14 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard

6. Taven Triumphs In Tremendous LLadder War

Matt Taven
NJPW/ROH

The ROH World Championship three-way ladder match wasn't the kind of bout that appeals to everyone.

An atypical bout for the stipulation, it wasn't the wild, fast-paced maelstrom many might have anticipated. Matt Taven, Jay Lethal, and Marty Scurll slowed down on several occasions. This may have fatigued some as the show headed towards its fifth grueling hour, but in this writer's eyes, those moments of quiet only enhanced the crazy, destructive spots - of which there were many.

Notable highlights saw Lethal powerbombed onto a ladder bridge, Jay paying tribute to Jeff Hardy by diving onto Taven from a ridiculous oversized ladder, and Scurll trapping Lethal upside down by jamming his head in a ladder and draping his legs over the top turnbuckle. Throw some outstanding Scurll knee-selling and great heel work from Taven into the mix and were left with one of the night's craziest matches.

Taven eventually clambered up a custom purple ladder, knocked Lethal down, and seized the ROH Championship. Nobody was happy about this, but that's the point: he's the bad guy. MSG got worked.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.