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Ring of Honor returned to Chicago Ridge, Ill., on Sept. 15, 2007, for “Man Up,” the third PPV taping. The crowd again is in the 1,100- to 1,200-person range. Like the last show here, with the bleachers added across from the hard camera, this is going to look REALLY good on tape.

We had one dark match before the main show began.

(a) Silas Young & Ernie Osiris defeat Bobby Dempsey & Rhett Titus at 4:39. Rhett opened against Osiris with some basic mat wrestling. Rhett hit a nice dropkick for a nearfall. Fans chanted, “We want Bobby!” Dempsey tagged in to a huge pop, and he put Osiris in a bearhug at 2:30. Dempsey hit a belly-to-belly suplex and some stiff forearms. Dempsey peeled down his singlet to reveal a disgusting upper body, and he ran toward the corner, but he missed his rolling tumbleweed.

Silas Young hit a northern clothesline and a springboard crossbody block. Silas hit a Finlay Slam and his headstand-into-an-Arabian Press to pin. Rhett. I’ve always been a big Silas Young fan (I’ve seen a LOT of his matches in MN, WI, and Illinois, and it was great to see fans give him a standing ovation after this match.) Solid dark match.

* The main show began at 8 p.m. The commentary team of Dave Prazak & Lenny Leonard were at ringside. Marufuji came out first. Nigel McGuinness stopped at the commentary table to say he would be watching the main event closely, as he still considers himself in the title picture. Claudio Castagnoli also stopped at the commentary table to say he would be coming for Chris Hero & Larry Sweeney. Chris Hero wore a shiny new silver outfit, and the crowd chanted, “F*** you, Hero!” at him. Someone in a black outfit jumped over the guardrail (this was clearly planned), and security chased that person out of the building.

(1) Nigel McGuinness defeats Naomichi Marufuji and Chris Hero (w/ Sweeney, Tank Toland, Dempsey) and Claudio Castagnoli at 17:59. A really sharp opener! Nigel and Marufuji started with some quick armholds and a standoff. Hero tagged in, and he twisted Marufuji’s arm. In typical Hero fashion, he suddenly started doing flips and jumps around the ring and he posed. Claudio tagged in, and Hero quickly bailed at 2:30. Claudio’s hair is really short now, and it makes him look a lot older. Marufuji and Claudio traded some good offense, as they each put a claw on the other! Marufuji hit a low blow kick. Hero tagged in and stomped on Claudio. Claudio hit a European Uppercut, and Hero bailed again.

Claudio traded European Uppercuts with Nigel, and they traded rollups, and had a standoff at 6:30. Hero hit a Mafia kick to the side of Claudio’s head, and the crowd booed. Hero hit a senton. Claudio hit a diving European Uppercut to Hero’s back, then a guillotine legdrop. They brawled to the floor. Marufuji hit a flip dive onto Hero and Claudio at 9:00. Nigel then hit a top-rope crossbody block onto everyone, and the fans chanted, “ROH!” In the ring, Nigel and Marufuji traded forearms, and Marufuji hit an enziguri, a basement dropkick to the knee, and a running clothesline for a nearfall. Marufuji hit a Superkick and a Sliced Bread #2 for a nearfall, but Hero made the save at 11:30.

Hero nailed a roaring forearm and a release suplex on Marufuji for a nearfall. Claudio hit the Waterslide on Hero for a nearfall. Nigel nailed a short-arm clothesline, and all four were down. Nigel hit a handstand mule kick out of the corner on Marufuji. Marufuji nailed a Tajiri-style spin kick on Nigel for a believable nearfall! Nigel hit the Tower of London on Marufuji for a nearfall. Hero hit a second-rope cravate swinging neckbreaker on Nigel, then a top-rope doublestomp to the chest. Claudio hit a German Suplex on Hero for a nearfall.

