By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S ROH “WAR OF THE WORLDS 2015: NIGHT 1” REPORT
MAY 12, 2015
PHILDELPHIA, PA
AVAILABLE ON VOD AT ROHWRESTLING.COM

The show began with Adam Cole coming out to a big ovation. Cole said he was scheduled to make his return tomorrow, but he would not be making his in-ring return. Cole said A.J. Styles wasn’t supposed to have a mystery opponent and he was supposed to face him. Cole said his doctor told him to be smart and take it easy. Cole said ROH told him the same thing. Cole said his doctor and ROH could both kiss his ass. Cole said he won his ROH World Championship in Philadelphia. He said he would get redemption tonight when he beats A.J. Styles. The fans went nuts and ate up everything Cole had to say. Cole said he’s back and left the ring.

They aired a cool opening video package saying the war continues now between ROH and NJPW.

The crowd was jacked as Kelly and Corino formally introduced the show. The fans went absolutely nuts in the background.

(1) Delirious vs. Gedo. Gedo wouldn’t follow the code of honor. They went back and forth on the mat and Gedo offered a handshake, but ended up kicking Delirious in the gut and the fans booed. They went back and forth and Gedo took Delirious down and nailed him with a superkick. Delirious tried to bite his way free of Gedo, but Gedo stomped on his foot. Delirious ran the ropes and kept changing directions before eventually hitting a big clothesline. Delirious ran wild on Gedo and eventually caught him in the cobra clutch. Gedo fought free and poked Delirious in the eye. Delirious ended up running over the ref and Gedo hit a low blow and then caught Delirious in a pinning combination for the win.

Winner: Gedo – This was fine for an opener. The match wasn’t all that exciting, but the crowd was very much willing to play alone with Delirious’s tactics and Gedo’s heel work.

NJPW vs. ROH tally: NJPW 1 ROH 0

(2) Roderick Strong vs. KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA got the better of Strong and spun around on top of his back. Strong took exception to KUSHIDA celebrating and gave him a hard shove. KUSHIDA got the better of Strong and hit a cartwheel into a dropkick and the fans fired up. KUSHIDA hit a Pele kick to send Strong to the floor and set up for a dive, but Strong caught his boot on the apron. Strong then pulled KUSHIDA off the apron and nailed him with a huge back breaker. Strong went for a chop on KUSHIDA on the floor a short time later, but KUSHIDA got out of the way and he connected with the ringpost. KUSHIDA went for a head scissors on the apron, but Strong caught him and got the Stronghold. The fans went nuts, but Strong was forced to release the hold. Strong nailed KUSHIDA with a back breaker over his shoulder and continued to target KUSHIDA’s back. Strong hit a huge dropkick to cut off KUSHIDA and followed up with an Angle slam a short time later on KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA appeared to be out of it, as Strong dragged him to his feet and hit another Angle slam for a 2 count. KUSHIDA mounted a comeback and hit a springboard chop. KUSHIDA floated over Strong and got the kimura, but Strong got his foot on the ropes. KUSHIDA caught Strong by surprise with a handspring kick and he went to the floor. KUSHIDA went up top and hit a big cross-body to the floor and the fans fired up.

Strong crawled back into the ring, but KUSHDIA nailed him with a dropkick as he crawled through the ropes. KUSHIDA then followed up with a moonsault for a 2 count. They went back and forth in the middle of the ring exchanging blows. KUSHIDA fired up and hit a straight right, but Strong fired right back with a jumping knee to the head and the fans lost their minds with both men down! Wow! Both men traded blows from their knees. Strong eventually hit a big slam that sent KUSHIDA face-first into the mat for a 2 count. Strong put KUSHIDA on the top turnbuckle and went for a superplex. KUSHIDA tried to fight it, but Strong eventually landed it and KUSHIDA kicked out at the last second and the fans gasped. KUSHIDA countered a back breaker and went for the kimura again. He eventually got it. Strong tried to fight his way to the ropes, but he ended up rolling through and hitting a huge lung blower and a sick kick for a near fall. Strong then lifted up KUSHIDA and hit the end of heartache for the win! Holy crap!

