ROH 8/16/18 Honor ReUnited Edinburgh Review
Edinburgh Corn Exchange
Edinburgh, Scotland
Ring of Honor presented Honor ReUnited, headlined by an International Cup tournament. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana welcomed everyone to the show before the proceedings got underway.
International Cup Match
Jonathan Gresham vs. Mark Haskins
Gresham dominated early on, picking Haskins apart with submission. Gresham missed Haskins and ended up on the outside and decided to take a breather. Haskins followed out with a top and took control after sending Gresham into the barricade. Back inside, Haskins worked Gresham’s legs over, attempting to set him up for his sharpshooter finisher. Eventually, a slugfest allowed Haskins to gain control and roll through into a sharpshooter. Haskins doubled over Gresham to apply more torque, forcing Gresham to tap. Excellent opener between these two. They both had a goal in working over body parts, Gresham the arm and Haskins the leg, which told a good story here and although Gresham lost here, it was Haskin’s work on the leg earlier that made the loss make sense here.
Winner: Mark Haskins
International Cup Match
Kip Sabian vs. Flip Gordon
As Sabian made his way to the ring, Riccaboni made an amazing Superbad reference, saying that he was McLovin Sabian’s work. Sabian demanded that Sinclair hold the ropes for him but instead opted to jump over the ropes in an obnoxious show of disrespect. The two worked well here, with Gordon’s offense being aerial based while Sabian tried to keep him down with more matt based tactics. The two ended up on the floor and as Gordon writhed on the floor after Sabian’s dive, Sabian took a breather at the commentary table and was graciously offered a sip of water from Cabana’s water bottle. Back in the ring Gordon hit a Falcon Arrow but somehow that was not enough to keep Sabian down. Sabian went for a psycho driver, but Gordon slipped out and then hit a TKO cutter to put Sabian away for good and move on in the tournament. The two seemed to work well with each other and are reminiscent of each other, almost mirror images of each other in terms of looks and size and style.
Winner: Flip Gordon
Kay Lee Ray vs. Viper
With both Tenille Dashwood and Chardonnay dealing with medical issues, the match was changed to a singles match and it was announced that Ray would wrestle on all three nights of the tour. Viper winning here was a bit of surprise, as Ray is wrestling on all three nights, it seemed she would be the linchpin here, but the loss actually allowed Viper to look strong here and possibly come to WOH in the States at a later time. The story of Ray needing to prove herself the rest of the tour was smartly set up by the loss here. She struggled and struggled and very nearly came away the victor, but Viper going the extra mile with the top rope version of her finisher was simply too much for Ray to battle. The crowd involvement and the work rate easily placed this as one of the more enjoyable WOH matches of the year. Despite the short notice, the story that these two friends were desperate to make a name for themselves was done well and believable.
Winner: Viper
International Cup Match
Jimmy Havoc vs. Christopher Daniels
A bit of comedy to start here, as Todd Sinclair found an 8×10 of Havoc in Havoc’s tights, which would come in handy later. After a brief exchange, Havoc grabbed the 8×10 from the corner and gave Daniels a paper cut between the fingers. Daniels was able to send him to the outside after a back kick but perhaps he shouldn’t have, as Havoc grabbed a frying pan. He hit the hand Daniels was holding the 8×10 with but had the pan taken away by Sinclair before he could do real damage. Havoc then grabbed a chair and threw it into the ring, only for Daniels to throw it up and roll up a distracted Havoc. The pinfall went for two and then Daniels implored Havoc to wrestle, saying he didn’t want to do a Hardcore match. The two brawled outside and Havoc set Daniels up on a chair, built up steam by running around the ring, only to stop short and poke Daniels’s eyes. Havoc then set up a table but was quickly attacked by Daniels, who through Havoc into the barricade before putting the table away, insisting that he would not wrestle a hardcore match. Back inside Daniels did indeed wrestle his style of match, that is until Havoc pulled out a staple gun. Daniels was able to wrest it away and while Sinclair was recovering from a slight bump, Daniels stapled him in the rear, immediately tossing the gun to Havoc. Sinclair accused Havoc of attacking him and took the gun away. Havoc shoved Daniels into Sinclair, who accidentally stapled him. Havoc used the opportunity to hit hid the Acid Rainmaker to pick up the victory. This was enjoyable for what it was-nothing off the charts, but instead something different from everything else we would get on the show and not in a negative way.
Winner: Jimmy Havoc
International Cup Match
Joe Hendry vs. Adam Page
Back and forth contest at the onset of this one, with Hendry winning the wrestling exchanges, as Page took control on the outside. The two really balanced each other well and the support Hendry has in Scotland made it easy for Page to play the role of the heel here. Fresh off the G1 tournament, Page was a sight for sore eyes and really gave it his all here against the Local Hero. Hendry kept trying to apply the Hendry lock, but could not step over on the ankle lock to gain more leverage. Page escaped a third attempt and kicked Hendry in the face before connecting with a Buckshot lariat. A Rite of Passage later and Page won the match via pinfall, moving on to the semi-finals for the tournament. Good bout between these two-Hendry is a very charismatic wrestler and easily has one of the most fun entrances of all the UK talent on these shows. Credit to Page for coming in after G1 and performing at a high-level here.
Winner: Adam Page
Proving Ground Match
Jay Lethal vs. Adam Brooks
Both adhered to the code of honor before this got underway. A very quick pace to start things off here, with Lethal generally in control of the match until Brooks built up a bit of speed as a counter to Lethal’s experience. The match played out as a veteran staving off a talented up and coming (in terms of ROH) and was paced well. Lethal’s reign so far has shown that he has the ability to make a match feel more important that it is and he did that here. Despite some hiccups, the champ was able to finally hit a Lethal Injection to put Brooks away and win the match. The right man won here in a short affair.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Punishment Martinez & The Briscoes vs. The Villian Club
Matt and Jay started off for their respective teams, teasing each other a bit before they finally locked up. Jay might have one of the best lockups in the business and it draws you into the match. After a brief exchange, Matt and Jay made way for Nick and Mark, who picked up the pace a bit. After Nick tossed Mark into the corner, Martinez and Scurll were up next, with Scurll sending Martinez to the outside, which led to a brief superkick party tease. The Briscoes recovered and Scurll found himself in the wrong part of town for a stretch. After some back and forth, Scurll hit a tornado DDT on Martinez, prompting a Liam Gallagher “All Around the World” reference, which made my heart smile. The closing stretch was fun and ultimately saw Scurll lock the chickenwing on Chicken (Mark) to pick up the win for his side. As per usual with the Bucks and the Briscoes this was a fun affair, but Scurll and Martinez also brought a lot to this match. Martinez looks comfortable in the main event and the pairing with the Briscoes is a good, logical fit.
Winners: The Villian Club
Final Reaction: C
The first night of the tour had some good matches, specifically Gresham and Haskins. Hendry is always a pleasure to watch when he is the local hero and that definitely added to the show overall as well. Daniels and Havoc’s match was fun, but in many ways captured what this show was: a fun affair, but nothing that was particularly eventful overall, as night one of the tournament seemed to be easy to decipher who would move on in the tournament.