Welcome back from the Memorial Day weekend, and those of you who read my Way-too-Early Death Before Dishonor VIII preview, glad to see everyone coming back. At least, I hope you are. This week’s ROH on HDNet promises at least 3 matches, which means that the recappy nonsense should be at a minimum. Plus, our main event tonight features Tyler Black and Austin Aries, who if they just stand around with their thumbs in their ass it should push 3 stars. In addition, we’ll have a flashback (of sorts) to 2000, with Jerry Lynn taking on “The King of Old School” Steve Corino. Sounds good, no? Well, let’s just find out. And awaaaay we go!
**We open up with the road to the title style preview video, detailing the issues between Roderick Strong and Tyler Black and Roddy’s gradual descent into madness. I guess it puts over that there’s lots of threats to Tyler, but if you’re building to Tyler defending against Davey, this seems like an odd choice.
**We open going right to the ring! And wow, Ricky Reyes doesn’t even get a ring announcement. By the laws of pro wrestling, I think we know what to expect here.
Your Hosts are, as always, Dave Prazak and Mike Hogewood.
**El Generico vs. Ricky Reyes
Well, I haven’t seen Ricky Reyes around for quite some time. Reyes was of course best known as 1/2 of the Havana Pitbulls with Rocky Romero, and part of the Rottweilers with Homicide, occasionally Low Ki, Romero and Julius Smokes around 2005. His biggest singles development in ROH led to him choking out student after student with his Dragon Sleeper leading to a solid, if unspectacular match with then ROH School head trainer Austin Aries. To my knowledge he hasn’t met Generico before. Hopefully it’ll be a good one.
Reyes jumps him immediately and draws pretty solid heat doing so. Ricky dominates with his usual offense, while the crowd informs him that “(you) still suck.” Always nice of Philly to point that out to people, in case they forget. Reyes goes for the mask, as Prazak makes me happy by claiming that Generico is a “fugitive from justice.” Generico misses a charge, Reyes misses a charge, Generico hits the brainbuster, and that’s that.
El Generico def. Ricky Reyes via brainbuster in 3:37
Not really much to it. Reyes is generally a strong hand to have around, but honestly, ROH has lots of those types of guys. Sadly, he won’t be missed if he doesn’t come back. (3/4*)
**Back in the studio, we recap the Kevin Steen/El Generico situation with a solid, if unspectacular video package dedicated to them, and the new players on each side of Steve Corino and Colt Cabana. It came off a little choppy, and really I don’t know how well it worked, but hey, I’m definitely amped to see them lock up at Death Before Dishonor VIII on June 19th. I already knew how great a promo guy Steen was, and I already knew that this was a blood feud. But somehow I doubt I was the target audience there.
**After the video package, we head to an interview with Steve Corino, with Kevin Steen lurking just behind Durden. As Corino finishes, Durden asks Steen if he has anything to add. Without really moving, Steen asks Durden if he’d like any gum. Taken aback, Durden agrees, only to have Steen spit his gum in Durden’s face. Win.
**Jerry Lynn vs. Steve Corino
I don’t entirely recall much of a history between these two in the original ECW, and if memory serves, I’m pretty sure they were both heels around the time Corino rose to prominence. To be fair however, I didn’t really get to watch much original ECW, so I could be way off. I’m certain there’ll be an eagle-eyed reader who will point it out if I’m wrong. So far in ROH though, their paths haven’t really crossed save for a great bloody brawl at the “Phoenix Rising” show in Arizona on WrestleMania weekend. Let’s see what happens tonight.
The Philly crowd greets them with an “ECW” chant, as though we expected anything else, and it’s a brawl to start, before Corino finally appears to take control with a right cross. But that does’t last as lots of rapid fire reversals are going on here, with no real control established early. Interestingly, any time it seems to go to the floor, Lynn takes control, with whips to the barricade and dives, until Corino finally reverses one.
Very awkward spot sees Corino capture Lynn in an abdominal stretch and proceed to distract referee Paul Turner only to jab a thumb dangerously near a…rather vulnerable area of Lynn’s lower anatomy. Lynn eventually counters with a hiptoss, sticks the thumb into Corino’s mouth and builds the comeback, until Corino stops it with the Old School Expulsion (called just The Expulsion by Prazak). Corino hits a sliding clothesline only for Cabana to run in to try to get at Corino. Steen stops Cabana, the two of them, plus Lynn and Corino fight to the outside, only for Kenny King to attack Lynn, drawing the official DQ. I never heard an announcement, so I check the “spoilers,” which say it was a “no contest.” Good enough for me.