Claudio hit a Giant Swing and a running European Uppercut on Hero at 15:30. However, Claudio couldn’t hit the Pyramid Bomb on Marufuji. Marufuji tied Claudio in the Tree of Woe. Nigel hit a short-arm clothesline on Hero. Claudio hit a top-rope European Uppercut, then a Pyramid Bomb on Marufuji for a believable nearfall, but Hero shoved the referee to stop the count! Claudio nailed a bicycle kick on Hero! However, Nigel nailed the Jawbreaker (Rebound) Lariat on Claudio for the pin. Sharp opener, with four very talented wrestlers really clicking in the ring.

* Next up is the 3-match series of the No Remorse Corps vs. the Resilience. The Resilience lost the ‘coin flip,’ so they must name which member of the team will compete first in the three-match series.

(2) Rocky Romero defeats Matt Cross at 4:45. Really good for the time given. They immediately traded hard chops, and Rocky hit a slap to the face! Cross hit a headscissors takedown and a spinning faceplant. Cross hit his dropkick in the ropes, and they fought to the floor. Cross hit his Flagpole Press drop to the floor at 1:30. In the ring, Romero applied a cross-armbreaker. Romero hit a basement dropkick to the side of the head, and he danced in celebration.

Romero hit a running knee to the chest. Cross hit a corkscrew split-legged moonsault for a nearfall, then a top-rope doublestomp to the back and a neckbreaker over his knee. However, Cross missed a top-rope corkscrew moonsault. Romero immediately hit a German Suplex and a Tajiri-style spin kick to the head for the pin. I wish this had gone longer!

* Austin Aries entered the ring next for his team. Roderick Strong teased that he would fight Aries, but instead, it was Davey Richards.

(3) Austin Aries defeats Davey Richards at 13:22. They opened with some mat reversals. Aries hit a shoulder tackle and a Japanese Armdrag, and he began to work Richards’ left arm. Richards applied a headscissorslock; Aries escaped and eventually hit his basement dropkick. Richards hit a headscissors takedown and a running kick to the chest at 3:00. Aries hit a catapult senton and a flying elbow for a nearfall. Richards hit a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall. Aries hit the Power Drive elbowdrop. Richards avoided a move, and he shoved Aries to the floor. In the ring, Richards hit a backbreaker over his knee at 6:00, then a Russian Legsweep, and he immediately applied a cool neck vice.

Richards nailed a spin kick to the chest that leveled Aries for a nearfall, and the crowd rallied for Austin. They traded stiff forearms, and Aries nailed a roaring elbow, and Richards bailed. Aries nailed his dive through the ropes to the floor at 8:30 for a big pop. In the ring, Aries hit his catapult press and a Lionsault for a nearfall. Richards hit his handspring-back-enziguri, and a nice DDT for a nearfall, then a series of Kawada Kicks. Aries hit a back suplex and a DDT for a nearfall.

They fought on the top rope, and Richards nailed a top-rope release German suplex, with Aries landing gut-first on the mat, and Richards scored a nearfall. Awesome spot. The crowd loudly chanted, “Let’s go Aries!” Aries missed his running dropkick in the corner. Richards hit a clothesline, a German Suplex, and he got a rollup for a nearfall. Aries nailed a quick kick to the face, a brainbuster, and the top-rope 450 Splash for the pin. The last couple minutes were REALLY good.

(4) Roderick Strong defeats Erick Stevens at 16:26. A strong, hard-hitting match. Strong immediately hit a hard chop. Stevens hit a shoulder tackle and returned more hard chops. They brawled to the floor, with Stevens unloading hard chops, and he whipped Strong into the guardrail. In the ring, Strong hit some chops and stomps. Stevens hit a running powerslam for a nearfall at 3:00, then a sideslam for a nearfall, and he peppered Strong with several stiff forearm shots. OUCH! Strong hit a side suplex on the ring apron, and he was in charge in the ring. Stevens fired up and hit some more chops.

