The DVD includes the opening from this PPV, which was freaking
awesome!! It really gets you hyped up for the Main Event!!
ROH Best In The World 2015: Battle of the Belts
New York City, New York
6/19/15
1.) Mark Briscoe (with ODB)
vs. Donovan Dijak (with Truth Martini): **3/4
Our first match of the
night came about when Dijak attacked Mark Briscoes after “Dem Boys” picked up
the win over The House of Truth on ROH TV. This match also serves as a good
contrast to the Main Event, with a Briscoe taking on a member of The House of
Truth, which is pretty cool, if you ask me. I thought this was a solid opener.
It wasn’t anything special, but it served its purpose. The highlight of the
match was easily Dijak scoop slamming Mark Briscoe over the top rope, sending
“chicken” crashing to the floor!! That was easily one of the craziest spots of
the night. Towards the end of the match, ODB would get into it with Truth
Martini, snatching The Book of Truth and tearing the cover to shreds (that will
come into play later). In the end, Mark Briscoe would come back from that nasty
spot earlier to win the match.
2.) ACH & Matt Sydal
vs. The Decade (BJ Whitmer & Adam Page with Colby Corino): ***
Given the promo they showed
before the match, you would think this was going to be an ACH vs. Adam Page
singles match, but instead, we have a tag team match with their respective
partners. I would have preferred a singles match, but the tag team match is
fine, as it does get Sydal on the card. This was a fine tag team match. It
wasn’t spectacular by any means, but it good for its spot. We actually got some
interesting chants towards BJ Whitmer by the fans in Terminal 5, including “BJ
Weiner” & “Blow Job Whitmer”. I’m sure Steve Corino really enjoyed that.
Anyway, ACH & Sydal looking to have the win sealed up, but a distraction
from Whitmer allowed Adam Page to take advantage, pinning Matt Sydal for the
win.
3.) Silas Young vs. Dalton
Castle: ***1/4
There really hasn’t been
that much build to this match. It’s just a way to get these two on the show, but
more importantly, it’s a battle of two REAL MEN. The match was pretty solid, in
my opinion. There was some good wrestling, as well as some comedy, as Young
kept getting his trunks pulled down. We also saw, for the first time, the “Fan
Up” chants, as the crowd in Terminal 5 reacted to The Boys trying to get them
behind Castle. Towards the end of the match, Young got scolded by the referee
for using underhanded tactics on Castle, and seconds later, while the referee
was distracted, Castle returned the favor, hitting Young with a low blow before
rolling him up for the win.
After the match, Silas
Young attacked one of The Boys, and quickly retreated before Castle could
retaliate.
4.) War Machine vs. C &
C Wrestle Factory: **
So on the episode of ROH TV
right before the PPV, Cedric Alexander seemingly turned heel when he used a
wrench to end Moose’s undefeated streak. In response, Alexander’s former tag
team partner, Caprice Coleman, reached out to him, and suggested teaming up
with him to help him stay on the right path. C & C Wrestle Factory have a
truly big challenge in front of them in the form of War Machine. This match was
pretty much a sprint right from the opening bell, as Alexander skipped the
pre-match handshake and went right after War Machine. The match was actually
pretty short, but the did a lot in the time they were given. Towards the end of
the match, Alexander wanted to use a wrench, but Coleman wouldn’t allow it. In
response, Alexander didn’t tag in Coleman, which resulted in him getting pinned
by War Machine. I think it was a bit of a waste of War Machine on this show,
but I’m sure where else you could have put them.
After the match, Alexander
teased using the wrench on Coleman, but he didn’t. Instead, he simply told
Coleman that their team is done. I actually liked that. Alexander is turning
heel, but he still had enough respect for his longtime tag team partner that he
didn’t attack him.
5.) #1 Contender's Triple
Threat Match - "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. Moose (with Stokely
Hathaway & Veda Scott) vs. Roderick Strong: ***3/4
It was announced shortly
after the match got underway that the winner would receive their ROH World
Title Match at Death Before Dishonor XIII
on July 24th in Baltimore, Maryland. I really enjoyed this match!
These thee guys went right at it from the opening bell and seemingly never let
up. Some good action from all three competitors throughout this match. Elgin
& Strong were their usual great selves, but Moose showed a lot here in this
match. I’d say it was easily his best performance in ROH, up to this point.
There was a rough spot or two here & there, but this still a really good
match. Strong would pick up the win after pinning Moose, earning himself a shot
at the ROH World Title.
After the match, Veda Scott
verbally berated Moose for the loss, slapping him multiple times. It looks
Moose is going to hit her with a spear, but Cedric Alexander comes out, and
attacks both Moose & Stokely Hathaway with a wrench! Alexander stands tall
with Veda Scott, as a new partnership has seemingly been formed.
