By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S ROH “DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR XII: NIGHT 1” REVIEW
AUG. 22, 2014
MILWAUKEE, WISC.

The show began with The Addiction cutting a promo. Daniels talked about his addiction to wrestling and how at one point watching wasn’t enough, so they began wrestling. Daniels said they started doing it everywhere just like when they were watching wrestling from all over the place. Daniels said then ROH came along and it was the best place to get the pure wrestling they wanted. Daniels said they rush they got from being in an ROH was the best they’ve ever felt. Daniels said it’s like that for the fans as well because they have a hunger and a need for great wrestling. Daniels said the fans need to see The Addiction against the best of the best. Daniels said the fans are addicts and they’re the addiction.

A cool video package featuring several wrestlers from the ROH aired before they went to the venue where the Milwaukee fans were going nuts. Kevin Kelly kicked the show off joined by Caprice Coleman. He said Steve Corino would join them later. They ran down the main event of Michael Elgin defending the ROH World Title against Silas Young before previewing the opening match.

The fans booed The Kingdom when they made their entrance. The Addiction got a good pop from the crowd.

(1) The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. The Kingdom (Adam Cole & Michael Bennett w/Maria Kanellis). Both teams followed the code of honor. Cole hit a cheap shot on Daniels and began putting the boots to him in the corner and the fans booed. Daniels fired back and hit a big slam on Cole. He tagged in Kazarian and they hit a series of moves on Cole. Bennett ran in and they wiped him out with a combination of moves as well. They then tossed Bennett over the top onto Cole on the floor and the fans went nuts. Daniels hit a springboard moonsault on Bennett back inside the ring a short time later, but only got a 2 count. Cole made a blind tag and tripped Daniels neck-first into the ropes. Maria nailed Daniels with a shot from the outside and The Kingdom nearly had Daniels finished, but the ref was distracted keeping Kazarian out of the ring and they only got a 2 count. The fans tried to rally behind Daniels, but Cole cut him off. Daniels finally fired back with a STO on Cole and both men were down. Bennett tried to prevent the tag, but Daniels got away. Maria then managed to drag Kazarian off the apron and Daniels continued to take a beating. Daniels managed to escape Bennett and Kazarian got the hot tag and ran wild. Kazarian missed a blockbuster, but Bennett took the bump anyway. Kazarian hit a slingshot ace crusher on Cole. Daniels hit a double stomp on Bennett out of the corner and Kazarian covered him for a near fall. The Kingdom fired back and hit a superkick/spear combination on Kazarian, but he kicked out at the last second. The Addiction had Bennett isolated, but Maria got up on the apron. They shoved her into Cole on the floor and hit a tandem double knee strike on Bennett for the win.

Winner: Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian

Star rating: (**3/4) – This was a paint by the numbers match in terms of the action. Nothing was spectacular, but the crowd was way into the match and both teams worked well together to take advantage of the hot crowd. Although The Addiction was over with this crowd, it seems like they are miscast as faces.

Tadarius Thomas came out with The Decade and the fans booed. Jacobs got on the mic and said this was the house that The Decade built. He said that he alongside Jacobs and Strong had built ROH during the last decade and that’s why they have taken Adam Page and Tadarius Thomas under their wing. He said they weren’t catching on quickly enough. Strong said he was going to teach these kids a lesson. Jacobs then introduced Adam Pearce to teach Thomas a lesson. Jacobs made Thomas hold the ropes open for Pearce when he got into the ring. The announcers said Pearce had broken out of Chicago along with Cabana, Pearce, and Punk. Jacobs said when he was 16, Pearce clotheslined him so hard that he knocked out his bad tooth. Jacobs said Pearce had taught him respect when he was younger. He told Pearce to beat respect in Thomas.

