For an easy to navigate archive of my ROH reviews, just visit RetROH Reviews!
~Disc 1~
MATCH #1: Tables Are Legal Match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship – Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The American Wolves, ROH on HDNet #11, 5.30.09
This match actually took place on April 10 but didn’t air until May 30. This is the problem with two divergent timelines. Steen and Generico have been the champions since 9.19.08 and this is their eighth defense. The Wolves charge out and the fight begins in the aisle. Steen pairs off with Richards on one side while Generico battles Edwards on the other side, so we get a split screen to follow all the action. Generico dominates Edwards and goes over to help Steen. They throw Richards into the ring and the bell rings (even though I swear it rang while they were fighting in the aisle) to officially start the match.
Richards struggles to his feet while both Steen and Generico work him over. Edwards tries to help his partner but the champions just roll right over him too. The fight spills to the floor and Steen introduces the first table. Both Wolves get tossed into the table. Back in the ring the champions continue to dominate. Richards pulls Generico to the floor and whips him into the barricade. Back in the ring Richards attacks Steen’s knee. Generico gets back in the ring and the Wolves hit a superkick/German Suplex combo right onto the table. Edwards then drops Steen knee-first onto a table, breaking it in the process. AMERICAN WOLVES! The challengers continue working over Steen’s knee. Generico makes it back in the ring with a flying body press off the top rope on both Wolves. He hits Edwards with a Michinoku Driver for two. Richards calls out the DR Driver but can’t hit it. Generico hits an awkward tornado DDT and then takes Edwards out with a somersault dive to the floor. Meanwhile back in the ring Richards tries a hurricanrana (which he does all the time) and Steen powerbombs him onto a flat table. Steen goes up top and hits the Swanton and Generico follows with a Superfly Splash and Edwards breaks up the cover. All four men go back to the floor. Steen and Generico stack up a couple of tables and Steen tries to powerbomb Edwards off the apron. Richards breaks it up by going after the knee. Edwards brings a table into the ring. Meanwhile Richards tries the Shooting Star Press but misses. Generico takes Edwards out with the tornado DDT around the ring post. He sets Edwards on the table and delivers a big splash off the top rope! That’s enough to break the table. In the ring Steen has Richards in the Sharpshooter. Shane Hagadorn comes out to interfere and Steen drills him with a Package Piledriver. Steen then hits Richards with a superkick and sets up a table. He goes for a moonsault but Richards shoves him off the top rope and he crashes through the table stack from earlier! Generico gets back in the ring and sets Richards up for a super Brainbuster but Edwards breaks it up. The Wolves hit a Doomsday Ace Crusher through the table to get the pin and become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions at 13:26. That was action packed and a really good TV main event.
Rating: ***¾
MATCH #2: Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The Young Bucks, Contention, 6.12.09
I’ve seen a couple of the Young Bucks’ TV matches, but I think this match will give me a better idea if I’m going to like them or not. Generico and Matt start the match with some chain wrestling. The generic luchadore goes after Matt’s knee and hits a leg lariat, and then both men make tags. Nick grabs Steen in a side headlock. That doesn’t last too long and they engage in a fast-paced exchange, which Nick gets the better of. Steen comes back with his strength advantage. Generico gets tagged in and the pace instantly quickens. Nick once again gets the advantage, and the Bucks are looking good against the former ROH World Tag Team Champions. The match turns into a brawl and Steen eventually gets the advantage, throwing Nick to the floor and hitting Matt with the Cannonball. Generico gets tagged back in and the crowd wants to see A BODYSLAM! They also want to see the snap mare, and Generico obliges! Steen comes back and also uses the snap mare, much to the crowd’s delight. Matt gets worked over by both Steen and Generico for several minutes, as the former champs display some excellent teamwork. He finally comes back with a unique face-first slam that I’m not sure how to describe and then makes the hot tag to Nick. The Bucks are both on fire now and the offense is coming fast and furious. The referee briefly loses control, and then Generico makes the official tag to Steen, who hits a Swanton on Nick for two. Referee Turner once again loses control. Man these ROH referees are such pushovers. In all the madness Steen hits Matt with the Package Piledriver and Generico follows with the brainbuster for the win at 13:47. That was super fun and a much better introduction to the Bucks than they’ve gotten on TV. It reminded me a lot of when Steen & Generico battled the Briscoe Brothers during the Fifth Year Festival, with a young up-and-coming team taking on an established duo and making a name for themselves. After the match, Generico is a little friendlier with the Jacksons than Steen is. Could that be foreshadowing?
