Match Ratings For ROH 16th Anniversary And Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp

Rating guide

10- Perfect, 9- Excellent, 8- Great, 7- Good, 6- Above Average, 5- Average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor
Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a "star rating," which is a completely different system.
 

Women Of Honor Title Tournament Opening Round Match
Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura
5.5/10

• Sumie Sakai is getting double teamed on the outside early on. 
• Hana has a nice surfboard. Unbelievable that she's 20. Already has a unique look and can work.  Then I just watched a 20 year old sell a flying front dropkick better than anyone I've seen in WWE ever.
• Until that superplex botch, I wouldn't know Hana was two years in unless you'd told me.
• Sumie Sakai's flying body press to the outside is a work of art.
• The 46-year old beats the woman 26 years her junior with a Reign of Terror. 

 Women Of Honor Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match
Tenille Dashwood defeated Brandi Rhodes
4.5/10

• Tenille Dashwood now gets more pyro than anyone in WWE does
• Tenille trolls Brandi into running the ropes, but gets slapped.
• Colt Cabana shoots down Mandy's assessment of "Brandi works hard" by saying everyone. Colt then corrects Brandi on how to do a short arm scissors.
• Mandy seems awfully invested in people not saying Brandi's husband got her the spot she's in. Wonder why.
• Tenille is making Brandi look competent in the ring. 
• Brandi feigns and injury and Colt Cabana screams "WHAT IS THE REF GONNA DO, FIX HER KNEE?!" lol. 
• Tenille kicks out of the Cross Rhodes and hits Spotlight the Difference for the win.

Promos

• Bubba Ray Dudley, who goes into the WWE Hall of Fame in less than a month, is here on ROH 16th Anniversary. He talks about how this isn't "sports entertainment." Well, then. He beats up the Dawgs and Cheeseburger joins him. 
• Ian Riccaboni rules. He got Colt Cabana a Ryne Sandberg rookie card for ROH's paper anniversary.

Hiromu Takahashi defeated Flip Gordon
5.25/10

• Takahashi mocks Gordon as he does his kip up dances.  
• There's something about Flip Gordon. He's effortlessly athletic and acrobatic, but seems like sometimes he's slowing himself down and you can tell.
• Takahashi throws a more believable front dropkick (take another drink), because he doesn't land flat on his back and head while taking it.
• Takahashi goes at Todd Sinclair, who says he's doing his job. This is hilarious because on screen, Todd Sinclair like NEVER does his job.
• Gordon has one hell of a tornado forearm. A beautiful move. We haven't seen Cesaro do that spinning European uppercut in a while, so I welcome this move. 
• Gordon hit one of the nicest Falcon Arrows I've ever seen. That's followed up a few minutes later by a hellacious Death Valley Driver in the corner for Takahashi, who later wins with a Time Bomb.
• This was just a bunch of moves to me.

Marty Scurll defeated Punishment Martinez
8/10

• Scurll jumps in and attacks Punishment right off the bat. However, Martinez HEAVES Scurll with a Falcon Arrow and hits an Air Jordan.
• Scurll works over Martinez's leg, but Punishment counters with a Pyscho Driver variation and a curb stomp for two. They are coming in HOT.
• Scurll lands an insane brainbuster after getting busted open, and he's working that leg masterfully. He's doing it effectively without putting the crowd to sleep.
• Martinez gets a full nelson face slam, it looked wonderful. Security has to keep Scurll from hitting the ref, and Martinez dives over the turnbuckle onto everyone!
• Punishment drags a table out to ringside and puts Marty on it but whiffs on Air Jordan through it!!!!
• Back in the ring, Scurll gets two on a piledriver, but can't break  Martinez's fingers. Scurll eventually picks up the win after he fakes throwing powder and kicks Martinez in the nutsack.
• Not gonna find a lot of ten minute matches better than Marty Scurll vs. Punishment Martinez.

ROH Television Championship
Kenny King (c) defeated Silas Young
6.25/10

• Silas Young is such a traditional looking heel. He's working without the giant knee brace these days, which is interesting.
• Kenny King gets tossed outside the ring and wipes out a couple of camera men.
• Both guys go ass over teakettle with a suplex over the ropes. Kenny King would follow up with a snap belly-to-belly suplex on the outside. 
• Inside the ring, a great cross body from the top hits for King, too. 
• It's weird to see Kenny King as the 36-year old veteran, because I remember him as the 21-year old Tough Enough prospect that got screwed over. I still think his best run was with ANX before he left for TNA.
• Silas Young gets some high velocity on an Au Revoir. If that were Rob Conway or Sylvan Grenier, it woulda been a BY GOD FINISH. There aren't a lot of people who hit a rolling Samoan drop smoother than Young, and he has his headstand moonsault right after.
• Royal Flush wins it for Kenny King and he retains.
• Austin Aries shows up and challenges King.

