Death Before Dishonor XI Review

[DXvsNWO1994]

Just finished watching the show. Here's my take:

Death Before Dishonor XI
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9/20/13

1.) Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young: ***

Nothing flashy, but a solid opener.

2.) ROH World Title Tournament - Semi-Finals - Adam Cole vs. "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa: ****1/4-****1/2

This was CRAZY!!! Loved this match. Hope whatever injury Ciampa suffered isn't that serious.

3.) ROH World Title Tournament - Semi-Finals - Kevin Steen vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin: ***3/4

Obviously there was no way they could top their Glory By Honor XI Match, but if we're going to compare, one thing I noticed is that this match seemed to go at a much slower pace. Plus I think the crowd might have been burnt out a little bit from the Ciampa/Cole match. Love how Steen just staring hitting multiple sleeper suplexes after Elgin damaged Steen's arm.

4.) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles - Forever Hooligans vs. American Wolves: ***3/4

Not their best match, but I'd put it on-par with their first match at the 11th Anniversary Show.

5.) RD Evans (with Veda Scott) vs. Adam Page: DUD

More of a segment than a match. I think this would have come off better on the TV Show.

6.) Ricky Marvin vs. Roderick Strong: ***1/4-***1/2

First thing I thought was "Ricky Marvin looks out of shape" but boy did he prove me wrong. He was so agile & fluid in the ring, it was nuts. Nothing really outstanding, but a solid match.

The BJ Whitmer segment was pretty emotional, as one could imagine. I like what they did with Jacobs here as well. Actually looking forward to seeing Jacobs work as a face.

7.) ROH World Tag Team Champions reDRagon, ROH World TV Champion Matt Taven & Michael Bennett (with Maria Kanellis, Truth Martini, Scarlett Bordeaux, Seleziya Sparx & Kasey Rae) vs. C & C Wrestle Factory and Adrenaline Rush: ***

Maria Kanellis & Three Hoopla Hotties?!?!?! Oh my god....Kind of a crazy match but I felt like having both Maria & Bobby Fish popping in and out on commentary was really distracting.

8.) ROH World Title Tournament - Finals - Adam Cole vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin: ****1/4-****1/2

A really great way to conclude the tournament. Cole & Elgin always have great matches with each other. Nice job by Elgin on selling his neck injuries from the Steen Match. Cool to see Cole finally use the Panama Sunrise (Canadian Destroyer) in ROH.

End Segment was pretty great!

Overall: 9.0/10

Really great show. I'd put it right on par with the 11th Anniversary Show for ROH Show of the Year. For those wondering, I thought the crowd looked good size wise (came off to me as a big crowd) and was pretty loud at times (though there were occasions where they were quiet). Definitely worth getting.

[187_Joeism]

1. Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young: ***1/2

Great opener, they both were really good in this and the crowd loved it.

2. ROH World Title Tournament - Semi-Finals: Adam Cole vs. "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa: ****1/4

Awesome match here, the pace was crazy and both were very stiff, especially Ciampa. This match have a little bit of everything, i liked the pyschology here very much with Cole going after Ciampa´s bad knee.

3. ROH World Title Tournament - Semi-Finals: Kevin Steen vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin: ***3/4

Another great match, i liked they were totally opposite to the other semifinal with more chain wrestling at the beginning, and later they did a lot of great reversal, Steen & Elgin selling here was really good, specially Steen when he failed to do the Package Piledriver because he had an arm injure.

4. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Forever Hooligans vs. American Wolves: ***1/2

This was a fun match, Rocky IV chant to Kozlov was one of the best that i remember recently for a ROH crowd.

5. RD Evans (with Veda Scott) vs. Adam Page: -

This was a segment more than a match, not liked Page challenge, i know he can do way better promos than this because of his work in PWX.

6. International Match: Ricky Marvin vs. Roderick Strong: ***1/4

Ricky Marvin was way better than i expected here looking at his shape, they did some holy shit lucha moves, but the match itself lacked something.

BJ Withmer is a ROH legend, was so sad to see him going to retire like this, i will remember his feud with Jacobs.

7. ROH World Tag Team Champions reDRagon, ROH World TV Champion Matt Taven & Michael Bennett (with Maria Kanellis, Truth Martini, Scarlett Bordeaux, Seleziya Sparx & Kasey Rae) vs. C & C Wrestle Factory and Adrenaline Rush: ***

Good spotfest, it had his awesome moments like ACH doing a crazy air jordan.

8. ROH World Title Tournament - Finals Adam Cole vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin: ****1/2

Awesome match here, hell of a final, Elgin selling here was the star of the match, he showed on this show that he is more than a powerhouse wrestler, i marked out so hard with Cole doing the Panama Sunrise, and the finish was great too.

