Death Before Dishonor IX LIVE COVERAGE

Well folks, it’s come to this. I, Jerome C. Cusson am here for the live coverage of Ring of Honor’s next iPPV, Death Before Dishonor. Matt Waters is off n holiday. Ryan Rozanski is hopefully getting drunk (and not getting grounded by his parents). GST is at his sister’s. Kevin would laugh at me if I asked him to do it, and Justin would kill himself when Eddie Edwards’ music hit. So here I am. I’m ready to go. I’ll be updating whenever I can, hopefully after each match. One of the reasons I’m not a fan of doing these live recaps is due to mediocre Internet service. Hopefully, I can go incident free and just get through this show. If Waters can do this, I CAN TO DAMMIT! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *bangs head against locker*

-Highlights of the countdown show: Fans heckled Green Lantern fan and told him to sit down. The fans sang at Jim Cornette and then chanted for Kevin Steen almost immediately. AND A MATCH! HEY HEY!

-Grizzly Redwood vs. Andy Ridge

Match in Five Words or Less: WRESTLING! YAY!

Match Summary/Analysis: No time wasted as Redwood attacks right away. They stand off. Shoulder tackle by Ridge. Big leg kick for two. Kick in the corner. Redwood out of a bodyslam. Awkward collision in the middle of the ring. Redwood gets an abdominal stretch. No thumb in the bum though. Ridge up. Redwood gets a sunset flip for two. Hard kick to Redwood’s ribs. Chop by Redwood. Reverse of the whip. Redwood misses a dive. Ridge executes another kick to the back. Into a chinlock. Kicks to Redwood’s chest. Roll-up for two. Flying knee by Ridge gets two. Redwood counters into a sleeperhold. Ridge drives him in the corner. Leaping enziguri by Redwood. Straps come down. Time to get serious. Forearms. Kick to Ridge’s leg. Bulldog gets two. Nine punches in the corner. Ridge out. Nice innovative backbreaker. Both men down. Chop in the corner. Redwood gets his boot up. Rana sends Ridge into the bottom turnbuckle. Miscommunication. Leaping acecrusher gets two for Ridge. Kick to Redwood for two. Redwood hits a springboard DDT for two. Why are there so many nearfalls in a freaking preshow match. Just as I say that, Ridge gets a jackknife pin for three. He is now in Survival of the Fittest 2011. This was alright, if not sloppy. I will say that the lighting looks significantly better, and the black mat makes the show look more sleek.

Winner (s)/Rating: Andy Ridge/*1/2

-Briscoes come down to a lot of cheers. Remember when NYC hated them? Now that they’re heels, they’re liked again. I don’t understand these people at all. Jay Briscoe brings up Hurricane Irene for whatever reason. I’m presuming he’s drunk. The contract is already up. Well, it’s no briefcase, but I guess we’ll have to live with just an envelope containing a contract for a tag title match at GBH X.

-I actually liked the way Ring of Honor executed the preshow. It felt like one of the old school Free-for-All preshows WWE used to do back in the day. They promoted the show, had a warm-up match, and had a promo from two of the presumed main eventers. Oh, and these main eventers brought the appropriate prop out.

Before the show  begins, I want to point that a minimal amount of proofreading gets done while the live broadcast is going on. My plan is to do some editing while intermission is going on and then after the show. If you guys notice any egregious errors, please let me know. Also, no match times while reviewing the show.

-Jay Lethal & Homicide vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Rhino (w/The Embassy)