Strong hit a dropkick at 6:30, and the fans chanted for Stevens. Strong hit a fallaway slam for a nearfall, a backbreaker over his knee, and he stretched Stevens, then he hit a hard spine kick. Stevens countered with a shoulder tackle and his ‘Choo Choo’ running Stinger Splash, then a stunner for a nearfall at 9:30. Strong hit a running forearm in the corner and a bodyslam. Fans taunted Strong with the slow “Rod-A-rick” chant. Stevens hit a powerslam for a nearfall. Strong hit an enziguri and his Gorilla Press Gutbuster over his knees, then he nailed a pumphandle back suplex, dumping Stevens on his head for a nearfall.

They traded more chops for an extended stretch, and the crowd was hot! Stevens hit a uranage and a pumphandle Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 12:00. Strong hit a top-rope superplex and a running boot, then a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Stevens hit a second-rope powerslam for a believable nearfall at 14:30, and fans chanted, “ROH!” Strong hit some stiff forearms to the base of Stevens’ neck as they battled on the top rope, then Strong hit a top-rope Splash Mountain/overhead powerbomb! Strong immediately hit the Gibson Driver/butterfly powerbomb for the pin. Excellent, hard-hitting match.

(5) Takeshi Morishima defeats Bryan Danielson at 12:43 to retain the ROH World Heavyweight title. Danielson wore a red boxing robe, and he had an patch over the left eye; when the patch moved at times during the match, it was obvious that Danielson’s eye was still taped shut. Fans chanted, “Next world champ!” and “Best in the world!” at Danielson. The bell rang, and Danielson charged at Takeshi and hit some stiff forearms and tried to take the champ off his feet, but Morishima nailed some harder stiff forearms, and Danielson bailed. Danielson hit a running knee to the chest. Morishima hit some bootscrapes, stomps, and blows to the back, then a Mafia Kick.

They fought to the floor and traded blows. Morishima whipped Danielson into the guardrail at 2:00. Danielson dove through the ropes to the floor on Morishima for a huge pop. In the ring, Danielson hit some more forearm shots. Morishima missed his buttdrop. Danielson hit a running clothesline for a nearfall. Morishima hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall at 5:00. Danielson applied a Triangle Choke; Morishima reached the ropes, and Danielson remind the ref that “I have ‘til 5!” Danielson set up for a Surfboard, but he instead hit a stomp on the back of Takeshi’s thighs. Danielson tied Morishima in a bow & arrow!

They traded more forearm shots, and this time, Morishima hit the buttdrop, then a Mafia Kick for a nearfall. Danielson applied a sleeper, but Morishima was able to lift his arm at 8:00, and he powered out of the hold. Danielson went for a small package, but Morishima shoved him off. Daneilson nailed a top-rope back suplex for a nearfall, drawing a huge pop! Danielson started hitting his rapid-fire elbow shots to the side of the head! Danielson hit a Tiger Suplex for a nearfall, and he turned it into a Cattle Mutilation, and the crowd was its feet! Danielson held both of Morishima’s arms, while stomping repeatedly on Takeshi’s chest! Danielson again applied a Triangle Choke, but Morishima hit a standing powerbomb to escape.

Morishima hit a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall at 11:00. Morishima hit a Back Drop Driver for a nearfall, but Danielson got his foot on the ropes. Fans loudly chanted, “Let’s go Dragon!” Morishima hit some stiff forearms, and he peeled off the eye patch. Danielson successfully got a small package rollup for a nearfall. Morishima came back with another Back Drop Driver! Morishima got Danielson on the mat and he started nailing stiff forearms and elbow shots into Danielson’s taped eye, until the referee stopped the match! The fans loudly booed and chanted, “bullsh!t!” A very good match, with plenty of action.

(6) Mark & Jay Briscoe defeat El Generico & Kevin Steen at 27:26 in a ladder match. Wow, this has moved to the front of the list for “Match of the Year.” A chain was lowered from the ceiling down into the ring so the referee could hang the belts. (This would really matter later.) All four men immediately brawled on the floor, and into the crowd. Jay hit a chairshot on Generico in the crowd near me. Generico also hit a chairshot. They each took turns whipping each other into the rows of chairs, as fans scattered in this packed venue to avoid the wrestlers! Back at ringside, Generico hit a chairshot on Jay’s back at 4:00, and they finally got in the ring. Generico tried to climb the ladder, but Jay stopped him.

