Ring of Honor – September 7th, 2016

Howdy!

Let’s get the preliminaries out of the way here…..

Not much going on in the world of ROH this week.

Let’s watch some wrestling, shall we?

Ring of Honor TV – 9/7/16

Opening video package shows highlights of Adam Cole winning his second Ring of Honor World Title at Death before Dishonor over Jay Lethal. But as Cole celebrates, the Ambassador of Kick-Assador returns, as Kyle O’Reilly comes in the ring and puts a beating on Adam, raising Cole’s newly won title belt over the fallen champion. What will happen tonight?

Proper opening video now, and we’re off! We are TAPED from Sam’s Town in Las Vegas, Nevada! Your hosts are Kevin Kelly & Nigel Mcguinness. And the first thing we hear is the music of the Bullet Club! Adam Cole leads “Hangman” Adam Page, Yujiro Takahashi, and the Guerillas of Destiny to the ring. And our new World champ has himself a mic! “Who’s ready for storytime with Adam Cole, bay-bay?” It’s the top-rated wrestling segment in all of Eastern Yugoslavia! I just made that up. Anyway, the champ has a few things to say. When Adam Cole and the Bullet Club make a promise, they keep it; he said that he would be World Champion again, and at Death before Dishonor, that came true! And he knows that there will be an even bigger target on his back, but they’re the Bullet Club! The measuring stick in pro wrestling; no one can hang with them!

So it doesn’t matter who the next challenger or the next group of wrestlers is that tries to mess with the old ‘Biz Cliz’; Adam Cole is going to be the greatest Ring of Honor World champion of all time! Yeah! Kevin Kelly wonders aloud who the next challenger will be, and right on cue it’s the music of the former champ! Jay Lethal comes out now, mic in hand and the crowd chanting his name! “It’s nice to know that you guys still love me, and it’s nice to know that I still hate Adam Cole!” Lethal tells Cole that this isn’t over, and Cole mocks him, saying that Lethal is just out angling for a championship rematch, but he should just come out and say it; Adam Cole will always be better than Jay Lethal. And he can tell that Lethal wants to get his hands on Adam Cole, but it’s the champ’s night off tonight; if Lethal wants to go toe to toe with Cole in the future, he should know that if he gets in Cole’s way, he gets in the Bullet Club’s way. Lethal tells Cole that he can have the night off, sure; but remember, Cole may have friends, but so does Lethal.

And with that, we hear the music of Los Ingobernables de Japon! First we see EVIL come out to stand at Jay’s side, then Tetsuya Naito does the same on the other side! Remember, these guys hooked up together at Honor Rising this last year, so kudos to ROH for paying it off. And Jay’s got some backup! And ROH started their show just like Raw does, and I’m not sure how I feel about that! And we’ve got to watch these great ads!

We’re back with Kelly and Nigel at the desk, and during the break we find out that Nigel has made our main event for next week; The Bullet Club (Adam Cole, Hangman Page, & Yujiro Takahashi) vs Jay Lethal, Tetsuya Naito, & EVIL! Back to the announcers and they talk about the tag title match from last week, and we see that after the match the Bucks got some revenge on the Addiction on the floor, hitting an Indytaker and putting Kaz through a table at ringside; they then took the belts and posed on a ladder, which sets my toe-a-tappin’. But it looks like those lovable scamps that are Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, AKA The Addiction, AKA the world tag team champions….of the world have come out and are not pleased. Kaz accuses Nigel of creating the previous footage on a laptop to embarrass the Addiction, and Daniels points out that the most important part of the footage was them having their hands raised to retain their world tag team titles! They accuse Nigel of libel and slander, and Kelly grabs the mic out of their hands to send them to the back.

Kelly then tells us that what we really need to do is take a look at the situation between BJ Whitmer, Steve Corino, & Punisher Martinez. No we don’t, Kevin. We really, really don’t. Chris! Frankie! COME BACK!!!!

Anyway, as per my policy of not recapping this BULLSHIT ANGLE THAT NEEDS TO FUCK OFF AND DIE ALREADY, here’s the short version of the video they show: Kevin Sullivan is EVIL and he brought in Punisher to help sacrifice Steve Corino. Or something, I dunno. I’m willfully tuning this shit out. Kevin Kelly says that he’s never seen anything like that in his life. OH, COME THE FUCK ON. You were working for the WWF when Taker tried to ENBALM Steve Austin ALIVE. You’ve been in the shit, Kevin Kelly. Call out this crap for being exactly what it IS; a FLAMING DUMPSTER FIRE OF SUCK.