Match in Five Words or Less: Ciampa Steps Up

Match Summary/Analysis: Homicide is gets on the microphone and brings out Jay Lethal. So was this supposed to be a surprise? Match starts immediately as the faces clean house. Lethal brings out the ROH TV championship belt. I guess we’re in a time warp. Where’s Doc Brown to explain this plotline. Feeling out process between Lethal and Ciampa. Rhino tags in to a nice pop. Back elbow. Homicide tags. Rhino backs off a bit. Kick by Rhino. Press slam. Shoulder tackle. Strikes in the corner. Homicide tossed off. Neckbreaker by Homicide. Rhino sends Homicide into the corner. Ciampa in to stomp a mudhole. Homicide out of the corner. Hard lariat. Tag to Lethal. Double team. Ciampa takes Lethal over. Rhino goes for a cheap shot. Ciampa dropkicks Lethal to the floor. Right hands by Ciampa. Lethal comes back with chops. Ciampa dropkicks Lethal in his leg. That was unique. Tag to Rhino as the heat segment continues. Right hands by Lethal. Rhino comes back with a belly-to-belly suplex. He looks for the gore. Lethal out of the way. Superkick and a tag to Homicide. Homicide with right hands to Ciampa. Three Amigos blocked. Overhead throw gets two as Rhino breaks the count. Headscissors by Homicide. Ciampa from behind but Homicide hits a tope con helo. Northern lights by Ciampa gets 2 ½. Hard knee strikes from Ciampa. Homicide blocks and hits an acecrusher. Rhino breaks the count. Lethal in and we got us a melee. Rana takes Lethal and Rhino over. Gringo killer countered. Project Ciampa gets The Embassy the victory. Embassy puts the boots to Homicide. Lethal clears the ring by himself with the television title. I’m not sure why they focused so much on Ciampa and Homicide, but at least Ciampa is the one who went over clean. This was a very good performance for Ciampa as the focus was on him and he managed to deliver. I wish Lethal could have had more ring time since he looked very good.

Winner (s)/Rating: Tommaso Ciampa/***

-Shelton Benjamin (ROH World Tag Team Champion) vs. Mike Bennett (w/Brutal Bob)

Match in Five Words or Less: They Wrestled

Match Summary/Analysis: One thought crossed my head. What is Ari Berenstein doing right now? You know? This is a great opportunity for me to plug some of our new writers and what they’ll be doing for the website.

Justin Ruff- He’s going to be doing a weekly column covering some general interest material. His topics are going to range in nature. I really liked his first piece, which was a letter to smarks. If you have not had a chance to check it out, please go to the front page. You can also find him on Twitter @justinruff.

Matt Gibson- Matt is one of the more unique writers we have at PWP. He’s got an unorthodox writing style that I think a lot of our readers will enjoy. His first column was on the Roderick Strong/Eddie Edwards match. Go check that out whether you’re watching the PPV or not. As much as we’ve mocked the name of the match, Gibson did a great job breaking it down and forcing everyone to take it seriously. You can find him on Twitter @SuplexMatt.

Evan Pagano- Every Friday, Evan will be writing a special WWE column. We are focused a lot on the indies, but this is a great chance to get some additional perspective on what’s going on in Vinceland. His first column will be next Friday, and I hope you give him a read. His Twitter can be found @Pagano13.

I also wanted to take this chance to plug a couple of our more underrated columnists as well. Chris Bacon takes all four WWE shows and compresses his analysis into one compact column. It’s your chance to actually find out what’s happening on NXT and Superstars! Come on. You know you don’t watch it. BUT CHRIS DOES! And he’ll tell you all about it. Every Monday, be sure to check out “The Week That Was in WWE.” I don’t have his Twitter available offhand, but I’ll be sure to plug it when I get a chance.

John Ferrigno writes for us a on bi-weekly basis about a significant match or angle from wrestling’s past. It’s a great chance to look back without ignoring what’s going on now in indy wrestling and WWE. You can find him on Twitter @JohnVFerrigno. Check him out and also be sure to bug him out Mad Men.

Oh my. In all this plugging madness, I forgot to comment on the match. Benjamin hits Paydirt to get the finish. This was every Mike Bennett match you’ve ever seen. Maybe a little better considering Benjamin was involved. Take that for whatever you think it’s worth.

Winner (s)/Rating: Sheldon Benjamin/**3/4

–Three Way Elimination Match: The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs. Future Shock (Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole) vs. The Bravados (Lance and Harlem Bravado)

