100 Percent Fordified: Ring of Honor Die Hard – The Eddie Edwards Story

A 2 hour interview with Eddie himself opens up the DVD. After the usual talk of his fandom and training, they main topics of discussion to his trips to Japan (first for Zero-1, then NOAH) and of course his tenure in Ring of Honor. The interview covers every iteration of Edwards’ career from his debut match with Austin Aries, moving into Sweet N’ Sour Inc., his run with Davey in the American Wolves, his three titles runs (Tag Team, TV, and World in that order), Sinclair Broadcasting purchasing the company, and his subsequent reunion with Davey. Eddie goes into depth about how his time in Japan molded him both as a person and wrestler which to me was one of the most interesting things about the interview. There’s also a bit of sorrow as he talks about the late Larry Sweeney and Bison Smith and what they meant to his career. Mentioned in passing, he touches on PWG and how the #DojoBros came to be. It’s a fun albeit brief interview that doesn’t go too deep beyond what we saw on the surface but it’s still interesting to get his perspective. As usual, a nice collection of matches is included in the set as well:

ROH World Championship
Eddie Edwards (Champion) vs. Christopher Daniels
“Honor Takes Center Stage – Chapter 1” – Atlanta, GA – 4.1.2011

Edwards snaps off an armdrag. Daniels controls Edwards in a wristlock, almost catching him with a few different pinning combinations. Edwards chops him to the floor. Daniels gets back in and slaps him in the face. He gets some shots in the corner. Edwards takes him over with a headscissors. He armdrags Daniels and cranks on his shoulder and chin. When Daniels gets up Edwards throws some more chops. Daniels blocks a Frankensteiner with a half crab. Edwards gets the ropes. On the floor Edwards hip tosses Daniels into the barricades. He chops Daniels around ringside. Back in the ring he gamengiri’s Daniels into a tree of woe and dropkicks him from the floor. After some posturing, Daniels sends Edwards face first into the second turnbuckle. He drops Edwards with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Edwards comes back with a Code Breaker and facebuster for two. Daniels lands an enzuigiri. Edwards catches Daniels on the ropes. He goes for the Chin Checker on the ring apron. Daniels instead gives Edwards a uranage slam through the timekeeper’s table! He slams Edwards through a couple of chairs after that. Daniels takes Edwards back into the ring and further wears down his back. Daniels gets two with a superplex. He goes for another one but Edwards headbutts him back to the canvas. Edwards then delivers a top rope dropkick. After an exchange of pinfalls, Edwards hip tosses Daniels to the floor. He follows with a suicide dive. He lands a high crossbody back in the ring for two. Edwards lights up Daniels with rapid fire chops in the corner and then brings him out with a Tiger suplex for another two count. He flips Daniels onto him stomach out of a belly-to-back suplex. Daniels catches Edwards in a standing Koji Clutch, bringing Edwards back down to the mat. When Edwards gets to the ropes Daniels superplexes him for two. Edwards ducks an enzuigiri and applies the Achilles Lock. After they trade kicks and strikes, Edwards hits the Die Hard for two. They fight on the ropes. Daniels wants Angel’s Wings off the top. Edwards fights it off and double stomps his back. Daniels blocks a powerbomb with the Angel’s Wings. Edwards kicks out. In disbelief, Daniels hits the BME. Edwards kicks out again! He goes for it again. Edwards gets his feet up to block it. He rolls up Daniels for two and then puts on the Achilles Lock. Daniels palm strikes out of it. He wants a uranage off the ropes. Edwards counters with the Die Hard off the second rope. Another Die Hard gets him the win at 30:06. Daniels was a great choice as Edwards’ first opponent. He and Daniels had a series of good matches leading up to this and it made sense that Daniels, who took the TV title from Edwards, would be first in line to go after the World title as well. It was also a great step towards Daniels’ heel turn the next evening so it served that greater purpose in addition to making Edwards look strong. This was another great match between these two. ***¾

ROH World Championship
Eddie Edwards (Champion) vs. Chris Hero
“Revolution: Canada” – Toronto, ONT – 5.7.2011