Postmatch was amazing, Cole facials after turning were very well done.

[DieHard]

Silas Young vs Jay Lethal - **1/4
Not a bad match but imo it was rushed and the finish came way to early.

ROH World Title Tournament Semifinal Match: Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa - ***3/4
That was awesome, great storytelling and probably the best match they could've done at this stage.

ROH World Title Tournament Semifinal Match: Michael Elgin vs. Kevin Steen - ***
Better than it was live, but still not good enough. Liked the beginning actaully much more but I wasn't the fan of the last minutes. To put this right after Cole/Ciampa wasn't a smart move.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: Forever Hooligans(c) vs. The American Wolves - Skipped, never going to watch their matches ever again.

RD Evans vs. Adam Page - 1/2*

Ricky Marvin vs. Roderick Strong - **1/4
Meh, it was what it was. Marvin had pretty nice spots, esp the coast to coast dropkick or whatever that was. The finish was really awakward, what happend there?

C&C Wrestle Factory and Adrenaline Rush vs. reDRagon, Mike Bennett, and Matt Taven - **
Gigantic mess.

ROH World Title Tournament Finals: Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin - ***1/4
Too much no-selling nonsense to my liking.. I just HATE how Cole always does 5-6 Bicycle kicks in his match and his opponents never sells them. It's just stupid. The neck work was solid and this was the only thing that kept my interst. Wanted to love this match much more after the hype but this wasn't for me I guess.

Overall: 6.5/10 Other than the really good Ciampa/Cole match it wasn't a great show but I'm intrigued with the product again now with the Briscoe/Cole feud.

[JigsawVs.Jason]

Lethal vs Young ** 3/4
I did like the match, but it was kind of short and I felt both were holding back a bit actually.

Cole vs Ciampa **** 1/4
Absolutely phenomenal match, high-octane, non-stop action and stiff as hell, I loved it!

Elgin vs Steen ****
I don't get the negative reaction this match got on here, it certainly wasn't the classic from GBH XI, but these two heavyweights went out and delivered one hell of a contest, that told a great story. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but I actually appreciated the change of pace after the frantic Cole/Ciampa Match. I really liked the storytelling and the selling in this match.

Wolves vs Hooligans *** 1/2
It was good, but there was just no need whatsoever to have a third match between these two teams who failed to meet the fans' expectations in the first two encounters as well. Oh yeah: I absolutely hate the stupid clothesline, fight spot they do in every match. In fact, I'm not high on the Hooligans as a team in general, their trademark spots get very stale after seeing it two times, let alone the 4 or 5 times they've repeated these spots in pretty much evey match they've been in in their ROH tenure in 2013.

Evans vs Page * 1/2
Yeah, short and unnecessary, nothing else to say about this.

Marvin vs Strong *** 1/2
I liked that match to be honest, it wasn't the dream match I had envisioned, but I don't think they were going for that anyways. Nice little match with some pretty good spots by Marvin and Roddy being his usual awesome self.

8-Man Tag ** 1/2
Well it was a clusterfuck and I honestly hope ROH never books their tag champs in such a match ever again.
I did like they finishing stretch though, I just thought it was a waste of time, and basically just a filler match for the main event.

Main Event - Cole vs Elgin **** 1/2
As mentioned above, I absolutely loved the action here. What dragged the match down at the very beginning was the slow pace, which was perfectly acceptable from a storyline perspective since they've wrestled already (which is also the reason I hate when Semi finals and finals are on the same night).
However, as soon as they let that part of the match behind and went to the big guns it was pretty great. I may be overrating the match a bit, but it also reflects the booking after the match which was sheer brilliant. I just wish the crowd would have reacted to some of these great exchanges, which IMO prevented it from becoming an instant classic.
Still an amazing match that needs to be seen.

Overall: 9/10
One of the better iPPVs/big show of the year and the best ROH show behind Supercard of Honor. Well worth the money, go and order it now!

[ROHWorld_Jon]

Finally, my review of the show is up. You heard my thoughts on the ROHCast, but now the final verdict is in!

http://rohworld.com/death-dishonor-xi-review/

[Robareid]

Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young ***
A good opener, but was perhaps hoping for a little more with the talent of these two men.

Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa ***3/4
This was a great match. Fast paced, hard hitting, and awesome. Enjoyed it a hell of a lot, although I wasn't a huge fan of the finish.

Michael Elgin vs. Kevin Steen ****
Wow, another brilliant match. These two had a lot to live up to after their amazing match from GBHIX, and while thisx wasn't as good as that, it was still stellar, and my match of the night.

