BJ Whitmer vs. Colt Cabana vs. Dan Maff vs. Homicide
This is a simply WONDERFUL 4-way dance with each competitor firing on all cylinders. Everybody has multiple shining moments & they all simply look constantly good in there as the action keeps on getting hotter & hotter as each moment passes. Just when you think that the energy might be going down a little, BOOM -- here is one of them busting out some more hype shit. ***3/4
CM Punk vs. Raven
This is a really good match, and as an overall package w/ Punk's pre-match promo & the whole post-match included, it's a pretty memorable one as well. I thought they made good usage of the Dog Collar gimmick with the chain coming into play in many of the momentum swifts, and both Punk & Raven offered rock-solid performances in their respective roles. Punk sold extremely well when Raven was kicking his ass all over the place, and Raven looked good doing the said ass-kicking; the clothesline frenzy he went on after Punk's control period pretty late in the match was the highlight of the thing in my eyes. That was some really good shit, as was the match as a whole. Sure Raven's initial shine maybe went on for a bit too long, but I thought Punk's selling made up for it, and the energy & the heat between 'em never left during it, so it's fine. Punk also looked great when controlling things; I especially loved when he picked up the microphone to talk some shit to Raven while beating him down, truly shining as the proud, cocky youngster heel that he was. A pretty damn great performance from him overall I thought, pre- & post-match included. ***1/2
Paul London vs. Samoa Joe
This wasn't as dramatic and epic as it could've & really should've been given all the circumstances around it, but it's still a helluva match. It's two of the best wrestlers of 2003 going at it, and when you put it that way, it probably didn't reach its full potential as I already implied, but it still rules. London & Joe seemed to have a natural chemistry, with London using his quickness to get some flow going in his output, and then Joe of course looked like a killer with his always lovely offense, which London also sells tremendously. Really good underdog dynamic throughout. The post-match with London saying farewell to ROH is really special as well, making this a really sweet deal all around. ***1/2
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