ROH 11th Anniversary
By Scott Keith on March 16, 2013
A bit late, but it still fits in with the ROH taping schedule, so screw it…
Live from Chicago Ridge, IL. Hosted by Kevin Kelly and Caleb
Seltzer, as usual.
Seltzer, as usual.
6 Man Mayhem: QT
Marshall (w/ R.D. Evans) vs. Adam Page vs. Silas Young vs. Mike Sydal vs. ACH
vs. TaDarius Thomas: This is under Lucha rules, where if someone gets tossed
to the floor anyone else can come in and be the legal man. Crowd is solidly
behind ACH. There’s too much going on to really describe, but some of the
highlights include Page hitting a SSP off the apron onto Marshall, Thomas
hitting a sort of Space Flying Tiger Drop to 3 guys on the floor, Sydal taking
those 4 guys out with a moonsault from the top to the floor, and ACH taking
everyone out with a somersault dive to the outside. Evans goes to the top for
some reason, and Sydal superplexes him onto all the guys on the floor. ACH wins
it with a bearhug DDT on Young at 7:20. ***, total spotfest, but everything
landed clean and it certainly got the crowd going.
Marshall (w/ R.D. Evans) vs. Adam Page vs. Silas Young vs. Mike Sydal vs. ACH
vs. TaDarius Thomas: This is under Lucha rules, where if someone gets tossed
to the floor anyone else can come in and be the legal man. Crowd is solidly
behind ACH. There’s too much going on to really describe, but some of the
highlights include Page hitting a SSP off the apron onto Marshall, Thomas
hitting a sort of Space Flying Tiger Drop to 3 guys on the floor, Sydal taking
those 4 guys out with a moonsault from the top to the floor, and ACH taking
everyone out with a somersault dive to the outside. Evans goes to the top for
some reason, and Sydal superplexes him onto all the guys on the floor. ACH wins
it with a bearhug DDT on Young at 7:20. ***, total spotfest, but everything
landed clean and it certainly got the crowd going.
Steve Corino &
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander: C+C attack before
the bell and all 4 guys brawl for a bit, with Alexander getting in his usual
highspots. The required terrible Total Elimination gets 2 on Jacobs. Someone
needs to find Perry Saturn so he can teach them how to do that properly. Jacobs
gets a jawbreaker and tags in Corino, who runs into the leg lariat/spinebuster
combo. Jacobs back in now and he too ends up on the receiving end of some
double-team action, they do a pretty cool spot where Coleman slingshots Jacobs
into Alexander but holds onto the legs, and Alexander splashes Jacobs onto
Coleman’s knees. Corino nails Coleman from behind and S.C.U.M. takes over.
Nothing of note happens for the next couple minutes until Coleman badly blows a
diamond cutter (and how do you fuck THAT up?) and gets the hot tag. Alexander comes
in with a springboard clothesline on Jacobs, a sort of GTS gets 2, Corino
makes the save. He sends Alexander into the ringpost, then gets hit with a
horrible STO from Coleman that looked more like a Corino DDT. Coleman gets the
rolling Northern Lights on Corino, with both heels taking the third one for 2.
Jacobs spears Alexander to the floor and hits Sliced Bread on Coleman, Corino
hits him with a lariat and Jacobs gets 2 off that. Front suplex and a top rope
legdrop on Jacobs, Corino makes the save. He gets dumped and C+C go for
Overtime (top rope rana/frog splash combo), but Corino nails Coleman with a
hunk of chain and a double team spike piledriver finishes Alexander at 8:32.
**, fun match, but way too much sloppiness from the face side. Coleman and
Alexander amaze me, as they can do all these insane double team spots with
pinpoint precision but somehow fuck up basic moves in spectacular fashion (how
do you screw up an STO? Grab the guy, fall forwards). I take it back, these two
aren’t ready for the big leagues.
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander: C+C attack before
the bell and all 4 guys brawl for a bit, with Alexander getting in his usual
highspots. The required terrible Total Elimination gets 2 on Jacobs. Someone
needs to find Perry Saturn so he can teach them how to do that properly. Jacobs
gets a jawbreaker and tags in Corino, who runs into the leg lariat/spinebuster
combo. Jacobs back in now and he too ends up on the receiving end of some
double-team action, they do a pretty cool spot where Coleman slingshots Jacobs
into Alexander but holds onto the legs, and Alexander splashes Jacobs onto
Coleman’s knees. Corino nails Coleman from behind and S.C.U.M. takes over.
Nothing of note happens for the next couple minutes until Coleman badly blows a
diamond cutter (and how do you fuck THAT up?) and gets the hot tag. Alexander comes
in with a springboard clothesline on Jacobs, a sort of GTS gets 2, Corino
makes the save. He sends Alexander into the ringpost, then gets hit with a
horrible STO from Coleman that looked more like a Corino DDT. Coleman gets the
rolling Northern Lights on Corino, with both heels taking the third one for 2.
Jacobs spears Alexander to the floor and hits Sliced Bread on Coleman, Corino
hits him with a lariat and Jacobs gets 2 off that. Front suplex and a top rope
legdrop on Jacobs, Corino makes the save. He gets dumped and C+C go for
Overtime (top rope rana/frog splash combo), but Corino nails Coleman with a
hunk of chain and a double team spike piledriver finishes Alexander at 8:32.
