ROH War of the Worlds Review - May 12, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Dalton Castle def. Bobby Fish, Kushida and Silas Young in a Four Corner Survival Match

Young stripping Kushida of his Yankee jersey to start off the match was simple yet smart, because it immediately forced to crowd to invest in the action for what was admittedly a meaningless matchup with nothing on the line. Anyway, this was a really fun match perfectly positioned as the opener. Everyone was able to hit their signature spots and it set the tone for the remainder of the night. I was hoping and predicting Castle would win, though having him pin Fish for the victory was certainly interesting. That must mean Fish isn't indeed under any sort of deal with the company at the moment.

Hangman Page def. Frankie Kazarian

With this being a blood feud, I appreciated how Kazarian attacked Page before the bell even rang. Unfortunately, the match itself was not what it should have been. I enjoyed the intensity they brought to the table for as long as this lasted, but the match was way too short to be anything of note. I think most people were shocked Page actually won when he did. On the bright side, I'm glad Page won and the commentators made mention of how this might be the end of the rivalry.

IWGP Tag Team Champions War Machine def. Search and Destroy and Los Ingobernables de Japon in a Three-Way Tag Team Match (Non-title)

It looks like War Machine are undergoing a bit of a character change now that they're the IWGP Tag Team Champions if their new attire and music is any indication. This was another match that I didn't find myself caring too much about going in because nothing was up for grabs, but it turned out to be a very fun, chaotic contest with the audience eating up everything they did. I've never been the biggest War Machine fan, but they continue to impress the hell out of me every time I see them compete because of their awesome offense.

Will Ospreay def. Jay White

After watching this match, I kept asking myself, "Why isn't ROH doing more with Ospreay?" I guess the same can be said for White as well because both of these guys are tremendous talents. It was an exceptional match on the whole, but I was honestly a little worried early on when the crowd wasn't too hyped for the first half. But as Ospreay and White picked up the pace down the stretch, the crowd came to life as they delivered phenomenal performances. To top it all off, I loved how they were able to get Martinez over afterward as well when he laid both men out.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bully Ray and The Briscoes def. Chaos in a No disqualification Match

I've really been digging Bully Ray and The Briscoes as the World Six-Man Tag Team Champions so far and this was an entertaining outing from them. The No Disqualification stipulation certainly helped, and while it seems like Team 3B are merely doing Dudley nostalgia spots at this point, it's better than what The Kingdom was doing with the straps before TK O'Ryan got hurt. I'm interested to see who will be next to challenge them for the titles.

ROH World Television Champion Marty Scurll def. Matt Sydal

Sydal had his fair share of fans in New York City, but the crowd was way more into Scurll, and it's hard to blame them. Scurll doesn't do a ton to get the fans to turn against him (which is why he might be a fantastic fit for The Bullet Club but more on that shortly), and Sydal never had that defining moment since returning to ROH where fans bought into him as a legitimate threat to the title. It was a real good match if nothing else, and Scurll resuming his reign as TV Champion pleases me.

ROH World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks def. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Granted, the tag titles were never truly in jeopardy of changing hands, but this was a blast of a bout, nevertheless. The Young Bucks never cease to kill it every time the lights are on bright and Naito is a treat to watch as well. They put together an excellent match and of course both tandems looked great coming out of this. Similar to Scurll, I would keep the belts on The Young Bucks for the long-haul since no other tandem in ROH is remotely close to being on their level at the moment.

Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Adam Cole

For a match with no storyline support, this was very solid, and the crowd being behind both guys was a major plus. The matchup wouldn't have been as good otherwise, and the second half was strong with some suspenseful nearfalls. Tanahashi going over was academic considering Cole is on his way out. Speaking of such, the post-match angle was extremely well done with the apparent Curtain Call with Cole and Young Bucks, Kenny Omega showing up on the screen and officially firing Cole from Bullet Club before introducing Scurll as its newest member. Scurll is already quite friendly with Young Bucks and Omega behind the scenes as it is from what I understand, so that is a money move. Fingers crossed Cole is headed to NXT as soon as TakeOver: Chicago next weekend.

ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels def. Cody and Jay Lethal in a Three-Way Match

The main event started a little later in the show than it normally does for a pay-per-view, so it's possible it was cut short by a few minutes. Even if that was the case, these three outstanding wrestlers made the most of the time they had and produced a wonderful main event. The crowd wasn't red-hot for the match right away, but they were livelier as the matchup progressed. I also liked the finish as it protected Cody and kept the title on Daniels for now. I do see Cody winning the title eventually, though, and it might happen at Best in the World next month if ROH decides to to take that route.

Overall Show

Several matches on this card didn't receive a proper build coming in, and that's normal for these War of the Worlds shows because they feature talent from New Japan Pro Wrestling, but the in-ring action was incredible on the whole and resulted in an above-average event. White vs. Ospreay stole the show, but everything else had something to offer as well, and only Kazarian vs. Page slightly underwhelmed. ROH pulled through with a stellar show yet again and I'm excited to see what they have in store for Best in the World.