Ring of Honor Review - September 2, 2015

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jay Briscoe def. Adam Page by Disqualification

The match barely got started before the disqualification finish, but I enjoyed it. The Decade have really grown on me as heels because they're exceptional at getting under the skin of viewers and their adversaries. The non-finish protected both men and while I originally felt this was a step down for The Briscoes after Jay was just involved in the world title scene, this could turn out to be a fun program if we see more of this going forward and The Decade come out of it looking credible.


Caprice Coleman def. Cedric Alexander

I don't recall there being much hype for this match in recent weeks, which is somewhat disappointing considering the history between the two. Granted, it's not a marquee match, but it would have benefited from some extra build. Nevertheless, it was a good match while it lasted and while I would have kept Alexander on a winning streak, he was at least protected in defeat with the distraction from Moose at ringside. Coleman picks up a nice win and the feud between Alexander and Moose was effectively furthered, so this was well-booked all around.

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Cheeseburger def. Brutal Bob Evans by Count-out

It's amazing how over Cheeseburger is despite his small size. I guess it goes to show how wrestling fans love a good ol' fashioned underdog, and Cheeseburger is the epitome of just that. This match also had history riding on it and I liked how it was touched upon throughout the bout, especially with Evans going for the same spot he took Cheeseburger out with a few months back. I wish Cheeseburger would have done something more than a slap to put Evans through the table, but that's merely nitpicking. The crowd went crazy for Cheesburger's win and I can't remember the last time an audience actually cheered a count-out finish.


ROH World Champion and ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal def. Hanson (ROH World Championship Wasn't Defended)

Lethal came across as the babyface at various points during the match, so it would have helped if Lethal did more to turn the crowd against him. As for the match itself, it was very solid and I liked how they told the story that Hanson once beat Lethal at Survival of the Fittest last year. He was never looked at as a threat to the title, but he put forth a strong effort and Lethal having to perform his finisher twice on Hanson to put him away was a nice touch. The two title matches next week against reDRAGON and Roderick Strong should be exciting and the final sell for the show at the end of this episode was very well done.


Overall Show

As I've discussed before, the wrestling on ROH TV has always been excellent, but my biggest gripe with the product since their debut on Destination America a few months ago was that most of the matches that were featured didn't mean anything or have any storyline support. Thankfully, they've worked on that as of late and it's made the program feel more must-see from week to week. This edition was no exception as it was another entertaining hour of ROH TV with plenty of storyline progression and build for next week's huge championship edition.