Jay hit some chops, and he was cut near his nose and he was bleeding. Generico hit a basement dropkick to the head. Mark hit a kneedrop on Generico’s face. Generico whipped Mark into the ladder set up in the ring at 6:30. Jay hit a Gordbuster on Generico. Kevin Steen couldn’t hit the Package Piledriver; Jay couldn’t hit the Jay Driller. Steen hit a neckbreaker over his knee, and he began to climb the ladder, but Mark nailed a missile dropkick to knock Steen off. Mark began to climb the wobbly ladder, and fans chanted, “Please don’t die!” Mark was quite bloody now as well. Steen whipped another ladder at Mark to knock him off. In a nice spot, the Briscoes gave Generico a team hiptoss across the ring into a ladder set up in the corner!

The Briscoes got a new ladder. Jay climbed it, but Steen tipped it over, and Jay crashed backward into the other ladder already set up in the corner. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” Steen hit a back suplex at 11:30, then a Superkick, on Mark Briscoe. Jay got back in the ring, and fans chanted, “Man up!” Mark and Steen fought on the floor. In the ring, Generico hit a split-legged moonsault on Jay. Mark and Steen got in the ring, and Mark hit some karate thrusts and a spin heel kick on Steen. Mark grabbed a ladder and shoved Generico into the corner with it. Generico hit a running Mafia Kick in the corner on a Briscoe at 15:30. Steen nailed a powerbomb over the top rope onto a horizontal ladder that was set up between the ring apron and the guardrail, and fans chanted, “You sick f**k!”

Steen climbed the ladder, but Jay tackled the ladder, and Kevin COLLAPSED to the mat. Jay hit a German Suplex, and everyone was down! Jay swung a chair and nailed Generico, then Steen. Mark hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Generico onto a ladder. Jay hit a DVD on Steen onto a ladder at 18:00. Mark hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press onto a ladder folded on top of Generico! OUCH! Jay hit a top-rope guillotine legdrop to the floor on Steen. This action was just INSANE! Mark got to the top of the ladder, but Generico knocked him down. The Brisoces then saw a TALL, industrial-strength orange ladder in the corner of the building, and they went to get that!

Jay hit a Mafia Kick on Generico. In an awesome visual, the Briscoes hit a springboard Hart Attack Clothesline, with Mark leaping THROUGH the open ladder (avoiding the metal beam in the middle) at 23:00. Fans loudly chanted, “ROH!” Mark hit a Superkick on Steen. Steen and Mark Briscoe fought on a horizontal ladder, about two feet above the mat, and Steen hit his Package Piledriver! Fans chanted, “Holy sh!t!” Generico climbed to the top, but he couldn’t grab the title. Jay pulled Generico down and Jay nailed the Jay Driller on a horizontal ladder. SO, both Generico and Mark were OUT after those big blows. That left just Jay vs. Kevin Steen, and those two peppered each other with forearm shots on top of this ladder! Steen fell backward to the mat onto another crumpled ladder. Jay eventually got a title belt loose to win this breath-taking match. Fans chanted, “Match of the Year” and “Thank you, Briscoes!” Steen shoved Generico and left without him.

* Suddenly, several ‘fans’ dressed in black were at ringside and yelled at the Briscoes. Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black hopped in the ring, and the crowd went nuts. It was unclear if they were going to shake the Briscoes’ hands or fight them. Suddenly, from the other side of the building came, the NECRO BUTCHER! Necro jumped in the ring and attacked the Briscoes, and Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs helped in the beatdown. Jimmy Jacobs was wearing a long white robe. Lacey was wearing a black, sleazy outfit, and she’s now totally into Jacobs.

