It may be a flaw that Ring of Honor presents its pay per views a few months after they are recorded, but I’ll be damned if these aren’t the best damned wrestling shows going in the states today. Here are the results and some brief thoughts as RoH presents “New Horizons.”

Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black start the show and inform the fans that for the first time in RoH pay per view history the tag team titles will not be defended. They are just so emo.

Opening Squash: Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. Silas Young and Grizzly Redwood Mitch Franklin

The Briscoes make their return to pay per view as a team by decimating poor Franklin. This was an unfortunate way to debut Young as well since I think he can be a decent hand for Ring of Honor in the future. The Briscoes interrupt Jacobs and Black, but the Age of the Fall bail. Austin Aries meets Jacobs in the aisle way and they brawl to the back. This will become a theme for the evening.

Winners: The Briscoes via pinfall; SQUASH

We see a tourism video for Southern Delaware hosted by the Briscoes.

Four Corner Survival: FIP Heavyweight Champion Erick Stevens vs. Ruckus vs. Delirious vs. Shane Hagadorn

This is your typical spotfest style match, but everyone tries to go after Hagadorn They trade finishers and eventually Stevens hits the Doctor Bomb on “Salacious” Shane for the win. This was a nothing of a match, but mildly entertaining.

Winner: Erick Stevens via pinfall; **

Austin Aries makes his way to the ring and rehashes his feud with Jacobs while the video feed cuts to the highlights of their feud. Jacobs appears on the ramp and tries to distract Aries from Tyler’s interference, but Austin isn’t fooled. He is, however, distracted enough to not notice SHIMMER champion MsChif who delivers a sliding low blow kick. This allows Jacobs to attack him with a tow hook. All during this beat down “subliminal” messages from the age of the fall flash on the screen. Kevin Steen than comes out and asks when he and Generico are going to get their shot. He gets blind sided by the Necro Butcher for his trouble which leads too..

No Disqualification Match: Necro Butcher vs. Kevin Steen

Another problem with the tape delay is that Steen is on PPV asking for a shot at the tag straps, but now he has actually won them. The match is violent and brawl-tacular which should come as no surprise. Necro truly has no regard for his wellbeing after taking several huge bumps to the outside. The sickest spot of the match was by far Steen smooshing Necro with a Michinoku driver onto a steel chair, which only got a two count! Steen followed up with a Package Piledriver for the three count.

Winner: Kevin Steen via pinfall; ***1/2

We cut to Adam Pearce in the back who talks about throwing a fireball into the face of Brent Albright. He also puts over his reign as NWA champion and his alliance with Larry Sweeney. Pearce is no longer with the company. It was a great promo, though.

Tag Team Match: Go Shiozaki and “That Young Knockout Kid” Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney, Bobby Dempsey and Sara Del Rey vs. Roderick Strong and Naomichi Marufuji

Sweeney tries to recruit Marufuji into the Sweet and Sour fold, but he is met with a middle finger for his troubles. Sweeney tries to take his team away, but he is stopped by Lance Storm and the match is on. It is your pretty standard, but completely awesome tag formula match. Roderick Strong spends most of the match as the face in peril. Go and Strong turn each others’ chests into absolute hamburger meat, and Marufuji is his typical awesome self. Roderick and Marufuji actually work well as a team hitting an amazing double team gut buster/codebreaker onto Hero. Go breaks that one up, but is unable to stop Roderick Strong from hitting a nasty backbreaker onto Hero for the win.

Winners: Roderick Strong and Naomichi Marufuji via pinfall; ***1/2

After the match Sweeney tries to attack Lance Storm but Storm is able to lock in his version of the single leg crab only to be knocked out by Chris Hero.

We go to a promo by Brent Albright wrapped up like a mummy from taking that fireball to the face from Pearce. It is a solid promo, but Albright looks goofy all covered in gauze.

Ring of Honor World Title Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Nigel McGuinness(c)

Claudio gets a short hype video showing him working out with logs and talking about being an immigrant, Nigel gets no such video. Claudio tries to hit a home run out of the box going for a big kick and the Ricola Bomb, but it comes to no avail. This match is very similar in structure to their contest at “A New Level.” The result was the same as well. The match was awesome the entire way, and Claudio really like he had the title on a few occasions. It was not to be, though and Nigel got the win with a jawbreaker lariat.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness via pinfall; ****

Tyler Black with Jimmy Jacobs vs. “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson

This one gets the main event and with good reason. These two have had three awesome encounters before this at Breakout, Southern Navigation, and Respect is Earned II. Dragon has two wins and Black has a win in their tag team encounter at Respect is Earned II. This match is just wrestling at its best, there is no other way to put it. This match should and will be on most fans’ match of the year list. Because, to go along with great wrestling is one of the ultimate “Holy Shit!” moments of the year. Dragon has Black trapped in the triangle choke, but Tyler is able to pick up the “Best Wrestler in the World” and throw him into the turnbuckle. Now that in and of itself does not sound to impressive, but…Tyler Black broke the ring! American Dragon’s force broke the turnbuckle loose from the ringpost. Shockingly enough, Dragon is not killed by the turnbuckle hook striking him in the back of the head, and he is able to lock in the MMA elbows for the win via ref stoppage. This match was just awesome

Winner: “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson via ref stoppage; ****1/2

After the match Austin Aries rushes the ring and attacks Jimmy Jacobs. They begin a violent brawl all over the arena. Aries eventually gets an enormous ladder to continue the fight. Aries and Jopcobs both tease moves off of the top of the ladder but are cut off. They both climb to the top of the twenty foot ladder and this brings out the Necro Butcher. Necro does not know who to attack. Aries and Jacobs both try and convince him to attack the other so Necro just pushes the ladder over sending both men crashing to the florr through tables. This may not have been a match, but it was a damn fine way to end the Pay per View.

Big Andy Mac’s Big Andy Final Thoughts: With two matches over four stars and two others at three and a half, this is definitely worth your hard earned 10-15 dollars. The shows do get hurt by being on a several month tape delay, but they provide the best wrestling entertainment you can pay for. It may lack the slick production of WWE and TNA, but it supercedes, from top to bottom, anything those two feds are doing at the moment.

I’ll see you next time…