ROH 16th Anniversary Show Review - March 9, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Hiromu Takahashi def. Flip Gordon

According to the commentators, these two had history from the Honor Rising shows that took place recently, and since I wasn't aware of that until it was brought up, the match was perfectly positioned as the opener because it didn't have too much of a buildup and it kicked off the night on a high note. Gordon has so much potential and had a strong showing here, while Takahashi was awesome as always. He's come a long way since he was in Ring of Honor last and I hope we see more of these two against each other in the not-so-distant future.

Marty Scurll def. Punishment Martinez

Yes, both men are heels and that usually puts the crowd in a tough spot because they don't have an incentive to cheer one guy over the other, but the audience was engaged in the action nonetheless and this turned out to be an excellent outing. Martinez's Manhattan Mayhem matchup last week was an embarrassment (that was largely his opponent's fault), but he bounced back nicely here and Scurll shined as well. With this win, Scurll should soon be inserted into the ROH World Championship picture.

ROH World Television Champion Kenny King def. Silas Young

King and Young have had a decent feud going for a few months now and this was another well-wrestled match from them, but it wasn't nearly as exciting as the last two bouts on the card I thought. That might have been due to how I never once felt during the matchup that King's title was in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Aries returning to ROH afterward for the first time in several years was a real pleasant surprise, and it looks like King vs. Aries is the direction they're headed in over the ROH TV title. ROH and IMPACT have teased working together in the past and it appears that will be happening again given Aries is their current world champ over there.

So Cal Uncensored def. The Hung Bucks in a Las Vegas Street Fight to Win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship

The Hung Bucks had a tough task of topping themselves from that crazy main event from Manhattan Mayhem last week, but they put forth a hell of an effort in this Las Vegas Street Fight and produced a highly entertaining encounter. They went all out with the weapons and made great use of the stipulation. Shane Taylor interfering was logical since he has had a soft alliance with So Cal Uncensored lately, and I liked the title change. Not only does it put The Hung Bucks in chase mode, it makes Daniels the first-ever Grand Slam Champion in ROH history.

Cody def. Matt Taven

I like both these guys, but they seriously lacked in-ring chemistry here. The issue with this feud was that it started out with Cody as the babyface, but after betraying Kenny Omega in Japan back in January, he was a heel as well, so the crowd was predictably flat for most of this, even though it was a solid matchup. However, they saved themselves during the post-match with Barry the Bear revealing himself to be Omega and laying out Cody. Their match at Supercard of Honor should be a blast.

The Brisoces def. The Motor City Machine Guns to Win the ROH World Tag Team Championship

It took the crowd some time to get invested in the match, but the second half was very good and the hard-hitting style they were going for reflected the rivalry they've had up to this point very well. The Briscoes are now nine-time ROH World Tag Team Champions, which is pretty amazing, and it's been a while since their last reign, so this feels fresh. Plus, they've been killing it as heels over the past number of months, so this was a smart move.

ROH World Champion Dalton Castle def. Jay Lethal

This was similar to most of the matches on the show where the babyface vs. babyface dynamic hindered early on, but as they picked up the pace and went all out, Castle and Lethal gave this a big fight feel. Personally, I didn't think Cody vs. Castle delivered as the main event match it should have been at Final Battle in December, but this was what solidified Castle as a top guy in my eyes from an in-ring standpoint. It shouldn't have been shocking in the slightest that it was Lethal who elevated him considering how Lethal has been this company's biggest MVP for at least three years now. They made the most of the time they had and contested one of the best ROH World Championship matches I've seen in the last year. Castle is merely scratching the surface of what he can do in this role and keeping the belt on him was a must.

Overall Show

I was looking forward to watching this live on the Honor Club streaming service, but I had to work as it aired and watched it after the fact, so I can't comment on any issues I had with that because it didn't apply for me. The show itself, though, was terrific and another outstanding effort from ROH on pay-per-view. Very rarely do they disappoint and this was no exception. It was a very newsworthy night on the whole between the two title changes, the above-average main event, and the appearances from Aries and Omega. Certainly seek it out when you find the time. Furthermore, Supercard of Honor next month is bound to be a stacked show: Cody vs. Omega and likely Castle vs. Scull as well as King vs. Aries.