Ring of Honor 13th Anniv. PPV Results
March 1, 2015
Las Vegas, Nev.
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Be sure to follow live PWTorch tweets tonight during the PPV on Twitter. VIP members, stay tuned for a post-PPV Audio Roundtable Review of the PPV later tonight.

Inside the Orleans Hotel & Casino, Kevin Kelly introduced the show as fans pounded the barricade getting ready for the big card. Kelly and Steve Corino were shown sitting ringside introducing the show. After a brief word from a Spanish announce team also at ringside, Kelly hyped the top title matches. The lighting and overall production value is much improved from past ROH PPVs.

In-ring: Cedric Alexander was introduced for the opening match. Matt Sydal was out next as Cedric's opponent.

1 -- MATT SYDAL vs. CEDRIC ALEXANDER

No back-story to the match, so the announcers played the "respect" and "have a great match" cards. The crowd picked up a dueling chant of "Alex-ander / Matt Sydal" as the two locked up early on. Sydal flipped Cedric to the outside, then nailed a dropkick through the ropes followed by a running knee off the ring apron. Back in the ring, Sydal worked over Cedric's leg with a half-crab, but Alexander snapped off a big dropkick. No follow-up, allowing Sydal to recover in the corner. No matter, as Ced followed up with big right hand chops to the chest into a standing kick to the head.

Alexander continued to control the action, drawing boos from the crowd more into Sydal. Alexander tried to shake off the fans being more into Sydal than him, but it gave Sydal an opening to hit him with a combination of strikes. Sydal followed with a standing moonsault for a close two count.

Big standing exchange followed, then Alexander smashed Sydal across his knees with a backbreaker for a close two count. Alexander argued with referee Paul Turner about the count instead of following up, allowing Sydal to recover. Sydal nailed a knee to the throat, avoided a corner attack, and sprung to the top rope looking for Air Bourne. Sydal connected and covered for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Sydal at 9:38. Strong opening match warming up the crowd but not giving away too much like the six-way deals on past PPVs. Sydal is a solid veteran to have on the roster, while Alexander has a lot of upside if given something more to sink his teeth into. (**3/4)

Video Package: Moose, the former NFL player.

In-ring: Moose was introduced to the ring as the announcers discussed Mark Briscoe trying to hunt down Moose in this match. Mark Briscoe was out next as the announcers debated whether Mark belongs in Las Vegas.

2 -- MOOSE (w/Stokely Hathaway and Veda Scott) vs. MARK BRISCOE

No Code of Honor, under the advisement of Veda Scott. Mark nailed a dropkick, then a forearm out of the corner. But, Moose shook it off and delivered a sick dropkick leaping as high as Mark sitting on the top turnbuckle to kick him out of the ring. On the floor, Moose swung Mark into the barricade over and over.

Back in the ring, Moose ran over Mark, then posed over him and delivered a running splash for a two count. Back to the floor, where Moose delivered an overhead slam sending Mark into the barricade. The crowd was won over by Moose, who followed with a pop-up clothesline back in the ring. Two count for Moose, then Mark knocked him out of the ring and nailed a running Blockbuster. Mark followed with a Cactus Jack running elbow to get the crowd behind him again.

Back in the ring, Mark wanted a top-rope move, but Moose got out of the way, flipped Mark onto his feet, measured Mark, and delivered his big running spear. The crowd booed, almost sounding like they were booing Roman Reigns's spear. Moose covered Mark for the win. After the match, Mark wanted to shake Moose's hand to adhere to the Code of Honor, but Veda refused to allow Moose to shake Mark's hand. Moose left the ring as Mark kind of stumbled around the ring.

WINNER: Moose at 5:15. Big babyface opportunity for Moose when he breaks out on his own making his own decisions. Strong singles match for five minutes. Moose was impressive, while Mark did his job enhancing Moose. (**1/4)

In-ring: Mike Bennett and Matt Taven of The Kingdom were introduced for the next three-team tag match. No Maria, who was preparing to face ODB later in the show. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian were out next to loud cheers. Bullet Club's music played next to even louder cheers. Karl Anderson was out first sporting one of the IWGP Tag Title belts from New Japan. No sign of Doc Gallows.

In the ring, Anderson said they're a man short tonight. But, he drank 40 beers last night, so he's ready to fight on his own. Anderson said he'll fight on his own, then a brawl broke out. Kevin Kelly said Doc could not make Las Vegas due to horrible weather on the East Coast. Corino said at least he didn't bring "Double Jeff." The ring finally cleared and the bell sounded to begin the action.

