Bullet Point Reviews: ROH TV (AJ Styles vs. Matt Sydal)

We watch wrestling shows. We will talk about wrestling shows.

@JoeySplashwater watched ROH TV last week. Here are his thoughts.

Show open

• Cute little Matt Sydal backstage promo. Sydal talks about wanting to prove himself, he loves wrestling, all that jazz.

• The very outdated ROH TV show open is still around. Davey Richards is the most seen person in the video and his last ROH appearance was a full year ago.

Mark Briscoe vs. Caprice Coleman

• Short opening match with nothing too noteworthy. It was fine and both guys looked good.

• Caprice Coleman has done a very good job in his sporadic TV appearances. A great utility player of sorts to have on the roster.

• Mark Briscoe got the win to re-establish himself as a threat in ROH to actually win matches.

• It was a fun showcase of the two but I wish either of them had more purpose on the show. It’s hard to care when a match result doesn’t matter.

• Match result: Mark Briscoe over Caprice Coleman.

Nigel McGuinness, Tommaso Ciampa, Jay Briscoe and The Kingdom in ring promo

• Tommaso Ciampa was suspended for attacking Kevin Kelly and Bobby Cruise. Nigel McGuinness reinstates him with the disclaimer that he’s not allowed to touch any non-wrestler or he’ll be banned forever. Ciampa calls out Jay Briscoe. Briscoe and Ciampa argue. Ciampa leaves ring. The Kingdom attack Jay. Mark Briscoe comes out to help Jay and gets beat up too.

• I kind of like the misdirection here where I have no clue what the Final Battle main event will be. You see signs of Cole vs. Briscoe. You see signs of Ciampa vs. Briscoe. There’s even some teasing of Nigel vs. Ciampa.

• I love the interactions between Ciampa and McGuinness as they tease the tension very well. I continue to go on record that I’m hoping desperately for a Nigel return at Final Battle so I’d prefer Cole vs. Briscoe and Ciampa vs. McGuinness.

• The interaction between Jay Briscoe and Tommaso was also well done. It makes you believe there has to be a title feud between the two at some point regardless of if it main events Final Battle or not.

• The Kingdom attack Jay Briscoe with the triple superkick and then hit a Doomsday on Mark Briscoe to stand tall. Basically the vocal point of the last few shows have been Jay vs. Adam Cole so Ciampa being added really makes it tough to predict what the direction is.

• Ciampa was the star of the segment. When he came in ROH, I didn’t think he had anything special but I was wrong. (I will always admit when I was wrong.) He is a great talent and I love his character. There’s the obvious heel side but you kind of sympathize with him which is the intent as of now and a difficult character to pull off but Ciampa has done a good job.

BJ Whitmer and Adam Page vs. Brutal Burgers

• Cheeseburger‘s music is dope.

• The match went back and forth for a few minutes before Adam Page dominated Cheeseburger for the victory.

• The Decade is confusing. Some hate each other but some like each other but they’re in the faction together. They used to be for beating up young guys then it became attacking ex WWE/TNA guys now it’s back to young guys except there’s a rift. Who can keep track of this?

• Adam Page getting aggressive and attacking Cheeseburger after the match seemed to be the “turning point” for him becoming a full fledged heel accepting what The Decade taught him. I like Page so hopefully things work out but The Decade is such a weird group that it’s hard to tell. I know he’s facing Roderick Strong at Final Battle so that should be a big match for his career going forward.

• Match result: Adam Page and BJ Whitmer over Cheeseburger and Brutal Bob Evans.

AJ Styles vs. Matt Sydal

• Highly anticipated main event match with Matt Sydal‘s return to Ring of Honor.

• Both men have weird hairstyles for a wrestler. Whatever it is they’re going for, it falls apart less than a minute into the match and it looks really awkward for the next 15-20 minutes.

• I’ve seen these guys have a few matches against each other on the indies in the mid 00’s. They’ve grown to become such well rounded performers today. Both still have flashy signature moves that will leave you in awe but it isn’t all they have.

• There was a spot I really enjoyed in the match where Sydal was about to do a dive off the ropes but AJ Styles swept his leg quickly before he could get to it. Felt like a turning point in the match, looked cool and set the tone for what the match would be.

• The match was basically the two countering each other studying their opponent with the finish coming from a Styles Clash. It was very good but not the best match these two can have as I’d assume we see them clash again down the road. Pun intended.

• It’s a shame WWE didn’t pick up AJ Styles this year given how pathetic the roster depth has been when you watch RAW the last few months. There’s a spot for Adam Rose and Los Matadors but you don’t have any use for AJ Styles or even Evan Bourne? Okay.

• Match result: AJ Styles over Matt Sydal.