Rating: ***½
MATCH #3: Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The Young Bucks, Final Battle 2009, 12.19.09
These two teams met at both Contention and Aries vs. Richards, with Steen & Generico getting the win both times. The video packages tonight have been pretty great across the board. Steen is noticeably hobbling on his way to the ring, and he looks despondent. Generico and Nick start the match. They wrestle on the mat briefly before taking it to the air for some of the high flying both men are known for. Steen asks to be tagged in and gets his wish, so Nick tags in Matt as well. Matt takes the advantage and it’s obvious that Steen is not 100%. Things get personal when Matt offers to help Steen up and gets spat at. Matt counters by spitting his gum at Steen, who picks it up off the mat and puts it in his own mouth just to spit it at Nick on the apron. Both men knock each others’ partners off the apron, but Generico sneaks in the ring and helps Steen gain an advantage, and he hits the front flip legdrop. Steen then knocks Nick off the apron and blasts him with a snot rocket. The former ROH World Tag Team Champions isolate Matt in their half of the ring and work him over. Matt comes back with a standing Sliced Bread and makes the tag. Nick comes in a house afire, knocking Steen off the apron and hitting Generico with a springboard swinging DDT for two. Now the Bucks isolate Generico. After a few minutes of abuse, Generico makes the hot tag. Steen is all over both Bucks, taking them both down with a simultaneous clothesline. He hits a cannonball on Matt and then an Orton DDT on Nick for two. The match breaks down a bit, with people coming in and out of the ring. Steen hits Nick with the pumphandle neckbreaker for two. He goes for a powerbomb but Nick flips out and hits a kick to the head. Matt gets tagged in and Generico gets knocked to the floor. The Bucks double-team Steen and get a near-fall. Steen comes back with a Codebreaker and he tags Generico, who hits a high cross body off the top rope on Matt for two. Generico gets trapped in the corner and Nick hits him with a running knee and the springboard X-Factor. When Nick tries that flip to the floor thing he does in every match, Steen catches him and powerbombs him on the ring apron. Back in the ring Matt hits Steen with a superkick and then Generico catches Matt and suplexes him into the turnbuckle. Nick comes back in and pitches Steen to the floor. He then wipes Steen out with a dive over the top rope to the floor. Meanwhile Matt hits Generico with the Diamond Dust, and then the Bucks hit a moonsault/splash combo for a close two-count. The match breaks down and Steen dumps Matt to the floor. Generico hits Nick with a running Yakuza kick and a half-nelson suplex. Steen follows with a frog splash, but it only gets two! He sets up for the Package Piledriver but Nick escapes it. After a couple reversals, Steen powerbombs Nick and traps him in the Sharpshooter. Matt tries to break it but Generico cross bodies him to the floor. Steen’s knee gives way and he has to release the hold. Matt rams Generico into the guardrail. Steen once again tries the Package Piledriver but Matt breaks it up and hits a superkick. The Bucks hit More Bang for Your Buck but Steen kicks out at two! Why are we killing finishers on an already injured wrestler? The Bucks each hit two superkicks and then a double superkick to finally get the pin at 17:10. That was the usual pretty good tag team match between the two teams, but the Bucks pretty much do the same stuff in every match, and really don’t understand why Steen had to kick out of their finisher only to get beat by superkicks just seconds later.
