RADICAN’S ROH “Manhattan Mayhem VI” Report – big surprises, Lee-Ospreay, Cole-Fish main event

RADICAN’S ROH “MANHATTAN MAYHEM VI” REPORT
MARCH 4, 2016
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
AVAILABLE ON VOD AT ROHWRESTLING.COM

Christopher Daniels opened the show with a promo and began talking about his upcoming ROH World Title shot in six days at the 15th Anniversary PPV, but he was interrupted by The Kingdom. Matt Taven ran him down and Daniels eventually agreed to a match.

(1) Christopher Daniels vs. T.K. O’Ryan. It was supposed to be Taven, but O’Ryan jumped in the ring to replace Taven at the beginning of the match. Daniels managed to overcome all sorts of outside interference to pin O’Ryan with the BME.

Winner: Christopher Daniels

Star rating: (**)

(2) Colt Cabana vs. Dalton Castle (w/The Boys). Cabana went after The Boys during the early going. Castle tried to cut him off on the floor, but Cabana countered and eventually tossed him into the guardrail. Cabana got the bully goat curse and The Boys got up on the apron to cheer him on. Castle struggled, but got to the ropes. Cabana then knocked The Boys to the floor. They battled up top and Cabana went for the Chicago skyline. The Boys got on the apron and Cabana was distracted. He sent The Boys flying to the floor when they climbed on top of each other on the apron. Castle then hit the bang-a-rang for the win.

Winner: Dalton Castle

Star rating: (**)

(3) ROH World TV Champion Marty Scurll vs. Sonjay Dutt. Dutt got in some offense early, but Scurll hit a superkick from the apron to the floor. Scurll went after Dutt’s arm and they exchange monkey flips until Scurll managed to counter Dutt. He went after his arm once again. The match really picked up during the second half as Dutt used his high flying to get in some offense. Scurll continued to target the arm and eventually countered a DDT attempt into the chicken wing for the win.

Winner: Marty Scurll to retain the ROH World TV Title

Star rating: (***)

(4) Dragon Lee vs. Will Ospreay. They started with an incredible back and forth exchange off the ropes with some crazy flips and counters until they came to a stalemate. Lee fired back with a big German. He then connected with a tope con hilo over the top to the floor. They exchanged some incredible counters with Lee going for a hurricanrana off the apron to the floor. Ospreay landed on his feet. A short time later Lee got a running start and hit a running hurricanrana over the top to the floor! Holy s–t! Lee tried to slingshot himself over Ospreay, but Ospreay caught him and suplexed him into the turnbuckles. Lee returned the favor a short time later and both men were down. They battle up too and Lee hung Ospreay upside down and nailed him with a double stomp for a near fall and the fans lost their minds. Lee blocked a springboard cutter and turned it into a sit out powerbomb for the win. This was an amazing display of athleticism and hard-hitting action.

Winner: Dragon Lee

Star rating: (****1/4)

(5) ROH World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Lio Rush & Jay White. Incredible back and forth action throughout. The YB hit a doomsday device superkick from the apron to the floor on Rush. Matt then hit an apron bomb on White and followed up by powerbombing Rush on top of him. All sorts of great spots in this one. Rush countered a slingshot X factor from Nick by doing a handstand at one point. Both teams were going back and forth at the end when The YB hit Rush with an IndyTaker. Nick then wiped out White with a dive and The YB finished off Rush with a Meltzer driver.

Winners: Matt & Nick Jackson to retain the ROH World Tag Team Titles

Star rating: (****)

The lights went out and music played. When they came back on Matt and Jeff Hardy were in the ring. The fans lost their minds and Matt got on the mic and said they had been chasing the Bucks of Youth for too long and they challenged The YB to put their titles on the line. The YB accepted.

(6) ROH World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Matt & Jeff Hardy. Incredible atmosphere for this one. The YB and The Hardys got dueling suck it and delete chants going during the early going. The action was fast paced in a match that went just under 10 minutes. At one point The YB hit the TOF/swanton combination on Matt for a huge pop, but Jeff made the save. The finish saw the YB go for more bang for your buck, but Matt slipped out and Jeff pushed Nick off the top through a table. The Hardys then hit the TOF/swanton combination on Matt for the win to a huge pop.

Winners: Matt & Jeff Hardy to become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions

Star rating: (****)

After the match, Matt got on the mic and said they would be on all the upcoming shows and had signed the biggest contract ever in ROH. He said they were now making more than The YB. Jeff ended up singing the obsolete song to close the segment even though he had a busted lip. This is the most buzz worthy segment ROH has had in years.

Silas Young left the commentary booth and entered himself in the Honor Royale.

