Ring Of Honor "War Of The Worlds" Toronto Recap (5/9): New Champion Crowned, PCO Vs Taven, LIJ
Welcome to Wrestling INC's coverage of Ring of Honor War of the Worlds, streaming live via Fite.tv and Honor Club. Tonight's event takes place at the Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto, Canada. Feel free to follow along and sound off in the comments. Enjoy the show!
Show opens with the same video package as last night, which shows off the lineage of the ROH world championship. An intro
Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana welcome us to ROH/NJPW's War of the Worlds in Toronto. They hype the evening's card including the main event: Matt Taven against PCO for the ROH World championship. The ROH Television championship will also be on the line as Jeff Cobb defends against Shane Taylor, Hirooki Goto, and Brody King in a Four Corner Survival bout.
Young Lions Clark Conners, Karl Fredericks, and Alex Coughlin make their way out for the opening contest. They battle the Bullet Club's Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Hikuleo in six-man action.
Bullet Club versus Karl Fredericks & Alex Coughlin & Clark Conners
Loa and Coughlin begin. Loa with a waistlock...Coughlin switches behind and takes Loa down from the waist. Loa breaks his grip with a wristlock but Coughlin shows off his chain wrestling and takes Loa down with a firemans carry. Loa responds with kicks to Coughlin's gut. Tonga tags in and lays into Coughlin with a headbutt. Coughlin fires off a forearm...Tonga makes him pay and drops him with an elbow. Hip-toss from Coughlin...he tags Conners in. Conners lays into Tonga with clubbing blows. Coughlin back in...he wrenches Tonga's arm over his shoulder...Tonga with a lariat. Loa comes in and destroys Coughlin with a running powerslam. Quick tag to Hikuleo. Loa holds Coughlin....Hikuleo with a huge chop that echos in the arena. Another one. Bull Club in control in the early going.
Hikuleo quiets the crowd...another thunderous chop. Commentary reveals that Hikuleo was a former basketball player. Running leg drop from Hikuleo. He tags in Loa, who hits Coughlin with a series of strikes...Coughlin with some of his own...he tags in Fredericks! Fredericks comes in hot...big chops to Tonga, followed by a dropkick. He knocks the Bullet Club off the apron then takes out Tonga with a huge spinebuster. Back body drop from Fredericks....stinger splash connects. He goes for a second...Loa cuts him off and forces him into the corner...Tonga with a stinger splash onto Fredericks. Hikuleo the legal man...he stomps the smaller Fredericks down. Suplex attempt...Fredericks shifts his weight and tags out. Connors and Coughlin come in and double-team Hikuleo. Boston Crab attempt by Connors but Tonga sneak attacks him from behind. Triple-team offense by Bullet Club...three corner strikes...big boot by Hikuleo. Connors in trouble. Hikuleo picks up Connors for a powerslam...Coughlin takes him out with a dropkick...Tonga out of nowhere with the Tongan Twist.
Connors and Hikuleo going at it now. Connors unloads a flurry of strikes to take the big man down. Hikuleo catches him with a powerslam...double-choke bomb wins it for Bullet Club.
Bullet Club wins by pinfall
Tonga, Loa, and Hikuleo all celebrate. Riccaboni and Cabana wonder if this trio plans on going for the six-man titles in the future. Next match advertised is a grudge-bout between former IWGP Heavyweight champion Yuji Nagata facing the "Last Real Man" Silas Young. Young is out first...Nagata second. Nagata offers a handshake prior to the match beginning...Young denies it.
Silas Young versus Yuji Nagata
Crowd heavily behind Nagata. Tie-up. Young with a wristlock...Nagata immediately reverses the pressure. Nice athleticism shown off by Young but Nagata sends him to the mat with a dropkick. Second tie-up...Nagata forces Young into the ropes...referee breaks the encounter. Young plays to the crowd a bit and pretends that he's impressed by Nagata's offense. Third tie-up...Young pushes Nagata on the ropes now...he hits a cheap shot. Nagata responds with a boot. Back and forth striking...Nagata wins the exchange and knocks Young to the mat again with a leg kick. Young gets to his feet...he surprises Nagata with a double-chop to the throat. Huge knees from Young, followed by a chinlock to slow Nagata down. Nagata escapes the hold...he tosses Young to the apron but Young catches him with a stun gun over the ropes. Signature springboard double-stomp by Young.