Hero enters to his old theme with the Larry Sweeney intro with pink and purple trunks to honor Sweeney. Shane Hagadorn and Sara Del Rey are in Hero’s corner. Chain wrestling on the mat leads to a stalemate. Hero cheap shots Edwards with a flurry of boots in the corner. Edwards and Hero trade chops mid-ring. Edwards blocks an elbow and lights up Hero with more chops. Hero escapes to the floor as Edwards tries putting on the Achilles Lock. Upon reentering, Hero chops Edwards in the corner and boots him in the face. Edwards chops Hero to the mat for two. Edwards dropkicks Hero to the apron. Hero rakes Edwards’ eyes. Hagadorn pulls Edwards down to the floor, allowing Hero to hit a sliding kick. Referee Todd Sinclair catches Hagadorn and Sara cheating and demands they go to the back. Edwards whips Hero into the barricades and yakuza kicks him into the crowd. Edwards suplexes Hero back to the ringside area. In the ring, Edwards suplexes Hero for two. Edwards boots him down in the corner. Hero stomps on Edwards’ arm as Edwards holds the top rope. Seizing the opening, Hero targets his attack on Edwards’ arm. Hero kicks Edwards multiple times in the head. Edwards fires back with chops. Hero elbows Edwards’ arm and kicks it away from him. Hero applies a Fujiwara armbar. Hero keeps on Edwards’ arm after the hold is broken. Hero applies a crossface chickenwing. Edwards throws Hero out of it and suplexes him into the corner. Edwards sends Hero to the floor with a top rope dropkick. Edwards Asai moonsaults to the floor. In the ring, Edwards doublestomps Hero for two. Edwards lays in a flurry of chops as Hero lay against the ropes. Hero responds with a yakuza kick and Edwards hits a running leg lariat. Edwards heads up top. Hero elbow smashes him down through a ringside table. When Edwards finally crawls back in the ring, Hero blasts him with the Cyclone Kick for two. Hero angrily delivers a piledriver and gets two again. Hero stretches out Edwards arm while cranking his neck. Edwards gets the ropes to break. Fighting on the apron leads to Edwards dropping Hero with a fisherman’s buster. Once both men recover in the ring, strikes are traded as they try to shake off their fatigue. Hero tags Edwards with rolling elbows while Edwards hits superkicks. Hero drops to his knee and Edwards hits another for two. Hero nails him with an elbow. He suplexes Edwards three times. Hero nails him with a rolling elbow for two. Edwards catches Hero with a kick as he heads up top. Edwards hits a super huracanrana and a lariat. He powerbombs Hero and turns him into the Achilles Lock. Shane Hagadorn and Sara Del Rey come out to distract the referee, allowing Claudio Castagnoli to run in and give Edwards the Ricola Bomb. Hero gets two. He goes for the Death Blow but Edwards rolls him up for two. Edwards rolls Hero into the Achilles Lock. Davey Richards runs out and fights Claudio to the backstage area. Edwards gets distracted and Hero rolls him up for two. Hero hits the KTFO for two. Edwards drops Hero with a reverse huracanrana. He follows up with the Die Hard for two. Edwards reapplies the Achilles Lock. He stomps on Hero’s head to knock him out. Sinclair calls for the bell at 37:12. Look no further than this match to see that these two are at the top of their games. While this is a nearly forty minute investment, it never dragged and felt like a worthwhile use of time. Hero effectively worked over Edwards’ arm, leading to Edwards using maneuvers that rarely used it. When Hero looked his most desperate, his partners in crime loaned a helping hand only for it to not work in the end. Richards nearly costing Edwards the match was a nice touch. Ultimately, if you’re a fan of these guys, you certainly need to check this match out. ****

ROH World Championship
Eddie Edwards (Champion) vs. Roderick Strong
“Supercard of Honor VI” – Chicago Ridge, IL – 5.21.2011