American Wolves vs. Forever Hooligans ***3/4
This was another great match, but yet again they kind of lacked that very top gear that the truly great matches have. It's a shame, because both these teams are amazing, but they haven't quite seemed to click fully.

RD Evans vs. Adam Page 1/4*
Needless squash.

Ricky Marvin vs. Roderick Strong ***1/4
This was a good match, but didn't really get great until the last two minutes, but then it got great, until they botched the ending. Marvin looked like he got hurt, so that may have hurt it.

reDRagon, Bennett & Taven vs. C&C Wrestle Factory & Adrenaline RUSH **1/2
Bit of a clusterfuck really. Decent match, but nothing more than that.

Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin ***3/4
This was a really great match, but the crowd really disappointed. In front of the right crowd this match would have been a classic, as it was it was just great.


I thought this was an amazing event, but the crowd REALLY hurt it. They really weren't very good, and SUCKED during the second half. It's a shame, because this show would probably have surpassed GBH, or at least leveled it. As it was, it was probably the best show of the year, but it could have been one of the best shows of all time.

[BTW10]

Overall: 7/10

Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young – ***
Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa (World Title Tournament Semi-finals match) – ***1/2
Kevin Steen vs. Michael Elgin (World Title Tournament Semi-finals match) – ***3/4
Forever Hooligans(c) vs. The American Wolves (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship) – ***1/4
Roderick Strong vs. Ricky Marvin – **1/2
reDRagon, Matt Taven & Michael Bennett vs. C&C WrestleFactory & Adrenaline RUSH – **3/4
Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin (World Title Tournament Finals match) – ***1/2

[Ladrao12]

1. Lethal vs. Young ***
2. Cole vs. Ciampa ****
3. Steen vs. Elgin ***1/2
4. Hooligans vs. Wolves ***1/4
5. Strong vs. Marvin ***1/4
6. reDRagon/Taven/Bennett vs. C&C/AR ***
7. Cole vs. Elgin ***1/2

[DBSommer]

Review for Death Before Dishonor XI

Jay Lethal vs. Silas young: ***1/4

Cole vs. Ciampa ***1/2-3/4

Steen vs. Elgin ***3/4-****

Hooligans vs. Wolves ***1/4

Strong vs. Marvin ***1/2

reDRagon/Taven/Bennett vs. C&C/AR ***1/4

Cole vs. Elgin ****1/4

Overall rating: ***3/4 Probably the most rounded card they've had in a long time, and the ME really worked for me. I'll also add they did a good job of making it feel like a big card with the format and commentary.

[Thelone]

Finally saw the show from start to finish, better late than never I suppose.

Silas Young vs. Jay Lethal - ***
Good opener to keep the crowd awake.

Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa - ***1/2
Intense and physical match. Not a huge fan of the finish though : having Ciampa tap or pass out on the figure four made more sense with the story they were telling during the match.

Michael Elgin vs. Kevin Steen - **1/2
Ten minutes of slow, boring, going-through-the-motions action, then a good finish until Steen did a bunch of dragon sleeper suplexes with his injured shoulder.

The American Wolves vs. Forever Hooligans (c) - **1/2
A shitty version of their ASE V match with more going-through-the-motions action.

RD Evans (w/ Veda Scott) vs. Adam Page - *
Well, at least it gave Page his first win against someone other than Silas Young. Hard to believe that a year later, Evans is the most interesting and over character of the two while Page has done nothing of importance and is just The Decade's bag carrier.

Ricky Marvin vs. Roderick Strong - *
Painful to watch. Marvin can do some impressive moves for someone that looks like an average guy (hence the *), but he gassed out after less than eight minutes and looked like a has-been ten years past his prime who couldn't keep up in a random exhibition match.

Pretty weird to see Whitmer's retirement speech nowadays.

Michael Bennett, Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly and Matt Taven (w/ Maria Kanellis, Truth Martini and the Hoopla Hotties) vs. Caprice Coleman, Cedric Alexander, ACH and Tadarius Thomas - 1/2*
A huge schmozz that was barely watchable because you had THIRTEEN people running around.

Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin - **1/2
This was almost a carbon copy of the BITW match this year (well, the opposite really, but you know what I mean). You have 10-15 minutes of nothing, the most contrived table bump ever, Elgin coming back in the ring at 19, a ref bump and the visual pin right after, and Cole randomly attacking Elgin's knee out of nowhere. An awful lot of fighting spirit/no-sell didn't help either. Frankly, I think those guys have no chemistry whatsoever at this point.

[Marketh.]

Hard to believe that a year later, Evans is the most interesting and over character of the two while Page has done nothing of importance and is just The Decade's bag carrier.

That's hard to believe?