Per Webster:
Hyperbole, a noun, is defined as “extravagant exaggeration.”
Throughout the 21st Century, the “This is awesome!” chant along with praises such as “greatest ____ match ever!” have become overused clichés. In 2017, there is such a congestion of high-octane action and technical wizardry in professional wrestling that for all of the greatness, it becomes overwhelming and loses it meaning because there’s just too much.
Even throughout the 2000s as WWE struggled to catch up with the correct top talent pool, the underground capitalized with cream-of-the-crop stars, matches, and storylines. That was no different in the genre of tag team wrestling. While the best WWE could offer ranged from Kane & Big Show to MNM to Paul London & Brian Kendrick, all admittedly with their own positive contributions, they each in their own ways didn’t measure up to what should’ve been the absolute best tag team division on the planet considering the monopoly that the business had become.
Even in TNA, the best that could be offered were LAX and America’s Most Wanted. Once again, not bad at all, but not the fucking measuring stick, showing that TNA was failing to truly capitalize where WWE was failing.
That’s where ROH came into the picture for American wrestling fans that wanted tag team matches that could measure up to the very best of the past, something that could be compared to the Midnight Express, Rock ‘N Roll Express, Holy Demon Army, and even Paul Heyman’s collection that would light up SmackDown almost every week in late 2002.
Admittedly, ROH as well as TNA have not been immune to sloppiness in tag team wrestling. Away from the big leagues of the world, it’s a type of match that often allows itself to fall prey to just focusing on hot finishing stretches at the expense of the psychological foundations. Case in point, more often than not, tag team matches on the underground are plagued with failures to uphold established tag legalities, and usually do so without any kind of truly justifiable logic.
There are those who have a rather rigid philosophy on what tag team wrestling should be. The heels cut the ring in half, beat the shit out of a babyface-in-peril, tags to the fresher babyface get teased, and finally after at least several minutes, the weakened babyface outsmarts the heels to put himself in position for a hot tag. The fresh babyface legally entering the match is then a house of fire, with the rest of the match being a hot finishing stretch.
Such a philosophy is no doubt a tried and proven formula in tag team wrestling. In 2017, there’s nobody who adheres to such traditional foundations more than the Revival, and it’s cemented them as one of the absolute best tag teams on the planet. With that said, is it possible that the plotting of a tag team wrestling match can have some variety? After all, not every movie follows the same storytelling formula, and if they did, would it still prove to be effective?
There are times when a different formula has been utilized, and the results have been tremendous. A decade ago, there was no tag team in the world better at displaying this than the Motor City Machine Guns of Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley. Formed in 2006, the 2 individuals had found their grooves in each other, with Sabin particularly finding a persona with some pizazz for once. Anyone who appreciates the Shield and the Revival owes themselves to revisit the original run of MCMG.
No better example would be provided than when for one night only, the MCMG got booked against the Briscoes in Ring of Honor. The match was first teased when the reigning Zero-1 Max International Lightweight Tag Champions made a surprise appearance in their hometown on WrestleMania 23 weekend, catching the newly crowned Jay Briscoe off-guard.
April 28 in Chicago thus became a must-see event before it was even announced that it would be Colt Cabana’s independent wrestling farewell. Anyone who had seen MCMG’s work against Apollo 55 or even in PWG against Cape Fear, Tyler Black & Jimmy Jacobs, and Chris Bosh & Scott Lost knew that this match was gonna be something special.
Prior to the event that would be named Good Times, Great Memories, many ROHbots would claim that the Briscoes’ third matchup against ROH Tag Champs Austin Aries & Roderick Strong at Unified was the greatest tag match in company history. To be honest, that’s arguably hyperbole. While the match excelled in a non-traditional formula, instead being a back-and-forth spectacle, it had a slight failure in tag legality adherence. With that said, the match was so sensational thanks in large part to the Liverpool crowd that such a flaw was barely a blemish, a rarity for a tag match to overcome such a plot hole to the most analytical of viewers.
