By Graham "GSM" Matthews WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose Hosted an Impromptu 'Ambrose Asylum' with Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn We had yet to see Rollins and Zayn in the same segment prior to this, so they had a cool encounter. I don't know if Ambrose's involvement here was entirely necessary, but he didn't take away from the segment at all. I wish Zayn would have received more mic time than he did, and it's not as if he's a weak talker. Either way, a solid segment to start off the show with and build toward the first time ever main event match later in the night. Cesaro def. Alberto Del Rio These two might have had one or two singles matches back in 2013 or so, but other than those forgettable encounters, they haven't faced off too often in one-on-one action since then. And say what you will about Del Rio being boring as a character, but he remains an excellent athlete and he and Cesaro had a highly enjoyable matchup. Their styles meshed together very well and Del Rio showed no signs of injury despite getting banged up in Sunday's Money in the Bank Ladder match. I would have no problem with these two feuding going into Battleground, but Cesaro winning as decisively as he did leads me to believe that won't be the case.
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By Graham "GSM" Matthews Dalton Castle def. Gedo This was definitely a different dynamic than what regular viewers of New Japan Pro Wrestling are used to seeing from Gedo, but it was a fun one at that. Castle never ceases to entertain the masses in Ring of Honor and this was another awesome performance from him. Not only was it the perfect match to kick off the show with, it couldn't have come at a better time with Castle challenging Bobby Fish for the ROH World Television Championship this Friday at Best in the World, so this was a nice momentum booster for him. Tomohiro Ishii def. Will Ferrara I had completely forgotten Ishii was a former ROH World Television Champion until the commentators brought it up. And that was only a few short months ago! That just goes to show how meaningless his reign was for as long as it lasted. Nevertheless, he remains an excellent in-ring athlete and he and Ferrara contested a very solid match. I'm not sure what purpose it was supposed to serve since neither guy is scheduled to be a part of Best in the World as of now, though. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Oney Lorcan def. Tye Dillinger First and foremost, what the hell kind of name is Oney Lorcan? For those unfamiliar, he is the former Biff Busick from the independent scene, and he went under the name of Christopher Girard for a while in NXT, which was significantly better. That aside, I was pleasantly surprised he was able to showcase his skills for the first time in this match. He has largely been an enhancement talent during his NXT tenure, but he might be more than that going forward if his upset victory over Dillinger was any indication. Unlike Andrade Almas, he benefited from working against the fan favorite Perfect 10 because he is seemingly a heel whereas Almas is babyface. No Way Jose def. Josh Woods No Way Jose remains one of my favorite wrestlers on the roster right now just because of how damn fun the character is. This was another standard squash from him, but it was what happened afterward that I loved the most. The heel turn from Austin Aries was predictable, but him coming down and dancing with No Way Jose for as long as he did gave viewers the impression it wouldn't happen after all, but when it did, the crowd popped huge. It was an excellent attack on a cult favorite in Full Sail University, though it was strange they started chanting for Aries after he turned. Only in NXT. Still, this should be a fun feud. I don't want to last until TakeOver: Brooklyn, but it will keep Aries busy in the meantime. By Graham "GSM" Matthews Daga def. Mascarita Sagrada For an Ancient Aztec Medallion Other than his strange storyline with Kobra Moon, viewers haven't been given any real reason to care about Daga, which is a shame because he's a terrific wrestler. He's almost Lucha Underground's equilvent to WWE's Neville in that way in my mind. Nevertheless, he and Sagrada contested a fun little match (no pun intended) and Sagrada continues to win over the audience. This oddball pairing with Famous B has done wonders for him, and while I'm sad to see it end abruptly, they could have an enjoyable match at Ultima Lucha 2 if that's the direction they're headed in. Marty "The Moth" Martinez, Killshot and Siniestro de la Muerte def. Joey Ryan and The Crew For Ancient Aztec Medallions The whole "we're rivals but we'll work together tonight to fight for a common cause" has been done to death in Lucha Underground. It has grown tiresome to an extent, but they still find ways to make keep it interesting. The crowd likely isn't aware of Ryan and Cortez being undercover cops, so it was surprising their partner Mr. Cisco was the star of the match. But good for him. It was weird to see Killshot and The Moth coexisting at the end, but I assume they implode in the Gift of the Gods match. |
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