Ring of Honor TV – May 24, 2017: Here We Go Again
Ring of Honor
Date: May 24, 2017
Location: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 1,636/1,271
Commentators: Rocky Romero, Kevin Kelly
We’re less than ten days removed from the War of the Worlds pay per view and last week was a stand alone episode. Therefore, this week it’s…..a series of matches from the Honor Rising event back in February. In other words, these matches have nothing to do with anything going on at the moment, other than featuring New Japan stars. Let’s get to it.
Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show via voiceover.
Never Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles: Delirious/Tiger Mask/Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon
Los Ingobernables (Bushi/Evil/Sanada) are defending as we start with five New Japan wrestlers and the ROH booker who hasn’t been seen on TV for probably over a year. We’re joined in progress with Tiger Mask coming in and taking over on Bushi via some choking with a shirt (despite Tiger being a face).
It’s off to Jushin to face Sanada as the announcers continue to treat everyone as people we should know without offering much of an explanation. The villains start ripping as Liger’s mask with Evil getting two off a backsplash. Sanada misses a charge and gets sent outside, allowing the hot tag to Tiger Mask for a dropkick.
We take a break and come back with Bushi neckbreakering Tiger for two, only to have Delirious get the tag a few seconds later. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Delirious gets Sanada in a cobra clutch. The champs start triple teaming him for the save though and it’s a Backstabber into a belly to back for two. Delirious grabs some rollups for two each on Sanada but Evil chairs Delirious in the face, setting up a dragon sleeper to retain the titles at 10:34 (total match time).
Rating: C. This was good enough for most of a ten minute match with people we’re just supposed to know because they’re in New Japan and if we watch Ring of Honor, we clearly watch New Japan. These titles have caused Ring of Honor to create their own version and the waste of time that came with them so I’m not too fond of the originals in the first place.
Never Openweight Title: Hirooki Goto vs. Punishment Martinez
Martinez is challenging and we start from the beginning for a change. Goto gets run over to start but avoids a big stomp to give us a standoff. A quick trip to the floor goes badly for Goto as Martinez hits a good looking spin kick back inside. Goto hits one of his own in the corner though, followed by a kick to the chest to drop Martinez again.
It’s time for the forearm exchange/slow down/second forearm exchange until Goto hits the fireman’s carry flip onto the knee (the move that Mauro Ranallo always told us that Goto invented during AJ Styles matches). Back from a break with Martinez getting two off a clothesline and going up top. Goto bails to the floor to take the over the top dive, followed by a spinwheel kick from the top. A suplex is broken up with a headbutt and Martinez is stunned but not badly enough to get kicked in the chest. The chokeslam is countered though and Goto hits the GTR (Eye of the Hurricane onto the knee) to retain at 10:49.
Rating: C+. Good power match here with the same complaint I had earlier. Martinez looked like a player here, even if there was no reason to believe he was going to win the title. This is basically the tough man title so Martinez was a very good choice for the challenger here.
Chaos vs. Bullet Club
Chaos: Briscoe Brothers/Will Ospreay/Kazuchika Okara
Bullet Club: Cody/Young Bucks/Kenny Omega
Since we’re coming up on Supercard of Honor, the Bucks keep chanting DELETE. We get the big Okada vs. Omega showdown to start but, of course, there’s no contact made and it’s off to Mark vs. Cody. Mark is quickly annoyed with Cody’s antics so it’s off to Jay, who takes an elevated dropkick from Matt. A few right hands get Jay out of trouble and Ospreay gets a chance, only to have to deal with the Young Bucks, who you know aren’t going to take much offense.
Ospreay sends them outside and does the backflip into the pose, only to load up a very early Meltzer Driver. That’s broken up just as quickly though and Ospreay sends the brothers outside again. A kick to the head sends Ospreay outside and we take a break. Back with Ospreay being thrown into three boots in the corner but avoiding a superkick. That’s it for his good luck though as four straight superkicks set up a springboard 450/moonsault combination for two.
Omega comes in and grabs a chinlock for two arm drops (you don’t see that every day) as Ospreay is in trouble. A suplex is countered into a Stunner and a tornado DDT allows the hot tag off to Okada. The Bucks aren’t impressed (of course) so Okada punches them outside, followed by an over the shoulder backbreaker to Cody. Everything breaks down and the Briscoes come in to clean house as we take a break.
Back with Mark hitting a suicide dive, followed by a Cactus Jack elbow off the apron. Cody is right back up though and superplexes Ospreay onto the big pile. That leaves Omega vs. Okada (who looks like he just got out of the shower and doesn’t even appearing to be sweating) for the huge strike off with Omega getting the better of it. Both finishers miss though and it’s the Bucks superkicking Okada down.
Omega and the Bucks get into a Three Stooges eye poke sequence on each other before a triple superkick drops Okada again. Cue Ospreay to kick Omega in the head, only to get powerslammed down by Cody. The Briscoes come back in to clean house with a superplex into the Froggy Bow on Omega.
The Rainmaker is broken up but Ospreay is right back in there to catch Kenny with the one man Spanish Fly. Will gives Cody a Falcon Arrow for two but misses the shooting star. The spinning kick to the head connects for Ospreay, only to have the Oscutter countered into Cross Rhodes for the pin at 20:16.
Rating: B+. That certainly worked. You knew what they were going to do here as soon as you saw who was in here and that’s all that mattered. Omega vs. Okada was a very fresh match at this point and it’s one of the few things that’s actually well timed here as we’re less than a month away from their rematch. Anyway, really good stuff here, which isn’t exactly a surprise.
We’re off the air with two minutes left in the hour.
Overall Rating: B-. This one ENTIRELY depends on what kind of wrestling show you were looking for here. If you’re looking for an hour of no frills and good action, you’re going to like this. If you’re looking for Ring of Honor, just wait until next week. In other words, the taping cycle curse strikes again because, for whatever reason that I’ve never heard, we can’t just move the new shows a bit closer to the pay per view. No instead we NEEDED to see a New Japan showcase. I still don’t get why this company works this was and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
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At this point CMLL, NJPW, and ROH need to just work out some kind of deal to have a streaming online service because they are so up in each other’s business that it is almost impossible to extricate themselves from each other. NJPW is establishing a US title in Long Beach this July and all indicators point to the field being 80% ROH guys in the tournament.
I really do wish ROH would hurry up and air the months of tv they tape. As a person who watched War Of The Worlds and follows NJPW I’m already spoiled on the tapings which is just the worse.