(2) Tadarius Thomas (w/The Decade) vs. Adam Pearce. Thomas offered a handshake, but Pearce punched him in the face and began beating the crap out of him. Pearce hit several hard chops and slapped Thomas across the face. Thomas fired back with a series of wacky kicks. Thomas sent Pearce to the outside and wiped him out with a flip dive. Pearce fired back on the outside and ran Thomas into the barricade. Pearce followed up with a cannonball against the guardrail and the crowd chanted for one more. Pearce told the fans to stuff it and tossed Thomas into the ring. Pearce worked over Thomas for a long period of time before eventually hitting a spinebuster for a 2 count. Thomas fired back and took down Pearce with a couple of clotheslines and a big release German. Thomas went up top and the fans roared. Thomas connected with a leaping hangman’s neck breaker. He went to cover Pearce, but he got his foot on the bottom rope to break the pin. Pearce grabbed the ref and hit a low blow. Pearce then held up Thomas and dropped him down to the mat with a piledriver for the win.

The Decade surrounded Thomas after the match Whitmer slapped Thomas across the head several times and the fans booed. Thomas went face-to-face with Whitmer, but Jacobs got between them and told Thomas it was a learning experience. He said Thomas has potential, but keeps falling short. Jacobs told The Decade to leave. He said he had learned the only way to battle crazy is by being a little crazy. Jacobs said Tomasso Ciampa has been a crazy dude in ROH for four years. Jacobs said Ciampa is unbalanced, but he invented crazy.

Winner: Adam Pearce

Star rating: (**1/4) – It was good to see Pearce back in the ROH ring. He delivered a good old fashioned beating to Thomas, but ended up having to cheat to get the win in the end.

(3) Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jimmy Jacobs. Jacobs nailed Ciampa with a dive through the ropes as he was making his entrance. Jacobs choked Ciampa with a jacket. Security tried break them apart, but Jacobs beat them up. Ciampa finally fired back and hit a spinebuster on the apron. Ciampa exposed the mats on the floor and went for a suplex, but Jacobs grabbed a sleeper. Ciampa eventually went up to the entrance ramp and drove himself backwards into the ramp with Jacobs under him. Ciampa set up Jacobs in a chair and hit him with a running knee strike against the guardrail. Ciampa set up Jacobs in another corner and hit him with another running knee strike. Ciampa hit another running knee strike and went flying into the crowd. The fans went crazy and Ciampa kissed a fan on the head. Ciampa tossed Jacobs into the ring and went for project Ciampa, but Jacobs grabbed the end time. Ciampa tried to escape, but Jacobs hit several knee strikes and applied the end time again. Ciampa ended up countering it into a northern lights suplex with a bridge, but Jacobs grabbed the end time again. The ref checked Ciampa’s arm, but his hand didn’t go down for a third time. Jacobs lifted Jacobs up and began climbing the turnbuckles. Ciampa hit a super emerald frozien and covered Jacobs with one arm, but he kicked out at the last second. They ended up going at it on the apron and Jacobs nailed Ciampa with a spear and both men spilled to the floor. Jacobs tossed Ciampa into the guardrail before breaking the ref’s count. Jacobs went for a basement dropkick through the ropes, but Ciampa got out of the way. They went back and forth where the mats were exposed and Ciampa finally caught Jacobs with a suplex and both men were down as the fans went nuts.

Jacobs got back into the ring with a mic and tried to hit Ciampa with it, but he countered it and nailed Jacobs with a clothesline. Jacobs went for a spear, but Ciampa nailed him with a knee strike to the head. Ciampa then got on the mic and began elbowing Jacobs in the head while shouting into the mic. He told Jacobs that it didn’t matter because he would become ROH World Champion tomorrow. The fans chanted for Ciampa and he applied the Sicilian stretch. Jacobs tapped out quickly and Ciampa wrenched on his face before letting go of the hold.

Ciampa appeared to regain his composure at the end of the match, but acted crazy while celebrating in the ring. He tossed a chair into the ring while leaving and did a bow before going through the curtain.

Winner: Tommaso Ciampa

Star rating: (***1/4) – This was a good brawling match. They went back and forth and built up to some big spots nicely. The crowd was red hot once again for the action. The finish was nicely executed and made Ciampa look good heading into his ROH World Title shot on the next show.

O’Reilly got a good reaction coming out for his match against Styles. The fans chanted for Styles while his intro music played. Styles then came out to a big pop. Styles got into the ring and the fans tossed a ton of streamers at him. The fans chanted loudly for Styles before the match started. Kelly referenced how Styles won the IWGP Hvt. title from Okada, but didn’t mention that he cheated to win it.