**, fun match, but way too much sloppiness from the face side. Coleman and
Alexander amaze me, as they can do all these insane double team spots with
pinpoint precision but somehow fuck up basic moves in spectacular fashion (how
do you screw up an STO? Grab the guy, fall forwards). I take it back, these two
aren’t ready for the big leagues.
No Holds Barred:
Charlie Haas vs. BJ Whitmer: Haas tries to sneak attack Whitmer as he comes
through the curtain, but BJ is ready for him and Haas gets pinballed into the
barricades. This was never announced as falls count anywhere, but the ref is on
the outside like he wants to make sure that he’s in the right position for a
pin attempt as they brawl on the floor. Whitmer tosses Haas into the ring and
grabs a chair and a trash can. He nails Haas with the can, then puts it over
Haas’ head and kicks him in the face for 2. Now BJ grabs a ladder and he goes
to work with that. Haas is sitting in the corner, and Whitmer nails him in the
balls with the ladder, then hits the ladder with a chair. Crowd pops big for
the genital abuse as both guys end up on the outside again. Whitmer sets up a table
between the ring and guardrail, but he takes too long and Haas finally gets his
first offense in by sending BJ into the barricade. He gets a chair shot and a
backdrop suplex onto the barricade, and back in with some shots with the
ladder. He tries to set the ladder up in the corner on the top rope, but can’t
get it to stay in place and is rewarded with a “You fucked up” chant, which
really would have been more appropriate in the last match. He finally gets it
set up and sends Whitmer into it face first. He tries to bounce off the ropes
and nail him with a cookie sheet, but here’s Cheeseburger/Rondell to grab his
foot and throw him the double bird, and Whitmer nails him with a cookie sheet of
his own. Whitmer wins the battle of the cookie sheets, but eats boot on a blind
charge and takes a can lid to the dome. Now Haas belly-to-back suplexes Whitmer
over the top and through the table, it gets 2 back in the ring. Haas lays the
ladder on top of BJ and pounds him with the chair for 2. He wedges the chair in
the corner and sends Whitmer head first into that, and heads outside for
another table. Belly-to-belly suplex off the top and through the table gets 2.
At least BJ didn’t land on his head this time… Haas sets up the ladder between
2 chairs, but Whitmer Hulks up and exploder suplexes him through the ladder for
2. He throws knees to the back of the head, but Haas is out cold and the ref
stops it at 11:57. **1/2, same hardcore match we’ve all seen a hundred times
(more so if you watched ECW back in the day), with some crazy weapon spots but
no flow or any sort of story being told. I also question Whitmer going over here,
especially with the crowd chanting “BJ sucks!” at the point where the crowd
would normally be cheering for him to make the comeback.
Charlie Haas vs. BJ Whitmer: Haas tries to sneak attack Whitmer as he comes
through the curtain, but BJ is ready for him and Haas gets pinballed into the
barricades. This was never announced as falls count anywhere, but the ref is on
the outside like he wants to make sure that he’s in the right position for a
pin attempt as they brawl on the floor. Whitmer tosses Haas into the ring and
grabs a chair and a trash can. He nails Haas with the can, then puts it over
Haas’ head and kicks him in the face for 2. Now BJ grabs a ladder and he goes
to work with that. Haas is sitting in the corner, and Whitmer nails him in the
balls with the ladder, then hits the ladder with a chair. Crowd pops big for
the genital abuse as both guys end up on the outside again. Whitmer sets up a table
between the ring and guardrail, but he takes too long and Haas finally gets his
first offense in by sending BJ into the barricade. He gets a chair shot and a
backdrop suplex onto the barricade, and back in with some shots with the
ladder. He tries to set the ladder up in the corner on the top rope, but can’t
get it to stay in place and is rewarded with a “You fucked up” chant, which
really would have been more appropriate in the last match. He finally gets it
set up and sends Whitmer into it face first. He tries to bounce off the ropes
and nail him with a cookie sheet, but here’s Cheeseburger/Rondell to grab his
foot and throw him the double bird, and Whitmer nails him with a cookie sheet of
his own. Whitmer wins the battle of the cookie sheets, but eats boot on a blind
charge and takes a can lid to the dome. Now Haas belly-to-back suplexes Whitmer
over the top and through the table, it gets 2 back in the ring. Haas lays the
ladder on top of BJ and pounds him with the chair for 2. He wedges the chair in
the corner and sends Whitmer head first into that, and heads outside for
another table. Belly-to-belly suplex off the top and through the table gets 2.
At least BJ didn’t land on his head this time… Haas sets up the ladder between
2 chairs, but Whitmer Hulks up and exploder suplexes him through the ladder for
2. He throws knees to the back of the head, but Haas is out cold and the ref
stops it at 11:57. **1/2, same hardcore match we’ve all seen a hundred times
(more so if you watched ECW back in the day), with some crazy weapon spots but
no flow or any sort of story being told. I also question Whitmer going over here,
especially with the crowd chanting “BJ sucks!” at the point where the crowd
would normally be cheering for him to make the comeback.
