McNEILL’s ROH Best In The World 2017 PPV Report 6/23: Young Bucks vs. War Machine, Daniels vs. Cody

McNEILL’s RING OF HONOR PAY-PER-VIEW REPORT
June 23, 2017
ROH Best In The World 2017
Live From Lowell, MA

Announcers: Ian Riccaboni & BJ Whitmer

NOTE: We will be providing live coverage of this show beginning at 0 pm Eastern time.

We have the opening video package, with all the top Ring of Honor stars proclaiming that they (and ROH) are the Best In The World. Except for Cody.

Our announcers are psyched, and BJ Whitmer is wearing a suit.

(1) THE KINGDOM (Taven & Marseglia w/ TK O’Ryan) vs. EL TERRIBLE & ULTIMO GUERRERO – Lucha Libre Rules

O’Ryan has a crutch with him, Marseglia is wearing a hockey mask, and I guess Taven is dressed like Jerry Lawler. The CMLL team gets generic music and a generic entrance video, but they’re both former CMLL Heavyweight Champions. Ultimo Guerrero & Matt Taven have feuded in CMLL. Basic chain wrestling to start, then El Terrible takes over on Marseglia with a series of strikes.

Guerrero sets up Taven against the barricade, and Terrible leapfrogs over Guerrero to splash Taven. That woke up the crowd. Guerrero with the headstand broncobuster on Marseglia. Guerrero tries it again, but Taven cuts the bigger man off with a superkick. And then, everyone started diving like a World War II submarine movie.

The finish came when the Kingdom tried to set up Guerrero for the Supernova. El Terrible pulled Taven outside the ring, making Marseglia the legal man, and Guerrero rolled up Marseglia for the three count.

WINNERS: El Terrible & Ultimo Guerrero in 11:10 when Guerrero pinned Marseglia. Fine opener. credit goes to Marseglia, who did a good job of creating motion.

Video package for Kazarian vs. Page, featuring all the spit from the TV angle.

(2) FRANKIE KAZARIAN vs. HANGMAN PAGE – strap match

Riccaboni politely explains that the wrestlers don’t have to touch all four corners. Instead, each man has his own strap. Yes, Kazarian did a hurrancanrana in a strap match. He whips Page with the strap too.

They brawl to the floor, and Page shoots Kazarian into one barricade, then another. Page pulls up the ringside mats to expose the parquet floor, but Kazarian straps Page, then suplexes him onto the steps ROH uses in place of an entrance ramp.

Page regains the advantage, and takes Kazarian’s strap, giving him two. That can’t be good for Kazarian. Page whips Kazarian like a dog, then grabs his noose from the corner. Page uses the noose to tie Kazarian to the middle rope for more Yapapi strapification. Page pulls out another strap, which has nails and tacks on it. While Page shows that to the camera, Kazarian gets free and whips Page with his own strap.

The two men trade finishing moves and near falls. Page gets hold of the spiked strap and whips Frankie with it. Sure enough, Kazarian is bleeding from the back. Kazarian grabs the strap by the tacks and uses it on Page. Whitemer on commentary sounds ecstatic. Finally, Kazarian wraps the strap around Page’s neck, and uses the ropes to choke Page out. Page has to tap.

WINNER: Kazarian by submission in 12:06. Sick and violent, as advertised.

Video package for the eight man tag.

(3) SEARCH & DESTROY (Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Jonathan Gresham & Jay White) vs. THE REBELLION (Kenny King, Rhett Titus, Caprice Coleman & Shane Taylor) – losing faction must disband

The eight men starting brawling at ringside before the bell. Sabin gets Coleman in the Tree of Woe, and his teammates each hit dropkicks on Coleman. The heels Gresham into their corner and work him over. Jay White makes the save outside the ring, but King catches White with a tope.

Now we go to a Pier Six (Pier Eight) brawl with a lot of double and triple teaming. Ian points out that White & Shelley are housemates, and it would be awkward if that team broke up. All four Rebellion members hit big moves on White, but the Machine Guns make the save. Taylor hits a second rope splash, but White kicks out.

Search & Destroy makes a comeback. Suicide dives all aorunfg. White suplexes Taylor. Gresham hits a shooting star press (-ish) on Titus, who kicks out. All four Searchers lock in submission moves. Titus taps first.

WINNERS: Search & Destroy in 12:45 when Gresham submits Titus with the octopus hold.

After the match, Punishment comes in, beats up Gresham, and lays out Jay White with a chokeslam. To the video package!

The video package shows us that Silas “The Lariat” Young is jealous of Jay Lethal. Hey, there’s Bobby Fish in the video package!

(4) JAY LETHAL vs. SILAS YOUNG (w/ Beer City Bruiser)

Young enters first. Lethal jumps over the rail and surprises Young and Bruiser by attacking them a chair. Bruiser is helped to the back. Ian thinks the winner should be in line for a shot at the ROH World Title.