Rating: ***¼
Steen gets on the microphone as the crowd chants his name. The sound on this DVD is horrible; I can barely understand what he’s saying. It sounds like he’s cutting a goodbye promo from what I can hear. Steen hugs Generico. You know how I know those guys are gay – because they’re holding each other ever so gently. Steen then swerves us all by telling Generico he “hates his fucking guts,” and then pulls a Chris Jericho and kicks Generico in the balls. He grabs a steel chair and cracks it over Generico’s head. Colt Cabana comes running out to question Steen’s actions, so Steen kisses him on the lips and bails. It sounded like a great promo; I wish I could have heard it better. After three years teaming together in ROH and one World Tag Team Title reign, I’d say Kevin Steen & El Generico are over.
Steen/Cabana Face-to-Face after Final Battle, ROH Video Wire, 12.23.09
Kevin Steen is eating an apple backstage at Final Battle 2009 when Colt Cabana busts in and wants to know what’s wrong. Steen says that everything is right with him now. He compares himself to an alcoholic having a moment of clarity, but he only needed one step to get better instead of 12.
Steen/Cabana Promos, ROH Video Wire, 2.9.10
About a month later at SoCal Showdown Cabana confronted Steen again and wanted to know what his problem was. Steen and Cabana yell at each other a lot and air their dirty laundry like a couple of girls. Steen is impassioned and angry, while Cabana just wants to understand. Cabana thought that he, Steen, and Generico were all friends but Steen felt differently.
MATCH #4: Kevin Steen vs. Colt Cabana, 8th Anniversary Show, 2.13.10
Cabana cuts a promo before the match, summarizing the open letter Kevin Steen wrote to him on ROH Wrestling Dot Com. Apparently Steen hates Cabana for the way he treated him in the past. Cabana tries to apologize, and Steen says he accepts it, but then sucker punches Cabana instead. Good!
Cabana fires back so Steen runs to the floor but Cabana follows him out. Back in the ring they continue trading shots. Steen knocks Cabana down with a back elbow. He works Cabana over methodically. They trade gum back and forth, which is just silly and kind of takes away from the match. Cabana makes a brief comeback but misses the Flying Apple and Steen hits the Cannonball. Steen tries the Swanton but Cabana got his knees up. Cabana unloads with right hands. This time Cabana hits the Flying Apple and clotheslines Steen to the floor. Steen is holding his injured knee as the referee starts counting him out. Cabana gets on the microphone and says he doesn’t believe his knee is hurt. Steve Corino comes out and orders Steen to get back in the ring. Cabana punches Corino and tosses him to the floor. He gets back on the mic and tells Steen to stop being a bitch and start being a man. Corino slides a chair in the ring. Generico comes out to go face-to-face with his former tag team partner, but before anything can happen Corino tosses Cabana to the floor for the DQ at 9:13.
Corino tries to hit Generico with a chair but Generico grabs it from him. Steen steps in front of Corino and Generico won’t hit Steen. Unfortunately for Generico, Steen doesn’t feel the same way, so he knocks Generico down and hits him with the chair. He locks on a Crossface and Cabana comes in to chase them off. The match started off pretty good but it turned into pure angle advancement, which in this case was the right move. The acting is a little cheesy but it’s the kind of storyline that lends itself to a lot of different matches and different places to go and it’s much more interesting than the average wrestling storyline. They’re also not revealing everything right away or giving everything away, so this was really well done.
