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Cincinnati Masonic Center (Taft Masonic Center) – Cincinnati, Ohio – February 16, 2013
Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are on commentary tonight. They run down a bit of the card and hype the main event.
Backstage – Q.T. Marshall cuts standard heel promo 101, in which he mocks the fans for being gross and compares them to his opponent tonight, Jay Briscoe.
MATCH #1: Jay Briscoe vs. Q.T. Marshall
Marshall continues his promo in the ring and the sound is bad so I’m having trouble hearing him. He mocks Pete Rose for being a crook and puts himself over before getting cut off by Jay’s music. Jay is currently one half of the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions. The Code of Honor is followed and here we go. Jay takes Marshall down to the mat. Things quickly get heated and Jay kicks Marshall all the way to the floor. Jay follows him out and catapults him into the ring post. Back in the ring Jay continues going to work. Jay goes up to the second rope and Marshall sweeps his leg out, sending Jay crashing to the mat. Marshall works Jay over for a bit and gets a few two-counts. He takes his eye off the ball and Jay makes him pay for it. Jay unleashes offense on him, including a hangman’s neckbreaker for two. He charges into the corner but Marshall moves and Jay’s shoulder hits the post. Marshall hits a Rocker Dropper for two. He hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a powerslam for another two-count. Marshall tries a piledriver but Jay backdrops out of it. Jay then hits the Jay Driller for the pin at 6:51. That was solid for an opener, even if the finish came out of nowhere.
Rating: **¼
Backstage – Veda Scott is with TaDarius Thomas, who is about to face Jay Lethal. Thomas respects Lethal and thinks he may be the next ROH World Champion, but Lethal still has to get through him first.
MATCH #2: Jay Lethal vs. “T.D.” TaDarius Thomas
Cincinnati fans must really love streamers because we’ve seen them in the first two matches already. That’s annoying. They star with some aggressive chain wrestling, as Thomas has something to prove and Lethal has a spot to protect. Both men show off some impressive athleticism and they work it to an RVD/Lynn standoff spot. The crowd appreciates it though. Lethal and Thomas continue trying to one-up each other and Lethal is the more aggressive of the two. The battle spills to the floor and Lethal is looking dominant here. Thomas won’t go quietly into the night though. He uses his unorthodox kick-based offense to take Lethal down for a two-count. Thomas continues the offense and keeps Lethal reeling. Lethal comes charging back with a running chop in the corner, a bodyslam, a superkick, and a chop to the face (I don’t think that’s what he was going for) for a two-count. He puts Thomas on the top rope for a superplex but Thomas kicks him down for a sort of mini Warrior’s Way for two. Thomas hits more kicks and lands a bridging Dragon Suplex for a near-fall. He tries a back suplex but Lethal slips out and hits a superkick. He follows with the Lethal Injection (though somehow it ended up more as a neckbreaker than a cutter) to get the pin at 11:52. This match wanted to be good and had all the elements of being such, but there were just a few weird little spots where it looked like their communication was off. I bet they’ll get another chance to go and I think they can do better.
Rating: **½
Backstage – Veda Scott gets a word with Mark Briscoe, and she mentions that it’s been a while since we’ve seen Nate Webb in an ROH ring (almost four years). Mark cuts one of his weird promos, and I almost have a hard time believing there was a time when the Briscoes were SCARY dudes. Mark’s a cartoon character now.
MATCH #3: Mark Briscoe vs. “Spyder” Nate Webb
Mark is of course one half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions. From the outset it looks like they’re going to be doing comedy in this one. Not that I’m in great shape myself, but Webb does not appear to be in any sort of good shape either. Webb appears to be moving at half speed. Mark uses a lot of Redneck Kung Fu to subdue the Spyder. He throws Webb to the floor and dropkicks him through the ropes. Mark then suplexes Webb on the edge of the ring frame, and follows him back in with a slingshot senton for two. Webb comes back with the Arachnid Kick to send Mark to the floor. He then wipes Mark out with a dive. Back in the ring Webb covers for two. Mark comes back with a Dragon Suplex into the turnbuckles. He hits the Froggy ‘Bow to get the win at 7:19. That was just bad, and if Webb was trying to impress anyone with that performance I would chant “Don’t Come Back.” I’d rather have seen Q.T. Marshall wrestle again.
