ROH Death Before Dishonor IX Review

Match 1: Homicide & Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Rhino
The Embassy continues to strengthen themselves as they take on two ROH favorites to kick off the show. A really good opening contest that didn’t overstay its welcome and meshed well with the crowd. Ciampa plants Homicide to get the victory as he continues to look like gold.
Winners: Tommaso Ciampa & Rhino
Rating: ***

Match 2: Shelton Benjamin vs. Mike Bennett
As much as I’ve been enjoying Bennett as of late, I don’t think this New York crowd can say the same. They were tearing him apart! Not much to say about this one, a very basic wrestling contest with Benjamin picking up a quick victory. If ROH wants to make a star out of Bennett, then he should really be winning these kinds of matches.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Rating: **

Match 3: Elimination - Future Shock vs. The Young Bucks vs. The Bravado Brothers
This match is just about what you would expect and that’s a good thing. A very strong match that showcased some awesome moves and a hot crowd. The only real drawback I have in this one would be The Bravados and how they looked like punching bags out there. With that aside, The Bucks get a big win and refuse to shake the hands of Future Shock as they leave. A big feud with both teams could be looming.
Winners: The Young Bucks
Rating: ***¼

Match 4: El Generico vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Crowd seems a little cooled off from the last contest which is definitely a bummer considering the talent in the ring. Instead of going for the usual match full of big spots and tons of action, they took the action to the mat and freshened things up a bit. They both looked comfortable in their roles and the crowd enjoyed the action as well. This is the type of wrestling this company needs to see more of to differentiate one match from another. Kevin Steen eventually makes his way to ringside and all hell breaks loose. The match gets called off as Steen gets taken away by security. Great match with another great Steen moment.
Winner: n/a
Rating: **¾

Match 5: Michael Elgin vs. Charlie Haas
I don’t know if it’s just me but Haas somewhat seemed out of place. He doesn’t necessarily fit the mould of being a young star with tons of potential. However, he is still an amazing athlete and has a match against one of ROH’s biggest upcoming stars, Michael Elgin. Just like Shelton’s match, this was decent action at best with the action being much slower than Shelton’s. Haas picks up the win over Elgin through a somewhat short and forgettable contest. I stated earlier that Bennett needs to win his matches and the same thing can be applied for Elgin in this situation. I understand who Haas & Benjamin are but their wins shouldn’t be at the expenses of hot stars.
Winner: Charlie Haas
Rating: *¾

Match 6: Ringmaster’s Challenge - Eddie Edwards vs. Roderick Strong
This is the first Ringmaster’s Challenge match and the rules go as the following: the only way to win is by scoring two consecutive wins, the first match will be by pin fall, the second will be by submission, and the third will be a 15 minute Iron Man match. I wonder how this one is going to end. Anyway, the first two matches result in a tie which leads to the 15 minute Iron Man match. The first win went to Strong as the second went to Edwards. Very good wrestling from the two to kick things off as they set to compete in a grueling extra 15 minutes. They go back and forth and the match results in a tie after 15 minutes. Cornette comes out and lets the match go on until a winner is named. Edwards eventually got the victory after again hitting his finisher. Edwards now receives a shot at the ROH World Championship. A great match but I can’t help but feel like their matches are getting tiresome. I enjoy the action but we’ve seen this too many times and it’s simply just time to move on. Even still, a great contest to fill the void of a missing Davey Richards.
Winner: Eddie Edwards
Rating: ***¾

Match 7: Ladder War III - The All Night Express vs. The Briscoes
Instead of a championship bout closing out the night, we get Ladder War III featuring the culmination of the company’s hottest feud. Words don’t describe how bloody and brutal this match was. It was pretty much guaranteed that Jay Briscoe was going to bust open but the amount of blood that poured out of his head was just insane. Just like their bout in Chicago back in May, this match had that big fight feel and that awesome ambiance. It felt as if they wanted to kill each other. From big ladder spots to huge table splatters, this was a war. The bloody affair ends with Kenny King knocking Jay Briscoe off the ladder and grabbing the contract hanging above to score a title shot for his team against Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team in Chicago. After, King signs the contract with the blood of Jay Briscoe. That was pretty cool. A fitting end to an awesome feud. While not at the level of the previous two Ladder Wars, I can easily say that this match was a fun and awesome roller coaster. A great end to a show that didn’t feature a match for the ROH World Championship.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ****

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A very good show with the two last matches being the main focus. The void of Davey Richards was nicely filled but as the champion, he should really be at these main shows. The undercard wasn’t anything spectacular and even felt recycled in a sense. With that being said, this year’s Death Before Dishonor was a good one that sets up a big fourth quarter for Ring of Honor.
Rating: 8/10