The Brawl begins. they fight to the floor. Lethal suplexes Young off the barricad. Jay tries for the Savage elbowdrop off the barricade, but Young moves, and Lethal sells the injured elbow. Slingshot double stomp by Silas. Abdominal stretch, with Young using his free arm to elbow Lethal.

Back comes Lethal. Dropkick for a near fall. Backbreaker. Second backbreaker. Silas kicks out. Lethal works the back. Young with a springboard lariat on the apron. Superkick and suicide dive by Jay. And another. Lethal goes for a third, but Silas puts a chair up in front of his own head. Both men get taken out by the impact. Both men beat the twenty count back into the ring.

They trade strikes, with the crowd favoring Lethal. Both men try their finishers, and get blocked. Jay gets a near fall with the Savage elbow. Young nearly steals it with an inside cradle. Silas applies the figure-four, but Lethal makes it to the ropes.

Silas does the Finlay Roll into the springboard moonsault, but that’s not the finish. Young grabs Bruiser’s leftover beer keg from ringside. Referee Todd Sinclair tries to stop Young, but Young shoves Sinclair down. Lethal reverses a cradle for the three count.

WINNER: Lethal by pinfall in 16:40.

Young hits a lariat on Lethal. Beer City Bruiser runs back in and gives Lethal a TKO onto the keg. Ian points out that the move dented the beer keg. Young holds Lethal against the keg in the corner, and Bruiser splashes Jay once, twice, a third time, while Young screams at Lethal. Jay sells a rib injury while Young & Bruiser set up a table. Whitmer even thinks the attack has gone too far.

Young sets Lethal on the table at ringside. Bruiser comes off the top rope and splashes Lethal through the table. You can guess what the crowd is chanting.

While the backstage people tend to Lethal, we get the video package for the six-man tag title match.

(5) JAY BRISCOE, MARK BRISCOE & BULLY RAY DUDLEY vs. DALTON CASTLE & THE BOYS – ROH Six-Man Titles

The challengers are out first, with extra boys accompanying, um, The Boys. Castle is hit with a veritable rainbow of streamers. Jay Briscoe looks like the ripped son of Jimmy Valiant. The story is here is that Jay is obsessed with injuring The Boys. Staredown between Dalton and Bully Ray.

Dalton and Jay start us off. Jay bolts and chases The Boys around the ring. Mark makes a blind tag and talks Jay out of the ring. Mark and Castle give us some babyface chain wrestling. Mark hits a Pele kick and The Boys run in to protect Castle. Dalton hip tosses Mark over the top rope, struts, and signals for Bully to tag in. He does.

Dalton gets Bully into a corner and tries a series of chops, which Bully no sells. Bully hits punches and goes for the bionic elbow, but Dalton ducks him and poses again. Bully counters by dancing and doing Castle’s peacock pose back at Dalton. The crowd goes wild.

The Boys fan Dalton up. He approaches Bully, who drops him with a right hand. Dalton tags in both Boys. Bully beats them down, and tags in Jay. Jay corners one of the boys, but the other kick Jay in the crotch to make the save. Dalton’s back in. Suplex City, as three suplexes net a near fall.

Castle sets for a top rope superplex, put Jay counters into a top rope gourdbuster. Hot tag to Mark, who takes over on all three Peacocks. Fisherman buster on Castle, but the Boys make the save. Bully tags in. Gorilla Press and Whassup Drop on Boy #1. Jay takes out both Boys with a suicide dive and works over both Boys outside the ring. Jay throws a chair at Boy #2, and misses. Bully tries to talk Jay back into the ring.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Dalton Castle rolls up Mark.

WINNERS: Dalton Castle & The Boys in 13:45, when Castle pins Mark Briscoe with an inside cradle. New Six Man Tag Team Champions.

The crowd chants “you deserve it” as Bully Ray fumes at ringside.

Video Package for the Television Title bout.

(6) YUJIRO KUSHIDA vs. MARTY SCURLL – ROH Television Title

Both wrestlers receive star reactions from the ROH crowd. Kushida comes out holding the Best Of The Super Juniors trophy. We get in-ring introductions from Bobby Cruise.

Scurll refuses to follow the Code of Honor. Both wrestlers attempt submission holds. Kushida with a series of kicks, then escapes the chicken wing. Kushida with a rolling kick spot that looked awkward. Pumphandle neckbreaker by Marty for a near fall. Scurll works the fingers and stomps the elbow.

Kushida fights back, gets Scurll on the top turnbuckle, and applies the kimura. Scurll grabs the fingers, but Kushida escapes. Knee strike and piledriver by Scurl. It gets a two count. Scurll wants Closing Time, but Kushida stops him with a round kick. Marty almost wins with a backslide.

Scurll removes his tape, and gets Kushida set up on the top turnbuckle. Scurll grabs Kushida’s fingers, but Kushida grabs Scurll’s hand and does a finger break of his own. Kushida hits Back To The Future off the second rope.