Rating: *
Backstage – Veda Scott gets a word with Roderick Strong, who will face newcomer ACH momentarily. Strong mentions that people are talking about ACH and puts him over, but that everything he has won’t be enough to defeat Roderick Strong.
MATCH #4: Roderick Strong vs. ACH
They take it to the mat, of course. Things get heated and they trade strikes. ACH will not be intimidated. He traps Strong in the Tree of Woe and hits him with a sliding clothesline for a one-count. Strong fights back with hard chops and kicks. He throws ACH to the apron and tries a suplex but ACH flips back into the ring and springboard dropkicks Strong to the floor. That was neat. ACH tries an Arabian Press but Strong moves and he lands on his feet! Ridiculous. ACH tires a rana but Strong catches him and swings him into the barricade. Back in the ring Strong goes to work, which is not a good position for ACH to be in. Strong throws ACH back to the floor and hits a back suplex on the edge of the ring frame. ACH barely makes it back in the ring and Strong continues to assault him. From out of nowhere ACH comes out of the corner and hits a Flatliner. Everything he does, he finds a way to make it look a little bit cooler. Back on their feet ACH makes with the offensive attack, and this a slingshot Ace Crusher for two. They go back to the floor and ACH hits a ridiculous dive to take Strong off his feet. Back in the ring ACH hits a high cross body off the top rope for a near-fall. Strong comes back with a half-nelson backbreaker for two. He hits a running knee in the corner, a a forearm smash, and the torture rack backbreaker but ACH kicks out! Strong tries the Gibson Driver but ACH counters to a rollup for two. Now Strong puts on the Stronghold and ACH turns that into a cradle for another two-count. Strong tries Death By Roderick but ACH reverses to a reverse rana for a near-fall. Again, ridiculous. ACH hits a Stunner but misses a 450 Splash off the second rope. Strong hits Death By Roderick to finally get the pin at 14:59. That was a star making performance by ACH, and I can’t wait to see what else he can do in Ring of Honor. Strong is always a good test for new guys, and ACH really showed he belonged. More please.
Rating: ***½
“Hoopla” with Truth Martini
Sigh. Truth comes out with two girls, one that is hot and one that is not. He rambles on for a bit and then the hot girl takes her pants off and prances around the ring. Truth introduces Adam Cole as his guest. The stupidity continues and eventually they get around to talking about Cole’s upcoming TV Title defense against Matt Taven in Chicago. Truth slaps Cole on the ass and eats a superkick for his troubles. He tries to hit on Veda Scott but she throws water in his face. What a colossal waste of time this was.
MATCH #5: Charlie Haas vs. Pepper Parks
Haas comes out with a case of beer. He cuts a promo that I can’t be bothered to recap. Pepper Parks is just about the worst name I can think of for a wrestler. Haas continues to talk trash so Parks slaps him in the face. That causes Haas to regroup on the floor. Parks cuts a brief retort promo and then wipes Haas out with a dive. For some reason the referee rings the bell with both men on the floor, rather than waiting for them to get back in the ring. Parks is all over Haas on the floor, and brings the match inside the ring to continue the onslaught. Haas pulls a Finlay and traps Parks in the ring apron to take control. He hits an Olympic Slam into the ring post. Parks barely makes it back inside before the count of 20 and Haas continues dissecting him and talking trash to the crowd. After a few minutes Parks comes back with some stuff, including a powerslam for two. Parks continues pouring on the offense but Haas catches him with a spinebuster for two. Haas goes for a superplex but Parks pushes him back. Parks comes off the top rope with a neckbreaker for a near-fall. They go to the floor and Haas drops Parks back-first on the guardrail. Back in the ring Haas brings an empty box of beer and tries to use it as a weapon. Referee tries to take it from him and gets shoved down hard. That should be a disqualification. Instead, with Colucci’s back turned, Haas sprays beer in Parks’ eyes and rolls him up for the pin at 11:23. The match felt about twice as long with that stupid finish. I mean an empty cardboard box, what the hell kind of weapon is that??? If you want Parks to impress, the LAST person you put him in the ring with is Charlie Haas.