Nagata pops out of the corner with a running boot. He winds up...kicks to Young's chest. Another running boot in the corner...belly-to-belly. Nagata picks him up for a suplex...Young falls behind him...they brawl in the center of the ring. Nagata ducks a lariat...he fakes an attack...dropkick to Young's knee. He goes for the armbar but Young rolls away. This time Young kicks Nagata's leg...drift-away suplex. Cover...Nagata kicks out. Young rattles Nagata with a knee...he picks Nagata up...Misery connects but Nagata bumped the ref on the way down. Young has the pin but there's no one to make the count. Young slides to the outside...he grabs a chair...this gives Nagata a chance to recover. Young throws the chair at Nagata and falls to the mat as if he's been hit. After playing that he would use it...Nagata puts it around his head and falls himself. Referee recovers and sees the chair...HE DQ's YOUNG.
Yuji Nagata wins by disqualification
Following the decision, Young attacks Nagata, angry that he duped him into getting disqualified. Nagata locks him in the armbar out of nowhere! His eyes roll to the back of his head! Young is tapping! Eventually the ref is able to break Nagata's hold.
Tag team action will be next. The Kingdom (Vinny Marseglia and TK O'Ryan) are out first. They face Los Ingobernables de Japon's EVIL and SANADA.
LIJ versus the Kingdom
O'Ryan and Sanada begin. Tie-up. O'Ryan with the early advantage...he takes Sanada to the mat with a wristlock. Sanada pops O'Ryan over with an arm-drag. Fun chain wrestling sequence. O'Ryan offers a handshake to Sanada...Sanada seems hesitant...he shakes it but both men go for a kick...both kicks caught...they argue about who should put their feet down. Sanada goes for the paradise lock...O'Ryan has it scouted. He tries to lock up Sanada with his own hold but it doesn't work. Frustrated...O'Ryan tags out. So does Sanada. Marsegila and Evil in their now. They unload strikes on each other...Marseglia drops Evil...Evil comes right back with a fist to Marseglia's beard. Running shoulder block from Evil. He cranks Marseglia's arm three times. Quick tag made by O'Ryan...double-team from the Kingdom gives them control of the matchup.
O'Ryan and Marseglia keep Evil grounded with quick-tags. They keep him in their team's corner to deal as much punishment as they can. Marseglia drops a headbutt from the middle-rope. Fish-hook from Marseglia...Evil screams in pain. He lets go and starts taunting Evil. This gives the LIJ member a chance to recover...big boot and elbow to the leg from Evil. Superkick to the leg and now Marseglia screams in pain. Sanada comes in...running elbows...standing moonsault with cover...two count. Marseglia tries to tag out but Sanada cuts him off. O'Ryan jumps in...Sanada tries to tie him up in the paradise lock again...Marseglia with a pump kick. Double-flapjack from the Kingdom, followed by a double-dive from turnbuckles. Cover...Sanada kicks out. They go for their finisher...Sanada with a dropkick taking out Marseglia. He picks up O'Ryan in a firemans carry...TKO. Evil back in...double team from LIJ but Marseglia avoids it. Skull-end submission from Sanada! Evil sneaks in...Magic Killer! That'll do it.
LIJ wins by pinfall
Riccaboni reminds Cabana that he defends his NWA National championship against James Storm on Sunday. Rhett Titus comes out and poses on the entrance path just like he did last night. Also like last night...he joins the commentary team to call the action for the next matchup.
PJ Black is out next for his singles matchup against the undefeated RUSH. Titus says he could never trust Black because of the color of his tights. RUSH is out second. Black goes offers a handshake...RUSH kicks it away. Here we go.
RUSH versus PJ Black
Mat wrestling to start. Black and Rush with great technique. Black hits a saito suplex and applies a headlock right after. Rush with a back suplex attempt...Black lands on his feet. Each man runs the ropes showing off some athleticism. Corner lariat from Rush but Black lands one of his own. Black off the ropes...Rush surprises him with a running forearms that sends Black to ringside. He goes for a suicide dive...Black meets him at the ropes with an enziguri. He whips Rush into the barricade, then tosses him back into the ring. Top rope fist-drop connects from Black. A second. He climbs again...crossbody with pin...Rush escapes. Black slows things down with an abdominal stretch. Rush powers up and picks Black up...Black blocks the maneuver...three hit combo drops Rush to the mat. Black targets Rush's chest with kicks. Discus forearm...he bounces off the ropes...Rush counters with a German suplex. Black rolls outside. Rush goes for a suicide dive but instead hits the Tranquilo pose. Fight spills to the outside...Rush grabs black and smashes him off the guardrail on every side of the ring.
