ALL IN 2018: Star Ratings For All 9 Major Matches

4. Jay Lethal Vs. Flip Gordon - ROH World Championship Match

Hangman Page Stars II
FiteTV

In revealing contrast to what they had to follow, this was a bit too ambitious.

Jay Lethal's Being The Elite personality crisis continued in the ring; he wrestled Flip Gordon as both himself and his 'Black Machismo' alter ego in a match that was a lot of fun and something of a head-scratcher. The audience didn't know what to think, either. Where Hangman Page Vs. Joey Janela accomplished so much, the fusion of comedic and technical work here was disjointed by design, but it removed the fans from the action rather than sweeping them up in it.

It never once felt like the uplifting culmination of Flip Gordon's agonising rejection from the card. There was no chance of ROH sanctioning a title switch in such a silly match. The outcome never felt in doubt. But neither was Gordon's creativity and popularity, which carried the straight portion, nor Lethal's brilliant Macho Man bit, which, in particular his Brandi bullying, drew sh*t-eating grins. Flip Gordon, though. He's already known as a bit of a dunce, what with his flat earth beliefs - but what was he doing impersonating Hulk Hogan in a tribute spot to Randy Savage Vs. the Ultimate Warrior from WrestleMania VII?

Plain weird in a vacuum, it was an entertaining addition to the card, as opposed to something designed to stand out from it.

Star Rating: ***

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!