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~Disc 1~
MATCH #1: Delirious vs. Matt Sydal, ROH Reborn Stage 1, 4.23.04
Sydal is accompanied by Daizee Haze. This is both men’s ROH debut match. They take it down to the mat and exchange holds, as both are eager to impress the crowd and ROH officials. Sydal shows off his agility but Delirious counters with his technical acumen. Delirious gets a sunset flip for two. Sydal responds to that with a spinning heel kick and a monkey flip. Delirious counters by going back to the mat and using a variation of the Face Wash. Sydal comes back with a headscissors. He hits the inverted leg drop bulldog for two. Sydal goes up top and misses a Shooting Star Press. Delirious boots him in the midsection and hits the In Vitro Fertilization for a near-fall. He goes up top and Sydal joins him. Sydal brings Delirious down with the Cyclorama for the pin at 6:24. That was a solid first outing for both guys, who would go on to be major players in the company.
Rating: **¼
MATCH #2: Delirious vs. Samoa Joe vs. Ebetaroh vs. Jack Evans, Final Showdown, 5.13.05
Joe is the Pure Champion but that title is not on the line here. Delirious loses his mind as the bell rings. Evans and Joe start the match proper, with Evans showing off his dance moves. Joe got served indeed. Ebetaroh tags in and serves Evans. Oh it is ON now. Ebetaroh strikes first and uses his unique brand of comedic offense against his high-flying opponent. Delirious tags in and the trash talk is flying fast and furious. They then take it to each other, but in slow motion … literally. Prazak’s enthusiastic commentary is pretty great here. Ebetaroh hits a Shining Wizard! The crowd (of which Brad Garoon and I were a part of) loves all of this. Joe and Evans tag back in. Evans busts out the Washington Warrior but Joe simply slaps the taste out of his mouth. Joe then literally kicks Evans out of his shoes. Man, Joe used to be so cool. Delirious tags in and he goes after Evans. He hits the Roots Clotheslines and then tags Ebetaroh. Poor Ebetaroh tries working Evans’ arm but ends up hurting himself. Ebetaroh unleashes (I use that term loosely) some chops and a bodyslam. He also struts for good measure. Ebetaroh goes up top but Evans, of course, slams him down. With Ebetaroh begging off in the corner Evans thinks he has him right where he wants him, until he gets a thumb in the eye. Evans hits a back body drop and Ebetaroh of course takes it on the hip. Ebetaroh gets up and flops back down. I love it. Delirious tags in and covers for two. Evans also goes to work on Ebetaroh but can’t put him away. Delirious proposes working as a team with Evans, who agrees. Ebetaroh counters their double teams and takes both of them out. He hits Evans with a Shining Wizard and Delirious with a sitout Death Valley Driver. Joe tags in and unloads on both Delirious and Evans. He hits Evans with the snap powerslam and Delirious with the STJoe. The astute color commentator Jimmy Bower notices that during the STJoe Evans blind tagged himself into the match. Ebetaroh unloads on Joe with strikes but Joe shrugs them off and locks on the Choke. Evans takes Delirious out with a missile dropkick to the back and the 630 senton to get the pin at 13:22. That match was certainly one of a kind, as four very different styles combined to make one entertaining match. The slow motion sequence alone is worth going out of your way to track down.
Rating: ***
MATCH #3: Delirious & Alex Shelley vs. Roderick Strong & Jack Evans, Nowhere to Run, 5.14.05
Shelley and Strong start the match. They chain wrestle and Shelley gets the first advantage. Tags are made and Delirious and Evans reprise some of their more comedic elements from the four-way last night. Then they take it to the mat and exchange holds. Shelley and Delirious show some impressive teamwork for their first time together. After a few minutes Strong is able to make a blind tag and Evans drills Delirious with a spinning kick. Now Evans and Strong take over on Delirious, keeping him away from his partner. Strong and Evans are such a great team – they make perfect compliments to each other. They show off their unique offensive attack as they focus on Delirious’ back. After a few minutes Delirious catches Strong with a flying clothesline and makes the tag. Shelley is a house afire and the crowd is eating it up. Strong rolls to the floor and Delirious takes him out with a dive from the top rope. Evans catches Shelley with a Fisherman Buster and then fakes a dive on Delirious. He gloats about it too much though and gets drilled with a superkick as Strong hurls Delirious into the barricades. Shelley goes for Shellshock on Evans but Strong breaks it up blocks it with a half-nelson backbreaker and then hits a Sick Kick for two. The referee is paying no heed to the legal man rule. Delirious comes back in and dropkicks Strong down in the corner. He hits the Panic Attack and then goes for Shadows over Hell but Strong catches him in a gutbuster. Strong and Evans hit a Doomsday Cross Body Block for a two-count. Shelley gets back in the ring and traps Strong in the Border City Stretch. Evans breaks that up. He tries a moonsault but Shelley gets his knees up. Delirious hits the Shadows over Hell but only gets two. Strong hits Shelley with a gutbuster, sending him to the floor. He grabs Delirious and sets him up in the corner, and then flips Evans over right onto Delirious’ back. One Stronghold later and the match is over at 16:32. Strong and Evans were such a great team, and both Shelley and Delirious brought their A-game to this as well. Everyone was trying to impress and they certainly did so.