Jerry Lynn NC Steve Corino (Cluster-ference) in 7:47
Well, it was better than the first match, but that’s not saying much. Given 7 and a half, they probably could have built something a little better than they did. It looked and felt like an exhibition, which isn’t always a good thing. (**)
**Post match, King and Lynn fight to the back, but just as the numbers game is about to get to Cabana, Generico comes out for the save. He finally faces off with Steen, only to be pulled out by Corino, leaving Cabana to take a package piledriver from Steen. Steen is about to really lay the exclamation point with a chairshot, but Generico runs him off at the last minute.
**Back from “commercial” we have a recap of what we just saw. Seeing as the commercial break was all of about 45 seconds to a minute, this seems unnecessary, but hey, it’s a staple of pro wrestling television, so who am I to complain.
**Now, a video package for the World Title match. Both men talk about their families, their histories. how they broke into the business, etc. Black talks about how he was a Hulkamaniac and his brother was an Ultimate Warrior fan, as I wonder just how old he actually was for WrestleMania VI. Great hype package that really helps give this whole thing a big fight feel, even more than it already had. This is a great setup to eventually turn Davey face, because it really personalizes a guy who up until now has just been a soulless hunter. Davey puts over Tyler’s heart and athleticism, Tyler puts over Davey’s intensity, submission and striking skill.
**And apparently after that, we’re going right to the ring. Score.
**Tyler Black(c) vs. Austin Aries – Non-Title Match
Of course there’s quite the storied history between these two. Black was still involved with Age of the Fall when they tried to recruit Aries in late 2008 and early 2009. At Final Battle 2008, Black and Aries fought over the #1 Contendership to the ROH World Title, and at Final Battle 2009, they fought over the title itself, going to a very questionable 1 hour time-limit draw. Black finally defeated Aries at the 8th Anniversary Show in mid-February 2010 to claim the title, and despite Aries seeming to have moved on to other things like managing the All-Night Express of Kenny King and Rhett Titus, there’s always going to be some bad blood here. Aries’ constant declarations of being the man with the power (with or without the belt) will assure that.
The company immediately expose a continuity issue, as Tyler comes out wearing the old ROH World Title belt, despite the fact that all their promotional footage for weeks has had the “new” design. Oops.
Anyway, chain wrestling to start, eventually Tyler takes control until a missed quebrada followed by a missed standing shooting star press leave Aries in control after a rope assisted neckbreaker and a Savage double axe to the floor. Aries consistent legwork pays off in a figure four, and in true homage to Flair, he applies it on the wrong leg, just like Flair always did. Whether that’s true homage or not, I’m not sure, but hey, why not. Black reaches the ropes and Aries holds onto a four count, but wouldn’t you know it, when he went to release, his leg got stuck. Unfortunate thing, that. An honest mistake, I’m sure.
Slugfest on the apron leads to Aries getting dribbled back and forth from buckle to buckle repeatedly until Black hits his apron enzugiri, and follows with a springboard clothesline, and whips Aries from corner to corner and back. Aries tries the Flair Flip, and narrowly avoids the Flair Ending in the process. Black rolls through a crossbody and hoists up Aries for the F-5 for 2. Out of nowhere, Aries snaps off a brainbuster for 2, and eats a superkick trying the IED. Black goes for the phoenix splash, but Aries hangs him up in the ropes and hits the IED into the knee. Aries hits the shinbreaker and goes for the figure four only to have it countered for the three.
Tyler Black def. Austin Aries via small package in 12:42
Great stuff, but some selling issues kept it from being truly fantastic. Tyler has the same sort of leg selling issues that AJ Styles has from time to time. Black and Aries would really have to actively try to have a bad match, and this was no exception. (***3/4)
**Post match, Aries goes for the “from behind” beat-down, assisted by Kenny King. As they’re about to hit the dreaded spike piledriver that took out Jerry Lynn, Lynn himself makes the save, brawling with Kenny King to the back. This brings out Roderick Strong and he, along with Aries and Black are all over each other until Black manages to hit a dive on both to the outside. Black stands tall with the title and we see Delirious watching at the barricade and holding his throat as we fade to the HDNet logo.
Much better show this week, thanks to the fact that it was much more wrestling oriented. This is what people who watch ROH watch it for. Black and Aries made for the second week in a row (technically) with a good, if not great, main event, way more wrestling, and I’m still very excited for Death Before Dishonor VIII. That’s about all you can ask for!
As always, thanks for stopping by and reading, and hey, if you like it, let me know, if not, let me know. Hope to have everybody back reading next week! Until then, keep supporting Ring of Honor, by hitting their website at http://www.rohwrestling.com and getting to live events whenever possible! They may not be a real competitive #2 promotion, but for now with TNA’s doldrums, they’re all we’ve got. Thanks again, and see you next week!
