Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
ROH Episode 95 Review: Twas the Night Before Final Battle:
Tomorrow night, Final Battle returns home to NYC! Before we get there and find out who the true King of New York is (it is not Chris Jericho) we have our go-home show! Although we do not have any champions in action, plenty of matches will help elevate some of the big matches on tomorrow’s show. Without further ado let’s review.
Lee Johnson vs Bishop Kaun:
I am assuming this is setting up for the tag match between LEEJ and Gates of Agony tomorrow on Zero Hour to fill time. Johnson should have been the TV Champion yesterday as he is someone who is not only on TV every week, but proves how good he is every time he is on TV. After Johnson got the win Kaun went to give the Code of Honor and Liona broke that up. Liona and Nduka squared off in a face-to-face before Gates of Agony left the ring.
Winner: Lee Johnson
Lee Moriarty Promo:
Moriarty says he is ready for anyone to answer his open challenge tomorrow. Every time he steps into the ring, he proves he is one of the best in ROH. Tomorrow will be his night as he not only proves that he is one of the best champions in ROH but also shows everyone that Taigastyle is going to take over the world.
Red Velvet and Leyla Hirsch Promo:
Hirsch says that last week she had her beat but because of Starkz and Athena they got in her way. Red Velvet says that Hirsch has not been able to prove that and she will do anything to make sure she walks out of NYC tomorrow the ROH Women’s Television Champion.
Queen Aminata vs Lady Frost:
Halfway through this match Aminata looked into the camera and dropped the F bomb which was one of the more funnier things that I have seen on this episode. With how much Aminata has been showcased on ROH as of lately I am going to assume she will be Starkz’s first feud for the women’s championship which will be entertaining. This match was fine, both showed out and proved why the ROH Women’s Division is the place to be.
Winner: Queen Aminata
The Righteous Promo:
We see The Righteous spying on Dustin Rhodes as he is walking into his wrestling school. As Rhodes is vacuuming one of the rings Vincent attacks him from behind. He choked Rhodes out with a cord as Dutch hit him in the head with the cowbell. Vincent says Rhodes is now seeing the polka dots he claimed he would as he Facetimes Sammy Guevara. Vincent says he has a surprise for Guevara as he shows a bloody Rhodes and he keeps saying this is just for you. Vincent claims this is a Final Battle gift as Guevara yells on the phone.
Iron Savages (Boulder, Bronson, and Jacked Jameson) vs Murder Machines (Lance Archer and Brian Cage):
Don Callis on Honor Club, now I have truly seen it all. This match was a little too long in my opinion just because the Iron Savages are not usually featured on ROH and when they are, they usually lose easily. I also would have rather seen Cage in a singles match with one of the participants in the Survival of the Fittest match to build on that instead. After the match Cage and Callis beat down Iron Savages to show their dominance.
Winners: Murder Machines (Lance Archer and Brian Cage)
Jay Lethal and QT Marshall Promo:
Lethal says he is excited to walk back into Hammerstein when Marshall interrupts. Marshall says we are all living in his world as Riccaboni gets the sit-down started. Lethal says that everything he has accomplished so far is because of ROH. Marshall says he felt disrespected after Lethal turned down his match with all of the mainstream publicity he has gotten over the last couple of weeks. Lethal says he wants to be back in the title picture which is why he said that he has bigger fish to catch and says Marshall needs to stop taking things personally. Marshall says that when he walked into ROH people talked about how Lethal was the franchise player of ROH and he had everything handed to him. He also mentions the neck injury he suffered in 2013 that almost ended his career. Lethal says to stop using it as a crutch and he has to move on. Marshall says that he was able to turn everything around and open up a school and make money which is why he is now successful. Marshall says he is going to try to hurt Lethal tomorrow as he slaps him to end the interview.
The throwback match for this week's episode was Billie Starkz vs Athena from last year’s Final Battle
Serpentico vs Sidney Akeem:
This was a flip match galore. I said this the last time Akeem was on ROH I would not mind seeing him more often because of how insanely talented he is. These two had a great back and forth with Akeem getting several near falls over Serpentico, but in the end, Serpentico was able to get the win.
Winner: Serpentico
Athena and Billie Starkz vs Missa Kate and Blair Onyx:
Can they co-exist?! No, the answer is no. Athena kept using Starkz’s body to do double-team moves on their opponents, which was fun. The two of them kept fighting throughout the match, as expected as Athena was able to score the pinfall over Onyx. Starkz stole the custom ROH Women’s Championship and smashed it as Athena looked on mortified. Security tried separating them but Starkz and Athena were able to take them out. Athena took out everyone and stood tall as she vowed to take out Starkz and retain her ROH Women’s Championship.
Chris Jericho Promo:
Jericho says that even though Cardona has guts he made a big mistake. Jericho always can get his way no matter where it is. You can never turn your back on Jericho and even though he is the King of the Indies this is what Cardona gets for challenging Cardona. Jericho says he will follow Cardona all over the world until Cardona understands how high the stakes are in this match. He also adds that it is time for the king to retain his crown in his castle and retain the ROH World Championship as Hammerstein Ballroom.
Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson), Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty vs Dark Order (Alex Reynolds and Evil Uno), and Undisputed Kingdom (Mike Bennett and Matt Taven):
With how the last segment ended I would have rather that be the closing segment than this. Everyone got their stuff in during this match. GYV and Dark Order got into it during the match which led them to leave the match halfway through. STP and Undisputed Kingdom finished the match strong as Moriarty pinned Bennett while holding the ropes as STP stands tall.
Winners: Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson), Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty
Overall:
This was a promo-heavy episode given that the pay-per-view is tomorrow..The matches did what they had to do, but I would have liked to see a Jericho Cardona live segment and not a video just recapping what happened this past weekend on GCW. Hopefully, the pay-per-view will show out tomorrow, like they always do.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