Back in the ring...Rush nails Black with a stinger splash and a superkick in succession. Release belly-to-belly sends Black into the turnbuckles. Rush sets up...bulls horns dropkick nearly knocks Black out of the ring...he drags his limp body and makes the pinfall. It's over.
RUSH wins by pinfall
A tour schedule for ROH live events is shown.
Dalton Castle comes out with a microphone in hand. He thanks the Canadian fans for coming out on a school night. He sees that everybody is having a good time. "But you know who is not happy?" He points to himself. Castle recalls his day, saying that no one recognized him in Toronto, and that he ordered boneless wings at a restaurant, but got one with a bone. He also says that he is now boy-less for the first time in his life and it feels great. "Do I look like the kind of person who makes mistakes?" asks Castle. He reminds the fans that he won ROH gold without them, and that he doesn't need those poor excuses to ever drag him down again. He tells the fans that they are witnessing the renaissance of Dalton Castle, and that he will burn ROH to the ground. He ends on that line.
Our last tag match of the evening is next. The Briscoes, Mark and Jay are out first, followed by Lifeblood's Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams. Friendly handshake from both teams prior to the match beginning.
The Briscoes versus Lifeblood
Haskins and Mark to start. Tie-up. Mark drops Haskins with a takedown. He applies a headlock but Haskins manages to tie him up with a headscissor. Haskins switches over to a rear chinlock. He bounces Mark off the ropes...big running knee from Mark. Sunset flip...Haskins picks Mark up in a firemans carry but he can't take advantage. Jay tags in...Haskins drops both Briscoes with a double-dropkick. Williams gets tagged in...tandem offense from Lifeblood onto Jay. Drop-toe-hold and basement dropkick by Lifeblood. Haskins slows the action down with an armbar. Mark gets blindly tagged in...Jay tosses Haskins and Williams to ringside. Mark up top...twisting moonsault takes them both out. Briscoes in control.
Jay with a series of right hands. Haskins attempts a comeback but Jay slows him down with a running boot. Big elbow to the back of the head from Jay, followed by a snap-suplex. Mark back in...double-team offense from the Briscoes. Mark with a jumping vertical suplex. Haskins taking a lot of damage. Mark drops the elbow this time. Clubbing blows to the head. Mark tags Jay...Jay with a camel clutch onto Haskins. Quick-tags by the Briscoes. Williams starts trash-talking Jay to get them to let up...Jay knocks him off the apron for his troubles. Haskins with a surge of energy...single-leg dropkick knocks Jay off his feet. Mark stops Haskins from making the tag...he pushes him off and gets Williams in!
Williams slaps Mark in the face...high-angle suplex. Jay tries to slow Williams down...he gets caught with a guillotine leg drop. Williams goes back after Mark...huge lariat. Haskins already back in...he PK's Jay int the face on the outside! Williams climbs to the top...flying crossbody onto Mark at the same time Haskins connects with a suicide dive onto Jay! Mark and Haskins back in the ring...samoan driver from Haskins. He quickly transitions into a bridging armbar...Jay breaks the submission. Haskins rocks Jay with a left jab. He directs his attention back to Mark...quick flurry of strikes. Jay with a dropkick onto Haskins. He knocks Williams off the apron again, then takes out Haskins with a rude awakening. Cover...Haskins sneaks a shoulder up. Crowd tries to rally Haskins...Jay ties him up for the J-driller...Haskins blocks it...he tags out...Williams to the top...frog splash onto Jay! One...two...Mark saves his brother! He climbs but Williams meets him up there...Jay grabs him from underneath...DOOMSDAY DEVICE BY THE BRISCOES. Mark with the cover on Williams...game over.
The Briscoes win by pinfall
Bully Ray makes his way out. He shouts "good work" to the Briscoes, then tells Tracy Williams that he's found him. He taunts Williams and reveals that he took out Tenille Dashwood. He looks forward to taking out the rest of Lifeblood one at a time. He calls out Juice and David Finlay as future victims. Ray goes after Haskins..."Tell your wife I said hello." Haskins runs into the ring with a chair...Ray has a chain...it never gets physical as Ray leaves. Haskins and Williams stare him down as he leaves.
Intermission is announced by Riccaboni and Cabana.
