Forget the ridculous title, this show could not have been called anything else but a supercard. Featuring one of the most loaded line-ups ROH has ever put together this show was the centre piece of the Wrestlemania triple shot weekend and features 3 matches that, come the end of the year, will be very high on every ROH fans match of the year list.
The match everyone is talking about is the Dragon Gate 6 man featuring members of the Blood Generation faction facing off against long time rivals Do Fixer. This is the match that Dave Meltzer gave 5 stars to, the match Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com referred to as a wrestling orgasm and as such, who am I to disagree. A match with this much hype rarely lives up it, but every now and again an exception to that rule comes along and this is just such an occasion. Featuring some of the most high flying, innovative wrestling the US will ever see, this is a phenomenal match. ROH fans are notriously fickle, but anytime you have so many spectacular spots that fans begin a 'please don't stop' chant, you know this has to be something special. Not even the now all too common 'this is awesome' chant could truly get started as the fans were constantly being dazzled by spectacular combination after spectacular combination.
However for many ROH fans, that was not even the best match of the night. Amongst the hardcore of ROH fans, the main event, pitching Bryan Danielson against Roderick Strong is being talked about as one of the best main events in company history. The third part of their hard-hitting series, the previous two matches have seen Strong elevated from tag team specialist to bonafide main eventer, as well as becoming one of the company's top babyface. These compliment each other perfectly as the arrogant heel champion is taken on by the ultra-white mean babyface challenger who is inevtably underestimated by the champ. However, adding an extra dimension to this feud is the arsenal of hard hitting moves that Roderick Strong brings to the table. In a lot of ways Strong is a traditional babyface in pursuit of a belt, however he also has some of the most intense chops and backbreakers in the business which gives him a real edge and creates for a fantastic dynamic. Despite going on at well past midnight, this match lasts almost to the full 60 minute time limit draw and in a lot of ways ROH were very sensible not to go the full 60 minutes with this match. The appeal is in Roderick taking Dragon to the limit, however he has to win at the end for the feud to work. Unlike Joe vs Punk a draw is noe considered precitable, but ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky has managed to keep this feud fresh and interesting despite Strong losing all their one on one encounters to date.
So there you have the media's choice and the fan's choice, however there is one other sleeper match which was almost lost in the mix on this weekend of stellar matches. That match is AJ Styles and Matt Sydal vs. Austin Aries and Jack Evans. On paper this looked a filler match as both teams treded water between Dragon Gate matches. However with the calibre of talent on offer and the new found resurgance of tag team wrestling in ROH, this match could well be as good, if not better than the Dragon Gate match. Managing to eclipse the Aries/Strong vs. Styles/Sydal match from the Fourth Anniversary and putting together a phenomenal match involving 4 of ROH's most exciting and innovative talents. The climax of the match with Styles clashing Evans on the floor, only to have Aries hit a suicide dive on Styles before Sydal hits a beautiful shooting star press on Jack Evans who had been dumped in the ring by Styles was one of the most electric finishes to a match I have ever seen proves once and for all that ROH does not need to rely on wrestlers from overseras to provide the spectacle for their shows. They allready have the talent to put on the kind of matches that personify Dragon Gate's style and as such nit is no surprise that guys like Strong, Evans, Sydal and Aries are in demand in the Orient.
Compared to these three matches, the remainder of the card could be seen as weak, however that would be unfair. There's a fun opener with the Embassy of Alex Shelley and Jimmy Rave taking on Caludio Castagnoli and Jimmy Yang. The ROH vs. CZW feud continues with Adam Pearce vs. Necro Butcher which is the inevitable brawl. Also there is a fantastic Shimmer women's match and a very 3 way match pitting Chris Daniels, Samoa Joe and Jimmy Jacobs who was deputising for the injured BJ Whitmer which doesn't make perfect sense in terms of storlyine continuity, however Jacobs excels himself and makes the most of his oppurtunity .
Overall verdict: A-
"A few weak matches and a lengthy 3+hours running stops this from being the first ROH show to get an A+ from me, however it is a darn fine call. The Dragon Gate 6 man, the world title match and the tag match are three of the best matches you will ever see and as such eclipse the rest of the card (which in itself is not poor). A lot of new ROH fans will watch this show as a result of the hype and I cannot think of a better place for them to start. This show features everything that is great about independent pro wrestling and is the perfect calling card for the ROH product."
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