Remember, my dozens (AND DOZENS) of readers: for a full review of this show, check out Kyle Sparks’ surely superb review of it. You could skip it, but that would just make you look like a damn fool, and you’re not a fool, are you?
OK, I know you don’t come here for my attempts at wit, so let’s do this . . .
1. I’m pleased that ROH continues to devote television time to making the TV Title seem important, even when Eddie Edwards isn’t on the show. The only mistake here was Prazak claiming that the title is “exclusive to HDNet.” I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Edwards has defended it outside of television at least once (vs. El Generico, in Mississauga).
2. Perfectly acceptable opener between Colt Cabana and Erick Stevens. There are a couple of nitpicks here – namely, Cabana’s offense was a little silly at times, and Stevens’ heat segment was a little dull – but it was otherwise a solid wrestling match with a nice finish (Cabana’s creative roll-up to the Doctor Bomb), and Cabana vs. Edwards could be solid.
3. I’m a little fuzzy with my intentional torts, but I think Papa Briscoe’s case against Chris Hero could be on shaky ground. I’m assuming there is some assumption of risk by fans who choose to jump the railing (haven’t we seen Jericho and Eddie deck people before?), ESPECIALLY if you decide to slap a wrestler while you’re at it. Whatever, I’m just hoping this doesn’t lead to the Briscoes getting yet another title shot.
4. Daizee Haze and Sara del Rey had a fantastic match tonight – one of the best women’s matches I’ve seen in quite a while. They told a nice speed vs. power story, and everything was crisp and technically sound. My only complaint is that the end was completely telegraphed. As soon as they stressed the 10-minute time limit at the beginning, I knew we were getting a draw.
5. Steve Corino was great on the mic tonight, as usual. Obviously, you know he’s not being genuine when he says he’s going to try to save Generico from Steen, but he did a great job of selling just how Steen has become even more psychotic than he anticipated when they began their association. The ending shot of Steen sitting in the corner, wearing the mark, was a great image.
6. They did a nice job of building to Mike Bennett’s debut (next week) with tonight’s video package, by explaining who Bob Evans is. They’ve given Bennett an identifiable character and a manager. If this kid falls flat on his face, it won’t be due to lack of planning. I’m actually excited for his debut.
7. I’m also looking forward to seeing Homicide vs. Necro Butcher in a Butcher’s Rules match next week. Those of you who haven’t seen a lot of Homicide’s work and were likely disappointed next week should definitely tune in. Homicide’s a hell of a brawler and this should be a good showcase for him, if they give the match enough time and an actual finish.
8. I’m happy that the ROH crowd was pretty hot throughout this show, but I expect more from a wrestling fan base that professes to be more “sophisticated” than the WWE and TNA faithful. A “U-S-A” chant towards Daivari? I think he’s made it clear multiple times that he’s American, and in his first promo on HDNet he stressed that he was leaving aside his previous gimmicks.
9. I’ve been underwhelmed by Daivari in the past (solid, but never spectacular), in each of his prior stops, but he impressed me tonight. Tonight’s match with Davey was probably the best match I’ve ever seen of Daivari’s, and it wasn’t a carry job. Daivari more than held up his end of the match, they kept a nice, fast pace, and the result was a fun main event.
10. This was ROH’s best show in a few weeks, in my opinion, and certainly made up for last week’s lackluster effort. All three matches were enjoyable, next week’s show was nicely set up, the Women of Honor may finally have a storyline! A lot to like, and nothing to dislike here.
