Welcome back to another Monday night for ROH on HDNet! I’m your host Kyle Sparks, apologizing once again for last week’s unpleasantness, and promising a pretty good darn good show tonight. It’s the best night of wrestling on TV, naturally, and I’m here for arguably the best hour of wrestling going today. This week we have been advertised FOUR matches, with a main event featuring Tyler Black in non-title action against “The King of Old School” Steve Corino! Since I don’t have anything else witty to say, here come the plugs!
For Your Reading Pleasure:
*As always, Ricardo Rochetti does his typically phenomenal job of encapsulating my thoughts and opinions on all things ROH.
*Mark Allen checks in with an excellent–albeit depressing–look back on the week that was in WWE. Home of ROH refugees Daniel (Bryan Danielson) Bryan, CM Punk, Evan (Matt Sydal) Bourne, and Kaval (Low Ki). See? There’s your ROH tie in. Plus I’ve got to suck up to the guy who covers the biggest name in the business.
There now. That was fun, wasn’t it? Now, let’s dive in like Greg Lougainis hitting a diving board! Or…maybe not…oh, look HERE COMES THE RUSH!
**We open with Tyler Black and Jim Cornette in the ring to discuss Tyler Black’s future. The crowd chants “please don’t go,” for what it’s worth. Tyler loves Ring of Honor. BUT. “You and I both know that nobody can outbid a billionaire from Connecticut.” That’s a little heat. And the heat grows as Black justifies his lack of desire to respect the fans. Black takes the CM Punk route and threatens to leave for WWE with the ROH World Title belt. “When I leave, I’m taking THIS with me.”
Your Hosts are, as always, Dave Prazak and Mike Hogewood.
**Roderick Strong and The House of Truth (w/ Truth Martini) vs. Jay Freddie, Mike Bennett, Andy “Right Leg†Ridge
Able and Mike Bennett start off. Collar and elbow and Able grabs a hammerlock and a side headlock. Bennett sends him off and a shoulder block goes nowhere. Able slaps him and grabs another headlock. Bennett whips him in again and drops down, leapfrogs and catches a kick. Bennett then slaps Able and hits a scoop slam and Roderick Strong steps in, disdainfully waving Able aside. Strong grabs a hammerlock, Bennett reverses, Strong reverses again, Bennett reverses again and wrings the arm. Strong counters with a knee to the midsection and a kick to the chest, but Bennett answers with a dropkick and tags in Andy Ridge. Ridge hits a series of kicks (natch), and a very nice running knee actually, for 2 as Truth seems strangely unconcerned that his team is getting beat up by jobbers. Raymond blind tags in and jumps Ridge from behind, and we’ve got A PIER SIX! Things calm down quickly and Raymond sends Ridge into the boot and tags in Able. They hit their powerbomb senton combo and Able poses in a “cover” for one before breaking and hitting a fistdrop. Strong back in again and unleashes a big chop and you can tell he’s heelish because he’s got a five o’clock shadow. Strong just stomps the hell out of Ridge and tags back in Able who lays in a boot choke and tags in Raymond. Ridge backflips out of a double backdrop and tags in Jay Freddie who cleans house until Strong hits a big gutbuster and puts him away with the Sick Kick.
Roderick Strong (W), Josh Raymond & Christian Able def. Jay Freddie (L), Mike Bennett & Andy “Right Leg” Ridge via Sick Kick in 4:54.
It was what it was. Perfectly acceptable wrestling, a little short, and honestly, I’m a little disappointed with the amount of offense given the face team, honestly. This being the first appearance of Roddy and the HoT as a team, they really needed to steamroll, especially given that I assume the plan is to give the HoT a bit of a rub due to their association with Strong. The right guy got the pin, and the only thing I was missing was a little more HoT double team action. (*3/4)
**Post-match, Strong points out that he hasn’t lost a match since he’s seen the Truth. He’s still convinced that ROH will try to screw him over, but it won’t matter, because he’s done everything he said he would, and he will be the next ROH World Champion.
**In the back, Kevin Steen is being “interviewed” by Steve Corino. The chain is their new best friend. Steen promises to wrap the chain around Generico’s neck and pull until his head simply pops off, like on Steen’s t-shirt. That’s…colorful.
