ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard fallout: Okada reigns at MSG

Welcome … to Ladders

As you might suspect, the Ring of Honor World Championship ladder match was a slog that could have been cut down. Nearly half an hour long, it felt twice that. There were probably a few factors contributing to this. One, the match was sandwiched between the excellent IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Championship matches. Hard match to follow, hard match to open for. Two, it was being portrayed as if it was the direct descendent of the Shawn Michaels/Razor Ramon ladder match at WrestleMania X because both took place in the Garden. That’s setting yourself up for a letdown from the jump. Three, the entrances and pageantry probably added like 10 or 15 minutes. Four, the guy no one really wanted to win, won.

Yes, Matt Taven is the new ROH World Champion. Who is Taven? Well, he’s the new ROH World Champion. But who is Taven? That’s a little trickier to answer. Clearly, he’s a fan of the color purple, because how else do you explain the giant purple ladder he brought out to help him win the match. Taven: Professional wrestler (ostensibly), has a guy who make custom ladders, Ring of Honor World Champion.

Credit where credit is due though. Congrats to Taven on reaching the pinnacle of Ring of Honor. Obviously it’s still a big deal for him despite our misgivings about the company’s contributions to this card. Kudos as well for probably taking the worst bumps of the match, including diving face first into a ladder, taking a Jay Lethal elbow drop through a table and getting suplexed onto that dangerous “X” ladder contraption. A well-earned victory, even if no one in the crowd wanted him to earn it.