Rating: ***¾
MATCH #4: Delirious & Bryan Danielson vs. Alex Shelley & Jimmy Rave, Dragon Gate Challenge, 3.30.06
We’re skipping ahead about a year here, but not much happened for Delirious through the rest of 2005. Brad Garoon and I were sitting in the front row for this one. Rave and Shelley are accompanied by Prince Nana and Daizee Haze. Danielson is the current ROH World Champion. Delirious and Shelley start the match. They stall for a bit to start and then make with the chain wrestling. Delirious uses his unorthodox style to fluster but Rave and Shelley in the early going. Danielson tags in and he goes to work dissecting Shelley’s arm. Rave gets tagged in and Danielson continues the arm work just like he did on Shelley. Delirious uses the airplane spin on Rave, and then Danielson shows him how it’s done while Delirious runs around in circles. Danielson and Delirious continue to frustrate both Shelley and Rave, showing impressive teamwork for two guys thrown together. Shelley cheats to gain an advantage but Danielson cuts him off and goes back to work. Nana and Haze distract the Champ long enough for Shelley to finally take control. The Embassy duo isolates Danielson and keeps him away from his masked partner. After several minutes of abuse Danielson makes the hot tag. Delirious is a house afire, flying all around the ring. He hits Rave with the Cobra Clutch Backbreaker for two. Delirious follows with the Panic Attack and goes up for Shadows over Hell but misses. Shelley tags in and hits a superkick. He tries Sliced Bread #2 but can’t connect. Danielson hits him with a missile dropkick from out of nowhere. He then locks Rave in the Cattle Mutilation and Delirious does likewise to Shelley. That’s cute. Rave escapes and goes to the floor, so Danielson wipes him out with a suicide dive. Meanwhile in the ring Shelley dropkicks Delirious in the head. Haze and Nana get up on the apron to distract the referee, allowing Shelley to kick Delirious right in the nuts. Shelley hits the Sliced Bread #2 to get the pin at 20:56. Delirious wasn’t quite in that upper echelon of ROH guys yet but he looked pretty good hanging with the Champ. Rave and Shelley were an underrated team. However, this match was well worked but just not particularly exciting.
Rating: ***
MATCH #5: Delirious vs. Ricky Reyes, Better Than Our Best, 4.1.06
Jim Cornette is in the ring with a baseball bat, and I can barely understand what he’s saying because the sound quality is so poor. Basically Cornette says that Delirious has lost a ton of matches so he needs to win tonight in order to stay on the roster. Delirious is allowed to call out anyone he wants, and he chooses Ricky Reyes. I know if I needed a win Reyes would be a good guy to call out.
Reyes is accompanied by Julius Smokes. Delirious takes Reyes out with a baseball slide and he takes it to him on the floor. He whips Reyes into the barricades. Smokes tries to interfere but Delirious knocks him back. Back in the ring Delirious slugs away. Reyes comes back with a couple of neckbreakers. He goes for the Dragon Sleeper but Delirious reaches the ropes. Delirious gets a quick inside cradle for two, and Reyes quickly cuts him off with a clothesline. Reyes goes for the Dragon Sleeper again but once again Delirious fights him off. Delirious hits Shadows over Hell and the Bizarro Driver for a near-fall. Reyes cuts Delirious off with a knee to the gut. He hits more neckbreakers and a fisherman buster but it only gets two. Reyes goes for the Dragon Sleeper for a third time but Delirious escapes and turns it into the Cobra Stretch and Reyes taps out at 6:20. While not an amazing match it’s a good moment for Delirious and an important one from his early ROH days.
Rating: **
MATCH #6: ROH World Title Match – Delirious vs. Bryan Danielson, The 100th Show, 4.22.06
Danielson has been the Champion since 9.17.05, and this is his seventeenth defense. He attacks before the bell and takes it to the masked man. Danielson puts on the surfboard, perhaps setting a record for earliest time in a match to bust that out. He even uses a Curb Stomp to mock the CZW fans in attendance. It’s all Danielson in the opening minutes here, as Delirious looks like a non-threat. After over seven minutes of abuse Delirious is able to knock Danielson off the top rope and hit Shadows over Hell! Delirious follows up with the Panic Attack and then an inside cradle for two. Danielson catches a clothesline and locks on Cattle Mutilation. Delirious makes the ropes. He gets up and executes the Airplane Spin. Delirious kicks Danielson right in the head and hits the Cobra Clutch Backbreaker. He then locks on the Cobra Stretch. This time it’s Danielson reaching the ropes. Danielson rolls to the floor and Delirious wipes him out with a suicide dive. Delirious tries a whip but Danielson reverses it and sends Delirious into the barricade. Danielson then executes the Airplane Spin briefly before hurling Delirious head-first into the ring post. Delirious is busted open now and Danielson attacks the wound viciously. Back in the ring Danielson keeps up the pressure. Danielson hits a Dragon Suplex and puts on Cattle Mutilation. Delirious reaches the ropes. Danielson hits a suplex and tries the diving headbutt but Delirious avoids it! Delirious hits the Roots Clotheslines and puts Danielson up top. It backfires, as Danielson hits the belly-to-back superplex. Danielson unleashes the elbows to the head and referee Todd Sinclair calls for the bell at 15:37. That was pretty squashy but given the storyline of the match in context of the show and that there was going to be a rematch it was well done.