**In answer, Cabana and Generico cut a promo as well. Cabana says they don’t play mindgames like Steen and Corino, but when it’s two on two, the odds will be in their favor. Cabana was not a good promo here, frankly. I’ve seen him cut great serious promos, but this one just kind of rambled. Meanwhile, Steen’s was short, quiet and to the point, almost Jake Roberts-esque.
**ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli, w/ Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey) vs. El Generico and Colt Cabana (Non-Title Match)
Cabana and Hero start off. Cabana starts off with his usual silliness and posturing, but we’re quickly down to business. Knuckle lock to start and Cabana with a european arm takedown and a pose for a one count. Cabana grabs a headlock, but Hero reverse to the top wristlock and uses the hair to take Cabana down. Cabana works back to his feet and escapes a waistlock, and it’s more Johnny Saint shenanigans resulting in a diving folding press for 2, and Generico tags in. Hero cuts him off with a chop and a ram into the boot of Castagnoli. After the tag, Generico counters a lift into a hurricanrana for 2 and a mounted punch in the corner and a calf kick. Claudio backs Generico into the wrong part of town and Hero tags back in. They both duck their heads off an irish whip and Generico lays out some nice, deep arm drags to maintain control on Hero, and Cabana tags in. Cabana wrings the arm both ways and tags Generico who comes off with an elbow onto the arm and fires away. Claudio with a blind tag as Hero rolls out of the ring and both men hit a big boot on Generico for two, and Hero even hits one on Cabana on the apron for good measure as Claudio adds a diving european uppercut to the back. Hero tags back in and runs Generico into the corner and hits a low dropkick and a hotshot. Claudio tags back in and they hit the running elbow/bicycle kick combo for 2. Claudio hooks up a submission that appears to be a seated abdominal stretch/hammerlock/dragon sleeper variant. Cabana breaks it up and Claudio goes after Cabana, allowing Hero to run in and add a stomp before getting tagged in himself.
The Kings hit a great Hart Attack Elbow for 2. Hero plays at going for the mask, but settles to let up Generico and throw a couple of forearms before tagging in Claudio who applies a bearhug. Generico elbows free but runs into a powerslam for 2. Hero tags in and the Kings hit the Giant Swing/Low Dropkick combination for 2, broken up by Cabana. Hero shoves a semi-conscious Generico into the corner and just drills him with a right before he tags in Claudio, who adds a kneeling chinlock, as Hero runs around to the other side and drops Cabana off the apron again. Kings go for the KRS-One, but Generico gets down and starts firing off forearms and walks the ropes into a top rope headscissors on Hero. Claudio hoists up Generico in an electric chair, but Generico victory rolls into a HOT TAG. Cabana hits the asai moonsault on both Kings, and Bionic Elbow for Claudio. Cabana tosses Hero into Claudio, goes for the Billy Goat’s Curse, but Claudio distracts. Cabana avoids the rolling elbow, and hits a clothesline for 2 on Hero. Hero whips Cabana into the corner and goes for a charging elbow but misses, and Generico adds a Yakuza Kick and Cabana follows THAT with the Flying Apple. Cabana goes for the cover, but Claudio breaks it up. Generico responds by taking a flying leap off Cabana’s back to take out Claudio on the floor, and just as that happens, Steen and Corino appear in the entry way, whipping the metal with the chain. A distracted Cabana falls prey to a lethal Hero elbow strike for the 3 count.
Chris Hero (W) & Claudio Castagnoli def. Colt Cabana (L) & El Generico via Roaring Elbow in 9:38.
Damn fine tag team match, if a little short. Everybody came out looking good, and it built two matches simultaneously. It’s difficult for the Kings to really promote their match, since apparently Haas and Benjamin aren’t appearing anytime between now and September 11th, apparently not even for promotional photos. Anyway, it’s hard to have a better “face in peril” than El Generico, and he did it again tonight. Solid stuff all around, and Cabana and Generico would be a fine challenge for the Kings somewhere down the road. (**3/4)
**ROH World TV Champion Eddie Edwards vs. “Rock & Roll” Mike Sydal (10 Minute Hunt Match)
Before the match begins, Mike Sydal announces himself as “Rock & Roll” Mike Sydal and poses and postures like Marty Jannetty, circa 1991. Edwards responds with a microphone to the face and we’re underway. Chop in the corner, whip across and Sydal hits a headscissors. Edwards reverses a whip and hits a kick, Sydal goes for a kick of his own, but Eddie catches it, drags him into a split, and just punts him in the chest. From there, it’s achilles lock and over. Wow.