Rating: **½
MATCH #5: Kevin Steen vs. Kenny Omega, From the Ashes, 3.26.10
The crowd chants “Ole” so Steen threatens to leave. Of course that doesn’t happen no matter how much they chant Ole. Seriously, how many guys in ROH are going to rub their cocks before the handshake? They trade arm holds and Omega takes it to the mat so Steen takes a powder. Back in the ring Steen goes to work on the arm. Steen switches it up and uses a headlock. He knocks Omega down and hits him with a snot rocket. Omega comes back with a dropkick. Steen takes another powder and Omega baseball slide dropkicks him into the barricade. Omega goes for the springboard moonsault but Steen grabs him by the leg and then whips him into the barricade. Back in the ring Omega continually fights back as Steen tries to work him over. Omega goes up top again and Steen pulls his arm down on the top rope. Steen hits a Stun Gun and then throws Omega shoulder-first into the ring post. They go to the floor and Steen continues to press the advantage. Steen maintains the advantage back in the ring and licks his bicep. Omega comes back and tries the Stop Sign and Steen bites his hand, so Omega comes back by biting his nose. Steen counters a dragon suplex with a backbreaker for a near fall. Like many in ROH, Omega continually fights back and doesn’t allow the heel to just beat him down for any real length of time. Omega hits his signature flurry of offense, including the bulldog for a two-count. He follows up with a uranage slam for two. Steen comes back with a powerbomb for a near-fall. He positions Omega for the Orton DDT, which gets another two-count. He tries the Cannonball but Omega moves out of the way. Omega hits a missile dropkick and goes for Croyt’s Wrath but Steen reverses to a Package Piledriver attempt and Omega counters that with an Air Raid Crash for two. Once again Omega goes for Croyt’s Wrath but Steen slips out (I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt) and hits a superkick. Steen hits the pumphandle neckbreaker for two. He goes for the Swanton but Omega g-9ets his knees up. Omega hits a reverse rana and two dragon suplexes and Steen is able to kick out at two. He tries Croyt’s Wrath again but Steen once again slips out and pushes Omega into the referee. Steen then kicks Omega low and hits the Package Piledriver but Omega kicks out. Sigh. Steen then locks on the Crippler Crossface and Omega taps out at 17:58. While I’m not a fan of kicking out of the Package Piledriver, the Crossface is a good finisher for the match due to all the arm work done on Omega. They took a while to get going but the crowd got with them down the final stretch.
Rating: **¾
Post match of Cabana/Generico vs. American Wolves, Phoenix Rising, 3.27.10
After Colt Cabana & El Generico defeated the American Wolves, Kevin Steen comes out and hits Cabana with a chair, and then he yells at Generico. He calls Generico a little bitch and says he’s not afraid of him because he knows he’ll never hit him. Generico looks ready to do just that, but Corino comes out and attacks him from behind. Cabana comes back with a chair, so Corino and Steen hightail it.
Later on backstage, Steen and Corino are running over the events in their head, specifically Steen getting spit in his face. They hype the upcoming tag team match at The Big Bang. Elsewhere, Cabana and Generico are also reflecting on their weekend in Phoenix and hyping the tag team match.
MATCH #6: Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico, The Big Bang, 4.3.10
I’ve never actually seen this show. Someday I’ll get around to reviewing the whole thing. All four men start the match in the ring and Corino sucker-punches Generico to the floor, leaving Cabana and Steen to fight it out. Cabana clotheslines Steen to the floor and then has to contend with Corino. Generico gets back in the ring and takes it to Corino with armdrags, sending him to the floor. He wipes Corino out with a dive as Cabana hits Steen with a boot off the second rope. Cabana holds Steen for Generico to hit him, but the hesitation allows Corino to grab Generico and hurl him into the barricade on the floor. Back in the ring Steen and Corino double-team Cabana until Generico makes the save. Steen blasts Generico with a superkick that sends him right back outside. Corino and Steen isolate Cabana now and keep him away from his masked partner. After several minutes Cabana makes the hot tag and Generico is all over Corino. Generico hits a swinging DDT and tries to go after Steen but Corino prevents it from happening. The brawl spills to the floor, where Steen powerbombs Generico against the edge of the ring frame. Cabana recovers and wipes out both Corino and Steen with a quebrada. He throws Corino back in the ring and hits the Flying Apple. Cabana locks on the Billy Goat’s Curse. Steen comes in the ring with a chair and cracks Cabana with it for the obvious DQ at 10:02. That was a fun tag team brawl and a good match for that point in the feud, as Steen and Generico were mostly kept apart.