(4) IWGP Hvt. Champion A.J. Styles vs. ROH World Tag Team Champion Kyle O’Reilly (w/Bobby Fish) in a Non-title match. Kelly mentioned that Styles’s shoulder was banged up coming out of the NJPW G1 Climax 24 tournament. O’Reilly went after Styles’s arm during the early going, but Styles dumped O’Reilly to the floor. The pace picked up and O’Reilly hit a running boot to Styles’s head, but he didn’t go down. Styles then hit his signature dropkick sequence in the ring and O’Reilly bailed. Styles went for a dive, but O’Reilly got out of the way. Styles landed on his feet and jawed with Fish. Styles got back into the ring and O’Reilly went right back after his arm. Styles hit a sunset flip and tried to roll through into the Styles clash, but O’Reilly escaped. Styles then wiped O’Reilly out with a clothesline as Fish complained to the ref from the floor. Styles taunted Fish before going after O’Reilly. Kelly hinted at NJPW wrestlers coming back to ROH at some point in the future. Fish grabbed Styles’s leg from the outside and he shook him off, but O’Reilly took advantage and drove him arm-first into the apron. O’Reilly continued to work over Styles’s arm on the outside, as he slammed him shoulder-first into the guardrail. O’Reilly continued to work over Styles’s arm inside the ring before nailing it with several running knee strikes. O’Reilly showcased some really nice arm attacks as he continued to work over Styles’s arm inside the ring.

The fans fired up and began chanting for Styles. A small number of fans chanted for O’Reilly. Styles finally mounted a comeback and ended up countering a tornado DDT into a suplex into the turnbuckles and both men were down. Styles came off the top with a big forearm that decked O’Reilly. He tried to work him over, but he couldn’t because of the damage to his arm. Styles went for the Styles clash, but O’Reilly countered it and eventually got a cross-arm breaker. O’Reilly switched from the right to left arm. Styles rolled on top of O’Reilly and went for the Styles clash, but had to let it go. He charged at O’Reilly in the corner, but he got out of the way and Styles went shoulder-first into the ringpost. O’Reilly hit his signature missile dropkick off the apron to the floor on Styles and the fans went insane. Styles barely beat the 20 count and the fans cheered. Styles told O’Reilly to bring it. O’Reilly hit a huge kick to Styles’s arm and hit a flying cross-arm breaker. He switched it into a triangle on Styles. Styles ended up lifting O’Reilly up and he hit a modified Styles clash and the fans went nuts with both men down on the mat. Both men got up and began exchanging blows. They went back and forth and countered each other’s signature strike sequences. Styles absorbed a spinning backfist and hit a Pele kick and both men were down on the mat as the fans went nuts. This is amazing!

Styles got up and hit a huge clothesline on O’Reilly for a nearfall. Styles hit the bloody Sunday DDT and the fans roared. Styles set up for the Styles clash, but O’Reilly grabbed a guillotine choke. Styles shoved O’Reilly down to the mat and lifted him up for the Styles clash. O’Reilly tried to kick his way out of it, so Styles dropped him down with the hollow point. Styles then lifted up O’Reilly for the Styles clash and hit for the win. This was an amazing match.

Winner: A.J. Styles

Star rating: (****3/4) – This was an amazing match. O’Reilly worked over Styles’s arm throughout the match and they built things up to a fever pitch late in the match with O’Reilly blocking the Styles clash several times and trying to finish Styles off with arm bars and triangle submissions. This was one heck of a pro wrestling match and the finishing sequence was simply amazing with Styles hitting the hollow point and then the Styles clash for the win with the crowd going crazy.