Match in Five Words or Less: Fun

Match Summary/Analysis: Not sure how much play-by-play I’ll be able to do for this match. The Bravados have new sweaters that make them look a little… how do I say this in a PC way…womanly. There. I said it. Matt and Nick Jackson have new gear. One person from each team is going to be in the match, and people can only tag their partners. In theory. New York shows TNA the business. Bravados and Future Shock brawl right away. Bucks don’t even get to shake hands. Uh oh. I smell a vindictive RVD interview… or is that his weed? Bravados actually control a bit. Future Shock and Bucks send Lance and Harlem outside. Series of dives by both teams. Incredible sequence on the outside. Crowd is deeply into this one. Future Shock and Bucks face off now. Sinclair takes control. The referee, not the owners. Lance ruins things again. O’Reilly and Nick Jackson double up on Lance. Double team by Future Shock. Nick Jackson hits a springboard splash for two. Harlem dropkicked to the floor by Matt. Double team acecrusher. Cole and Matt Jackson are sent into each other as Harlem Bravado ruins everything again. Vertical suplex on Adam Cole. Crucifix pin by Cole for two. Bravados get a double team enziguri. Double German suplex for two. Matt Jackson hits an asai DDT. Bicycle kick by Harlem. Facebuster by Nuck. He goes for the dive but is left in perfect position for O’Reilly to dive on him. Matt suplexes Lance off the apron to the floor. Cole crossbody countered into a roll-up by Harlem. Double superkick into Total Elimination. Bravados are finally gone. Now we can get to the actual match that everyone wanted to see.  All four men brawl.  Matt with two powerbombs followed by a bucklebomb. Running knee by Nick. Spike piledriver ( a callback to The Cutlers?) gets two. O’Reilly strikes at both men. Double dragon screw legwhip. Nick tries helping his brother to no avail. O’Reilly gets his knees up and locks on a triangle choke. Guillotine by Cole. Everyone ends up on a big pile. All four men are down. They slowly get up. Strike exchange by Matt and O’Reilly. Kick to Matt’s head. Superkick party! O’Reilly ends it with a hard lariat that sends Nick end over end. Wow. Nick pulls the top rope down, and O’Reilly ends up on the floor. MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! Bucks get the win.  If the Bucks are going to be regulars with the promotion, then I have nothing against them picking up a victory here. I’m assuming these two teams will have more battles down the road. The Bucks refuse to shake Future Shock’s hands. So are they heels? That was weird.

Winner (s)/Rating: The Young Bucks/***1/2

-El Generico vs. Jimmy Jacobs

Match in Five Words or Less: Kevin Steen

Match Summary/Analysis: I wonder why this is the match before intermission. Hmm. Think they’ll be an angle here? Nothing like watching two guys who were treated like geeks at the TV tapings now battling. Crowd chants “Little Jimmy” at Jacobs. Feeling out process. The biggest problem with this match is everyone is waiting for Kevin Steen to make his appearance. The sad part is this would be an awesome contest on any other night. Headscissors. Tilt a whirl backbreaker by Generico. Forearms and a chop. Bodyslam and standing moonsault. More chops. Jacobs shakes them off. Lariats. Neckbreaker. Generico goes for the yakuza kick but ends up on the floor. Jacobs dives on him. Boot as Generico comes charging. Swing out of the corner and a suplex. Boot blocked. Blue thunder bomb by Generico gets two. Michinoku driver for two. That was nasty. Right hand exchange. Half nelson suplex by Generico. Yakuza countered into END TIME! Over they go. Jacobs roll-up nearly gets three. Elbow. Springboard acecrusher for two. Running clothesline. Generico follows him and nails the yakuza kick at last. Generico places Jacobs on the top. Out on the apron. Spear by Jacobs on the frame! 1-2-NO! Jacobs heads up top. Yakuza kick. Top rope brainbuster blocked. Jacobs hits a springboard DDT off the top rope! As the referee counts, HERE’S STEEN! “Look, who’s back bitch!” Steen gets the crowd to chant “ROH!” His microphone is immediately cut off. This comes off like a rip-off of WWE. Security runs out. Steen has nowhere to go it seems. Jacobs engages in a brawl with Steen. Steen powerbombs Jacobs on the apron. Generico dives on everyone except Steen. Steen goes in the ring. He begins taking out security geeks. Cary Silken is in the ring. Silken wants a handshake. Steen shakes his hand and tries a package piledriver. Security stops that. Jim Cornette GOES AFTER STEEN! This is crazy! Referees are holding Steen back. Referees are holding Generico back. Referees are holding Cornette back. Security carries Steen out of the building. Jacobs desperately wants at Steen. Crowd chants for Steen, who just for the record is supposed to be the heel in this ceremony. I give a lot of credit to Ring of Honor for covering this chaos. There were a lot of quick cuts, but they did a great job covering every angle and not missing anything important. Jacobs and Cornette get into an argument. I’m assuming this was a no-contest. Cornette stalks to the back, and he’s not happy. The match was going very well until Steen ran in. I’m not usually a fan of no-contests, but this came off excellently. Fantastic angle to end the first half of the show.

