ROH: Death Before Dishonor Review
By:Kobain Reid
Ring Of Honor held its 21st edition of their Death Before Dishonor PPV on 7/26. There were around 1,160 tickets distributed to the show, and they were set-up for about 1,200 tickets, so it was pretty much a sold out house. This was part of the AEW/ROH residency in Arlington, TX, at Esports Stadium. I was at this show and my only problems were the chair placements, and a lack of a second screen which was desperately needed throughout the show. The online perception of this event has been extremely positive, it has been referred to as the best overall PPV ROH has produced, and I’d have to agree. While the live event did suffer from some small aspects, which can mostly be chalked up to the smaller stadium, the online stream did not have these problems. The stream actually looked really great on HonorClub and the smaller venue helped the look on camera. Live, however, it was extremely hard to get a decent view of the ring, and any action on the floor was sometimes almost impossible to make out what was going on. The production crew briefly put pictures up on the entrance tron which helped immensely, but looked terrible on camera when half the audience turned their heads to watch the match that way. When the picture was taken off, it was met with major boo’s from the crowd.
The Main Card of the show featured 9 matches. For a company that really only does a PPV/PLE 3-4 times a year, a long show is almost a given, especially for a ROH show. The shortest match on the card was the opener between Mortos and Kommander (13:31), longest being the penultimate match between Aminata and Athena for the Women’s title.
1. The Beast Mortos DEF. Kommander (13:31). This was a really enjoyable match that blew my expectations out of the water. I also believe it helped the match going on first, making sure it wouldn't be lost in the mix of matches. The crowd was heavily invested in the match which helped set the tone for the evening. Probably one of Mortos’ best performances in AEW/ROH that was amplified by great in-ring storytelling, psychology, and the right opponent. In my opinion this was a **** (4) match.
2. ROH World Tag - Undisputed Kingdom (Taven/Bennett) (c) DEF. Conglomeration (O’Reilly/Ishii) (19:41). This I feel went on too long, especially with the interference finish, but I also understand this is a story they are putting a lot of effort into and want to be a bigger deal. This felt like a NJPW style tag which I think worked to Ishii’s strengths and made him feel more comfortable. The match started hot and ended hot, did what it needed to, as well as gave Ishii a strong showcase in a market he draws well in. This excursion for Ishii has to be considered a success. Not just in terms of individual performance, but also he’s proven to draw well for AEW when announced ahead of time. I’d give this ****¼ (4.25).
3. Hirsch DEF. Diamante in a Texas Death Match (15:42). This match took a couple minutes to fully pick up pace and comfortability in the wrestlers. It was well thought out and quite simple for a Texas Death Match. Again, it got the job done for the story they told, and the crowd was totally invested through most of it. They used tacks, barbed-wire boards, and the end saw Hirsch hit a moonsault from the top of a ladder onto Diamante, who was taped onto a table. Diamante couldn't reach the 10 count. ***¾ (3.75).
4. ROH Pure title - Lee Moriarty DEF. Wheeler Yuta (c) (Title Change!) (19:52). This felt like a technical sparring match that was planned out and executed perfectly. The psychology of the use of the pure rules between the competitors was great to see. This definitely brought out a side of Yuta we hadn’t seen in a few months. Hopefully this leads to a hard reset for the pure division and we start to see more matches and stories on ROH TV. Really good stuff from both. ***½ (3.5).
5. ROH Women’s World TV Title - Red Velvet DEF. Billie Starkz (c) (Title Change!) (14:55). Winner surprised me here. Great entrances, simple story and a simple match. Really good from two women with bright futures in wrestling. *** (3).
6. ROH World Six Man Title Eliminator - Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs DEF. Dark Order (Reynolds/Uno/Silver) (14:29). There wasn't much to this match, it was added late to build for the Battle of the Belts show the next night. The winner of this match was to face the Undisputed Kingdom, and it was almost a given that Rhodes and the Von Erichs would take the win here. **
7. ROH World TV Title Survival of the Fittest - Atlantis Jr (c) DEF. Brian Cage/Johnny TV/Lee Johnson/Lio Rush/Shane Taylor (19:12). This was a weird amalgamation of talent but it worked for the most part. The sequences felt clunky and as if they didn't talk about the match much beforehand, which is hard to coordinate on the fly with 6 guys in the ring. Their styles also didn't clash super well, but the crowd enjoyed the match live. The ending was weird with Brian Cage and Atlantis Jr. being the last participants. **¾ (2.75)
8. ROH Women’s World Title - Athena (c) DEF. Queen Aminata (20:15). This was considered a classic Women's match. It lacked build to the match, but delivered in every way possible in the ring. Crowd was on fire for Athena. They showed a video package beforehand with Athena, claiming she will reign forever as ROH Women's champion. This led to loud “Forever” chants throughout the match. Athena won with help of Lexy Nair. ****¼ (4.25)
9.Mark Briscoe (c) DEF. Roderick Strong (19:35). This was the main event of the show, it would have probably benefited from going on second to last unless they planned on changing titles here, which many predicted and thought was the plan. To me it would've made more sense for Strong to win here, especially with them losing the next night to the Rhodes and Von Erichs. Other than the result, this was an amazing, amazing match that did build to the story of the Undisputed Kingdom and the Conglomeration. Really great psychology too, probably the most hard hitting match of the night too. I'd go ****½ (4.5)
I also had the chance to speak with Andrew Baydala, and get his thoughts on the show as well. “The experience was obviously intimate…I'd say the Texas Death Match, the main event, and even the pure title match, they were all very, very good wrestling matches. And I thought the show overall was a smash.” Also, “It was unique, I thought staff did a great job setting thar up on the fly, it was a close proximity setting…a good experience overall and different from any press event I've ever done.”
With everything said and done, I would have to say this show has to be considered a real success for ROH and Tony Khan. Khan mentioned in the press conference that ROH Could be rebranded into AEW: Ring Of Honor, and also that there is a real possibility ROH could move to TV under the rebranded name. ROH on WatchROH recently has been doing 1 hour shows until 2 weeks ago when they went to 1 hour 30 mins and then 1 hour 45 minutes. I think they were a more well rounded show at 1 hour, but with the roster they have, it's hard to keep it at an hour. Regardless, if this show tells you anything, it's that there is tremendous growth. Not just in fans, but presentation, opportunity, and revenue also. They do however need to get on on TV or maybe get lumped into a streaming deal to have easier access and watchability. It's hard for a lot of people to just keep adding streaming services for every promotion and movies/shows you want to watch, that I think they'd benefit from moving.
