ROH 1/25/19 Road to G1 Supercard Houston Review
1/25/19
Houston, TX
Ian Riccaboni welcomed everyone to the second show of three consecutive shows, featuring the return of Tag Wars.
The Boys vs. The Bouncers
Beer City Bruiser cheered Brian Milonas on as he chugged a beer before the match got underway. Boy 2 and Milonas started off and Boy 1 quickly joined the fracas, using their speed and agility to tire Milonas out. The Twins then sent the Bouncers both to the outside and managed to escape a collider powerbomb attempt with sunset flips. Despite some flashes of offensive and even a little bit of Twin Magic, but alas, it was all for naught as the Bouncer proved to be too much, winning the match after hitting the Last Call, their superplex/bull frog splash combo. This was an average match given the length and the fact that the Boys were unlikely to win. It was an interesting choice to open the festivities and one can’t help but wonder if Bandido’s injury precipitated a change in the order of matches on the card.
Winners: The Bouncers
Thunder Rosa vs. Sumie Sakai
Like Rosa did for Holidead the night before, Holidead escorted Rosa out for this match. Very quickly into the match, Holidead interfered and referee Todd Sinclair immediately called for the bell. COmmentary put over that ROH referees are taking more control as of late and are not allowing shenanigans-tying into the theme of honor returning to the company. Madison Rayne ran down to even the odds and in the spirit of Teddy Long we got a two on two vs the UNDERTAKER!
Winner: Sumie Sakai
Sumie Sakai & Madison Rayne vs. The Twisted Sisterz
Rosa and Holidead were in complete control from the very onset, keeping Sakai on their side of the ring and very deliberately worked Sakai over, bending the rules along the way. The two worked like a well-oiled machine here, a great display of strong tag team tactics. Rayne finally was able to come in on the hot tag but Rayne’s attempt at Off With her Head was averted by Thunder Rosa. Rosa followed up with a school girl, grabbing a handful of trunks to gain the leverage to pick up the pinfall victory. This continues the story of Twisted Sisters being successful as a tag team due to their chemistry and villainous ways. This was fine but there wasn’t nearly enough time given here to really get anything going.
Winners: The Twisted Sisterz
Tag Wars Round One
Coast to Coast (Leon St. Giovanni & Shaheem Ali) vs.
Shinobi Shadow Squad ( Cheeseburger & Eli Isom) w/ Ryan Nova
LSG and Cheeseburger started off for their respective teams, proving themselves to be equals at the onset, quickly making way for Ali and Isom. Commentary filled fans in on C2C’s success over in Germany and put over their undefeated streak that was only ended by the world champions, The Briscoes. This was an excellent short sprint that saw both sides look strong, but C2C walk away with the win after Ali hit a swing out slam on Cheeseburger, leaping to the outside to take Isom out with a tope suicida. LSG had tagged in and hit a 450 splash to pick up the pinfall victory. Both teams looked very sharp here- both teams seemed equal to the task, with C2C made to look just a bit stronger. Both teams adhered to the code of honor, as the theme continues to truly run through each match.
Winners: Coast To Coast
Clark Conners, Freddericks & Coughlin vs.
Villian Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO & brody King)
This was a fairly short and stiff match. The Young Lions fought valiantly, but the team of Scurll King and PCO simply were not going to lose this match. The team picked up the win after Scurll directed King to hit a Gonzo Bomb, setting PCO up to hit his gravity-defying moonsault. This gave the Lions another shot on a bigger show than they’ve ever been on and made the victors look nigh unbeatable.
Winners: Villain Enterprises
ROH Real World’s Champion Matt Taven vs. Jonathan Gresham
Taven came down to the ring in what appeared to be street clothes. As Gresham hit the ring Taven got on the mic and said that he felt disrespected by the Board of Directors for being matched up with Gresham. Taven went on to call Gresham Jay lethal’s Young Boy and said that he refused to wrestle him. TK then got on the mic and offered to wrestle Gresham in Taven’s stead. Taven joined commentary for the match, as he doesn’t have a manager’s license in the state of Texas. Gresham was in control early until O’Ryan spit in his face, but it only bought him a few moments. Gresham continued to outwrestle TK, albeit a few flashes of offense. Gresham was able to lock on the Octopus Lock but three balloons floated up to the ceiling, portending Vinny Marseglia’s arrival. The distraction stopped Paul Turner from seeing TK O’Ryan tap out. TK then was able to roll Gresham up quickly due to the distraction and put his feet on the ropes for leverage to pick up the win. Marseglia and TK put the hurting on Gresham until Jay Lethal came down for the save.
