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METROLINA TRADESHOW EXPO – Charlotte, North Carolina – September 8, 2012
Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino are on commentary.
MATCH #1: Special Challenge – Jay Lethal vs. Adam Page
Lethal cuts a promo before the match to explain his recent actions. Jim Cornette accused Lethal of not having any Killer Instinct, so Lethal set out to prove him wrong, and show that he is the right man to wrest the ROH World Title from the nightmare that is Kevin Steen. Page grabs the mic and says that he wants to prove he belongs in Ring of Honor.
They immediately start slugging away at each other and trading chops. Lethal dumps Page to the apron but misses a dropkick. He lands a kick to the gut and then knocks Page to the floor with a handspring into the ropes. They trade chops on the floor and Lethal wins that battle. Back in the ring Page connects with a spinning heel kick for two. Page tries a quebrada but Lethal actually catches him in an Ace Crusher. Lethal kicks Page to the floor and wipes him out with a dive. Back in the ring Lethal covers for two, twice. Lethal hits a back suplex for another two-count. He keeps up the pressure, working on the back. Lethal hits a backbreaker and locks on an inverted Cloverleaf, and then turns it into the Parachute hold. He lets go but stays on offense. Page makes a comeback but Lethal cuts him off with a Flatliner into the buckles, a la Jay Briscoe. Thief. They take it to the apron and Lethal nails Page with a hard superkick. Lethal tries an exploder but Page blocks it and hits a back elbow. Page then hits a shooting star press off the apron! That was neat. Back in the ring they trade shots and Page catches Lethal with a powerslam for two. Page hits a DDT for another two-count. He goes up top but jumps right into a superkick. Lethal hits a Fisherman Buster for a near-fall. He follows with the Lethal Combination but again only gets two! Lethal hits more backbreakers and then the Lethal Injection to finally score the pin at 11:11. That was a hell of an opener and a great showing for Page. Lethal gets on the mic to give Page props and the two shake hands.
Rating: ***¼
Backstage – Veda Scott is with Q.T. Marshall, who says his goal is Ring of Honor gold, either the World or Television Title. Marshall promises to beat Mike Mondo tonight. Could Marshall be any more generic?
MATCH #2: “No Fear” Mike Mondo vs. Q.T. Marshall
Marshall stalls to start and then tries going to work on the arm. Mondo responds in kind and has a little more success. They trade control back and forth a bit and the crowd is not quite as invested as they were in the opener. Marshall clotheslines Mondo off the apron down to the floor. Back in the ring Marshall goes to work. After a while Mondo fights back and goes back to work on the arm. Mondo hits a single-arm DDT for two. Marshall responds with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam for a two-count. Mondo grabs the arm and the crowd chants “boring,” Marshall breaks out but Mondo continues to work the arm. Mondo goes up top and misses a stomp, apparently injuring his knee. He was playing possum though. Mondo hits a snap mare driver and the double-arm DDT to finally end this match at 11:12. That was so the opposite of the opener, as the guys showcased their bland personas and had the crowd chanting “boring.”
Rating: **
Backstage – Veda Scott is with Harlem and Lancelot, the Bravado Brothers, who are happy to be in their home state tonight. They promise that the Bravado Bandwagon will be in full effect tonight.
MATCH #3: Battle of North Carolina – Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander vs. The Bravado Brothers
Coleman and Alexander are already in the semifinals of the ROH World Tag Team Title tournament, and will face Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs next week in Chicago. Harlem and Alexander start the match with some chain wrestling. Alexander hits a dropkick and Harlem hits a dropkick. Back in the ring the Bravados take control on Alexander and also knock Coleman to the floor. Harlem and Lancelot show some impressive teamwork but Coleman cuts them off (illegally I might add) with a high cross body block off the top rope. Coleman tags himself in and now C&C are in control, isolating Lancelot in their half of the ring. Harlem interferes from the floor to give the brothers the advantage again. The Bravados go to work on Coleman’s arm. After several minutes Coleman is able to leap up to the top rope and hit a turn-around clothesline. Coleman makes the tag and Alexander is a house afire. Harlem and Lancelot cut Alexander off and go back on offense. The pace is getting very quick and momentum is shifting back and forth. Coleman hits Lancelot with three rolling Northern Lights suplexes for a near-fall. He then hits a running leg lariat in the corner and turns it into a moonsault on the way down to wipe out Harlem on the floor. That was awesome. Coleman hits Lancelot with a spinebuster for two. He locks on a stump puller of all things. Harlem breaks it up. He tags in and drills Coleman with a huge boot to the face. Harlem follows with a Blockbuster for a near-fall. He hits Diamond Dust for another two-count. Harlem locks on the London Dungeon and Coleman reaches the ropes. Out on the floor Alexander runs Lancelot into the barricade. They both get back in the ring then and all four men are in. The referee has lost control. Harlem throws in a Flair Flop, since they’re in Flair Country. I like it. Alexander and Lancelot trade strikes and Alexander wins that battle with a modified Fisherman Buster. Harlem hits Alexander with a big boot and then traps Coleman in a small package, which Coleman reverses and gets a two-count. Coleman hits Harlem with a Clawhold STO. Alexander hits an IED. Coleman puts Harlem on the top rope and delivers a rana. Alexander follows with a Frog Splash, a combination that I guess is called Overtime, to get the pin at 19:55. That went longer than I thought it would but it never felt too long. Both teams looked great and they had the crowd whipped into a frenzy by the end. Sleeper match right there for sure.
