Kevin's Top 100 Matches of 2015: #95-91

95. Cero Miedo: Pentagon Jr. vs. Vamprio - Ultima Lucha 8/5/15

Lucha Underground was easily one of the best things about 2015 in general. Pentagon Jr. was then one of the best things about Lucha Underground. When it came time to build his match for the big Ultima Lucha event, I was disappointed to see it set up to be against Vampiro. While I initially thought Vampiro was cool as a kid, looking back, he never seemed very good in the ring. Add in his age and his weight, and I felt like this was a waste of Pentagon. Boy did the two of them prove me wrong. In no way did I ever expect to see Vampiro on any top list of the year 2015. He was better than I ever expected in what is the most violent match on this list. Light tubes, flaming tables and blood were all involved. Normally, that isn’t my style but it fit what they wanted to accomplish here. Pentagon won after 14:20 when he put Vampiro through a flaming table, but that wasn’t the end. Vampiro demanded Pentagon break his arm before revealing that he was the mysterious “master” whose orders Pentagon had been following all year. Chilling stuff. If we were just talking pure angle, this would rank way higher as it was one of my favorite storylines all year. ***¾

94. NXT Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Adrian Neville - NXT 1/14/15

This was the final leg in a trilogy between these two that spanned two months. In November 2014, they had a match for the belt that I loved before having an all-time classic in December at TakeOver: R-Evolution, where Sami Zayn captured the title. Sami missed time after the Kevin Owens attack but when he returned, Adrian Neville wanted his rematch. He got it on this night in the main event. Neville had to step into the role of challenger for the first time. They played off of their first two matches well, showing us a more aggressive Sami as well as one willing to do what it takes to win. His inability to do those things cost him dearly in their first match. They knew each other so well that their counters had counters and they just were so crisp with everything they did. At one point, Sami looked to be completely out of it following some ranas, only to sneak up and try for the Koji Clutch, perfectly showcasing how far Sami had come during this feud. Sami would hit the Helluva Kick to retain at 11:52 in a match that was shorter than their previous two, but still a great TV main event to cap their excellent rivalry. ***¾

93. Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Mundo - Ultima Lucha 8/5/15

My second favorite major wrestling show all year was Ultima Lucha. The first night was solid but nothing special, however, it was night two where things really got good. It started with the opening contest between arguably the two most recognizable faces in Lucha Underground, Alberto El Patron and Johnny Mundo, kicked things off. Both guys had some good runs in WWE, but seemed to really thrive in the Temple. Thanks to the feud they had, this got to have a different feel than their match on an earlier episode. That was more based on competition but with Mundo’s heel turn and him throwing Alberto through a window, this match had a personal feel. It mixed solid wrestling with innovative brawling. They used everything from the environment around them including Mundo throwing dirt at El Patron from under the ring. It was just really refreshing to see two guys blend the competition with the heated rivalry so well. Mundo picked up a win after 13:37 thanks to the surprising arrival of Melina, who struck El Patron with his own title. Unfortunately, El Patron won’t be back for Season Two, though that does make this an even better win for Mundo. ***¾

92. ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Roderick Strong - ROH TV 9/9/15

Jay Lethal captured the ROH World Title in June of this year. His first defense was against Roderick Strong and they went to a one hour draw in a match that I didn’t think was great. Of course, coming out of a draw, there has to be a rematch, which occurred on ROH Television on this night. Here, it went 25:15, so they were able to work a bit quicker instead of dragging things out. The code of honor started things, but the match quickly escalated into something more physical. Lethal is a member of the House of Truth and they made sure to get involved. I didn’t mind it at first since they are a heel unit and interference should be expected. Due to their history, they managed to play off of their past matches, with both guys showing their prior knowledge of one another. They knew what to expect from each other and it made for some fine exchanges throughout. The final few minutes got really good as Strong kicked out of a belt shot and Lethal Injection, which Lethal sold like the most shocking thing since Brock ended the streak. A second Lethal Injection allowed Lethal to retain. I do wish he would have won cleanly in the end, especially considering how the third match in their 2015 trilogy would go down. Still, this was a marked improvement on their first title fight. ***¾

91. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa – NXT 10/28/15

He hasn’t been around for a while, but Chad Gable is already one of my favorite wrestlers. The guy just gets it and has picked up wrestling incredibly quickly, making the various Kurt Angle comparisons kind of accurate. His dynamic with Jason Jordan and their chemistry is just so good already. They’ve only just started teaming, but they work more smoothly than almost any other current tag team. This match gave everyone a little bit of something. Gable was a wiz on the mat while Jordan threw his opponents around. Gargano and Ciampa were no slouches either, getting their stuff in which got pops from the fans who know them well and from the people just being introduced. There were some cool little things like Gable casually asking Jordan if he should break Johnny’s arm like it was nothing. Despite never working each other, the match goes at such a breakneck pace, you’d think they wrestled countless times. The back suplex double team finisher got Gable and Jordan the win after 11:58 in the best tag team match on NXT all year. ***¾

Kevin's Top 100 Matches of 2015: 100-96

In recent years, I kind of stopped watching many indy promotions and stuck to only the WWE. Not because I didn't like the indies, but because I was pressed for time. However, entering 2015, I made it a point to watch as much wrestling as I could. I got back into some indies and saw some Japanese wrestling for the first time. With all of the wrestling I watched, I've compiled a lengthy Top 100 Matches of 2015 list, spanning the WWE, NJPW, ROH, TNA, PWG, Evolve, LU, RPW, Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Normally, I wouldn't make a list this large, but, after focusing on mainly WWE only the past few years, I made it a point to watch as much wrestling as possible in 2015. This year just so happened to have TONS of great matches and enough that I could make a Top 100, featuring so much greatness.

100. WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match – WWE WrestleMania 3/29/15

We open with the most randomly, and poorly, booked match on this list. Instead of trying to build an Intercontinental Title match with some intrigue, the WWE chose to throw seven guys into a match simply because they had nothing for them though still felt they were above the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. R-Truth, Stardust, the champion Bad News Barrett and Luke Harper joined the three most popular faces not named John Cena at the time, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler. While the lead into this was a clusterfuck in a bad way, the actual match was a clusterfuck in a good way. Everybody got at least one moment to shine, even if it was small like Truth’s spot. There some nice little personal moments in like Stardust getting out his own personal ladder only for Barrett to break it. We saw some big spots, namely Ambrose taking a powerbomb through a ladder, but they didn’t overdo it. It came down to Bryan and Ziggler, both very hot with the fans at the time, as they battled with right hands and headbutts atop the ladder. Bryan won out and pulled down the belt at 13:47 to become Intercontinental Champion one year after winning the WWE Title. ***¾

99. Jay Lethal and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. reDRagon - ROH Field of Honor 8/22/15

Here we have a tag team main event from Ring of Honor’s Field of Honor show, which took place in a baseball stadium. The event featured top talent from both ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling, headlined by this tag team match. ROH World and Television Champion Jay Lethal teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura to face, in my opinion, the best tag team in pro wrestling, reDRagon. Lethal and Nakamura played opposites, which made things fun. Lethal was being a dick, so Nakamura let him get his ass kicked, before hilariously hugging him as a form of an apology. There was some great back and forth here from everyone. With Kyle O’Reilly set for a World Title shot against Lethal, they did a good job in showing that he was a legit threat. A highlight came when Nakamura countered Kyle’s rebound lariat into a gorgeous armbar. Lethal won for his team with Lethal Injection on Bobby Fish at 21:28 in a match that I would certainly describe as fun. ***¾

98. Michael Elgin vs. Tomoaki Honma - NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/15

When Michael Elgin was announced for the G1 Climax, myself and a lot of others groaned. I remember hearing rumors of Roderick Strong being in and I like him a lot more than Elgin. However, Elgin seemed to love working in Japan. Not only that, but the G1 style works very well for him. It allows him to work 10-15 minute bursts where he can do the things that he does well instead of trying to work a 25 minute classic and getting lost. Tomoaki Honma has also had some great 10-15 minute matches in the past two years in the G1. That made for a very good pairing in this one. Since its Honma, the crowd was very into everything that happened in this one. For those unaware, Honma competed in the G1 last year and went completely winless, but won over the fans with his efforts and performances. At this point, he was still winless this year. From cheering for him to being wowed by some of Elgin’s feats of strengths, they reacted to everything as they should have. Honma is so good at playing the underdog, which was perfect here since Elgin came off looking like a beast in the G1. There were some close calls but Honma would have to wait a little longer before getting his first G1 win, losing to a flurry of powerbombs from Elgin after 9:55. ***¾

97. Taiji Ishimori vs. Zack Sabre Jr. -  NOAH Global League Finals 11/8/15

After seeing Zack Sabre Jr. and Taiji Ishimori have a pretty great exchange in the Jr. Tag League match that I watched, I was eager for more. Enter the Global League Tournament Finals show. Sabre and Ishimori competed in a number one contender’s match with the winner getting a GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title shot. As a nice added touch, both guys got pre-match interviews, with Sabre hyping them as rivals, though he’s never beaten Ishimori. That got me more invested in the match, which turned out to be exactly what I expect from a Sabre match. Good old fashioned technical expertise. He went after the arm relentless and Ishimori sold the work done to it well. I didn’t have a dog in the fight, but found myself clutching my remote, growing tense at the thought of a Sabre loss. I wanted him to beat Ishimori for the first time. Alas, Ishimori would not be denied after 11:13. With a bit more time and a Sabre win, this would have ranked higher. ***¾

96. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. Ricochet - G1 Climax Finals 8/16/15

Here we have an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match. I’ve gone on record and stated that the junior division in New Japan is among my least favorite things about the promotion. The talent is mostly there, but the booking is incredibly shoddy. There also needs to be some variety but I digress. The best thing about the division in 2015 was easily KUSHIDA. After winning the Best of the Super Junior Tournament and dethroning Kenny Omega for the strap, his first defense was scheduled against Ricochet. Ricochet beat KUSHIDA in the finals of the 2014 BOTSJ, giving him an edge in this match. KUSHIDA went after the arm, looking for the Hover Board Lock. Ricochet, being one of the better high flyers in the world, wanted to quicken the pace and this was their struggle throughout the match. Some of the things they did were breathtaking and their chemistry is just so good that it was all seamless. Ricochet would miss the 630 before submitting to the Hover Board Lock at 17:00. With them tied at 1, Ricochet made note that a tiebreaker was needed. Unfortunately, KUSHIDA dropped the belt back to Omega in a stupid decision about a month later. ***¾

Top Ten Thursday: Non-Rumble Royal Rumble Matches

I hope this title isn't confusing for some. This list focuses on the best matches to take place at a Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View, but not including actual Royal Rumble matches. That will most likely be saved for a later list. You'll see a mixture of championship matches, special stipulation matches and even regular tag team and singles matches. Just anything that took place at a Royal Rumble event.

