1. It’s well-known that ROH caters primarily to a somewhat different demographic than the WWE – namely, the “smarkier” fans, as opposed to more casual ones. In fact, one can safely assume that the average ROH fan trolls around the Internet quite a bit looking for the latest news in the world of wrestling. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the majority of the ROH fanbase was already aware of Bryan Danielson’s imminent departure to the WWE. So it seemed to me that for Hogwood and Prazak to announce it at the opening of the show, as if it was news, is somewhat insulting to the ROH faithful. This should have probably been announced on TV as soon as it actually happened, but I guess with the shows being taped well in advance, they painted themselves into a corner. Still . . . Â
2. Very good opener between the Young Bucks (sporting the jobber-era Hardy Boys’ look and high-flying moveset to a T, and being VERY over with the crowd) and the Dark City Fight Club. Both teams hit some cool double-team offense and worked the power vs. speed tag team formula to near perfection. I question either one of the Young Bucks being able to take down anyone not named Sal Rinauro with a spear, but that’s just a minor nitpick. Another fine offering from ROH’s tag-team division.
3. It’s probably a good idea to have Bison Smith debut as a member of The Embassy. I don’t know much about him, but The Embassy definitely needs a heavy-hitting enforcer to counterbalance some of its more comedic guys (Ernie Osiris, Joey Ryan, Prince Nana), and Bison seems to fit the bill.  His squash of Sal Rinauro wasn’t great or anything, but it showcased his power pretty well. But come on, ANOTHER wrestler using the Rock Bottom?Â
4.  As I stated last week, the departures of Danielson and Nigel McGuinness are going to create two gaping holes in the ROH main event scene. You’d think Colt Cabana would be a possible candidate for one of those slots. He’s good in the ring, good in the mic, very over with the fans, and has been in high-profile feuds before (e.g., with Homicide). However, I wonder if his comedy-oriented style is conducive to the main event scene, and I am skeptical of asking him to get rid of that style when it works so well for him and entertains the fans. It’s not that he CAN’T be serious – he has been before – but it’s hard to revert to that from where he is. As for the match with Ryan, it was OK, but nothing special. Colt tried, but Ryan just didn’t do it for me, although any wrestler that calls his finisher the “Moustache Ride” is OK in my book!
5. The McGuinness promo was obviously used to set up his imminent departure from ROH, and was very well done. A lot more effective than simply having the Hogwood and Prazak announce his WWE deal, in my opinion. McGuinness took a page from the Mick Foley book here, lambasting the gans for their hateful chants while he and other wrestlers are in the ring putting their health in peril for their entertainment. As many wrestlers have said before, the best heels are the ones who feel legitimately justified in their actions, and having McGuinness feel unappreciated after his 15-month title reign and recent injuries came across as pretty real. I thought he was going to “take his ball and go home,” thus explaning his departure, but instead he vowed to inflict as much damage as he takes. I am interested in see where this goes.
6. Austin Aries, as always, brought the awesome in his promo hyping up the first ever Lucky Lottery for next week. God, I hope the fans vote for the Snuffleupagous hat.
7. Danielson, KENTA, and Roderick Strong vs. The American Wolves and Chris Hero for next week’s main event? I know it’s a change from the originally planned Danielson & Strong vs. Wolves match, but . . . YES, PLEASE!!!
8. Great job tonight in giving the Steen/Generico vs. Briscoes main event a “big match” feel. The pre-taped promos conveyed the history between the two teams (shaky mic work by the Briscoes aside), Hogwood and Prazak stressed the impact the match could have on the ROH Tag Title scene, and the body language from both teams prior to the bell ringing conveyed the importance of the match.
9. As for the match itself, fantastic main event!  It was easily one of the best tag team matches I have seen in quite a while, especially on free TV. Both teams came out with some stiff and hard-hitting shots, and built nicely to a hot sequence of double-team offense (crucifix powerbomb/neckbreaker???) and high-impact moves (coast-to-coast somersault senton by Generico???). Superb work all around! Steen, in particularly, continues to grow on me. The schmozz non-finish with the American Wolves hurts a bit, sure, but it was necessary to build the Ladder War II match between Steen & Generico vs. the Wolves (although to return to an earlier point, ROH’s own website has been announcing this match for weeks – yet we are supposed to pretend the challenge was just laid down tonight?).Â
10. Very entertaining show tonight. No matches from the main-event singles scene, but the tag title scene has proven to be more than capable of carrying a show now and then. The opener and the main event were both very good to great, and the stuff in between was better than last week. ROH rebounded strongly from last week’s underwhelming effort, and with some of the stuff already advertised for next week (6-man main event, Lucky Lottery, Necro-Rave), the next show could be even better.