Winner (s)/Rating: No-contest/***

-The star rating in no way reflects the brawl, which was the best thing on the show so far.

-Charlie Haas (ROH World Tag Team Champion) vs. Michael Elgin (w/Truth Martini)

Match in Five Words or Less: Disappointing

Match Summary/Analysis: I don’t want to jinx things, but this has been the cleanest and smoothest iPPV I’ve ever watched from any wrestling company up to this point. Looks like Go Fight Live has really stepped up their game. There has also been a minimum of audio issues. Truth Martini is in a fairly ridiculous outfit. Must be special for this PPV. Haas goes for a t-bone suplex. Nothing. Quick takedown for a one count. Elgin stalls. Basic to start as Haas works Elgin’s arm. Elgin tosses Haas over. Right hand. Martini grabs Haas’ foot. Elgin knocks him down. Martini delivers some boots. Haas stalks but Elgin dives at him. Elgin comes off with a shoulder tackle. Elbows followed by a whip in the corner. Elgin slows things down. Back and forth counters. Collision clotheslines as neither man wants to go down. A third set of clotheslines gets them down. Punch exchange. Haas comes out on top. Back elbow and a running body block. Big boot. Four German suplexes leave Elgin down. But he kicks out at two. Powerslam by Haas gets two. Elbow and charging clothesline by Elgin. Ki Crusher gets a nearfall. Haas hits a dropkick. Elgin sends Haas into the barricade. Crowd is deathly silent for this match. They’re not into at all. Haas back suplexes Elgin into the top of the guard rail. Haas climbs up top. Elgin hits a superplex. Cover for two. Boot exchange. Enziguri by Elgin. Haas meets Elgin at the top and his a release German superplex. Clothesline and high knee gets two. LARIAT! 1-2-3. That was an anti-climactic finish to a very disappointing contest. There was something missing from this. I’m not sure what. The fact that the crowd didn’t seem to be in this match hurt it. I also have to question why both halves of the tag team champions needed to win singles matches.

Winner (s)/Rating: Charlie Haas/**1/2

–The Ringmaster Challenge- 2/3 Falls Match (First fall is pinfall only. Second fall is submissions only. If necessary, the third fall is a 15 minute Iron Man Match.): Eddie Edwards vs. Roderick Strong (w/Truth Martini)

Match in Five Words or Less: What Would Steve Austin Think?