* The chain was lowered from the ceiling, and Jacobs hog-tied Jay Briscoe’s feet! Jay was raised 10 to 15 feet in the air, so he was hanging straight upside down. Now keep in mind, Jay was BLEEDING, and this dripped straight downward onto Jimmy Jacobs, who purposely stood under Jay. The clean, white robe quickly turned splotchy red. Jacobs said that Tyler Black had to force his way into Ring of Honor. Jacobs oozed hatred for the Briscoes, saying they were “bred for success” at ages 17 and 18. Jacobs ended the promo by saying “The Age of the Fall has just begun.”

* INTERMISSION at 10:18 p.m., so ROH will have to trim a little bit to make this all fit into a two-hour PPV. Some entrances will have to be cut.

(7) Mitch Franklin defeats Alex Payne at 2:23. What a waste of time. Ugh. Payne got a big pop. Franklin hit a shoulder tackle. Payne hit some armdrags. Franklin hit a guillotine legdrop and he applied a sleeper. They traded punches. Payne hit a running double knees shot, and he hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Franklin hit a sloppy headscissors takedown. Franklin hit a faceplant for the pin. This action felt like it was at half-speed.

(8) Daizee Haze & Amazing Kong defeat Sara Del Rey & Lacey at 14:48. This was easily the best Shimmer match in ROH. (Not the best Shimmer match ever, but the best on an ROH show.) Fans chanted, “Kong’s gonna kill you!” I’ve seen Kong before, and she is a legit 5’10” and 240 pounds, and she just looks like a MONSTER compared to the slender Lacey and tiny Haze. Haze and Del Rey opened with some solid mat reversals. Haze hit a headscissors takedown. Del Rey countered with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, then three additional backbreakers. Lacey tagged in and she kicked Haze and hit some forearm shots. Kong tagged in, and Lacey IMMEDIATELY bailed. Del Rey tagged in to face Kong!

Kong chopped Del Rey, then she hit a clothesline. Kong hit a Stinger Splash at 3:30. Del Rey hit some hard chops and a dropkick, but they had little effect on the big Kong! Kong unloaded a HARD chop! Del Rey tried, but she couldn’t get on a cross-armbreaker. Lacey tagged in, but she couldn’t budge Kong on an Irish Whip attempt. Kong nailed a decapitating clothesline on Lacey. Haze tagged in and hit a bodyslam on Lacey. Del Rey pulled Haze down by her hair. Lacey hit a spine kick on Haze at 6:00. Del Rey hit a snap suplex. Lacey hit a spin heel kick, and she applied a full nelson. Fans chanted, “Let’s go, Daizee!” Lacey slammed Haze face-first to the mat for a nearfall. Del Rey applied an Indian Deathlock. Lacey hit a short-arm clothesline for a nearfall at 9:30.

Del Rey put her in the Gory Stretch. Haze hit a facebuster, and they were both down, but Daizee couldn’t make the tag. Haze got a Victory Roll, and she was finally able to tag in Kong. Kong nailed two hard clotheslines on Del Rey, and she tossed Haze over the top rope to the floor on the heels! Back in the ring, Kong hit a sitdown powerbomb on Del Rey for a nearfall, then a second-rope frogsplash for a nearfall, but Lacey broke up the pin. Kong swatted Lacey to the mat! Del Rey nailed a running boot that leveled Kong. Del Rey couldn’t hit a German Suplex. Kong hit a butterfly faceplant for a nearfall on Del Rey at 13:00.

Del Rey fired back with an enziguri and a German Suplex on Kong for a believable nearfall, and the crowd chanted, “Shimmer!” Kong hit a double clothesline. Kong held Lacey up in the air, and Haze climbed to the top rope and hit a Heart Punch! Haze then hit a frogsplash on Lacey for a nearfall. Haze then nailed the “Mind Trip”/snapmare driver on Lacey for the pin. Simply an awesome match. I’m sure only a small portion of this crowd had seen Kong wrestle before, but everyone came away really impressed.

