‘Ring of Honor’ Wrestling Review (May 27th 2018)
Welcome to this week’s Ring of Honor television review for 5/27/18. All matches will be called by analyst Ian Riccaboni and color will be provided by Colt Cabana. Our card for this week will feature two title matches and a living legend all the way from Japan. I’m Nathan Favel and this is Ring of Honor!
Match #1: The Dawgs (Rhett Titus & Will Ferrara) vs. Cheeseburger & Jushin “Thunder” Liger – Tag Team Match
This match is the continuation of the Ferrara/Cheesebuger feud that has been going on since last year. The idea here is that CB has beseeched Liger, his most vigorous supporter, to help him defeat Ferrara and to put an end to his bullying. CB and Will had some nice counters for each other to start, with CB looking more confident in his offense than usual. CB always seems to perform his best when Liger is around. The crowd is already into the bout, which works out well for The Dawgs, considering they don’t always get great reactions for their matches. Titus tagged in and looked like a million bucks, displaying his veteran acumen by whooping CB around the ring like a broken hula-hoop. Then, Liger entered the fray and the crowd lost their minds. Liger gave every-thing to Titus he had just delivered to CB in spades. I don’t need to elaborate, but I will, that Liger has been the star of this match. Liger has always been consistent in the ring and he never seems to have a bad night. I should also mention that Liger looked to be in phenomenal shape, maybe the best since his mid thirties, which is tremendous when you consider that he is in his fifties. The Dawgs looked great during all of the action and did the most for themselves that they have in quite some time (they got an enormous amount of heat for attacking Liger and CB… what else did you expect). Liger hit the Liger bomb on Ferrara for the win.
Winners: Cheeseburger & Jushin “Thunder” Liger
Match #2: Sumie Sakai (champion) vs. Jenny Rose – Women of Honor Championship Match
This match was built on the premise of two friends becoming rivals over the title. The champion, Sakai, used her unique offense to dominate Rose from the ringing of the first bell. Sakai wrestles like many of Japan’s finest, with stiff kicks and fierce chops that hack through her opponents like an ax into a tree. As the champion worked her over, Rose mounted her own offense that was quickly countered by the champ. The crowd is acting like they’re in Japan, which isn’t a bad thing… except for the cameras… and the wrestlers. These two go back and forth in a match that eventually gains momentum. Rose tackled Sakai off the apron in a really good spot. After another minute or so, the champ regains the advantage and retains the title.
Winner: Sumie Sakai – Women of Honor Champion
Match #3: Main Event – So Cal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) [champions] vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia) – Ring of Honor Trios Tag Team Championship Match
The idea here is that The Kingdom stole the title belts from So Cal a week ago and now the champions are looking to regain the belts and retain the titles. It’s utter chaos to start, with fighting all over the arena. Daniels gave O’Ryan a reason to take an asprin in the morning, by beating him senseless. These two teams are obsessed with stomping each other this time out. There’s no question that this is a grudge match. As this brawl escalates, The Kingdom decides to pop a balloon on Daniels’s head, which doesn’t get them disqualified. There you go, the age old question of “Are balloons legal?” has been answered! I want to mention how far Taven has come as a wrestler, in particular his presence. Taven feels like a leader when he is with The Kingdom and, thanks to his time in CMLL, he has become an excellent heel. Sky was a highlight during this match, with his offense looking more like Low-Ki’s all the time (not a bad wrestler to resemble). Kazarian tagged in and wrestled circles around The Kingdom, but he always seems to do that with just about every-one he grapples with. I gotta admit (and I’m pretty happy to say this), that these two teams have chemistry with each other. The two teams are kicking it into high gear with more risks, including a flying splash Taven lands on Daniels’s to the outside. Just as this match was reaching the next level, The Kingdom’s attempt at sneaking a chair attack to their opponents back-fires and gets the champs a DQ victory, which brings an excellent match to an abrupt end.
Winners: So Cal Uncensored (Disqualification)
News of the Night:
- It was announced at the end of the broadcast that Dalton Castle, who had requested both Cody Rhodes and Marty Scurll as his opponents for the title match at Best in the World, has been given his wish and it will now be Dalton Castle vs. Cody Rhodes vs Marty Scurll in a Triple Threat Match for the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship at Best in the World.
Final Verdict: This was an excellent card with three fights worth watching. The DQ took some of the life out of an otherwise exciting main event, but didn’t ruin the night by any means. I should also mention that Ian Riccaboni, who could be argued to be the worst announcer of 2017, has made many strides to becoming a good announcer who shows improvement in every facet, each week.
Next Week: Silas Young defends the Ring of Honor Television Championship against Impact Wrestling’s Austin Aries, who has returned to ROH to reclaim his spot as a top star in the league. This should be an awesome match and one worth reviewing.
Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week.
