ROH is back with more free wrestling for your consumption.
We’ll start with a #1 Contender’s Gauntlet for the TV Championship. It took place at Field of Honor in MCU Park (Brooklyn) during 2015. The contest featured Hangman Page, Dalton Castle, Bushwhacker Luke, and notable names that work in WWE, NXT, AEW, Impact, and NJPW. The bout is enjoyable action with an energetic crowd in the outdoor baseball field atmosphere.
The order of elimination is as follows:
1. Dalton Castle defeated Hangman Page via roll-up after outside shenanigans with the Decade and the Boys.
2. Dalton Castle defeated Frankie Kazarian via countering a victory roll into a roll-up.
3. Silas Young defeated Dalton Castle via fireman’s carry cutter.
4. Silas Young defeated Bushwhacker Luke via count-out. Luke relived his infamous Royal Rumble elimination then bush-walked around baseball bases while getting counted out.
5. Moose defeated Silas Young via fireman’s carry slam.
6. Moose defeated Donovan Dijak via spear.
7. Cedric Alexander defeated Moose. Veda Scott caused a distraction during the entrance so Alexander could attack from behind with a wrench to knock Moose’s noggin.
Winner: Watanabe defeated Cedric Alexander via STO.
The star of the show was Castle with his theatrics. He won over the crowd hard by surviving post-match attacks twice from sore loser heels. Runner-up to Luke for his humorous blast from the past moment and Hangman for his rendition of the peacock strut.
Other free matches posted on ROH’s YouTube channel include:
- Lio Rush vs Punishment Martinez in the 2016 Top Prospect Tournament (here)
- Kenny King with commentary of his first ROH match against Daniel Bryan (here)
Bandido showcase
Bandido was profiled on ROH Wrestling, episode #457 (here). If you have never seen this luchador before, then you are missing out. His name was often on the short list of top talent to be signed by the big boys as the next breakthrough star. Bandido chose ROH to display his nifty flips and unique slams.
The matches presented were against Mark Haskins, a four-way against PJ Black, Flip Gordon, and Caristico (aka original Sin Cara), and the main event against Jay Briscoe. All three matches have a frenetic pace with dope moves. You can’t go wrong watching any of them.
My pick as best of the bunch is the four-way. Gordon had an amazing springboard flipping flight. The fan stand setup was an elevated seating section. Gordon cleared the gap around the ring and into the fan section onto the other three wrestlers. That move alone makes the match worth viewing.
As for the results, Bandido beat Haskins off a 21-plex, won the four-way via double 21-plex, and upset Briscoe with a 21-plex.
Where do Bandido’s skills rank on the hierarchy of luchadores in American promotions?