ROH - Death Before Dishonor V Night One DVD Review
Posted by Garoon & Ziegler on 12.03.2007
Claudio gets his shot at the title and the Briscoes meet their arch enemies in a Boston Street Fight!
ROH – DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR V NIGHT ONE – BOSTON, MA – 8.10.07
Introduction
BG says: Death Before Dishonor weekend’s Video Wire starts with Claudio Castagsnoli walking his Race to the Top Tournament trophy to the back. To avoid having to type that out every time I’ll call it the RTTTTT. At the ROH school Castagnoli has a few words for the Wire. He’s going to walk us through his tournament matches. He says Hallowicked was a tough first round opponent. Clips from that match play. Castagnoli shows us a bit of his workout routine as he jogs on an eliptacle machine. He’s getting in shape for his title match against Takeshi Morishima. He’s really excited for that match just like he’s always excited to wrestle his quarterfinal opponent Mike Quackenbush. Clips from that match air. Next up are clips from the Briscoes wiping out everyone in the 10,000 dollar tag team match and walking out on the whole production to get drunk. After that is a clip from the tag team main event of Respect is Earned. It was airing in August On Demand, but that was months ago. Castagnoli runs the ropes and talks about Morishima’s size advantage. He feels that he’s in the best ring shape of his life. Without any real kind of introduction clips of his semifinal match against Jack Evans play. Back at the ROH school Castagnoli trains with weights to improve his European uppercut. He says he’ll always remember the finals of the tournament against El Generico. After confidently stating he’ll be ready to defend the belt against Brent Albright the night after winning it clips of the match against Generico play.
The Briscoe Brothers are already manning up for their street fight against Kevin Steen and El Generico tonight. They say that after the match Generico will be on crutches and Steen will be nothing but bones.
JZ says: The Briscoe Brothers are backstage in the trainer’s room getting all excited about the street fight with Kevin Steen & El Generico tonight. These guys are amazing.
MATCH #1: Davey Richards vs. Jack Evans
BG says: Richards attacks Evans during his pre-match dance. Evans should have learned his lesson after Brent Albright did the same thing to him on the last show. Evans comes back with strikes. He hits a head scissors takedown but Richards catches him with a powerbomb. Richards puts on the Stretch Muffler but Evans gets to the ropes. Richards tosses him to the floor and whips him into the barricade. He chops Evans’s neck but Evans comes back with a kick off the barricade. Back in the ring Evans hits a double jump splash for 2. He hits a double stomp and a standing moonsault for 2. Richards hits a chinbreaker and drops Evans on the top rope. He hits a back elbow for 2. He hits a snap suplex for 2. He hits a back suplex for 2. Evans hits a back flip kick and a head scissors takedown. Richards goes to the floor so Evans goes for the Space Flying Tiger Drop. Richards blocks it with a kick on the apron. He hits a backbreaker for 2. He puts on a camel clutch and then the Mark Nulty Special. Evans gets to the ropes. Evans hits the springboard back flip elbow and a knee kick for 2. He hits a handspring elbow and a springboard spinning kick. Richards falls to the floor so Evans hits him with a springboard corkscrew moonsault press. Back in the ring he misses the 630 senton. He blocks the D.R. Driver and gets a roll up for 2. Richards kicks his head and hits a German suplex for 2. He hits a straightjacket suplex for 2. Evans blocks the tombstone piledriver and hits a reverse hurricanrana for 2. He climbs the ropes but Richards crotches him. Evans fights back and hangs Richards in the Tree of Woe before hitting the Ong Jak. He climbs again but Roderick Strong runs out and tosses him to the floor, drawing the disqualification. I always appreciate an opener without a slow feeling out process. Hard-hitting matches always get the ROH fans fired up, and this was no exception. Too bad about the non-finish.
Rating: ***¼
After the match the No Remorse Corp beats on Evans and Strong shouts about destroying him in a cage in a couple weeks. The Resilience makes the save but Evans is resentful of their presence. He only wants his own group backing him up.