Strong lifted KUSHIDA up after the match and shook his hand as the fans applauded.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Star rating: (***3/4) – This was a really good match. KUSHIDA targeted Strong’s arm throughout the match and Strong went after KUSHIDA’s back. They had a red hot crowd helping them through an ordinary start to the match, but things really picked up late with some great exchanges between both men.

NJPW vs. ROH tally: 1-1

Jay Lethal cut a promo before his match against Watanabe. He said his title is the greatest championship in the world. Lethal said there’s a man backstage holding gold that means nothing compared to his. Lethal said his name is Jay Briscoe. Lethal said the last time they met face to face, everyone chanted man up. Lethal said he was going to take it out on Watanabe. He told Watanabe he could thank Jay Briscoe and his stupid chant for the beating he was going to get.

(3) ROH World TV Champion Jay Lethal (w/The HOT) vs. Watanabe in a Non-title match. Watanabe teased a handshake and then pulled it back. Lethal demanded Watanabe shake his hand. Watanabe shook it and Lethal went for a punch, but Watanabe hit a German and then another German. He then sent Lethal over the top with a big clothesline. The fans chanted suplex city as Watanabe tossed Lethal into the guardrail several times on the outside. Lethal fired back and tossed Watanabe into the guardrail. Watanabe ended up whipping Lethal into a chair that Lethal had set up. Lethal ended up in the seated position and Watanabe nailed him with a dropkick. Lethal went for a dive through the ropes, but Watanabe caught him and hit a German on the floor and the fans fired up. Watanabe had the upper hand in the ring, but Martini tripped him from the outside. Lethal then sent Watanabe to the floor and nailed him with three dives through the ropes and the fans fired up. Lethal then posed on the ropes while Martini celebrated on the outside. Lethal eventually began working over Watanabe inside the ring. Lethal worked over Watanabe for a long period of time and the fans began chanting man up, which made Lethal paused and look out into crowd. Watanabe capitalized and mounted a comeback. He began whipping Lethal into the turnbuckles sending him back and forth across the ring. He ended up whipping him into the turnbuckles 10 times and the fans fired up. Watanabe capped the sequence with a neck breaker for a 2 count. Watanabe and Lethal battled up top a short time later. Lethal sent him to the mat and went for hail to the king. Watanabe got his feet up, but Lethal caught them and hit the Lethal combination for a near fall. Lethal shoved the ref and slowly climbed the ropes again. Watanabe cut him off up top and they went at it again. Watanabe eventually lifted Lethal onto his shoulders, but Martini got up on the apron. Watanabe went after Martini and shoved him off the apron, but Diesel caught him. Lethal then hit an ace crusher and the Lethal injection for the win.

After the match, Jay Briscoe made his way down to the ring, but Lethal and The HOT bailed to the floor. The fans chanted for Jay

NJPW vs. ROH tally: ROH 2-1

Winner: Jay Lethal

Star rating: (***) – This was very good at times, especially when Watanabe was showcasing his power moves. I’d like to see Lethal wrestle more matches where outside interference doesn’t directly lead to him winning matches.

The Young Bucks got a monster pop and streamers coming out for the upcoming Triple Threat match. The Addiction, The Kingdom, and The Young Bucks all took turns holding up their titles.

(4) ROH World Tag Team Champions The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. IWGP Hvt. Tag Team Champions The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Michael Bennett) vs. IWGP Jr. Hvt. Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) in a Non-title Triple Threat match. The audio seemed to drop out before being restored before the start of the match. Nick hit a dropkick on Taven and did a bunch of crotch chops during the early going. Kelly said the Kingdom was really mad at The Addiction for the KRD reveal. It was all action during the early going. The Young Bucks ran wild on everyone and the fans fired up after they cleared the ring. Kazarian avoided a double superkick and tagged in Bennett. He then went to the apron and The Young Bucks superkicked him to the floor. The Young Bucks hit a stereo dive to the floor and then Taven wiped out everyone with a big dive over the top. He tossed Nick back into the ring and made the cover, but only got a 2 count. The fans chanted “where’s Maria?” as Bennett worked over Nick inside the ring. Kelly said on commentary that he requested ROH remove the timekeepers table. He hinted that Daniels wanted to take a potential weapon away from the match. Daniels began working over Bennett. Kelly said it was almost curtains for The Addiction and perhaps Daniels would be kept as a singles wrestler, but they won the ROH World Tag Team Titles. Bennett took a beating from The Addiction for a long period of time.