Strong hits a jumping knee strike when shaking hands with Edwards. He pitches Edwards to the floor and blasts him with forearms. He whips Edwards into the barricades. Strong suplexes Edwards back first on the ring apron. Strong stomps on Edwards and chokes him with his boot. Strong gets a two count back in the ring. Strong boots and chokes Edwards in the corner. Edwards retaliates with a suplex. He kicks Strong in a tree of woe, then delivers a dropkick. Edwards delivers a running baseball slide from the floor. Strong blocks the backpack chin breaker. He drops Edwards with a backbreaker across the top turnbuckle for two. He turns Edwards into a Boston Crab. Truth Martini puts the boots to Edwards on the floor. Strong pummels Edwards with forearms when he’s back in the ring. Edwards rakes his eyes to stop Strong from choking him on the bottom rope. Strong dropkicks Edwards for two. Strong boots and strikes Edwards on the mat. Finally, Edwards fights his way up and trades forearms with Strong. Edwards drops Strong with a Saito suplex. Strong gets up and hits two forearms. Edwards drops Strong with a suplex into a facebuster. Edwards looks for the Achilles Lock in the ropes, but of course has to break. He moonsaults from the apron onto Strong on the floor. Edwards hits a top rope dropkick in the ring. He delivers a fisherman’s buster for two. Edwards successfully hits the Backpack chin breaker for two. Strong turns a crucifix position into an ace crusher for two. Strong drops Edwards with a backbreaker for two. Edwards hits an enzuigiri. He counters a gut buster. Strong blocks Edwards’ Achilles Lock with one of his own. Edwards kicks free, then turns Strong over into a Boston Crab. Strong tries to switch over, but Edwards sits down for a two count. Strong delivers multiple elbows to Edwards. Edwards picks up Strong and delivers a gut buster. Strong and Edwards exchange chops. Strong hits a jumping knee strike and a gut buster. Edwards superkicks Strong and comes off the middle rope with a Code Breaker. Strong blasts him with the Sick Kick, leaving both men laying. Strong goes for a super gut buster. Edwards reverses with a super huracanrana. Edwards powerbombs Strong for two. Edwards double stomps Strong across his back for two. He turns Strong into the Achilles Lock. Strong gets the ropes to break. Both men fight on the apron. Strong drops Edwards with the Tiger Driver on the ring frame. Strong kicks Edwards in the head. He gives him a second Tiger Driver on the floor. Strong puts him back in the ring but only gets a two count. Strong hits two low superkicks. Edwards ducks a third and rolls Strong into a an Achilles Lock whilst kicking Strong in the head. Strong gives up at 23:39. These two were able to switch the roles from their “Manhattan Mayhem IV” flawlessly. They teased the finish from that match, then used the story of each guy using each others finishers to try and beat the other. The emotion from the crowd didn’t compare, but that’s a tall order to ask. The story telling and the in-ring work was just as good however. ****

ROH World Championship
Eddie Edwards (Champion) vs. Davey Richards
“Best in the World 2011” – New York, NY – 6.26.2011