JZ says: Richards attacks Evans before the bell and hits a few big strikes, including a clothesline. He tries an early DR Driver but Evans blocks it and comes back with his unique offense. They go back and forth and Richards puts on the stretch muffler but Evans reaches the ropes. Richards pitches Evans to the floor and goes right after Evans. Evans fights back with some amazing athletic maneuvers. Richards is able to sustain Evans’s attacks and go back to work on him. He jaws with the crowd and Evans makes a brief comeback but Richards hits a headbutt to cut him off. Evans knocks Richards to the floor and goes to launch himself and Richards nails a kick to the face. Back in the ring he puts on the Camel Clutch and works on Evans’s back. Evans is able to recover with the springboard flipping elbow. He can’t capitalize right away through. They trade strikes and Evans lands a flying knee strike for two. Richards gets bumped to the floor and this time Evans is able to land the dive. Evans tries the 630 but Richards moves and tries the DR Driver. Evans escapes that and almost gets the pin with a small package. Richards recovers and hits a German Suplex for two. Evans tries to escape but Richards hits a straight jacket suplex and that also gets two. Richards tries to intimidate the official, who pushes right back. Evans hits a reverse rana for two and goes up for the 630 again. Richards blocks it again. Ong Jak knees knock Richards down and Evans goes back up to the top again and Roderick Strong comes out and shoves Evans to the floor and that’s a disqualification at 11:18. Strong promises to end the feud in two weeks in the steel cage match in Hartford. The Resilience comes out to run the NRC off. Evans doesn’t appreciate their help.
Rating: **½
MATCH #2: Shimmer Title #1 Contenders Match – Lacey vs. Daizee Haze
BG says: The winner of this match gets a shot at Sara Del Rey’s SHIMMER title the next night. Haze holds onto the handshake, distracting Lacey long enough to hit a dropkick. She hits mounted punches in the corner and Lacey bails. Haze hits a baseball slide and whips Lacey into the barricade, getting 2 back in the ring. Del Rey watches from the ramp as Haze gets a roll up for 2. She hits a chinbreaker and a vertical suplex for 2. She hits a northern lights suplex for 2. She hits a bodyslam and then obviously botches something as the camera switches back to Del Rey during the action. Lacey drops Haze on the top rope for 2. She misses a knee kick and Haze gets a roll up for 2. Lacey hits a spin kick and lays in the forearms for 1. She hits a side slam for 2. She puts on a surfboard and puts on the full nelson. She puts on the Royal Butterfly hold and shouts at Del Rey. Haze gets a roll up for 2. She blocks a blind charge and hits a clothesline. She climbs the ropes and comes down with a dropkick for 2. She hits a running forearm but Lacey goes to the eyes. Haze gets a roll up for 2. She hits a German suplex for 2. She hits the heart punch but Lacey blocks the Mind Trip. She hits a lungblower and the implant DDT for the win. That was not pretty. Compared to their match from SHIMMER this was a joke. The last two minutes were alright but the rest was no good. I hope tomorrow night’s title match is better.
Rating: *¾
JZ says: The Code of Honor is followed, but Haze attacks Lacey right at the bell. The winner of this one gets a Shimmer title shot tomorrow night. Haze gets a few early moves in, and Lacey powders. That backfires though when Haze hits a baseball slide dropkick and Lacey cracks her head on the guardrail. Haze follows her out and abuses Lacey some more. Sara Del Ray is watching from the entrance ramp. What is this, TNA? Back in the ring Haze continues to control the action. Lacey powders again so Haze toes to the top rope, but this time Lacey was watching out for her and knocks her down and drops her throat first on the top rope for a one count. Haze makes a brief comeback but Lacey stops that with a spinning kick. Haze tries to come back again, this time Lacey hits a full nelson drop and holds onto the hold for a little bit. Lacey then uses the Royal Butterfly to taunt Del Ray, and that gives Haze the opportunity for a few flash pin opportunities, but Lacey is able kick out. Haze fights back and hits the missile dropkick and Lacey kicks out. They trade maneuvers and near falls, with neither woman being able to get the pin. Haze tries the Mind Trip, but Lacey blocks it and hits a Lung Blower and the Implant DDT to get the pin at 8:09. That was much better than the average women’s match in ROH.
Rating: **¾
MATCH #3: Pure Wrestling Match – Chris Hero vs. Nigel McGuinness
BG says: Not satisfied to solely follow the Pure Wrestling rules Sweet N’ Sour Inc. found some Pure Wrestling Commandments that must be followed. Included are rules forbidding interruption of Hero’s flips and flops, being British (a penalty resulting in loss of rope breaks), touching of Larry Sweeney and the use of closed fists and clotheslines. Those rules are of course not in effect in this match. They trade holds to start. Hero does his usual early-match shtick and McGuinness doesn’t interrupt, as per the commandments. McGuinness puts on a wristlock and the lights go out. A voice comes over speakers and repeats “Project 161” over and over again. The lights come back on and a few moments later the voice stops. Prazak tries to sell it as fans hacking into the show, so to speak. Hero tries to convince the referee that McGuinness used all three of his rope breaks when the lights were out. The referee doesn’t buy it.