Forever Hooligans
(Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) vs. American Wolves: Koslov sings the
Russian national anthem before we begin. He’s actually from Moldova, but this
is wrestling and little details like that don’t matter. Richards and Romero
(who used to team together in NJPW and ROH) start, but don’t do anything
noteworthy. Romero hugs the ref for some reason, then tries a cheap shot off a
handshake on Richards but it doesn’t work and the Wolves do some double team
stuff. The Hooligans end up on the floor and the Wolves follow them out with
dives through the ropes. Back in Edwards
and Koslov both gets tagged in and Edwards gets a headscissors. Shining Wizards
gets 2 for Edwards, but Romero nails him coming off the ropes. Romero goes
after Richards on the outside while Koslov does some choking in the ring. Now
Romero is legal and he chops away on Edwards, he comes back with chops of his
own but a dropkick to the knee takes him down. Koslov is back in with a
chinlock and a Russian legsweep (Kelly: “It’s just a legsweep for him”) for 2.
Romero in now with some pretty shitty clotheslines in the corner, the last one
misses and Edwards hits a lariat and we do the double KO. Koslov cuts off the
hot tag and the heels try the double team backdrop, Edwards escapes that and
Koslov tries a rana but ends up getting powerbombed onto Romero. Hot tag is
made and Richards hits a missile dropkick on Koslov, they slug it out for a bit
before Richards hits a handspring savate kick for 2. Northern Lights for 2,
German suplex for 2, but the double stomp misses and he takes a wicked
enziguri. A series of kicks and knees gets 2 for Koslov, Edwards gets
dropkicked off the apron and the heels hit a modified Sidewinder, Edwards makes
the save. They do some more striking stuff until Edwards hits the Chinchecker off
the top, Tombstone from Richards (with a kick from Edwards) on Koslov gets 2.
That should have been the finish. The Wolves both hit the double stomp but
Romero makes the save, Richards tries a powerbomb but Koslov reverses it into a
DDT. Koslov hits a rana on Edwards off of Romero’s shoulders while he’s on the
top rope for 2, Edwards comes back with an O’Connor roll for 2.
Powerbomb/double knee backbreaker combo finish Koslov at 15:42. Last 5 minutes
were good, but the rest was rather slow and plodding. **, pretty disappointing
match, though it had good heat. All 4 guys do the mutual respect thing after
the match.
(Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) vs. American Wolves: Koslov sings the
Russian national anthem before we begin. He’s actually from Moldova, but this
is wrestling and little details like that don’t matter. Richards and Romero
(who used to team together in NJPW and ROH) start, but don’t do anything
noteworthy. Romero hugs the ref for some reason, then tries a cheap shot off a
handshake on Richards but it doesn’t work and the Wolves do some double team
stuff. The Hooligans end up on the floor and the Wolves follow them out with
dives through the ropes. Back in Edwards
and Koslov both gets tagged in and Edwards gets a headscissors. Shining Wizards
gets 2 for Edwards, but Romero nails him coming off the ropes. Romero goes
after Richards on the outside while Koslov does some choking in the ring. Now
Romero is legal and he chops away on Edwards, he comes back with chops of his
own but a dropkick to the knee takes him down. Koslov is back in with a
chinlock and a Russian legsweep (Kelly: “It’s just a legsweep for him”) for 2.
Romero in now with some pretty shitty clotheslines in the corner, the last one
misses and Edwards hits a lariat and we do the double KO. Koslov cuts off the
hot tag and the heels try the double team backdrop, Edwards escapes that and
Koslov tries a rana but ends up getting powerbombed onto Romero. Hot tag is
made and Richards hits a missile dropkick on Koslov, they slug it out for a bit
before Richards hits a handspring savate kick for 2. Northern Lights for 2,
German suplex for 2, but the double stomp misses and he takes a wicked
enziguri. A series of kicks and knees gets 2 for Koslov, Edwards gets
dropkicked off the apron and the heels hit a modified Sidewinder, Edwards makes
the save. They do some more striking stuff until Edwards hits the Chinchecker off
the top, Tombstone from Richards (with a kick from Edwards) on Koslov gets 2.
That should have been the finish. The Wolves both hit the double stomp but
Romero makes the save, Richards tries a powerbomb but Koslov reverses it into a
DDT. Koslov hits a rana on Edwards off of Romero’s shoulders while he’s on the
top rope for 2, Edwards comes back with an O’Connor roll for 2.
Powerbomb/double knee backbreaker combo finish Koslov at 15:42. Last 5 minutes
were good, but the rest was rather slow and plodding. **, pretty disappointing
match, though it had good heat. All 4 guys do the mutual respect thing after
the match.
Intermission time. Already? We’re only about an hour in.
Video packages hyping the matches still to come are shown.
Video packages hyping the matches still to come are shown.
2/3 Falls: Roderick
Strong vs. Michael Elgin: Elgin doesn’t want to shake hands, so Strong
shakes hands with the ref instead. Strong starts by working the arm, Elgin
cartwheels out of it, which is kind of odd to see from a guy with his build.
