8/20 ROH in Edinburgh, Scotland: Bullet Club, Naito, Cody, Six-man tag team title change, Bully Ray

RING OF HONOR – WAR OF THE WORLD TOUR
AUGUST 20, 2017
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – AT EDINBURGH CORN EXCHANGE
REPORT BY ALLAN WEIR (@AllanWeir90), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Ring Of Honor made their final stop on their War Of The Worlds Tour. The stars of ROH, NJPW, and CMLL performed in front of a full house in Edinburgh. The Corn Exchange was witness to ROH history.

Ring Of Honor ring announcer Bobby Cruise kicked the show off with a huge welcome to all the fans. Cruise also introduced the announce team of Ian Riccaboni and B.J. Whitmer.

(1) Kenny King beat Colt Cabana and Josh Bodom in a Triple Threat match. Comedic wrestling blended with some high flying and high octane offence throughout. Colt and Kenny took turns throwing Bodom around and chopping his ego down to size. In the end, Kenny King walked away with the win after pinning Josh Bodom. Very fun match to watch and kick off the show with.

(2) CMLL stars Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Buccanero defeated Marc & Jay Briscoes. For whatever reason the CMLL stars were unanimously favored by the fans, which took me and The Briscos by surprise. Mark and Jay went full bad guys after receiving some boos initially in the match. They talked smack to the crowd and took multiple short cuts during the action. Briscoes dominated most of the match but Guerrero and Bucanero overcame the brothers with great tag team moves and a simple roll up for the win. The CMLL stars were cheered for their win and met with a chorus of “Lucha! Lucha!” chants.

(3) Bully Ray beat EVIL. EVIL was fresh off his impressive outing at the G1 Climax. There was a surprising size difference between the two men, which played in to the power game of Bully. Majority of the match was spent building up EVIL to overpower the bigger man. EVIL accomplished this feat, with the help of Bully Rays chain. Down went Bully but EVIL did this right in front of the referee. Bully Ray wins by DQ. After the match the fans demanded tables! EVIL was more than happy to oblige but after setting it up himself, he ended up being forcefully choke slammed through the table. One half of the table was presented to a young fan by Ray, this kid now has a great souvenir and story to take home.

(4) Naito & Sanada & Bushi beat Titus & Mistico & Jushida. EVIL was done for the night but his Los Ingobernables De Japon team mates were now ready to make their impact. Led by the NEW G1 Climax winner Tetsuya Naito, Sanada and Bushi made their way to the ring to face off against Titan, Mistico, and Kushida. The fans in attendance were firmly behind Naito and LIJ, which meant their opponents got a lot of stick. LIJ controlled most of the match and endured a late scare of high lucha libre attacks to seal the victory with Destino from Naito to pin Mistico. This was a sensational moment. To see the NJPW G1 Climax winner so soon after winning, was fantastic. After the match Naito raked the eyes of the referee, who was comically helped to the back. It wouldn’t be a Naito match without an injured member of ring staff.

(5) Hiromu Takahashi beat Mark Haskins Finally the final member of LIJ was in action, Hiromu Takahashi. He was flanked by his fully recovered friend, Daryl. The “Ticking Timebomb” faced off against UK star Mark Haskins. Both men went back and forth and had instances of dominance. Haskins was a lot more physical than usual, trying to ground Takahashi. The match time was pretty short and exclamation point to the finish came with Hiromu executing the “Timebomb” for the victory. Afterwards he and Daryl celebrated the victory in the ring, and on the entrance way.

(6) Adam Page & The Young Bucks beat Dalton Castle & The Boys. This is what many had come to see. Cue Bullet Club’s music. The biggest pop of the night so far came when Adam “Hangman” Page and The Young Bucks made their way to the ring. Chants of “To Sweet!” and “The Elite, The The Elite!” echoed around the halls of Edinburgh Corn Exchange. The always flamboyant Dalton Castle and his Boys followed soon after, Castle’s entrance is certainly one to try and witness at least once in your life. This was for the Ring Of Honor Six-Man Tag Team Championships, currently held by Dalton and The Boys.

The bell sounded and the fans rejoiced at a title match in our home town. The plan for the champions was clear from the start, they had to keep Dalton Fresh or the Boys would be in trouble. Dalton controlled much of the early going and often used the Boys as weapons during the match. He threw them at the BC members and even assist their flight for their suicide dives to the outside. Bullet Club gained control of the match when everyone was invited to our favorite kind of party, Superkick Party! Superkicks flew left, right and centre, with one of the Boys appearing to lose a tooth. Daltons plan eventually failed as he was cast to the outside and both Boys were subjected to a Right Of Passage/ Meltzer Driver crescendo. The three count was made and the fans blew the roof off the building. Ladies and Gentlemen, your NEW ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions, the Bullet Club (The Hung Bucks). After the match we could see that one of the Boys did indeed lose a tooth, and Bullet Club celebrated their title win on the stage. No one expected a title change at the show and it was a very welcome surprise.

(7) Cody & Marty Scurll beat The Addiction. The Addiction entered first, kitted out in “Hot Rod” t-shirts and each wearing a kilt. It seemed they were trying to endear themselves to the Scottish fans, but oh how it was the opposite. After telling us to face the truth that Rowdy Roddy Piper was Canadian, they also said only they could not go true Scotsmen as they were “too well endowed.” Their opponents got a grandiose reception as “The Villian” Marty Scurll and the ROH World Heavyweight Champion, Cody, made their way to the ring. Both sporting “Allied Powers” on their ring gear. After a back and forth between the two teams, the match descended in to a spot frenzy with Daniels completing the Best Moonsault Ever, Marty caught Kaz in the Chicken Wing, and then Cody nailed Daniels with Cross Rhodes for the win. Allied Powers win.

(8) Silas Young beat Jay Lethal in an Edinburgh Street Fight. The rivalry between Silas Young and Jay Lethal came to a head in a Edinburgh Street Fight. In a very physical contest, both men used all weapons at their disposal. Pints of beer, sweeping brushes, trash cans, and chairs all used in the name of violence. As it has been for months, Silas Young once again had Lethal’s number and picked up the victory in Edinburgh.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Like previous reports, this was my first ever ROH show. The show was an absolute sensation. The stage and set up was impeccable, presentation and entrances were fantastic. The action in ring was brilliant and a thoroughly enjoyable show. Look out for the Edinburgh show on VOD coming soon.

NOW CHECK OUT THIS RELATED REPORT: 8/18 ROH in London, England at York Hall: Los Ingobernablés de Japòn vs. Bullet Club, Kushida, Titan, Briscoes, Addiction, more

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