Now the match really begins. McGuinness goes to work on the arm, causing Hero to think about using a rope break. Hero fights back with elbows but McGuinness easily stays in control with a wristlock. Sweeney distracts the referee and Hero uses the ropes to pull himself away from McGuinness and bail. Back in the ring McGuinness uses Johnny Saint inspired tactics to get a roll up for 2. They trade pin attempts until Hero puts on a hammerlock. Toland puts McGuinness’s foot on the bottom rope, costing him his first rope break. McGuinness goes back to the wristlock and the puts on his version of the Rings of Saturn. Hero uses his first rope break to escape. He freaks out when McGuinness goes back to the arm and goes to the corner. The referee separates them (though for some reason it doesn’t cost Hero a rope break) and while he’s doing so Hero slugs McGuinness. McGuinness slugs him back twice, drawing both a warning and a lost rope break. They fight outside where Hero slams McGuinness’s face to the floor. Dempsey hits McGuinness with an elbowdrop and Hero hits a double axe handle. He hits a forearm and rolls McGuinness back into the ring for 2. He hits a bodyslam and a senton for 2. He starts to put on a half crab and encourages McGuinness to use his last rope break but McGuinness isn’t having it. Hero hits a dropkick but it only fires McGuinness up. McGuinness hits a running European uppercut but misses a lariat. He hits the corner combo for 2. He throws Hero to the floor and shoves him into the barricade. He grabs Dempsey and shoves him into Hero. Dempsey falls on top of Hero, leading to a near count-out when nobody can pull him off. Hero gets back inside and 19 and hits a neckbreaker for 2. He climbs the ropes but McGuinness cuts him off and hits the Tower of London for 2 when Hero uses his second rope break. Hero ducks the Jawbreaker Lariat and hits the roaring forearm. It gets 2 after Sweeney puts McGuinness’s foot on the ropes. With no rope breaks left McGuinness gets caught in the Hangman’s Clutch and taps out.
Just to show how long it’s been since Hero has won a match I find myself very surprised to hear that his post-win music is a Star Wars theme remix. Dempsey tries to hit McGuinness with the cannonball but misses. Toland slaps Dempsey into McGuinness, giving McGuinness the momentum he needs to hit Dempsey with the Jawbreaker Lariat. Hero and his entourage were in top form here. This match was far more about showing how dominant Hero can be when his team works on all cylinders than it was about the action. My only complaint with the match would be that Hero didn’t lose a rope break for forcing McGuinness to the corner. Even the Project 161 distraction led to a funny bit from Hero. The finish was a bit anticlimactic but if ever there was a catalyst to give Hero a big push this would be it.
Rating: ***½
Backstage El Generico is lacing Kevin Steen’s boots. Steen says it’s a tragedy that the tag belts aren’t on the line tonight in their street fight against the Briscoes. He’s disappointed but he understands that ROH doesn’t want to be held responsible for what they do to the champs. They’ll just have to destroy them tonight and take the belts another night. The promo wraps up with Steen forcing Generico to wheel him (he’s sitting in a wheelchair) to the bathroom.
JZ says: It’s been a while since we’ve heard these rules read off in an ROH ring. Hero and Sweeney have their own version of the rules, called their “Commandments.” Nigel controls the opening minutes, so Hero does his little exhibition of his athleticism. Nigel goes to work on the arm, and the lights go out and a mystery man gets on the microphone to hype Project 161, saying that it is real and it is coming. Prazak and Leonard saying “cut that mic” and talking about it makes it seem like more of a work, if they just ignored it and pretended it wasn’t there that would be more effective. Hero tries to tell Todd Sinclair that during the black out Nigel used all three of his rope breaks, but Sinclair doesn’t buy it. Nigel controls the action and busts out his old British stuff. It just reminded me of what a different wrestler Nigel used to be. Hero eventually uses some clever heel tactics to overtake Nigel and to cheat him out of his rope breaks. Toland on the outside is great. Nigel gets his second wind and makes a comeback, sending Hero to the floor and throwing him into the guardrail. Hero almost gets counted out but is able to make it back in the ring at the last second. He regains control back in the ring, using the front flip neckbreaker and trying to set Nigel up for the cravat. Nigel comes back with the Tower of London, and Sweeney puts Hero’s foot on the ropes to save him. Hero comes back with a roaring elbow and goes for a pin and Sweeney this time puts Nigel’s foot on the ropes and that’s the last one for Nigel. It didn’t even look like Nigel was going to kick out. Not being able to use the ropes, Nigel is forced to tap out at 19:57. Nigel gets a small measure of revenge on Bobby Dempsey after the match. That was a fun match in spots but did get dragged out a little bit too long. The Project 161 bit was cool too.
