Ring of Honor: “Dragon Gate Invasion”
Buffalo, NY
Credit: myself, Andy Campbell (I was there live!)
Just got back from Ring of Honor’s show in Buffalo, NY. It was an excellent show, with around 3.5 hours of wrestling. The only blemish, really, was an obnoxious fan sitting in front of me, who could not stop talking. Anyway, here are the results:
Ricky Reyes vs. Puma
Fast-paced opener, where Reyes defeated Puma with a Dragon Sleeper.
4-Corner Survival: Jamie Andrews vs. Chad Collyer vs. Kevin Steen vs. Jimmy Jacobs
A fun little comedy match (for the most part). Jimmy Jacobs was quite over, getting a lot of “Huss”-related chants. Chad Collyer won, beating Andrews with a Texas Cloverleaf.
Homicide vs. El Generico
This was an excellent match, showcasing the never-say-die attitude of El Generico. By the end of the match, El Generico’s chest and back were almost completely red from all of the stiff shots from Homicide. Homicide won with a vicious lariat.
International Dream Match: Christopher Daniels vs. Shingo Takagi
Before the match started, it was announced that Daniels couldn’t make it, which had the crowd REALLY pissed. His replacement, however, was CURRY MAN! For those of you who don’t know, Curry Man is the masked gimmick that Daniels uses when he wrestles in Japan. Curry Man got on the mic, saying “I’ve only been in the US once before, so forgive me if my English is a little rusty.” Funny stuff. Anyway, the match was awesome; a nice mix of Curry Man’s antics and some sweet wrestling. Curry Man got the win with a Burning Hammer.
Pure Wrestling Title: Samoa Joe (champion) vs. Nigel McGuinness
This was a cool match; very stiff, with a couple of “Joe’s gonna kill you” chants thrown in for good measure. Joe did not, in fact, kill him, however. After losing all of his rope breaks, Joe fell victim to a top-rope Diamond Cutter, making Nigel McGuinness the new Pure Wrestling Champion!
Ring Crew Express vs. 2 guys whose names I missed
Energetic match mainly highlighting Dunn and Marcos. The finish saw Marcos getting the pin after a legdrop from Dunn’s shoulders while perched on the turnbuckles.
Roderick Strong & Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Rave & Spanky w/ Alex Shelley and Jade Chung
Amazing match: very stiff, and action packed. Jimmy Rave pinned Austin Aries after Aries was hit by Shelley’s Greco-Roman chairshot.
International Dream Match: AJ Styles vs. Cima
The first appearance of “dueling chants.” This was an absolutely amazing match with TONS of heat for both guys. One highlight saw Styles getting stuck in the tree of woe, and Cima hitting him with a Van Terminator. After several near-falls, Cima won with a crazy pinning combination.
World Title: James Gibson (champion) vs. Colt Cabana
Dueling chants made a return several times during this match. Colt Cabana is as funny as I’ve heard he is. After the requesite pre-match handshake, Cabana then shook hands with the referee, and then the timekeeper. Also, he yelled Fred Flintstone’s “Yabba-dabba-doo” while doing a slingshot body splash. Funny stuff. After a long technical wrestling clinic, with a LOT of near-falls for Cabana, Gibson got the win with a submission I can’t remember the name of, but is like a seated reverse Full Nelson.
Overall, an excellent night of wrestling. I encourage everyone in the Buffalo area to check ROH out when they return on October 17.
