ROH Winter Warriors Tour: Dayton Review

Alberto El Patron goes to war with Roderick Strong!!

ROH Winter Warriors Tour: Dayton

Dayton, Ohio 1/31/15

1.) The Romantic Touch vs. Will Ferrara: ***

These two are usually in situations where they’re putting other guys over, but here, they’re taking on each other, which means one of them has to win! While the match itself was pretty inconsequential, it ended up being much better than I anticipated! This was a solid opener! I don’t know what it was, but both guys just worked very well together. Ferrara would pick up the win here. Don’t skip this match, because it’ll surprise you.

2.) "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. Chris Dickinson: ***¾

Here we have the very much anticipated debut of “The Dirty Daddy” Chris Dickinson! He’s clashed before with Michael Elgin in the past (particularly in the Main Event of Beyond Wrestling’s Americanrana 2014), so these two are definitely familiar with each other coming. I thought this was a really good match, bordering on great! These two just beat the crap out of each other right at the opening bell, and didn’t let up until the end. If you enjoy hard-hitting matches, then you’ll like this one. Elgin would eventually get the win, but Dickinson looked good in defeat. I would have liked to have seen more of Dickinson in ROH, but if recent rumors are true, he fell out of ROH’s favor after what happened between him and Kimber Lee at a Beyond Wrestling event that would occur a month or two after this show (I’ll definitely be talking about that show sometime in the future).

3.) Michael Bennett (with Matt Taven & Maria Kanellis) vs. "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa: ***

Both Taven & Maria are out with Bennett, so you know something’s going down sooner or later. The match itself was actually pretty solid. Bennett & Ciampa were in the middle of having a really good match until continued outside interference from The Kingdom, and later, Hanson getting involved, forced the match to be thrown own. Don’t let the fact that this match ended in a No Contest deter you. The match is still worth watching, for what it was.

As I just mentioned about, Bennett vs. Ciampa ended in a No Contest after Matt Taven & Maria Kanellis continually interfered, followed by Hanson coming out to help Ciampa. Taven then took the mic and challenged Hanson & Ciampa to a tag match against himself & Bennett (probably thinking that those two couldn’t get along because they’re part of the ROH World Title Match at the 13th Anniversary Show), and it looks like that’s what we’re going to get!

4.) The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Michael Bennett with Maria Kanellis) vs. Hanson & "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa: ****1/4

I wasn’t sure what we were going to get out of this impromptu tag team match (especially since Hanson & Ciampa are part of the ROH World Title situation), but this ended up being WAAAAAAY better than I anticipated!! In fact, I’d say it was practically tied with the Main Event as the second best match on the show. This was fantastic!! These four just worked really well together (I’m sure the fact that all four coming out of New England, where they’ve surely worked together before, has something to do with it) and produced an exciting tag team contest! Ciampa & Hanson were fun to watch as a team, and while a lot of people dislike The Kingdom, this was one of their best efforts in 2015. It was action-packed from start to finish, and the crowd was really into it! Ciampa & Hanson get the win here in a can’t-miss tag team match.

After intermission, Kevin Kelly interviews a local ROH fan who’s going to be competiting on The Amazing Race. They interrupted by The House of Truth. Lethal cuts a promo about his match with Alberto El Patron at the 13th Anniversary Show, and The House of Truth starts to bully this person a little bit. He then mentions that he has “a few friends”, who turn out to be Cheeseburger & Samson Walker, who is being called “Big Mac” for this match.

5.) The House of Truth (ROH World TV Champion Jay Lethal & Jay Diesel with Truth Martini) vs. Cheeseburger & Big Mac (aka Samson Walker): **1/2

Now this is certainly an interesting match to look back on. It was the worst match on the show, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. For a match that came right after intermission, it was perfectly fine. Diesel would get the win for his team after pinning Cheeseburger. No much else to say about this one.

6.) The Decade (Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer) vs. Aeroform (Louis Lyndon & Flip Kendrick): ***

It’s pretty cool to see Louis Lyndon & Flip Kendrick getting an opportunity here! Unfortunately, The Decade doesn’t see things the same way. Jacobs cuts a promo before the match, and decides to wrestle in street clothes. He takes his sweet-ass time taking his stuff off. This was a fine match. Lyndon & Kendrick got to show some things here, and looked fine in spots, but in the end, The Decade would be too much for them, and would get the win.

After the match, Jimmy Jacobs took his sweet-ass time putting his clothes back on. Hilarious!

7.) Alberto El Patron vs. Roderick Strong: ****1/2

This is easily the biggest challenge Alberto El Patron has faced thus far in ROH, as he takes on the man who has become known as “Mr. ROH”. This match was fantastic!!! It was easily the best Alberto El Patron match I’ve seen in ages (including his WWE run, obviously), and it’s honestly no surprise that it came against Roderick Strong. These two fought each other in an all-out war, and it was awesome to watch. The fact that Strong seemed to have gotten his mouth busted open (or busted his nose up, not sure which) actually added to this match a great deal. The crowd really loved this match as well. Everything just came together so well, and it produced a really amazing match. El Patron eventually got the win with the Cross Armbreaker. Just incredible stuff from these two.

After the match, BJ Whitmer attacked Strong, but El Patron made the save. Jacobs then gets into an argument with Whitmer while Strong & El Patron embrace in the ring.