Rating: ***¾
Davey Richards’ Address
Richards puts over the previous match, which is nice. He says he loves wrestling in Ring of Honor and puts over Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe. Richards says he’s ashamed of the person he’s been outside the ring. He says he’s back in ROH, and will also be in Chicago for “Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency.”
MATCH #4: Mike Posey vs. Jeff Lewis Neal
Why did this match make DVD? Posey is one half of the Alabama Attitude tag team. They go back and forth in the early going, with Neal using his superior power and Posey using his speed and agility to try and control the contest. Corino leaves the commentary position. He’s going to miss all THIS action??? Neal keeps Posey on the mat for a bit but Posey won’t give in. Posey his an innovative double underhook suplex using the ropes for a two-count. Neal comes back with a double underhook suplex into the buckles for a near-fall of his own. They fight up on the top rope and Posey knocks Neal back. Posey channels Bobby Eaton and comes down with the Alabama Jam to get the pin at 6:03. No disrespect to the guys involved, but ROH has neither mentioned nor booked either guy since, so why should anyone watching ROH care?
Rating: *½
Then we find out the reason this match exists, as S.C.U.M. comes out to attack both guys for no reason at all. ROH World Champion Kevin Steen gets on the mic and says that since he has a title match against RHINO next week, he is canceling tonight’s steel cage main event. Steen says they’re going to make an example out of Posey, so Rhett Titus runs out to make the save. The Briscoes come out to even the odds. Whoever the ring announcer is says that Steen will be fined five large if he doesn’t compete in the main event tonight. So don’t worry Charlotte, it’s happening.
Backstage – Veda Scott is with the House of Truth. Roderick Strong’s strike is over for now, but he threatens to leave again if anything happens that he doesn’t like. Truth Martini and Michael Elgin don’t care for his attitude.
MATCH #5: Tag Team Challenge Match – Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin) vs. The House of Truth (Roderick Strong & Michael Elgin) w/ Truth Martini
Haas does this new thing of getting in fan’s faces and yelling at them, which is stupid this day in age because everyone knows a wrestler will not attack a fan so the fans just laugh at him. It does nothing for no one. Now Bruiser Brody in the ’80s, that’s a different story.
They stall for a bit with some silliness about a t-shirt. I’m just done with Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team. The match starts proper with Strong and Benjamin in the ring. They chain wrestle a bit and Strong looks both sharp and cocky. Benjamin makes him pay for his pride and goes to work on him. Haas tags in and shows how ANGRY he is. Elgin tags himself in and enters the ring to take out both Haas and Benjamin with a slingshot shoulderblock. Strong is irritated with him but the House is still able to send both Haas and Benjamin to the floor. Instead of following up, Strong and Elgin jaw at each other. Elgin saves Strong from getting hit from behind. Strong gets on the microphone and tells Elgin he doesn’t need him, so Elgin allows Strong to get drilled with a superkick to the back of the head. Elgin tags back in and unloads on Benjamin using his brute strength. WGTT is able to subdue Elgin and isolate him. Haas spits a disgusting loogie that gets stuck on the middle rope, and for some reason he wipes it back on his face. What is that supposed to prove? Elgin comes back and goes for a tag but Strong bails on him at the last second. Even so Elgin is able to hit Haas with a shoulderblock off the top rope for two. Benjamin tries Paydirt but Elgin blocks it and hits a spinning back fist. Haas sneaks up behind Elgin and hits a release German Suplex for two. Elgin comes back with an enziguiri and Strong takes the opportunity to tag himself in. Strong rolls Haas up for two and then he and Elgin bicker again. The referee loses control and all four men are in the ring. Strong hits Haas with a gutbuster and goes for the Sick Kick but Benjamin cuts him off with Paydirt. Haas then locks on the Haas of Pain, and Elgin refuses to save his partner so Strong has no choice but to tap out at 14:54. The match surrounding the angle was just fine, but I do like how they’re handling the Elgin/Truth/Strong angle so this worked for me.
Rating: **¾
Backstage – Veda Scott is with ROH World Television Champion Adam Cole, who will face his former partner tonight. Cole recaps their match on June 24, which was a show stealer. He says he owes O’Reilly a receipt.