3 -- THE ADDICTION (CHRISTOPHER DANIELS & KAZARIAN) vs. THE KINGDOM (MIKE BENNETT & MATT TAVEN) vs. BULLET CLUB (IWGP tag champion KARL "MACHINE GUN" ANDERSON by himself) -- three-team tag match

Lots of blind tags early on, then Anderson exposed his knee for a knee drop on Daniels. Anderson followed with a running knee to Taven on the outside, but Daniels surprised Anderson with a moonsault. Addiction cleared out The Kingdom on the floor, but Daniels lost control of the match back in the ring. Kingdom started working over Daniels as Anderson tried to reach for a blind tag.

Instead, Daniels willingly tagged in Anderson after Kaz was bumped from the ring apron. Anderson lit up Bennett, then Taven, then again. Anderson sent Bennett into Taven, then went for the Stun Gun, but Bennett avoided. Chaos in the ring, then Daniels went flying through the ropes with a suicide dive to take out The Kingdom, who had just rolled out of the ring.

Back in the ring, Anderson dropped Kaz with a fireman's carry drop, but the pin was broken up. Kingdom then hit a combination Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb getting The Hardys on the broadcast, but Kaz kicked out of a pin. More chaos put all five men down on the mat. Daniels got up and wanted Angel's Wings, but Anderson spun him around for the Stun Gun.

Kingdom cut off Anderson, then set up for a combination spike piledriver. Bennett held onto Anderson long enough for Taven to execute his end before Anderson slipped out of Bennett's grasp. The spike piledriver was enough for a pin and the win. The announcers hyped this as The Kingdom getting a pinfall over one half of the IWGP tag champions, setting up a future Tag Title shot. Daniels and Kaz chased off the winners and checked on Anderson.

WINNERS: The Kingdom at 11:58. A bit disorganized at times, but they did the best they could with one of the participants missing. It also allowed them to hype Anderson's fighting spirit before ultimately losing without his tag partner, which made it seem like Anderson will be on future ROH shows. (**3/4)

Video Package: Roderick Strong vs. The Decade.

4 -- THE DECADE (B.J. WHITMER w/Jimmy Jacobs and Adam Page) vs. RODERICK STRONG -- Grudge match

Strong, who was introduced second, charged the ring to attack Whitmer and clothesline him over the top rope to the floor. Strong followed with a running forearm as Jimmy Jacobs joined the commentary team. After battling on the outside, the match returned to the ring, where Whitmer controlled the action to boos. Strong responded with a back elbow, then he ducked a clothesline and ran over B.J. with a clothesline. Strong followed with a snap dropkick for a two count.

Whitmer responded with a boot to the face and Fisherman suplex with a bridge for a close two count. Strong came back with the Sick Kick for a close two count of his own. Strong wanted a top-rope move, but B.J. countered with a mid-air front-face slam for another nearfall.

Whitmer then scooped up Roddy and taunted him with a kiss, so Strong fired off a combination leading to his Strong Breaker toss-up suplex into a backbreaker. Strong covered Whitmer for the pin and the win. Afterward, Whitmer smirked as he rolled out of the ring, trying not to sell the effects of losing to Strong.

WINNER: Strong at 10:57. Perfectly fine match, but it didn't get that next level of a memorable grudge match. Whitmer is serviceable in various roles, but he doesn't elicit a very strong crowd reaction leading a match. He's just B.J. Whitmer. (**1/2)

Video Package: Maria/The Kingdom vs. ODB/Briscoes feud.

In-ring: Maria Kanellis was introduced to the ring first. Maria was holding - more like clutching - the Title of Love that The Kingdom took from Jay Briscoe. Mark Briscoe then led out ODB as the opposition.

5 -- MARIA KANELLIS vs. ODB (w/Mark Briscoe)

Before the bell sounded, Maria took the mic and tried to get out of the match. She said that she failed a pre-match test. "Because I'm pregnant!" she said. Maria said she and Mike got married, and they were so excited. Maria vowed to make it up to ODB. Suddenly, Mike Bennett hit the ring and superkicked Mark Briscoe. Maria then belt-shotted ODB and removed her over-sized "pregnancy" t-shirt while calling for the bell. The ref obliged, but ODB kicked out of a pin.

The match moved to the floor, where Maria kicked and stomped ODB, but ODB kicked her in the womb. They returned to the ring. Meanwhile, Mark and Bennett fought on the outside, making this seem like a mixed tag match. Mark eventually got hold of both Mike and Maria, allowing ODB to come off the top rope with a splash onto the married couple.

