ROH 1/24/19 Road to G1 Supercard Dallas Review
Gilley’s Dallas
Dallas, TX
Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana welcomed everyone to the first show of three consecutive shows, featuring the return of Tag Wars.
Rhett Titus vs. Marty Scurll
As the show opened, Titus was flexing and posing mid-ring, something he had been at for the better part of five minutes according to commentary. Scurll took umbrage as he won the Survival of the Fittest tournament whereas Titus claims to be the Survival of the Fittest champion because of his body. The two went right at each other and action quickly spilled to the outside with some barricade action before Scurll took control and the action shifted to the inside.
Titus went for a Doggy Splash after almost taking the win after a trio of powerbombs. Scurll was able to get the knees up before getting splashed and hit a Cambridge Destroyer followed by Graduation to pick up the pinfall victory. Solid opener with a hot start that cooled off and switched gears a bit. Titus, back in a more serious role, took the opportunity and performed very well.
Winner: Marty Scurll
Tag Wars Round One
Karl Freddericks & Alex Coughlin vs. Fin Juice (Juice Robinson and David Finlay)
Tenille Dashwood, a member of LifeBlood alongside Robinson and Finley, joined commentary for the match. Coughlin and Fredericks started off for their respective teams in this opening round match. I was a bit apprehensive about of this team of Freddericks and Coughlin getting a shot here but the two proved themselves to be pretty adept in the ring and had a strong match here with Robinson and Finlay. NJPW gets the rub here with two of their young Lions getting a chance here and it definitely was not squandered. Coughlin and Freddericks were able to seemingly put Fin Juice away after locking on simultaneous Lion Tamers, but Finlay, the legal man, was able to reach the ropes. Robinson took Freddericks to the outside and
Finlay was able to slip away from Coughlin’s grasp and hit a bone-jarring clothesline before hitting Trashed Panda to pick up the win. After the match, Fin Juice adhered to the code of honor, one of the tenets of the LifeBlood mission statement.
Winners: Fin Juice
Proving Ground Match-ROH World Television Championship
Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Clark Conners
Shibata then made his way to the ringside area before the match in support of one of his dojo trainees. Conners had a flash or two of offense, including an impressive bodyslam, but it was all for naught. Cobb seemed to take his time and it was Conners’s offense that flipped a switch. Cobb tossed Conners with a spinning back suplex and then drove his opponent into the matt with Tour of the Islands to win the match. This was solid for what it was-Cobb continues to steamroll the competition and look impressive while Conners got a cup of coffee and was able to walk away with a special moment and the rub from giving the champion pause.
Winner: Jeff Cobb
Shane Tayor & The Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle & The Boys
The Beer City Bruiser joined commentary for this match before the action got underway. Jay and Castle started off but Jay asked for a mic and then demanded Castle allow the Boys to fight for themselves. Boy 2 tagged in and valiantly tried to
Castle hit Jay with a Bang-A-Rang and it seemed the match was over, but Taylor pulled referee Paul Turner from the ring. Turner became enraged on immediately disqualified The Briscoes and Taylor. The trio then began to attack Turner, Castle and The Boys until LifeBlood came down to make the save and clear the ring. Robinson got on the mic and admonished the Briscoes and Taylor for their actions. Juice hyped the main event as honorable and Castle rolled into the ring and thanked Fin Juice before everyone went to the back.
Winners: Dalton Castle & The Boys
Holidead w/ Thunder Rosa vs. Madison Rayne
Colt Cabana accused Riccaboni of drinking Boone’s Farm, which Ian denied. Riccaboni shared the interesting fact that Thunder Rosa is licensed as a manager in the state of Texas, clearing up why she is allowed to be at ringside. The story of the match here was that Rayne was at a disadvantage because of Thunder Rosa being at ringside. Just as Rayne was heating up Rosa distracted her from the apron and allowed Holidead to gain the advantage. As Holidead was trying to hit her finisher Rayne was able to worm her way out and roll Holidead up for the win. Rosa hit the ring and she and Holidead began to beat down Rayne until Sumie Sakai and made the save, shooing Rosa and Holidead away with the help of a steel chair.
