Homicide vs. Steve Corino (ROH - 8/16/2003)

Been busy lately nominating, but I got to this one on my list and realized I hadn't seen it before so I went and watched. It did not disappoint and is now my running best match in ROH history. ROH is generally known for trying to work ambitious, but this is just a violent brawl from start to finish that doesn't aspire to be anything more than that, and it's amazing for that. They waste little time getting into the meat of the match, starting off with an intense lock-up and some leg holds before Homicide decides to grab some barbed wire to blade Corino's arm, and he proceeds to bite the cut for good measure. Corino comes back and busts Homicides forehead open as well. Not exactly clear what busted Homicide open, but it barely matters as Corino quickly opens it up even farther using his hands and some barbed wire, and we've got a cut that would rank pretty high on the Muta scale. This leads to all kinds of great visuals, one of my favorite being them both lying on the ground while the blood drips from Homicides forehead, leaving a puddle of blood beneath his head. The crowd is great in getting on Corino's case and he plays to them just enough to add to the spectacle without overdoing it. Nuttiest spot of the match comes when Homicide attempts a lightspeed tope that misses, resulting in him crashing and burning off the top of the guardrail and into the crowd. Brutal. Great shot of Corino standing in front of a hole in the crowd while everyone is standing up and cheering for Homicide. They work some great nearfalls as well. I loved how Corino worked that chickenwing. Homicide comes back by scoring a series of moves on Corino's bad neck, including a stiff lariat. Dig the finish with Corino having to throw in the towel after Corino spent some time in an STF and refused to tap. Epic post-match with Homicide slowly making it to his feet and then standing triumphant over a Corino who can barely even move. ****5/8