Both men break a lock-up cleanly. Edwards blocks Richards kick attempt. They each go for each others’ ankles but reach a stalemate. A wristlock battle ends with Richards kicking Edwards in the spine. Edwards retaliates in kind. They trade forearms. Richards kicks Edwards in the back and chest. Richards locks Edwards in an arm-capture grapevine stretch. Edwards escapes and rolls up Richards for two. He drops Richards on his stomach and face for two. Edwards grabs Richards arm. Richards gets the ropes before any damage can be done. Edwards boots Richards for one. Edwards gets in a few strikes to the corners. Richards sends Edwards to the floor and punts him from the apron. Richards follows with a suicide dive. Richards hits a few kicks back in the ring for two. Edwards hits the backpack chinbreaker. Richards no sells and grabs a cross armbreaker. He turns into a Fujiwara armbar. A Northern Lights suplex gets him two. He puts on the 14:59 submission move. Edwards escapes, so Richards kicks him in the corner. Both guys exchange headbutts on the top rope. Richards ultimately wins the exchange and superplexes Edwards. He rolls into a Falcon Arrow, transitioning into a cross armbreaker. Edwards escapes into the Achilles Lock. Richards rolls back into the armbreaker. Edwards rolls him up for two. Edwards blocks the Damage Reflex with a suplex into a facebuster. Edwards blocks the Alarm Clock with a fisherman’s buster for two. Edwards catches Richards with a Code Breaker. Richards rolls Edwards into a cross armbreaker. Edwards stomps on Richards’ face, but Richards doesn’t sell that and slaps the armbreaker back on. Edwards stomps his way free. Edwards kicks Richards to the floor. He moonsaults onto him, hitting the barricades in the process. Edwards connects with a top rope dropkick back in the ring. Edwards Tiger suplexes Richards for two. Richards and Edwards trade strikes. After Richards lights him up with forearms, Edwards knocks him down with a running kick to the chest. They fight on the apron. Edwards gives Richards a Die Hard on the apron. Once recovering, Edwards double stomps Richards through the timekeeper’s table. The fans are so enraptured they still make sure to chant “Twinkies” while counting Richards and Edwards out. Edwards double stomps Richards in the ring. Richards gives Edwards a dragonscrew in the ropes and a double stomp. Edwards had to beg Richards to do so, because Richards is his partner. Richards applies an ankle lock. Edwards breaks with an enzuigiri. Richards headbutts Edwards on the top rope. Richards German superplexes him off the top. Richards German suplexes him for two. Richards powerbombs Edwards for two. He rolls Edwards into an ankle lock. Edwards rolls into an ankle lock of his own and legscissors him. Richards turns it over. Edwards gets the rope. Once again they fight it out on the apron. Richards kicks the ring post by accident. They fight to the top rope. Richards goes for a powerbomb but Edwards turns it into a huracanrana. Edwards powerbombs Richards and hits a lariat for two. Edwards delivers the Die Hard for two. Edwards turns Richards into the Achilles Lock. Edwards stomps Richards in the head and turns into a cloverleaf. He sits down on the move for two. They each hit a Saito suplex for no reason. They exchange strikes and kicks some more. Richards kicks Edwards in the head for two. He kicks him some more for two. Richards hits a running kick to the chest for the pin at 36:00.

This match defines the word hollow. I think this match can be summed up by its ending: after Richards kicks Edwards in the head multiple times and fails to get a win, a running kick to the chest does him in. To me this was a “highlight reel” match, where the moves and strikes looked cool, but what came in between didn’t matter. Then again, this is the kind of wrestling ROH has conditioned its fans to expect from their main event matches. I think the worst part is that Edwards’ title reign, which was going very well up until this point, because ROH booked themselves into a corner where he had to lose. Like I said, this didn’t completely lack a story, and the fans bought many of the pins and submissions throughout the match and went crazy quite often. For that, this can’t be considered a total calamity. ***¼

Eddie Edwards vs. Kyle O’Reilly
“Glory By Honor X” – Chicago Ridge, IL – 11.19.2011

There’s a lot of animosity between these guys, mostly stemming from “No Escape”, last night’s “Survival of the Fittest” event and Edwards choosing Dan Severn as his training coach for Final Battle 2011 when O’Reilly’s protégé Davey Richards had said he had interest in doing so. This is the first singles match these guys have had to settle the score.

