Live Results from RoH’s Buffalo, New York Debut:
The crowd was decently sized, and very hot throughout the show. There were some fans that got a little annoying and one in particular who got extremely annoying, but I will get into that later. There was a group of guys who shouted “KNEEE!!!” every time someone delivered a knee, it made no sense, but I thought it was hilarious. Most other sites are reporting attendance in the 450 range, I would have to say that figure is just about accurate, almost all of the seats were filled and there were some people in the bleachers, but it was still a very good crowd, and RoH should be pleased with what they drew.
Now Onto the matches:
The Embassy (Jimmy Rave and “Fast” Eddie Vegas) with Prince Nana and Jade Chung vs. El Generico and Sal Rinauro
Rinauro had “Saved by the Sal” written on his tights in the Saved by the Bell style and I got a huge kick out of that. El Generico was entertaining but didn’t get a ton of ring time to show everything he had to offer. Fast Eddie and Jimmy Rave with Nana were great heels, Fast Eddie played the cocky heel surprisingly well since his back-story (he is legally blind and can only see shapes and not detail) would lead him to get a lot of babyface style pops. Rave once again used Jade Chung, who is absolutely gorgeous by the way, as a foot stool to get into the ring, and the abuse of Ms. Chung is getting even more over the top which generates heat for the Embassy. Prince Nana is also one of the best managers going today on the indies, in the WWE, in TNA wherever, Nana is great at what he does. Jimmy Rave won with his version of the Shining Wizard followed by the Rave Clash on poor Sal Rinauro. Sal and Generico got decent ovations after the match as did most of the losers of the matches the rest of the night.
Winners: The Embassy of Jimmy Rave and “Fast” Eddie Vegas.
H.C. Loc vs. Cheech of Lacey’s Angels w/ Lacey and Cloudy
This match was not announced, but ended up being very entertaining. Loc came out to the ring drinking some Jack Daniels, and wearing the new Carnage Crew shirt (his team with Tony Devito) which read “Fat, Drunk, and Pissed” if memory serves. This was my first time seeing Cheech actually wrestle, but I had always been entertained by his antics as part of Special K, so I was looking forward to it. This was also my first time seeing Lacey’s Angels in action with that gimmick, and I like the classy gear and the different attitude. Also as a Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan I dug their entrance music.
The match was not remarkable, but it was entertaining, Cheech hit a springboard headlock, yes a springboard headlock, in which he jumped off the top rope only to cinch in a headlock on HC Loc. Loc hit most of his usual offense, a few Saito suplexes and his Knee DDT Neckbreaker combo. The finish came when Lacey, who is also HOT, distracted the referee, and Cloudy (No not the weird transvestite from the Body Donnas after they dropped Sunny, but a little guy who can do some entertaining stuff) hit Loc with a low blow and then he and Cheech hit a 6-1-9/Dropkick to the Back of the head Combo with Cheech hitting the dropkick. Cheech then went to the top and hit a shooting star press. Out of nowhere Loc grabbed a small package for the win. I would have preferred to see Cheech get the win, but it was not to be, and the small package didn’t really fit in my opinion, but I liked the match.
Winner: H.C. Loc
“The Notorious 187” Homicide vs. “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen
This was my first time seeing Kevin Steen as well, and I had heard a lot of good things about him so I was definitely looking forward to it. Homicide came out without Julius Smokes which was disappointing as the Devil’s Son-in-law is hilarious and very entertaining. It even generated a “Where is Julius” chant.
Homicide was very unique tonight in that he showed a sense of humor and wasn’t his usual intense, “I’m gonna kill you” self. He mugged for the fans and actually got more of a babyface reaction which kind of stinks because he is such a great heel. At one point fans started chanting “USA” which got a “HOOOOOOO!!!!” out of ‘Cide, and then he scoffed and went back to work dismantling Steen.
The match was very even, and there were definitely a few instances where I thought Steen was going to win. Homicide ended up getting the duke with a vicious Lariat. Kevin Steen certainly impressed and I hope to see him back.