Adam Cole came out to cut a promo. He asked what the hell is going on in ROH. Cole was upset about losing to two guys from a retirement home in reference to The Addiction. Cole then complained about getting his ROH World Title rematch in a four-way match last week and now he was at the back of the line for a title shot. Cole said ROH is terrified of a guy like him. Cole said he’s invaluable and when you’re invaluable you can do whatever you want. Cole said the locker room is terrified because he’s not even close to hitting his prime at 25. Cole said he had more talent in his pinkie finger than ROH locker room has. Cole said the greatest ROH World Champion wasn’t Bryan Danielson, C.M. Punk, or Michael Elgin. Cole said he’s the greatest ROH World Champion of all time. Cole promised to get his ROH Championship back and said he would do whatever it takes. Cole asked if the fans didn’t believe him before superkicking the ref. The fans booed and Cole teased going after the other refs at ringside before heading to the back.

(5) B.J. Whitmer vs. Adam page vs. Cedric Alexander vs. ROH Tag Team Champion Bobby Fish vs. ACH vs. ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal (w/The House of Truth) in a Six Man Scramble match. The fans fired up after ACH did a bunch of flips and hit a dropkick on Page during the early going. Lethal tagged in, but then tagged out to Fish. The action picked up and Alexander ran wild on Fish, but he rolled out of the ring, which allowed Lethal to come in from behind and take out Alexander. Lethal choked Alexander on the ropes and Martini took a picture. Alexander filled out of the Lethal combination and eventually hit a dropkick to the back of Lethal’s head for a 2 count. Page accidentally became the legal man and was forced to go at it with Whitmer. Page tried to tag out, but everyone got off the apron. Whitmer spit on Page and they went head-to-head. Whitmer told Page to take the pin and he dropped down to the mat, but everyone ran in and broke it up. The action broke down and Alexander wiped out everyone with a huge flip dive to the floor and the fans fired up. Page fired back on Lethal a short time later and hit a SSP press from the apron to the floor. ACH then hit a crazy dive to the floor to wipe out a pile of men and the fans went nuts. ACH then hit a 450 on Whitmer, but Page made the save. Page hit a huge back breaker a short time later on ACH, but he kicked out at the last second. Whitmer ended up in the ring with ACH. He no-sold a bunch of strikes and slapped ACH across the face. ACH fired back and hit a big double stomp off the top on Whitmer. The pace picked up and Lethal went after ACH, but got distracted from the outside. ACH then hit a German with a bridge for the win.

Winner: ACH

Star rating: (***1/4) – This was a good dose of athletic action. They picked up the action nicely mid-match and hit some great dives that set the fans on fire. I liked how ACH was spotlighted as a future challenger for the ROH TV Title after beating Lethal.

(6) Roderick Strong vs. Hanson. “They grow them different in Lynn, Massachusetts,” said Corino of Hanson as he made his entrance. The announcers mentioned that Hanson was making a transition to being a singles wrestler with his partner Raymond Rowe out with an injury. Strong wouldn’t shake hands and attacked Hanson when he turned his back to him. Hanson fired back after a quick exchange and caught Strong with a shoulder tackle, but Strong pulled the ropes on him a short time later. They ended up going at it on the outside. Hanson absorbed a couple of chops and suplexed Strong onto the apron. Strong caught Hanson with a kick to the head as he got back into the ring, but Hanson was unfazed and he went to work on Strong in the corner. Whitmer came down to the ring with Adam Page to corner Strong. Hanson continued to work over Strong in the ring as the announcers questioned Whitmer bringing Page down to ringside instead of watching from the back. Strong fired back and hit a big kick to Hanson’s head that sent him off the top to the floor. Both guys ended up exchanging blows on the floor. They got into the ring and continued to exchange blows until Strong hit a dropkick. Kelly mentioned that Hanson had impressed ROH officials at a tryout camp before winning the Top Prospect Tournament.

Strong continued to dominate the action. Hanson tried to mount a comeback, but Hanson got his knees up on a splash attempt. Hanson mounted another comeback and began working over Strong. Hanson ended up hitting a modified bronco buster in the corner for a 2 count. Strong tried to fire back, but Hanson caught him with a reverse rotation power slam for a 2 count. Hanson went for a powerbomb, but ended up dropping Strong on his head when he lifted him up. Hanson made the cover for a 2 count. Strong rolled up Hanson, but the ref was slow to make the count because Page was on the apron. Hanson went after Strong, but ended up running into Page. Strong then hit a gutbuster for a near fall. The fans booed the awkward action that was mixed in with the spot with Page distracting the ref. Both men exchanged big punches. Hanson caught Strong with a cartwheel lariat, but Page dragged the ref out of the ring. Hanson went after Page on the outside, but Strong cut him off. Hanson shoved Strong into Page, but Whitmer ran back down to the ring and nailed him with an exploder on the floor. The Decade tossed the ref back into the ring and Strong hit a sick kick, but Hanson kicked out at the last second. Page gave Strong a chair, but he tossed it back. Hanson ended up nailing Strong with a spin kick for the win.