Rating: ***
The fight continues after the bell, as Steen and Corino continue abusing the referee and Cabana. Steen hits a DDT on the chair and Cabana is busted open. Generico finally explodes on Steen, hitting the running yakuza kick and a series of right hands. Corino and Steen try to bail but Generico wipes them out with a dive! Generico tries the super brainbuster on Steen but Corino pulls him out of harm’s way so Generico hits a bunch of jobbers with the brainbuster instead. He hits Grizzly Redwood with the running Yakuza Kick and the Super Brainbuster.
MATCH #7: Come As You Are Street Fight – Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico, Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2, 4.24.10
They waste little time in getting going here. Cabana is paired off with Steen while Generico is tangled up with Corino. Both duos battle through the crowd, rearranging the ringside chairs along the way. Cabana whips Steen into a security guard, who didn’t appear to be paying very close attention. Steen climbs up some scaffolding just to set up a spot. Generico runs through the scaffolding and traps Corino in a tornado DDT! Okay that was awesome. Generico joins Steen on top of the scaffolding and they trade right hands. Steen blocks a brainbuster and hits a Michinoku Driver! Back at ringside Cabana brings out a table. Generico is out, and Steen makes his way back to ringside, giving him and Corino a two-on-one advantage. Corino breaks a beer bottle and then hits Cabana in the head with it. Obviously Cabana is grossly busted open at this point. Cabana continues to fight but Steen bodyslams him onto a pile of chairs. Steen goes up top but Generico flies in from out of nowhere to throw Steen through the two tables set up at ringside. Generico blasts Corino in the head three times with a chair to knock him down. Corino is bleeding buckets now as Generico uses a ladder as a weapon. There’s blood everywhere, it’s quite gross. Steen is busted open now too. Corino comes back and tries a superplex but Cabana stops him with a ladder, and Corino falls perfectly into place for Generico to hit the coast-to-coast flipping dropkick into the ladder. Steen breaks up the cover at two. He superkicks a chair back into Cabana’s face, and then powerbombs Generico on the edge of the ring apron. Back in the ring Steen breaks a chair on Generico’s head. Cabana ties to stop another superplex but Steen hits him with a Sky-Hi Powerbomb right on the ladder. Corino then hits Generico with a superplex onto a pile of chairs. Steen goes under the ring and finds a barbed wire baseball bat. Cabana gets a hold of the bat and uses it to crack a chair back into Corino’s face. Steen then hits Cabana with a low blow and goes for the Package Piledriver. Generico rescues Cabana by hitting Steen in the back with the bat, and then hitting two half-nelson suplexes. Steen rolls to the floor and Generico hits Corino with the running Yakuza Kick before wiping Steen out with a dive to the floor. In the ring Cabana locks Corino in the Billy Goat’s Curse and Generico accentuates it by rubbing Corino’s forehead into the barbed wire bat. Generico then hits Corino in the head with a chair, knocking him unconscious at 20:00 exactly. The match was a pretty good street fight, but the finish was perfect in context of the feud and they didn’t give away too much Steen versus Generico, so the fans will still want to see them fight one-on-one.
Rating: ***¾
Steen’s Bloody Challenge Video, 4.26.10
After the Chicago Street Fight, Steen challenged Cabana to face him in any kind of match at the upcoming show in New York City. Cabana accepts that challenge and the two will square off in a “34th Street Last Man Standing Death Match,” which is quite a mouthful.