Rating: ***¼
MATCH #7: Delirious vs. Chris Sabin, Weekend of Champions Night 2, 4.29.06
This match is a bit random, but it’s always nice to see Sabin in an ROH ring. They chain wrestle to start and take it right to the mat. It’s back and forth in the early minutes, with Delirious showing off his unique side. Sabin scores the first near-fall after a missile dropkick. He keeps the pressure on the masked man until Delirious comes back with a hotshot and a leaping lariat for two. Delirious uses his elbow pad as a weapon but shockingly that doesn’t result in a three-count. Sabin cuts Delirious off with a kick to the face and both men are down. Back on their feet Delirious is able to dropkick Sabin down in the corner and follow in with the Panic Attack. Delirious goes up top and hits a hurricanrana for a two-count. Sabin fights back with an enziguiri and a sitout powerbomb for two. He goes for Cradle Shock but Delirious avoids it with a sunset flip for two. Delirious charges and Sabin hurls him into the turnbuckles. Sabin follows in with a running Yakuza Kick. He sets Delirious in the Tree of Woe and hits the hesitation dropkick for a near-fall. Sabin sets Delirious up top but gets knocked back. Delirious hits Shadows over Hell for two. After a series of reversals Delirious is able to lock in the Cobra Stretch for the win at 12:01. That was a nice midcard match and a good win for Delirious.
Rating: ***
MATCH #8: ROH World Title Match – Delirious vs. Bryan Danielson, Ring of Homicide, 5.13.06
Danielson has been the Champion since 9.17.05, and this is his twentieth defense. Delirious attacks before the bell and the rematch is on. Danielson takes a powder to regroup, since he didn’t even have time to take the belt off. He finally gets back in the ring and they take it down to the mat. Danielson tries an early Cattle Mutilation and Delirious wisely reaches the ropes. The Champ goes to work and keeps Delirious on the canvas for a bit. Delirious fires back with a leaping lariat and some aggressive attacks like biting. He goes for the Cobra Stretch but Danielson fights it off. Delirious then delivers a running cross body that sends both men tumbling to the floor. He hurls a chair at Danielson’s head. Danielson is able to grab Delirious and drop him throat-first across the guardrail. Back in the ring Danielson uses the surfboard, despite the taunts from CZW fans in attendance. Danielson knocks Delirious right back to the floor and throws him into the barricade. Back in the ring Danielson continues abusing his challenger with various suplexes and submission holds. Delirious knocks Danielson to the floor and wipes him out with a suicide dive. Back in the ring Danielson tries to beg off but Delirious will have none of it. Danielson cuts him off and hits a cravat suplex for two. He goes up top but jumps right into an Ace Crusher. Both men are down. They rise to their feet and trade strikes. Delirious wins that battle with a dropkick for two. A series of reversals ends with Delirious locking in the Cobra Stretch! Danielson reaches the ropes. He’s able to hop up to the second rope and hit a diving European Uppercut. Danielson hits more forearms and a lariat for a two-count. He follows with a bridging Dragon Suplex for two. Danielson tries the Crossface Chicken Wing with a body scissors. Delirious reaches the ropes. Danielson goes for the belly-to-back superplex but Delirious shifts his weight and lands on top. He dropkicks Danielson into the corner and hits the Panic Attack. Delirious goes up top and hits Shadows over Hell for a near-fall. He hits the Cobra Clutch Backbreaker and locks on the Cobra Stretch. Danielson reaches the ropes. Delirious goes up for Shadows over Hell again but Danielson catches him and locks on Cattle Mutilation. Once again Delirious reaches the ropes. Danielson unleashes the elbows but Delirious fights back with a couple huge kicks to the face. A fired up Delirious charges right into an Inside Cradle and Danielson gets the pin to retain at 24:50. That was an excellent followup to their previous match, and Delirious looked like he had a real shot and still looked great in losing. Danielson is a genius.