ROH Six Man Tag Team Championships
So Cal Uncensored defeated The Hung Bucks
7/10

• This is violent right off the bat. Adam Page is an early star of the match, hitting a dropsault and powerbombing Scorpio Sky on the ramp. 
• This is a non-stop car crash and Kazarian is cracked open big time. There is a crazy, great see saw kendo stick to the penis and testicles spot.
• Sky jumps from the floor to huracanrana an opponent off the apron, which is awesome. 
• I see you @IanRiccaboni with the Doug reference. Bangin' on a trash can, drummin' on a street light. 
• Page gets piledrived onto his spiked belt, but Nick Jackson has an impressive kick combo. 
• There are so many weapon spots in this that they all just kind of run together and don't mean as much. That being said, it's still an awesome fight. 
• Daniels is 257 years old and still has the prettiest moonsault in the world. He gets back body dropped into a ton of barricades though. Maybe a favorite spot in the match.
• Kazarian gets kicked and gently lies on the table which looked......well. He gets elbowdropped off a ladder through it by Matt Jackson.
• Nick Jackson hits a 450 onto a trash can onto Scorpio Sky, but Shane Taylor takes out all of the Hung Bucks. Page cracks him with the spiked Rite of Passage. It was hilarious that Matt Jackson tried to bodyslam Shane Taylor because he's a "heavyweight" now. 
• Hangman Page is tied up and Matt has to tap to a Boston Crab with a kendo stick around his throat!
• Kingdom try and attack Bullet Club after, but Bully Ray runs them off.

Cody (w/ Brandi Rhodes & Bury The Bear) defeated Matt Taven
6/10

• Cody Rhodes pretty quickly busts out a rope hung Flatliner and an American Death Lock. He's soon mocked by Taven with a Stardust taunt.
• Taven's double underhook backbreaker is a great move, but there's no heat to this match. This is a rough spot to be in after the war that just took place. 
• Hahahah @ColtCabana refuses to assume the gender of Bury the Bear. He(?) tries to give Cody a chair, but Taven cracks a cane over Rhodes' head and hits Rhodes' own finish for two. 
• The ref is taken out and Kingdom come out and hit the big ol wiener kick on Cody, but he's got a cup on. Bully Ray runs off Kingdom. More like Cody Roads Dogg busting out the cup like that. Eh? Eh!?
• Cross Rhodes. Pin
• Kenny Omega is in the bear costume! V-Trigger!!!! Brandi kisses Omega after. 

ROH Tag Team Championships
Briscoe Brothers defeated Motor City Machine Guns
6.5/10

• I love the look of Jay Briscoe with the coal or paint on his face. Not a ton of heat to this match either. It wasn't following a great match by any stretch, but it's on a bit of a rollercoaster after the Omega appearance.
• I mentioned on the show this week that Briscoes vs. Usos are a dream match for me. I think Motor City Machineguns vs. The Revival is another one. 
• This is just awesome work from both teams. Chris Sabin kicking out of the Jay Driller was unexpected for me, especially after eating a Froggy Bow. Then a Doomsday Device finishes it. So why kick out of the Jay Driller?
• Going into this, Briscoes had lost ten consecutive ROH Tag Team Championship matches.

ROH World Championship
Dalton Castle (c) (w/ The Boys) defeated Jay Lethal
7/10

• I'm digging the pink and yellow Savage-esque gear from Lethal. 
• Castle's suplexes and throws are so effortless. His amateur wrestling always shines though.
• Around the world huracanrana finds a home in Jay Lethal. Castle also manages a German Suplex on the floor.
• There's a lot of grunty....just grunt work on the outside of the ring and Castle walks into a spot I love -- chopping the ring post on accident. 
• BOBBY CRUISE eats one of the Trifecta dives! Colt Cabana's call of Bobby Cruise eating a suicide dive is one of the best in ROH history. 
• Lethal ends up busting out a Torture Rack and rolling Torture Rack slam.
• Lethal Injection is one of the most baffling moves from a logistical standpoint. I still don't get it. Either way, Castle kicks out of one after a Figure Four Leg Lock.
• Jay Lethal lands on his neck taking a German Suplex off the apron. They're slugging it out in the ring. Bangarang wins it for Castle.
• Marty Scurll confronts Castle after the match