Rating: ***
Backstage, El Generico is lacing Kevin Steen’s boots for him. Steen cuts a promo while demoralizing Generico at the same time. He says ROH officials made tonight’s street fight a non-title match because they were afraid of what they would do to the Tag Team Champions. What a great dynamic.
MATCH #4: Six Man Mayhem – Delirious vs. Brent Albright vs. Matt Cross vs. Pelle Primeau vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Jigsaw
BG says: Albright and Delirious start. Albright messes with Delirious before the bell while Delirious is in his trance. Delirious chases Albright to the floor during his freak-out so Edwards and Primeau come in. They trade rolls up and go for dropkicks. Cross and Jigsaw tag in and trade holds. Cross hits a hurricanrana but Jigsaw comes back with a leg lariat. Delirious tags Cross out and gets a crucifix pin on Jigsaw for 2. Albright tags Jigsaw out and knuckles up with Delirious. Delirious hits clotheslines but they have no effect on Albright. Albright hits an armbreaker and slams the arm to the mat. Delirious hits a chinbreaker and tags to Primeau. Primeau hits a missile dropkick but it doesn’t hurt Albright. Jigsaw and Cross both hit dropkicks, knocking Albright down. Primeau follows Albright to the floor with a dropkick. Everyone brawls on the floor so Cross dives out onto them. Back in the ring he hits a huge facebuster on Primeau. Edwards hits him with a powerbomb for 2. Delirious catches Edwards coming off the top with a headbutt to the gut and then hits the Panic Attack. He climbs the ropes and hits the Shadows for 2 when Jigsaw breaks it up with a double stomp off the top. Jigsaw hits Delirious with a superkick and follows him to the floor with a plancha. In the ring Cross hits Albright with a dropkick. Albright blocks the handspring elbow and hits a facebuster. Primeau hits Albright with a head scissors takedown and an armdrag. He hits a hurricanrana but Albright comes back with an overhead suplex into the corner. Jigsaw hits him with an enziguiri but he comes back with the half nelson suplex for 2 when Edwards breaks it up. Edwards hits Albright with a superkick but Albright catapults him into the corner and hits the half nelson suplex. Delirious baits him to the floor and to the back allowing Cross to hit Edwards with the shooting star legdrop for the win. I’d almost call the finish counterproductive as the entire match leading up to it was focused on showing how dominant Albright is. On the other hand it does eventually lead to the Delirious vs. Hangmen 3 angle, so I guess it had a point. My problem is really that Cross never used the win as a springboard to any kind of success.
Rating: **½
JZ says: Despite being prepared for it, Delirious freaking out when the bell rings frightens Albright. He’s been doing it for like a year, you think his opponents would have that scouted. Primeau and Edwards end up starting out the match without Albright and Delirious making any contact. They have a little exchange to a stalemate, and then they tag out to Cross and Jigsaw. These two show their athletic side briefly, and Delirious tags Cross to get himself into the match. Now the two masked men are going at it. Albright soon tags Jigsaw and we’re back to where we started. Delirious gets a few moves in until Albright starts working on the arm, which is rare for him. Delirious tags Pelle in, and Albright quickly dispatches of him. That draws Jigsaw in and Cross follows and this one is breaking down. Everyone is coming in and going for big moves on everyone else. Delirious chases Albright up the aisle to the back and Cross hits the shooting star legdrop on Edwards to pin him at 10:44. The action was good but it was obviously meaningless. With Albright getting a title shot tomorrow you think he would have gone over here.
