ROH War Of The Worlds UK: Liverpool Preview (iPPV)
8/19/17
Liverpool Olympia
Liverpool, England
For the first time, Ring of Honor will be running an iPPV live from Liverpool, England as part of the War of the Worlds UK tour, with only this show available live to fans outside of the U.K. The show will feature talent from ROH,CMLL,NJPW and RevPro and will air live on iPPV at 1pm on ROHwrestling.com and the Fite App.
Silas Young vs. Mark Haskins
One of the Last matches to be announced may in fact be one the fans are most looking forward to. Both Young and Haskins are hard-nosed wrestlers who can trade rights and lefts, but also posses the ability to wow audiences with their agility and athleticism. Look for this match to be a combination of both sides of the coin in a match that easily be one of the most entertaining matches on the card. Despite being a later addition to the show, this is one of the matches that I am most looking forward to.
Hangman Page vs Kenny King
On the most recent episode of ROH television, King challenged KUSHIDA for the ROH World Television title, after a reboot of sorts for the former member of The Rebellion. Coming off of his time on the Bachelorette, King was sporting new ring gear and a new attitude, letting his skills in the ring do the talking, as opposed to being the braggart he was before the demise of his faction. However, a run-in by Marty Scurll and Adam Page of the Bullet Club stole his opportunity at winning the title, an act that King was able to exact some revenge for as he and KUSHIDA defeated the Bullet Club in an impromptu tag match. There are few member of the the Bullet Club or Ring of Honor roster in general that is more of outright heel than Page and as King moves towards embracing his new celebrity, embodying the role of a fan favorite, the Hangman is an excellent match up. Look for King to gain a measure of revenge here, as he continues get in the good graces of the fans.
Non-Title
Jay Lethal vs. British Cruiserweight Champion Josh Bodom
Bodom and Lethal have a bit of history, both earning victories of each other in the first two times the two wrestled each other. Bodom upset Lethal the first time that they faced off against each other and Lethal returned the favor, more prepared for his younger opponent in their second meeting. Bodom’s title was earned after beating Will Ospreay, proving that he has continued to develop as a start since he and Lethal last met. With Lethal scheduled to have a Edinburgh street fight with Silas Young the next night, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Last Real Man to distract Lethal here and cost him the opportunity to win the rubber match.
Bully Ray & The Briscoes vs LIJ (Naito, EVIL & BUSHI)
Bully Ray and the Briscoes have been on a bit of skid since they lost their 6-man tag team titles to Dalton Castle and the Boys. During that match, Jay Briscoe let his anger get the best of him, costing his team the titles. Since then Mark and also adopted a more aggressive attitude, which Bully Ray felt was exactly what the team needed to get back on track. Los Ingobernables de Japon, specifically Bushi, effectively sent the Briscoes down this path, as the mist Bushi hit Jay with was originally met for Dalton Castle during an eight man tag match. Bully and the Briscoes will be looking to right the ship against the team that sent them spiraling downwards to begin with in what will most likely be an all out brawl.AN LIJ win wouldn’t be shocking, but if the former champions are to stay together moving forward, this is an important win for them to pick up.
Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero vs Mistico & Titán
One of the perks of the War of the Worlds tours is the inclusion of talent from other companies and this match features four of the top talents from CMLL all in one match. Although the cross over appeal of talent from ROH/NJPW/RevPro and CMLL is one of the hallmarks of these shows, seeing talent that is familiar with each other clash is a strong way to allow them to really showcase their talents. Guerrero and Bucanero are well on their way to legendary status as CMLL competitors, while Mistico and Titan are both exciting in their own right. Guerrero has been an ROH fan favorite every time he wrestles for the company and one would assume that his team gets the nod here.
ROH World Tag Championship
The Young Bucks (c) vs The Addiction (Daniels & Kazarian)
Since losing the ROH World title to Cody at Best in the World, Daniels has had a change of attitude, citing that the fans are fickle and essentially have made the wrong decision in supporting somebody of Cody’s ilk. Kazarian has support his friend in this change of attitude and the two have made it clear that they are no longer out to please the fans, but rather themselves. The Young Bucks, despite their membership in a group known for questionable tactics, are quite possibly the most beloved superstars in Ring of Honor and have had the tag titles, for the most part, since they beat the Addiction and the Motor City Machine Guns at All Star Extravaganza last fall. While it’s conceivable that the Addiction could hold the tag titles yet again, look for the Young Bucks to retain here.
ROH World Television Championship Fatal Fourway
KUSHIDA (c) vs Marty Scurll vs Dalton Castle vs Hiromu Takahashi
This is easily one of the most anticipated matches on the card. Takahashi, who wrestled under the name Kamaitachi while he was on excursion in CMLL and ROH has completely reinvented himself since returning to NJPW and is easily one of the brightest young stars in the company right now. Scurll won the ROH TV title the last time the company was in England and he looks to regain the title that KUSHIDA defeated him form after a run with the title during which he faced very few legitimate contenders for the title. While singles gold has eluded Dalton Castle during his time in ROH, he currently holds the ROH 6-man tag titles with the Boys and although he could easily be a future ROH TV champion, it is unlikely that he would walk out of this match a dual title holder. Despite my earlier reservations about KUSHIDA holding the title, he has been able to juggle his obligations to NJPW and ROH well as a truly present champion. With all these pieces, the match result will be really intriguing and could give the Bullet Club control over ¾ of ROH’s titles by the end of the night if Scurll is able to repeat in front of his countrymen.
ROH World Championship
Cody (c) vs SANADA
This will be Cody’s first defense against someone other than Christopher Daniels since winning the title. SANADA has been developing as a strong talent in NJPW, but the matchup is a bit of a head scratcher, as it seems highly unlikely that Cody would drop the title so soon, especially to a NJPW talent while KUSHIDA already holds the ROH TV title. The Bullet Club and Los Ingoberables De Japon, the two groups the the combatants represent, do have a history between each other and the groups will be facing off on the last night of the tour, so this could further those issues along, but Cody should walk away as the champion in this one. What will be intriguing in this one is how SANADA handles himself in such a big spot and how he and Cody work together.