(9) Brent Albright & B.J. Whitmer (w/Shane Hagadorn) defeats Kenny King & Chasyn Rance (the Y,R,R) at 5:20. I did NOT even recognize Whitmer when he came out, as the mullet and short beard were gone, and he now has a platinum blonde short haircut, with a darker mustache. My friend said Whitmer looked like “Kevin Nash in the Longest Yard.” Albright’s hair has a tint of red in it. The heels attacked the YRR. Rance hit a headscissors takedown on Whitmer. Whitmer hit a powerslam on Rance. Albright entered and hit some stiff forearms on Rance, then a butterfly suplex and a senton at 2:30.

Rance hit a spin kick on Albright. Kenny King made the hot tag, and he hit a springboard crossbody block and some kicks. However, King badly screwed up a springboard move, collapsing on the mat. Whitmer hit a brainbuster on King, and he powerbombed Rance into the corner. Whitmer & Albright hit a team Alabama Slam to pin Rance. Pretty basic match, and it really sucked the life out of the crowd. The FIP guys did not impress at all.

* Hagadorn dropped the mic as he was getting in the ring, so Albright slapped him! Whitmer said he has been here for five years, he’s torn his skin and he’s nearly crippled himself. However, Adam Pearce has opened his eyes. Albright got on the mic and dubbed their faction “The Hangmen Three.” The crowd let out a collective groan, as the name just sounds lame.

(10) Tyler Black vs. Jack Evans went to a no contest in 2:00. They brawled immediately, and Black dropped Evans gut-first on the top rope. Black hit a guillotine legdrop and some stiff forearms. Evans hit a springboard spin kick, then a cartwheel back elbow, and both men fell over the top rope to the floor. Just as they were getting back in the ring, Jimmy Jacobs & Necro Butcher ran out to attack Evans. This brought out Dave & Jake Crist (Irish Airborne), who demanded this match turn into a six-man tag!

(11) Tyler Black & Jimmy Jacobs & Necro Butcher vs. Jack Evans & Jake Crist & Dave Crist went to a no contest at 6:55. Disappointing and a bit messy. Evans hit a top-rope 450 Splash to the floor. Jake Crist hit a basement dropkick to Tyler’s exposed chin in the ring. Necro hit some big clotheslines on Irish Airborne. Tyler Black hit a flip dive to the floor. Meanwhile, in the ring, Necro hit his chair-assisted bodyslam. There was lots of fighting going on all over the floor, and Necro brawled over to where I was sitting, as everyone scrambled to get out of the way! Necro picked up chair after chair and whipped them on someone.

Finally, everyone was back in the ring, as Jimmy Jacobs tied up one of the Crists in the Tree of Woe and beat on him. Evans hit some nice kicks and a spine heel kick on Necro Butcher. Necro hit a second-rope backbreaker on Evans across the top of two open chairs set up in the ring. Necro shoved the ref to the mat, and the referee called for the bell. This was just a bit messy. My friend who drove 7+ hours for this show was really disappointed, as he was really looking forward to seeing Evans wrestle.

(12) Delirious defeats Matt Sydal (w/Larry Sweeney) at 21:51. Good match, but the crowd had really died after a couple of lackluster matches, and it hurt the heat for this one. (Also, this match started at about 11:45, which also made this a pretty late night. In fact, the crowd had a shrunk a bit. Not much, but some of the families clearly had left.) Delirious has a really long goatee right now. Fans chanted, “Thank you, Sydal!” The bell rang, but Delirious did NOT go crazy. He slowly walked to the center of the ring, jawed in his gibberish, then he shook hands with Sydal. However, Sydal attacked Delirious immediately after shaking his hand! Delirious hit a shoulder tackle, and Sydal bailed and stalled. In the ring, Sydal hit a quick armdrag, and they traded some good mat wrestling, and Sydal bailed again at 2:30.