10. WWF Undisputed Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. The Rock – 2002

To close out 2001, Chris Jericho famously beat Chris Jericho and “Stone Cole” Steve Austin in the same night to win both the WWF and WCW Titles, becoming the first ever Undisputed Champion. Jericho’s match with the Rock on that night and their first one at No Mercy a few months earlier, were both great, so there were high hopes coming into this title match.  Jericho was just rolling as a heel, as arrogant as ever from the bell. They talked smack to one another but Jericho just put his hand in Rock’s face to shut him up. Jericho had been given little to no respect by pretty much everyone, so he had a huge chip on his shoulder. This was interesting from start to finish. Some of the fans wanted to badly see Rock dethrone Jericho, while others wanted Jericho to win and not be a transitional, flash in the pan champion. Both guys delivered and the match was very well put together. To the surprise of many, Jericho retained the title and moved to 3-0 against the Rock on Pay-Per-View in just four months. None of them were particularly clean wins, including this one, but it’s still impressive.

9. Tables Match: The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz – 2000

This nearly made my list of best matches I’ve ever seen live. In late 1999, Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boyz made history in a classic tag team ladder match. We also saw the debut of the Dudley Boyz, who made some quick waves within the company. Before the three teams would collide in another classic at WrestleMania, the Dudleys and Hardys took part in the first ever Tables match. Unlike future Tables matches, you had to be put through a table with an offensive maneuver and both members of the team had to go through them. The match only goes a little over ten minutes but is just filled with non-stop action. Multiple tables break, the pace never slows and the Madison Square Garden crowd is red hot throughout. They used the tables wisely, blending smart moments with some incredible spots. The final images of this match see Jeff Hardy dive off the entryway with a Swanton Bomb, putting D-Von through a table for the victory. It was a historic match, being the first in this stipulation’s history with a rather historic moment to close things out.

8. Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan – 2014

Two of the hottest acts in the WWE heading into 2014 were the most popular Superstar, Daniel Bryan, and a new heel in Bray Wyatt. They had been locked in a feud for the past few months, with this being their first one on one encounter. It opened the 2014 Royal Rumble and the fans absolutely were on their feet for Bryan. Even though he wasn’t announced for the Rumble match itself, they expected him to win here and then go on to win the Royal Rumble. The night wouldn’t go as planned at all. This opener was great, being one of the ten best matches in the WWE in 2014. It’s still, to this day, the best Bray Wyatt match I’ve ever witnessed. It was a physical contest, featuring some great moments. The highlight saw Bryan try a suicide dive, only to get caught in a big Sister Abigail. Bray would go on to win, setting the stage for a night of disappointment for the Pittsburgh crowd. Bryan would also not even show up in the Royal Rumble, causing the fans to boo the entire winning moment. Still, seeing Bray beat Bryan signaled that Bray was in for a big push…that is until WrestleMania.

7. WWF Championship: Diesel (c) vs. Bret Hart – 1995

At the 1994 King of the Ring, Bret Hart was the WWF Champion and took on the Intercontinental Champion, Diesel. It turned out to be a fantastic match that really showed that one, there was potential in Diesel, and two, his chemistry with Bret was dynamite. Bret would lose the WWF Title to Bob Backlund, only for Diesel to beat Backlund just three days later. Diesel’s first big defense was set against Bret Hart in a match that, like all of their battles, was great. Part of the reason these two meshed so well together, was Bret’s willingness to go the extra mile and do the little things to try and win. Bret fought, even though he was a face, like a man determined to do whatever it takes to win the gold. Like any smart smaller half of the match, Bret tries to chop down Diesel by going after the legs, while Diesel, like any big man in the fight, wears down Bret. There’s a point where Diesel breaks a figure four with shots to the ribs, which he had worked on during the match. It’s the little things like that which make their matches great. The only thing keeping this from ranking higher is the finish as it involves a lot of interference from the heel rivals of both men, leading to a no contest. They would rematch this at Survivor Series in my favorite match of theirs.

6. The Orient Express vs. The Rockers – 1991

There have been a lot of great openers in Pay-Per-View history, and even some damn good ones in Royal Rumble history, but I’d have to say that this was the best one. On paper, this doesn’t stick out as a match you’d think would be great. Nothing against either team, but if you look at this list, every match has big names and an angle behind it. This was kind of just two teams going at it to open the show, but they went out and had the best match in Royal Rumble history up to that point. Hell, it actually wouldn’t be topped until 1995. This was far better than I expected going in. Both teams worked crisply and busted out some high flying, double team moves that wowed the crowd. I mean, the Rockers were super over, but the Orient Express weren’t the most hated of heels, so kudos to the crowd for being so hot for this. When Marty Jannetty got the hot tag, I swear it was the best pop of his career, outside of winning the Intercontinental Title. What made this even more surprising was that a random tag match like this went for nearly twenty minutes. The best part is that it never lulled.

5. WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match: John Cena (c) vs. Umaga – 2007

During this time, the John Cena hate train was chugging along at its peak. John Cena was in the midst of a WWE Title reign that would last a year and had just given Umaga his first pinfall loss at New Year’s Revolution. That one was via rollup, leading to a rematch at the Royal Rumble, under Last Man Standing rules. Now, I was in that group of people who hated Cena. Up to this point, I could count on one hand the amount of matches in his career that I’d consider great. In 2007, he’d really start to step his game up and it all began here. He and Umaga had one of the better Last Man Standing matches in WWE history, with both guys going all out to give people a show. This was brutal and barbaric at times. From Umaga’s splash through the announce table to the use of the monitors at ringside to the finish involving the top rope being completely removed, this was just creative and excellent. In a year that saw Cena have great matches with Shawn Michaels, this may be my favorite Cena match of the first half of his career. It is absolutely my favorite Umaga match ever.

4. WWF Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Chris Benoit (c) vs. Chris Jericho – 2001

Growing up in this era, two of the guys I enjoyed seeing more than anyone else were Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. That enjoyment shot even higher when they would go against each other. Their chemistry was always great and they had some excellent matches in 2000. Here in 2001 though, they would have their best match together in my opinion. The ladder match had just started being used very often, with the tag teams in the WWF putting on some spectacular bouts. This was different than those matches though. Instead of focusing on spots and jaw-dropping moments, they worked a smart ladder match. Instead of just putting ladders in odd places to do crazy spots, they used it brilliantly. Everything is logical, the spots they do make sense and they use the ladder as a weapon because they want to hurt each other. Like, when Benoit tries a dive outside, Jericho whacks him with a steel chair, providing one of the best chair shots in history. That’s just violence because they dislike each other so much. Not only is this absolutely tremendous, but it’s one of the best Intercontinental Title and ladder matches in wrestling history.

3. WWF Championship Street Fight: Triple H (c) vs. Cactus Jack – 2000

I wrote about this match in my “Top Ten Live Matches” list a few weeks back. It’s hard to really add much to what I said. This was brutal, barbaric and remains one of the best Street Fights in history. The amount of barbed wire, thumbtacks and blood wasn’t really something seen in the WWF at the time. Bringing in Cactus Jack was a fantastic stroke of genius. Triple H had beaten both Mankind and Dude Love in the past, but fell to Cactus. After getting his ass kicked for weeks by Triple H, Mick Foley had to dig deep and bring out Cactus again. That set the stage for this match, which would go down as one of the best the WWF has ever put on in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden. One of my favorite things about the match is that Triple H sends Stephanie to the back, acknowledging that this is going to be a war. There are just so many stand out moments during this. Cactus’ piledriver through the table, the biting spot where Cactus comes up full of HHH’s blood, the broken steel chair and the sick Pedigree on the thumbtacks that sealed the deal in the end. This completely made the Triple H character the top heel in the company.

2. WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins – 2015

We had seen a lot of Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena matches, so when one was planned for the 2015 Royal Rumble, I was not a fan. Then, the WWE threw Seth Rollins into the mix. That added dimension took the good Lesnar/Cena matches into classic status. Brock was the beast you’d expect, suplexing everything in sight, including J&J Security at the same time. Cena and Seth, rivals for the past few months, had to team up to try and take out the unstoppable beast. They accomplished it when Seth pulled a Shawn Michaels and elbowed Brock through the announce table. Cena and Seth then went at it, having their best exchange ever, including their feud later in the year.  When medics come down to check on Brock, the fans completely begin to buy into everything Cena and Seth do to each other in the ring. They pop for near falls incredibly hard. Brock got up though and cleaned house to retain. It was matches like this that showed Seth absolutely belonged at the top of the card.

1. WWE Championship: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Chris Benoit – 2003

Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle are two of the greatest wrestlers in history. This also wasn’t a case of two great wrestlers that didn’t mesh well either. Their chemistry was always spot on, with them producing tremendous matches in 2001 and 2002. At this Royal Rumble title match though, they topped them all. While you pretty much knew going in that Benoit wouldn’t win since everyone expected Angle/Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX, they did everything in their power to make you believe otherwise. They put in such a fantastic effort, building towards something special. The intensity level was very high and the work was so crisp. Their ability to counter one another is just spectacular, making for some exhilarating action. Commentary is a key part of this, with both Tazz and Michael Cole doing so well. The attention to detail during this match is what helps set it apart. This is two of the best of all-time, in the primes of their careers, going full throttle and putting on an absolute classic. The Royal Rumble has managed to have some great matches in its near 30 year history, but none were better than this nearly perfect title fight. 

Random Network Reviews: Armageddon 2004

Armageddon 2004
December 12th, 2004 | Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia | Attendance: 5,000

I feel like the only brand exclusive Pay-Per-Views I end up reviewing are Smackdown ones. Usually I’m partial to Smackdown over Raw, but these can really be hit or miss. I recall nothing about this show, though I do remember that JBL was in the midst of his long reign as WWE Champion, while John Cena was a few months shy of dethroning him for it.

The opening video package informs me that JBL will be defending his title in a Fatal Four Way tonight. Michael Cole and Tazz are on commentary and hype this as Hotlanta, though it’s Duluth.