Bennett finally fired back and hit a spinebuster on Daniels. Taven ended up pulling Kazarian off the apron, but Matt tagged himself in and tossed Bennett to the floor. He then ran wild hitting a flurry of offense on several opponents. The fans went nuts and Matt hit a moonsault to the floor on Bennett. The fans chanted for The Young Bucks as they stood tall in the ring. Matt went for a sunset bomb on the floor on Kazarian. He held on, but Nick nailed him with a superkick and Matt powerbombed him into Daniels, who went flying into the guardrail. The Young Bucks went to work on Daniels back inside the ring and got a near fall after nailing him with a series of double team maneuvers. Taven tagged himself in and The Kingdom hit a running kick/backpack chin breaker on Matt for a 2 count. The action continued at a rapid pace and the fans fired up. Kazarian hit a slingshot to bring Nick back into the ring right into an ace crusher for a 2 count. Nick fired back and everyone started hitting superkicks. Nick went for a flying superkick on Kazarian, but he got out of the way and he nailed the ref. Everyone was down except for Daniels. Daniels got one of the tag titles, but Matt took it from him. The Young Bucks ran wild with superkicks and hit the Meltzer driver on Kazarian for the win. Holy s—t!

Winners: Matt & Nick Jackson

Star rating: (****) – This was a ton of fun. Parts of the match were slow when The Kingdom and The Addiction were going at it in the ring. The Young Bucks were awesome here tossing superkicks, hitting double team maneuvers, and generally just being awesome. The finishing sequence was insane.

NJPW vs. ROH tally: 2-2

The second half of the show began with Moose coming out with Veda Scott and Stokely Hathaway. Kelly wondered whether or not Moose would have been the man to face A.J. Styles if Adam Cole hadn’t made his return. Hathaway got on the mic and said he had something important to say. He said he owed Nigel McGuinness an apology. He said he was going to go about things the right way. He said Moose should be the #1 contender for the ROH World Championship. Scott got on the mic and asked Hathaway what he was doing. She said Moose is undefeated and when you’re undefeated, you don’t ask anything. Scott jawed with Hathaway and told him to follow her lead. She told him she doesn’t want to have this conversation again. Hathaway got angry, but Scott transitioned that they wouldn’t have to have that conversation again because Moose is a future ROH World Champion.

Elgin came out to face Naito and was booed. Kelly mentioned that Elgin was bench pressing 500 pounds now. Naito came out next to a good reaction from the crowd. Both men shook hands before the match began. Kelly said the less Elgin cares the better he becomes.

(5) Michael Elgin vs. Tetsuya Naito. Naito got the better of Elgin during the early going. Elgin fired back and hung Naito up in the ropes before hitting a flipping leg drop for a 2 count. Corino said a victory over Naito could catapult him towards his dream of competing in NJPW. Elgin began working over Naito after whipping him hard into the turnbuckles. The fans booed after Elgin hit a legdrop on the apron on Naito. Elgin went for a powerbomb on the floor, but Naito hit a backdrop. Naito went for a tornado DDT back inside the ring, but Elgin blocked it and hit a twisting neck breaker for a 2 count. Naito mounted a comeback and hit his signature running senton off the ropes. He then hit his signature slingshot dropkick in the corner, but Elgin kicked out at 2. Elgin fired back and hit a big discus elbow for a 2 count. They went back and forth in the center of the ring. Naito finally hit a tornado DDT off the ropes. He then crawled over to Elgin and made the cover for a 2 count. Kelly said Elgin had a perfect record in 2015. Naito went for a super hurricanrana, but Elgin blocked it. Elgin went for a powerbomb off the top, but Naito turned it into a hurricanrana for a near fall.

