Ring of Honor Review - September 28, 2016

 By Graham "GSM" Matthews

​Silas Young def. GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Toru Yano

Young is such a serious competitor that he actually gels perfectly with comedy characters. That was why he worked so well with Dalton Castle for nearly a year and why he and Yana had a fun match here. I don't know if the "This is awesome!" chants from the crowd were entirely necessary, but it was indeed a damn enjoyable match. While I'm glad Young scored the victory, it was weird because Young will be on the pre-show and Yano will be competing on the actual card at All Star Extravaganza. The Brisoces, who will be teaming with Yano at the event, came to his aid afterward, so it was a bit of a random match in retrospect despite how good it was.


"The Punishment" Damian Martinez def. Cheeseburger

Martinez may not be a monster in the same way Kane and Big Show are, but he has size and I was happy they paired him with Cheeseburger as his premiere opponent. Not only do fans like Cheeseburger, but anyone who faces him looks like a giant in comparison. This was a simple, straightforward squash for Martinez, although I couldn't care less that the angle between Steve Corino, BJ Whitmer and Kevin Sullivan is apparently continuing.

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Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin def. ROH World Champion Adam Cole and "Hangman" Adam Page

With Cole and Elgin facing off at All Star Extravaganza for the ROH World Championship, this was wonderful way to build up their bout. Meanwhile, Page will be going up against Kyle O'Reilly at the show, who sat in on commentary here. I realize it's such a small thing, but ROH rarely does that for some reason, so I was happy they furthered those feuds along. Additionally, the main event was every bit as great as you would expect from these four fantastic athletes. Elgin pinning Page was also smart in sending the message that Cole's title could be in jeopardy on Friday night.

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​Overall Show

Admittedly, I don't ask for much from ROH's go-home shows merely because they have traditionally featured matches that have nothing to do with the pay-per-view, but this was the exact opposite. The main event was a treat, the opening didn't have too much storyline significance but it was a blast, and Martinez vs. Cheeseburger didn't overstay its welcome. The hype for the upcoming event has been strong up to this point, and since I will be there in attendance on Friday night for my first ever ROH show, it should be nothing short of an amazing experience.