8.) The Briscoes vs. ACH & Matt Sydal: ****¼

ACH comes out wearing an AJ Styles T-Shirt, with his own unique twist on it, seeming taunting AJ Styles ahead of their match at the 13th Anniversary Show. This is a dream tag team match of sorts, even though ACH & Matt Sydal are still a pretty young team, especially when compared to The Briscoes. Moose & Stokely Hathaway are also out to observe this match. I thought this was a fantastic Main Event. Just two great tag teams going out there and putting on a show. This was a ton of fun to watch from start & finish. You really can’t go wrong with these four guys in the same ring. After some great back & forth action, The Briscoes would pick up the win.

Afterwords, Moose attacks The Briscoes & Matt Sydal, but backs down from ACH. They are facing off at a show the following month in Atlanta, so it seems like that’s what they were building towards.

Overall: 9.0/10

I thought this show was amazing!! You had some incredible stuff on this card. Alberto El Patron vs. Roderick Strong is a match you need to go out of your way to see. You also two fantastic tag team matches in The Briscoes vs. ACH & Matt Sydal and The Kingdom vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Hanson, as well as a very good match with Michael Elgin vs. Chris Dickinson. The rest of the undercard was fine, and there really wasn’t a bad match on the card. Hey, you know when The Romantic Touch & Will Ferrara have a worthwhile opener, you know you’re in for a great show, and that’s exactly what we got here.

ROH Winter Warriors Tour: Dearborn Review

Alberto El Patron takes on ACH, while Roderick Strong challenges Jay Lethal for the ROH World TV Title!

ROH Winter Warriors Tour: Dearborn

Dearborn, Michigan 1/30/15

The show kicks off with the Ring of Honor World Champion, Jay Briscoe! He says he doesn’t want to wait until later in the show to defend his title against Michael Bennett. He wants to face him right now! Bennett comes out with Maria, and it looks like we are indeed getting that match now!

1.) ROH World Title - Jay Briscoe vs. Michael Bennett (with Maria Kanellis): **3/4

For those wondering, Maria was still in possession of the “Title of Love” (Jay Briscoe’s cameo belt). It’s so weird seeing a match for the ROH World Title open a show. For an opening match, this was fine, but as a ROH World Title Match, it was easily the weakest of Jay Briscoe’s reign. Of course, nobody expected a title change here, and Briscoe eventually retained with the Jay Driller.

After the match, Jay Briscoe tried to get his cameo belt (“The Title of Love”) back, but Matt Taven stops him. Mark Briscoe comes out for the save, but Maria escapes with the belt. Jay Briscoe then takes the mic and says that The Briscoes & The Kingdom need to settle their feud once and for all.

2.) BJ Whitmer vs. Hanson: **½

I thought this was a pretty solid match. Not quite as good as the opener, but perfectly fine for the second match on the show. Given that he would be in the Main Event of the 13th Anniversary Show (A Four-Corner Survival Match for the ROH World Title), it made sense that Hanson would get the win here over Whitmer, which he did.

3.) "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa vs. Tyson Dux: ***1/4

It’s always nice to see Tyson Dux get more booking with ROH. I feel like he could be a solid hand in the mid-card. Here, he’s got a big task ahead of him in the form of Tommaso Ciampa. This was a pretty solid match, easily the best on the show up to this point. Ciampa is also a participant in the Four-Corner Survival Match for the ROH World Title at the 13th Anniversary Show, so much like Hanson in the previous match, him getting a strong win here over Dux makes sense, as he builds momentum towards the PPV.

4.) Jimmy Jacobs vs. TaDarius Thomas: ***1/2

It had been announced that this would be the last match in ROH for TaDarius Thomas, as he decided to leave wrestling all together to focus on his MMA career. I know people had mixed opinions on TaDarius Thomas, but he went out on a very good note here against Jimmy Jacobs. A really solid match between these two, who are both hometown guys. I enjoyed it a lot. You could really tell that these two are very familiar with each other. Jacobs gets the win here.

Afterwords, Jacobs takes the mic and says that he only shakes hands with people who belong in ROH. He says that Thomas belongs in MMA, and while he won’t shake his hand, he does say “Thank You”.

5.) Matt Sydal vs. Matt Taven: ***¼

This was a match that I was looking forward to coming in, and while it wasn’t a specular match, by any means, it was still a very solid match. What’s important to note here is that Adam Cole came out for commentary with Kevin Kelly. While Cole was still injured, he had a habit of doing this thing where he would come out on commentary and just not say anything. He tries to interfere late in the match to help Taven, but it didn’t work out for The Kingdom, as Sydal got the win.

After the match, Sydal wants Taven to shake his hand. He does, but gives him an obscene on the way out.

6.) The Romantic Touch vs. Dru Onyx: *

Here were have a late addition to the show. This wasn’t very good, and that was mainly due to the match length. If you want to give The Romantic Touch a win over a local guy, that’s fine, but don’t have the match go nearly NINE minutes! At most, it should be a five minute match. The Romantic Touch wins, and we move on with the show...

7.) "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. Mark Briscoe: ***¼

Elgin is also a participant in the Four-Corner Survival Match for the ROH World Title at the 13th Anniversary Show, and to prepare, he taking on Mark Briscoe. This was a very solid match, in my opinion. Elgin gets the win with the Jay Driller, which was a clear shot at Jay Briscoe.