The fans fired up and Naito hit a slam on Elgin and went up top. Elgin popped up and grabbed his foot. He eventually nailed Naito with a dropkick. Elgin went for a superplex, but Naito fought out of it. Naito went for a sunset bomb. Elgin hung onto the ropes and punched Naito. He then came off the turnbuckles with a code breaker. Elgin lifted Naito up and nailed him with a huge clothesline a short time later for a 2 count. The fans booed Elgin as he set up behind Naito. Elgin hit a buckle bomb, but Naito counted the Elgin bomb into a victory roll for the win.

After the match, Elgin got a chair and got into the ring. Naito told Elgin to bring it. Elgin smiled and dropped the chair. He offered a handshake to Naito. Naito kicked Elgin’s hand away and tossed him to the floor.

NJPW vs. ROH tally: NJPW 3-2

Winner: Tetsuya Naito

Star rating: (***) – The action was good here. The match seemed to just be getting going when it ended.

ReDRagon came out first to face Liger & Tanahashi and got a big reaction and streamers. Tanahashi & Liger came out next to a huge ovation from the fans. Kelly mentioned that Bobby Fish was facing Jay Briscoe for the ROH World Title on the next show. Tanahashi and Liger both got streamers tossed at them when they got into the ring. The fans chanted for Liger once Tanahashi’s music stopped. The fans then chanted for Tanahashi. Both teams shook hands before the match began.

(6) ReDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Jushin Liger & Hiroshi Tanahashi. The fans fired up for Tanahashi and Fish going at it during the early stages of the match. They chanted for both men and it was about 50/50. ReDRagon got the upper hand and went to work on Liger on the floor before tossing him back into the ring. O’Reilly got the cross-arm breaker on Liger, but Tanahashi broke it up. Liger mounted a comeback and shoved O’Reilly into Fish. He then hit a back breaker on O’Reilly. Tanahashi got the hot tag and ran wild. Tanahashi got a Texas cloverleaf on O’Reilly. Fish tried to break it up, but Tanahashi nailed him with a dragon screw. Tanahashi and O’Reilly went back and forth and knocked each other silly. O’Reilly finally hit a leg sweep and both men were down. Fish got the tag from O’Reilly. He went back and forth with Tanahashi with each man going for a suplex until Tanahashi finally hit a neck breaker. Liger got the tag and hit a series of moves on Fish with Tanahashi capped by a big clothesline for a 2 count.

Liger hit a Liger bomb on Fish, but O’Reilly broke up the pin. The action broke down and Fish drove Tanahashi into the barricade and O’Reilly nailed him with a running dropkick off the apron. ReDRagon went to work on Liger inside the ring. They set up for chasing the dragon and hit it on Liger for the win.

NJPW vs. ROH tally: 3-3

Winners: Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly

Star rating: (***) – This was a good back and forth tag match. The crowd was into the action once again, although the heat was a step down from the other matches. It seemed like the match was just getting going when it ended.

Adam Cole came out and got a good reception from the fans to face A.J. Styles. Styles came out next and got a big pop and streamers. The fans were red hot and chanted for both men before the match started. Cole shook Styles’s hand and then spit on it.

(7) IWGP Hvt. Champion A.J. Styles vs. Adam Cole in a Non-title match. Styles caught Cole with a big neck breaker over his knee after a fast exchange off the ropes during the early going. Kelly said Cole was supposed to be out for 9-12 months, but had returned in 5. Styles worked over Cole and hit a suplex before floating over for the pin for a count. Cole hit a thumb to the eye, but Styles caught him with his signature dropkick off the ropes a short time later. Cole ended up dragging Styles to the floor. He then hit a wheelbarrow suplex into the apron. The fans chanted for both men as Cole worked over Styles in the ring. Cole did the Triple H style bow for the fans, which drew some boos. Cole grounded Styles with a headlock on the mat. A fan yelled “You f---ing suck Kevin Kelly” and you could see Corino smiling at Kelly in the background during a quiet moment. Styles fired back and suplexed Cole into the turnbuckles. Styles hit a torture rack bomb on Cole for a 2 count. Styles set up for the Styles clash, but Cole blocked it. Cole fired back and suplexed Styles over his knee for a 2 count. They battled up top a short time later. Styles slid out from under Cole and tripped him face-first into the turnbuckles. Styles went for a springboard, but Cole caught him with a superkick for a near fall.