More chaos, then Mark avoided a charging Bennett, who accidentally speared Maria on the ring apron. Mark took out Bennett, then ODB dragged Maria back into the ring. ODB delivered a fireman's carry drop and it was good for the win. Afterward, Mark retrieved the Title of Love belt and removed the pink fuzzies while Bennett hauled Maria to the back. Mark and ODB celebrated with Jay's original ROH Title belt before exiting.

WINNER: ODB at 5:20. Good blow-off to the feud. Perfectly fine bridge to the second-half of the show.

In-ring: A.C.H., out of Austin, Texas, was introduced for the next big match of the show. Out next was the IWGP World Hvt. champion A.J. Styles to a big reaction. Big streamer party in the ring as A.J. did the Bullet Club pose in the ring. Code of Honor began the match.

6 -- A.J. STYLES vs. A.C.H.

Fast-paced opening exchange, then Styles took a jackknife pin into a Styles Clash tease, wowing the crowd, but A.C.H. blocked to avoid an early loss. A.C.H. came back with an A.J. Styles dropkick, then posed like A.J. with a big smirk. A.C.H. followed with corner chops, then he did some acrobatics, only to run right into a textbook A.J. Styles dropkick out of nowhere. A.C.H. followed with a leaping knee smash to the forehead for a one count.

Styles wanted a springboard move, but A.C.H. shoved him clear out of the air to the floor. A.C.H. followed with a leaping back splash clearing the top rope and landing on Styles, who made that move famous years ago. Back in the ring, A.C.H. hit a new high-impact move for a close two count. A.C.H. followed with a kick, then tried a running punt, but Styles grabbed A.C.H. by the foot and yanked him down hard to the ringside padding.

Back in the ring, Styles nailed his trademark springboard flying forearm smash. Styles followed with a snap suplex right into the corner turnbuckle. Styles took A.C.H. to the top turnbuckle, missed a Pele kick, and A.C.H. nailed him with a double-foot dropkick to the back of the neck.

A.C.H. climbed to the top rope for a 450 splash, but Styles avoided and went right to the Calf-killer in the middle of the ring. But, A.C.H. countered into a quick pin for a two count. Suddenly, Styles hoisted A.C.H. into the air for a front-face DDT. Styles followed right up with the Clash for the pin and the win. That sequence took the show to the next level. Afterward, Styles hugged A.C.H. on the way out.

WINNER: Styles at 15:30. Now the show is picking up after a solid build-up. Strong singles match that showcased top star Styles and gave A.C.H. enough offense in this big spotlight match. (***1/2)

Video Package: ROH Tag Title feud.

In-ring: The Young Bucks were introduced as the challengers for the Tag Title match as Rocky Romero joined the announcers. No audio from Rocky, though. ReDragon was out next, joined by one of the MMA Four Horsewomen, Shayna Baszler, who brought the belts out for the champs.

7 -- ROH tag champions REDRAGON (BOBBY FISH & KYLE O'REILLY w/Shayna Baszler) vs. YOUNG BUCKS (NICK & MATT JACKSON) -- ROH Tag Title match

Hot start to the match that eventually brought all four men into the ring. The Bucks eventually took control as Romero talked up New Japan, specifically the feud between CHAOS and Bullet Club factions. Shayna then provided a distraction, teasing the Bucks to superkick her, allowing ReDragon to cut off the Bucks and control the match. Meanwhile, Romero revealed that his new tag partner is Trent Baretta, replacing Kozlov. And, masked men suddenly appeared at ringside watching the match. Kelly noted there's a lot going on during this Tag Title match.

Back to the action. Matt Jackson nailed a superkick to Fish on the outside, then he nailed a moonsault on the outside. Nick nailed a superkick of his own to Fish, then Bucks nailed a double-team splash, but Fish kicked out of a pin. Nick called for a Superkick Party, but Fish rolled out of the ring. So, they went after O'Reilly, who took a superkick allowing Matt to powerbomb O'Reilly into Fish on the outside.

Back in the ring, the Bucks hit a combination superkick and running knee on Fish for a close two count. After things settled down, Nick and O'Reilly were the legal men. Nick wanted a top-rope splash, but O'Reilly caught him with his legs and transitioned to a submission hold. But, Matt came off the top rope with a flying elbow to break the hold. All four men were down and out after the wild sequence.

Reset, then double superkicks from the Bucks to Fish. O'Reilly slowed down Nick with kick strikes, but he ran right into another superkick. O'Reilly suddenly found himself in Matt's arms on the outside, setting up a spike Tombstone Piledriver on the padding. Back in the ring, Fish fought both Bucks. But, he took Chasing the Dragon from the Bucks. Fish kicked out of his finish, though, drawing boos from the crowd thinking that was a three count.