Eddie Edwards def. Mike Sydal via Achilles Lock in 0:36.
Well, what do you want me to say? It’s a 36 second match! Apparently from one taping report I read, there was some talk that with concerns about Mike Sydal having a concussion, this was made way shorter than it was originally intended. Whether that’s true or not, who knows, but take from it what you will. (DUD)
**Jim Cornette is backstage and is concerned about Tyler Black insisting that the match between him and Roderick Strong be No-DQ, especially given Truth Martini and/or the HoT getting involved. So we’re going to have a ringside enforcer. A ringside vigilante, to make sure justice is done. You might have heard of him before. His name is Terry Funk. Hopefully this means it won’t turn into a massive circus, but from a storyline perspective, I like it.
**ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. Steve Corino (Non-Title Match)
Corino has Kevin Steen in his corner. Black actually has crowd support, which makes me think that the promo they showed at the beginning of this week’s show was actually from this past Friday evening’s taping and just spliced into the show. Corino jumps Black before the bell and chokes in the corner. Corino whips him corner to corner and hits a running chop, before throwing Black to the outside. Corino upends the timekeeper’s table and whips black into it, as there’s a guy sitting with security that looks oddly like WWE NXT rookie Percy Watson. Anyway, Corino whips Black into another guardrail and goes to hit a running dive, but gets met with a boot. Black sends Corino pillar to post into the guardrails himself and hits his somersault plancha to take down Corino. Black rolls Corino back in and lands a couple of chops in the corner and a BAAAAAAAAAAACK body drop (tm, Vince McMahon, ca. 1987-1996).
Corino begs off but it’s a ruse as he reverses an irish whip and hits a leg lariat. Corino continues in control with a scoop slam and a second rope kneedrop for 2, as Steen is talking the whole way. Black lands a kick but without much behind it, as Corino punches him and chokes him on the second rope. Steen keeps his distance, but continues to talk to get into Tyler Black’s head. Black is able to dodge a charge and lays in a couple chops but meets boot on a corner charge and gets hit with a running STO for 2. Corino chokes Black with the wrist tape pretty blatantly, given he went to the effort to hide the fact that he was unwinding it and to position referee Todd Sinclair just so. But whatever. Black hits his standing backflip but Corino blocks the dropkick. Black responds with a somersault dropkick anyway and a series of clotheslines, before rolling up Corino into a kick to the head. Black floats through a scoop slam and rolls through an O’Connor Roll for a slam of his own. Black misses the quebrada but hits the standing shooting star press for 2, broken up by Corino’s foot on the ropes.
Black hits his springboard clothesline, as the crowd is REALLY dead. Corino blocks the Buckle Bomb and tries to backdrop out but Tyler knees him in the head and backslides him for 2. Corino just MURDERS Black with a clothesline and adds his sliding lariat, but only gets 2. According to Prazak, it’s called The Eternal Dream. Works for me. Steen hands in the chain for some reason, which Sinclair takes away, but Black is able to hit a kick. Corino recoils to the corner and retrieves a fork! Black hits a superkick anyway, and then it’s Buckle Bomb, superkick, goodnight Gracie.
Tyler Black def. Steve Corino via Buckle Bomb/Superkick combo in 9:06.
The unspeakably dead crowd really hurt this one, as it wasn’t really a bad match per se, but it was just…blah. It was just there. I’d expect more out of these two, frankly, and supposedly they had a pretty good outing on the live show circuit. Either way, it wasn’t as good as I had hoped. There wasn’t much of a story or a direction. It was, s the great Eric S. called it, an angle advancement match. (**1/2)
Let’s add up the numbers. On a 50+ minute show, there was 24:14 of wrestling. I’m a little disappointed in that, but there were two solid long-ish matches displaying the Tag Team Champions and the World Champion on the last show leading into the PPV. The major storylines leading into it were built up nicely, there weren’t so much recaps tonight as interviews advancing things, and all told, it wasn’t the perfect go-home show, but it was pretty solid. Nothing worth going out of your way to see, but not really a waste of time either. All told, a solid B-/C+ or so.
As always, thanks for reading, never hesitate to hit me up with any comments questions or anything else and I hope to see everyone next week!