Winner: “The Notorious 187” Homicide
For the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championship:
B.J. Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs (champions) vs. Dunn and Marcos the Ring Crew Express
Jimmy Jacobs and B.J. Whitmer were extremely entertaining in this match. They came to the ring and did the “Two Dudes with Attitudes” taunt with the tiny Jimmy Jacobs taking the Diesel spot, and the much larger Whitmer filling the role of Shawn Michaels. Dunn and Marcos got a very good reaction from the practically home town crowd; I believe they are from nearby Rochester.
Surprisingly The RCE got a lot of offense and Jimmy Jacobs played the “face in peril” for the early part of the match. There was the distinct possibility that Dunn and Marcos were going to take the tag straps. There was a fun spot when Jacobs and Whitmer got Dunn and Marcos to “Huss” by kicking them in the hands. Jacobs then tried to get Whitmer to “Huss” to no avail so Jacobs kicked Whitmer in the hand to get the desired “Huss.” Whitmer then tried to chase Jacobs and almost got rolled up as a result.
It seemed a few times that the Ring Crew Express was going to be able to pull it out after hitting several of their big maneuvers, but it was not to be. The finish came when Dunn and Marcos tried for a top rope shoulder top senton (Dunn puts Marcos on his shoulders and throws him off into a senton splash). Whitmer broke it up and proceeded to give exploders to Marcos first, off of Dunn’s shoulders, and then Dunn off of the top. Whitmer and Jacobs won with the Doomsday Hurricanrana. I enjoyed this match, but I am a huge fan of Jimmy Jacobs.
Winners (and still champions): B.J. Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs
Alex Shelley vs. Roderick Strong representing Generation Next
I was looking forward to this match immensely considering these are two of my favorite wrestlers, and the match did not disappoint. Before the match could get underway RoH champion Austin Aries came out and jawed with Shelley telling him to get out of the way or get taken out. Shelly responded by calling attention to Austin Aries rumored neck injury. This gave the fans in attendance who don’t follow RoH storylines the necessary back-story for the main event. Aries was then barred from ringside and the match began.
The match immediately went to the outside and they brawled all over the Amherst Pepsi Center. This is good and bad, but bad for only selfish reasons. It sounded like they were absolutely killing each other, and it certainly showcased the intensity of the match, which is great. The downside is that for most of it I couldn’t see a thing, so now I am going to have to buy the DVD to see what went on. You shysters, RoH! Either way, the venue was a hockey rink, and it sounded like they were hitting each other into the boards and that was cool.
The match then finally got into the ring and was very entertaining. Surprisingly to me, Roderick Strong won after a couple of backbreakers. The finish wasn’t stellar, but it did its job. Austin Aries then returned with a metal pole and they proceeded to destroy the back of Alex Shelley. This eventually led to a stretcher being brought out, but the Generation Next boys attacked Shelley once again before he was finally stretchered out properly.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Then we had intermission.
Triple Threat Elimination match:
Shane Hagadorn vs. Davey Andrews vs. The Masked New York City Superstar
This was more or less a throwaway matches but it provided some entertainment. The Masked NYC Superstar was a fat guy in a black hood and camouflage that flitted around the ring like an idiot. He generated a funny “Holy Shit” chant, and was then eliminated in short order. Thereafter we were treated to a showcase of RoH Wrestling School students in Hagadorn and Andrews.
Davey Andrews, who has impressed me in the few times I have seen him, worked the ear (???) for the rest of the match and won with a submission. It was entertaining but not memorable.
Winner: Davey Andrews
The Second City Saints of Colt Cabana and CM Punk vs. The Pure Wrestling Tag Team of Nigel McGuinness and Chad Collyer
This was a continuation of the Colt Cabana vs. Nigel McGuinness feud. It was weird to see Punk playing second fiddle to Cabana in storyline terms, as it is usually the other way around. The match was extremely entertaining with a lot of good comedy and great storytelling.
Nigel and Colt really showed a lot of hatred for one another in this match. They got into several middle school playground brawls that had to be broken up by their respective partners. As the match progressed Nigel and Chad got continually more heelish and started acting like dicks towards the end. This generated a “Nigel’s a Jerk” chant from the crowd. Collyer and Nigel played heels very convincingly and Punk and Cabana worked well as the exasperated babyfaces.