It could be argued that Aries & Strong’s collision 3 months later against KENTA & Davey Richards at Honor Reclaims Boston deserved the claim of ROH’s greatest tag team match. The last MOTYC for ROH in 2006, it was performed at an insane level, sustaining the action as well as tag legality adherence in a collective performance right on par with the 2003-05 body of work involving KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji in NOAH. To say the match had a flaw would seem the slightest nitpick, but even so, the nod of the greatest tag match in ROH history belonged to a gem from 2005.
Simply put, the nod had to go to Low Ki & Samoa Joe vs. Homicide & Kenta Kobashi in the main event at Unforgettable in October 2005. With the ONLY flaw being a not-quite-hot reaction to the finish, the match was a blistering masterpiece. From Joe and Kobashi picking up from their phenomenal singles match the night before, to Joe and Homicide reigniting their on-again, off-again feud, to Ki trying to use his quickness to overcome the stronger, more successful Kobashi, to Ki and Homicide finally colliding in an ROH ring, the match was truly breathtaking. From the tag legality adherence to the amazing pacing to the Ki vs. Homicide dream portion living up to the hype to even Joe and Kobashi having a distant stare down on the outside, the match felt belonging on a stadium stage, not a Philadelphia armory. The match was also elevated by the fact that Joe and the Rottweilers were able to put aside their on-screen ROH politics for one night. They knew what an honor it was to be involved in such historic matches on Kobashi’s resume.
It would be over a year and a half before Ki & Joe vs. Homicide & Kobashi would finally be topped for the distinction as the greatest tag team match in Ring of Honor history. It would take something perfect. It would take the two best tag teams in the entire world. It would need what was missing from Unforgettable and Honor Reclaims Boston – the ROH Tag Titles on the line.
The stars were aligned. It was a historic night, considered by many in the company as the end of an era due to a game-changing business decision about to become public. It had been a very good event so far in the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, including a terrific inter-promotional puroresu dream match for the ROH World Title between Takeshi Morishima and Shingo. But the Briscoes and the Motor City Machine Guns were set out with one mission: to be the dominating topic of discussion coming out of an epic night in the Windy City.
And now, the match along with the review.
Tag Titles – Dream Match
Briscoe Bros. vs. Motor City Machine Guns
Note: the above video has none of the traditional but effective post-match.
Before the match starts, Chris Sabin mocks Mark’s recent injury, so the two of them begin the match. One of the major takeaways from this match is that teaming with Alex Shelley brought swagger to Sabin that had taken several years. Sabin truly felt like a legitimate star in this match, at a level he could never reach on his own, and moving on with the same kind of confidence sometimes as the man that had inspired Shelley, that being Chris Jericho.
While this was far from a traditional type of tag team match seen during the heyday of Arn Anderson and Ricky Steamboat, this belongs in that conversation. Perhaps an MCMG staple considering prior work in PWG, tag legalities were never an issue, which was refreshing. This truly felt like a major league match from every angle, belonging in WWE or NOAH a decade ago as a result of the work, storytelling, timing, and tag legality adherence.
In a surprise, the totally babyface Briscoes would be the first to gain a lengthy advantage, cutting the ring in half on the cocky Shelley. Despite the roles not being typical, this was totally engaging, even though Shelley was far from sympathetic like Ricky Morton was in popularizing the FIP role in a tag match. Perhaps this was engaging not just because Shelley is capable of selling at length even though he’s more natural as a cutthroat douche-bag heel, but it was a bit of karma for most of the time Shelley had spent in ROH from 2004 to 2006.
Shelley wasn’t sympathetic at all in this match, in fact tricking Jay by playing the faux mercy card like Ric Flair before spitting water in his face. MCMG were also terrific in consoling each other, adding to their default heel roles for the match. This is probably why when Sabin got tagged in, it wasn’t treated as a hot tag but he was definitely on point with his offense on Mark. This would lead to MCMG cutting the ring in half on Mark, which was also a splendidly effective segment, complete with Shelley blowing his snot on the younger Briscoe.
Shelley mixed in a Jericho homage with a Quebrada and “King of the World” pose before tagging in Sabin. Their crisp double-team offense was so smooth and capped off with the two marking out over their work, coming across as total stars. Why exactly were they paying dues still on the underground instead of killing it against the Hardy Boys and Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin a decade ago?