WWE Tag Team Championship
Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Kenzo Suzuki and Rene Dupree w/ Hiroko and Fifi
There have been a ton of odd pairings in history, but Kenzo Suzuki and Rene Dupree may be the strangest. RVD and Rey hit their 420 leg drop early, which Michael Cole gives a dumb explanation for. Something about their show sizes or something. Come on Michael, we know why RVD names a move 420. Rey goes to sunset flip Kenzo outside but he holds on, only for RVD to assist him in finishing it. He sets Dupree up on the barricade and comes off with his corkscrew leg drop. Inside, Dupree gets in some shots but he can’t tag out since Kenzo is laid out at ringside. It leads to him getting double teamed, but Kenzo is in shortly to wear down RVD. Things break down before Torrie Wilson runs out to chase Hiroko away. They had a feud of sorts going. The heels now work a heat segment on Mysterio. A funny spot comes when Dupree does his French Tickler dance and Kenzo does it with him on the apron. Hot tag comes to RVD who does his thing. Rey comes in and RVD assists him in setting up a double 619. Tazz says his 12 2 18 joke about a double 619. They ran that into the ground. Five Star Frog Splash hits to retain.

Winners and Still WWE Tag Team Champions: Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam in 16:55
Surprisingly good here. I knew that RVD and Mysterio were more than capable of a good match but I was unsure about Kenzo and Rene. I do feel that this lasted a bit long but it was still a solid tag team match. **¾

We get a promo from Daniel Puder who is going to face the future Miz in a Dixie Dogfight. It’s a dreadful promo.

Kurt Angle comes out for his Gold Medal challenge or whatever. He reveals his opponent to be Santa Claus. Kurt somehow turns this serious by saying that he loves his daughter but she only wants to ever write to Santa Claus instead of talking about him. Kurt has the bell rung, takes down Santa and makes him tap to the Ankle Lock. I would count this as a match but it really isn’t.

Dixie Dogfight
Daniel Puder vs. Mike Mizanin
These are the two finalists for Tough Enough. We get a video package recapping the season, which also featured the future Ryback. This is basically a boxing match with odd rules. Miz surprisingly comes out and, if I were scoring the fight, wins the first round. They go all three one minute rounds with no knockouts, so it’s up to the fans. Teddy Long asks the fans and they choose Puder.

Winner: Daniel Puder in 3:00
It’s hard to really judge something like that. They did the best they could though it was just two guys wailing away on each other in one minute bursts. *

Both guys get interviewed after the minute. Miz makes one minor mistake but Daniel Puder looks lost when a microphone is put in front of him. It’s rather embarrassing.

Backstage, Booker T and Eddie Guerrero are discussing how much they want to get their hands on JBL. Classic Eddie here as he says that he could easily pin Booker to win the title tonight. Booker laughs and says the same thing back basically, causing Eddie to laugh. Eddie brings up the Undertaker and Booker says he’ll take him down too. They talk about teaming up until Undertaker shows up and stares them down. It’s actually pretty funny.

The Basham Brothers vs. Charlie Haas and Hardcore Holly
Here we have a prime example of why brand split Pay-Per-Views should not happen. Charlie Haas is pulling double duty tonight as he will also referee a match later. The Bashams were recently announced as JBL’s Secretaries of Defense. Despite being low on talent, the idea of the Cabinet was great. Haas is emotionally overcharged due to being part of a love triangle with Dawn Marie and Jackie Gayda. Look Charlie, there are far worse things to be caught in between. Some “boring” chants start, which I honestly can’t disagree with, even though I love Charlie Haas. Holly gets the mild tag and even uses a flying clothesline because I guess the boring chants got to him. Haas is outside so Dawn comes out to check on him, bringing out Jackie. They get into it, which distracts Holly. This allows the Bashams to utilize twin magic, which is obviously where the Bellas got it from, and steal it.

Winner: The Basham Brothers in 6:51
Dull stuff here. I like Charlie Haas but nothing about these two teams were appealing. It was boring until the end. *¼

Street Fight
Jesus w/ Carlito vs. WWE United States Champion John Cena
During the Carlito/John Cena rivalry, Carlito’s bodyguard Jesus “stabbed” Cena in a nightclub. With the injured kidney, Cena won the US Title back from Carlito in short order. Judging by the commentators, this was the debut of the spinner US Title. Cena attacks quickly and even when Carlito brings a kendo stick into play, Cena shrugs it off and goes after Jesus’ kidney. We got some blood following a kendo stick shot. A kick to the skull is next, as Cena is dominating this. He tries to throw Jesus off a section of the crowd but Carlito stops it. While fighting through the crowd, Cena chugs a fan’s beer. He was getting more over by the show. In the ring, Cena plants Jesus with the FU, ending this beating.

Winner: John Cena in 7:55
This was pretty much an eight minute squash match. Jesus would never appear on Pay-Per-View again and John Cena was about to have a monster 2005 so this made sense. He kept it entertaining and got his revenge, which is all you can ask for. **

We get a backstage segment between Charlie Haas and Jackie Gayda where they make out and Haas slaps her butt. That Charlie Haas is a pretty lucky guy.

Dawn Marie vs. Jackie Gayda
Research tells me that this was the pretty much the end for both girls. Dawn would go on maternity leave before being released and Jackie would be done in about six months. This is just two girls swinging on each other and none of it looks very good. They do the trademark spot where they roll onto the referee. Dawn ends up rolling up Jackie with tights and Haas counts the three.

Winner: Dawn Marie in 1:43
Trash. Two girls that cannot wrestle went out and put on a stinker. I won’t give it the dud score since it was short. ¼* 

Post-match, Charlie Haas admits to having an affair with Dawn Marie. He breaks off the engagement with Jackie because she makes love like a dead fish. Haas calls Dawn hot but dumps her ass too. He leaves alone to boos. Okay Charlie that was a bad move dude. Now you get no booty.