WINNER: Kushida by pinfall in 14:54.

Ian & BJ throw to highlights of Kris Wolf’s debut on the preshow, where Wolf & Sumie Sakai defeated Deonna Purrazzo & Mandy Leon in a tag match. The match will be available on YouTube this coming Wednesday.

Apparently there’s no time for the next video package.

(7) YOUNG BUCKS (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. WAR MACHINE (Warbeard Hanson & Raymond Rowe) – ROH World Tag Team Titles

Bobby Cruise starts to announce the participants, when he is interrupted by the Best Friends (Trent Baretta & Chuck Taylor). Baretta says they beat the Young Bucks, and they ask to make it a three way match, and a tornado tag match. Let me try this again.

(7a) YOUNG BUCKS (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. WAR MACHINE (Warbeard Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. BEST FRIENDS (Trent Baretta & Chuck Taylor) – ROH World Tag Team Titles

Ian confirms that the ROH matchmaker just made this a three-way, and the chaos begins at once. Dive! Dive! Dive! Then we get Everyone Hits A Big Spot. War Machine hits a combo and does a double cover on Matt Jackson, but Nick comes off the top rope to make the save. Chucky gets a running start from the entrance and cannonballs onto the other four participants. Hanson with the top rope dive onto five guys.

Now we get a round of Everyone Misses A Moonsault. Hanson goes up top, slowly, and Baretta hits him a german suplex from the top rope. The Bucks and Rowe make the save. “This is awesome”. The Bucks and Best Friends give up dueling superkicks. Hanson does the Flair Flip over the top rope, Rowe gets Baretta up, and War Machine hits the Hart Attack. They catch Baretta with Fallout, and Chucky T has to make the save.

The Bucks go for the Meltzer Driver on Chucky. War Machine takes down Nick. Chucky hits Awful Waffle on Matt Jackson, but Hanson pulls the referee out of the ring before he can count three. Apparently this is a no disqualification match.

Another Series of spots, ending with the Bucks catching Taylor with a double superkick.

WINNERS: The Young Bucks, with Jackson pinning Taylor in 12:27.

Video package for the main event, with strong promos from both participants.

(8) CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. “AMERICAN NIGHTMARE” CODY – ROH World Heavyweight Title…of the World

We get a short (and overwrought) argument between Riccaboni and Whitmer. Whitmer’s rooting for the Bullet Club. Riccaboni favors Daniels.

No handshake, just the opening bell. Headlock by Cody. Shouldertackle. Rollup for a near fall. Knuckle lock. Shoulder tackle. Dropdown, and Daniels rubs Cody’s face into the mat. Cody comes up with a split lip, bleeding from the mouth.
Hiptoss, bodyslam by Daniels. Cody bails out of the ring and goes into the crowd. He eventually makes his way back in. Daniels with a jumping neckbreaker for two. Cody leaves the ring again. Daniels goes after him. Cody throws Daniels into the barricade and takes over.

Cody catches Daniels coming back into the ring and hits a Flatliner. Near fall. Daniels goes up top, and Cody does a run-up armdrag from the top rope. Short arm scissors by Cody.

Cody escapes the ring again. He goes to grab the timekeeper’s table. Cary Silkin tries to stop him, but Cody grabs Silkin and shoves him. Ian is outraged. Back into the ring, Daniels tries for a run-in, and they bump referee Todd Sinclair once, twice. Cody kicks Daniels in the doodads while Sinclair is out.

Daniels rallies, and gets a visual fall with a rollup. Now Daniels is busted open too. Marty Scurll runs out and slides a chair to Cody. Daniels intercepts the chair, but sees Sinclair getting up, tosses the chair to Cody and plays dead. Near falls, then Cody hits the Cody Cutter on Daniels on the chair.

Kazarian runs out and chases Scurll to the back. Cody sets up another table at ringside. Daniels hits a flatliner on Cody on the apron. Series of clotheslines and an STO by Daniels. Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall.

Daniels wants the Angel’s Wings through the table, Cody bounces out. Rainmaker by Cody. Disaster kick. Cody wants to put Daniels through the apron, but Daniels gives Cody a belly-to-back suplex and both men come off the apron through the table.

Cody recovers first, Daniels barely beats the twenty count to get back into the ring, and the announcers both question Daniels’ decision. Cody escapes the koji clutch. Daniels kicks out of Cross Runnels.

Counter, counter, counter, counter. Cross Roads. That’s it.

WINNER: Cody by pinfall in 19:18 to become the new ROH World Heavyweight Champion.

The Bullet Club comes out to celebrates with Cody. The Young Bucks take selfies with Cody. We don’t see Cary Silkin coming out to put the belt on Cody. That’s the end of the show.

VERDICT: This was a solid pay-per-view, with a psychotic tag team title match spotfest, good wrestling, and it sets up big storylines for Ring of Honor and New Japan. Recommended.