IWGP Tag Team Champions War Machine def. Jay White and Jonathon Gresham (Non-title)Although this was a battle between two babyface tag teams, the crowd didn't seem to mind and was electric for all the action. The two tandems worked wonderfully together and kicked off the night on a high note. White has awesome chemistry with Gresham, but I really wish ROH was doing more with White in singles competition while they have him on excursion from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Meanwhile, Punisher Martinez attacking White afterward furthered their feud. On a side note, is War Machine still NXT bound? I forgot if I read whether they had re-signed with ROH or NJPW. Josh "The Goods" Woods def. Shane TaylorI originally assumed Woods was supposed to be a heel, but it looks like he's currently a babyface given how he was portrayed in this match, which is weird. Taylor is talented for a guy of his massive size (kudos to him for losing a significant amount of weight), but he is pretty directionless at the moment and thus it was hard to care about this match. It was fine while it lasted, but nothing special. It got even more confusing afterward when QT Marshall (no idea who he is by the way) came down to the ring and paid off Taylor for laying out Woods. I guess the intent was for viewers to question why he apparently put a hit out on Woods, but I can't say I'm too intrigued.
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The Brian Kendrick def. Gentleman Jack Gallagher in a No Disqualification Match205 Live has been known for its No Disqualification/"I Quit" matches in the past, and while this wasn't as strong as Kendrick's outing against Akira Tozawa a few months back, it was still fun while it lasted. I was glad they made good use of the extreme environment and Gallagher getting busted open (even if it was unintentional) was a nice touch. I was fully expecting Gallagher to win, so Kendrick going over in decisive fashion was a pleasant surprise. I assume this isn't the last we've seen of them against each other. Rich Swann def. Ariya DaivariThis was slightly more entertaining than their match from two weeks ago, but to be completely honest, I'm a few minutes removed from watching it and I already forgot most of what happened. Swann is a great babyface, but Daivari just might be damaged goods by this point in being labeled as an enhancement talent, so it's hard to care about anything he's involved in. The real focus here was on TJP coming to Swann's aid, and although I initially thought that was meant to tease a babyface turn for TJP, it actually showed that he wasn't hurt after all.
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and Rusev Attacked Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy OrtonIt blows my mind that it's been over three months since Jinder Mahal captured the WWE Championship and he continues to cut the same tired promo about Americans stereotyping him and seeing him as a national threat, or something like that. At this point, he isn't generating the type of heat he should be. The brawl that followed was pretty paint-by-numbers, but at least it helped set up the tag team main event for later in the night. Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable def. The AscensionI assumed as soon as they made their entrance as a team with their own theme music that Benjamin wasn't turning on Gable so soon. I'm glad I was right about that because they make a hell of a tandem. Yes, both of them have untapped potential as singles stars, but I prefer them pairing up for now and adding new blood to the tag team division than floundering in the midcard. This was a fun showing from them and Benjamin hasn't lost a step in the ring.
Dana Brooke def. Alicia FoxThese two had a handful of matches against each other on Main Event earlier this year and I thought we had seen the last of them in the ring together, but apparently not. It's almost comical how bad Brooke is at this point and how little she has improved during her time on the main roster. This match wasn't more than five minutes long, but it felt like it went on forever because of how atrocious it was. The crowd sitting on their hands for the entire contest didn't help matters, either. Mustafa Ali def. Ariya DaivariSimilar to Brooke and Fox, Ali and Daivari have had their fair share of matches against one another in the past, too, but at least they work well together. This was a nice little match for what it was, and although the audience hardly reacted to anything they did, Ali never ceases to amaze me with what he's capable of in the ring. Daivari can hold his own, but virtually nothing he does interests me and it's already been established that he's an enhancement talent.
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