Big Show vs. Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns
Before the match, Big Show gets a good luck kiss from Joy Giovanni. If that doesn’t help you win, nothing will. Big Show just tosses Mark Jindrak around, so Kurt Angle refuses to tag in because he needs to learn his lesson. He tags Kurt and forces him in. Show dominates for a while but the numbers game takes its toll. Remember how Jindrak was supposed to be in Evolution? Things would be very different. Nothing special is really happening here. It’s just three guys working over Show in various ways. It screams Smackdown TV main event, rather than PPV bout. When Show manages to be alone in the ring with Jindrak, he plants him with an F5 to win. Commentary continually mentions that it was indeed an F5.

Winner: Big Show in 9:56
Basic TV match here. The crowd was relatively dead as this show has been underwhelming to say the least. This was the definition of standard fare and it wasn’t very good. *¾

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Spike Dudley (c) vs. Funaki
SMACKDOWN’S NUMBA ONE ANNOUNCAH! Funaki interviews himself before the match but is interrupted by heel Spike. I thought the crowd was dead for the previous match, but this is a whole different level of silent. Spike Dudley was actually doing very well as the “Boss” and heel Cruiserweight Champion, protected by his older brothers, who are currently out with injuries. The work they’re doing in the ring isn’t bad, it’s just heatless. They do a countout spot tease but the crowd doesn’t care enough to pop for it. It’s interesting to see Spike throwing someone around since he’s one of the smallest guys in history. Funaki nails a sweet double stomp from the top while Spike was in the tree of woe, which probably could have been a finish if it looked a bit better. However, it is a rollup that moves the belt to Funaki in shocking fashion.

Winner and New WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Funaki in 9:29
I get that they wanted to go for the shock factor, but this was a dumb move. If I remember right, Spike Dudley was doing solid work as the “Boss” character and should have dropped the belt to someone that was built up. Not in a heatless match that nobody cared about. *¾

WWE Championship
John “Bradshaw” Layfield (c) vs. Booker T vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. The Undertaker
Eddie Guerrero’s tobacco sauce style shirt that said Latino Heat was great. The crowd is finally awake, even chanting “Taker” during Undertaker’s entrance. Wisely, JBL leaves the ring, leaving his three challengers to fight. He sneaks in for a cover after Undertaker takes down Booker, but the referee is basically blind and misses it for like a whole minute. He ends up in between his challengers and is used as a pinball, getting hit from every angle. Booker and Eddie team up on Undertaker as JBL escapes to rest outside. Eddie and Booker turn their attention to JBL but the partnership ends when Booker breaks Eddie’s pin attempt. We’ve seen it a million times. Things get hardcore as JBL clears off the announce table, with intents on putting Undertaker through it. Taker counters though and we go back in the ring. JBL has been fantastic as the opportunistic champion trying to get pins at every turn. Undertaker starts to get in control, hitting everything in his path. He goes for Old School but Eddie tries to interrupt, only to eat a boot. Taker then finishes Old School. JBL goes to a sleeper hold on Booker, but Eddie brings out a ladder to a pop. He takes out Undertaker with it before going inside. It doesn’t come into play though as Booker rallies and nails everyone. Scissors Kick connects on Eddie for two. The brawl goes outside where JBL powerbombs Booker on the table, but it nearly goes back as he gets tied up in cables. JBL uses an elbow to put him through the table instead. Undertaker answers by hitting the Last Ride through the other table on JBL. Eddie plays possum in the ring, so Undertaker goes after him, but it fails as Undertaker catches him in a chokeslam anyway. He goes for the Last Ride, but Eddie blocks it by nailing him with the title. He hits two Frog Splashes but Undertaker somehow kicks out and sits up. Eddie begins to do his old WCW beg spot before using a low blow. Eddie uses the ladder again, before climbing it and hitting a third Frog Splash. He hurts his knee though and can’t cover in time. When he does, JBL pulls the official out of the ring. A third ladder shot sends Undertaker outside before Eddie sets it up in the corner. JBL charges, but eats the Three Amigos only for Booker to break things up. Scissors Kick on JBL but Taker stops the pin. It’s his turn for a close call now. He decides to chokeslam everyone before signaling for the end. As he goes for the Tombstone, Heidenreich appears and attacks Undertaker. JBL crawls over to cover Booker for two and the same happens with Eddie. He tries it on Undertaker, who sits up, only for Heidenreich to pull him out and lock him in a cobra clutch. Clothesline from Hell on Booker is enough for JBL to survive.

Winner: WWE Champion John “Bradshaw” Layfield in 25:36
That was a lot of fun. It was what I expected from a Fatal Four Way involving a heel champion but JBL was fantastic in this role. Also, bringing in ladders and tables added to it and we had tons of near falls and close calls that were really cool. ***½ 

Overall: 3/10; Poor. There are only two good matches on this entire card and that’s the opener and main event. Even with them being good, neither are must see. Everything else is pretty much a chore to get through. Not only were some decisions baffling but some of the matches seriously made you question if you were watching a Pay-Per-View or an episode of Velocity. My next “Random Network Review” will be none other than The Great American Bash 1998!

