With the eyes of the wrestling world on them, and expectations extremely high following their Match of the Year candidate back in April, Ring of Honor Tag Team champions FTR defended against The Briscoes in the main event of Death Before Dishonor.
A fantastic first fall saw the champs attempt to out-wrestle their opponents while The Briscoes instigated a physical fight. Jay and Mark's gameplan worked to perfection as they scored the first fall of the match, earning a pinfall over Dax Harwood just under 20 minutes in following the Doomsday Device despite every effort by Cash Wheeler to break up the count.
Briscoes led 1-0.
The Briscoes worked over Harwood, targeting the head and neck damaged by their high-impact finisher just moments earlier. Harwood created separation and looked to tag Wheeler in but the challengers had taken him off the apron seconds earlier, preventing the switch.
Wheeler finally tagged in, obliterated Mark with a clothesline and delivered a wicked brainbuster for a near-fall. Another close two resulted from a Gory Special to Mark. A shot to the face with the ring bell opened Wheeler's face up but did not keep him down for the count.
The close calls finally paid off moments later as FTR evened things up with The Big Rig for the pinfall on Jay.
Match tied at 1-1.
Late in the third fall, the referee bumped. With no official, Jay had a pinfall that should have won him the match but it went uncounted. Moments later, FTR hit the Big Rig, only for Jay to kick out and become the first to ever do so.
A table bump took Wheeler and Mark out of the equation moments later, leaving Harwood and Jay to battle for tag team supremacy. The Jay Driller failed to put Dax down for the count, but Harwood's spike piledriver from the middle rope did not. After 43:26, FTR retained the titles via the most minimal, exhausted pinfall ever.
FTR won 2-1.
After the instant classic in April, it would have been totally understandable if FTR and The Briscoes delivered an otherworldly match. There are not two teams that could have accomplished what they did, with the weight of the wrestling world on their shoulders and expectations through the roof.
Building on their previous classic and telling a story through physical combat, they took fans on a ride that went three-quarters of an hour and never once felt like it. The crowd was consistently on their feet and the history of Mark and Jay's dominance in this particular type of match really helped ramp up the heat, particularly in that second fall.
The third fall was full of balls-to-the-wall false finishes and a table spot that set up the finish which, ironically, featured two individuals wrapping up a tag team all-timer with a nice bow.
Anyone doubting whether tag team wrestling sells and can realistically be counted on to headline pay-per-views was silenced, emphatically, by this match. The Briscoes are already the greatest team in ROH history and one of the best of the last 20 years. FTR, based on their work in the last year alone, may lay stake to the label of greatest of all time before all is said and done.
Go out of your way to order the replay of this spectacular for the main event. Stay for the rest of what is an absurdly great show.
Result
FTR defeated The Briscoes, 2-1, to retain the titles
Grade
A+++++
Top Moments
- Dueling chants, the introduction by Cruise and the uptick in audible excitement from Riccaboni and Coleman were all indicative of a big-time championship clash.
- The trainer checked on Harwood at ringside as he appeared to be hampered by the torn labrum suffered prior to the Forbidden pay-per-view.
- The commentators put over The Briscoes' history of sweeping these 2-Out-of-3 Falls matches, preferring to win quickly and decisively.
- The Briscoes bloodied Harwood's chest with a barrage of chops.
- "The ring bell took out Ricky Steamboat!" Coleman exclaimed in awe of Wheeler kicking out from a shot to the face with the weapon.
- "How tough do you have to be to have your head busted open and voluntarily headbutt someone?" Coleman asked what we were all thinking as Wheeler attacked Mark.
- "Riccaboni, I ain't gonna lie to you: I've never been in a war like this," Coleman said when asked about what goes through a competitor's mind in a hotly contested match such as this.
- Chants of "tag team wrestling!" rained down from the stands. Considering FTR's desire to bring that art form to the forefront of the industry dating back to their days in WWE, it had to be a rewarding moment for them.
- The Briscoes applied stereo clutches, leaving Wheeler and Harwood to hold hands and will each other not to tap. They did not.
- After multiple uses of the side suplex throughout the match, Wheeler delivered one to Mark, off the ropes and through a table at ringside.