Rating: ½*
After the match Haas attacks one of the students at ringside, who goes by the nickname “Cheeseburger” for some reason. He repeatedly giant swings him into the barricade and then sprays him with beer. Can’t wait for the epic Charlie Haas versus Cheeseburger blow-off.
Backstage – Kyle O’Reilly, sans Veda Scott but plus scarf, cuts a promo about his opponent tonight, BJ Whitmer. O’Reilly says he respects Whitmer and stuff but tonight he will take him out.
MATCH #6: Kyle O’Reilly vs. BJ Whitmer
O’Reilly is one half of reDRagon, and Whitmer is “The Buzzsaw.” Both men are cautious in the early going as they wrestle on the mat. Things quickly escalate to a strike exchange, and this time Whitmer gets the better of it. O’Reilly fights back and kicks Whitmer to the floor. He follows him out with the missile dropkick off the apron. Back in the ring O’Reilly hits a proper missile dropkick for two. O’Reilly continually going for a Cross Armbreaker to try and gain a submission. He keeps Whitmer on the mat and even uses the old Austin Aries Fish Hook, an illegal hold. Whitmer catches O’Reilly coming off the ropes with an exploder. He follows up with a flurry of offense, including a spinebuster for two. Whitmer hits a running knee in the corner, a vertical suplex, and a bridging Northern Lights suplex for two. O’Reilly comes back with strikes and a Back Drop Driver for two. He hits a tornado DDT and rolls it into a brainbuster. Whitmer kicks out at one! Both men get up and trade slaps and then fists start flying. Whitmer goes for a suplex and both men tumble to the floor. O’Reilly goes for another missile dropkick but Whitmer catches him with a big boot! Whitmer hits an exploder into the barricade and throws O’Reilly right back into the ring for a two-count. He continues with suplexes, including a Perfectplex for two. Whitmer puts O’Reilly on the top rope but O’Reilly slips out and knocks Whitmer down on hits nuts. O’Reilly then hits a belly-to-back superplex for a near-fall. He follows with a Regalplex for another two-count. O’Reilly locks on a triangle choke and Whitmer powers his way out of it with a powerbomb! That gets a two-count. Whitmer rolls O’Reilly through and kicks him in the head. He follows with knees to the head and then puts on an awkward looking choke and O’Reilly taps out at 16:48. These two meshed well together and neither was afraid of taking the other’s best shots. There don’t seem to be any long-term effects to this match but it was fun while it lasted.
Rating: ***¼
MATCH #7: Six Man Elimination Match, No Time Limit – Davey Richards, Michael Elgin & Adam Cole vs. S.C.U.M. (Kevin Steen, Jimmy Jacobs & Steve Corino
Corino and Richards start the match. They go back and forth, and then let Jacobs and Cole take a go at each other. After that Steen and Elgin get their turns. Things quickly get heated between them and all six men almost start a brawl in the ring but Steen and Elgin hold their partners back. The ROH All-Stars focus on Steen and wear him down for a bit. Some heel chicanery allows Jacobs to hit Richards with a Spear on the apron and now S.C.U.M. is in control. After a few minutes Richards fights back and makes a semi-hot tag. Cole comes in and goes off on Corino, hitting a Shining Wizard for two. The match breaks down and all six men are in the ring, but they quickly all spill to the floor and this is complete madness! More referees come out and Nigel McGuinness leaves the commentary position to stand there and do nothing about it. Somewhere in all the chaos Steen hits Cole with the powerbomb on the ring frame. Things calm back down and S.C.U.M. has control of Cole in their half of the ring. The tenacious TV Champion finally fights back and makes a hot tag to Elgin. Things break down again and referee Paul Turner is having all kinds of trouble. Jacobs and Corino take Cole to the floor and hit him with a Spiked Piledriver! If this was 1988 Cole would be dead. Referees help Cole to the back. Meanwhile Jacobs takes it to Elgin in the ring while Corino mocks the fans. Kelly is not sure if Cole has been officially eliminated or not. Back in the ring S.C.U.M. isolates Elgin and tries to wear him down. Elgin fights back and tags Richards, who is all kinds of fired up. Richards puts Steen and Jacobs in submission holds at the same time, but Corino breaks that up with the $10 punch. Steen covers but only gets two. He then hits Richards with the Package Piledriver to score the first official elimination at 27:17. Elgin is all alone now.