Rating: ***¾
MATCH #9: ROH Pure Title Match – Delirious vs. Nigel McGuinness, Time to Man Up, 8.4.06
McGuinness has been the Champion since 8.27.05, and this is his seventeenth defense. They start with some chain wrestling and Delirious quickly uses all of his rope breaks on basic moves, showing a fundamental misunderstanding of the rules. Even without rope breaks Delirious fights on, hitting McGuinness with the Roots Clotheslines. Delirious tries working the arm, keeping McGuinness on the canvas. He hits a DDT for two. Delirious goes back to the arm and McGuinness arguably uses his first two rope breaks. I don’t really understand how that happened, but here we are. McGuinness hits the Guns of Brixton for a one-count. He follows with his first lariat of the night for two. Delirious fights back with a leaping lariat. He dropkicks McGuinness into the corner and hits the Panic Attack. Delirious goes up top and hits Shadows over Hell for two. He locks on the Cobra Stretch and McGuinness uses his third and final rope break. Just over 10 minutes in and both men have used all their rope breaks. McGuinness takes some time on the floor to regroup. He baits Delirious into chasing him, and then repeatedly slams him into the barricades. McGuinness tries to get Delirious counted out but he can’t quite pull it off. Back in the ring McGuinness gets aggressive and hits a running European Uppercut. McGuinness tires a Jawbreaker Lariat but Delirious blocks it with a boot. Delirious tries Shadows over Hell but gets caught with a European Uppercut in midair for a two-count. McGuinness hits the Tower of London but Delirious kicks out for some reason. Delirious is able to cinch in the Cobra Stretch but McGuinness wriggles his way out of it. McGuinness goes up top and Delirious slams him down. Delirious tries to go up top but McGuinness hits another Tower of London, and for some reason Delirious kicks out again. McGuinness sets Delirious on the top rope and hits a lariat but again only gets two. Delirious grabs a quick inside cradle and almost get s a pin. He then runs into the Jawbreaker Lariat but it only gets two. McGuinness locks on Cattle Mutilation. Delirious gets his foot on the bottom rope but it doesn’t matter and the match is over at 17:35. That was all fine and good for the most par, except that Delirious kicked out of every finisher McGuinness had, which seems silly given both men’s position at the time of this match.
Rating: **¾
MATCH #10: Delirious vs. Matt Sydal, Epic Encounter II, 8.25.06
This is their third singles match in ROH, after Sydal won the first two at Reborn Stage One and Do or Die III. They stall a bit before taking it to the mat for some back-and-forth chain wrestling. These two know each other very well so they appear very evenly matched in the opening minutes. Sydal takes first control. He hits a powerslam and then a legdrop off the second rope for a two-count. Delirious comes back with a sort of lungblower and then a back suplex for two. He keeps the pressure on, wearing Sydal down. Delirious hits the Panic Attack for a two-count. Sydal fires back with a cross body block that sends them both tumbling over the top rope, though Sydal is able to roll under the bottom rope to avoid hitting the floor. Delirious goes underneath the ring and comes out the other side to surprise Sydal. It doesn’t work though and Sydal unleashes a flurry of offense. Sydal hits the Here It Is Driver for two. He goes up top but Delirious knocks him down. Sydal recovers with a headscissors and a leg lariat that sends Delirious to the floor, and then he follows him out with a beautiful dive. Back in the ring they trade some strikes and Delirious winds up hitting a nice elevated neckbreaker for two. Delirious hits the Cobra Clutch Backbreaker and locks on the Cobra Stretch. Sydal reaches the ropes. He tries the standing moonsault but Delirious gets his feet up! Sydal hits it on the second attempt though and it gets two. Delirious comes back with a reverse rana for a two-count. He locks on the Cobra Stretch again but Sydal escapes and they trade pinning combinations for a series of near-falls. Delirious hits the Bizarro Driver for two. He goes up top and Sydal joins him to hit the moonsault belly-to-belly to get the pin at 16:21. That was technically very proficient and both guys were pretty good around this time, there just didn’t seem to be anything at stake and there was very little drama.