Reset, then the Bucks hit More Bang for Your Buck on Fish, but Shayna pulled referee Todd Sinclair out of the ring. Shayna argued with Sinclair, then Matt and Nick Jackson left the ring to stalk Shayna. Suddenly, O'Reilly came flying out of the ring with a dropkick to the Bucks. Back in the ring, O'Reilly and Fish combined for high-flying offense on Nick. Chasing the Dragon, but Matt pulled the ref out of the ring, evening things out.

Matt then went off on the champs with forearms & suck-its, which the crowd chanted along with. ReDragon shook it off and hit a wheelbarrow overhead suplex on Matt. "Suck it!" from Fish. Nick was left alone in the ring to take Chasing the Dragon again. This time, it was good for the pin and the win. Big boos for ReDragon, although it sounded 65 percent heat on the booking of the finish/35 percent heat on ReDragon.

WINNERS: ReDragon at 15:40 to retain the Tag Titles. That was a heck of a tag match. ROH should do away with tag rules, though, and just go Texas Tornado if the refs are not going to be produced to enforce rules. The Young Bucks are just at a different level right now, while ReDragon have found their place as heel tag champs in the ring, enhanced by Shayna's role in the match. (****)

Video Package: Jay Lethal vs. Alberto El Patron TV Title match.

In-ring: Alberto was introduced first, followed by TV champion Jay Lethal, with Truth Martini and J. Diesel. "Si!" chants for the former Del Rio during formal ring introductions. Lethal slowly walked across the ring holding the TV Title belt, taunting Alberto, during his ring intro. Before the bell sounded, Alberto and Lethal made in the middle for the Code of Honor. Diesel pushed Alberto, though, so Alberto superkicked Diesel out of the ring. Cue the bell.

8 -- ROH TV champion JAY LETHAL (w/Truth Martini and J. Diesel) vs. ALBERTO EL PATRON -- ROH TV Title match

Back-and-forth early on, then Lethal crotched Alberto across the top rope. Lethal dropkicked Alberto off the ropes to the mat, then pounded on him with right hands. More right hands and chops, but Alberto suddenly caught Lethal in the ropes with a vertical Hell's Gate. Alberto broke before a five count, then Diesel and Martini interfered behind the ref's back to allow Lethal to recover and re-take control.

As Lethal worked on Alberto, the masked men in red showed up ringside again. Kelly said they always seem to show up during title matches. Alberto made his comeback, took a peek at the masked men sitting at ringside, then went for the cross arm-breaker, but Lethal countered with his own cross arm-breaker. Alberto broke free, knocked Alberto to the outside, and landed one, two, and three successive suicide dives. The third one flipped Alberto over the guardrail into the front row.

Alberto recovered for a while, but made it back into the ring before a 20 count. Lethal tried a top-rope move, but Alberto blocked, hung him upside down, and landed a double stomp to the chest. Both men came to their feet and traded blows until Lethal hit the Lethal Combination for a close two count.

Lethal slowly climbed to the top turnbuckle for a move, but Alberto smashed him with a step-up enziguiri. Truth entered the ring, but Alberto put him in the cross arm-breaker. Truth tapped out, then Lethal tried to come off the top, but Alberto caught him with the cross arm-breaker. As the ref dealt with Truth, Lethal smashed Alberto with the Book of Truth. Lethal covered, but Alberto kicked out before three. Lethal tried to follow up, but Alberto countered with a roll-up. Lethal shoved off before three, Truth smashed Alberto with the Book from outside of the ring, and Alberto recoiled into Lethal Injection. Lethal covered for the win.

WINNER: Lethal at 12:33 to retain the TV Title. Plenty of "outs" for Alberto with the constant interference customary for Lethal's matches. Next up should be matchmaker Nigel McGuinness attempting to neutralize Truth's regular interference for Lethal's next title defense. As for Alberto, he's so much bigger and taller than most of the roster that he has to "level out" a match, but he looked good here. The audience didn't seem to buy the possibility of a title change, though. (***)

Announcers: Speaking of Nigel, he joined the announcers at the commentary position. When suddenly ... Samoa Joe's face flashed on the videoboard. Joe marched out on-stage and walked back into an ROH venue for the first time in nearly seven years. Joe, dressed in street clothes, took a victory lap around ringside before high-fiving the ringside fans.

Samoa Joe Promo

Once in the ring, Joe rhetorically asked, "Who says you can't come home?" The crowd answered, "Joe, Joe, Joe." Joe said that 13 years ago, a group of wrestlers came together in a dingy rec center in a bad part of Philadelphia to bring true pro wrestling back to pro wrestling fans. Now, here they are in Las Vegas, where the movement has become a revolution. And it's alive and well.