6.) Six-Man Tag - The
Kingdom (Adam Cole & IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Matt Taven &
Michael Bennett with Maria Kanellis) vs. The Bullet Club (IWGP Heavyweight
Champion "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles & IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag
Team Champions The Young Bucks): ****1/4
These two trios had an
awesome Main Event at War Of The Worlds
2015: Night 2 in Philadelphia (a match which I saw live). In that match,
The Kingdom used nefarious tactics to pick up the win over The Bullet Club,
which has led to this rematch being signed. While I don’t think this was quite
as good as their first encounter, this was still a pretty awesome match, with
lots of insane action, as you would expect. Bodies were flying all over the
place, and they did enough here to make this match feel different from the
match in Philadelphia. Maria, once again, got taken out by a double
superkick/pele kick combo from Styles & The Young Bucks. The finish was
very interesting, as Bennett & Taven were taken out, and Cole had to fight
off The Bullet Club all by himself. He actually held his own for a minute or
two, but it wouldn’t be enough, as The Bullet Club would score the victory.
After the match, there
seemed to be dissension amongst The Kingdom, as Bennett & Taven appeared to
be upset with Adam Cole.
7.) ROH World Tag Team
Titles - No DQ Match - The Addiction vs. reDRagon: ***1/2
Of course, this match came
about after The Addiction, along with Chris Sabin, stole the ROH World Tag Team
Titles from reDRagon, and revealed themselves to be behind the red-masked KRD.
Daniels debuts his awesome new entrance gear, which is mainly made up of a cool
looking general’s jacket. He’s also changed up his ring gear, and is now
wearing a singlet. I thought this was a pretty good match, but I was expecting
a little bit more. Maybe that’s because a No DQ Match really doesn’t suit the
style of either team. Still, this was a fun hardcore brawl. We got some cool
spots, and we saw a variety of weapons get involved, including a Ladder, chairs,
and one of the steel guardrails. At one point, it looked like reDragon were
about to win the titles back, but Chris Sabin ran out and pulled out the
referee. This would prove to be The Addiction’s saving grace, as they would,
soon thereafter, score the victory to retain their ROH World Tag Team Titles.
8.) ROH World Title vs. ROH
World TV Title - Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal (with Truth Martini): ****1/2
I’ve really liked the build
towards this match. Even though I don’t think it’s the biggest match in the
history of ROH (as the announcers would claim), there’s no doubt that this
match has a big fight feel to it. Jay Lethal & Truth Martini come out in
new white & red gear, and Martini has a new Book of Truth, with a white
cover. Donovan Dijak & J. Diesel also come out with Lethal & Martini.
Thankfully, they were sent to the back by referee Todd Sinclair almost
immediately after the match started, which was a good move. As far as the match
goes, I thought it was awesome!! It was just a combination of a few different
things coming together. The crowd made this feel like a special match, chanting
for both Briscoe & Lethal at the beginning. You also had the parents of
both Jay Briscoe & Jay Lethal at ringside, which again, helped add to the
big fight feel. Of course, the match itself was pretty fantastic. It started
slow, but as the match progressed, things continued to build and build until
things really kicked into high gear. Briscoe hitting Lethal with a Jay Driller
through a table a ringside was the turning point, as from the there, the match
just got insane. Lots of near-falls at the end, but finally, Lethal was able to
put Briscoe away with The Jay Driller (Briscoe’s own finisher) and a 2nd
Lethal Injection to win the match and the ROH World Title!!!
Lethal celebrates with
Truth Martini (who returned after being ejected by Nigel McGuinness late in the
match) as the fans give Lethal a massive ovation. Jay Briscoe eventually
recovers, and in a really cool moment, the two competitors shake hands. Briscoe
leaves the ring as Lethal continues to celebrate with his two titles, as “You
Deserve It” chants rained down from the crowd to close the show.
Overall: 8.25/10
For the most part, this was
really good show from ROH. The way it played out was very interesting, as the
first four matches all took place within (or around) the first hour of the
show. They really blew through those matches quickly, and the quality of that
first half was fine, but had me a little concerned. However, things really
picked up in the second half. The Triple Threat Match #1 Contender’s Match was
really good. The Six-Man Tag between The Bullet Club & The Kingdom was
pretty awesome, despite not being quite as good as their first match in
Philadelphia. The No DQ Match was a fun match for what it was, and the Main
Event was fantastic. It was built up really well, and definitely had a big
fight feel. Lethal winning the ROH World Title was an amazing moment, and it’ll
certainly be one of the highlights of ROH in 2015.
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