Cole then applied the figure 4 in the middle of the ring and Corino urged Cole to squeeze the hold on commentary. The fans fired up and chanted this is wrestling as Styles fought the hold. Styles eventually managed to get to the ropes. Cole appeared to be favoring his arm after breaking the hold. Cole went for a German from the apron to the floor, but Styles held on to the ropes. They continued to battle on the apron and Styles nailed him with the bloody Sunday DDT and the crowd lost their mind. Cole barely beat the 20 count. They went back and forth. Cole ducked a Pele kick and nailed Styles with a superkick. The crowd went insane and counted along with the ref, but Styles kicked out at 2! Holy crap! What an exchange that was. My gosh! Cole went for a Styles clash after Styles blocked a Canadian destroyer attempt. Styles blocked it. Cole then charged in the corner, caught Styles boot, and hit the Styles clash for a near fall. The crowd went crazy for that sequence. Holy crap! Styles blocked the Florida Keys German and drove Cole into the corner. The fans chanted for both men. Cole hit a superkick to Styles’s knee and went for the leaping code red off the ropes. Styles ducked it and went for a springboard, but Cole hit him with a superkick to the back of the head and then a German. Cole charged at Styles. Styles caught him in the Styles clash, but Cole fought out of it. Cole went for a shining wizard, but Styles ducked it and hit a Pele kick. Styles then hit 2 hollow point DDT’s. He held onto Cole and hit the Styles clash for the win. My god!

After the match, Styles dragged Cole to his feet. Styles turned around and Cole stopped him and offered a handshake. Cole grabbed Styles’s hand and made him shake it before leaving the ring.

Winner: A.J. Styles

Star rating; (****1/2) – This was an amazing match. The second half of the match was especially great. Cole showed no ring rust and looked amazing here. They had some insane sequence’s here that sent the fans into a frenzy, especially Cole hitting the Styles clash. This was fantastic.

Okada was out first with Gedo for the main event and he got a big pop as Okada money fell from the rafters. Nakamura was out next to an even bigger reaction. He danced his way down to the ring to a big ovation. Nakamura got into the ring and it filled with streamers. The Briscoes were out next to a big reaction. The fans chanted for Nakamura and Okada before the opening bell. Both teams shook hands before the match began. Nakamura seemed confused about shaking hands so he shook hands with the ref and Okada.

(8) Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura (w/Gedo) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe). The fans were jacked for the opening moments of the match as Okada and Jay went at it. Okada went for the rainmaker early, but Jay ducked it. Jay then went for the Jay-driller, but Okada blocked it. Nakamura then tagged in to a big pop from the crowd. Mark also tagged in as the crowd chanted for Nakamura. Corino talked about how Nakamura doesn’t like him on commentary. Mark pulled the ropes on Nakamura and then nailed him with a dropkick through the ropes. Nakamura fired back and got the upper hand before tagging in Okada, who began working over Mark. Nakamura hit the vibration boot on Mark in the corner and the fans fired up. He set up for a running knee, but Mark got his feet up and kicked him to the ground. Nakamura knocked Jay off the apron, but Mark caught him with a rolling DVD and tagged in Jay a short time later. Jay fired up on Nakamura and dropped him down with a neck breaker for a 2 count. Nakamura fired back and tagged in Okada.