Winner: Madison Rayne
ROH Real World’s Championship Match
Matt Taven(c) vs. Rocky Romero
Taven got on the mic before the match reminded everyone that Romero and Taven are the only two people to ever hold championships in ROH, CMLL, and NJPW. Taven did go on, however, to say that he is out to prove to everyone that he is the better man to hold the distinction and he graciously decided to make this a championship match. After a back and forth to start Rocky was rolling, hitting a splash from the top of the ramp onto Taven in the aisle. As Rocky was working Taven over on the outside a number of balloons rose up from under the ring, indicating that the birthday boy Vinny Marseglia might be under the ring, but he never appeared. Nonetheless, the distraction gave Taven the opportunity he needed to gain the upper hand. Romero came close a number of times but Taven was ultimately able to hit Climax and pick up the clean victory, retaining the Real World’s Championship. Post-match the Kingdom hit the ring to celebrate with the Tom Brady of ROH. A fun match here with Taven and Romero matching up well and both used innovative offense in this one. Taven won cleanly here to continue his push and Romero showed that he can still go.
Winner: Matt Taven
Tag Wars Round One
The Kingdom (TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia vs. Villian Enterprises (Brody King & PCO)
As Marseglia and O’Ryan seemed poised to join Taven in a beatdown of Rocky Romero Brody King’s music hit and he stepped onto the stage, awaiting his partner PCO and making the save. PCO took a large brunt of the punishment here, briefly getting King in before once again being handicapped by the Kingdom’s targeted attack to his one good eye. Marseglia and TK hit House of a Thousand Horses on PCO for what seemed like the win, only for King to make the save at the last moment. Marseglia set up a table on the outside and laid Brody on it, going to the top for Redrum. King moved and then hit TK with a Gonzo bomb before PCO pulled off the moonsault the second time around, scoring the pinfall victory.
Winners: Villain Enterprises
Silas Young vs. Bandido
This seemed like a clash of styles on paper but Young has surprising agility and Bandido’s mat based tactics are crisp, so this match was a fun exercise in the two switching back and forth. Young took advantage of Bandido’s high flying, thwarting a tope suicida and slowing the ace of the match down as he methodically picked him apart on the outside. Back inside Young continued to cut off Bandido’s attempts, eventually growing took cocky. Bandido was able to finally break away and string together some offense, sending Young to the outside and following up with a moonsault from the second rope. The punishment Bandido withstood injured his back to the point that he was limited, allowing Young to regain control. Young started to ramp up the offense but couldn’t put Bandido away, allowing the high flyer to hit a bouncing German duplex into a bridge to pick up the victory via pinfall. This was a particularly fun contest and another great display by Bandido. Post-match Bandido offered a code of honor handshake, only for Young to rebuff him. Young eventually relented and did shake Bandido’s hand, only to then kick the victor’s knee out. ROH officials had to come down and attend to Bandido as commentary spoke about Young’s lack of respect and the the same attitude his cronies Taylor and the Briscoes are exhibiting as of late, building to a possible feud with LifeBlood.
Winner: Bandido
Tag Wars Round One
Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham vs. LifeBlood (Mark Haskins & Tracy Williams)
Kenny King joined for the match.This was an absolute hoot. Gresham and Lethal have gelled as a team and when they have tagged together. This main event, featuring two honorable teams, was a perfect continuation of the theme of the night, who has been the idea of honor and respect returning to the company. This was a hard-hitting affair and both Gresham and Lethal made Haskins and Williams look like throwbacks to the ROH style of yesteryear. Easily this was the match of the night and bodes well for the rest of tournament. Lethal and Gresham won with their victory roll/cutter combo and adhered to the code of honor post-match. As commentary spoke about the show of respect that has been overtaking the company, the Briscoes, Shane Taylor and Silas Young hit the ring and began to run roughshod over the four. Robinson and Finlay ran down to try to even the odds, but they were quickly overwhelmed. Cabana tried to convince King to run down to the ring to no avail, so Riccaboni lamented the disrespect and dastardly actions of the old guard
Winners: Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham
Final Reaction: B+
This was a really fun showing, continuing with themes from the last show, particularly the fresh matchups and the idea of honor returning to the company. Almost every match had participants adhere to the code of Conor. The post-match shenanigans after the main event seem to indicate that LifeBLood might end up winning the tournament, setting up a title shot against the Briscoes who represent an insidious side of the locker room. If the tour builds off this show, it bodes well for the quality of the wrestling over the next few nights and this show is an excellent entry point into the new ROH and highly recommended.