ROH Reaction of Honor 10.26.13 (Ricky Marvin, Richards, Steen)

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The Glimpse:

Normally if I’m a full week behind, I’ll let it go since the ROH faithful who can’t watch or seek a review have undoubtedly sought it elsewhere.  This week, however, we get Davey Richards vs Ricky Marvin and I’m damn sure going to recap that for everyone.  Also, Michael Bennett is going to be killed by Kevin Steen soon.  Nigel talks up the eliteness of his wrestlers and all of ROH as they recap BJ Whitmer taking a brutal (and admittedly stupid) piledriver from Bennett.  BJ requests Jimmy Jacobs get his job back in Ring of Honor and Nigel is offering him a chance.

The Action:

Match 1: Silas Young vs Jimmy Jacobs

Winner:  Jimmy Jacobs via pinfall

Young grabs a mic and mean-talks the crowd.  He reminds them that Jacobs tried to destroy ROH and everyone is cheering him.  Good point.  Young says that Jacobs is using Whitmer’s injury for his own gain.  Good point.  Young mocks Jacobs for being “feminine”.  Not a good point.

Jacobs bull rushes Young as he turns around with a Spear and pins him.

Match 2:  Ricky Marvin vs Davey Richards

Winner:   Davey Richards via pinfall

Ricky Marvin makes his ROH TV debut after coming up short in his PPV debut months back.

Marvin keys the arm of Richards and tries a quick pin, then an exchange of hammerlocks.  Headlock/headscissor exchange to bring things even.  Marvin outsmarts Richards on a knuckle lock and surfboards him while standing.  Richards uses the ropes to escape and do some damage to Marvin’s arm.  Another headlock from Richards and he shoulders Marvin to the mat.  Davey heads to the floor after a leapfrog and gets tagged with a surprise suicida.  Richards gets back in and catches Marvin on his shoulders, then strikes at him.  Running knee to the midsection sends Marvin to the floor and Richards waits for him to get back in the ring.  Richards intercepts and lays in with strikes.  Snapmare and a body scissors keeps a focus on the midsection of Marvin.  The ref checks on Marvin, who pulls him into Richards to break the hold.  Marvin tries to fight back but runs into a knee for two.  Richards lays in kicks to the chest and mid section but Marvin responds with a springboard enziguiri leaving both men on the mat.  Richards gets up selling his neck and they exchange forearms, but Marvin ends it with a handspring tornado DDT off a whip for two.  Richards breaks a waistlock but takes a swinging fisherman’s for two.  That leads to a commercial as Davey bails to the apron.

Back to action, Richards pulls Marvin to the apron who teases a German suplex to the floor.  Richards breaks clean and eats a super kick, then a headscissors out to the floor.  Marvin is first back in and he greets Richards with a boot to the floor, then lands a moonsault from the top rope.  Marvin stays in charge and throws Richards back in the ring and hits him with a front dropkick for two.  Richards avoids a hold with a full nelson but gets shrugged off.  Enziguiri to the head of Marvin and a German suplex from Davey, but he can’t bridge out and sells his neck.  Richards has enough left in him to sit Marvin on the top rope, but Marvin is fighting out.  Marvin drops Richards to the mat, but he runs up for a super German – Marvin lands on his feet then matrix dodges a clothesline and hits three awesome super kicks for an extremely near fall.  Marvin tries a suplex and Davey reverses into a victory roll for two.  Right hands back and forth followed by corner YES kicks and a forearm from Davey but a huge lariat from Marvin lets him hit a scoop suplex for two.  Marvin heads up to the top rope and Davey gets his revenge by shoving the ref into the rope to crotch him.  Richards meets Ricky on the top floor but gets headbutted away.  Marvin dives into a kick, followed by another in the corner and a top rope double stomp which is good for 2 and 7/8.  Marvin rolls up Richards for another near fall.  Bit of a goofy spot involving the ref, a leg handed to him and a couple of roll up nearfalls.  More strikes back and forth then the Alarm Clock and a lariat.  Davey hits a brainbuster to finish it.

Before the next match, Veda Scott comes out and serves Nigel with some Steve Corino-related paperwork, which draws him to the back.