Rating: ***
~Disc 2~
MATCH #11: Eight Man Elimination Match – Delirious, Colt Cabana, Nigel McGuinness & BJ Whitmer vs. Bryan Danielson, Jimmy Rave, Shingo & Jimmy Jacobs, Chicago Spectacular Night 2, 12.9.06
Delirious and Shingo start the match. Before any contact is made Delirious tags Cabana into the match. Cabana and Shingo take it to the mat and exchange holds. Everyone tags into the match in the early going, trying to set the pace. Team Delirious isolates Danielson, which is wise since the Champ is coming off a steel cage title defense against Samoa Joe last night. Team Danielson picks on Whitmer. Things break down and everyone starts brawling in and out of the ring. Jacobs gets his spike out and looks to spike Whitmer but Cabana stops him. Whitmer gets a hold of the spike. Meanwhile Lacey and Daizee Haze are arguing on the apron, and Jacobs ducks Whitmer, causing him to hit Lacey with the spike! Jacobs is distraught and carries Lacey to the back. Back in the ring Whitmer hits Rave with a spinebuster. Jacobs makes his way back and drills Whitmer in the ankle with a chair to get himself disqualified at 8:46. Rave then traps Whitmer in the heel hook to eliminate him at 9:30. McGuinness takes it to Rave now, nailing him with a lariat for two. The heel team swarms McGuinness and Rave is able to take control. McGuinness fights valiantly, taking on all three remaining members of Team Danielson. He hits Danielson with the Jawbreaker Lariat, but Rave catches him in the Heel Hook and McGuinness taps out to it for the second night in a row at 15:31. Cabana and Shingo take over in the ring and Shingo hits a lariat for two. Cabana fights back and the referee has very little control of the match, as everyone is coming and going as they please. Delirious and Cabana double-team Danielson and clothesline him to the floor, and then Delirious wipes him out with a dive. Rave and Shingo try to double-team Cabana but Delirious takes Rave out and Cabana sunset flips Shingo for the elimination at 17:58. Cabana traps Rave in the Billy Goat’s Curse and Delirious puts Danielson in the Cobra Stretch. Rave gets to the ropes. Cabana goes for the Colt .45 on Rave but Danielson kicks him in the balls. Rave gets an inside cradle to eliminate Cabana at 19:07. We’re down to Delirious against Danielson and Rave now.
Danielson and Rave easily take control and wear Delirious down. They use a variety of double-teams and other maneuvers to keep Delirious subdued. After a few minutes Delirious fights back and almost eliminates Rave but can’t quite do it. Rave drills Delirious with a Spear for a near-fall. Danielson and Rave hit a double superplex and Rave covers but only gets two. Rave puts on the Heel Hook and Delirious reaches the ropes. Delirious hits Chemical Imbalance II from out of nowhere to pin and eliminate Rave at 26:00. Danielson realizes that he blew it by having his back turned as Rave got pinned, so he takes it to Delirious with gusto. He hits a Dragon Suplex for two and then locks on the Crossface Chicken Wing. Delirious reaches the ropes. Danielson goes for the belly-to-back superplex but Delirious reverses the momentum and lands on top for a two-count. They trade some pinning combinations for near-falls. Back on their feet they trade forearm shots. Delirious goes for a leaping lariat but Danielson catches him and cinches in Cattle Mutilation. Luckily for Delirious he’s able to reach the ropes. Danielson unleashes the elbow strikes but Delirious responds with strikes of his own! Delirious kicks Danielson in the head but then runs into a couple of elbow strikes. Danielson goes back up top and this time hits the belly-to-back superplex for a two-count. He hits more elbows and Delirious rolls into the ropes. Danielson hits a Tiger Suplex for two and then rolls it into Cattle Mutilation. Delirious counters it to Chemical Imbalance II and gets a two-count. He then locks on the Cobra Stretch and Danielson runs up the turnbuckles and turns it into a cradle for a near-fall. Delirious turns it into a Cobra Suplex but only gets two. He once again locks on the Cobra Stretch and this time Danielson taps out at 32:59! That was a great tag team match that really used everyone’s strengths and told several different stories throughout the match. The final stretch between Danielson and Delirious was red-hot and the crowd went nuts for the finish. This is a bit of a forgotten gem in the ROH catalog.
Rating: ****
MATCH #12: Delirious, Roderick Strong & Austin Aries vs. CIMA, Shingo & Matt Sydal, Final Battle 2006, 12.23.06
I don’t expect to do much play-by-play for this one. Delirious and Sydal start the match with some fast-paced back-and-forth chain wrestling. They quickly tumble to the floor so Strong and Shingo take their place. They try to out-power each other and Strong wins that battle with a chop. Shingo rolls to the floor so CIMA comes in. CIMA knocks Strong out with a dropkick so Aries takes his place. The two team captains go back and forth and Aries proves why you should never put him in a headscissors. CIMA rolls to the floor and Aries wipes everyone out with a twisting body press. Back in the ring Team Aries isolates CIMA from his partners. CIMA takes out Strong and Delirious and makes the hot tag to Shingo. Strong and Delirious try to double-team and the referee loses control. Shingo and Sydal offer a lot of awesome together as a team. Aries gets isolated now as Team CIMA keeps him in their half of the ring. Finally Aries is able to connect with a quebrada on Shingo and CIMA and make the tag. Strong is a house afire and Delirious joins him in kind. CIMA gets trapped in a corner and Strong hits a running forearm, Aries follows with the IED, and then Delirious hits the Panic Attack for a two-count. Delirious traps Shingo in the corner and hits the Roots Clotheslines. Shingo comes back with a TKO for two. Bodies are flying all over the place and Sydal takes everyone out with a beautiful moonsault to the floor. Aries and CIMA are first back in the ring and CIMA controls the action. Team CIMA runs like a well-oiled machine with some impressive triple-teams. Strong comes back with a superplex on Shingo and the Sick Kick. CIMA hits Strong with Venus, but then runs into the Bizarro Driver from Delirious for two. Sydal hits Strong with an amazing neckbreaker for a two-count. Aries kicks Sydal in the head and Delirious hits Chemical Imbalance II for a near-fall. The action is coming way too fast for me to keep up with. Strong hits Sydal with a gutbuster, Delirious hits Shadows over Hell, and Aries lands the 450 but CIMA breaks up the cover. Shingo hits Strong with the Pumping Bomber. CIMA and Shingo hit Aries with a Doomsday Cross Body, and then Shingo hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Delirious traps Shingo in the Cobra Stretch and CIMA breaks that up. CIMA hits Delirious with a superkick and Schwein but only gets two. He follows up with the Crossfire to finally get the pin at 24:02. What a ton of fun. All six guys went 100 MPH through the whole match and everyone was spot-on with their moves. It didn’t feel nearly as long as it was.