Strong throws a jumping knee and a fight over a fireman’s carry ends with Elgin
getting the bucklebomb and the spinning sitout powerbomb to go up 1-0 at 2:00.
They get a 20 second rest period between falls.
Strong vs. Michael Elgin: Elgin doesn’t want to shake hands, so Strong
shakes hands with the ref instead. Strong starts by working the arm, Elgin
cartwheels out of it, which is kind of odd to see from a guy with his build.
Strong throws a jumping knee and a fight over a fireman’s carry ends with Elgin
getting the bucklebomb and the spinning sitout powerbomb to go up 1-0 at 2:00.
They get a 20 second rest period between falls.
Fall 2: Strong bails to the outside, Elgin follows and they
brawl on the floor, with Elgin getting the majority of the damage in. Stiff
stuff too, and they keep it up for the whole match. He gets caught on the apron
coming back in and Strong tries to sunset flip powerbomb him to the floor, but
Elgin holds onto the ropes to block it. The butt-splash misses and Strong gets
a belly-to-back from the apron to the floor. Now Strong controls the outside
brawling and they head back into the ring for a Strong 2 count. A dropkick gets
2 after a striking sequence, Strong grabs a sleeper but Elgin is out of that
pretty easily. They do some more stiff-as-fuck punchy-kicky stuff, Strong
charges in but gets caught and planted. Elgin gets a flying shoulderblock and
the Black Hole Slam for 2, he locks in the crossface but Strong rolls it into a
pinning combination and Elgin has to let go. More kicking, then Elgin hits the
Shock Treatment for 2. He tries the bucklebomb again, but Strong gets free and
hits some stiff kicks and knees before a suplex gets 2. Superkick gets 2, but
he runs into a boot on a blind charge. Elgin tries a powerbomb off the top but
Strong reverses it into the double-knee backbreaker to tie it at 1-1 at 11:24.
brawl on the floor, with Elgin getting the majority of the damage in. Stiff
stuff too, and they keep it up for the whole match. He gets caught on the apron
coming back in and Strong tries to sunset flip powerbomb him to the floor, but
Elgin holds onto the ropes to block it. The butt-splash misses and Strong gets
a belly-to-back from the apron to the floor. Now Strong controls the outside
brawling and they head back into the ring for a Strong 2 count. A dropkick gets
2 after a striking sequence, Strong grabs a sleeper but Elgin is out of that
pretty easily. They do some more stiff-as-fuck punchy-kicky stuff, Strong
charges in but gets caught and planted. Elgin gets a flying shoulderblock and
the Black Hole Slam for 2, he locks in the crossface but Strong rolls it into a
pinning combination and Elgin has to let go. More kicking, then Elgin hits the
Shock Treatment for 2. He tries the bucklebomb again, but Strong gets free and
hits some stiff kicks and knees before a suplex gets 2. Superkick gets 2, but
he runs into a boot on a blind charge. Elgin tries a powerbomb off the top but
Strong reverses it into the double-knee backbreaker to tie it at 1-1 at 11:24.
Final fall: Strong fires off some jumping knees in the
corner before the rest period is over and hits the double-knee gutbuster for 2.
He tries a crucifix, but Elgin rolls through and picks him right up and hits
the Death Valley Driver. Corkscrew senton barely makes contact but gets 2
anyway. Deadlift German suplex for 2, he holds on and gets another one for 2.
Strong bails to the apron and Elgin goes for the apron-to-ring superplex, but
Strong gets loose and lands a sitout powerbomb for 2. A fight over a rollup
ends with an Elgin powerbomb for 2. Crossface and Strong taps to end it at
15:34. This was fucking awesome, just a frighteningly stiff match, as these
guys were beating the living shit out of each other. Some of those kicks were
just horrifying. ****1/2, and if not for Punk/Cena this would be my MOTY so far
by a mile.
corner before the rest period is over and hits the double-knee gutbuster for 2.
He tries a crucifix, but Elgin rolls through and picks him right up and hits
the Death Valley Driver. Corkscrew senton barely makes contact but gets 2
anyway. Deadlift German suplex for 2, he holds on and gets another one for 2.
Strong bails to the apron and Elgin goes for the apron-to-ring superplex, but
Strong gets loose and lands a sitout powerbomb for 2. A fight over a rollup
ends with an Elgin powerbomb for 2. Crossface and Strong taps to end it at
15:34. This was fucking awesome, just a frighteningly stiff match, as these
guys were beating the living shit out of each other. Some of those kicks were
just horrifying. ****1/2, and if not for Punk/Cena this would be my MOTY so far
by a mile.