Let’s forget that happened. I swear, just seeing BJ Whitmer’s face is giving me fits of rage, and not the good kind.

And there’s the music of the Cabinet! Okay, I’ll confess something here; the whole Cabinet thing is growing on me a bit, because these guys are completely committing to it and trying to make it work. Anyway, it looks like a singles match is in order here, as Caprice Coleman is announced. And he’s followed with the music of one Dalton Castle! He’s out with the Boys to his usual big time reaction. You know, if they want the one guy in ROH that Adam Cole definitely would NOT be cheered against, it’s Dalton Castle. Castle is so crazy over as a face that he probably could get Adam over as a heel, which is pretty hard to do these days. Just saying. Kelly tells that in addition to next week’s main event 6-man, Bobby Fish will defend the ROH World TV title against Katsuyori Shibata! SHIBATA~!

Caprice Coleman (w/ Rhett Titus & Kenny King) vs Dalton Castle (w/ The Boys)

Code of Honor is followed. And it appears that we’re going to start with a…..thumb war? Okey-dokey. Castle finally shoots for Coleman’s leg and takes him down, then works the single-leg rolling Coleman over and getting one before Caprice gets back to his feet and goes to a side headlock. Dalton reverses that, so Caprice shoots him off and Dalton…stops after bouncing off the ropes and does his pose. So does Coleman, and we’ve got ourselves a good ol’ fashioned pose-off, which Caprice loses spectacularly until he just grabs a headlock. They do a few reversals off that, and Caprice shoots Castle off, but Dalton just runs through him with a shoulder. Castle has this crowd in the PALM of his hand; they’re popping for anything he does. Castle runs the ropes now, but eats a Caprice dropkick as a result. Coleman charges in the corner and gets alley-ooped to the apron, but nails Castle with a right and goes up. Dalton trips him on the top buckle and runs across the apron to hit a running kneelift on Caprice, then he goes to the other side and hits a running kick on Coleman. Dalton tosses Caprice back into the ring, but the All-Night Express just grabbed the Boys on the outside! Man, everytime I write a sentence involving the Boys, I half-expect to end up indicted. “No one touches Dalton Castle’s Boys!” sayeth Nigel. I weirdly feel better now. Castle comes over to protect the Boys, and the ref tosses King and Titus from ringside as a result! And that tosses us into a break for these great ads!

We’re back and Coleman has taken over, stomping away at Dalton and dropping an elbow. Castle makes the comeback with a clothesline and a running knee to the corner, then a back elbow. Forearm by Castle, Exploder suplex by Dalton! Castle goes for the Bangarang, but Coleman blocks it by grabbing the top rope and hits an STO on Dalton. He puts Castle on the top rope and ‘ranas him off! He takes FOREVER to cover, and Dalton does a nice bridge over the back to get out at one, then hits the deadlift German suplex on Caprice! 1,2, NO! ANX charges back out to ringside now as Caprice takes advantage of the distraction and rolls Dalton up for two. Titus gets on the apron now and Castle takes a shot at him and DIDN’T THE REF BOUNCE THESE GUYS FROM RINGSIDE? I mean, Nigel is sitting right there! Can’t he call for security or something? The Boys decide to take care of it themselves, running across the ring and hitting stereo tope con hilos onto ANX, and Dalton has this great expression on his face; he turns around and catches a charging Coleman with Bangarang, and we’re done here. (Dalton Castle over Caprice Coleman, pinfall, 7:26)

WORTH WATCHING? – From a technical standpoint? No, probably not. Both guys are really decent workers, but they’ve had much better matches than this. I’m giving it a YES because watching that Whitmer video wore me down, but also because the sheer presence that Dalton Castle brings to his matches makes them worth watching quite a bit of the time. The work in the match was fine, if mostly average, and Castle knew when to keep it light and when to wrestle, keeping the match well-paced. I enjoyed it alot, but it wasn’t completely due to the ringwork as much as the layout of the match itself. Bueno.