A "Joe's gonna kill you" chant turned into a "F--- TNA" chant. Joe took a step back, then spoke about the ROH World Title being fought over next. He said four men will bleed and sweat to become ROH champion, because they believe in true pro wrestling. Joe said the match is for "true wrestling fans." But, Joe warned, whoever walks out of the match with the belt belongs to him. "Because I am Samoa Joe! I am back in Ring of Honor! I will be the next Ring of Honor World champion!" He paused. "And I am pro wrestling!"

Joe left the ring and leaned against the top rope before posing for the crowd. Joe walked past Nigel and took a victory lap as Nigel talked about his big signing. Strong promo, but the audio was off, taking it down from a 9 to a 7.

In-ring: Hanson was introduced first for the ROH World Title main event. Tommaso Ciampa was out next sporting an ominous mask and hood. Ciampa continued to pose with the mask and hood on before Michael Elgin was introduced. Elgin was dressed in a boxing robe and hood. Only Ciampa got a reaction. ROH champ Jay Briscoe was out last to make his latest title defense. Kelly noted that Jay has not been pinned or submitted in over two years. Of course, he doesn't have to be pinned or submitted to lose the title here.

9 -- ROH World champion JAY BRISCOE vs. MICHAEL ELGIN vs. TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. HANSON -- four-way match for the ROH World Title

Before the bell sounded, Ciampa charged at Jay, cutting off the Code of Honor. The three challengers went after Jay, but in-fighting broke out. Jay slipped out of the ring early on and teased using a table, as the announcers and Nigel discussed referee Todd Sinclair allowing a lot of lee-way during this match to give them room to settle the match. No sign of the masked men in red thus far.

Briscoe and Elgin eventually battled mid-ring. Briscoe nailed a DVD out of the fireman's carry position for a two count, then the camera picked up on Jay having a facial cut. Jay then climbed to the top, but Ciampa cut him off. Hanson also got involved, but he took a big lariat from Ciampa, who then took Jay off the top rope with a slam for a two count.

On the outside, Elgin caught Ciampa trying to fly to the outside, then he gave him an Outsider's Edge right into the barricade. That popped a crowd that did not care for Elgin to that point. Hanson then came off the top rope with a flip-dive onto Jay and Elgin, drawing another reaction. Back in the ring, Hanson dropped Jay with a brainbuster, but the ref was bumped. Hanson got the visual three count, then the masked men in red hit the ring. They took out all of the competitors with moves that the announcers attributed to The Kingdom. Suddenly, Ray Rowe made his return to help his former tag partner, Hanson.

Rowe chased off the masked men, then the spotlight went to Elgin, who put Jay through a table with the champ's own Jay Driller. Elgin then went under the ring to retrieve a chair. Nigel McGuinness was not going to stand for this, so he entered the ring to wave off Elgin teasing a chair shot. Elgin obliged, then tried to use the chair again, but Nigel grabbed the chair. Elgin teased a powerbomb on Nigel, but Ciampa saved Nigel by yanking him out of the ring. Ciampa and Nigel had a staredown after their long feud, then Ciampa used the chair on Elgin. Nigel was conflicted over this.

Suddenly, Hanson took out Elgin as another referee entered the ring with Sinclair deemed unable to continue officiating the match. The crowd was quiet throughout these events. Ciampa then scooped up Elgin and delivered a running powerbomb, but Briscoe broke up the pin. Ciampa hit Project Ciampa on Jay, but Jay kicked out of a pin. Elgin then dropped Ciampa with a sit-out powerbomb, but Jay broke up a pin. Hanson returned to the ring and kicked Jay, who fell on top of Ciampa. The ref saw it and counted three for Jay. Elgin was stunned by Jay's good luck.

WINNER: Briscoe at 16:21 to retain the ROH Title. Way, way over-booked. Too much going on and the crowd wasn't into the challengers, just some of their moves, which is a problem throughout wrestling today, not just ROH. (**)

Post-match: Samoa Joe re-emerged and walked past Elgin on the way to the ring. Inside, Jay Briscoe recovered to his feet. Joe picked up the ROH Title belt and paced around the ring before forcefully returning the belt to Jay. Joe and Jay shook hands, then Jay held up the title belt. Big staredown closed the PPV four minutes before the top of the hour. And there's an ROH Title match that people will care about. Will it be the next PPV in June, Supercard of Honor, sometime else? We shall see.

Did you watch the PPV? Send in your Reax, 0-10 score, and Best/Worst match to pwtorch@gmail.com.

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