Rating: **¼
MATCH #5: Austin Aries & Erick Stevens vs. Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero
BG says: Aries and Strong start but Strong bails. Romero tags in and powers Aries to the corner. He puts on a headlock but Aries forearms him down. Romero hits a knee kick but Aries comes back with a dropkick. Aries goes after Strong, brawling with him on the floor. Back in the ring Strong crotches Aries on the middle rope. Romero throws Stevens into the barricade and then gets back in the ring to kick Aries’s back. He hits vertical suplex and a kneedrop for 2. Strong tags in and chokes Aries in the ropes. He holds Aries’s head over the apron, allowing Romero to hit a big boot. That gets 2 for Strong. Strong hits a bodyslam and an elbowdrop for 2. Romero tags in and hits a knee to the face. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He unloads with kicks and tags to Strong. Strong goes to the eyes and tags to Romero. Aries hits the Stroke and tags to Stevens. Stevens cleans house and hits a full nelson slam on Romero. He hits a back elbow for 2. He hits a bodyslam and an elbowdrop for 2. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a bodyslam and tags to Aries. Aries hits a slingshot senton for 2. Stevens tags in but Strong keeps him from hitting the avalanche. Romero hits a knee kick and tags to Strong. Strong hits the butterfly suplex for 2. He dumps Stevens to the floor and whips him into another knee kick from Romero. Back in the ring Strong hits a dropkick for 2. Romero tags in and kicks Stevens’s chest. Stevens comes back with the Original and tags to Aries. Aries knocks Strong off the apron and then throws Romero into him. He slingshots Strong into the ring and hits mounted punches in the corner. He hits Romero with a shinbreaker and a back suplex. He dropkicks him in the corner but collapses afterwards. Stevens hits both opponents with the Choo Choo Avalanche. He hits a vertical suplex on Romero for 2. He hits a side slam and Aries climbs the ropes. Strong cuts him off and Romero hits Stevens with a swinging DDT for 2. Strong hits Stevens with the Sick Kick and the gutbuster. Romero comes off the second rope with a DDT for 2. Strong sets Aries up top and Romero puts him in the Diablo Armbar. Aries gets out of it with a roll up for 2. He gets a backslide for 2 and hits the Aries Flurry for the win. This was painfully dull and completely lacking in crowd heat. Everyone was on their B game at best. I don’t know why they’d all decide to half ass it when Aries got injured but they seemingly did. This feud has hit the wall.
Rating: **¼
Richards and Cross run in and the two teams brawl. The NRC takes control until Jack Evans runs out and knocks them all to the floor with flippy kicks.
Backstage Shane Hagadorn has something to say about Adam Pearce. He’s learned a lot from Pearce in the last year, and one thing he’s learned is that there is always a calm before the storm. Pearce hasn’t been around for a while, but the calm before the Pearce storm is about to end.
JZ says: Strong avoids Aries in the early going, so Romero starts the match. Aries thwarts everything Romero tries until Romero is able to land a knee to the jaw but Aries is all “I’m not selling for you” tonight, so he stays on offense. Aries goes after Strong now and the battle spills to the floor and all four men get involved. The NRC double team Aries, which is the only way they can get control, and Romero kicks away at Aries back inside the ring. Strong will get in the ring when Aries is in a weakened state. They beat on him for a few minutes until Aries makes the comeback by hitting the Stroke, and then while in a stupor from the beating he just sustained, is able to mock Jeff Jarrett. Dude, you’re not in TNA anymore, just let it go. I know the morons in the audience will laugh and many will find it “cute” but it’s stupid and makes you look like a jackass. He makes me not want to watch his matches. But I like Stevens, so I’ll put my head down and power through. Stevens dominates Romero with some power moves. The NRC makes a comeback with some dirty tactics and now Strong is in the ring working on Stevens. Romero gets his chance to kick Stevens a bunch of times. Stevens comes back with a powerslam out of midair and at this point my computer died on me and erased the rest of this review. I really didn’t care for this match in the first place, and after Aries got hurt it all went downhill very quickly. Aries pinned Romero after the 450 at 18:05.
Rating: **
After the match Davey Richards runs down and the NRC put a beat down on the Resilience. Jack Evans comes out to make the save and clears the ring.
Backstage, Shane Hagadorn is cutting a promo about how he and Adam Pearce are basically boyfriend and boyfriend. He says he’s learned a lot from Pearce, chiefly that there is always calm before the storm. That sounds ominous.
MATCH #6: Bryan Danielson vs. Matt Sydal
BG says: This match stems from Danielson keeping the entire 10,000 dollar purse from the 8 man tag match during the Race to the Top weekend for himself. Before the match Sweeney demands that since Jay Briscoe walked out of the match the purse should be split three ways between Danielson, Aries and Sydal. That means $3,333.34 cents should be coming his way. Danielson says he is only willing to pay Sydal $3,333.33 cents because he feels he did the heavy lifting himself. Furthermore he has invested the money and it is now earning interest, and when the money has matured he promises to give Sydal his cut. Sweeney wants the money now. Danielson will give it to him right after the show if Sydal wins tonight. If Sydal loses he’s keeping the share for himself, permanently. Sweeney agrees.