Winner: TK O’Ryan
ROH World Championship Match
Jay Lethal(c) vs. Vinny Marseglia
Lethal grabbed a mic and derided the Kingdom for their actions as of late and said that Marseglia has another thing coming if he believes he will be able to wrest the title away Lethal tonight. After the official introductions, Marseglia jumped on lethal and quickly tossed him into the barricade, taking early control here. The match had some back and forth moments here, but Lethal was largely in control for the second half. Lethal went for Hail to the King but Marseglia went to block with his boot, leaving himself open to a figure four. Lethal opted to go for a small package instead, only getting a two count. The Champ quickly transitioned to a handspring, hitting the Lethal Injection to pick up the win and make history as the longest reigning ROH World champion (all title reigns combined). Fun match here as the crowd was into Lethal and still hating on
Winner: Jay Lethal
WOH World Championship Match
Kelly Klein(c) w/ Kamp Klein vs. Dr. Britt Baker
This match was announced officially earlier today, which was interesting considering that Baker has signed to AEW. Commentary made reference to Baker possibly being able to take the title anywhere she pleases. There was a great deal of mouth -based offense in this one as Baker attacked Klein with jawbreakers, superkicks and even a mandible claw but that wasn’t enough to put Klein away, as the champ rolled out of the ring to break the hold. Klein was able to crack Baker with a knee to the head and locked on the End of the Match, her guillotine submission. Baker had no choice to tap, allowing Klein to successfully defend the title once more. Post-match Klein went to the commentary booth and called Sakai out, assuring that the challenger on the last night of the tour understood that Klein means business. This was short but effective in driving home that Klein can win out of nowhere.
Winner: Kelly Klein
Tag Wars Round One
Colt Cabana & Willie Mack vs. Kenny King & Luchador Sopresa
Riccaboni filled us in on the changes here, as Flip Gordon was replaced by Willie Mack due to a knee injury he suffered wrestling against Tracy Williams at Honor Reigns Supreme. Riccaboni then rolled off some great Return of the Mack and Mack Daddy mentions as Mack made his way to the ring. King came out and revealed that MVP, of the Beat Down Clan infamy, was his partner. MVP and King moved on in the tournament after King hit Royal Flush on Cabana to pick up the pinfall victory. This was a fun contest here that was just the right length. MVP and King worked together seamlessly and this could be a great use of King’s previous relationship with MVP to provide an avenue for both men to have meaningful matches going forward.
Winners: Beat Down Clan
Proving Ground Match
ROH World TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. Rocky Romero vs. Dalton Castle
This was a fun contest that allowed Cobb to look strong while also working to keep castle relevant and continue to show that he’s recovered from his injuries. The end came when Castle went for a Bang-A-Rang on Romero after tossing Cobb to the outside. Romero was able to reverse it into a pinning combination and came away with the shocking upset, earning a title shot sometime in the future. Post-match Romero stood face to face with Cobb but declined to take the opportunity on the spot when offered. Romero gave Cobb a pound as a sign of respect before heading to the back. Nice match that was given just enough time to give everyone a chance to shine here.
Winner: Rocky Romero
Silas Young, Shane Taylor & The Briscoes vs. LifeBlood ( Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Tracy Williams & Mark Haskins)
Bully Ray randomly showed up before the bell rang and sauntered down to ringside before berating Bobby Cruz, forcing him to leave ringside. Ray then grabbed a mic and entered the ring, and essentially tried to bully Todd Sinclair into allowing him to join the curmudgeons against LifeBlood. Before Sinclair could answer Robinson got on the mic and demanded Ray be added to the match. The heels essentially used every underhanded tactic in the book and Sinclair was unable to track all of what going on and the numbers game got the best of LifeBlood. Just when it seemed that all hope was lost, Bandido came out from the back heavily bandaged. He tore through the Old Guard, flying inside and outside of the ring and buying his teammates time. Eventually, Bandido hit a 450 splash on Bully Ray to pick up the win. This was an energized and engaging match that drew the crowd in and brought them to a fever pitch.
Winners: LifeBlood
Final Reaction: B-
Although this show did not feel quite a strong as the first show on the tour, there were still a number of strong matches here and the continuous development of feuds that have seeds planted either at the tail end of last year or the very beginning of this year. The theme of honor runs through every match and the importance of the enforcement of the core values and expectations for fair competition has been completely adhered to and has revitalized the presentation. The main event hit on all cylinders and the use of a multi-man match here felt important. The tension felt real and that was something that had been absent from these match types in previous years.