SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
RADICAN’S FINAL BATTLE 2016 PPV REVIEW
DECEMBER 2, 2016
NEW YORK, N.Y.
(1) The Rebellion (Kenny King & Rhett Titus & Caprice Coleman) vs. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin & Donovan Dijak. Titus won after a frog splash on Sabin. Dijak looked incredible during his big spotlight segment in the match. This was a fun opener (***1/4)
(2) Silas Young (w/BCB) vs. Jushin Liger. Young won with misery. Lots of interference from BCB during the match. The match was largely flat.
(3) Colt Cabana vs. Dalton Castle. Castle won a solid match sit the bang-a-rang. He escaped Cubs win and the Chicago skyline before getting the win. (**1/2)
The Addiction came out before Jay Lethal vs. Cody could start. Christopher Daniels put over Dusty Rhodes as an inspiration. He said ROH needs men with passion like Cody.
(4) Jay Lethal vs. Cody (Rhodes). The Addiction joined the commentary booth. Rhodes sent Lethal into the ref. He then turned heel and hit a low blow follows by Cross Rhodes for the win. The action was very good while it lasted. (***1/4)
Rhodes mocked the Code of Honor after the match and flipped off Lethal. Daniels and Kazarian ran down to chase him off. Rhodes flipped over a table and tossed water at the ref, but the crowd cheered him and chanted his name. Rhodes pushed Corino over in his chair for good measure before heading backstage.
(5) The Kingdom (Matt Taven & T.K O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia) vs. IWGP Jr. Hvt. Champion KUSHIDA & Lio Rush & Jay White in the ROH World Six Man Title finals. Rush nearly got the win during the early going with a frog splash on O’Ryan. They went to a long heat segment on KUSHIDA and the crowd was flat. White got the hot tag and cleaned house. They did a sequence where they did a million dives to finally wake the crowd up. Marseglia intentionally hit a moonsault on the ref to break up a pin. The Kingdom hit a triple powerbomb on Rush to become the first ROH World Six Man Tag Team Champions. (**3/4)
(6) ROH World TV Champion Marty Scurll vs. Dragon Lee vs. Will Ospreay. They had a fun three-way exchange and came to stalemate during the early going. I wasn’t a fan of Ospreay and Scurll working in harmony against Lee at one point. Lee tried to hit a hurricanrana off the apron to the floor, but Ospreay landed on his feet. He then wiped out Lee with a gorgeous SSP off the top to the floor. Ospreay hit four or five big moves on Scurll and did some high flying and Scurll gets up and catches him going for a springboard and turns it into a chicken wing. Scurll eventually caught Lee in the chicken wing after sending Ospreay to the floor. Lee tapped out and Scurll retained. (***1/4)
(7) ROH World Tag Team Champions and IWGP Jr. Hvt. Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe). I don’t know what Jay did to his hair, but it looks like an experiment gone terribly wrong. The Briscoes cut off the Terminator dive with a double clothesline during the early going as the Young Bucks were running through their signature spots. Both teams went back and forth and The Bucks hit a double superkick on Mark and then Jay, but Jay no sold it and hit a double clothesline. The Young Bucks hit a domesday superkick on Mark and more bang for your buck on Jay, but he kicked out. Jay cut off a Meltzer driver on Mark with an ace crusher off the turnbuckles. Matt kicked out of a Jay driller and the froggy-bow and the crowd went nuts. Matt kicked out of a springboard doomesday device and the fans went nuts again. The Bucks hit the Meltzer driver on Mark, but Jay made the save at the last second. The Young Bucks won the match after about a million superkicks on Mark and Jay as they were on their knees. (****)
After the match, the building went dark and Matt Hardy came on the screen to a huge pop. He said they were coming to ROH to delete The Young Bucks tag team title reign. The fans went nuts for that announcement. Wow!
(8) ROH World Champion Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly in a No DQ match. O’Reilly went for a running knee off the apron, but Cole caught him with a belt shot. O’Reilly came up bleeding. O’Reilly no-sold a German, but ended up staggering before falling through the ropes to the floor. O’Reilly fired up and suplexed Cole through a chair. O’Reilly put a can on Cole’s lap and nailed him with a running drop kick off the apron. He suplexed Cole off the top through a table a short time later. O’Reilly put Cole through another table after they traded low blows on the apron. Cole came up bleeding. He fired back a short time later with a neck breaker over his knee. Cole grabbed a bag under the apron and dumped tacks in the ring. O’Reilly grabbed a triangle to avoids being slammed into the tacks, but Cole eventually lifted him up and slammed him into the tacks anyway. O’Reilly blocked a superkick and hit a brain buster the tacks for a 2 count. He immediately went for a cross-arm breaker and they were both in the tacks. Cole finally tapped out. O’Reilly didn’t get much of a reaction at first for winning the ROH World Title, but the fans did pop when he was announced as the new ROH World Champion. (****)
After the match. Cary Silkin presented O’Reilly with the title to end the show.
FINAL THOUGHTS (8.5): This show was really good. The last two matches are worth going out of your way to see and the toned-down undercard built nicely from start to finish. Replay recommended.
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