S.C.U.M. is dominating Elgin, but the Unbreakable one is living up to his nickname. After several minutes of abuse Adam Cole makes his way back down! Elgin hits Jacobs with the superplex from the apron and both men are down. Cole begs for the tag and Elgin obliges him! The TV Champion is a house afire, hitting Steen with the Florida Key and almost getting the pin but Corino pulls the referee out to the floor. Cole goes up top and Jacobs spikes him right in the nuts. Steen hits Cole with the Cannonball and the F-Cinq to eliminate him for real at 33:49. Now Elgin really is all alone. The powerful Elgin is quickly able to gain one back, hitting Corino with the back fist, Buckle Bomb, and Spiral Bomb for the pin at 34:54. Jacobs tries coming off the top rope with a cross body block but Elgin catches him and hits the Buckle Bomb and the Spiral Bomb for another elimination at 35:17. Now it’s Elgin one-on-one with the ROH World Champion. Steen hits a pop-up powerbomb for two. He follows with a Sleeper Suplex for another two-count. Steen goes for the Swanton but Elgin gets his knees up. Elgin hits the dead lift German Suplex for two. He rolls into another one but Steen kicks out again. Corino tries to hand Steen a chain but Jay Lethal comes out to run Corino off with a series of punches. Steen rolls Elgin up for two, and then uses a small package to get the pin at 38:56. I’m not sure why a schoolboy rollup wasn’t enough but an inside cradle was. The match was a bit on the long side but there was quite a bit of good action in it and I like the structure of the eliminations. Elgin certainly looked like a beast.
Rating: ***½
The brawl continues after the bell and the Briscoes come out to make the save. If you liked ROH’s return to Cincinnati, congratulations. But if you try to tell Jay Briscoe’s kid that it was not a good show, he will shoot you!
BONUS MATCH: ROH World Tag Team Championship – Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. S.C.U.M. (Jimmy Jacobs & Steve Corino, National Pro Wrestling Day, 2.2.13, Philadelphia, PA
The Briscoes have been the Champions since 12.16.12, and this is their third defense. Corino cuts a brief promo before the match, bad-mouthing Ring of Honor and promising to regain the ROH World Tag Team Titles. Jay and Mark have Cary Silkin with them for some reason. Corino and Jay start the match with some back and forth. Mark gets a blind tag and the Briscoes take control, running S.C.U.M. to the floor. Jacobs and Corino try to regroup but Mark wipes them out with a dive. Jay goes out as well and the Briscoes beat up their challengers all around ringside. Back in the ring the Briscoes isolate Jacobs and wear him down. Corino hits Jay with a clothesline from the apron, because doing illegal stuff is what he excels at. S.C.U.M. controls for a little bit and then Jay make the tag. Mark unleashes Redneck Kung Fu and shotgun dropkicks Jacobs into the corner for a two-count. The Briscoes hit Jacobs with the double-team neckbreaker for another near-fall. The referee loses control and all four men are brawling in the ring. Jacobs hits Mark with an assisted Contra Code and Corino follows with the Eternal Dream but Mark kicks out. The challengers try it again but Jay breaks it up. Jacobs tries to float over Jay in the corner but Jay catches him on his shoulders and the Briscoes hit the Doomsday Device to get the win at 6:13. That was a fine little sprint of a match and a nice bonus inclusion on the DVD, but nothing overly memorable.
Rating: **¼
THE PULSE
Three of the eight matches on this disc reached three stars or higher, so it’s an okay show but not a blow-away one. It was nice to see Whitmer and O’Reilly get the semi-main event spot, and I think ACH really showed what he’s made of as well. The rest of the show was fine but nothing special. This would have been a nice show to package together with another show. You can purchase this show at the ROH Shop.