(7) The Kingdom vs. Punishment Martinez vs. Coast To Coast vs. Will Ferrara vs. Cheeseburger vs. The Tempura Boyz vs. The Rebellion vs. War Machine vs. Beer City Bruiser vs. Chris Sabin vs. Silas Young in a Honor Royale match – winner receives a future ROH World Title shot. Everyone stood on the outside before getting into the ring. Rowe hit a superman punch early to eliminate O’Ryan. It was a mass of humanity in the ring with wrestlers going at it all over the place. This is the definition of a cool off match after that last segment. Ricabonni noted that Coleman hadn’t entered the match yet. The match began to whittle down as the eliminations started Coast to Coast and Kenny King were eliminated. Coleman worked over Ali on the outside. LSG went up top and wiped out everyone with a big rotational dive. He threw Coleman into the ring, who was confronted by punishment Martinez. He tried to do some blessings on Martinez, but Martinez tossed him over the top to eliminate him. Sho eliminated Titus with a dropkick on the apron. War Machine eliminated The Tempura Boyz a short time later after Sabin nailed them both with a dropkick. Martinez tried to choke slam Hanson from the apron to the floor, but Hanson eliminated him with an arm drag. Martinez then dragged Hanson to the floor to eliminate him. Young and Bruiser didn’t take kindly to Cheeseburger not helping them triple team Sabin, so they went to town on him. Cheeseburger fired back on Rowe and eliminated him with a palm strike. Cheeseburger seemed upset with himself because he thought it was the Bruiser or Young when he turned around. Cheeseburger got tossed to the floor, but War Machine caught him and tossed him back into the Bruiser. Young then eliminated Cheeseburger with a springboard lariat. Sabin the eliminated Young and Bruiser from behind as they taunted Cheeseburger. It was down to Marseglia, Taven, and Sabin.

Young came back in on commentary and he was upset that Cheeseburger wouldn’t take him up on the opportunity he tried to give him. Sabin tripped Taven into Marseglia’s crotch. Marseglia hit a low blow on Sabin. Taven then ended up dumping Taven and Marseglia to the floor to win. This was a dull match for the most part, especially the long segment in the beginning with wrestlers just brawling all over the place.

Winner: Matt Taven to earn a future ROH World Title shot

Star rating: (*1/2)

(8) Bullet Club (Hangman Page & Frankie Kazarian & Cody) vs. The Briscoes Mark & Jay Briscoe) & Jay Lethal. Cody acted like he wanted to go at it with Lethal, but he tagged in Kazarian at the beginning of the match. Lethal dove through the ropes at Cody and the action broke down. Mark and Kazarian brawled up to the entrance way. The Briscoes were about to hit a doomsday device on Kazarian on the entrance ramp, but Page broke it up. Kazarian ended up getting isolating the ring and he began working over Kazarian. Cody got the tag, but Lethal nailed him with a springboard dropkick on the apron and they went at it on the floor. Page caught Lethal with a sliding dropkick through the ropes to cut him off. Bullet Club began tagging in and out to work over Lethal. He finally managed to cut Page off with the Lethal combination. Mark got the hot tag and ran wild on Cody and Kazarian. Kazarian ended up getting dumped to the floor and Jay nailed him with a dive through the ropes. The crowd is really flat for this match. The Briscoes hit a tandem neck breaker on Cody to end a big sequence. Jay said he wanted Page and Page tagged himself into the rign. Jay got Page’s Noose and put it on the ground. He said, “Hang me mother—–“ to Page. They went at it exchanging blows. Page got the Noose around Jay’s neck, but couldn’t not hang him. They went back and forth and Page went for rite of passage, but Jay got out of it. Both men eventually collected with forearms at the same time and the fans applauded with both men down.

Lethal and Cody both got tagged in and went at it hot and heavy. Cody blocked a Lethal injection attempt and hit the crossroads on Lethal for a near fall. Lethal fought off Page and shoved him into Cody, who was up top. Page fired back and hit a slingshot lariat. The action broke down once again. Jay and Cody ended up going at it up top. Jay hit a superplex and Mark came off the top and hit the froggy bow. Lethal finished off the sequence with hail to the king on Cody, but Bullet Club broke up the pin. Lethal went for the Lethal injection, but Page pulled the ropes and hit a SSP off the apron to the floor. Rhodes wiped out a bunch of men with a dive. Kazarian tagged him on the way by and rolled up Mark, who was going for a dive, for the win. This was dull at the start, but things picked up nicely during the second half of the match.

Winners: Adam Page & Cody & Frankie Kazarian

Star rating: (***)

Christopher Daniels joined the commentary booth for the main event. He said he was there to see who he was facing for the ROH World Title in six days.

(9) ROH World Champion Adam Cole vs. Bobby Fish. Cole got a mostly positive reaction from the crowd, although there were some boos. Fish refused to follow the Code of Honor. Fish wanted to get at Cole, so Cole kept bailing to the floor to frustrate him. Fish hit several kicks to Cole’s leg and a dragon screw. Once again, Cole rolled to the floor. Fish turned around and Cole ran into the ring to try to sneak up on him only to eat a big kick to the head. Fish dominated the action and went up the turnbuckles, but Cole pushed him to the floor. Cole went for his signature headlock, but Fish countered it into a crossface. Cole then rolled him up for a near fall. Fish got right up only to eat a big elbow as Cole retained momentum. Fish fired back and got an ankle lock in the corner. He then trapped Cole’s ankle and hit a big German. Both men were slow to get up after that sequence. Fish went on the attack and eventually locked in a modified surfboard while grabbing at Cole’s nose. He then stomped Cole’s legs down into the mat. Cole fired back and hit a shining wizard for a 2 count. Fish blocked the Panama City sunrise and hit a wheelbarrow on Cole into the turnbuckles. He followed up with a falcon arrow for a 2 count. Fish hit a brainbuster and went into a cross-arm breaker. Fish went for a diving headbutt a short time later, but Cole nailed him with a superkick and then the last shot. Cole favored his knee and went to make the cover, but Fish managed to kick out.