Page and Whitmer yelled at each other in the ring after the match. Whitmer then questioned Strong about tossing the chair away. Strong bailed to end the segment.

Winner: Hanson

Star rating: (**1/4) – There was some good action here, but the outside interference and ref bump was way too much. Hanson looked Strong overcoming all of the outside interference, but the match itself wasn’t very enjoyable at times the way it was put together.

The Briscoes cut a promo backstage. Mark said it had been a couple of years since they wrestled. Jay said last time they wrestled, Jay had recited some poetry, but he had something knew for the Young Bucks. Mark began beatboxing and Jay started rapping and talked about how he would superkick their heads off. This was incredible.

(7) The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe). The fans chanted for both teams before Nick and Mark went at it. Nick backdropped Mark into a superkick from Matt. Jay ran into the ring and ate another superkick and the fans went nuts as the Young Bucks threw crotch chops at the Briscoes while they regrouped on the floor. The Briscoes fired back and began working over Nick. Jay knocked Matt off the apron and into the guardrail with a big running kick and the fans began chanting for The Briscoes. The Briscoes isolated Nick and tagged in and out to work him over. Nick fired back on Jay and tagged in Matt, who ran right into a kick to the head from Jay. The fans chanted for both teams as Mark and Jay continued to work over Matt. Nick ended up dragging Jay to the floor. Mark tried to get into the ring, which allowed the Young Bucks to nail Jay with a head scissors/ dropkick combo on the apron. Matt began working over Jay back inside the ring. The fans continued their dueling chants for both teams. The Young Bucks missed their double team kick combination in the corner and Matt ended up hitting Nick on the apron. Jay made the tag to Mark, who ran wild with redneck Kung-Fu on Matt. Mark suplexed Nick and then Matt onto the apron from the floor. Mark went for the Cactus Jack elbow on Nick, but he nailed him with a superkick. The Young Bucks hit a standing moonsault/top rope splash combination on Mark for a near fall and the fans went nuts. Mark fired back and took out Matt and Nick. Everyone was down, but Mark managed to tag in Jay, who went after The Young Bucks on his own. Nick ended up nailing Jay with a spin kick. The Young Bucks went for a double superkick on Jay, but he got out of the way and The Briscoes hit a double superkick on The Young Bucks. They then hit a tandem neck breaker on Matt for a near fall.

The Briscoes continued to work over Matt. Jay nailed him with a pop-up DVD for a 2 count. The Briscoes signaled for a doomsday device, but Nick ran into the ring. The action continued at a rapid pace. Nick ran wild as The Young Bucks shifted the tide their way. The Young Bucks hit a springboard IndyTaker on Jay, but Mark ran in at the last second to break it up and the fans went nuts. Mark ate a double superkick from The Young Bucks. The Young Bucks went for more bang for your buck, but Jay got his knees up. He then nailed Matt with the Jay-driller, but he kicked out at the very last second and the fans gasped. “I’m going to have to change my underwear right now. I could have sworn that was three,” said Corino on commentary. Jay then set Matt up on his shoulders and the Briscoes hit the doomsday device on Matt for the win while Mark held off Nick from making the save. Kelly said the Briscoes had the advantage now in the hunt for tag gold.

The fans went nuts and chanted that was awesome after the match. Kelly signed off for the TV version of the match. Both teams shook hands after the match as the fans applauded.