Top Five 12/14/15-12/20/15

1) Jay Lethal: Originally, my plan was to put Roman Reigns in this top spot, but the main event of Final Battle changed my mind. Jay Lethal has been the ROH World Champion since June but his reign has honestly been a bit lackluster. His defenses have ended via draw or with him winning through nefarious terms. However, at Final Battle he stepped up against AJ Styles in the biggest match on the indies all year. Not only did they go out and have a tremendous match but Lethal won cleanly. That was AJ's first pinfall loss in ROH since he returned after his TNA run if I recall correctly. This was the kind of match that Lethal needed as champion. After coming off as very legit when he won it from Jay Briscoe, he hasn't had that one big, clean victory that solidifies him as the man. This was it. A win over AJ Styles, especially clean, is massive.

2) Roman Reigns: Seriously, Roman Reigns was incredibly close to winning the vote this week after Monday. After months of being oddly booked and mostly mishandled, Roman Reigns finally had a moment where seemingly everyone rooted for him at the end of TLC. I didn't love the angle but most people seemed to. The same goes for the following night on Raw. I've seen high praise for the episode, but I found it to be mediocre at best. Still, it was capped with the crowning moment for Reigns. He defeated Sheamus to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the second time, with this one lasting much longer than the 5:15 of his first reign at Survivor Series. He was also involved in a rare angle with Vince McMahon earlier in the show. The pop that Reigns got for winning the belt in Philadelphia, the city where he was booed out of the building at the Royal Rumble, was a great bookend to his 2015.

3) Finn Balor: "Finn the Ripper" made a special appearance at TakeOver: London. The "Demon" added a new twist to fit the location before his main event match with Samoa Joe. I feel like this match was a letdown. Granted, it was still a good match but it was missing something to be great. It didn't have enough of a personal feel for a match that saw two guys with a backstory of betrayal. Even so, Finn was able to become the first person to beat Samoa Joe in NXT. He retained his NXT Championship and also continued his winning ways on TakeOver specials, as he's unbeaten on them throughout his one year with the company. With a big Midwest tour coming up, Finn is set to be the champion and the top guy heading into those shows.

4) Roderick Strong: Another big match at Final Battle saw Roderick Strong defend the ROH Television Title. He took on Bobby Fish, who came very close to winning the title a few months back when Jay Lethal was champion. The match was solid, but could have been better. After some back and forth, Strong got put in the Fish Hook and tapped out, but did so in a way the referee couldn't see. Fish released the hold, thinking he won. That freed up Roderick to nail a stiff knee that knocked out Fish and retained the gold. It wasn't the cleanest of victories, but he still retained on the biggest show of the year. It also seemed to be the first step in bringing heel Roddy to Ring of Honor, which is a role he's been so good at in other promotions.

5) Amber Gallows: Originally, my plan was to put either War Machine or Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson in this spot. War Machine won the ROH Tag Titles in a quick match, while Dash and Dawson retained the NXT Tag straps at TakeOver: London. However, I ended up going with Amber Gallows. Gallows was able to win the NWA World Women's Championship this past week. Not only was it kind of rare to see her win a title but she did so by beating Santana Garrett. Garrett has made this list several times, because she has held multiple titles throughout the year. The NWA Women's belt was one of the bigger ones that she wore, up until this point. I don't know how long the reign of Gallows will be, but she joins her husband in currently holding titles in the wrestling world.

ROH Final Battle Review

Final Battle 2015
December 18th, 2015 | 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ROH held their biggest show of the year last night. I was going to watch live but got a last minute ticket to Star Wars and saw that instead. Today, right after work, I watched the PPV on demand with excitement. I already was pumped for the show going into things, but I heard high praise for it as well.

Kevin Kelly and Mr. Wrestling III (Steve Corino in a mask since Corino is barred from commentary) are on commentary.

Number One Contender’s Match: The All Night Express def. The Briscoes and the Young Bucks in 9:19
Coming into this show, I fully expected this to be the opener and I was right. It worked exactly how you’d want your opener to work. The crowd was red hot for the Briscoes and Young Bucks, the match was fast paced and featured some fun spots. It did begin slower than I thought it would, but once they got into busting out the spots, these teams were right at home. We saw multiple dives to the outside, back to back 450 splashes from the Bucks, some fun offense from the Express and the Briscoes being badasses. The teams did the job of getting the crowd going with the frenetic pacing. The Bucks nearly won it with the Meltzer Driver, only for the pin to get broken up. The All Night Express earned the title shot with a super one night stand. Fine opener, but the crowd was not happy about ANX winning, though I liked the decision. ***

Silas Young w/ The Boys def. Dalton Castle in 10:47
Obviously, the story of this match was the Boys. They originally accompanied Dalton Castle to the ring, but Silas Young won their services and has turned them into “men”. It’s a pretty good idea in theory but when I type it, it sounds odd to say the least. The match itself was about on par with the other bouts in their series. Castle was a bit more serious than usual, considering the angle. I like that he played into that. It came off as more physical than their previous encounters and Castle showed off surprising strength. One of the Boys got involved and Castle wiped him out by mistake. He was horrified, allowing Young to get the win. After the match, Young demanded that Castle call him a real man. Castle finally did but the Boys then showed their true colors, siding with Castle. So Castle loses the battle, but wins the war. **½

Michael Elgin def. Moose w/ Stokely Hathaway in 11:55
Ring of Honor is filled with really good wrestlers and athletes, but then you run into a situation like this and you get a good old fashioned hoss battle. I tend to like these, especially when they are different than everything else on the show. Both guys want the ROH World Title, though Michael Elgin already won a shot at Survival of the Fittest. Moose sported some special football themed entrance attire, which was cool. This was entirely back and forth, with both guys being given a chance to showcase their power. Moose kicked out of an Elgin Bomb, then Elgin got his shoulder up after a Spear. Moose shouted that he was coming for Elgin, leaving Elgin ready for it and he was able to catch him with a Burning Hammer to win. I figured this would be the result with Elgin having a title shot coming up at Wrestle Kingdom, I’m just not sure what’s next for Moose. ***