Post-match, Dalton celebrates as Kelly tells us that our main event tonight will be the Briscoes against Jay White & Lio Rush! Let’s go back a few weeks to see highlights of Jay White taking Jay Briscoe to a draw. Yeah, that match wasn’t that great, but whatever. Video airs, then back to the table as Kelly and Nigel gush over White for a few, but he’s interrupted again by the Addiction, who are now standing on a ladder at the top of the ramp! The ladder represents everyone that they’ve beaten, and that’s why the Addiction are at the top of the ladder! Nigel says that he’s thinking about something; I wonder if it’s the great ads we’re about to watch!

We’re back to a promo from our World TV champ, Bobby Fish! “Shibata, I would find myself an envelope, I would stuff that sucker full of yen, I would go find our referee and I would hand it to him, because he’s the only one in a position to help you now.” See, Fish hasn’t decided whether it’ll be a knockout or a submission or whatever, he hasn’t decided how he’s going to beat Shibata yet; but when he does, the only person that is going to be there to help him is the referee, because Bobby is just going to be there to hurt him.

Bobby, I love you, I truly do. RUN. Taunting a wild Shibata in nature is a good way to get yourself killed.

And there’s the music of the #1 contender to the World TV title, one Donovan Dijak! Prince Nana leads his charge to the ring, where his opponent is from the ubiquitous “already in the ring”; that place never seem to produce any winners! And that victim’s name is Manny Lemons, so I hope for all of our sakes Dijak makes this quick.

Donovan Dijak (w/ Prince Nana) vs Manny Lemons

Lemons declines the Code of Honor by slapping Dijak across the face, then doing the Nana strut! Well, nice to know you, Manny. Boot from Dijak, forearm from Dijak, he picks Lemons up and hits a knee to the ribs and tosses him to the floor from a slam position. Dijak goes out and gets him, then press slams him back into the ring, Feast your Eyes finishes. Lemons’ sole offense was the slap in the beginning. (Donovan Dijak over Manny Lemons, pinfall, 1:34)

WORTH WATCHING? – NOPE

Post-match, Nana has the mic! He’s been listening to all this stuff that the matchmakers have to say about the Fish/Shibata match next week! Well, Dijak has been due a World TV title match since he became the Top Prospect winner 2 years ago, but no matter who it is, Fish or Shibata, they’ll be dropping that TV title to Donovan Dijak! Hey, speaking of TV, how about we watch some great ads on our TVs right now?

We’re back to the music of Jay White! He makes his way to the ring, with his tag team partner Lio Rush in tow! “Reach for the sky, boy!” Man, I never get tired of hearing that. Here come the Briscoes! Jay and Mark hit the ring, IWGP tag belts in tow. This match should hopefully be really good, assuming that Jay Briscoe and Jay White’s chemistry was just off the first time they faced each other.

The Briscoes (Jay and Mark) vs Lio Rush & Jay White

Code of Honor is followed. Mark and Lio look to start us off as Kelly tells us that with the tournament upcoming to crown the 6-Man tag team champs in ROH, the Briscoes will be teaming with their six-man tag partner in NJPW, Toru Yano, while the Rush and White will be teaming with ACH.

Mark takes Rush to the corner and hits a chop and right hand, Rush fires back with a kick, then reverses a Briscoe cross-corner whip. They run the ropes and Rush grabs Mark and ‘ranas him after walking the second rope. Foot of Rush is caught, but Lio somersaults away and gets a blind tag to White, allowing him to hit Mark with a right when Briscoe charges after Lio. White with a few hard shots and he sends Mark cross-corner, but Mark catches him coming in with a forearm. And there’s a tag to Jay Briscoe, and here comes the doubleteam. Big splash in the corner from Jay Briscoe onto White, then stereo kicks from both Briscoes to White’s head in the corner. And it’s time for us to not go away, but instead watch these great ads!

We’re back with Mark in control of White. White blocks a suplex so Mark just wails on him and tries again, this time White DDTs him instead. Tag to Jay Briscoe, tag to Lio Rush! Rush comes in and wows the crowd as usual with his speed, dodging a boot from Briscoe and hitting quick kicks on Jay. Briscoe cuts that off with a vicious back elbow. Kick from Jay and an Irish whip, but Rush manages to avoid a Briscoe charge and Jay hits the floor, with Rush following with a tope con hilo! Mark takes exception to that with a Blockbuster onto Rush on the floor. Big beel throw by Mark on Lio, and that gets followed by a big boot from Jay Briscoe. Mark tosses Rush back in for two as Jay Briscoe superkicks White on the floor. Single-arm camel clutch from Mark on Rush, then a gutwrench suplex by Mark. Tag to Jay Briscoe, and he comes in with a dropkick on Lio. Jay tags in Mark and stomps a mudhole in Lio and by GOD walks it dry, then tags Jay Briscoe back in.

