ROH's Death Before Dishonor May Have Been The Best Show This Past Weekend

ROH's Death Before Dishonor May Have Been The Best Show This Past Weekend

Death Before Dishonor has been a historic event for Ring of Honor ever since its inception July 19, 2003. Back then the legendary reign of Samoa Joe was just beginning, Paul London was bidding his farewell to the company that made him a star and CM Punk was entrenched in a war with Raven. Fast forward 13 years, while the names have changed the passion and fighting spirit of ROH's "Summerslam" hasn’t.

Along with the stars of New Japan, Ring of Honor presented a thrilling card with few hiccups. From the wild and bloody brawl between Adam Page and Jay Briscoe to the fast paced Four Corner Survival leading into the title match that was more about respect than the title itself Death Before Dishonor delivered. Not only in athleticism and storytelling, but in making the most out of every talent and every match.

Ring Of Honor has always been known for their superior wrestling matches and while in recent times that has been overshadowed by the working relationship with New Japan and now CMLL, Death Before Dishonor was a nod to the past and a perfect starting point for fans looking for something new after "other promotions" had left a sour taste in their mouths.

Overall, Death Before Dishonor was a stellar example of wrestling presented as a sport and how consistent storytelling can create special moments, which in turn put butts in seats.


Match of The Night: Jay Lethal vs Adam Cole

With Adam Cole cutting the braids of Jay Lethal to manipulate his way to another title shot. The story of the match was Lethal's rage being his own worst enemy. Cole and Lethal gave everything they had and then some. Giving a breakdown of this match would not do it justice, just go out of your way to watch this match. ***Spoiler*** When Cole pulled Lethal's cut braids from his trunks, CLASSIC HEEL MOVE!

Performance of The Night: Donovan Dijak

The Four Corner Survival was amazing and really made Lio Rush, Kamatachi and Jay White all look like stars, but Dijak is a beast and he EARNED that #1 contendership to the TV title. Dijak's cyclone tope has to be seen to be believed, a man with his height shouldn’t be able to move like that. If you aren't a little excited to see Bobby Fish vs Donovan Dijak you aren’t a wrestling fan. Plain and simple.

Story of the Night: Kyle O'Reilly Returns

After losing an incredible title match to Jay Lethal, due to Adam Cole and the Bullet Clubs interference, O'Reilly hadn't wrestled in ROH for a little over a month. O'Reilly gave Cole little to no time to enjoy his historic victory and now a new chapter in the O'Reilly/Cole feud looks to have begun. The four months leading into Final Battle in December are looking to be exciting to say the least.

Where Do We Go From Here?

  • Dijak/Fish looks to be a classic in the making as Bobby Fish has been on a roll as TV Champ and I think he is going to help make Dijak a star.
  • Adam Page/Jay Briscoe had a bloody battle and that inverted piledriver through the table was site to be seen. This feud looks like it just begun and I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see this come to an end at Final Battle in a "Fight Without Honor," but the question is does Briscoe put Page over or is he just another victim?
  • What's next for Jay Lethal will he go back on the hunt for the ROH Title or are his days in ROH numbered?

The Results and Ratings

1. Donovan Dijak defeated Lio Rush, Jay White and Kamaitachi (*** 1/2)

2. NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata defeated Silas Young (** 1/2)

3. CHAOS (Romero, Barreta and Yano) defeated. Bullet Club (Takahashi, Tonga, Loa) (**)

4. No DQ Match: Hangman Adam Page defeated Jay Briscoe (****)

5. Non-Title Match: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defeated Dalton Castle (***)

6. ROH TV Title Match: Champion Bobby Fish defeated Mark Briscoe (***)

7.  ROH Tag Team Title Match: Champions The Addiction defeated Los Ingobernables and Michael Elgin & Hiroshi Tanahashi (*** 1/2)

8. ROH World Title Match: Adam Cole (BAY BAY) defeated Champion Jay Lethal to become the NEW champion (****) MOTYC

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