Okada went to work on Jay and nailed him with a big DDT. Jay fought back and tagged in Mark, who ran into a big boot from Okada. Mark fired back and Jay made a blind tag. Mark hit a chin breaker on Okada and then Jay wiped him out with a big clothesline. Jay worked over Okada and applied a chin lock. Okada fired back a short time later and caught him with a neck breaker over his knee. The fans fired up with both men down on the mat. Nakamura got the tag from Okada and nailed Jay with a series of kicks capped by an enzuguri after Jay blocked a kick. Nakamura went for the vibration boot in the corner, but Jay blocked it. Nakamura fired back and draped Jay over the turnbuckles and nailed him with a running knee for a 2 count. Jay fired back and went for the Jay-driller, but Nakamura countered it into a reverse power slam. Nakamura set up for the Boma Ye, but Jay nailed him with a spinebuster and both men were down. Both men tagged out a short time later. Mark and Okada went at it and Okada hit a flapjack. He then tied up Mark in red ink and the fans applauded. Jay broke it up and Okada tossed him to the floor. The Briscoes then went to work on Okada and nailed him with a tandem lariat, but Nakamura broke up the pin. The Briscoes isolated Okada and went for the doomsday device, but Okada fought out of it. Okada nailed Mark up top with a dropkick and Jay went for the Jay-driller, but Okada blocked it. Jay fired back and sent Okada down. Mark came off the top with the froggy-bow, but Okada kicked out at the last second. Okada caught Mark with a dropkick and then hit a neck breaker over his knee on Jay. Nakamura wiped out Jay with the Boma Ye. Okada then went up top and dropped an elbow on Mark. The fans fired up as Okada signaled for the rainmaker and hit it for the win.

The fans chanted for Okada and then Nakamura. The Briscoes were left alone in the ring and the fans chanted man up. Bobby Fish came down to the ring and grabbed the ROH World Title at ringside. Fish held up the ROH World Title as several attendants and refs tried to keep Jay away from him. The fans chanted for Fish as he posed with the ROH World Title. Fish then dropped the belt and left the ring to end the show.

NJPW vs. ROH tally: NJPW wins 4-3

Winners: Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was a satisfying main event with a ton of star power in the ring. There were some lulls in the match, but the fans fired up for the signature offense of Okada and Nakamura. Things picked up nicely down the stretch with Okada finishing off Mark with the rainmaker.

Overall thoughts: (9.0) – This was a tremendous show from start to finish. The fans were red hot for the show. There were a number of really good matches on this card, especially Styles-Cole and the Triple Threat Tag with the Young Bucks vs. The Kingdom vs. The Addiction.

The early part of the show was highlighted by Strong-KUSHIDA, which was really good. It started slow, but they put together some really incredible fast-paced exchanges. KUSHIDA worked over Strong’s arm throughout the match before finishing him off with the kimura.

The show then shifted into high gear with a fantastic Triple Threat match between The Young Bucks, The Addiction, and The Kingdom. These three teams pulled out all the stops during the second half of the match and The Young Bucks were incredible here throwing a superkick party and hitting all of their signature stuff before finishing off Kazarian with the Meltzer Driver.

The second half of the show was strong, but it didn’t get better than Styles-Cole. Styles once again pinned Cole, but this was much better than their match last year at “All Star Extravaganza VI.” The crowd was red hot for Cole at the start of the show, but he managed to turn a good portion of the crowd against him during the match with his heel tactics. Cole hitting the Styles Clash late in the match sent the crowd into a frenzy, but Styles finished him off with two brutal piledrivers right into the Styles clash for the win. This match is well-worth seeking out immediately!

The main event was a really good showcase match. The crowd was hot for the Briscoes, Nakamura, and Okada. The fan reaction to seeing Okada and Nakamura perform their signature maneuvers carried the match, although the action was quite good late. This wasn’t a classic match, but it was really good. I also liked the post-match angle to set up Jay defending the ROH World Title against Fish on the next show.

This was a really good show bolstered by the NJPW star power and a hot crowd. It’s well going out of your way to see this show, as the entire card was strong with two must-see matches.

You can purchase ROH’s “War of the Worlds: Night 1” on VOD by clicking HERE or by visiting ROHWrestling.com. For more information about upcoming ROH dates and lineups, visit ROHWrestling.com.

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