MATCH #6: Proving Ground Match – Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Davey Richards comes out to watch the match from ringside. Cole and O’Reilly start with the fists flying right away. That quickly gets elevated to kicks. Cole knocks O’Reilly to the floor and goes for a dive but O’Reilly cuts him off with a forearm. O’Reilly goes for a dive and Cole cuts him off with an enziguiri. Cole then connects with a dive and then throws O’Reilly into the barricade a couple of times. On the third attempt O’Reilly reverses and sends Cole crashing into the barricade. O’Reilly goes for a powerbomb but Cole pulls his legs out from under him and catapults O’Reilly into the ring post. Cole goes to work on the leg now, which is wise when facing a powerful kicker like O’Reilly. He uses the ring post figure-four, which is always cool. Back in the ring Cole goes fro a cross body block but O’Reilly dropkicks him out of the air for a two-count. O’Reilly keeps Cole on the mat and wears him down. He uses an abdominal stretch and even grabs the ropes for leverage. Referee Paul Turner finally notices it and kicks O’Reilly’s hands away. I hate that spot. Turner should have given O’Reilly a count of five to break the hold. Cole gets a hip toss and then they trade kicks, knocking each other out. They get back up and the pace is going fast and furious. Cole hits a release German suplex and a Shining Wizard for two. He goes for the Florida Key but O’Reilly blocks it. O’Reilly unleashes some strikes and a tornado DDT. He tries to roll that into a brainbuster, but Cole reverses it to his own brainbuster right on the knee for a two-count. That was neat. Cole goes for the Figure-Four Leglock but O’Reilly gets an inside cradle for two. O’Reilly tries a kick but Cole catches it and hits a dragon screw leg whip. A series of reversals ends with O’Reilly hitting a reverse rana. O’Reilly hits a Regalplex for two and then locks on a choke with some weak elbows to the head. Cole turns that into a cradle for two. They take the fight to the apron and Cole hits a Michinoku Driver! Back in the ring Cole covers and only gets two. Cole goes up top and O’Reilly knocks him down. O’Reilly goes for the dropkick off the apron but Cole catches him with a superkick. Cole goes up top and hits the cross body for a near-fall. He locks on the Figure-Four Leglock and O’Reilly reaches the ropes. Cole knocks O’Reilly off the apron right onto Richards, who shouldn’t be there anyway. Richards argues with the referee, which distracts Cole long enough for O’Reilly to roll him up and get the pin at 15:47. I thought there was a 15-minute time limit? Either way that was a really good match between two former partners who have great chemistry as opponents too. I’m not wild about the finish but I see where they’re going with it.
Rating: ***½
MATCH #7: Six Man Steel Cage War – The Briscoes & Rhett Titus vs. S.C.U.M. (Kevin Steen, Jimmy Jacobs & Steve Corino)
The Briscoes and Titus don’t even wait to get into the cage to start the fight. Referees and local security try herding everyone into the cage but they have very little success. Corino breaks a beer bottle and carves up Mark’s forehead, busting him open. Elsewhere Steen is working on opening up Jay’s head and does so, raising the blood count to two before the opening bell.
Titus and Steen are the first two men in the cage to start the match proper. Everyone gets in the ring except Mark, who gets locked out courtesy of the ROH World Champion. That hardly seems fair. S.C.U.M. effectively keeps Mark out of the cage and continues their three-on-two advantage. Mark tries climbing up the cage right over the ringside table, and if you don’t know how that ends, you just don’t know much about wrestling do you? Steen, Jacobs, and Corino continue to dominate inside the cage. Meanwhile out on the floor Mark finds a beer and grains strength from it. Jay and Titus have grained strength from who knows what and they’re throwing S.C.U.M. around the cage now. The action is coming from so many different places its hard to keep track of. Finally Mark is able to make it to the top of the cage and he flies down onto all three of his opponents with a moonsault! Moments later the Briscoes are able to hit Jacobs with the Doomsday Device and Mark scores the pin at 11:50. It was a little hard to follow but for the most part it was fun chaos. That’s the kind of match that’s way more fun to see live than on DVD, but it worked for what they were going for.
Rating: ***
After the bell Steen, Jacobs, and Corino lay the Briscoes and Titus out and celebrate. S.C.U.M. heads to the back, but before they can make it, Jay Lethal comes out and attacks Steen! Lethal is trying to show Jim Cornette his Killer Instinct. Hey, that would be a good name for a show!
~BONUS~
Jay Lethal on Steen
Jay Lethal Gets His ROH World Championship Shot.
THE PULSE
This is definitely an under the radar show, but given the low expectations I was pleasantly surprised with this show. It features some great tag team action, a very good singles match between two rising stars, and a breakout performance from Adam Page. There is also some good angle development with Davey Richards and the House of Truth, so this is a solid Ring of Honor show. You can purchase it at the official ROH Shop.