Mark’s hot tag to Jay didn’t get a memorable reaction but that was fine since MCMG didn’t work their control segments quite like the Revival. Instead at this point, the rest of the match was amazing stretch of action. Shelley prevented the Briscoes from playing the numbers advantage on Sabin, yanking Jay out. Instead MCMG would have the advantage on Mark, taking turns on him as he was in the Tree of Woe, then tossing Jay out to deliver stereo suicide dives on the champions.
MCMG’s advantage on Jay was short-lived thanks to Mark, who failed to break a Texas Clover Leaf with karate chops, instead being placed in the Border City Stretch, but then breaking it and saving his brother. Shelley would be taken out, allowing the Briscoes to take advantage on Sabin but he still broke up a near-fall attempt. He then saved Sabin again, this time with fingers to Jay’s eyes, just pissing off the older Briscoe. With Shelley taken out again, that made Sabin prone to more Briscoes double-teaming.
Sabin would make a comeback by evading a spear from Jay, taking him down with a Tornado DDT and kicking Mark while in the air. That allowed a hot tag to Shelley, who almost saw his momentum backfire when Jay reversed his crossbody. This only fueled Shelley to be a house of fire on the champions, but would then get crotched on the top rope. Whatever Jay had in mind to take advantage was for naught, as Shelley gave him a Super Manhattan Drop. Shelley then had Sabin jump off him to dropkick Mark off the apron, only further making a program against the Hardyz at the time all the more appetizing.
MCMG once again brought their crisp double-teaming back into the match on Jay. Their chemistry was truly state-of-the-art here, completely polished above every tag team in the business a decade ago. Jay would finally get a hot tag after avoiding corner moves and ramming Sabin’s head into Shelley’s crotch via a drop toe hold. Mark was an awesome hour of fire himself, but Shelley still had plenty of gas left in the tank to tag in Sabin, who immediately ate an Overhead Uranage Suplex. With Shelley knocked off the apron by Jay, the champs double-teamed sabin for another terrific near-fall after an assisted neckbreaker.
Shelley delayed Mark on a Springboard Doomsday Device attempt, allowing Sabin to clothesline Mark in midair, then giving Jay a Reverse Hurricanrana. Mark continued taking punishment, including an assisted Standing Shiranui for an awesome near-fall. Sabin assisted Shelley with a top rope splash but Jay made the save. Chicago then erupted and with good reason because this is fucking fantastic shit.
Mark blocked Shelley’s Air Raid Crash attempt and the Briscoes took turns with dives to the outside on the challengers to another brief round of applause. “This is awesome!” breaks out for obvious reasons as Shelley blocks Jay’s double underhook piledriver, not once, but twice (the second time with a back heel to Jay’s face); likewise Jay blocked a superkick and delivered a Military Press Death Valley Driver, which was then followed up by Mark with an outstanding timed Shooting Star Press. That’s masterfully broken up by Sabin and Chicago is on its feet as ROH chants break out.
The action continues between Jay and Sabin, hot and heavy as has been the trend in this match. Jay gets taken out so Sabin looks to go for a moonsault on Mark, but that proves near-fatal. Mark goes for a Super Cutthroat Driver, only for Shelley to strike him from behind, forcing the younger Briscoe to eat a Doomsday Missile Dropkick, superkick, and Air Raid Crash for a fucking phenomenal Holy-fucking-shit-why-didn’t-I-fly-to-Chicago-to-experience-this? near-fall.
Shelley cannot believe that was a near-fall, but wastes very little, instead hitting the Shell Shocked (Sister Abigail) on Mark, but Jay comes to the rescue just in time. Sabin yanks Jay out as Shelley goes for a Shiranui on Mark, but he gets driven into the turnbuckle, and a cutthroat driver is yet another excellent near-fall. Shelley showed tremendous grit here, having to kick out as Jay kept Sabin from the save. As the crowd continued erupting, Jay took Sabin out with an Irish Whip to a barricade, allowing the champions to retain when Shelley ate a simultaneous combination of guillotine leg drop and Cutthroat Driver. Holy shit this was exhausting for all the right reasons.