After the match, Elgin continues to attack Mark, until his brother Jay comes out for the save. Elgin backs down, but then goes after Jay! Ciampa came out and attack Elgin, and then Hanson came out to attack Ciampa! It turned into a big brawl between the four, but Elgin would escape and pose with the ROH World Title.

8.) ACH vs. Alberto El Patron: ***3/4

This is El Patron’s second match in ROH, and he’s taking on the always entertaining ACH! I thought this was a really good match! It was easily the best match on the show. While it started off a bit slow, it did pick up, and we ended up getting a very enjoyable match. Both guys looked good, and the crowd was into them. ACH got a good deal of offense in on El Patron during the second part of the match, which was good to see. Despite an impressive outing here, ACH would eventually tap out to El Patron’s Cross Armbreaker. The two would shake hands after the match.

9.) ROH World TV Title - Jay Lethal (with Truth Martini & J. Diesel) vs. Roderick Strong: ***1/2

The Main Event sees Roderick Strong challenging Jay Lethal for the ROH World Title. This isn’t the first time these two have clashed over this title, and Strong won it from Lethal almost (at this point) three years prior in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. While this wasn’t able to top ACH vs. Alberto El Patron, this was still a very good match. It could have been great, but BJ Whitmer came down and attacked Strong, forcing the referee to call for the bell. Strong, however, demands that Jay Lethal (who was in the process of leaving) get back in the ring so they could restart the match. After calling Lethal a coward, the ROH World TV Champion returns to the ring and the match is restarted. Lethal would eventually retain with the Lethal Injection. Again, this could have been great, but everything that went down with the match being restarted hurt the match, in my view.

Afterwords, Strong went to the back and brawled with BJ Whitmer. Alberto El Patron then came out to the ring and brawled with Lethal, who eventually bailed and went to the back. El Patron celebrated with the fans to close the show.

Overall: 7.25/10

This was a very fascinating show in the sense that every match on this card was a regular one-on-one match. As far as the match quality goes, there was only one bad match on the show, but everything else is decent to solid to really good. Alberto El Patron vs. ACH was easily Match of the Night. Jimmy Jacobs vs. TaDarius Thomas was very solid as well. Despite it’s shortcomings with the booking, Lethal vs. Strong was also really good. The rest of the undercard was fine, but unremarkable. If there’s something this show did really well, it’s that it built up to the 13th Anniversary Show very well. Some of this stuff did show up on Ring of Honor Wrestling Television, so I’d only pick up the DVD if there’s a sale going on.

The Top Ten Matches of Lucha Underground: Season 1

Taking a look at the very best from the 1st Season of Lucha Underground!!

In this review, I’ll be looking at the Top Ten Matches from Season 1 of Lucha Underground, as well as honorable mentions (similar to how I do my “Best of ROH TV” reviews). Before I begin, I should note that I will not be looking at any matches from Ultima Lucha, as I will be posting a standalone review of that in the near future.

Lucha Underground: The Best of Season 1 (Top Ten Matches)

1.) Episode 19: Grave Consequences (3/18/15) - Grave Consequences Match - Mil Muertes vs. Fenix: ****½

Fenix & Mil Muertes have been going at each other for several weeks. Muertes won their first encounter, but Fenix later defeated “The Man of 1000 Deaths”, and evidently gained the attention of Catrina. I’m not really sure if Fenix “stole” Catrina from Mil Muertes, or if it was Catrina who gravitated to Fenix (we would find out later that it’s closer to the latter). Here, they’re having a version of a Casket Match titled “Grave Consequences”, which as you might expect, has VERY heavy “Day of the Dead” theme to it. As far as the match goes, it was AMAZING!!!!! This was easily my favorite match in Season 1 of Lucha Underground. We usually don’t think of Casket Matches as being very good, but I can confidently say that this was the best Casket Match in the history of pro-wrestling. Right from the beginning, it was just one huge brawl. Muertes was a man possessed, and looked an absolute MONSTER. He decimated Fenix, but “The Man of 1000 Lives” didn’t give up, despite having his mask ripped up and bleeding all over the place. In the end, Fenix won this grueling battle, in what was easily the best match of Season 1 of Lucha Underground.

2.) Episode 32: All Night Long (6/17/15) - Lucha Underground Title - All Night Long Match - Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo: ****½

Out of all the performers in Lucha Underground, the two that appear most often on this list I’ve compiled are Prince Puma & Johnny Mundo. They’ve been two of the best throughout Season 1, and by far their best encounter is the match I’m about to discuss. Prince Puma puts his Lucha Underground Title on the line against Johnny Mundo (who had turned heel, or “rudo”, by this point in the Season) in an “All Night Long” Match (you can, of course, thank Dario Cueto for that one). It’s essentially an Anything Goes Iron-Man Match that lasts the entire episode. This was an absolutely incredible match. The action was fast & furious (no pun intended), and they told a great story throughout, as Puma had to fight back after Mundo took an early lead. We saw some really cool stuff during the course of this match, including Puma spearing Mundo off of the band stand area (which is on the 2nd floor of The Temple) through four tables!!!! This match was just awesome in every way possible. In the end, Puma is able to pin Mundo with a 630 Splash just before the clock expires, retaining his Lucha Underground Title in one of the best matches in Season 1!!