Matt Hardy comes out for some gab time, and is greeted with
some garbage thrown at him and a “Shut the fuck up!” chant. He brags about how
he is getting the next shot at the TV title. Don’t be so sure, Matt…
some garbage thrown at him and a “Shut the fuck up!” chant. He brags about how
he is getting the next shot at the TV title. Don’t be so sure, Matt…
ROH TV title: Matt
Taven (w/Truth Martini) vs. Adam Cole (c): Hardy joins us for commentary, or tries to
anyway, as his headset isn’t working at first. Taven fakes a grab to the balls
during the Code of Honor for whatever reason. Arm-based chain wrestling to
start (which seems to be a theme for this show), Taven goes to the ropes to
break and heads outside for advice from Martini. He finally gets back in the
ring and some more chain wrestling ends with a Cole neckbreaker. He gets
backdropped to the apron, Martini distracts him and Taven sends him to the
floor with a dropkick. He tries a dive through the ropes but Cole nails him
with a jumping enziguri, Cole tries to slingshot back in but Martini grabs his
leg and Taven sends him to the floor again. He tries the Irish whip into the
barricade but Cole reverses it. Cole now chases Martini around the ring and
gets caught with a spinkick from Taven. This time the Irish whip isn’t reversed
and Cole tastes the steel. Back in a backbreaker gets 2 for Taven. Vertical
suplex and a twisting springboard senton gets 2, and now Martini gets involved
again while Taven distracts the ref. Cole comes back with forearms but eats an
enziguri for 2. Taven throws punches from the mount while talking shit to the
crowd, but runs into a boot on a blind charge. He’s right back with a
clothesline and a backdrop, fireman’s carry into a backbreaker gets 2. Taven
bails AGAIN and snaps Cole’s neck on the top rope. He tries a crossbody from
the top but Cole dropkicks him out of midair for 2. Hardy on commentary is
claiming that McGuiness is racist against him (despite both of them and Cole
all being of the same race) as a suplex battle ends with Taven hitting a sweet
neckbreaker. He puts Cole on the top rope but can’t get the superplex, Cole
hits a sunset flip powerbomb (that Taven fucks up his end of) and a release
German suplex. Shining Wizard gets 2, he pulls down the kneepad and tries it
again but gets rolled up for 2. Springboard enziguri for 2 from Taven, but Cole
hits the slingshot DDT onto the apron out of the corner. Frog splash misses,
but a vertical suplex into a neckbreaker gets 2. Cole gets the figure 4 (maybe
if he ever gets signed by WWE he can teach Miz how to do it right), Taven makes
it to the ropes. Truth nails Cole in the back with the Book of Truth as he’s
running the ropes and Taven hits a move that sort of looked like MVP’s
Playmaker to become your NEW TV champion at 14:05. Pretty shocking upset, but
the match wasn’t very good, as they could never get into a rhythm thanks to the
constant interference and fucking around. *1/2, would it have been that hard to
tell them “Go out and have a good match before Martini’s interference gives
Taven the win”? Because I know these two could have done better than this horseshit.
This is where I’d say that Cole is leaving, but he’s booked against Steen for
the title at Border Wars. Of course, cards are always subject to change…
Taven (w/Truth Martini) vs. Adam Cole (c): Hardy joins us for commentary, or tries to
anyway, as his headset isn’t working at first. Taven fakes a grab to the balls
during the Code of Honor for whatever reason. Arm-based chain wrestling to
start (which seems to be a theme for this show), Taven goes to the ropes to
break and heads outside for advice from Martini. He finally gets back in the
ring and some more chain wrestling ends with a Cole neckbreaker. He gets
backdropped to the apron, Martini distracts him and Taven sends him to the
floor with a dropkick. He tries a dive through the ropes but Cole nails him
with a jumping enziguri, Cole tries to slingshot back in but Martini grabs his
leg and Taven sends him to the floor again. He tries the Irish whip into the
barricade but Cole reverses it. Cole now chases Martini around the ring and
gets caught with a spinkick from Taven. This time the Irish whip isn’t reversed
and Cole tastes the steel. Back in a backbreaker gets 2 for Taven. Vertical
suplex and a twisting springboard senton gets 2, and now Martini gets involved
again while Taven distracts the ref. Cole comes back with forearms but eats an
enziguri for 2. Taven throws punches from the mount while talking shit to the
crowd, but runs into a boot on a blind charge. He’s right back with a
clothesline and a backdrop, fireman’s carry into a backbreaker gets 2. Taven
bails AGAIN and snaps Cole’s neck on the top rope. He tries a crossbody from
the top but Cole dropkicks him out of midair for 2. Hardy on commentary is
claiming that McGuiness is racist against him (despite both of them and Cole
all being of the same race) as a suplex battle ends with Taven hitting a sweet
neckbreaker. He puts Cole on the top rope but can’t get the superplex, Cole
hits a sunset flip powerbomb (that Taven fucks up his end of) and a release
German suplex. Shining Wizard gets 2, he pulls down the kneepad and tries it
again but gets rolled up for 2. Springboard enziguri for 2 from Taven, but Cole
hits the slingshot DDT onto the apron out of the corner. Frog splash misses,
but a vertical suplex into a neckbreaker gets 2. Cole gets the figure 4 (maybe
if he ever gets signed by WWE he can teach Miz how to do it right), Taven makes
it to the ropes. Truth nails Cole in the back with the Book of Truth as he’s
running the ropes and Taven hits a move that sort of looked like MVP’s
Playmaker to become your NEW TV champion at 14:05. Pretty shocking upset, but
the match wasn’t very good, as they could never get into a rhythm thanks to the
constant interference and fucking around. *1/2, would it have been that hard to
tell them “Go out and have a good match before Martini’s interference gives
Taven the win”? Because I know these two could have done better than this horseshit.