Sydal choked Delirious in the ropes, and Sweeney hit a cheap shot. Sydal hit some loud chops. Delirious hit a flip dive to the floor on Sweeney! In the ring, Delirious hit a back suplex for a nearfall and a senton. Sydal hit a basement dropkick to the chin. Sydal hit a swan dive over the top rope to the floor at 6:00. Sydal was now in charge in the ring, and he yanked a tassel out of Delirious’ mask and choked him with it. The crowd rallied for Delirious. Sydal hit a cannonball legdrop for a nearfall. Sydal tied Delirious in a nice, tight Bow & Arrow, then he hit a missile dropkick at 9:30. Sydal hit his running clothesline in the corner. Sydal went for a flying move off the ropes, but Delirious caught him with a jumping headbutt to the chest! Delirious hit several clotheslines, the BAM leaping lariat, and a top-rope flip dive to the floor at 12:00. Delirious hit the Bizarro Driver/fisherman’s Michinoku Driver in the ring for a nearfall.

Sydal fired back with the “Here it is Driver”/pumphandle sitdown powerbomb for a nearfall. Sydal got a Victory Roll, then a spin kick. Delirious nailed the Panic Attack/running knee, and he went for a Shadows Over Hell backsplash, but Sydal nailed a jumping spin kick at 15:30. However, Sydal couldn’t hit the jump-up rana from the corner, and Delirious was able to nail the Shadows Over Hell for a nearfall! Delirious went for the Cobra Clutch, but Sydal quickly got to the ropes. Sydal hit his floatover famouser for a nearfall. Sydal hit a DDT, but he missed a top-rope Shooting Star Press, and he landed on his feet.

Sydal nailed the jump-up rana, and this time, he nailed the top-rope Shooting Star Press for a believable nearfall at 19:00. Larry Sweeney jumped in the ring, peeled off his jacket, kicked (imaginary) dust at the referee, and shoved him. The crowd was going nuts at Sweeney’s antics. (I was just waiting for the referee to give him the heave-ho, like at a baseball game). The match resumed, with them fighting on the top rope, but Sydal couldn’t hit the one-man Spanish Fly; Delirious shoved Sydal to the floor. In the ring, Sydal hit a ‘Jig N Tonic’/modified Tombstone along his back, for a nearfall. Delirious hit a Cobra Clutch Suplex, and Delirious applied the Cobra Stretch, but Sydal reached the ropes. Delirious nailed the Chemical Imbalance 2/flipping powerbomb for the pin! A very good match, but it lacked the crowd heat I hoped for.

* Fans chanted, “Thank you, Sydal!” Sydal and Delirious shook hands, and the crowd popped. Sydal bowed to the crowd and left as fans chanted, “Matt Sydal.” Fans begged for Sydal to give a speech, but he declined.

Final thoughts: The show ended at 12:07.

Wow, what an incredible show! My friends think I’m crazy to travel 720 miles round-trip for a wrestling show, but I know I had a wonderful time, and I don’t regret it at all! There were many, many standout matches on this show.

I don’t know what else I could say about the ladder match. Fans stood in amazement as one huge bump after another was done in and out of the ring. All four guys busted their butts for an unbelievable, memorable match.

The world title match earned second-best. Morishima is so much bigger than Danielson, and most of the ROH roster, it’s hard to imagine anyone beating him for the title any time soon.

The opener was really sharp, and that narrowly earned third-best over the hard-hitting chopfest of Strong-Stevens. This was easily the best Erick Stevens match I’ve ever seen, as those two guys just brutalized each other’s chest!

I think the Delirious-Sydal match might come off better on DVD than it did live, just because the crowd seemed a bit out of it. It wasn’t a bad match at all, but not among their best, either. Personally, I would have preferred to see Sydal tell Sweeney to head to the back before the match, and just have this be a big match without the Sweeney interference & distractions.

I wish ROH had scrapped the students' popcorn match and given that time to the six-man tag later, so that could have been a better, longer match.

The PPV is a MUST-BUY when it comes out. If you order the PPV, you may skip the DVD later on, however, as only the women’s match and the main event are worth seeing… and you’ve probably seen other Delirious-Sydal matches.

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