, as Jay hits one of the Sickest Jay Drillers ever for the win. Somewhat disappointing considering the talent, but that doesn't keep it from being very good. It's a credit to the Japanese, Nakajima in particular, that the fans go from chanting “USA! USA!” to cheering every move from both sides. MATCH RATING: ***1/2
The American Wolves come out and attack Mark's knee, but Kevin Steen, El Generico, and the No Charisma Triad (Strong, Albright & Stevens). Albright petitions Cary Silken for Steel Cage Warfare and it looks like we have that confirmed.
Kyle Durdan tries to get a words from Naomichi Marufuji and Takeshi Morishima, apparently forgetting they speak Japanese. A translator gives some generic comments because the Japanese only care about winning and losing.
ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER'S MATCH
TYLER BLACK VS. AUSTIN ARIES
These guys parallel each other in a lot of ways. Aries made his name in ROH as part of Generation Next, and despite Alex Shelley being the leader, Aries was the breakout star. Tyler Black was brought into ROH as part of The Age of the Fall, and became the breakout star despite Jacobs being the leader. They also have similar styles and looks. Black recently beat Aries in Collinsville, Illinois, so Aries is a little grumpy. Black plays mind games by dodging Aries headstand dropkick counter to the headscissors, and then hits it himself. Tyler starts to dominate the match. He does the ridiculous corner stomping and Aries hits him with a forearm to break it up, but can't follow up because he decides to mock Black's stomping. He finally takes control of the match by shoving Black off the top rope when he tries a springboard clothesline and then drilling him with the Heat Seeking Missile.
Aries hits Black with an Impact Explosion Dropkick on the outside and applies the Last Chancery after knee strikes inside the ring. Aries takes too long to set up a Death Valley Driver on the apron and Black plants him with a sick F-5 on the apron. When Aries tries to shove him off the ropes again, Black just leapfrogs him, hits him with a backflip enzugiri, and then flies out with a beautiful Fosbury Flop. Whatever you think of Tyler Black, you can't take away his athleticism. Further telling the story is the difference in how they counter their opponent's finisher. Aries desperately drives Tyler into the corner and hits a bunch of jabs in frustration, but Black effortlessly counters the Brainbuster into the Paroxysm. Aries counters the Buckle Bomb with a sunset flip and drills Black with knees, but Tyler fights back and gets the Buckle Bomb. Jimmy Jacobs distracts Black and he misses the Phoenix Splash, and that allows Aries to hit the kick to the head, Brainbuster and 450 Splash. The fact that Aries basically lucked into the win thanks to help from his hated rival is awesome. These guys made having a four-star match look like a walk in the park. You don't have to sacrifice storytelling for action, or vice versa. Match Rating: ****1/4
After the match Jacobs berates Tyler for not living up to his potential, and Black shoves him down. Jacobs kicks him low and applies the End Time. He threatens to Pillmanize Tyler's head but Aries makes the save...only to smash the chair across Black's head. And thus, we get the double-turn and the start of a storyline that should have culminated a year later, but ROH screwed that up as well. One of the better executed double-turns in wrestling.
Naomichi does his awesome sequence where he goes to a cobra clutch, then adds a headscissors, and then caps it off with a lungblower. Marufuji counters a Tower of London and rams a knee into Nigel's head. Nigel blocks a Shiranui with his shoot kick/falling lariat combo, but Naomichi blocks the top rope lariat by dropkicking Nigel from the crotched position. Then he blocks the Tower of London on the apron and hits the Shiranui onto the apron. Nigel avoids the Coast to Coast Dropkick and finally hits a huge blow with the TOL on the apron. Marufuji counters the headstand mule kick with a superkick, hits another one and that sets up the Coast to Coast, but Nigel kicks out of course. Marufuji hits a few kicks but Nigel hits an anti-climactic Jawbreaker Lariat for the win. Aside from Marufuji's tendencies to not be affected by a move after twenty seconds, it was fun enough. Kind of weird to see a Nigel McGuinness title match where the other guy dominates. MATCH RATING: ***1/2
Jerry Lynn comes out and congratulates Nigel, but Nigel calls him a dinosaur. Lynn gets really pissy about it as we build to the eventual title change.
Prince Nana shows up only to be dragged out by security.
FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR
TAKESHI MORISHIMA VS. BRYAN DANIELSON
More than anything else, this feud showcases everything that's great about Bryan Danielson. He is able to carry Morishima to great matches while building up his character psychology. It was the title match with Takeshi Morishima where Bryan was humbled and declared that he wasn't the Best in the World. Morishima kept dominating the matches just because of his size, and none of Bryan's strategy or technique could beat him. This is the first time they've had a chance to face each other in a year, and Danielson comes out flying, sneaking up behind Morishima and hitting a flying knee and then busting out the front-flip plancha, and then lifting his hand on the apron in time for “The Final Countdown” part of his music. Shima takes over by sitting down to block a powerbomb from the apron and busts him open on the guardrail. We then get several minutes of Morishima just demolishing a bloody Danielson.
Things take a sick turn when Shima uses a steel chain to choke out Dragon, but Danielson makes a comeback after avoiding Morishima's top rope missile dropkick. He hits a suicide dive and a sick missile dropkick to the knee, which allows him to hit a series of kicks to knock him down. Bryan really shows his hatred by wiping the blood off his face and slapping the big man. That costs him as Morishima makes an emphatic comeback with a yakuza kick in the corner, a buttalanche, a uranage and a lariat. Bryan flips out of the Backdrop Driver and gets a small package, and then gets an impressive German Suplex before going to Cattle Mutilation. Shima shrugs off the MMA Elbows and keeps shoving Dragon down with forearms before drilling him with a sick lariat.
Shima chokes Dragon with the chain again before going for a Super Backdrop Driver, but Bryan counters and hits the Backdrop Superplex. Danielson finally gets his hands on the chain and chokes Morishima the chain before kicking his head in and then adding the triangle choke, but Morishima doesn't pass out and hits a sick powerbomb. Bryan manages to get his foot on the rope to survive the lariat and Backdrop Driver. Shima tries a clothesline with the chain but Bryan counters to an armbar and ties his arms up. Morishima still throws out kicks, so Danielson kicks him in the groin, hits a running punt to the groin and then repeated stomps to the groin. Bryan wraps the chain around his elbow to deliver sickening MMA Elbows to knock Shima out, and adds an unnecessary Cattle Mutilation to get his win. This was awesome. Sickening violence, blood, creativity, intense hatred and a story to boot. Bryan had to leave the technical wrestling in the locker room and just fight. There's a number of images here that I'll remember for a long time. Not superior to their Manhattan Mayhem II classic, but on par with it. MATCH RATING: ****3/4
The 411: This show was alright to start with and got progressively better towards the end of it. Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima are great matches with two very different styles. The main event provided a fantastic blowoff to one of ROH's best feuds, and the other saw a double turn that really dictated the future of the company. Take those two and add a solid undercard and you have an easy recommendation.