This is where I’d say that Cole is leaving, but he’s booked against Steen for
the title at Border Wars. Of course, cards are always subject to change…
ROH Tag Team Title:
Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish vs. The Briscoes (c): Fish and O’Reilly are
now going by the stupid name of “reDragon”. O’Reilly and Mark start with some
mat-based stuff, O’Reilly eats a wheel kick and both guys tag out. Nigel
McGuiness joins us for commentary as Jay and Fish fight over a headlock. Some
jabs and a Yazuka kick knock Fish down and now the Briscoes do some double
teaming in their corner. Mark tries some of that idiotic redneck kung-fu (and
after seeing Elgin and Strong trying to kill each other earlier it looks even
dumber than usual), Fish kicks him down and tags in O’Reilly and now Mark is on
the receiving end of the double teaming. Fish back in and he charges but Mark
pulls down the top rope and he ends up on the floor, but he’s right back up and
he sneaks up behind Jay and kicks his leg out of his leg. The heels work on Jay’s
knee for a while, O’Reilly baits Mark into distracting the ref and Fish hits
Jay with the child-killer headbutt for 2. Now some more double teaming and knee
working in the heel corner, Jay gets dumped and O’Reilly tries something off
the apron but Jay nails him out of midair. He gets the hot tag, Mark cleans
house with some more of that shitty chopping before hitting a fisherman’s
brainbuster on Fish (heh…). Dragon suplex for 2, Jay tags back in and Mark hits
the Iconoclasm (SWEET!) on Fish and Jay hits a frog splash, O’Reilly makes the
save. Mark gets dumped and the heels hit Total Elimination on Jay for 2. Fish
goes up top but Mark sends him to the floor for a nasty bump, then the Briscoes
hit the Doomsday Device off the apron on O’Reilly. Falcon arrow and the froggy
elbow get 2 on Fish. O’Reilly saves him from the Doomsday Device and Fish
suplexes Mark from the apron to the floor and he’s done. Ouch… The heels hit
the Device on Jay, but he invokes the wrestling rule that says faces don’t have
to sell their own finishers and kicks out. The brainbuster/kick combo finish
him immediately thereafter and we have NEW tag team champions at 15:12. I’d
call that a bigger upset than the last match. ***1/2, I was expecting a wild
brawl and instead got a standard formula match with a lot of mat work, but it
was still pretty good. I assume we’ll be seeing the Wolves challenge for the
title in the near future.
Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish vs. The Briscoes (c): Fish and O’Reilly are
now going by the stupid name of “reDragon”. O’Reilly and Mark start with some
mat-based stuff, O’Reilly eats a wheel kick and both guys tag out. Nigel
McGuiness joins us for commentary as Jay and Fish fight over a headlock. Some
jabs and a Yazuka kick knock Fish down and now the Briscoes do some double
teaming in their corner. Mark tries some of that idiotic redneck kung-fu (and
after seeing Elgin and Strong trying to kill each other earlier it looks even
dumber than usual), Fish kicks him down and tags in O’Reilly and now Mark is on
the receiving end of the double teaming. Fish back in and he charges but Mark
pulls down the top rope and he ends up on the floor, but he’s right back up and
he sneaks up behind Jay and kicks his leg out of his leg. The heels work on Jay’s
knee for a while, O’Reilly baits Mark into distracting the ref and Fish hits
Jay with the child-killer headbutt for 2. Now some more double teaming and knee
working in the heel corner, Jay gets dumped and O’Reilly tries something off
the apron but Jay nails him out of midair. He gets the hot tag, Mark cleans
house with some more of that shitty chopping before hitting a fisherman’s
brainbuster on Fish (heh…). Dragon suplex for 2, Jay tags back in and Mark hits
the Iconoclasm (SWEET!) on Fish and Jay hits a frog splash, O’Reilly makes the
save. Mark gets dumped and the heels hit Total Elimination on Jay for 2. Fish
goes up top but Mark sends him to the floor for a nasty bump, then the Briscoes
hit the Doomsday Device off the apron on O’Reilly. Falcon arrow and the froggy
elbow get 2 on Fish. O’Reilly saves him from the Doomsday Device and Fish
suplexes Mark from the apron to the floor and he’s done. Ouch… The heels hit
the Device on Jay, but he invokes the wrestling rule that says faces don’t have
to sell their own finishers and kicks out. The brainbuster/kick combo finish
him immediately thereafter and we have NEW tag team champions at 15:12. I’d
call that a bigger upset than the last match. ***1/2, I was expecting a wild
brawl and instead got a standard formula match with a lot of mat work, but it
was still pretty good. I assume we’ll be seeing the Wolves challenge for the
title in the near future.
