ROH MANHATTAN MAYHEM

ROH MANHATTAN MAYHEM

Colt Cabana vs. Nigel McGuinness
Loved their match from the Third Anniversary Celebration show earlier on in the year. I do think that match was better than this one, but this is a yet another very fun match-up between the pairing. Solid charming technical wrestling all the way through with a good plot in Nigel being frustrated by Cabana's usual antics. ***

ROH Tag Team Championship
BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jack Evans & Roderick Strong
This is a very fun, fast-paced tag match. Everybody has seen a dozen matches like this by this point, but this still offers a very enjoyable viewing experience. Great team-moves, exciting pace that never lets up - it's just fun. ***

ROH Pure Championship
Jay Lethal vs. Samoa Joe
This is a really good match with its Pupil vs. Mentor dynamic. Love how Joe lost his ropebreaks with the punching, and then Lethal in all his emotion did the same thing. Good shit. Good, competitive wrestling. ***1/2

Dog Collar
CM Punk vs. Jimmy Rave
It is not the feud-ending classic it could've been, but I love this match. Punk's babyface performance is just terrific. Truly one of the great bleeders in wrestling. ****

ROH World Championship
Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley
I keep overusing the word "competitive" when talking about these old ROH matches, but man, this was a yet another terrific match that showcased that brilliant competitive spirit that pumped in the promotions heart at the time. Exciting action with vicious offense by both men all the way through. They wrestle at such an exciting pace from start to finish, but without it never feeling too cute as there is a great sense of urgency (& you know it, COMPETITIVENESS) in everything. Just a fantastic match. ****1/4

Homicide & Low Ki vs. Jay Lethal & Samoa Joe
It is a pretty solid impromptu match, but I must say that it kinda amazingly manages to drag a bit even with it being sub-10 minutes. Enough badassery by The Rottweilers to make it worth a while for sure though. **1/2