They shake hands before the bell. They each cleanly break a lock-up against the ropes. Each guy looks for control on the mat, but neither man does. O’Reilly rolls Edwards into a cross armbareker. Edwards breaks and each guy switches positions looking for something. Neither man succeeds. They begin to throw elbows and headbutts out of a double knuckle lock. They monkey flip each other but hold onto each others’ knuckles. Edwards slips on an STF. O’Reilly gets the ropes to break it. Edwards and O’Reilly do a routine where they snapmare the other guy and kick them in the back. It leads to a forearm battle. O’Reilly knee strikes Edwards and kicks him in the chest for one. That leads to O’Reilly giving him two butterfly suplexes. He goes for a third but Edwards drops O’Reilly across his shoulders. O’Reilly rolls to the floor grabbing his jaw in pain. Edwards throws O’Reilly face first into the guardrail. Edwards whips O’Reilly into multiple corners back in the ring. O’Reilly plants Edwards with a tornado DDT as a measure of desperation. O’Reilly ducks a clothesline and suplexes Edwards into a cross armbreaker. Edwards reverses into the Achilles lock. O’Reilly counters that with a crossface. Edwards gets his foot on the ropes to break it. O’Reilly gets his foot stuck in the ropes going for a boot. Edwards is able to hit a gamengiri from the apron. O’Reilly kicks Edwards after avoiding a double stomp for two. Another forearm exchange leads to Edwards superkicking O’Reilly. O’Reilly responds with one of his own. O’Reilly spits in Edwards’ face. Edwards chops O’Reilly in the face and pins him for two. Edwards double stomps O’Reilly’s back. O’Reilly counters his powerbomb with a Guillotine choke. Edwards powers him out into the Die Hard. He hits it a second time. Instead of going for a pin, he calls out Davey’s name and forces O’Reilly to tap out in a Dragon Sleeper at 15:21. That was a lot of great back and forth action that much like the Survival of the Fittest finals raised O’Reilly’s stock even when losing. He was able to stand toe-to-toe with the #1 Contender for the ROH title and got the fans to chant his name after. The match itself had some great exchanges without reaching a territory where it seemed too unrealistic. All in all it was a success. ***¼

Eddie Edwards vs. El Generico
“Southern Defiance” – Spartanburg, SC – 12.3.2011

This is the first singles match these two have had in ROH. They were supposed to meet 13 months ago at “Fate of an Angel II” but Edwards’ injury the night before shelved this match indefinitely. Edwards cleanly breaks a lock-up in the corner. Edwards controls the wrist. Generico and Edwards each trade a pin attempt before reaching a stalemate. Edwards and Generico trade control on the mat. Edwards shoulder blocks him to the mat. He armdrags Edwards twice before delivering a toreador. Generico delivers a few punches in the corner. Edwards brings Generico out, but Generico hits a leg lariat for one. Generico lands on his feet when Edwards evades his split-legged moonsault. Edwards put him in a tree of woe and comes in with a delayed dropkick. Edwards charges from the floor with a baseball slide for two. Edwards suplexes Generico for two. Edwards gets two again after a back elbow. They begin to trade chops in the middle of the ring. Generico baits Edwards to the floor. Generico follows with a tope con hilo. In the ring Generico gets two with a high crossbody. He gets two again after a Blue Thunder Driver. Edwards blocks a yakuza kick. He hits a running knee strike to Generico’s face for two. Edwards gamengiri’s Generico on the top rope. Edwards gives him the Chin Checker for two. He immediately transitions into an STF. Generico crawls to the ropes to break it. As both men recover, another chop battle breaks out. Edwards superkicks Generico. Generico ducks a clothesline and hits a Dragon suplex. Edwards superkicks Generico to the other corner. Edwards delivers a chop, then eats a yakuza kick. He goes for a brainbuster, but Edwards reverses the momentum causing both men to spill out over the top rope and to the floor! Even if their recovery is slow, they manage to make it back in the ring before they get counted out. Edwards charges at Generico. Generico catches him with a Michinoku Driver for two. Edwards Saito suplexes Generico onto his head. Edwards heads to the top rope. Generico yakuza kicks him to cut off his plan. He looks for the super brainbuster. Edwards gives him a super facebuster. He superkicks and backfists Generico, only for Generico to kick out. Edwards double stomps Generico’s back. He powerbombs Generico for two and then turns him right into the Achiles Lock. He digs his knee into Generico’s back while holding onto it, causing Generico to finally tap out at 18:02. This was exactly the kind of match you would hope these two would have. They dished out a crazy amount of punishment on each other but neither man would stay down. They did such a good job of playing up their determination and desperation that some of the usual lack of selling wasn’t nearly as bothersome. It also worked in the sense that Edwards had to prepare himself for his title match at Final Battle against an opponent who was able to go toe for toe with Richards at the last ROH show. Good stuff all around, and a worthy first time contest from these two in ROH. Generico hesitates before eventually giving Edwards a hand shake after the match. ***¾

Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino
“Border Wars 2012” – Toronto, ONT – 5.12.2012

Truth Martini is in Rhino’s corner. Rhino throws Edwards out of a lock-up. Edwards gets the better of a wristlock exchange. Rhino punches Edwards and chops him in the corner. Edwards armdrags Rhino and bars the arm. Rhino mows through Edwards with a shoulder block. Edwards dishes out some chops and huracanrana’s Rhino to the floor. Edwards dropkicks him into the barricades. Rhino trips Edwards off the ring apron. Back in the ring Rhino shoulder tackles Edwards in the mid-section in the corner. Edwards enzuigiri’s Rhino after blocking a suplex. Rhino press slams Edwards to the floor! Edwards kicks out from the pin attempt. Edwards headbutts Rhino to escape a bear hug. Rhino forearms him in the mid-section. Rhino goes for another press slam. Edwards slips out and lifts Rhino into a German suplex. Edwards chops Rhino back to the corner. Edwards sole butts him and delivers a running kick to the chest for two. Martini grabs Edwards’ leg. Rhino charges but Edwards leapfrogs over him. Edwards moonsaults off the apron onto him. Edwards missile dropkicks Rhino back in the ring for two. Rhino sneaks in a belly-to-belly suplex. Edwards dropkicks Rhino to block the gore. Martini almost hits Rhino with the Book of Truth from the apron when going for Edwards. He stops, but Edwards is able to roll-up Rhino for the pin at 10:53. That was a hot opener with a lot of good action. Can’t ask for much better out of an opening match. **¾

Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards
“ROH on SBG Episode #38 – Baltimore, MD – 5.18.2012

Richards powers Edwards to the corner in a lock-up. They reach a stalemate after they go for stereo kicks and either guy catches the other’s leg. As the pace picks up, Richards catches Edwards mid-air with a spinwheel kick. Edwards boots him off the ring apron and into the barricades. He chops Richards around ringside. In the ring he gets two with a running kick to the chest. He goes for the Chin Checker. Richards alters it mid-air so when they come to the mat he has Edwards in an armbar. Edwards gets the ropes. They fight on the apron where Richards drives Edwards shoulder first into the mat. Richards throws some kicks, especially to the arm, before heading back inside. Edwards makes his way back in where Richards continues to focus his attack on that arm. Edwards tries a suplex. Richards escapes and goes for the Damage Reflex. Edwards catches him and turns him inside out in a back suplex. Edwards pitches Richards out and follows with a suicide dive. Back in the ring a top rope dropkick gets him a two count. He begins to throw chops. Richards throws some kicks in response. Edwards give him a Dragon suplex for two. Richards and Edwards fight on the ropes. Richards ends up bringing Edwards down in a superplex. He holds on and suplexes Edwards into an armbar. Edwards reverses into the Achilles Lock. Edwards’ arm is too hurt to keep it on, allowing Richards to roll into the ankle lock. Edwards kicks him away. They boot each other simultaneously. Richards gets the armbar back on. Edwards rolls through leading to a pin exchange. They kick and hit each other until they both fall. Once again they fight on the ropes. Edwards brings Richards down with a facebuster. The CYF gets him to. Richards gets on the ankle lock again. When Edwards escapes he delivers a running kick to the chest. Jimmy Jacobs makes his way out. He gets kicked twice by Richards. He goes for a top rope dropkick. Edwards catches it and jackknife pins Richards for the win at 16:39. This had a lot of benefits their other matches had: more truncated so they had less time to “kill”, and, a story! Of course this ended up being a conduit for Richards’ title match against Kevin Steen at “Best in the World” but as a one-shot encounter on TV this was fun. ***

Eddie Edwards vs. Homicide
“Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis” – New York, NY – 6.24.2012