Winners: Mark & Jay Briscoe

Star rating: (****1/4) – This was a fantastic match with both teams building up a couple of heat segments nicely before the match broke down and things got absolutely insane down the stretch. They did some great near falls down the stretch, especially Matt kicking out of the Jay-driller, which had the crowd gasping in disbelief before losing their minds. I liked how they set up the finish with The Briscoes hitting the doomsday device on Matt and Mark immediately going after Nick to hold him back from making the save. This was fantastic.

Michael Elgin cut a promo backstage. He said that Silas Young was getting a shot at the ROH World Title, but the problem was he had to go through Elgin. Elgin said he would show Young he was the last real man.

Silas Young cut a promo on Elgin backstage. Young said even well trained athletes fail. Young said every athlete has an expiration date and Elgin’s would come tonight.

Young got a pop coming out for the match and Corino said the fans must be confused. Elgin came out next to a chorus of boos. Young hails from Milwaukee, so that would explain the crowd reaction. Young got a big pop during the formal introductions as Young and Elgin glared at each other. Elgin got booed heavily during the formal introductions. Young got on the mic before the match and told Elgin he hoped he had spent a lot of time with the title in the last couple of weeks. He said since he wanted to give a title shot to the last real man in pro wrestling, he had put himself as a timeline for defeat. Young said Elgin had to work harder than everyone else being an average kid growing up. He said Elgin’s work ethic shows in the wrestling machine he has become. Young said even with all the hard work, Elgin was average and so were the average people in the fans. The fans booed Young, who proceeded to tell the fans they have no connection. Young told Elgin that he is greatness and Elgin is average. Young said when he beat Elgin for the title, he could finally move out of Milwaukee. The fans chanted “We are average” before the opening bell rang. Both men shook hands before the opening bell. Young went right after Elgin with punches and the match began.

(8) ROH World Champion Michael Elgin vs. Silas Young. Elgin fired back and got the upper hand on Young. Elgin began tossing Young into the guardrail on the outside a short time later. Young countered Elgin and backdropped him on the entrance ramp, which looked brutal. Young tossed Elgin back into the ring, but Elgin immediately went for the stretch muffler. Young escaped and they brawled on the floor once again. Elgin hip tossed Young into the barricade and the fans fired up a bit. Elgin tossed Young back into the ring, but he rolled right back out. Elgin caught Young with a shoulder tackle off the apron a short time later. Elgin lifted Young and hit a powerslam into the guardrail and the fans fired up. The fans chanted for both men with Elgin in control back inside the ring. Elgin went for a delayed vertical suplex, but Young slipped out and mounted a comeback. Young targeted Elgin’s back and told him that he’s average. Elgin fired back and caught Young in the middle of the ring and lifted him right up into the vertical suplex position. That was impressive as hell. Elgin held Young up and the crowd counted to 60 before Elgin dropped Young down to the mat for a 2 count. Elgin went for a deadlift Vertical suplex from the apron, but Young kicked his legs out from under him. Young back working over Elgin back inside the ring. They went back and forth and Elgin tossed Young to the outside. Elgin set up for a dive, but Young ran back into the ring. They traded counters until Young tossed Elgin through the turnbuckles and into the ringpost. Young hasn’t gotten in a lot of offense in this match, as Elgin seemingly always cuts him off shortly after he gets the upper hand. Young went for a sleeper, but Elgin shook him off a short time later.

Elgin hit a series of forearms on Young and eventually hit a big slingshot splash. Elgin hit a big codebreaker off the ropes, but Young kicked out at the last second. Elgin set up Young for a deadlift vertical suplex from the apron, but Young slipped out of it. Elgin tried to fire back, but Young tripped him off the top and followed up with a TKO for a 2 count. Elgin fired back and hit a roaring elbow to Young’s back after hanging him up in the ropes. Elgin then hit a huge face buster on Young for a 2 count. The crowd has gotten really flat with the layout of this match. They went back and forth. Even the announcers sounded bored by this point. Both men exchanged blows until Young took down Elgin with a huge clothesline. They battled up top and Elgin hit a huge DVD off the top for a 2 count. The fans chanted “Milwaukee, Milwaukee” with Elgin in control. Young popped up and hit a Finlay roll on Elgin. He went up top and hit the headstand into a moonsault out of the corner, but Elgin kicked out at the last second. The fans booed and chanted “That was three.” Young went to the outside and got a table. The fans chanted for the table. Young went for a suplex from the apron through the table, but Elgin ended up nailing him with a big kick. Elgin then hit a flipping legdrop off the turnbuckles, which somehow resulted in Young ending up on top of the table on the floor. Elgin set up for a dive, but Young tossed the table in his face, which wasn’t a DQ. The announcers said the ref was using discretion. The fans fired up as Young tried to piledrive Elgin through the table from the apron. Elgin and Young went back and forth near the apron. Elgin ended up hitting a belly-to-belly suplex over the top rope and Young went flying through the table and the fans went nuts. Young tried to surprise Elgin back inside the ring with a small package a short time later, but Elgin kicked out. Young went for his headstand on the top rope, but Elgin popped up and nailed him with a backfist, a buckle bomb, and an Elgin bomb for the win.