3.) Episode 9: Aztec Warfare (1/7/15) - Lucha Underground Title - Aztec Warfare Match: ****¼

The first episode of 2015 had one of the biggest matches in Lucha Underground history, up to that point: an Aztec Warfare Match to crown the inaugural Lucha Underground Champion! An Aztec Warfare Match works similarly to a Royal Rumble, in that two men start in the right, and then at fixed intervals, another luchador enters the match, The difference here is that eliminations can only occur via pinfall or submission, and there are no disqualifications. I won’t go over every participant and elimination, but I will say that this match was pretty awesome!!! Even though it’s basically another version of the Royal Rumble Match, they put a unique twist on it, and it worked very well. The crowd was really into it, and the match managed to tell a compelling story over the course of the hour. It eventually came down to Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo, and in the end, Puma would get the win to become the first-ever Lucha Underground Champion!! Mundo shows respect to Puma after the match, and Konnan comes out to celebrate with his protege.

4.) Episode 7: Top Of The Ladder (12/10/14) - $100,000 Triple Threat Ladder Match - Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma vs. Big Ryck: ****¼

The big feud during the first several episodes of Lucha Underground surrounded Johnny Mundo (the former John Morrison in WWE), Prince Puma, & The Crew, led by Big Ryck (the former Ezekiel Jackson in WWE). They had been fighting over a $100,000 cash prize that was being offered by Dario Cueto. After weeks of the three sides going back & forth, Cueto decided to put the money on the line in a Triple Threat Ladder Match. This turned out to be a great match! I’m someone who really enjoys Ladder Matches, so it wasn’t hard for me to really enjoy this match. As you would expect, Mundo & Puma really excelled in this environment. People were diving all over the place, jumping off ladders, and falling through tables. It was a ton of fun, in my opinion. At one point, a new member of The Crew was introduced in the form of Bael (known to most people as B-Boy from his time in PWG and various other independent promotions), who interfered to help Big Ryck. In the end, Mundo would emerge from all of the chaos as the winner, claiming the $100,000 cash prize (that was in a briefcase high above the ring).

After the match, Dario Cueto comes out to congratulate Mundo, and asks him for his key back (Mundo had stolen the key from Cueto a few weeks prior). Mundo punched Cueto in the face, and then placed the key on Cueto’s body as he celebrated to close the show.

5.) Episode 18: No Escape (3/11/15) - Steel Cage Match - Johnny Mundo vs. King Cuerno: ****¼

One of the underrated feuds of Season 1 of Lucha Underground was Johnny Mundo vs. King Cuero. Mundo had been attacked by Cuerno on a few occasions (Cuerno went after Mundo’s knee), and their only singles encounter ended in a brawl that went all over The Temple, so Dario Cueto put them both inside a Steel Cage (the first in Lucha Underground) to settle the feud once again for all (Cueto had a personal stake in this, as Mundo had been a thorn in his side since the beginning of Season 1). This was a fantastic Steel Cage Match!! Cuerno & Mundo went right at each other from the opening bell, and they never let up. The closing stretch of this match was especially great, and the crowd loved every second of it. Mundo eventually hit a huge dive off the top of the cage to score the pin, and the victory! An awesome Steel Cage Match!

6.) Episode 26: The Best In The Business (5/6/15) - Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Mundo: ****

This was the first encounter that these two would have in Lucha Underground. It was a “#2 Contender’s” Match, because the winner would go on to face Hernandez to determine the #1 Contender to Prince Puma’s Lucha Underground Title. I thought this was a great match! Arguably the two biggest stars in the promotion went at it, and they had a fantastic Main Event. There was some really good back & forth action throughout this match, and the last few minutes were especially great. In the end, Alberto El Patron would score the victory, moving on to face Hernandez to determine the #1 Contender.

7.) Episode 3: Crossing The Border (11/12/14) - Triple Threat Match - Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Drago: ****

So the setup for this match was that Konnan had met with Dario Cueto in the latter's office, and complained about the lack of actual luchadors on Lucha Underground up to that point (which was a legitimate complaint about the first two episodes at the time). Dario Cueto, being the great man that he is, remedied this problem by putting three luchadores (all of them from AAA) in a Triple Threat Match. At the time that this show aired, I had no idea who these three guys were, but boy did they leave a lasting impression. This was a crazy match! These luchadores went all out to prove themselves in this new promotion, and it resulted in a really fun & enjoyable. We saw everything you could possibly imagine, including Fenix diving off the top of Dario Cueto's office onto both Drago & Pentagon Jr.!!! Through all the carnage, Fenix would eventually pick up the victory. A super fun match for sure!

8.) Episode 23: Fire In The Cosmos (4/15/15) - Best-of-Five Series: Match #5 - Aero Star vs. Drago: ****

Before ACH & Matt Sydal had a Best-of-Five Series of their own in ROH, Aero Star & Drago had their own Best-of-Five Series in Lucha Underground! It wasn’t a series at first, but the matches entertained Dario Cueto, so he turned it into a series. He later promised a “unique opportunity” to the eventual winner. This was easily the best match of the series! These two are just so entertaining to watch. The action in here was really good, but you also felt the intensity here in this final match. You can tell that they were working hard in this final match, and it definitely paid off. Drago would eventually pick up the win with his unique Dragon rollup.