Rating: ****
MATCH #13: Delirious vs. KENTA, Reborn Again, 5.11.07
KENTA is cautious in the early going, not quite sure what to make of his masked opponent. They take it down to the mat and Delirious keeps pace with the Japanese superstar. Delirious just wants to wrestle, with no kicks involved. We’ll see if KENTA has any interest in that. It is revealed quickly that KENTA indeed had no interest in not using kicks. Delirious takes a powder and crawls under the ring. He tries to surprise KENTA but it doesn’t work. KENTA unleashes more kicks. Back in the ring Delirious uses some unusual tactics to fight back, including biting his opponent. Delirious hits a belly-to-back suplex for a two-count. He continues to control KENTA, keeping him off his game. KENTA comes back by draping Delirious across the top rope and coming off the top with a knee strike to the back of the head. Now KENTA is in control and Delirious is in trouble. Delirious avoids a kick in the corner and hits the Roots Clotheslines. He hits the leaping lariat and a nice bridging German Suplex for two. Delirious looks for the Cobra Stretch but KENTA fights it off. KENTA gets knocked to the floor and Delirious follows him out with a somersault dive off the top rope. Back in the ring Delirious covers for two. KENTA comes back with a back heel kick. He continues with more kicks and a springboard missile dropkick for two. KENTA tries another springboard but Delirious headbutts him right out of the air. Delirious hits the Bizarro Driver for two. They trade strikes now and Delirious hits a drop toehold to put KENTA in perfect position for the Panic Attack. Delirious tries Shadows over Hell but KENTA catches him with a sort of Ace Crusher. KENTA hits a Fisherman Buster for a two-count. He unloads more strikes but Delirious responds with some of his own to retake control. Delirious goes up top and this time hits Shadows over Hell for a two-count. He locks on the Cobra Stretch. KENTA escapes and hits a Tiger Suplex for two. He hits a running knee strike for another two-count. Delirious gets a couple of quick pinning combinations for two-counts and then locks on the Cobra Stretch. KENTA escapes it but Delirious is able to hit Chemical Imbalance II for two. They trade some strikes and KENTA hits the Busaiku Knee Kick. KENTA lands another knee to the head and hits Go 2 Sleep for the pin at 22:27. That had its moments but was a little disjointed and felt long. The clash of styles just didn’t work out as well as one might have hoped.
Rating: **¾
MATCH #14: Falls Count Anywhere – Delirious vs. Adam Pearce, Reckless Abandon, 11.30.07
The fight starts in the aisle and Delirious hits a suplex on the entrance ramp. Pearce counters a piledriver attempt with a back body drop but Delirious counters that with a sunset flip for two. Back up at ringside Delirious gets on the apron and wipes Pearce out with a dive. Shane Hagadorn tries to interfere but Delirious throws him into the barricades for his trouble. Delirious charges at Pearce and gets caught with a spinebuster into the barricades. Pearce goes for a whip but Delirious reverses it and Pearce goes flying into the crowd. Hagadorn interferes again, giving Pearce the opening to crack Delirious with a steel chair. Pearce covers for two. He continues to control the action and uses a chair again. Delirious responds with a headbutt to the midsection. He then wraps a chair around Pearce’s head and throws him into a steel post. Seconds later Pearce is back on offense so that spot meant nothing. Pearce goes back on offense and even locks on a Figure-Four Leglock. That’s cute. Delirious turns it over and Pearce breaks the hold with a chair. They continue brawling through the crowd and it looks like Pearce is bleeding. The fight moves over to some scaffolding and Pearce gets trapped between the rungs. Delirious takes advantage and locks on the Cobra Stretch. Pearce taps out at 8:53. Delirious then jumps off the scaffolding to wipe out the rest of the Hangmen 3. I like the Figure-Four Leglock spot and the finish was creative, but for the most part the match was pretty dull.
