ROH NIGHT OF APPRECIATION

ROH NIGHT OF APPRECIATION 04/27/02

AJ Styles vs. Low Ki

By the end, this went on for a few minutes too long. It felt like the two didn't have enough material to do a match this long at this point, as there's quite a few moments in the match where there feels to be a good dead minute or two. All in all it's enjoyable stuff though, as the two sure beat the crap out of each other, with Low Ki especially (unsurprisingly) being a great ass-kicker. Those Kawada Kicks of his are just nasty in the best ways possible. Definitely a more-than solid ROH debut for AJ Styles, and Ki continued his streak of strong performances. And it sure did set-up the inevitable re-match between them pretty much perfectly. ***1/4

Christopher Daniels vs. Donovan Morgan

Technically sound, and while Donovan Morgan lacked any soul or charisma in all of his bits on the offense, Daniels was great. They do the dueling neck-targeting deal, and it's solid stuff. Doesn't come close to the greatness of Daniels' neck-attack matches vs. Ki & Danielson from Round Robin Challenge, but like I said, it's solid enough stuff. **1/2

American Dragon vs. John Hope vs. Michael Shane vs. Paul London vs. Spanky

This is a HEARTBREAK GAUNTLET match. It's all former TWA students, and Bryan is dressed for the occasion by busting out the long boys. The match isn't very noteworthy, and it isn't until Spanky vs. Michael Shane goes down that it actually gets somewhat going. Spanky stood out already in 2002 w/ his charisma, and everything he does looks great. Him being the aggressor vs. Shane ruled, even busting him open & then working that cut. Danielson vs. Spanky is ultimately the finals match in this, and it's solid stuff, even though it does drag. Solid wrestling all around, but also very, very forgettable. **1/2

Amazing Red & Eddie Guerrero vs. Joel Maximo & Jose Maximo

This MATCH is actually pretty damn awful, with both of the Maximos & Red looking like complete amateurs, especially compared to the 4th man in the match, who just happens to be one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of rasslin' boots. It's still a great watch though, because it's Eddie, and the post-match is genuinely very, very heartwarming & wholesome stuff. <3 that man. If you're a fan of him, you need to see this whole package at least once, even if the actual match isn't good at all. *