After the match, Dario Cueto congratulates Drago, and reveals the “unique opportunity”: A Lucha Underground Title Match! However, is Drago doesn’t win, then he’s banned from The Temple forever!!

9.) Episode 1: Welcome To The Temple (10/29/14) - Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma (with Konnan): ****

Here we have the Main Event from the debut episode of Lucha Underground, featured Ricochet as the newly christened Prince Puma, with Konnan by his side, taking on Johnny Mundo, who is more famously known for his run in WWE as John Morrison & Johnny Nitro. They really could not have picked a better Main Event for the debut episode of Lucha Underground. This was a very good match! These two put on a really entertaining match with a lot of cool action. We know how good Prince Puma is, and he took Johnny Mundo to the limit in this one. Eventually, Mundo was able to put away Puma for the victory.

After the match, the two competitors show each other respect. Then, Dario Cueto (owner/promotor of Lucha Underground) comes out. Earlier in the episode, he had promised $100,000 to the Luchador who impressed him the most. It looks like he's going to give the briefcase of money to Johnny Mundo, but Cueto closed the lid on him. Mundy tries to go for the briefcase, but he & Prince Puma are attacked by The Crew, which consists of Cortez Castro (Ricky Reyes of ROH fame), Mr. Cisco, & Big Ryck (formerly Ezekiel Jackson in WWE). Cueto then gives the money to The Crew (I guess they "impressed" him the most) to close the show.

10.) Episode 27: Ancient Medallions (5/13/15) - Aztec Medallion Seven-Way Match - Cage vs. Fenix vs. Killshot vs. King Cuerno vs. The Mack vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Sexy Star: ****

Dario Cueto announces that he’s putting up seven Aztec Medallions, and that each of the winners of these medallions would receive a “unique opportunity”. This match is for the first of these medallions. This was a pretty insane match, which should be no surprise, considering there were seven people in this match. It only went about ten minutes, but they packed as much action in there as they possibly could. It was just a ton of fun. Fenix would score the victory, earning himself the first Aztec Medallion.

Honorable Mentions:

11.) Episode 4: Thrill Of The Hunt (11/19/14) - Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr.: ****

This was coming the week after the thrilling Fenix/Drago/Pentagon Jr. Triple Threat Match that took place the week prior. Even though they had one less competitor, these two guys still have an awesome match! I know the match was relatively short (it was around eight minutes or so), but they packed a lot of action into that time frame. These guys are just so much fun to watch, and it was another preview of what was to come for the rest of the season. Fenix would pick up the win in this encounter.

12.) Episode 10: Law Of The Jungle (1/14/15) - Lucha Underground Title - Prince Puma vs. Fenix: ***¾

Only a week after winning the Lucha Underground Title in Aztec Warfare, Prince Puma already has his first title defense in the form of Fenix. He got this title opportunity after pinning Puma in a Ten-Way Match a few weeks prior. This was a very good match, as you would expect. Both guys are exceptional high-flyers, and we saw some really cool action throughout this match. Puma would eventually get the victory to retain his Lucha Underground Title.

After the match, Prince Puma is attacked by (Brian) Cage, who clearly makes it known that he wants a shot at the Lucha Underground Title.

13.) Episode 20: The Art Of War (3/25/15) - Lucha Underground Title - Boyle Heights Street Fight - Prince Puma (with Konnan) vs. Cage: ***¾

This match is the culmination of the Prince Puma/Cage rivalry. At one point, Cage actually took Puma’s Lucha Underground Title and ripped it in half!! Dario Cueto is out with a new (and much better looking) Lucha Underground Title, which he will present to the winner of this match. I thought this was really good! There was some pretty entertaining action throughout this match. Of course, the plunder eventually made it’s way into the match, and at one point, Puma hit a springboard 450 Splash from the top rope, to the floor, putting Cage through a table! An absolutely insane spot. Puma would eventually get the win (with a little help from Konnan & Hernandez) over “The F’N Machine” to retain his Lucha Underground Title. Konnan presented Puma with the new title belt to close the show.

14.) Episode 28: Shoots And Ladders (5/20/15) - Lucha Underground Trios Title - Ladder Match - Angelico, Ivelisse, & Son of Havoc vs. The Crew (Bael, Cortez Castro, Mr. Cisco): ***¾

Despite Dario Cueto stacking the deck against them, the unlikely trio of Angelico, Ivelisse, & Son of Havoc became the inaugural Lucha Underground Trios Champions! However, they weren’t totally out of the woods, as Dario Cueto forced them to defend their titles in a Ladder Match! To make matters worse, Ivelisse suffered an ankle injury (I believe in the Tournament Finals, but I don’t recall exactly when), and has a big cast on her on foot, meaning that this match is practically a 3-on-2 Handicap Ladder Match. Despite this disadvantage, Angelico, Ivelisse, & Son of Havoc still bought back and retained their titles in a very entertaining Ladder Match. We saw some really cool stuff in this match, including one of Angelico’s insane dives, jumping off of Dario Cueto’s office and dropkicking a member of The Crew off a Ladder! A fun match from start to finish, and it’s always fun seeing this dysfunctional team prevail.