Match Summary/Analysis: Security at the Manhattan Center is obviously feeling more liberal in their streamer policy. Eddie Edwards’ nickname is “Die hard.” Is he Bruce Willis or Alan Rickman then? Chain wrestling between the two opponents who have to be familiar with each other. Crowd is quite split for this match. I’m surprised. Both men go for chops. Neither gets it. Edwards goes for some early roll-ups. That was wise, show the first fall can end at any time. Violence party in the corner. Edwards flips out and nails a rana. Chop and a butterfly suplex. Announcers’ voices have disappeared. Chop  exchange. Strong roll-up into a superkick. 1-2-NO! Strong stomps a mudhole. Back suplex gets two. Elbow on Edwards. More stomping. It looks like I really did jinx the show as the announcers can’t be heard at all. Chop exchange. Strong chops Edwards outside. Follow-up with yet more chops. Edwards responds, but it’s another violence party. Are there disqualifications in any of these falls? I guess the announcers… oh. Dropkick into a uranagi backbreaker. 1-2-NO! Forearms by Strong. Edwards fires back. Knee by Strong. Roaring elbows. Chop by Edwards. German suplex. Both men are down. Running forearm into a snap suplex. Dropkick off the top rope gets two. Strong gets his boot up in Edwards’ face. Backpack slam countered into a simple throw. Chop by Edwards. Lungblower. Strong hits the orange crush backbreaker to win fall number one. Strong, after taking some water from a water bottle with his name on it, goes back to work as soon as the bell rings. Strong goes for a pin for the benefit of all the fans who don’t pay attention to stipulations. Chops in the corner. Choking on the middle rope. Why is Sinclair counting if you can only win by Submission? Strong applies the LaBell Lock. Fish hook and the hold is broken. Strong continues working Edwards’ arm. Backbreaker over his shoulder. Guillotine across the bottom rope. Big kick. Edwards hits an F-5. Strong gets his boot up. Edwards locks an STF. Must be WWE submission finisher night at DBD IX. Strong reaches the ropes. Edwards should take some classes from Cena on how to apply that hold. Kick to Strong’s back. Dive misses. Strong hits a big knee strike. Strong tosses Edwards into the chair in front of the barricade. Back suplex into the chair. Back in the ring. Stronghold. Edwards grabs the rope easily. Strong applies a Boston crab. Edwards grabs the rope again. Chop exchange turns into a boot exchange. Gutbuster by Strong. Uranagi countered into an Achilles Lock. Edwards pulls Strong in the middle of the ring and gets a submission. We’re tied at one fall a piece. Edwards dives on Strong as the third fall begins. Chops on the outside of the ring. Strong drags a female photog as a human shield. More chops from Edwards. Suplex on the floor. The twinkies chant rears its ugly head again. Seriously New York, you’re not funny. Kick to Strong’s back. Sunset flip by Edwards. Strong overhead for a two count. Martini goes on the apron as Edwards heads to the top rope. Strong sets him up. Strong drops Edwards back first on the top turnbuckle. Edwards kicks out. Running forearm in the corner. A second one. Double knee backbreaker gets two. Stronghold attempt but Edwards easily grabs the bottom rope. The hell was the point of that? Pumphandle backbreaker by Strong. Edwards sent outside and then into the barricade. Tiger driver on the entranceway. Sinclair begins counting and of course the crowd chants for twinkies. Ring of Honor… get a clue and stop teasing count-out finishes in this city. Don’t humor the stupidity of these fans. Strong goes for a series of covers but can’t finish. Edwards hits some hard chops. Kick by Strong. Edwards with three of his own. Backpack slam for two. Backfist and backdrop driver. Strong gets his foot on the rope. Five minutes remain in the iron man fall. Chops by Edwards. Slap exchange. Edwards with a leaping kick. Strong climbs to the top rope. Edwards delivers a boot to Strong’s head. Superplex. Superkick by Edwards. Exchange of pinfalls. Martini holds Edwards’ foot, and the referee counts three. Are you kidding me? Edwards runs around. Martini nails Strong in the head with “The Book of the Truth.” Edwards immediately hits a 2K1 bomb for three. The rest period ends with 15 seconds left. NOW Edwards decides to sell all of his injuries. Jim Cornette says this match is too good to end a draw. Edwards and Strong accept the one fall to a finish stipulation. Slugfest turns into a chop exchange. High knee strike by Strong. Superkick by Edwards. A second one. Tiger suplex for two. Backfist to the side of Strong’s head. 1-2-NO! Strong kicks Edwards away on an Achilles Lock. Knee strike. Sick kick. 1-2-NO! Gibson driver for two. Strong takes Edwards to the top rope. Edwards hits a rana. Running knee strike by Strong. Edwards hits a buster. Sick kick by Strong. Another two count. Strong brings Edwards to the top rope again. He goes for a Gibson driver. Enziguri by Edwards. Edwards hits a vicious double stomp. A second double stomp gets two for Edwards. Powerbomb. He rolls through for a sitdown powerbomb. Another two count. Lariat followed by a modified 2K1 bomb that he calls “Die Hard.” He FINALLY wins this damn match.I know people are going to give this *****1/4 stars, but Edwards refusal to sell any of Strong’s limb work killed my interest in the match. The overbooking at the end of the third fall did this match no favors.  Yes, they worked hard, but this match had all the problems a lot of ROH main events seem to have. I’ll have A LOT more to say about this match on a future podcast.