The finish came when Nigel used the ropes to roll up Colt Cabana getting another cheap win over the Second City Saint. After the match, in true Bret Hart fashion Colt gave his headband to a fan sitting along the entrance ramp. This match really served only to continue the Cabana/McGuinness feud, but it did so in excellent fashion.
Winners: The Pure Wrestling Tag Team of Nigel McGuinness and Chad Collyer
For the Ring of Honor Pure Wrestling Championship:
Samoa Joe (chamion) vs. James Gibson (formerly Jamie Noble in WWE)
For those who don’t know, the Pure Championship is contested under slightly different rules. Each wrestler is allowed only three rope breaks to break up a pinfall or submission. After he uses all three the ropes can be used to. There are no closed fist strikes to the face. The first will result in a warning the second will result in being penalized a rope break, if a wrestler has no rope breaks then he will be disqualified. There is a strict 20 count on the floor (RoH does not have count-outs otherwise). The Pure title can change hands on a count-out or disqualification.
This match was amazing. The atmosphere was 90% great, but there were a few moments that bogged it down, but luckily did not ruin the match. Throughout the entire match there were dueling chants of “Let’s Go Gibson” and “Let’s Go Joe” which made the match that much more intense. The match started slow, in a chess-match type of way, and not in a boring way at all, but a fan made a grave mistake and said, “I’d rather watch a Triple H match.” The rest of the crowd tore into him, and after Joe delivered his signature sidewalk slam out of the corner to Gibson he told the fan to “Get the Fuck out of here.” This incident could have been worse, and it did generate a “Fuck Triple H” chant during a particularly hot segment, but it far from ruined that match, and I hate that I devoted this much time to it.
The rest of the match featured very intense segments as Joe and James traded submissions. A “Muscle Buster” chant started and Joe attempted to deliver the crippling maneuver, but Gibson reversed it into his Front Chancery Body Scissor submission. Many thought Joe was going to tap at this moment. The match went on a little longer, and Gibson attempted a rollup which Joe reversed into The Choke, and as always that lead to a Samoa Joe victory as Gibson tapped out. Many wanted Gibson to fade out instead, but I liked the tap out victory. I would still like to see more pure wrestling matches end in pinfall, but that is another story.
Winner (and still Pure Champion): Samoa Joe
For the Ring of Honor World Championship:
Austin Aries (champion) vs. Spanky (formerly known as Spanky in WWE)
I really didn’t think the Pure Title match could have been topped, but in my opinion this match did. It depends on who you talk to, some liked the Pure Title better, some liked this match better, and although it is close, I liked this match more. To the best of my knowledge this was Spanky’s first shot at winning the title since the one hour iron man match from Crowning a Champion, but I could be wrong. The major story in this match was Aries’ potentially injured neck, and as a result Spanky spent most of the match working that tender body part.
The atmosphere in this match was great as well. The dueling chants were not as prevalent and the crowd was more in favor of Spanky, but I think that speaks to Aries being a very good heel. After absorbing tons of punishment to his neck, Aries was able to even the score by piledriving Spanky onto a wooden chair. It made for very interesting psychology to see Aries and Spanky both working the same body part. The psychology in this match was just awesome.
The two wrestlers traded devastating moves, and Aries did an excellent job of selling his neck injury drastically slowing down his normally extremely quick and explosive moves, most notably his Kamikaze roll into the 450. He usually shoots right up to the top rope and hits his 450 splash but this time it was very slow. As a result, Spanky was able to hit a top rope Sliced Bread #2. Aries did everything within his power to get out of the ring to avoid being pinned, but Spanky was able to pull him in, but only got a two count as Aries was able to grab the bottom rope. Also out of nowhere Aries was busted open and blood was everywhere. Some people have reported that he had busted open his chin, but I could not see from my vantage point. After Aries got the rope, Spanky attempted a Straight Jacket Choke to get a submission, but Aries escaped delivered several stiff kicks, the brain buster, and the 450. The most amazing part is that he did not line Spanky up perfectly and had to adjust in mid air while doing the flip. It was always impressive when Eddie or RVD altered the frog splash to hit it perfectly, but this was with a flip as well. I totally loved this match.
Winner (and still RoH Champion): Austin Aries
As always you can e-mail your thoughts to bigandymac@yahoo.com
and you can go to www.rohwrestling.com for all of your Ring of Honor needs.