15.) Episode 29: Fight To The Death (5/27/15) - Lucha Underground Title - Prince Puma (with Konnan) vs. Hernandez: ***3/4

So Hernandez was originally an alley of Prince Puma & Konnan, but he eventually turned on them, making his intentions known that he wanted the Lucha Underground Title. This was actually a really good match. I think it was better than a lot of people were anticipating. You may have noticed that Prince Puma has appeared several times on this list already, and I think that’s just a testament to how good he really is. Hernandez was also very good in this match as the big man throwing around a smaller opponent. This has to be one of the best singles matches Hernandez has ever been in. Puma would successfully put away Hernandez to retain the Lucha Underground Title.

16.) Episode 35: Fuel To The Fire (7/8/15) - Atomicos Match - Aero Star, Alberto El Patron, Drago, & Sexy Star vs. Hernandez, Jack Evans, Johnny Mundo, & Super Fly: ***¾

In the build-up to Ultima Lucha, we got what (I believe) was the first Atomicos Match in Lucha Underground up to this point. I thought this was a really fun match. Everyone in this match has some sort of issue with a person on the opposing team, so in that sense, it worked very well. The action in this match was pretty exciting, as you would expect. Eventually, the rudo team would pick up the win. A ton of cool action and a fun way to close the show.

17.) Episode 11: Last Luchador Standing (1/21/15) - Last Luchador Standing Match - Drago vs. King Cuerno: ***¾

This was the culmination of a feud that these two have had over the last few weeks. I believe each luchador comes into this match with a victory over the other, and they then wrestled to a No Contest the week prior, so a Last Luchador Standing Match was made to settle the rivalry! This was a very good match, in my opinion. Drago & King Cuerno are great examples of guys who I never heard of before Lucha Underground, but have really won me over during the first season. We got a mix of the fast paced Lucha Style and the usual hardcore stuff you get in a match like this (includes tables, chairs, etc…). Cuerno would eventually get the win after using a rope to tie Drago to the turnbuckle (similar to what we saw in a Last Man Standing Match between John Cena & Batista in 2010). Cuero wins, but he really didn’t knock Drago out.

There you have it! The best matches from Season 1 of Lucha Underground! I look forward to putting out a review for Ultima Lucha in the near future, and in due time, a review of the best matches from the (currently ongoing) 2nd Season of Lucha Underground!

The Top Ten Matches on ROH TV in 2015

Taking a look back at some of the best matches on Ring of Honor Wrestling Television in 2015!

Much like I did for 2014, I’ll be looking at some of the best matches from Ring of Honor Wrestling Television in 2015! We saw some great matches across the board, and I’m excited to go over my Top Ten, as well as some honorable mentions. Before, I should note that I will not be looking at anything from Global Wars 2015: Night 2 or Aftershock Tour: Philadelphia for this Top Ten List. While those shows were TV Tapings, they were later made available on DVD, so I will be reviewing those shows separately.

Top Ten Matches on ROH TV in 2015

1.) ROH on SBG (2/14/15) - Six-Man Tag - The Bullet Club (“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles & The Young Bucks) vs. ACH, Cedric Alexander, & Matt Sydal: ****1/4

I feel as though we’ve seen a renaissance in trios wrestling in some of the major American wrestling promotions over the last few years. The Shield & The Wyatt Family were heavily pushed in 2013-2014, having some really good/great trios matches (more so from The Shield from The Wyatt Family, but still…). If there was a “Trio of the Year” Award in 2015, then it DEFINITELY would go to The Bullet Club tandem of AJ Styles & The Young Bucks. Their incredible run as a trio arguably started with this match, as they took on ACH, Cedric Alexander, & Matt Sydal in the old ECW Arena (now the 2300 Arena) in Philadelphia. This was an amazing match!!! It was action-packed right from the opening bell, and the crowd was super into it. While the team of ACH, Cedric Alexander, & Matt Sydal definitely looked good here, there’s no question that AJ Styles & The Young Bucks were an amazing trio right from the get-go. Awesome stuff from start to finish. In the end, Styles & The Young Bucks KILLED Matt Sydal, with an incredible sequence of moves that’s next to impossible to describe, for the win. This was, without a doubt, the best match on ROH TV in 2015.

2.) ROH on SBG (11/25/15) - ROH World TV Title - Jay Lethal (with Truth Martini) vs. Roderick Strong: ****¼

The 2nd Best Match on ROH TV in 2015 came later in the year, and was a big match for the ROH World TV Title. Roderick Strong had been in a feud with Jay Lethal over the ROH World Title during the Summer. They wrestled to a 60-Minute Time Limit Draw at Death Before Dishonor XIII, and Lethal defeated Strong in a 2nd ROH World Title Match at Aftershock Tour: Philadelphia. Strong wanted another match, but since he had used up his ROH World Title opportunities, Nigel McGuinness granted him a ROH World TV Title Match against Lethal instead. This was an awesome match!! I’d say that it was arguably the best of their three matches in 2015. Lethal excels in his role as the heel champion, and Strong is just such a great wrestler. The last portion of this match was insane, and the crowd was on fire!! Strong captured the ROH World TV Title for the 2nd time to a huge reaction! Just an incredible match.

