ROH Showdown in the Sun - Day #1 Review

Match 1: Proving Ground - The Briscoes vs. Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste
We kick off the big weekend with The Briscoes! They face a team of Australians who earned their spot a couple months back at Rise + Prove. They come off as a very generic tag team but they were definitely able to impress with their huge array of moves. The crowd was impressed but they were basically a glorified punching bag for The Briscoes. Some cool spots here and there when ultimately, The Briscoes put a cap on them.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: **½

Match 2: Adam Pearce vs. Adam Cole
Jim Cornette is out to interview Adam Pearce for whatever reason. NWA had a show last night where Pearce retained his championship against Adam Cole. Cole then interrupts Pearce and we now have an impromptu contest. Good action from the two with Cole getting a cool win after Pearce was going for a piledriver until the referee stopped it. Good win for Cole for the weekend.
Winner: Adam Cole
Rating: *¾

Match 3: Tornado - The Young Bucks vs. The All Night Express
This is their first of two matches for the weekend with tomorrow’s being a Street Fight. It seemed as if they wanted to save their energy and creativity for tomorrow. While this match did excite at some levels and some moments, it just fell short and came off as very underwhelming. The All Night Express get the first win after a very abrupt finish. Afterwards, The Bucks take out Rhett Titus and his injured knee. Decent affair that never got out of that first gear and suffered from the lack of time.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***

Match 4: ROH World Television Championship - Jay Lethal © vs. Kyle O’Reilly
I’ve been a bit critical of both these guys in the past for the fact that I feel that most of their matches come off as being recycled. However, this was a great opportunity for them to prove me wrong. Good match with excellent pacing but the attention was more drawn over to Ciampa who was standing out ringside. Another good match that suffered from lack of time as Lethal gets the clean win over the heel O’Reilly. Definitely expected more from the two but considering the position they were in, it was understandable. They most likely will have a better rematch down the line.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***

Match 5: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team vs. Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander
One of my first few times watching Coleman & Alexander as they face up against Haas & Benjamin. Not much to say about this match, decent action that never really got out of the first gear. Both Haas & Benjamin are very entertaining in their heel roles and the crowd really reacted well to them. Good match, just take it for what it’s worth. A match to get these guys on the card and show off the heel WGGT on iPPV.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: **¼

Match 6: Mike Bennett vs. Lance Storm
For those who don’t know, Lance Storm is a legend of the business who never really had any much charisma to break through that glass ceiling. Bennett isn’t necessarily the most technically sound wrestler but hopefully, he can pull out some unexpected stuff against Storm. Wrestling was heavy here and while Storm did show some rust in the ring, he still looked really good and very much in shape. Bennett was no slouch, he hung in there with Storm and both men really made the match lots of fun. Bennett picks up the strong win and drops him one more time after the match. Bennett is becoming a strong heel and big things should definitely be in his horizon.
Winner: Mike Bennett
Rating: ***¼

Match 7: Last Man Standing - El Generico vs. Kevin Steen
This is another match in their feud that will seemingly never end. Even still, it is a much anticipated match for the weekend and you can assure that they will put up one hell of a fight. However, knowing the severity of these types of matches, my interest is not as high as it was back in 2010. The action was not over the top but there were still times in which I had no choice but to cringe. They made every move count and you could simply feel the hatred and animosity between the two. It’s certainly a task that wrestlers have a hard time capturing these days. Jimmy Jacobs comes in at the end of the contest and decks El Generico in the face with a steel chair to help Steen secure the victory. The feud between Jim Cornette and Kevin Steen turns up a notch as Steen takes out his nemesis in El Generico. I’m glad that the action did not cross the line and remained within the borders of safe, albeit the table and chair spots. Steen is hot right now and his road to facing Davey Richards is becoming more clear and more exciting. Great match for the weekend a great way to further the storyline.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: ****

Match 8: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Roderick Strong
While the intensity of the rivalries has seemingly been cooled down between all three guys, this match is easily one of the most anticipated ones of the weekend. It reminds me of Cena vs. Triple H vs. Orton a few years back in 2008. The company’s top dogs going after the top prize. The big fight feel is present as the three guys go at it with elimination rules. Fantastic wrestling from the first half and especially from Richards. Richards is wrestling this match at a different rate from usual and adjusting to the added opponent nicely. That does not mean that Strong or Edwards or slouching, they both brought their top notch game and we had a match going as if we were on a swing. A very balanced out amount of exchanges from all competitors with Truth Martini & Michael Elgin causing a distraction which allowed Strong to roll up Edwards for the first elimination. Afterwards, Richards took out Strong after a huge kick to Martini to retain the title. Elgin then rushes the ring and destroys Richards as he challenges Richards the next day. As I stated earlier, very reminiscent to the WrestleMania XXIV triple threat and in a sense, ROH’s Big Bang main event back in 2010. The wrestling, the action, the crowd, the drama was all fantastic and the match didn’t overstay its welcome. A fine main event to close out the first show of the weekend.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: ****¼

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
ROH normally pulls out some great shows during these big weekends and this show is no exception. Fine wrestling from start to finish with a fantastic main event that sets up tomorrow’s main event with Richards vs. Elgin. While not as strong as last year, the show to kick off the weekend was a fun watch!
Rating: 8/10