ROH World Title: Jay
Lethal vs. Kevin Steen (c): As usual, Steen has the support of the majority
of the crowd (including a loud “Mr. Wrestling” chant) despite being the heel
here. They slug it out to start, Steen gets the better of that and sends Lethal
to the floor. They brawl out there for a while with neither man getting much of
an advantage. Back in Lethal drop-toe-holds Steen into the middle rope and
dropkicks him from the floor for 2. Lethal controls with some basic stuff
before Steen misses a charge and ends up on the apron, a springboard dropkick
sends him back to the outside and Lethal follows with a dive through the ropes,
then gets back in the ring and does it again. He tries for a third one but
Steen trips him up and powerbombs him onto the edge of the ring. Steen sends
him balls-first to the ringpost and plays to the crowd before tossing him back
in. Slam and a senton for 2, then Steen chokes Lethal on the middle rope. Steen
is spending way too much time playing to the crowd here. Another slugfest ends
with Steen hitting a DDT for 2, Lethal is back up with punches but a
clothesline sends him back down. Steen goes up top, but spends too much time
fucking around and the senton hits Lethal’s knees. Steen fights free from a dragon
suplex but Lethal hits the backcracker for 2. Lethal tries an Irish whip but
Steen holds the ropes to block and lands a pumphandle neckbreaker for 2, but
the cannonball misses. Lethal gets a backdrop into a neckbreaker for 2 and
calls for the Lethal Injection, Steen goes for a fireman’s carry but
accidentally takes out the ref in the process. I don’t like where this is going…
Lethal Injection, but there’s no ref, and here’s Corino and Jacobs to hit the
double-team spike piledriver. Corino puts Steen on top of Lethal while Jacobs
wakes up the ref, but it only gets 2. Now Jacobs attacks the ref while Corino
grabs a chair, but here’s McGuiness out to stop that. He sends Corino to the
back, Jacobs goes after Lethal but he gets sent packing as well.
Lethal vs. Kevin Steen (c): As usual, Steen has the support of the majority
of the crowd (including a loud “Mr. Wrestling” chant) despite being the heel
here. They slug it out to start, Steen gets the better of that and sends Lethal
to the floor. They brawl out there for a while with neither man getting much of
an advantage. Back in Lethal drop-toe-holds Steen into the middle rope and
dropkicks him from the floor for 2. Lethal controls with some basic stuff
before Steen misses a charge and ends up on the apron, a springboard dropkick
sends him back to the outside and Lethal follows with a dive through the ropes,
then gets back in the ring and does it again. He tries for a third one but
Steen trips him up and powerbombs him onto the edge of the ring. Steen sends
him balls-first to the ringpost and plays to the crowd before tossing him back
in. Slam and a senton for 2, then Steen chokes Lethal on the middle rope. Steen
is spending way too much time playing to the crowd here. Another slugfest ends
with Steen hitting a DDT for 2, Lethal is back up with punches but a
clothesline sends him back down. Steen goes up top, but spends too much time
fucking around and the senton hits Lethal’s knees. Steen fights free from a dragon
suplex but Lethal hits the backcracker for 2. Lethal tries an Irish whip but
Steen holds the ropes to block and lands a pumphandle neckbreaker for 2, but
the cannonball misses. Lethal gets a backdrop into a neckbreaker for 2 and
calls for the Lethal Injection, Steen goes for a fireman’s carry but
accidentally takes out the ref in the process. I don’t like where this is going…
Lethal Injection, but there’s no ref, and here’s Corino and Jacobs to hit the
double-team spike piledriver. Corino puts Steen on top of Lethal while Jacobs
wakes up the ref, but it only gets 2. Now Jacobs attacks the ref while Corino
grabs a chair, but here’s McGuiness out to stop that. He sends Corino to the
back, Jacobs goes after Lethal but he gets sent packing as well.
Steen and Lethal brawl some more, this time Lethal wins that
battle and hits the dragon suplex. Steen no-sells it so Lethal gives him
another one for a 2.9 count. Lethal gets an enziguri (Idea for an ROH drinking
game: Take a shot every time some hits an enziguri. Had you done that for this
show you’d be at about a 0.35 B.A.C. right now. Hell, that Cole/Taven match
alone would get you pretty shitfaced), but gets caught coming off the ropes
with a sitout powerbomb for 2. Steen misses a blind charge and takes a
half-dozen superkicks and the Lethal Combination, Hail to the King (Macho Man
elbow) gets 2. He hooks in the Koji Clutch, Steen makes the ropes. Both guys
end up on the apron and Steen F5s Lethal through the timekeeper’s table. Jacobs
is back out to try to give Steen the count out win, but Lethal makes it back in
at 19 (ROH has a 20 count), only to get hit with the package piledriver. It
gets 2, Jacobs tries to give Steen the spike but Steen has had enough of his
shit (“Get the fuck out of here!”), Lethal sends Steen into him to take him out
again and gets a rollup for 2. Steen no-sells a superkick and hits a huge
clothesline for the double KO. Both guys are back up at the same time, Steen
runs into a boot and Lethal goes upstairs, but he gets caught. Brainbuster onto
the top turnbuckle and the champ retains at 20:47. ****, a bit too much standing
around but still a damn fine match. I maintain that Lethal should have gone
over here, as Steen has been champ for nearly 10 months and really doesn’t have
any opponents left. Case in point: he’s booked against Jay Briscoe at the next
PPV. After that he’s got Adam Cole at Border Wars, and while I’m one of Cole’s biggest supporters
I don’t think he’s ready to get the title.