Homicide spits in Edwards’ hand instead of following the Code of Honor. Edwards slaps him in the face and gives him a side suplex. Homicide slides to the floor so Edwards suicide dives after him. Edwards chops him up against the barricades. Homicide rakes his eyes and his back. In the ring Edwards hits a top rope dropkick for two. He gives him a modified German suplex and a running knee strike for another two count. They get in a chop battle mid-ring. Homicide gets control with an overhead suplex. Homicide side steps an attack, sending Edwards’ hurt shoulder into the ring post. Homicide throws him into it a second time. Referee Paul Turner stops Homicide from bringing a chair into the ring. He twists up Edwards’ arm in the ropes. Homicide fish hooks Edwards while he torques the arm on the canvas. Edwards dropkicks Homicide on the top rope. Edwards brings him down with a superplex. He gives Homicide a facebuster and a fisherman’s buster. Homicide kicks out. Edwards comes off the second rope with a Code Breaker. Edwards floats over into a STF. Homicide escapes and gives him a tornado DDT for two. Edwards goes for the Chin Checker. Homicide slips out and hits an Ace Crusher for two. Homicide lariats him in the neck. Edwards throws a superkick, but Homicide shrugs it off and hits a regular lariat. Edwards block the Cop Killer with a Gedo Clutch for two. Edwards rolls Homicide into the Achilles Lock. Homicide kicks free from it and cradles Edwards for two. Homicide elbows Edwards’ hurt am. He hits the Cop Killer for the pin at 12:45. This was both surprising, both in how good the match was and in the result. I would have expected Edwards to walk through Homicide but instead they had a competitive match with Homicide going over. Probably the best match Homicide has had in ROH in about a year. ***

The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish
“Final Battle 2012: Doomsday” – New York, NY – 12.16.2012

In the ring the Wolves double team Fish. They throw strikes at O’Reilly in the corner. Fish becomes isolated while O’Reilly recovers on the floor. They apply a double team submission while taunting O’Reilly. Fish sends Edwards to the apron so O’Reilly can kick him. Fish sends Edwards into the guardrails. Richards pitches O’Reilly to the floor. He tries an apron kick to Fish. Fish catches Richards foot and O’Reilly boots him off the ring apron. O’Reilly then dropkicks Edwards into the barricades. Edwards becomes isolated once brought back into the ring. Richards at one point comes in and starts throwing kicks. Edwards superkicks Fish. They give O’Reilly the Alarm Clock again. O’Reilly and Richards kick one another until Richards gives him a German suplex. Fish does the deal with a Falcon Arrow. Edwards superkicks Fish and then O’Reilly. Kamikaze suplexes bring everyone to the floor. Back in the ring O’Reilly and Richards exchange strikes and kicks. O’Reilly puts on a Guillotine. Richards twists up his ankle while the hold is applied. O’Reilly lets go but Richards still holds onto the ankle. He rolls out of it but eats a gamengiri from Edwards. Edwards gives him a Code Breaker. He then superkicks O’Reilly into Richards’ tombstone piledriver. O’Reilly manages to kick out. Fish grabs Richards leg. O’Reilly gives Edwards a tornado DDT, kicking Richards in the process. Fish kicks Edwards into a brainbuster from O’Reilly for two. Fish moonsaults Edwards to break up his pin attempt. O’Reilly kicks Edwards in the side of the head and Richards breaks the cover. The Wolves give O’Reilly a powerbomb/back cracker combo for two. Richards kicks Fish from the apron. He double stomps O’Reilly. Edwards turns him into the Achilles Lock while stomping on his head. Referee Todd Sinclair stops the match, awarding the victory to the Wolves at 12:26. That was an awesome battle and a great way for the Wolves to re-debut. I am really happy to see them back together because they had spent a little too long on top of the singles ladder. I also think Fish and O’Reilly were excellent foils and I expect great things out of both teams in 2013. ***½

The 411: If you picked up the first Eddie Edwards compilation, this set is the perfect companion. The matches pick up right where that collection left off and the interview portion provides insight into matches from that set. If you don't, the interview is still interesting (though somewhat lacking) and the matches are superb. If you missed Edwards' reign as ROH champion this a must buy. You can purchase this DVD in Ring of Honor's store. You can check out all of my ROH reviews over at the 100% Fordified blog. Be sure to follow me on Twitter as well!

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]