Back from break...Women of Honor champion Kelly Klein makes her way to the ring. Klein grabs a microphone and reminds the ROH universe that she always claimed to be a fighting champion. She issues an open challenge... "I want the best that Toronto has to offer." Lights go out...this brings out the Allure. (Angelina Love, Mandy Leon, Velvet Sky.) Angelina Love grabs a mic of her own and applauds Klein for her victory at the G1 Supercard. She then says that she is from Toronto originally, and that it would be amazing if Klein defended the Women of Honor title against her tonight. Love then reveals that she no longer lives in Canada, and refuses to allow Klein to defend her title tonight, and instead says they'll fight when ROH returns to the U.S. Klein angrily pulls Love into the ring from her hair and starts brawling...Sky and Leon manage to get her out. Klein once again calls the Allure a bunch of bit**es to end the segment.
Kenny King joins the commentary team for the second night in a row. He is still having vision problems because of the Great Muta spitting mist in his eyes at G1 Supercard. He'll be calling action with Riccaboni and Cabana on the Jay Lethal and Satoshi Kojima bout...which is next.
Satoshi Kojima, representing Bread Club, is out first. The former world champion Jay Lethal is out second.
Satoshi Kojima versus Jay Lethal
Tie-up. Lethal grabs the wrist but Kojima immediately applies pressure himself. Takedown from Kojima...Lethal pops right back to his feet. Stalemate. Crowd seems evenly split for this one. Kojima comes off the ropes...shoulder bump but no one moves. Lethal tries one...no effect. Big slap by Lethal. Kojima responds with one of his own. Each man lets the other recover and strike back. Lethal with leg kicks. Kojima aims at the throat with chops. Hip-toss and cartwheel dropkick by Lethal sends Kojima to the apron. Springboard dropkick sends Kojima all the way to the outside. Lethal off the ropes...suicide dive connects. Lethal allows Kojima to get back into the ring.
Lethal stay on the attack with repeated stomps. He softens up Kojima's leg for the figure-four...dropping multiple elbows. Suplex attempt...Kojima blocks it but eats another leg kick. Lethal again off the ropes...huge elbow by Kojima drops Lethal to the mat. Kojima with stomps now. He drives his knee into Lethal's neck on the ropes, then yells at the referee for counting. Lethal is able to fire off a chop but Kojima drops him with an overhand chop. Lethal answers with a Russian leg-sweep. He goes after the leg again, applying a modified deathlock. Kojima breaks the hold by making it to the ropes. Another leg kick slows Kojima down. Lethal charges in the corner...Kojima moves. Chop. Chop. He unloads a series of them. Irish-whip...running elbow lands. He goes to climb but Lethal has it scouted and hits a basement dropkick to Kojima's knee.
On the outside...Lethal drops an elbow onto Kojima's injured leg. Lethal goes up to the apron...Kojima clotheslines his legs. Both men on the apron...DDT from Kojima! Back in the ring Kojima climbs for a top rope elbow...he hits it! Cover...Lethal kicks out. Back and forth striking...Lethal with more leg kicks. Another DDT from Kojima. Cutter attempt...Lethal blocks it...he picks Kojima up and drives him into the mat. Lethal to the top rope now...Kojima gets a boot up but Lethal was ready for it...figure-four applied! Kojima in trouble...he's right in the center...rope break! Both men are down.
Lethal calls for the Lethal Injection...Kojima gets underneath Lethal popping him off the mat...cutter by Kojima! Suplex reversed by Lethal...Lethal Combination connects. He calls for his finisher again...Kojima with the lariat! He picks Lethal up...brainbuster! Cover...Lethal kicks out at the last second. Kojima removes the elbow pad...he goes for a running lariat...superkick by Lethal! Lariat misses...Lethal Injection! Cover...Kojima can't kick out.
Jay Lethal wins by pinfall
Following the match...Lethal and Kojima honor the "Code of Honor" and shake hands. Meanwhile, Kenny King wishes Cabana and Riccaboni well, and leaves the commentary table. ROH Television title matchup is next. It's a Four Corner Survival bout, and includes Brody King, Hirooki Goto, Shane Taylor, and champion Jeff Cobb.
Taylor is out first, followed by Brody King and Hirooki Goto. The champ is out last.
Jeff Cobb versus Shane Taylor versus Hirooki Goto versus Brody King Four Corner Survival for the ROH Television championship
Taylor and Cobb go right at each other and brawl to the outside. King and Goto are left alone in the ring and tie-up. Big shoulder blocks but neither man budges. King with a kick to the gut. He goes for a hip-toss but Goto reverses the momentum and sends King across the ring. Cobb inside now and he and Goto trade blows. Goto wins the exchange...huge clothesline...Cobb fires one of his own back. They knock each other down. King out of nowhere with a frankensteiner that sends Goto to the outside. Everyone on the outside except King...he takes out the lot with a tope con hilo! King and Taylor are left alone in the center. Back and forth striking...huge haymakers from both guys. All four men in the ring now...fun spot where everyone gets knocked down at the same time.