3.) ROH on SBG (3/28/15) - Samoa Joe vs. ROH World Tag Team Champion Kyle O’Reilly (with Bobby Fish): ****

Arguably one of the biggest stories of 2015 was Samoa Joe leaving TNA. While he would eventually make his way to NXT, he made a few stops in ROH, the promotion that Samoa Joe was a big part of during its early years and the “golden age”. Joe’s first match back in ROH was against Kyle O’Reilly, who was one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champion at the time with his reDRagon partner Bobby Fish, who was in his corner for this match. As you would expect, this was pretty great!! Kyle O’Reilly is just so good in the ring, and I think he proved to be a really good matchup for Joe, stylistically. It was awesome to see Samoa Joe in a ROH ring again, as he picked up the win over O’Reilly in this match.

4.) ROH on SBG (5/9/15) - Alberto El Patron, ACH, & Matt Sydal vs. Roderick Strong & The Briscoes: ****

Alberto El Patron’s final appearance in Ring of Honor was in an All-Star Six-Man Tag, as he teamed with ACH & Matt Sydal to take on Roderick Strong & The Briscoes. I thought this was a great match! No real story here, but it was a super fun match to watch. We got a bit of a continuation of the El Patron/Strong match from Dayton, Ohio in January of 2015, as well as the only encounter between El Patron (then the AAA Mega Heavyweight Champion) & Jay Briscoe (then the ROH World Champion). Some really cool action in this match. Eventually, ACH picked up the win for his team with a 450 Splash on Mark Briscoe.

5.) ROH on SBG (8/19/15) - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice: ****

2015 saw the introduction of a new tag team in both ROH and New Japan in the form of Roppongi Vice. Rocky Romero needed to find a new tag team partner after Alex Kozlov left New Japan, and he found one in the form of Trent Beretta! Here, they’re in tag team action against The Young Bucks. This was a great tag team match! These two teams are just so good and so exciting, that it’s hard for any match they’re involved in to be anything less than very good. Just good action from start to finish. The Young Bucks would get the win in this particular encounter.

Afterwords, The KRD (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, & Chris Sabin) come out and put a huge beating on The Young Bucks, mocking them the entire time.

6.) ROH on SBG (10/21/15) - No DQ Match - Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Page: ****

One of the more interesting feuds of 2015 saw Jay Briscoe take on The Decade’s Adam Page. This was really feud that existing mainly on the ROH TV Show (from what I can remember). Page kept calling out Jay Briscoe and antagonizing him, to the point where Jay had to respond. Things eventually escalated to the point that a No DQ Match was necessary. This ended up being much better than I think anyone anticipated. Of course somebody like Jay Briscoe usually excels in this type of match, but Page stepped up in a big way as well. This was arguably Page’s best performance to date in ROH, and it came against an ROH Legend. While Page showed a lot of guts, he was unable to defeat Jay Briscoe.

After the match, BJ Whitmer (who was injured at the time) got in the ring and attack Jay Briscoe with his crutch. This caused Steve Corino (who, of course, has had a long feud with Whitmer) to leave the commentary table, get in the ring, and hit Whitmer in the face with a roll of quarters (vintage Corino)!

7.) ROH on SBG (4/18/15) - “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin vs. Cedric Alexander: ****

This is a match that I feel like people won’t really remember, but was actually quite good. Michael Elgin & Cedric Alexander have an interesting history when it comes to their previous encounters in ROH. Elgin defeated Alexander in an incredible match at Flyin’ High in March of 2014. Then they had another match in August, when Elgin was ROH World Champion, and they had a relatively disappointing match. This third encounter occurred when Elgin was still a heel, and when Alexander was still on his “losing streak” storyline. I’d say this was in between their two previous encounters. It was better than their ROH World Title Match in Philadelphia, but not nearly as good as their match from Flyin’ High in Dayton, Ohio. Great action throughout this match. Elgin would eventually get the victory.

8.) ROH on SBG (12/19/15) - Ten-Man Tag - Team Lethal (ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, Jay Briscoe, Adam Page, Cliff Compton & Cheeseburger) vs. Team Strong (ROH World TV Champion Roderick Strong, Cedric Alexander, Matt Jackson, Mark Briscoe, & Moose): ****

Here we a special Christmas Treat from ROH. Jay Lethal & Roderick Strong (the ROH World Champion & ROH World TV Champion, respectively) were put in charge of two teams for a Ten Man Tag, expect their partners were selected at random. Lethal’s team had Jay Briscoe (who Lethal beat to win the World Title), Adam Page (who was feuding with Jay Briscoe), and two “unique” partners in Cliff Compton & Cheeseburger. Strong’s team had Cedric Alexander (a former rival of Strong), Matt Jackson, Mark Briscoe, & Moose. It was clear that Strong’s team would be the more cohesive of the two (given that there was only one heel on the team), but the match was surprisingly great!! It was a totally random match, but it was super fun to watch from start to finish. Even Cheeseburger got some cool moments in here, as he successfully hit palm strikes on every member of Team Strong. Easily one of the most enjoyable matches of the year from ROH. In the end, Team Strong would pick up the victory.

9.) ROH on SBG (10/14/15) - Best-of-Five-Series: Match #4 - ACH vs. Matt Sydal: ***3/4

This match comes to us from San Antonio, Texas. It’s the 4th Match in the Best-of-Five-Series between these two. ACH comes into this match with a 2-1 advantage, after beating Matt Sydal in Match #3 at All-Star Extravaganza VII. As one would expect, these two delivered, and gave us a really good match. It started slow, but it definitely picked up by the end, and told a really good story the whole way through. It was just a really fun match from start to finish, and the crowd was very much into it. Sydal would get the win here, tying the series up at 2-2.