They lock up and Danielson gets a takedown. He works Sydal’s arm but Sydal gets to the ropes. Danielson pulls Sydal around the ring with a cravat and then counters the head scissors to a toehold. Sydal hits a cheap shot and a pair of armdrags. They knuckle up and Danielson lays in the European uppercuts. Sydal comes back with a monkey flip and a double knee kick. He hits the momentum kick but Danielson regains control with a single leg takedown and the thigh stomp. Sydal gets a roll up for 2. Danielson hits a headbutt to the neck and then catapults Sydal into the bottom rope. He puts on the Mexican surfboard and pulls Sydal’s face back between his legs. He hits a kneedrop for 2. He puts on an armbar but Sydal gets a crucifix pin for 2. They trade strikes until Danielson hits a running kick for 2. Danielson puts on a half crab but Sydal gets to the ropes. Danielson puts on a camel clutch in the ropes and then dropkicks the back of Sydal’s head. Sydal dodges Danielson’s strikes and takes control with a forearm. He hits a side slam but misses an elbowdrop. He hits an enziguiri and Danielson falls to the floor. Sydal follows him out with a big dive. Back in the ring Sydal climbs the ropes but comes down into a dropkick. He hits a leg lariat for 2. Danielson blocks his corner combo and hits a knee kick. He hits a German suplex for 2. He puts on the Cow Killer but Sydal gets to the ropes. Danielson hits a snap suplex. He climbs the ropes but Sydal dodges a dropkick and hits the standing moonsault for 2. Danielson blocks the Slice and hits a dragon screw and a roaring forearm for 2. He drops the unprotected elbows but Sydal escapes and hits the pumphandle piledriver for 2. He climbs the ropes but the shooting star press hits knees and Danielson puts on a triangle choke with elbows to the head for the win. For the wrestlers involved this was rather unimaginative, but the last couple of minutes felt fresh. Sweeney and Sydal argue after the match but make up on the ramp.
Rating: ***
JZ says: Larry Sweeney cuts a promo before the match, recalling the $10,000 Tag Team Challenge match a few weeks back. Sweeney wants his share, but he and Danielson are pinching pennies here. Danielson says he put the money in the bank to gather interest. Danielson makes a deal that if Sydal can beat him tonight he’ll give him his share, and Sweeney initially balks but then agrees to a double or nothing agreement. They start off slowly, since the stakes to this match were cleverly raised. Danielson is able to control Sydal on the mat, which is good strategy for controlling the high flyer. Sydal makes a comeback and dumps Danielson to the floor. Sydal motions for a dive but Danielson moves out of the way and gets back in the ring. Sydal takes control for a minute, but it doesn’t last long as Danielson comes back ad goes for the Surfboard. Sydal reaches the ropes but Danielson stomps on his calves just to be a jerk. Sydal gets a rollup out of nowhere for a near fall. Danielson stretches Sydal out and dominates him with strikes. Sydal comes back and once again knocks Danielson to the floor and lands a big dive. Back in the ring they exchange moves and near falls. Danielson locks in Cattle Mutilation but Sydal reaches the ropes. Danielson goes for the elbows and Sydal is able to escape and hit the Here It Is Driver for two. Sydal tries the Shooting Star Press and Danielson gets his knees up, which allows him to lock on a triangle choke and start hitting elbows to the head and Paul Turner calls the match at 16:39. That started slow but had enough good stuff in it. Sydal now gets nothing from the $10,000 Tag Team Challenge and Sweeney is pissed off about it. Sydal is not too happy as well. They hug and make up before leaving the area though.