Rating: **¼
MATCH #15: Delirious vs. Rhett Titus, Age of Insanity, 8.15.08
Titus attacks Delirious before the bell. He hits a nice dropkick and taunts Delirious with the picture of Daizee Haze airbrushed on the back of his tights. Titus continues with his basic offense (he was just starting to get used as a main guy and not a student at this point). Jimmy Jacobs and Allison Wonderland come out to motivate Delirious, as Jacobs reminds him that Titus is the guy who stole his girl. Jacobs does a good job and Delirious gets fired up. Delirious throws Titus to the floor and follows him out. HE dropkicks Titus into the barricade, busting Titus’ head wide open. Back in the ring Delirious hits five straight Panic Attacks and referee Paul Turner calls for the bell at 5:11. That wasn’t much of a match but it was great for angle advancement.
Rating: **
Speaking of angle advancement, Jacobs gets in the ring and convinces Delirious to join The Age of The Fall. Daizee Haze tries to talk Delirious out of it, but since she turned him down Jacobs has infinitely more credibility.
MATCH #16: Delirious & Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tyler Black & Jerry Lynn, Stylin’ & Profilin’, 3.13.09
Bobby Cruise announces this match as “The War Continues.” No joke. Delirious and Black start the match, and with help from a Jacobs distraction, Delirious takes first control. Jacobs of course avoids Black at all costs early on. Black gets a momentary advantage and tags in Lynn, who does his usual with Delirious. Lynn and Black get some double team moves in and work Delirious over. Jacobs gets tagged in but the babyfaces stay in control. Delirious gets the tag but Black stays in control without missing a beat. Jacobs is finally able to distract Lynn and Delirious gets the advantage. The Age of The Fall isolates Lynn now and works him over in their corner. Lynn almost makes the tag several times but gets cut off. Finally he somersaults over to his corner and makes the hot tag. Black goes to work on Delirious and the crowd is fired up. The match breaks down to a brawl and the referee loses control. Black sends both Jacobs and Delirious to the floor and then he and Lynn hit their opponents with stereo dives to the floor. Delirious and Black make it back to the ring. Black gets a rollup for two. Delirious comes back with Chemical Imbalance II for a near-fall. The referee gets distracted with Lynn, and Jacobs accidentally hits Delirious with a chair. Lynn hits a Spear to send Jacobs to the floor. Meanwhile, Black pins Delirious for the anti-climactic win at 15:31. As usual there was nothing wrong with the wrestling but it just feels like we’ve seen this many, many times before.
Rating: ***
Jacobs is fed up with Delirious costing him victories, so he pulls out his Spike and threatens to use it on an already bloody Delirious. Daizee Haze comes out to try and stop him and winds up getting Spiked herself, and now she is bleeding as well. Jacobs turns his attention back to Delirious and tries to Spike him, but Delirious blocks it and hits the Cobra Clutch Suplex! He follows it with five consecutive Panic Attacks and Jacobs is busted open as well. Daizee gets back to her feet, and she locks eyes with Delirious. They embrace and it’s Macho Man and Elizabeth all over again, kind of. This was an effective segment, but the problem with the way Delirious was used in the Age of The Fall is that people were constantly waiting for him to revert back to babyface; he never really went full evil heel so it’s not like going back to being a face was a huge jump. Does that make any sense?
MATCH #17: Markham Street Fight – Delirious vs. Jimmy Jacobs, Tag Title Classic, 4.18.09
Jimmy Jacobs is backstage to cut a promo, but before he can finish it Delirious attacks him from out of nowhere and make their way to the arena to start the match! Delirious is clad in red and black tonight, so you know he’s mad. They fight out in the crowd for a while before making their way to ringside. They finally get into the ring and Jacobs is in control. Delirious comes back by quickening the pace, so Jacobs brings the fight back to the floor. Jacobs regrets that decision when Delirious repeatedly hits him with a baking sheet. Delirious sets Jacobs up against the guardrail and hits the Panic Attack. The masked man sets up a table, but that gives Jacobs a chance to recover and hit Delirious across the back with a chair. Jacobs continues his assault with chairs, and grabs over a dozen chairs and throws them into the ring. He throws Delirious back in the ring, and Delirious uses one of the chairs to hit Jacobs, and then jumps off the top rope to the floor to hit Jacobs with another chair. Jacobs reverses the momentum and smashes Delirious’ face into the ring post. They’re back in the ring amongst all the chairs now. Jacobs suplexes Delirious on a standing chair for a two-count. He slams Delirious onto the pile and goes up top. Delirious throws a chair to knock him down and delivers a rana. He goes for Shadows over Hell but Jacobs moves and locks on the End Time. Delirious refuses to give up! He powers out and slams Jacobs down, and then locks on the Cobra Stretch. Jacobs gets the ropes to escape, which in a Street Fight I hate. Delirious tries to suplex Jacobs from the ring to the floor, but Jacobs blocks it and hits a devastating Spear through the ropes and into the table Delirious set up minutes ago. Daizee Haze comes out to check on Delirious. Jacobs takes offense and throws her into the ring. Haze tries to fight but Jacobs overpowers her and pulls out the Spike. Delirious crawls into the ring but is still hurt. He lunges at Jacobs and spits black mist into his eyes! Haze grabs the spike and hits Jacobs right between the eyes. Delirious hits the Cobra Clutch Suplex and then locks on the Cobra Stretch with a spike assist and Jacobs taps out at 15:56. That was a good brawl with an awesome finish that suited the storyline perfectly. Daizee Haze just shouldn’t talk though, ever.