MATCH #8: 34th Street Last Man Standing Death Match – Kevin Steen vs. Colt Cabana, Supercard of Honor V, 5.8.10
Cabana comes through the crowd and the fight is on. He hits Steen with a chair to bust him open and then throws him into the guardrails. He sets up a table and takes Steen up to the apron for a piledriver attempt. Steen blocks it and superkicks Cabana down to the floor and then hits a Cannonball up against the guardrail. He brings two chairs into the ring and cracks one on Cabana’s back. He sets up the other chair and goes for the pumphandle neckbreaker but Cabana blocks it and delivers a spinebuster through the chair instead. Ouch. Cabana hits the flip flop and chair shot to the head. He tries the Flying Apple but Steen catches him and drops him on the floor. Steen throws Cabana back in the ring and then introduces a ladder. Cabana blocks the ladder shot and hits Steen with it. Steen comes back with a spinebuster right on top of the ladder. He continues using the ladder as a weapon, but Cabana comes back with a bodyslam on the open ladder. That looked pretty damn painful. Cabana goes under the ring and finds a bag of thumbtacks. He sets Steen on the top rope and hurls him down into the pile of tacks! Now Cabana grabs one of the chairs and hits Steen’s back. Then he sets both chairs on top of Steen and hits a moonsault off the top rope. Before the 10 count can be completed, El Generico’s music hits, and a little kid in a fake Generico costume comes out to distract Cabana. That gives Steve Corino the chance to come in and kick Cabana in the nuts. It turns out the fake El Generico is Colby Corino, Steve’s son. Colby hands his dad a barbed wire baseball bat. Cabana avoids being hit with the bat, delivers the Flying Apple to Corino, and then blats Steen with the bat. Steen makes it back to his feet, and when Cabana goes for a Piledriver, Steen hits a low blow with the bat and then lands the Package Piledriver onto the pile of tacks. Cabana gets back to his feet so Steen drags him down into a Crossface. Corino tells Steen to accentuate the Crossface with the bat, and Steen obliges. Cabana looks out, so the referee breaks the hold and starts the count. The ref gets to ten at 14:17 (though I never heard an opening bell). The match was brutal and made me uncomfortable in some instances, but they’re really going all out to get this feud over. The bit with Colby drags the match down a bit, as it was not really necessary to get where they wanted to go, but overall this was still a pretty good hardcore match.
Rating: ***¼
MATCH #9: Kevin Steen vs. El Generico, Death Before Dishonor VIII, 6.19.10
Up In Smoke starts coming out for their scheduled tag team match, but El Generico comes running out from the back and he wants to fight Kevin Steen right now! Steve Corino comes out first and says that Steen would never wrestle in the opening match but Steen disagrees and comes out for the fight! This one is intense right off the bat and the Toronto crowd is behind Generico big-time. Steen weathers Generico’s initial onslaught and starts wearing him out. Dombrowski’s commentary is pretty annoying here, I actually kind of forgot about him. Generico fights back and both men take it to each other with brutal moves throughout the match. Steen hits the Package Piledriver about 15 minutes in but Generico kicks out. He goes for the Swanton but Generico gets his knees up, and then lands two Ole Kicks. Generico goes up for the Top Rope Brainbuster but Steen bites his way out of it and “accidentally” knocks the referee down. Steen grabs a wrench and bashes Generico in the face with it and then hits a super brainbuster of his own to get the pin at 16:53. That was an awesome hate-filled brawl and a great way to kick off the show.
Rating: ****
Steen-Generico altercation at intermission at Death Before Dishonor
During intermission the battle between El Generico, Kevin Steen, Colt Cabana, and Steve Corino continued, battling their way around ringside and in the ring. Generico rips off Bobby Cruise’s tie and chokes Steen with it in a nod to Bryan Danielson. Joe Dombrowski’s yelling on commentary is extremely off-putting.
~Disc 2~
Steen Jumps Tyler Black, ROH on HDNet #65, 7.12.10
After a six-man tag-team match in which Austin Aries & the All Night Express fought Tyler Black, Jerry Lynn, and Delirious to a no-contest, Kevin Steen ran in and laid out Black with a Package Piledriver.
Steen & Tyler Promos, ROH Video Wire, 7.20.10
Afterwards, Black cut an angry promo about how Steen keeps interjecting himself in his business and he will be defeated in their title match in Chicago. Later in the taping, Black was back in the ring cutting a promo thanking the fans for coming and Steen attacked him again, triggering a pull-apart brawl. After that brawl, Steen is backstage yelling about how he and Corino just want to help Black but he won’t let them. Steen promises to win the World Title in Chicago.
