ROH Tag Wars 2006 Review

Here is my review of Ring of Honor's first Dayton show of 2006.

ROH Tag Wars 2006

Dayton, Ohio 1/27/06

1.) Trios Tournament Semi-Final Match - Jimmy Jacobs, BJ Whitmer & Adam Pearce vs. Matt Sydal, Jimmy Yang & Jack Evans: ***1/2

Here you had Lacey's Angels teaming with Adam Peace against 1/2 (really 2/4) of Generation Next & Jimmy Yang. This was actually pretty good for an opening match. The finish continued to play up the turmoil in Lacey's Angels, which would reach a turning point on the next show.

2.) Trios Tournament Semi-Final Match - Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley & Abyss vs. Jay Fury, Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro: ***

This was good, but their was no way Fury/Mamaluke/Rinauro were winning this one.

3.) Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chad Collyer: **1/2

While the match itself was ok, the big story was Chris Hero (representing CZW at the time) was in the crowd. This would play out more during the next match.

4.) Ace Steel vs. Sterling James Keenan: *3/4

The match really never got going as the CZW guys were talking trash to Ace Steel, disrupting things. The match ends prematurely after Steel gets out to talk trash to the CZW guys. Chris Hero & Necro Butcher jump the ring when Steel calls them out, but security & a few other wrestlers hall them off. Cornette comes out with a bloody mouth (apparently from some sneak attack). He rants on CZW for a bit and tells CZW to come to another ROH show so the ROH guys can kick their butts.

5.) Non-Title Match - Nigel McGuinness vs. Delirious: **1/2

This was just another ok match. I don't know why but I find McGuinness's late 05/early 06 work (most of it) was just average. Obviously he improved over the course of 2006 and into 2007.

6.) Grudge Match: Christopher Daniels vs. Low Ki: ***1/2

A match between two of Ring of Honor's founding fathers (Allison Danger is looking especially hot in the nun getup, in my opinion). It was pretty good. Daniels calls for a handshake after the match (which at the time was big since Daniels refused to shake Low Ki's hand after the Three-Way in 2002) but Low-Ki blows him off.

7.) Finals of the Trios Tournament - Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley & Abyss vs. Matt Sydal, Jimmy Yang & Jack Evans: ***3/4

This was a very good trios match. It was, too an extent, a continuation of the Generation Next/Embassy feud. The winners (Embassy) would get to (I think I have this right) book any 3 matches they want. This would lead to a World Title Match for both Shelley & Rave, as well as (I believe) a Tag Team Title Match.

8.) ROH Tag Team Titles - Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. Bryan Danielson & Jay Lethal: ****1/4

For a show called Tag Wars, this was a very fitting main event. A very good tag title defense featuring four of the best in ROH at the time. A very entertaining match that won't disappoint. Strong gets Danielson to tap for the win, and afterwords demands another shot at Danielson, which I think came at the WrestleMania Weekend Shows a few months later.

Overall: 8.0/10

This was a very solid show. If you're a fan of Tag Team Wrestling, this show is for you. If you're also looking for shows that chronicle the ROH/CZW feud, this a good pick up as well.