Rating: ***
MATCH #7: ROH World Title Match – Takeshi Morishima vs. Claudio Castagnoli
BG says: They lock up and Castagnoli grabs a headlock. He hits an armdrag and a dropkick but Morishima stands strong and hits a shoulder tackle. Castagnoli can’t hit a vertical suplex so Morishima hits it. Morishima hits the handspring avalanche. Castagnoli puts him down with the bicycle kick and then goes for a sunset bomb to the floor. He avoids being squished and hits a European uppercut to the back. He hits the Cactus elbow and then whips Morishima into the barricade, getting him 2 back in the ring. He hits the giant swing for 2. Morishima blocks the Ricola Bomb and hits a sidewalk slam. He kicks Castagnoli’s face and stands on his chest for 2. He hits a clothesline for 2. He pitches Castagnoli to the floor, throws him into the barricade and hits the Olé Butt Splash. Back in the ring he puts on a camel clutch but Castagnoli gets to the ropes. He puts on a chinlock and hits the butt lariat for 1 with a cocky cover. Castagnoli comes back with European uppercuts and a dropkick. Morishima bails so Castagnoli follows him out with a suicide dive so forceful it destroys the barricade. Back in the ring he climbs the ropes and hits an elbowdrop for 2. He can’t hit the Ricola Bomb so he rolls Morishima up for 2. He hits the Alpamare Waterslide for 2. Morishima hits a big boot. He shoves the referee away and slugs Castagnoli down. He climbs the ropes and hits a dropkick for 2. Castagnoli comes back with a springboard European uppercut. Morishima counters the Ricola Bomb to a butt splash for 2. He hits a lariat for 2. He climbs the ropes but Castagnoli cuts him off with an enziguiri and brings him down with a superplex. Castagnoli climbs the ropes and hits a diving European uppercut. He hits the Ricola Bomb for 2. He hits European uppercuts but Morishima puts him down with a clothesline. Morishima hits a big boot for 2. Castagnoli hits a German suplex and a European uppercut for 2. He hits a butt butt and a lariat for 2 and the backdrop driver for the win. Castagnoli was big and strong enough to have a power match with Morishima, and fast enough to keep it fast-paced and exciting. After months of using them sparingly Castagnoli unloaded the European uppercuts in high volume, showing how important this match was to him. There wasn’t a dull moment in this match, something that can be said about most matches both men have been having lately. Unfortunately the finish was anticlimactic given Castagnoli’s outrageous intensity throughout the match.
Rating: ****
Backstage Brent Albright has some words for Morishima. He watched the title match from the crowd and enjoyed what he saw. In the end the backdrop driver won it for Morishima again. He watched Morishima and he knows Morishima didn’t scout him, and that’s going to cost him his title tomorrow night.
JZ says: Morishima has been the champion since 2.17.07, and this is his thirteenth defense. Claudio is coming off winning the Race to the Top Tournament, having defeated Hallowicked, Mike Quackenbush, Jack Evans, and El Generico, so he really is on a roll. They start off very quickly, and Morishima tries to end the match early with the Back Drop Driver but Claudio avoids it. His superior agility is enough to take advantage of the champ in the early going. The fight spills to the floor as the champion looks slightly vulnerable for a change. Claudio does what he does best, throwing in European Uppercuts whenever he can. Back in the ring Claudio executes an impressive Giant Swing but it only gets a two count. Claudio tries the Ricola Bomb but Morishima avoids it and ends up with a Boss Man Slam. The champion takes over now, having survived Claudio’s early onslaught. Morishima looks dominant now. Claudio fights back with some European Uppercuts but Morishima cuts him off. Claudio hits a dropkick and Morishima bails, allowing Claudio to hit a dive through the ropes onto the champ. Back in the ring Claudio hits a sort of Alparmare Water Slide for two. Morishima fights back and downs Claudio in the corner, and shoves referee Sinclair out of the way when he tries to stop him. A missile dropkick by the champ only gets two. A lariat also gets two. Claudio fights back with a superplex and some European Uppercuts and finally lands the Ricola Bomb and it gets the nearest of near falls. They exchange big moves for near falls and the crowd is super hot for Claudio. Morishima eventually hits the Back Drop Driver and that is all at 15:30. Claudio was SO CLOSE to getting the pin and the crowd bought it and made it that much more entertaining. Morishima continues to roll and Claudio is the best he’s ever been right now.
Rating: ****
Brent Albright must have been paying close attention to that match, because he cuts an immediate promo. It is SO obvious why WWE didn’t see anything in Albright, his promos are SO bush-league. And earrings really aren’t cool.