10.) ROH on SBG (3/21/15) - ROH World Title - Jay Briscoe vs. Jimmy Jacobs: ***¾

While we didn’t know it when 2015 began, Jimmy Jacobs would soon be leaving the independent scene to take a job with WWE as part of their Creative Team (a position which he totally deserves). One of his last matches in Ring of Honor was a ROH World Title Match against then-champion Jay Briscoe. These two have a LOOOONG history, dating back to 2007, when it Jay who was hung upside down from the rafters during The Age of the Fall’s debut at Man Up. I thought this was a really good match. Jacobs showed a lot of fight in this match, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overcome Jay Briscoe, as the ROH World Champion gets the win after hitting the Jay Driller on Jacobs.

Honorable Mentions

11.) ROH on SBG (11/11/15) - The All-Night Express vs. The Briscoes: ***¾

One of the most interesting stories of 2015 in ROH was the return of the All-Night Express. Of course, everyone knows the story of how Kenny King left ROH for TNA in 2012, only a few weeks after The All-Night Express had finally won the ROH World Tag Team Titles for the first time. A lot of people (myself included) never imagined that Kenny King would ever wrestle in ROH again after leaving on such bad terms, yet, he reappeared at All-Star Extravaganza VII, and The All-Night Express earned a shocking victory over The Briscoes. Now, they’re having a rematch in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it was pretty great! Of course, everyone knows about the bloody wars they had back in 2011. What’s interesting is that while those hardcore brawls in 2011 (which included Street Fights & Ladder War III) were great, these teams proved in San Antonio, and again here in Kalamazoo, that they can have really good regular tag team matches as well. The crowd was awesome during this match, and the action was great from start to finish. The Briscoes would avenge their loss from San Antonio, and the two teams shook hands after the match, in a sign of respect.

12.) ROH on SBG (11/4/15) - Triple Threat Match - Adam Cole vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Kyle O’Reilly: ***¾

Now this is a match that was happened with really no buildup (in the sense that this match hadn’t been announced until the day of the TV Tapings in San Antonio). This was originally supposed to be Adam Cole vs. AJ Styles, but Kyle O’Reilly desperately wanted to get his hands on Adam Cole after he screwed him out of the ROH World Title against Jay Lethal at All-Star Extravaganza VII, so ROH Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness decided to make a Triple Threat Match! While the match was actually relatively short (I think it only went about ten minutes or so), they pack A LOT of action into it. All three of these guys are so great, that it would be hard for this match to not be good. Eventually, Cole would take advantage and score the victory in this Triple Threat Match.

After the match, we got a big brawl between The Kingdom and The Young Bucks. Then, ROH World Champion Jay Lethal came down, and faced off with AJ Styles (then the #1 Contender) to end the show.

13.) ROH on SBG (12/5/15) - The Briscoes vs. The Young Bucks: ***¾

Here we have a match that occurred pretty late in the calendar year of 2015. The Briscoes & The Young Bucks have faced each other on numerous occasions in ROH, and they always produce quality tag team wrestling, and this match was certainly no exception. This was a very fun tag team match, exactly what you would expect from these two teams. The action was fast-paced, and the crowd was into it. Nothing to really complain about here. The Young Bucks would get the win in this particular encounter.

After the match, a big brawl breaks out between The Young Bucks, The Briscoes, and The All-Night Express, building up to their Three-Way #1 Contender’s Match at Final Battle 2015.

14.) ROH on SBG (4/4/15) - IWGP Heavyweight Champion “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles vs. Mark Briscoe: ***¾

This match is coming to us from Baltimore, Maryland. Styles was originally scheduled to face Tommaso Ciampa, but Ciampa was out with (I believe) broken ribs, so Mark Briscoe stepped up to the plate and took his place. These two had a really good match. I’ve always thought of Jay Briscoe as being the better singles wrestler (and the better singles star) of the two Briscoe Brothers, but Mark is a perfectly capable singles wrestler, and he looked really good here against arguably the Best Wrestler in the World. It’s a match that most people probably won’t remember, but it’s well worth watching. Styles would get the victory here over “chicken”.

15.) ROH on SBG (1/10/15) - Alberto El Patron vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels: ***¾

The final match on my Honorable Mentions List features the Ring of Honor debut of Alberto El Patron, the former Alberto Del Rio. He has a big challenge in his debut, as he’s taking on a Ring of Honor original in the form of Christopher Daniels. I have to say that I liked this decision to put El Patron up against Daniels, who is somebody that always delivers quality matches. This was certainly no exception, as these two had a very good match. I was curious to see how El Patron would fit into the ROH setting, but he seemed to fit pretty well. These two seemed to have good chemistry, and it resulted in a very solid TV Main Event. El Patron would get the submission victory with a Cross Armbreaker on Daniels.

After the match, El Patron is confronted and attacked by The House of Truth (Jay Lethal, Truth Martini, & J. Diesel), but The Addiction are able to make the save.

There you have it! The Top Ten ROH TV Matches of 2015! We saw some great action throughout the year, and I look forward to looking at some of the best ROH TV Matches of 2016!