battle and hits the dragon suplex. Steen no-sells it so Lethal gives him
another one for a 2.9 count. Lethal gets an enziguri (Idea for an ROH drinking
game: Take a shot every time some hits an enziguri. Had you done that for this
show you’d be at about a 0.35 B.A.C. right now. Hell, that Cole/Taven match
alone would get you pretty shitfaced), but gets caught coming off the ropes
with a sitout powerbomb for 2. Steen misses a blind charge and takes a
half-dozen superkicks and the Lethal Combination, Hail to the King (Macho Man
elbow) gets 2. He hooks in the Koji Clutch, Steen makes the ropes. Both guys
end up on the apron and Steen F5s Lethal through the timekeeper’s table. Jacobs
is back out to try to give Steen the count out win, but Lethal makes it back in
at 19 (ROH has a 20 count), only to get hit with the package piledriver. It
gets 2, Jacobs tries to give Steen the spike but Steen has had enough of his
shit (“Get the fuck out of here!”), Lethal sends Steen into him to take him out
again and gets a rollup for 2. Steen no-sells a superkick and hits a huge
clothesline for the double KO. Both guys are back up at the same time, Steen
runs into a boot and Lethal goes upstairs, but he gets caught. Brainbuster onto
the top turnbuckle and the champ retains at 20:47. ****, a bit too much standing
around but still a damn fine match. I maintain that Lethal should have gone
over here, as Steen has been champ for nearly 10 months and really doesn’t have
any opponents left. Case in point: he’s booked against Jay Briscoe at the next
PPV. After that he’s got Adam Cole at Border Wars, and while I’m one of Cole’s biggest supporters
I don’t think he’s ready to get the title.
Now here’s Rhino to Gore Lethal while Jacobs takes out the
ref. The Briscoes try to make the save but get beaten down. Coleman and
Alexander try their luck next and do better, but Jimmy Rave makes his return,
coming through the crowd in a S.C.U.M. shirt to take them out. Rhett Titus and
BJ Whitmer are out next, but Titus immediately turns on Whitmer and reveals
that he too is sporting S.C.U.M. gear. Here’s Michael Elgin, and now Cliff
Compton comes out of the crowd to hit Elgin with some powder. While all this is
going on Steen is just standing around, not joining in the mass beatdown, but
not doing anything to stop it either. Elgin gets handcuffed to the ropes as
Edwards, Richards, and Cole try to make the save but can’t overcome the
numbers. Matt Hardy is out to attack Cole and join S.C.U.M. as well. The
Briscoes are zip-tied to the ropes as a gang of refs try to break everything up
but they get dealt with pretty quickly. Corino cuts a promo as fans fill the
ring with garbage, S.C.U.M. destroys an ROH flag as Steen just stands there
looking bored with the whole thing. “Tonight, honor has died!” End of show.
ref. The Briscoes try to make the save but get beaten down. Coleman and
Alexander try their luck next and do better, but Jimmy Rave makes his return,
coming through the crowd in a S.C.U.M. shirt to take them out. Rhett Titus and
BJ Whitmer are out next, but Titus immediately turns on Whitmer and reveals
that he too is sporting S.C.U.M. gear. Here’s Michael Elgin, and now Cliff
Compton comes out of the crowd to hit Elgin with some powder. While all this is
going on Steen is just standing around, not joining in the mass beatdown, but
not doing anything to stop it either. Elgin gets handcuffed to the ropes as
Edwards, Richards, and Cole try to make the save but can’t overcome the
numbers. Matt Hardy is out to attack Cole and join S.C.U.M. as well. The
Briscoes are zip-tied to the ropes as a gang of refs try to break everything up
but they get dealt with pretty quickly. Corino cuts a promo as fans fill the
ring with garbage, S.C.U.M. destroys an ROH flag as Steen just stands there
looking bored with the whole thing. “Tonight, honor has died!” End of show.
Final thoughts: I’m of two minds with this show. The “show
me good matches” part of my brain was more than happy, with 2 matches at ****
or better and nothing that I would call unwatchable. But the booking here made my
head hurt. Hey, a faction where guys tell us they’ve joined by revealing a
black and white shirt, where have I seen that before? Why is Steen still a
member? He’s obviously not into it anymore and is going face in the near
future, so why are they dragging their feet on the turn? And having 8 guys in faction
when your roster is only about 25 people seems like overkill to me. But hey, we’ll
see where it goes…
me good matches” part of my brain was more than happy, with 2 matches at ****
or better and nothing that I would call unwatchable. But the booking here made my
head hurt. Hey, a faction where guys tell us they’ve joined by revealing a
black and white shirt, where have I seen that before? Why is Steen still a
member? He’s obviously not into it anymore and is going face in the near
future, so why are they dragging their feet on the turn? And having 8 guys in faction
when your roster is only about 25 people seems like overkill to me. But hey, we’ll
see where it goes…
Still, a recommended show just for Elgin/Strong and the main
event alone.
event alone.
Comments are disable in preview.