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Welcome to PWInsider.com's live, ongoing coverage of ROH Best In The World 2019!
We waste no time getting right into the preshow...
Rush vs Flip Gordon
Rush is dominating Gordon to start, and Gordon starts to mount a comeback, using his speed to outmaneuver Rush and drill him with a springboard dropkick. Gordon goes for the Sydal clothesline in the corner, but Rush catches him coming in, stands up, and tosses Gordon into the opposite corner. Rush with a running kick in the corner, but Gordon with a flurry of strikes, a Pelle kick, another flurry of forearms, and Rush just looks at him and yells "COME ON!" Gordon obliges, and hammers Rush with so many more kicks that Rush just collapses. Gordon drills Rush with a leaping knee and a falcon arrow suplex for a very close 2. Gordon with a springboard spear for 2. Gordon with another leaping kneestrike, but Rush just punches Gordon out with a big right hand. A brutal chop exchange begins, but Gordon reverses to a sunset bomb for 2. Gordon sidesteps rush and dumps him to the floor, Rush comes right back in and gets dumped to the apron, and Gordon superkicks him to the floor. Gordon dives through the ropes, Rush catches him, and rams him into the barricade, knocking it back several feet. He gets a trash can and throws it at Gordon, then rolls him into the ring for a series of 2 counts. Rush with the killer shotgun dropkick in the corner for the win.
Winner: Rush
Great opener, both these guys brought unique styles in and put them together to make a hell of a match. Rush does a postmatch interview where he says he's not here to play, he's here to destroy.
Nick Aldis comes to the ring and wishes Colt well in getting better, but then says he was asked if the match should still happen tonight, and he says that Baltimore is NWA territory, and that meant finding a suitable replacement for Colt. This man is not only his tag partner tonight, he's also the NWA's newest talent acquisition...James Storm! WHAT! He comes out and says the Studio Superman is in the ring, being watched over by Billy Corgan like a hawk. Storm says we all know Aldis didn't pick him for a partner tonight, and when Colt announced he was injured, he knew the NWA would be calling because he had Colt beat and Aldis beat. He didn't spend 22 years demanding respect, he spent 22 years earning it. Storm gets into the ring and goes face to face with Aldis, and says he's only going to ask once: who is his partner going to be. Aldis says instead of telling Storm, why not let him tell Storm himself? Out comes Eli Drake! WHAT WHAT! The crowd is losing it for Drake, and says the hottest free agent on Earth is standing on a Ring of Honor stage. Every offer from every company came in, and everyone told him which company to go to, but he does what he wants and does it his way, and that's why he's the Defiant One. He's going to join a company that's the past, present, and future. He grew up right here in Maryland, he used to watch men walk around with something that existed then and now, and he's talking about the Ten Pounds of Gold. We are looking at the newest acquisition of the National Wrestling Alliance, and nobody can stop him because even he can't stop himself. He's turning both the NWA and ROH upside down, and the Briscoes are going to get a couple of size 12's up their keyster. Oh yeah, ROH, I forgot which company I was watching here.
Time for the main show to begin! We hit the opening video, then head to ringside where our hosts Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, and Caprice coleman send us to the ring for our opening match...
Dalton Castle vs Dragon Lee
Dragon Lee dropkicks Dalton into the corner, hits two more corner dropkicks and makes a quick cover, but Dalton is out at 2. Dragon dropkicks Dalton to the floor, he tries a dive but Dalton moves and then rams Dragon into the post. Dragon tries to give Dalton a tornado DDT onto the apron, but Dalton throws him off and Lee lands hard on the apron, then Dalton rams him into the crowd. Lee regains his feet, so Dalton hiptosses him over the barricade and onto the floor, then runs him clear across ringside and into the barricade there, driving Lee back into the crowd. Dalton tries it a third time, but Lee shoots him off and it's Dalton who slams into the barricade. Dalton is angry, and starts grinding Dragon's ribs with a bearhub, then tries to tear the mask open. Dalton with a couple of pinfall attempts, then gets a half nelson with a bodyscissors. Lee tries mounting some offense, but Dalton just dumps him with a suplex for 2, then continues trying to rip Lee's mask open. He's got it part way open, but Lee catches him with a flying headscissors out of nowhere. Dalton rolls to the floor, and Lee takes him out with a high velocity dive through the ropes. Back into the ring where Lee hits a Jay Driller over the knee, followed by a running kick for 2. Dalton suplexes Lee into the corner, Lee dodges a charge, and catches Dalton with a hard swinging dropkick to the chest. Dalton blocks another running knee with a suplex, but Lee hits a rebound German suplex, a leaping knee, and an inverted Frankensteiner for 2. Lee tries a springboard something, Dalton catches him and goes for the Bangarang, Lee escapes, and Dalton drops him with a clothesline. Dalton with a deadlift gutwrench, Lee counters to a Frankensteiner with a cradle for 2, then drills Dalton with another kneestrike. Yet another kneestrike and Lee covers for 1. Lee goes after the referee, but takes too long and eats a short clothesline from Dalton, who quickly finishes with Bangarang...except he doesn't. He gets a maniacal smile on his face, hauls Lee into the corner, and hits Rush's corner dropkick for the win.
Winner: Dalton Castle
Terrific match, Dalton really has a new energy to him that he's needed for a while.
WOH Champion Kelly Klein & Jenny Rose vs Angelina Live & Mandy Leon
Match gets off to a quick start with a brawl, then Angelina gets alone in the ring with Jenny and gets the advantage, but then Kelly tags in for a nice chain wrestling sequence. Angelina takes Klein down with a shoulderblock, then drops her with a neckbreaker. Angelina has been dominant here, but Klein lays her out with a clothesline, then makes the mistake of taking a shot at Mandy and opens herself up to Angelina hitting a leg lariat. Klein with a side suplex for 2, then tags Rose in for a double suplex on Angelina. Angelina leads Jenny on a chase around ringside and right into a cheap clothesline from Velvet. Mandy tags in and quickly goes to work on Jenny before tagging right back out. Angelina with a double running knees to Jenny, then dumps her out to the floor. Klein backs Velvet off of taking a cheap shot on Jenny, but Mandy blindsides Kelly with a shot from behind, then Angelina takes both Klein and Jenny out with a top rope dive, then rolls Jenny into the ring and covers for 2. Mandy tags back in, misses a corner charge, and Jenny spears Mandy into next week and makes the hot tag to Kelly, who comes in and cleans house with a series of suplexes for everybody. Mandy hits a DDT on Klein, but then Jenny spears Mandy on the ring apron, and as if that wasn't enough, Jenny slams Mandy off the apron and onto the floor. Mandy returns the favor by ramming Jenny into the barricade. Klein hits Angelina with a fallaway slam off the top for a close 2, but then Velvet and Angelina distract Kelly, allowing Mandy to hit Kelly with a high heel shoe from behind. Angelina hits the Botox Injection for the win.
Winners: Allure
Good match, and I forgot how good Angelina was with her off my TV for a couple years. The lights go out after the match, and when they come up, Maria Manic is in the ring. Security gets between her and the Allure, who take off. Manic instead beats up security, gives one the human torture rack, and then powerbombs him over the top rope onto more security guards.
The show continues on Page 2!
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