Match 3:  Kevin Steen vs Eddie Edwards

Winner:  Eddie Edwards via pinfall

While Steen plays to the crowd, Michael Bennett hits the ring and then surprises him with a piledriver.  Bennett and Steen are arguing over who has the better piledriver – If this is any indication, Bennett’s looks like trash.  Steen sells his neck while still trying to fight back from the mat.

Back from a commercial, Edwards makes his entrance.  Steen is still holding his neck but demands the bell be rung.  Edwards implores Steen to not go through with a match in this state but he continues to ask for the bell.  Hands are shaken and Steen shoves Edwards to try to get him riled up for a fight.  The shove doesn’t work so he slaps Edwards twice and gets booted in the face for it.  Edwards misses a baseball slide and Steen tries the apron powerbomb.  Edwards lands on the apron instead, mule kicks Steen in the face and hits a moonsault to the floor.  Strikes are exchanged on the floor and Edwards dumps Steen back in the ring for a shin strike.  Edwards wants Sinclair to stop the match so Steen chops him.  Edwards answers with headbutts while the crowd cheers Steen on.  Back elbow off the ropes and Steen is out before one.  Edwards pummels Steen with forearms in the corner then lands a boot to the head but Steen still kicks out defiantly.  Snapmare to Steen and a kick to the spine for a two count.  As ROH goes to commercial, Edwards still wants the match stopped.

Edwards is still in charge but Steen resists a whip and boots away.  Steen ducks too early for a back drop and gets kicked then answers with a clothesline.  Steen bails to the floor for a bit of space as he continues to clutch his neck.  Edwards chases out and gets the apron powerbomb he’s owed from earlier.  Steen drags Edwards to the next side of the ring and drops Edwards on another powerbomb attempt, then gets him up on the second try.  Those apron powerbombs must suck SO much to take.  Steen rolls Edwards back in and heads to the top rope for a Swanton and a two count.  Steen is first up to his feet and wants a Package Piledriver but Edwards drives him to a corner for an echoing chop.  Back elbow and the Boston Knee Party is good for another two count.  Edwards heads up top this time and misses a double stomp then runs into a pop up (sitout) powerbomb for two.  Steen wants F-Cinq but Edwards rolls out and wants the Achilles Lock.  Steen boots out and rolls him up for two and Edwards delivers a boot.  Steen tries a sleeper suplex and a German, both avoided.  Edwards hits a hurricanrana and locks on the Achilles Lock.  Steen gets the bottom rope for a break.  Steen boots Edwards as he approaches in the corner then sits himself on the top rope.  Three enziguiris from Edwards followed by a Chinchecker attempt that Steen counters into the sleeper suplex for two.  Steen wants a Package Piledriver, but his neck tweaks and Eddie manages a jackknife pin to beat Steen.

The Reaction:

Young was on a roll until he mocked Jacobs for being feminine.  It’s 2013, there’s no place for that on television.  Although I completely agree with his point about kids getting trophies for participation – Eff that.  A cheap spear pin doesn’t mean the guy should be hired back, so we’ll see where the angle goes from here.  I suspect that Jacobs will have to face some former SCUM guys or something at some point.

Now that’s how you use a load of superkicks without looking as goofy as the Bucks (Love ’em otherwise).  Back and forth action in appropriate fashion.  Obviously the ROH star gets the win here to keep him as a top guy.  Davey selling the inability to bridge a German due to match-related neck issues was a nice change of pace.  Ricky, for being a chunky fella, can fly damn well.  That was extremely entertaining and it’s always fun when you believe some of the near falls.  The most important part is that the crowd was completely into the match.  Every near fall, every important strike, every slam.

Good job by Steen with the selling in this match.  His hand was wrapped back around that neck which made it that much harder to play out the match and it was still done well.  Obviously this is done to show that despite eating a Bennett piledriver Steen keeps on keeping on and shows his toughness.  Only issue is this is accomplished by making Edwards look like he can’t put away a guy who has a jacked up neck.  I can appreciate the occasional finish that isn’t signature -> finisher -> pinfall, so I’m ok with this one.  Still a big “ow” for those apron powerbombs.

The Preview:

Glory by Honor highlights next week!

The Shill:

As always, if you like what you read here, let me know in the comments or on twitter @sbfantom.  I sincerely would like to hear what people think and strike up some conversation!

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