Both men battled up top. Fish eventually hit a super falcon arrow and the fans fired up. Fish made the cover, but Cole managed to kick out at 2. Ricabonni talked about Fish losing both of his parents recently and how he was fighting for them. Cole fired back and hit a trio of superkicks that caused Fish to fall flat on his face and the fans gasped. Fish spit in Cole’s face. Cole responded with a shining wizard and Fish kicked out at 1. Cole went off the ropes and Fish caught him with a knee bar. Cole teased tapping in the middle of the ring. Cole finally managed to counter Fish into a rollup for a 2 count. Cole went for a figure 4. Fish went for the knee bar. Cole then sat down on top of Fish with a handful of tights for the win.

Winner: Adam Cole to retain the ROH World Title.

Star rating: (***1/2) – The match was just getting going when Fish got the cheap win over Fish. I really liked where they were going with Fish showing Fighting spirit and working over Cole’s leg, but they ended up going with an unsatisfactory finish.

After the match, Kazarian taunted Fish as the rest of Bullet Club came out. Fish went after Kazarian. Cody and Page then put the boots to Fish. Kazarian went to the floor and got a table. Bullet Club set the table up and Cole set up Fish. The Briscoes came out and went at it with Bullet Club, but it was a 4 on 2 advantage with Fish down on the mat. Cole nailed Jay with the ROH World Title. Finally music played and the fans fired up as Bully Ray came down to the ring. The fans fired up and Ray turned Cole around and put him through a table. The fans started an ECW chant.

Jay Briscoe was shown looking shocked in the corner of the ring. Ray helped Fish to his feet and showed him respect. He then helped The Briscoes to their feet. Ricabonni asked if ROH has a new weapon against Bullet Club.

Ray asked for a mic. He said he was almost at a loss for words because he truly was emotional. Ray said the Hammerstein Ballroom is special to him and so is New York. Ray said this is where he’s from. The fans chanted welcome home at Ray. Ray said last week on Twitter Matt Hardy had said it was going to be a very interesting week in the wrestling business and he thinks this has been a pretty interesting night. Ray said he had been sitting at home with a couple of different offers. The fans started a F—k TNA chant. Ray said that’s the reason he didn’t take their offer. Ray said there was another offer on the table and the fans booed. He then said there was a ROH offer on the table. He said for 15 years he has really enjoyed ROH. Ray said ROH reminds him of ECW. Ray said he didn’t come here for titles or to steal money from a wrestling company as a veteran. He said he wouldn’t come here to take a spot. He said he came to ROH because he genuinely wants to.

Ray said he wants to be able to say he fought for ROH when he retires. He asked the fans what they think and they cheered. Ray asked if Joe Koff was there. He said he wanted to ask Koff do you know who I am? Ray then said as of right now, I’m in Ring of Honor.

Overall thoughts: (8.0) – This was a really good ROH show. Ring of Honor house shows didn’t seem very important for the most part last year, so this was a nice start to the first quarter of 2017 to put on a house show that potentially will drive fans to the ROH website to buy VODs. On a side note, the ROH website badly needs to be upgraded, as the VOD quality is poor and the company would benefit greatly from improving the quality of their uploads, especially given that other companies offer HD quality VODs or streaming services in high quality.

The match quality on the show was really good for the most part. I really enjoyed a lot of the action on the card. Lee-Ospreay on the undercard was an amazing display of athleticism and hard-hitting action. The Young Bucks then had two incredible title defenses against Rush & White and Matt & Jeff Hardy. Matt and Jeff showing up was a huge surprise and the whole package of The YB title defenses and The Hardy Boys appearance and title win was the most buzz-worthy segment I’ve seen in ROH in a long time.

The card cooled down leading into the main event after the red hot YB-Hardy segment. Adam Cole defending the ROH World Title in the main event against Bobby Fish was on its way to being a really good match, but it got cooled off by a cheap finish. Bully Ray saving The Briscoes and Fish from a beating at the hands of The Bullet Club was another big surprise that popped the crowd. Ray said all of the right things in his promo to close the show, but it wasn’t quite the capper to take this show to another level in my eyes. Ray coasted during his most recent run in TNA. When he was motivated and in shape as a singles wrestler during his last TNA run, he was amazing. I’m willing to wait and see what happens with Ray going forward. At the very least, he will bring some eyeballs to ROH, but it would be nice to see young talent pushed to the top instead of having to rely on big name veterans from the past to generate interest in the company.

This was a really good show overall and it’s well worth checking out on VOD or when the DVD comes out. Thumbs up.

You can purchase “Manhattan Mayhem VI” on VOD by clicking HERE or by visiting ROHWrestling.com

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