Elgin got on the mic after the match and said he’s Unbreakable Michael Elgin and he’s the ROH World Champion. The fans booed. Elgin said it’s safe to say that after what the fans saw tonight that the three letters (in reference to ROH) represent the best wrestling on the planet. A small ROH chant started and Elgin posed with the title. Young blew off a handshake from Elgin once he recovered.

Winner: Michael Elgin

Star rating: (**1/2) – This ended the show on a bit of a down note. Elgin dominated the action from start to finish and Young barely got any sustained offense in and took the brunt of the punishment throughout the match. As champion, Elgin should be wrestling a style of match that makes his oppoenents looks better than Young did in this match.

Overall thoughts: (8.5) – This was a really great show that was only hampered by a flat main event. Milwaukee is ROH’s best market from a crowd heat standpoint right now and they provided a great atmosphere throughout the show and depending on your thoughts on how important a main event is to close an independent DVD, O’Reilly-Styles and The Young Bucks-Briscoes matches are well-worth the purchase of this show on their own.

The undercard featured a number of solid matches. The crowd really carried things throughout the night by providing a great atmosphere. It was slightly disappointing to see Cole in the opening tag match teaming with Bennett against The Addiction, although the match was fine, I would love to see Cole wrestler higher up on most ROH DVDs if at all possible given he’s one of the top performers in the company.

The Decade was a little overexposed during the show, as they were involved in several matches and segments, but overall it looks like this show played a part in them finally going somewhere with Strong teasing a breakup from the group after refusing help during his match with Hanson.

The Styles-O’Reilly match is a high-end US MOTY candidate. They wrestled a brilliant match with O’Reilly targeting Styles’s arm with submission and constantly fending off the Styles clash. Styles finally managed to hit the hollow point DDT and a Styles clash in the end to put away O’Reilly, but the way the match built was excellent and the crowd was going nuts by the end.

The Young Bucks-Briscoes match was also excellent and once again the fans reached a fever pitch. The Briscoes promo before the match was incredible with Jay rapping about how the Briscoes were going to superkick The Young Bucks while Mark did some beatboxing in the background. The match itself was put together nicely and they did a great near fall at the end with Matt kicking out of the Jay-driller before the Briscoes eventually put him away with the doomsday device. This was a fantastic tag team match between two legendary teams on the independent scene.

The main event between Elgin and Young for the ROH World Championship was flat. Young did a good job of getting the majority of the crowd to turn against him with some mic work before the match, but the match itself was mostly flat. Elgin didn’t do much of anything to make Young look good here, as he constantly cut Young off anytime Young had the advantage and got all his signature offense in as well. The match wasn’t bad, but given the quality of the rest of the card I was hoping for a better ending to the show.

This is one of ROH’s better DVDs from 2014. It features two fantastic matches in Styles-O’Reilly and Young Bucks-The Briscoes. The rest of the card is filled out with a number of good to very good matches and only the main event was flat. This show is definitely worth going out of your way to check out.

You can purchase ROH’s “Death Before Dishonor XII: Night 1” on DVD by clicking HERE or by visiting ROHWrestling.com. You can also purchase this show on VOD at ROHWrestling.com. For more information on ROH visit ROHWrestling.com.

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