Good morning ladies and gents, I am the Local Hero, the Review Guy Cameron Mcdonley, and today, I am here to review what just might be PPV of the year for Ring Of Honor. Yes, I am finally reviewing All-Star Extravaganza 8!!! As per usual, I'm gonna stop talking, and get to writing, because this was epic! Let's get straight to the festivities!!
This incredible show begins with a television title match between Bobby Fish and rising ROH wrestler Donovan Dijak. The match was not the best match of the night, but it was still a great showing from both men, as Bobby Fish's offense was as submission based as you can get and Dijak was not afraid to go full steam ahead with his power and his uncanny speed. The champion was just mere seconds away from seeing his title slip from his grasp when he got hit with Feast Your Eyes, but luckily enough his foot was on the bottom rope. The beginning of the end came when Dijak missed one of the most beautiful moonsaults I've seen in my life, and it wasn't long before his opponent Bobby Fish applied an inescapable rear naked choke, ending the match by submission.
Rating: 3.5/5
The match that was to follow this solid match was a four-corner survival between ANX (Kenny King & Rhett Titus), Dalton Castle & Colt Cabana, War Machine (Hanson & Rowe) and Shane Taylor & Keith Lee. This was still a good match, as there was a lot of notable spots including a sequence that included an impressive frog splash by Rhett Titus and a pain-inflicting clothesline by Shane Taylor that sent his love sick adversary flipping in the air. All the massive wrestlers in this match including a 400 pound monster known as Keith Lee launched their bodies to the outside, leaving a devastated Rhett Titus and eccentric Dalton Castle in the ring alone. Castle hits a bang-a-rang, obtaining a huge victory for himself and a true ROH legend in Colt Cabana.
Rating: 3.5/5
After we hear from Nigel McGuinness and his worries about tonight's main event, we cut to another satisfying dose of in-ring action as Dragon Lee faced Kamaitachi in what I believe was one of the dark horse matches of the night. Many expected it to be a good one including myself, but the match we got was worth seeing every minute of. These two men took a lot of risks throughout this match. Multiple dives, hard strikes and one of the most sickening brainbusters I've ever seen in my life. That would've easily been the end of the match right there, but these two men were more intent on destroying their bodies than ending what has already been an insane match. It perorates with a Phoenix Suplex that had Kamaitachi down for the count, leaving Dragon Lee as your victor.
Rating: 4.5/5
Preceding this battle was one that was surprisingly short, as Kyle O' Reilly faced Hangman Page in what was most likely the shortest match of the night. However 10 minutes was enough to get a handful of physicality in, as O' Reilly did not let up on his opponent, striking hard as ever and applying submissions like a well-oiled machine until Page tapped rather quickly. The malice behind Page was still there though, as he put Kyle's arm in a chair, launching him into the steel ring post like he was possessed by Alberto Del Rio, must to the dismay of Bobby Fish who was too late to save his fallen brethren. It is speculated that Adam Cole ordered Hangman Page to commit such a heinous act, and a this point in the angle I'd agree. I just wish these two can have another match somewhere in the near future, because I know they're capable of so much more than a 10 minute match.
Rating: 3.5/5
The six-man Tag Team Championship tournament is underway with a match between The Briscoes and Toru Yano vs ACH, Kushida and Jay White. This match was a usual 15 minute tag match, as everybody landed each of their spots while displaying some decent psychology. The match eventually broke down quite frantically, as a brawl broke out, spiraling into everyone connecting with their finishers until ACH stopped Toru Yano dead in his tracks with a 450 splash, claiming the first victory in the tournament.
Rating: 3/5
Jay Lethal opposes IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito on the other side of the ring for this next match. From the sound of the bell, these two went at it, showing intensity with every move seen in this match. Naito hits a spinebuster reminiscent of the legendary Arn Anderson to transition into Destino, which is his finishing maneuver. Sadly he did not connect, as Lethal reversed it into a cutter position. He attempted Lethal Injection, which that was also reversed but luckily for Lethal, he still inflicted significant damage with a spinning heel kick that looked devastating. After fighting off a 2 on 1 assault from his opponent and EVIL, he hit a Lethal Injection from the second rope and only gets a two count, shocking everyone in the process! The damage was already done however, as Naito had his powerbomb reversed into a two move sequence: a Hurricanrana and a third Lethal Injection. Great match, Lethal still looks incredibly strong after that win and Naito did not look weak at all. Even better yet, that's the 4th time in a month that a New Japan guy lost to an ROH wrestler! All around awesome.
Rating: 4/5
Our co-main event of the evening is Adam Cole vs '
Unbreakable" Michael Elgin for the ROH World Title. The feud that sent ROH into the mainstream wrestling scene at
Best In The World two years ago, and here we are, it has come full circle with Adam Cole once again Ring Of Honor World Champion and Elgin opposing him as the challenger. This match was arguably one of the better ones these two had, as the story was well-documented heading into this match and they played off of it really well, using spots that are shades of their past encounters, including their more famous contest from 2014. The NJPW/CMLL star came very close to knocking the champion off the hilltop, but as always, Cole finds a way to win and survive, and here he is, hitting the Last Shot on Elgin for the pinfall victory.
Rating: 3.99/5
Finally, we have reached the main event of the evening after a great 3 hour show! Motor City Machine Guns, The Addiction and the Young Bucks all in one match, with a ladder between them! That's right readers, Ladder War 6 has finally come, the be all, end all of ladder matches right here! What else more can I say? This match was like nothing I've ever seen in this business. These men obviously don't have the meaning of the word danger in their vocabulary, as all of these teams risked their lives by going out there and having this match. By the end of it, table shards were everywhere, ladders and bodies were broken from the abuse and punishment they took. Christopher Daniels was the most damaged in this match, as he was bleeding profusely and his body was mangled from what he went through. I was left speechless by every spot, but none more than Daniels landing back first on a set-up barricade that I had no doubt was gonna break, but it never budged off the contraption. "The Fallen Angel" was more broken than every table, ladder and chair he went through, and that is no exaggeration. Kamaitachi and Jay White who weren't officially in the match went through tables as well, rendering them eliminated from the equation. The match culminated with an Indy-Taker off the top of the ladder on Kazarian through the table by Matt & Nick Jackson and the tandem ripping the titles from the clasp. We have new Ring Of Honor World Tag Team Champions, and God did they ever deserve it. That match was a brutal, gruesome masterpiece, and it cannot be disputed or brought up for discussion. I just hope everyone is okay after the match. An absolute classic, no doubt in my mind.
Rating: 5/5
Full Show rating: 5/5
This was indeed Pay-Per-View of the year for ROH, if not argued as the best for this year. Between Death Before Dishonor, Wrestle Kingdom 10, NXT Takeover Dallas and this PPV, I am gonna have a hard time voting for PPV of the year if we ever do awards for 2016. Just magnificent.
This has been my first PPV review,and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am the Local Hero, the Review Guy Cameron Mcdonley, and at least for 7 more hours, this is Goodbye Everybody!
