Was it a MOTYC?
Kind of. No shot at number one, but it will likely finish in my top ten.
Why or Why Not?
They worked a much different match than El Patron’s first two in ROH (which is something that I always appreciate). Roddy controlled the great majority of the match, and they kept teasing an El Patron comeback. That’s a match structure that I appreciate more and more as the years go on, because it keeps the timing of the match unpredictable to a certain degree. Roddy was really on point here, as he would just pounce on El Patron every time the latter would play to the crowd. This is the type of performance that makes me think Roddy still has the capability of being one of the best in the world (El Patron being just a dynamite babyface certainly helped though). He sold his injured shoulder well. El Patron consistently went for the injury, and it ended up giving him an opening late in the match to finally apply the cross armbreaker fully (which won him the match). Truly one of the best matches of the year, and it’s my likely ROH MOTY for 2015 when it’s all said and done.
Match Rating: ****1/4
Was it a MOTYC?
Not quite
Why or Why Not?
Well this is some good stuff. Both wrestlers feel like the guys who have been PRETTY GOOD for a while but for some reason or another they have always been viewed and put in positions that were a notch or two below the top. Putting on good matches but not exactly getting notoriety. This bout reminds me of one of those good Del Rio/Christian matches where it might not have a ton of depth but when the action is going, it is GOING! You have El Patron attacking the taped arm and Strong going after the back. Both are obvious directions. Patron plays to the crowd throughout and Strong takes advantage which is nice. All the stuff that happened on the outside was SUPER DUPER! Patron’s tope was absolute insanity. When Roderick Strong is HOT, he’s on fire and he had a few bursts of pure fire. More or less exactly what you could expect and want out of a Strong vs. Alberto match with both wrestlers working hard and not attempting to reinvent the wheel.
Star Rating: ***3/4
Match of the Year 