Ring of Honor Review - May 10, 2017

​By Graham "GSM" Matthews

ROH World Tag TEam Champions The Young Bucks def. Mike Mondo and Kenny Doane

It was obvious from the get-go that the former Spirit Squad weren't winning the titles, which is why it struck me as odd that The Young Bucks laid them off like losers last week. I guess Mondo and Doane attacking them before the bout began was their way of making fans think there was a chance they could win. Although the outcome was never once in doubt, it was a fun little match while it lasted. It continues to baffle me why The Young Bucks are positioned as babyfaces in matches such as this yet are heels when with the rest of The Bullet Club.

Punishment Martinez def. The Beer City Bruiser

The crowd was quiet early on, though they did come to life for Martinez' big spots coming out of the commercial break. I'm not sure whether he's supposed to be a babyface or a heel, but he will quickly become a fan favorite if he isn't one already with his impressive offense. I honestly thought this would be more of a straightforward squash match for Martinez, but it was a good match and a nice win for Martinez, nevertheless.

Cody and Adam Cole def. ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels and Dalton Castle

This was the perfect preview for Friday's ROH World Championship match at War of the Worlds. Daniels and Castle previously did battle at Supercard of Honor, and after their encounter, Cody attacked them both. Now, Cody will be challenging for the title at War of the Worlds along with Jay Lethal (who was on commentary for this match), and Cody is aligned with Cole in The Bullet Club. From an in-ring standpoint, this was a very entertaining match. Everyone worked well together, they were given great time, Cole and Cody teased tension before reuniting at the end, and Cody pinned Daniels to build momentum and prove he can beat Daniels. Furthermore, Lethal remained relevant by laying out Cody and Daniels afterward, so issues have now been established between all three men.

Overall Show

ROH doesn't always do the greatest job hyping up their upcoming pay-per-views on ROH TV with the shows being taped so far in advance, but this was a solid go-home episode before War of the Worlds on Friday. Hell, Matt Taven was even given some time to hype his title match with Daniels this week on the War of the Worlds tour. This was really a one-match show, but that main event is certainly worth watching and successfully got me hyped for War for the Worlds.