ROH Death Before Dishonor Review - September 22, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bully Ray and The Brisoces def. The Kingdom in an ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

Considering the winners had to wrestle again later in the night, this was perfectly slotted as the opener because it was very fun. Bully Ray and The Brisoces were out for revenge after everything The Kingdom has done to them in recent weeks, but lest we forget it was Bully and The Briscoes who beat them for the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship earlier this year (albeit in a Handicap match because TK O'Ryan was hurt). Speaking of O'Ryan, he teased doing the same move that he injured his leg on in the first place, only to flip off the fans, which was brilliant. Although the babyfaces won, more tension was teased with Jay Briscoe and Bully leading into the title match.

Marty Scurll def. Chuck Taylor

The commentators noted that this marked Taylor's singles debut for ROH, and I really hope we see more of him going forward because he is a hell of a talent. For a match that had very little (if any) build-up, this was extremely entertaining and a strong showing from both men. The crowd loved both Taylor and Scurll and was therefore engaged in the action. Scurll is more of a regular than Taylor at this point, so it was logical for him to go over.

Punishment Martinez def. Jay White in a Las Vegas Street Fight

Some feuds don't last for a long time in ROH these days, but you have to give credit where it's due with White and Martinez, because they've had this rivalry running for nearly six months. Plus, all of their encounters have been excellent and this was no exception. They made effective use of their environment and put together a terrific match. I was a bit skeptical when White kicked out of those two moves on the row of chairs, but then Martinez followed those up with his finisher, so I didn't mind it as much and those final few minutes were fantastic. Both of these guys have bright futures in ROH if the company continues to push them.

ROH World Six-Man Tag TEam Champions The Bullet Club def. Bully Ray and The Briscoes

It's amazing to me how everything that happens in the Being the Elite YouTube show is a part of ROH cannon, so to speak. It first happened when The Young Bucks turned on Adam Cole back in May, and now with Adam Page returning after being abducted by the "WWE stooge." At any rate, this was easily the worst match of the night up to this point. It wasn't bad necessarily, but it was all about the angle that saw Jay turn on Bully and cost them the championship. I'm interested to see whether Mark Briscoe will remain aligned with Bully or turn heel with his brother.

Kenny King def. KUSHIDA to Win the ROH World Television Championship

King kind of came out of nowhere as a singles competitor a few months ago, but his rise has been a blast to watch in such a short span of time. The initial outing these two had was great, and this was even better. I feared King wouldn't be cheered too heavily by his hometown crowd due to KUSHIDA being a huge fan favorite, but they rallied behind and popped big when he won the title. That was a really cool moment and that I thought his performance against KUSHIDA solidified him as a star. I'm very glad King is getting this opportunity to shine after so long.

Silas Young def. Jay Lethal in a LAst Man Standing Match

Similar to White vs. Martinez, I've been digging the Lethal vs. Young feud for the past four months and believe it has done quite a bit to legitimize Young as a serious player on the roster. It was slightly slow early on (even the commentators questioned why they were locking up if it has been a blood feud), but they picked up the pace down the stretch and it wasn't boring like most Last Man Standing matches tend to be. The hardcore spots down the stretch with the tables and the ladder were wonderful and I was thrilled Young scored the victory. Here's hoping he can capitalize off this victory going forward.

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

I have fond memories of these two teams working against each other eight years ago in TNA and obviously nothing has changed in terms of how outstanding their chemistry is together. This match was every bit as exceptional as I hoped it would be, but the interference from The Addiction was totally unnecessary. I realize it was meant to further their story as rogue wrestlers, but it interrupted the flow of the bout and the title win for the MCMG would have meant more if the The Addiction wasn't involved. That said, the MCMG have been one of the world's best tag teams for many years and it's awesome they've finally won the big one. Could a Ladder War rematch between these three tandems be in the cards for Final Battle?

ROH World Champion Cody def. Minoru Suzuki

ROH did a solid job of building up Suzuki in the weeks leading up to the event for those (myself included) who weren't already familiar with his work in Japan, but this fell flat as a main event for me. It would have been an average outing no matter what, but it had to follow a streak of stellar matches and it didn't come close to measuring up. They put forth a commendable effort, but it was way too short and didn't feature a frantic enough pace. Cody has had superb main event matches before, and Suzuki is a legend, so I'm not sure what the issue was.

Overall Show

Aside from the lackluster main event (and even that had the right outcome), this was an incredible pay-per-view. It's rare we get two title changes on the same show, so it was a newsworthy night filled with above-average wrestling. I especially enjoyed Young Bucks vs. Motor City Machine Guns, Lethal vs. Young, KUSHIDA vs. King and Martinez vs. White while everything else was mostly a treat as well. ROH never ceases to deliver when it matters most and I can't wait to be in attendance for Final Battle in New York this December.