Ring of Honor Review - June 22, 2016

By Graham "GSM" Matthews
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Dalton Castle def. Gedo

This was definitely a different dynamic than what regular viewers of New Japan Pro Wrestling are used to seeing from Gedo, but it was a fun one at that. Castle never ceases to entertain the masses in Ring of Honor and this was another awesome performance from him. Not only was it the perfect match to kick off the show with, it couldn't have come at a better time with Castle challenging Bobby Fish for the ROH World Television Championship this Friday at Best in the World, so this was a nice momentum booster for him.


Tomohiro Ishii def. Will Ferrara

I had completely forgotten Ishii was a former ROH World Television Champion until the commentators brought it up. And that was only a few short months ago! That just goes to show how meaningless his reign was for as long as it lasted. Nevertheless, he remains an excellent in-ring athlete and he and Ferrara contested a very solid match. I'm not sure what purpose it was supposed to serve since neither guy is scheduled to be a part of Best in the World as of now, though.

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Steve Corino Addressed BJ Whitmer

Needless to say, this feud has long overstayed its welcome and has suffered several setbacks over the past year, but it's nice to finally see it coming to a head at the pending pay-per-view. I don't think Whitmer elicits the right type of heat at this point, but at least Corino is a tremendous talker, so he did an effective job of getting fans excited to see him get his hands on Whitmer come Friday.


ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, Roderick Strong and The Briscoes def. The Bullet Club

It was cool to have the Best in the World opponents team up, especially given their history with not only each other but The Bullet Club as well. The crazy clash of styles between all eight men resulted in a chaotic yet highly enjoyable tag team match with the world champ and company going over as they should have. Of course, The Bullet Club lost nothing in defeat. It's a shame Lethal and Briscoe haven't had more interaction over the last year, but I'm looking forward to the rematch, regardless.


Overall Show

This was the best go-home show I can recall Ring of Honor putting on in recent memory. They have completely neglected their last few shows or rushed in putting the cards together, but Best in the World has several matches that have been months in the making. Everything on this edition of ROH TV built toward something at the event, and even the random Ishii vs. Ferrara match was a treat. All in all, an entertaining episode.