Cobb with a saito suplex, followed by a standing moonsault onto King. Goto takes Cobb down with a saito suplex of his own. Running lariat attempt...Cobb catches him with a spinning back suplex. King nails Cobb with a pump kick that sends him to the ropes...cannonball connects. Taylor onto King...Canadian destroyer! Cover...King escapes. Taylor on the middle-rope...Goto picks him up...Yushi Giroshi! Goto goes for the GTR onto Cobb...Cobb blocks it...discus lariat from Goto. He goes for the GTR again...King decapitates him with a lariat. King and Cobb go at it...snap-German from Cobb but King bounces right back to his feet. Tour of the Islands hit...Taylor throws Cobb out! He picks King up...Rikishi Driver! HE WINS IT!
Shane Taylor wins by pinfall to become the new ROH Television champion
Cobb confronts Taylor, having lost the title but not been pinned. Cobb hands him the belt, and doesn't get physical. Taylor celebrates in the ring before heading to the back.
Main event time. Matt Taven's promo from a few days ago is replayed. He asks what kind of man fantasizes that he's a monster the way PCO does? He says that he fears no man, calling himself an immortal in the process.
The challenger is out first with his classic being brought back to life introduction. Loud chants for PCO. The champion...Matt Taven is out second. Here we go.
Matt Taven versus PCO for the ROH World championship
PCO lets Taven hit him in the back to start. PCO responds with some stiff strikes of his own. Taven with a springboard enziguri...it sends PCO to the outside. PCO screams at Taven to hit him with a suicide dive...Taven goes for it...then stops and flips the audience off. PCO on the apron...he gets dropped with another enziguri. Suicide dive from Taven...PCO catches him...chokeslam to the apron. PCO in the ring now...cannonball dive onto Taven! Crowd is going crazy. PCO lays into Taven with kicks to the chest. PCO grabs a chair...he sits Taven down and unloads a series of chops onto the champion. Back in the ring...he goes for a package piledriver...Taven blocks it and rolls to the apron. He baits PCO in...stunner off the ropes. Taven right back in...Michinoku driver by PCO. He climbs for the moonsault...the Kingdom runs down to ringside and distracts him! Taven takes advantage and pulls PCO off the top.
Taven goes for the climax...PCO turns it into a short-armed lariat. Marseglia lays down an axe while O'Ryan distracts the referee...Taven smashes PCO's face off the axe hurting his good eye. PCO bleeds from the eye. Taven capitalizes...he whips PCO into the ringpost, then gouges his thumb deeper into the wound. Taven wears the monster down with strikes and rest-holds. PCO with a flurry but Taven drops him to the mat with another strike to his injured eye. Loud "PCO" chants from the crowd. Taven silences them with a DDT. Cover...PCO kicks out. Another DDT from Taven. A third. A fourth. PCO with a sit-up! He gets to his feet and absorbs all of Taven's offense...pop-up powerbomb from PCO. He picks Taven up...running tombstone piledriver! Cover...the champ JUST gets a shoulder up. Taven to the apron...PCO climbs...Swanton by PCO connects! "Holy sh*t" chants! PCO won't let up. He tosses Taven into the barricade. PCO sets up the chair again on the outside...Taven with another thumb to the eye...climax DDT onto the chair. Referee is counting...Taven rolls inside...count is at 19...he beats it! Taven with a sunset powerbomb! He rolls PCO back inside...frog splash! Cover...PCO ESCAPES. Fans going crazy! "He's not human" chants. Running knee from Taven. Another one. He goes for a third...PCO catches it...dragon screw! Package piledriver...he hits it! PCO climbs to the top...cannonball senton! Cover...Taven out at the LAST SECOND. PCO goes right back up for the moonsault...it lands! Cover...the O'Ryan puts Taven's leg on the ropes! Marseglia grabs PCO's manager...PCO picks him up and powerbombs him onto a nearby table. O'Ryan hands Taven a railroad spike...he nails PCO with it while the ref's back turned. That'll do it.
Matt Taven wins by pinfall to retain the ROH World championship
PCO is stunned, but commentary says he may very well get another title shot in the future.
That's the show friends.