MATCH #8: Boston Street Fight – The Briscoe Brothers vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
BG says: The titles are not on the line in this match. Steen and Generico try to attack the Briscoes during their entrance but end up getting tossed into the crowd. The commentators decide that since the match is non-sanctioned by ROH they don’t have to be there for it and take off for the night. Chairs and tables come into play, putting Steen & Generico in control. Mark manages to get to the top rope and dives out onto Generico. Steen immediately kills Mark’s buzz by throwing a chair at his face and powerbombing him through a table. Jay throws a chair at both opponents. Mark gets back on his feet, pretty much no-selling the punishment he just endured. Steen and Generico put both Briscoes down with whips into rows of chairs. Steen hits Mark with a chair-assisted senton but Mark comes back with a superkick. Mark puts a chair on his stomach and hits a standing moonsault while Jay hits Generico with a suplex on the floor. Generico comes back with a flapjack onto an upright chair. Mark dumps Steen into a garbage can and then hits him with a chair. Jay does the same to Generico. Steen dumps Mark onto an upright chair with a fisherman buster just before Generico hits Jay with the swinging DDT off of the barricade. Both Briscoes recover too quickly. Steen tries to pull one of Mark’s eyes out. Jay blocks Generico’s Olé Kick and shoves him away. Mark hits Steen with the Ace Crusher off of the barricade. The Briscoes shove Generico into the barricade, knocking it over. Steen spears Mark into the barricade. Jay hits Steen with a boot to the face as he bleeds. Steen tries to throw a section of the barricade at Jay but misses. Generico hits Mark with the Michinoku Driver onto a part of the barricade that had fallen. Jay hits Steen with a back suplex through a table. Generico keeps Mark down with a DDT on that same barricade section. Steen hits Jay with a vertical suplex on the floor. He goes for the package piledriver through a table but Jay blocks it.
They finally go to the ring where Steen bites Jay’s eye. Jay hits a Yakuza kick but gets caught with Generico’s crossbody off the top. Mark hits Generico with a dropkick but runs into a powerbomb from Steen. Everyone gets to their feet with a chair in hand. Steen hits Mark but is hit by Jay who is hit by Generico who is hit by Mark. Jay hits Steen with a Cactus Clothesline and Mark hits Generico with an exploder suplex. Mark sets up two chairs and with Jay’s help throws Generico through them for 2. Steen hits Mark with his fisherman neckbreaker through an upright chair for 2. He puts a chair on Mark’s chest and goes for the moonsault but Jay tosses him off the top rope through a table on the floor. Generico hits Jay with the Yakuza kick and sets him up top. Mark stops him from hitting the BRAINBUSTAH and the Briscoes hit a superbomb/neckbreaker combo for 2 when Steen pulls the referee out of the ring. Mark dives out onto Steen, almost crashing his head into the floor again. The Briscoes hit Generico with the Doomsday Device for 2 when Steen saves. Steen pulls out a ladder and hits Jay with it. He sets it up in the corner and tries to powerbomb Mark onto it. Mark responds by backdropping Steen onto it. Mark climbs the ladder but Generico takes him off of it with a springboard Ace Crusher. Steen hits a low blow on Jay before hitting the package piledriver on the ladder for the win. The lack of selling was pretty annoying. It made this feel like a straight garbage match. On the plus side there was no resting and none of the garbage spots were sloppy. Once the match got into the ring the lack of selling was less noticeable as the camera was able to focus on one point and let the victims of big moves hide. If they threw some selling into this match for the sake of drama then this would have gotten higher marks, but as it is it’s still a very fun brawl. After the match Steen gets on the microphone and says this result indicates that he and Generico will be taking the tag titles in the cage match.
Rating: ****¼
JZ says: The ROH World Tag Team Titles are not on the line in this match. Prazak and Leonard aren’t doing commentary for this one, so I don’t see why I should have to either. I’ll be back when it’s over. Okay, Steen gets the pin with the package piledriver onto a ladder at 22:13. That was an absolutely disgusting display of spot-tastic fun, sure to shorten the careers of everyone involved. I wonder how they can top this stuff, but I know the feud isn’t over yet. All four of these guys are out of their minds.
Rating: ****¼
Steen gets on the microphone and promises to win the titles in the steel cage match in Hartford in two weeks. The crowd is very appreciative of the effort everyone put forth in this one.
MVP
BG says: Claudio gets it again. He made the crowd believe he could be the ROH World Champion and did so in a fantastic match.
Coming soon will be our review of DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR V NIGHT TWO!
The 411: BG says: The last two matches are both excellent and well worth your time and money. Aside from that you also have a very good opener and a fun Pure Wrestling Rules match. The rest of the show is middle of the road but nothing (aside from the NRC/Resilience tag match) is bad. I’m curious to see how night 2 holds up against this show.
JZ says: The last two matches alone make this show worth purchasing. Any show that ends with two four star matches is a-ok with me, and there’s some fun stuff here and there on the undercard. This show even sets up the next night very well and made me look forward to seeing it, so the show does its job on multiple levels.
