AJ Styles vs. CM Punk
This is a rematch between the two coming off of the Pure Title tournament finals where AJ came out victorious, but the match had some controversial reffing against Punk. So here the special guest referee is none other than RICKY STEAMBOAT to hopefully make things right. Spoiler alert: he didn't, because in the end, Punk got screwed again. BUT what it did lead to, was an absolutely lovely post-match segment with Punk confronting Steamboat about it -- all ending up with Steamboat kicking his ass vintage Steamboat style. That was some truly epic shit. The match itself was real solid & on par w/ that previous meeting of theirs. It maybe went a bit too long, as it felt like Punk & Styles simply didn't have much of a truly compelling hook to this thing for some periods of time - it was still solid the entire way through, but it never felt must-see or made me go "wow, this is pretty damn great", you know? It really is one of those rock-solid, perfectly good matches between two names who you think could produce something more memorable given who they are. Their first ROH 1-on-1 match remains their best one against one another, but this completes a solid trilogy. ***1/4
Jay Briscoe vs. Samoa Joe
Jay Briscoe's crimson mask is one of the most stunning blood-related visuals that I've ever seen in pro-wrestling. It's what I thought when I first watched this match yeaaaaars ago, and it still strikes me on that same level. It's amazing & truly helps this already-totally-great match kick things up to another notch -- the Briscoes vs. Joe feud comes to its conclusion beautifully with Joe dishing out amazingly compelling punishment throughout + Jay taking it all like a champ and also delivering big time with all of times he is on the offense himself. Him hitting the Jay Driller towards the end was such a fantastic moment. To put it simply, both parties involved were absolutely on point w/ their roles in this match. It's constant, superb violence, and the big spots, such as the cutter from the top, Joe's backdrop driver from the top & that match-ending super Muscle Buster -- it's all holy-shit worthy & simply amazing stuff. This is an essential watch for anybody looking to get into prime ROH, as it really is a bona fide classic for the company. ****1/2
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