All four men obviously get a post-match standing ovation, and why not? This is in the conversation for the absolutely greatest match in Frontier Fieldhouse history, right up there with Joe vs. Punk II, Danielson vs. Strong II, and Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation. The respect has been earned, with the fallen challengers taking a moment in front of the crowd as there are “Please come back!” chants. Damn right we need more of this, Chicago. The MCMG shake hands and then grab the belts away, opting to snap them on the champions for such a well-deserved victory, then all four pose together, knowing they put on a masterpiece for the ages.
There is no debate: with this match having no flaws, building to its finishing stretch, top-notch tag legality adherence, engaging control segments, and tremendous character work as well, move over Low Ki & Samoa Joe vs. Homicide & Kenta Kobashi; this is the greatest tag match in ROH history.
That the greatest tag match in ROH history wasn’t just a special attraction, but for the Tag Titles, only further enhanced the prestige of the championship. The MCMG gave absolutely everything to win the big one and earn full-time returns, and Shelley had to be extra motivated considering how much tenure he had in the past without ever winning gold.
There have been quality tag matches aplenty in ROH up to this point. As mentioned, there was the previous greatest tag match in ROH’s history, that being the main event of Unforgettable. There was the third chapter in the Briscoes against Aries & Strong when the company makes its UK debut at Unified. There was the company’s Beantown return when Aries & Strong collided against KENTA & Davey Richards in a match belonging on a much grander NOAH stage.
To say that this chef d’ouevre belonged on a major league stage is an understatement. Fuck that.
This match should’ve taken place 4 weeks earlier in front of what would’ve been an incredibly partisan crowd in favor of MCMG. This belonged in front of approximately 80,000 spectators inside Detroit’s Ford Field at WrestleMania 23. That is the biggest compliment given to any ROH match up to this point. Think of all the works of art that covers.
Perhaps since then this match has been topped as the greatest tag team contest in ROH history. It certainly wasn’t anything the Wolves would do, for even their best match had obvious flaws. It wasn’t the dream match that would come later for MCMG, for that would have a shitty finish. Maybe it was the Manhattan Center contest for these same titles when ROH got brought back into the inter-promotional game in May 2014. However, although yours truly has yet to see that match, it’s difficult to imagine it as surpassing the first-ever meeting between the Briscoes and Motor City Machine Guns, for while it has been universally praised as a terrific match, it has not been so in terms of an all-time classic that deserved consideration for the Wrestler Observer Match of the Year. This definitely deserved that.
Is this ROH’s match of the year over Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer, the greatest cage match in ROH history? To say with confidence would be a lie, but leaning towards yes. We shall see if this is topped by anything else, including what ending up winning the Wrestling Observer Match of the Year.
Rating: *****
There will always be the debate on what is the greatest tag team match in Ring of Honor history. But for this viewer’s money, for all the analysis that this viewer puts into tag team wrestling, nothing else in the ROH catalog measures up to the first encounter between the Briscoes and Motor City Machine Guns as they went to war for the prestigious ROH World Tag Team Championships.
With ROH’s priorities having drastically changed since 2011, don’t expect this to ever be topped for what it truly is:
Not just the greatest tag team wrestling match in Ring of Honor history, but also the greatest underground tag team wrestling match of the 21st Century to date, and neck-and-neck with the 2/3 falls match between the Revival and DIY at NXT Takeover: Toronto as the greatest North American tag team wrestling match of the 21st Century to date.
For any aspiring wrestlers, this is required viewing, as not only will it further inspire you, but more importantly, you will learn from it. You will learn that you don’t have to always follow the traditional, tried-and-true formula of tag team wrestling to truly earn “This is awesome!” chants and put on a theatrical masterpiece for the ages.
And that, my friends, is far from extravagant exaggeration.
Briscoes vs. MCMG @ Good Times, Great Memories also available on the following compilations:
Briscoe Brothers: Baddest Tag Team on the Planet
Alex Shelley: Made in Detroit
Cattle Mutilation 