Jay Lethal vs. Lio Rush

[8.0] "Really effective and well told underdog story. Lio Rush was new to ROH at the time, coming off a victory in the Top Prospect Tournament. Lethal took him lightly here and nearly paid the price. It's a story that wrestling fans are very familiar with, but it was done especially well here. Lio got the opportunity to showcase his athleticism and creativity, and Lethal did well slowing the pace and taking control of the match, which further accentuated Rush's exciting offence by contrast. Great title match."

[8.0] "Rush was a really good resilient, plucky underdog and Lethal was nearly perfect in his role as the arrogant heel that got nervous as things went on."

[9.0] "This match is absolutely fantastic. Rush was a great babyface, with great returns but Lethal striked, was intelligent, and did the good moves at the good time. I just loved that storytelling, Lethal doesn't do too much but he is so effective in his moves, it's just impressive to see a performance like that. The ending is great to me and shows the opportunism of Lethal, very intelligent in this ending stretch. It was awesome all along and I was incredibly invested, my favorite Lio Rush match, that's sure. ****1/2"

[8.0] "MOTN on Supercard of Honor X Night 1. This saw Rush, the newbie that won ROH's Top Prospect tournament, getting a big push as he was allowed to challenge Lethal for the ROH World Title. Lethal came in as his usual fantastically smug self, carrying himself like a true elitist champion. Lethal treated Rush with disrespect and annoyance, acting early on as if Rush was barely a threat. Rush began showing off his fantastic skills and ended up proving to Lethal that he was more than his experience level implied, giving Lethal reason to take him more seriously. Lethal was even better after Rush proved himself a legitimate threat, as he started implementing more dastardly brawling and striking combinations as well as using some very damaging power moves to repeatedly beat Rush down. Rush countered this slower more methodical approach with his high-flying and agility-based offence, which was very impressive and extra exciting because he seemed very determined to get the upset win. Rush's endurance against all of Lethal's moves was awesome, as was his fiery resilience to Lethal's disrespect. I wish he got more moments to stand out, but what he was allowed to show off was still very impressive. The respect shown from Lethal to Rush afterwards helped put Rush over in defeat and was a touching moment that made Rush's performance even more endearing for impressing even a heel like Lethal. A great match with a great story. ****"

[9.0] "Great match, picture perfect young gun versus veteran heel, but played with a twist in that Lethal didn't need to cheat, just gutted it out an out performed the talented newcomer. Lio Rush has a bright future, based on this. Also a fan of Taeler Hendrix, who was great as valet, very well done by all parties."

[9.0] "What a great match this was. Lio Rush has only been wrestling for a year and a half or maybe two years, and yet he's going out there and having matches like this with guys like Jay Lethal. Lethal's role here as the arrogant champion defending against the challenging up-and-comer was played so well. I enjoyed Lio's comeback with the slaps and the reverse rana. Ultimately, a cutter from the top rope and a Lethal Injection capped the match off in a great way. I'll be keeping my eye on Lio Rush in the future. I can see him having matches just as good if not better than this."

[10.0] "What a terrific match. Lio Rush has been putting on great performances in promotions like CZW, but this was clearly his breakout match after winning ROH's Top Prospect Tournament. Every time I see him wrestle, I think he's a can't-miss future superstar, and it's hard to believe he's this good with this level of experience. Jay Lethal can be a little or miss at times for me, but he played his role as the cocky veteran champion perfectly, and his chemistry with Rush was terrific. The only part I disliked was the Taeler Hendrix spot, but thankfully they didn't overdo it. The finishing segment with Rush's hope spot was tremendous. ****1/2"

[8.0] "A fantastic match that had a really good story as well and Lethal was just awesome in this match. He came in so cocky but calm as well and just underestimated Rush in every aspect. Rush though took the fight to Lethal and put on a breakout performance and had everyone believing he could be the next ROH World Champion. Though he got a bit over zealous in the closing stretch and that cost him big. (***1/2)"

[8.0] "This was awesome. The story was that the champ got too cocky and totally underestimated his young challenger, who brought it right at him. Great storytelling. My favorite match of the night. ***3/4"