Rating: ***¾
MATCH #18: Delirious vs. Roderick Strong, Boiling Point, 11.7.09
Delirious loses his mind when the bell rings and here we go. This is smiling babyface Roderick Strong so this match should have a different dynamic than their 2007 series. They take it down to the mat and Strong starts working the leg. The match spills to the floor and Strong starts hitting chops. Delirious comes back by dropping Strong face-first on the apron. He hits a baseball slide and then a flip dive off the top rope. Back in the ring Delirious goes to work. Strong avoids the Panic Attack and hits a leg lariat for two. He hits his first backbreaker and only gets a one-count. Delirious comes back with suplexes. No one has been able to stay in control very long yet. Strong hits a half-nelson backbreaker for two. Delirious responds with a missile dropkick and the Panic Attack. He goes up top but Strong avoids him and hits an enziguiri. Strong hits a snap powerslam for two. He hits a few more strikes and tries a suplex but Delirious counters with a neckbreaker and a bridging German Suplex for two. Delirious goes for the Cobra Stretch but Strong avoids it and hurls Delirious into the turnbuckles for a two-count. Strong puts on the Stronghold. Delirious turns it into a cradle for two and then locks on the Cobra Stretch! Strong powers up to his feet and Delirious hits him with the Cobra Suplex. Delirious goes up and hits Shadows over Hell but somehow Strong kicks out. He knees Strong to the floor and goes for a dive but Strong kicks him in mid-air. Back in the ring Strong hits a backbreaker and then locks on the Stronghold. Delirious reaches the ropes but Strong pulls him off into another backbreaker for a two-count. They get up and trade strikes and Strong hits the gutbuster and the Sick Kick. Delirious brushes it off and hits Chemical Imbalance II for a two-count. He hits a Cobra Suplex and the Panic Attack three times. Strong kicks out. Delirious goes for the Bizarro Driver but Strong gets an inside cradle from out of nowhere to get the pin at 18:31. That was fun and all but there was too much brushing off signature moves and the finish was pretty lame.
Rating: ***
MATCH #19: Steel Cage Match – Delirious vs. Austin Aries, ROH on HDNet Episode 74, 9.20.10
Aries goes after Daizee Haze before getting into the cage, and Delirious makes him pay for it. Delirious tells Haze to go to the back before starting to throw Aries around ringside. They make it into the cage and we start all over. Delirious is still a house afire though, so he unleashes a flurry of offense. Aries tries to fight back but Delirious just cuts him off and continues the abuse. Delirious hits a Panic Attack against the cage three times. He goes to the top of the cage and Aries joins him. Aries throws Delirious down on the top rope and follows down with a flying ax handle. He continues the punishment, hitting the IED against the cage. Aries stalls a bit but manages to stay in control. Delirious is busted open. Aries stays on offense and acts like a jerk while doing it. After a few minutes Delirious comes back with a back body drop into the cage. Delirious unleashes a flurry of headbutts and follows with a baby flatliner for two. He throws Aries into the cage a couple of times and Aries is busted open now too. Delirious goes for the Cobra Clutch but Aries blocks it and hits the shinbreaker/belly-to-back suplex combination. Aries locks on the Last Chancery and Delirious is able to escape it. Delirious blocks the Brainbuster and hits the Cobra Suplex! He follows with the Panic Attack and then cinches in the Cobra Stretch. Kenny King and Rhett Titus run out to distract Delirious. Aries and Delirious fight on top of the cage and Delirious puts on the Cobra Stretch! Aries taps out at 15:11. That was a solid back and forth cage match and the finish was very clever. Even with the blood it never felt as heated as they were probably going for , but the work was good and the babyface went over so it was a satisfying end.
Rating: ***
The All Night Express and Aries attack Delirious after the bell, and deliver a spiked piledriver, effectively ending Delirious’ run as a member of the wrestling roster.
The Pulse: Delirious was an important player in Ring of Honor history, but he was never truly a top guy. So while he had many very good matches he had very few great ones and this set is a representation of that. Two of the matches reach four stars but they are six and eight-man tag team matches. There are some very good matches here as well, such as the Danielson and Jacobs matches, and Delirious was always fun to watch because he was so different than the rest of the roster, so this is still an enjoyable DVD set to watch. You can pick it up at the ROH Shop.