Briscoe takes Rush over with a suplex and covers for two. Jay takes him back to the corner, but Rush starts to throw hands and fight out. Jay cuts him off with an inverted atomic drop, but Rush jumps off a whip into a dropkick to Mark in the corner. He scoots through the legs of Briscoe and hits an enzuigiri to get enough room to make the tag to Jay White! They slug it out and run the ropes, and White takes Briscoe down with a forearm across the chest. Shot to Mark in the corner by White, then a running European uppercut to Jay Briscoe in the corner! Suplex by White, he goes up, missile dropkick to Jay Briscoe! 1,2, NO! One more break for ads to go, so let’s get that out of the way!

We’re back with Jay Briscoe going for the neckbreaker, but White shoves him off and hits a dropkick! Uranage by White, then Rush comes off the top with a frog splash! He bounces back to his feet and runs at Mark Briscoe on the floor with a tope! In the ring, White covers, 1,2, NO! Tag to Rush now and they double team Briscoe with forearms and kicks and they set up for a big double team move; but Mark pulls White to the floor and suplexes him there! Meanwhile in the ring, Briscoe levels Lio with a clothesline that turns him inside-out and back inside again. Tag to Mark, Fisherman’s Buster on Rush! He puts Rush on the top rope and looks to yank him off, but Rush hangs on and White comes back with a dropkick to send Briscoe crashing to the corner! Rush comes off of White’s back with a delayed dropkick, White with Brainbuster on Mark, Shining Wizard by Rush, 1,2, Jay Briscoe makes the save! Whew, that was a great sequence. Jay Briscoe back in now and he tosses White to the outside; he fires forearms at Rush, Rush gets right back at him and fire shots of his own! Roundhouse kick by White! White off the ropes, Jay Briscoe catches him! Death Valley Driver by Briscoe! Mark Briscoe off the top, Froggybow! 1,2, White back in and he shoves Jay into Mark to break up the pin! Crowd thinks this is awesome, and they are extremely correct. Jay Briscoe and Jay White slug it out now, with Briscoe gaining the advantage; White has the temerity to fight back, and gets headbutted into next week for his insolence. Mark comes from behind on White and the Briscoes sandwich Jay White with an elbow and a forearm to knock him loopy. That leaves Rush alone with the Briscoes, and that’s not going to go well for Lio. And one Doomsday Device later, things are done not going well for Lio; things are just done. (The Briscoes over Lio Rush & Jay White, pinfall, 10:26)

WORTH WATCHING? – An energetic tag match that just flew by, YES, I enjoyed this match thoroughly. White and Rush fought from underneath the whole time, and I especially love watching Rush work, especially against the bigger Briscoes. He’s going to make it huge if he can get past his small size. White was fine, and the Briscoes are always good. Fun tag match to close out the week.

Post-match, the Briscoes celebrate as they show a graphic for the first match in the tournament to crown the 6-man tag team champs at All-Star Extravaganza, which will be the aforementioned Briscoes/Taru Yano vs ACH/Rush/White. Nigel has something that he wants to say, but we pause beforehand to see the Code of Honor adhered to at the end of the match between the teams. Back to Kelly and Nigel, and Nigels tells us that he’s tired of the Addiction not showing respect; he knows they’re watching in the back, so they can hear what he has to say. They say that they’re the top tag team in the business; well, Nigel is going to give them a chance to prove it.

“On September the 30th, at All-Star Extravaganza, live on pay-per-view, you will get the chance to prove you’re the best tag team. In the ring, against the Motor City Machine Guns and the Young Bucks in LADDER WAR 6!”

The Addiction go nuts backstage as Kelly reminds us that next week, Bobby Fish defends the World TV title against Katsuyori Shibata (and tries not to die), & a six-man tag team main event with The Bullet Club (Adam Cole, Takahashi, & Hangman Page) against Jay Lethal, Tetsuya Naito, & EVIL. See you next week!

FINAL THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: While it was unusual to have the show start with a long promo like we did, Cole did a good job with it and the hour breezed right by. Castle/Coleman was decent to be sure, and the main event was most certainly worth watching. Next week’s show looks completely loaded, so I already can’t wait.

As always, thanks for reading this thing I wrote,

Rick Poehling
@MrSoze on Twitter