Adam Cole def. Kyle O’Reilly in 16:12
The former Future Shock partners have had issues since Adam Cole seemed to be friends with Kyle O’Reilly again, only to cost Kyle his shot at the ROH World Title back in September. This was billed as a grudge match and Kyle absolutely played into that from the start, taking Cole down. When Cole started to swing the momentum, he targeted O’Reilly’s leg. That was done to set up the figure four, which commentary reminded us was how Cole beat Kyle in their big match in New York in 2012. O’Reilly sold the leg issues rather well, but when they went into their back and forth near the end, this really picked up. Kyle kept going for the armbar, including one after an exchange of superkicks and a rebound lariat. He finally got it locked in seemingly for good, but Cole got his feet on the ropes and pinned O’Reilly to steal it. Kyle didn’t even care, just going after Cole and applying more armbars until officials broke it up. I thought the match was great. It played out like a grudge match mostly, had callbacks to their past and the finish sets up some rematches. This was the first great thing on the show.****

ACH, Alex Shelley and Matt Sydal def. The Addiction and Chris Sabin in 15:29
After a hoss battle and grudge match, I liked this placement on the card. It allowed for a change of pace. The main angle here was the issue between Alex Shelley and his former Motor City Machine Gun partner, Chris Sabin. Sabin avoided Shelley throughout the match, building up their eventual encounter. The rest of this was honestly lacking in heat. Outside of their angle, this was just the Addiction vs. ACH and Matt Sydal, which was technically fine, but nothing special. I was hoping to see some battle between Shelley and Sabin, but it never happened. Sabin took the loss after ACH hit a 450 and Sydal hit a Shooting Star Press. This was alright and probably could have had a few minutes shaved off to improve it. **¾

ROH World Television Championship: Roderick Strong (c) def. Bobby Fish in 15:23
Roderick Strong won the ROH TV Title recently from Jay Lethal. Bobby Fish came close back in September, and I heard there were plans for him to do so, but it never happened. Here, two of the better guys that I’ve seen in the ring this year faced off for the belt. They worked a rather slow start with both guys feeling each other out. Fish tried to look after the leg, setting up the Fish Hook. They built to something bigger and a high spot came when Fish nailed the Falcon Arrow off the top. He got out of the Strong Hold and applied the Fish Hook. Strong tapped out, but it was done at angle where the official missed it while Fish could see it. Fish released the hold, thinking he won. Strong snuck in and hit a high knee that knocked out Fish to retain. Fish sold it very well. While the finish made him look kind of dumb, I hope this leads to heel Roddy. He’s been very good in that role with other companies. ***¼

ROH World Tag Team Championship: War Machine def. The Kingdom (c) w/ Maria Kanellis in 3:12
Rumors have been swirling for a long time that the Kingdom are on their way out of Ring of Honor. That became more apparent with the finish of this title match. The Kingdom attacked before the bell and Matt Taven hit a nice dive outside, though he almost wiped out badly. He then did get hurt on a Hail Mary on the outside. That injury may have been what caused this to be so short. War Machine rallied from the early assault and hit fallout to become the new champions. Considering the length of the match and the injury, I don’t think it’s fair to give this a rating. The title change was welcome though since I do enjoy War Machine. N/R

ROH World Heavyweight Championship: Jay Lethal (c) w/ Truth Martini and Taeler Hendrix def. AJ Styles in 22:12
This felt like a match that was the biggest possibility on the independent scene. It had a big fight feel to it and Jerry Lynn and Nigel McGuinness joined in on commentary. They worked the kind of start I expected. AJ got the upper hand, forcing Lethal to go out and talk strategy with Truth Martini and Taeler Hendrix. Once back in, Lethal turned his attention to the injured back of Styles. The things Lethal did here worked so well, because not only was it smart to attack the back, but even when Lethal would counter something AJ did, he still went after the injury. Since he works as the heel most of the time, it was strange to see AJ on the defensive so much here. Lethal was really given a platform to shine. When AJ started to rally, things were excited. He hit a springboard right hand to counter a Lethal suicide dive. The Styles Clash was protected too, as Lethal didn’t kick out, instead avoiding it altogether. Lethal Injection connected, but when he tried a second one, Styles avoided it and hit a Pele. He followed with Bloody Sunday and went for the Clash but Lethal tossed him over and outside through a table. They did the countout tease, which the fans bought since they probably assumed Styles might lose that way to stay protected. He got in and survived another Lethal Injection for a great near fall. They went into a series of reversals, which ended when Lethal hit the cradle piledriver, complete with trash talk to Lethal at ringside. A final Lethal Injection helped him retain. Just a great back and forth, smartly worked main event, with a clean finish. This was everything that it needed to be. ****½

Overall; 8/10. Honestly, this was my favorite ROH offering all year. The main event was tremendous and I found the O’Reilly/Cole match to also be great. Outside of the short Tag Title match, everything else on the card was decent to good and that’s all I could ask for. There was a good mix of styles throughout the show, which is appreciated, and it ended by putting the World Champion over in the best possible way.