1. The Kings of Wrestling’s mannerisms are awesome. I like how they “follow” the Code of Honor by shaking each other’s hands, rather than their opponents. The uppercut/elbow pose is really cool, too. Hero and Castagnoli are playing above the rim right now.
2. Very well-laid out opener between the Kings and the Super Smash Brothers. It was clear that the Kings were simply a notch above the SSB’s, but Player Uno and Dos got just enough hope spots to keep the match entertaining. Player Dos, in particular, looked really good again, as his offense coming off the hot tag was fast-paced and crisp.
3. I’d love to see Haas and Benjamin in ROH on a regular basis, as I think they have a lot to offer both as a tag team and as singles wrestlers. In fact, once the Kings are finished feuding with the American Wolves (if that’s indeed what’s coming), assuming they come out on top (and they should), they’ll have established themselves as so dominant that it may take a team the caliber of Haas and Benjamin to dethrone them. Here’s hoping ROH makes Haas and Benjamin chase for a good while.
4. Since Sara del Rey and Daizee Haze face similarly skilled competition, and del Rey squashes her opponents while Daizee usually has to work a little harder to put hers away, am I supposed to believe that del Rey is just that much better than Daizee? Hey, whatever. The match was OK, and I was glad we didn’t get a squash for a change.
5. I’ve read the outcome of the “Pick Your Poison” stipulation involving Steen/Corino vs. Cabana/Generico and think they could have done better. But if getting there means we HAVE to sit through a Davey Richards vs. El Generico match, that is something I’m willing to live with.
6. Steen is always entertaining doing commentary for Corino’s matches, but I thought he was better last time, as he was a little too over-the-top here. Him doing the “crowd reaction” for Corino’s introduction was a nice touch, and “Punch the Panda” was hilarious. With all that said, I’ll be a happy man if I never have to see Corino stick his thumb up his opponent’s ass again.
7. I hope people don’t think “charisma” and “mic skills” are one and the same when thinking of Tyler Black. While his mic skills leave much to be desired, I do think he has plenty of charisma. The video from Glory By Honor proves that, as Black did a great job of feeding off the crowd’s hatred. The “You Can’t See Me” gesture followed by the STFU, in particular, was brilliant.
8. Roderick Strong was actually solid on the mic tonight, again. As I’ve said, I think they have a good formula, with Truth Martini providing the meat of the promo and Roddy coming in with a couple of nice soundbites to drive his point home.
9. Pretty good six-man main event tonight. The House of Truth still looked a notch below the other four men in the ring, but they did a good job of getting in their offense only when (a) they worked in tandem or (b) when their team had the upper hand. I was also happy to see Strong get the pinfall. I think the champion should only lose on free TV under a limited set of circumstances, and his first TV appearance as champ is NOT one of them.
10. Tonight’s show was a thumbs in the middle for me – not bad, not great. While there was nothing that stood out, I do think ROH did a good job of laying the groundwork for where they’re going post-Glory By Honor. Tthe video packages helped accomplish that (and gave everyone a good recap of the main points of the iPPV), so this is one instance where I can’t complain about them.