Winner (s)/Rating: Eddie Edwards/***1/4

-Ladder War III (A contract for a Tag Team Title shot at “Glory By Honor X” hangs above the ring): The Briscoes (Jay and Mark Briscoe) vs. The All Night Express (Kenny King and Rhett Titus)

Match in Five Words or Less: Epic

Match Summary/Analysis: Here’s a shock. A brawl to start. Crowd immediately wants blood because they’re impatient. King prevents his partner from being sent through a ladder. There’s a table randomly set up at ringside. Well, we know that’s being broken. So much going on. Shotgun knees by King send Jay into the barricade. He then immediately is backdropped through the table. Told you it was getting broken. Jay sets a ladder up as Mark beats Rhett Titus up. Big boot by Jay back in the ring. Briscoes take turns throwing a chair at Titus. He fires back up, but a chair shot to the back sends him back down. Titus is sent head first into the chair as its placed across the middle turnbuckle. Titus is the first bleeder of the match. Titus avoids being sent on the ladder that’s placed across the apron and barricade. Titus suplexes Jay back first through the ladder. Titus looks like he may have dived on his own partner. Not sure what happened. ANX bring a giant ladder inside the ring. Double dropkick sends a ladder into Jay Briscoe’s balls. ANX focus on Jay in the ring. They wrap the ladder around Jay’s neck and send him into the tuenbuckle. Mark nails King with a table piece. King rammed into the barricade by jay. Titus drives the ladder into Mark Briscoe. Jay is bleeding a gusher. This might be worse than Atlanta. King slams Mark and hits a moonsault off the barricade. Jay tosses the ladder at Rhett. Snap suplex on the ramp. Mark with a senton dive. Jay props Titus on a ladder between two chairs. SENTON! King comes back with strikes on Mark. Jay NAILS King with a chair. Overhead suplex by Mark. Jay brings a ladder inside. Crowd wants King to bleed. What a wonderful group of people. BEEL THROUGH THE LADDER! SWEET JEBUS! DANGEROUS! Chair tossed at King’s head. Dropkick into King’s face. Titus has a piece of a table. Mark prevents him from helping his partner. Briscoes continue having their way through King. Spike Jaydriller. TITUS SENDS MARK THROUGH A TABLE! HOLY POOP! ANX takes advantage. King puts the boots to Jay Briscoe. Another table is set up in the ring. SPRINGBOARD BLOCKBUSTER NECKBREAKER THROUGH THE TABLE!  Everyone is down. Everyone might be dead. The ring is at utter mess. Titus sends a third ladder into the ring. We finally have our first attempt at climbing. Mark dropkicks the ladder. Titus is down again. Mark swings the ladder wildly. Jay brings out a fourth ladder, and it’s HUUUUUUUUUUGE! This is not going to end well for someone. Jay lays Titus on a table as his brother climbs the giant ladder. Mark Briscoe is legit nuts. DIVE THROUGH THE TABLE! Jay sends the fourth ladder into the ring to presumable end this sucker. King fights him off. Spinebuster. SHOOTING STAR PRESS! Kenny King might be the smartest man in the match. He’s not bleeding and has taken a minimal amount of bumps. As I say this, the ladder is being set up. King ascends. Mark Briscoe joins in on the climb. They reach for the contract. Punch exchange. Mark is punched down. King grabs the contract! This was a million times better than the second ladder war. It was less contrived and didn’t rely on a ton of stupid bumps. Yes, this was violent. Yes, there was a lot of blood shed. But I never felt like King signs the contract with Jay Briscoe’s blood. That was an awesome touch and almost worth an extra quarter star by itself. A fantastic way to cap off the night. This brought me back from a semi-main event that nearly soured me on the whole show.ANX really earned their stripes in this feud, and I’m excited to see if they can win the belts in Chicago Ridge.

Winner (s)/Rating: ANX/****1/2

-I’ll be back shortly with some final thoughts and awards.

Line of the Night: Kevin Steen, “Look, who’s back bitch!” Kind of a weak night.

Finish of the Night: King grabbing the contract and then signing it in Briscoes’ blood was PERFECT storytelling. Absolutely brilliant.

MVP: Gotta hand it to the four guys who have had the best feud in Ring of Honor so far in 2011. The Briscoes got yet another tag team over in epic fashion. King and Titus have come out looking like lions. Credit to all four men for their hard work.

The Verdict: The first half of the show was strong. If not for the main event, the second half would have been a major disappointment. There was a lot of good stuff throughout the show. I’m actually intrigued by what their plans for the Bucks are. I liked how strongly they put Ciampa over. Everything involving Jacobs, Generico, and Steen was all golden. I didn’t care for Edwards and Strong at all, but my hunch is other people will feel very differently about this contest. I thought Ladder War 3 was violent without being dangerous. And yes, those are two different things. An easy thumbs up for this show. This was way better than Best in the World and 9th Anniversary show as far as iPPVs go.