MATCH #10: Kevin Steen vs. El Generico, Hate: Chapter II, 7.23.10
Before the match starts Tyler Black is still in the ring, and Steen comes out to try and weaken him before their World Title match tomorrow night in Chicago. El Generico comes out to thwart Steen and the match is on! It immediately spills to the floor and Generico is firmly in control. Steen fights back with punches and they slug away at each other. Generico hurls Steen into the barricade. Back in the ring Generico hits a split-legged moonsault for two. Steen fights back and hits the flipping legdrop to the back of the neck. He continues to work Generico over, but runs into a back elbow in the corner, and then gets suplexed into the turnbuckles. Generico gets two off that, and then the battle spills to the floor again. Steen is able to grab Generico and powerbomb him Hard against the edge of the ring frame! That looked nasty. Generico more or less shrugs it off and throws punches, but Steen wisely rams his back into the ring post to resume control. Back in the ring Steen continues to work Generico over. He hits a couple clotheslines in the corner, and then Generico pops up out of nowhere and hits a running Yakuza kick. I wish he sold better. He then knocks Steen off the apron with another one, and misses an Arabian Press but they sell it like he hit it.
Steen tries bailing out, but Generico catches him and hits a DDT on the entrance ramp. Back in the ring Generico charges into an elbow but then drills Steen with a Michinoku Driver for two. Steen fights right back with a superkick and a gutbuster. He goes up and hits a Huge Moonsault for two. He then hits a pumphandle suplex for another near-fall. He goes up top and Generico decides to stop selling and heads up for a superplex. Steen bites his way out of it and hits a super fisherman buster but Generico kicks out again! He tries the Package Piledriver but Generico slides out of it and they trade kicks to the face. Generico wins that battle with a Brainbuster but Steen kicks out at two. He charges but gets powerbombed. Steen goes up top for the Swanton but Generico gets his knees up. Generico then hits another running Yakuza kick and two half nelson suplexes. He sets Steen up on the top rope and goes for a super brainbuster but Steen pushes him off, so instead he kicks him in the face again, sending Steen crashing to the floor. Steen goes under the ring and grabs a steel chair and throws it at Generic’s head for the DQ at 16:08.
Steen grabs a steel chain and assaults everyone in sight with it. Generico commandeers the chain and hurls Steen to the floor with it. More officials and jobbers come out to break it up as Steen bails through the crowd. Generico follows Steen and they continue the fight. He sets Steen on a table and then climbs on some scaffolding and leaps off with a splash. I’d say Generico won this battle. The match was a fun brawl and the crowd was into it. However, I know this was all about “hate,” but some of the no-selling was overly ridiculous, and that kept it from becoming a great match rather than a fun one.
Rating: ***¼
MATCH #11: Street Fight – Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. El Generico & Colt Cabana, ROH on HDNet #66, 7.19.10
They show a nicely done video package of the events leading up to this match, which featured a great deal of violence between all four men. Steen and Corino are guarding the ring with chairs but Generico and Cabana are able to outwit them and the brawl is on. Everyone is outside the ring, with Cabana and Steen battling on one side and Generico fighting Corino on the other side. Generico and Corino take it to the ring, and when Generico goes for his armdrag off the top rope on Corino, he instead decides to wipe out Steen with a dive! That’s a cool spot. Everyone brawls on the floor and Steen and Corino are able to take control. Steen hits a Fisherman Buster on Generico on a chair. Back in the ring Steen and Corino continue the advantage, keeping Generico on the floor while they wear Cabana out. Cabana tries to fight back but the two-on-one odds don’t make it easy for him. Finally Generico is able to low bridge the top rope and send Steen to the floor. Generico makes his way back in the ring and suplexes Corino through a table, and then hits another half nelson suplex for two. Cabana and Generico get a little bit of offense in but Steen and Corino quickly cut them off and go back to work with chairs. Steen hits the Pumphandle Neckbreaker on a chair on Generico for two. He and Corino set up a guardrail on some chairs. Generico is able to set Corino on it and goes to the top rope but Steen blocks him. Corino then goes up and delivers a superplex into the guardrail and Cabana has to break up the cover. Cabana tears into Steen and Corino with a chair and then sets up a table in the ring, and one on the top rope as well. He takes Corino up there and Steen cracks him with a steel chair. Steen and Generico battle to the back a Corino is able to hit Cabana with a superplex through the table! That’s enough to get the pin at 17:14. That was a good hardcore tag team brawl that fit very well into the context of this feud.
