ROH Glory by Honor X Review

Match 1: Mike Bennett vs. Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin vs. Grizzly Redwood
Just a totally fun opening contest that showcases Elgin to his fullest potential. The build for this man has been fantastic and while everyone else in this match looked good, no one stood out like the 2011 Survival of the Fittest.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***½

Match 2: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tommaso Ciampa
This match was mainly to push the storyline involving Kevin Steen who was sitting ringside as he tossed his drink onto Jacobs which led to a huge fight that ended the match in a no contest. Both men are a pleasure to watch in the ring.
Winner: n/a
Rating: *

Match 3: Tomasso Ciampa vs. Harlem Bravado
Harlem comes out after the mayhem and a match between Ciampa and Bravado ensues. Ciampa destroys Bravado for the win. I understand that Ciampa needs to look strong but why at this expense?
Winner: Tomasso Ciampa
Rating: n/a

Match 4: Eddie Edwards vs. Kyle O’Reilly
I only wish that this match had a bigger build to it and possibly lead into a big feud. However, the push for Final Battle continues in a great match between the two. Lots of great technical wrestling, interesting psychology, and an awesome finishing sequence. Both men look strong coming off the bout.
Winner: Eddie Edwards
Rating: ***¾

Match 5: The Briscoes vs. The Young Bucks
A strong match between these two great teams. Crowd is really behind The Briscoes as their chase for the belts continues. I always felt like these two teams didn’t have the best chemistry ever but this one was definitely otherwise.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: ***½

Match 6: Proving Ground - Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong
We now have a Proving Ground contest between Jay Lethal and Roderick Strong who is trying to gain a shot at the Television Championship. Some really good wrestling from the two that really shows off how crafted they have become in the ring. Pretty cool to see how different their styles are compared to the earlier matches. Strong gains a shot for the championship after surviving the time limit. However, they go an extra five minutes in which Lethal drops Strong on his neck for the win.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***¼

Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team © vs. The All Night Express
This is The All Night Express’ big chance for the belts and these guys delivered an awesome match. The match had great flow and timing and while I was a bit turned off in the beginning, they really turned things up a notch as the crowd began to get heavily invested in the contest and all four men put on one hell of a show. A great ending with King and Haas cussing each other out leads to Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team retaining.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: ***¾

Match 8: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. El Generico
I’ve always felt that these two have tremendous chemistry and this match is a great example. The story behind this match was just perfect for a championship main event. Two good guys going at it with Richards as a legit champion and Generico as a legit competitor. Both bounded by the glory of becoming ROH World Champion. As you would come to expect, the match was fast and the crowd was most definitely into every bit of it. It was pretty clear that Richards was going to retain but both men managed to still keep everyone on their toes. Richards kicks Generico in the head to retain. Afterwards, Steen comes through the crowd to fight with everyone as Richards closes out the show with a great speech afterwards. Fantastic main event with a fantastic way to end the night on a cliffhanger. Richards is the face of this company and as I previously stated, he comes off as a legit champion. He is definitely the man to close these big shows out.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: ****

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Glory by Honor has become one of my favorite annual shows and this year featured a great show with a fantastic main event that leads the company in many directions. For all the hate Richards gets, there is no denying that he is shining in his role as the face of the company. That is where he belongs and where he needs to be. The road to Final Battle is looking good.
Rating: 8.5/10