Rating: ***½
Steen and Generico are battling in the parking lot and Steen powerbombs Generico on the hood of a car! Tyler Black comes to the rescue as the show fades out.
MATCH #12: ROH World Title Match – Kevin Steen vs. Tyler Black, Salvation, 7.24.10
Black has been the champion since 2.13.08 and this is his seventh defense. Steen slaps the champion across the face, and Black doesn’t appreciate it so the fight is on. They take it right to the floor and Black is on fire. Steen catches him and rams his back into the ring post. He tries to whip Black into the barricade but the champ reverses it and Steen crashes into them instead. Back in the ring Black hits the springboard lariat for almost a two-count. Black stomps the face for a real two-count. He goes for a back body drop and Steen tries the Package Piledriver but gets back dropped to the floor. Steen grabs Black and pulls him to the floor for a powerbomb on the edge of the ring apron. The challenger goes to work and throws Black back in the ring. Black tries several comebacks but Steen cuts him off, including catching him out of the air with an Ace Crusher. Steen goes up top for the Swanton but Black gets his knees up. Black hits a belly-to-back suplex and a charging forearm. He follows up with a hangman’s neckbreaker and thinks about the Phoenix Splash, but Steen pushes him off the top rope and into the barricade on the floor. The champion has been busted open. Steen takes full advantage of Black’s bloody head. At this point I can’t tell if Steen is busted open too or if it’s just Black’s blood on him. Black flips out of a suplex and tries the Paroxysm, but Steen blocks it and locks on a Crossface, only for Black to reach the ropes. They take it to the apron and Steen’s trash talking fires the champion up. Black hits a boot to the face and then the Paroxysm on the ring apron! Black gets back in the ring first and convinces the referee not to count Steen out.
That proves to be a mistake, as Black signals for a dive but Steen cuts him off and hits a powerbomb for two, and then turns it into the Sharpshooter! Black reaches the ropes to break the hold. Steen tries the Pumphandle Neckbreaker but Black blocks it and hits a Pele Kick and the F-5 for two. Black misses the quebrada but hits the standing shooting star press for two. Moments later Steen hits the Pumphandle Neckbreaker on his second attempt and gets a two-count. Steen goes up to the middle rope but gets kicked in the face and then drilled with a Buckle Bomb and a superkick but it only gets two! Black sets Steen up on the top rope and hits a superplex. He rolls through it and Steen grabs him in a gutbuster, and then goes up top and hits the moonsault for two. Both men get to their feet and trade superkicks. Black wins that battle with three in a row but is so worn down he can’t even make a cover. Both men get up and Black charges into a kick. Steen goes up top but Black recovers in enough time to kick him in the head to knock Steen down to the timekeeper’s table. Black goes up top and hits a double stomp! Now the champ is fired up as he throws Steen back in the ring. Black hits another superkick and God’s Last Gift but Steen kicks out! Now Steen is legit busted open as Black misses the Phoenix Splash. Steen hits the Buckle Bomb, a superkick, and the Package Piledriver! Black kicks out at two! Steen goes for a super Package Piledriver but Black counters with a rana and rolls through into the Sharpshooter and Steen taps out at 23:04! That was even better than I thought it was going to be, and I think this feud had legs but due to Black’s departure and Steen’s feud with Generico this would be the last time they would fight. The hatred and intensity was there between these two and they both seemed intent on destroying the other rather than just winning the match.
Rating: ****¼
After the match Steen calls Steve Corino on the phone to tell him what happened in the match. Steen admits that he got beaten by the better man, and that Tyler loved the blood in the match.
Steen/Corino Promo setting up GBH IX, ROH on HDNet #70, 8.16.10
Steve Corino & Kevin Steen are with Kyle Durden, and they talk about the upcoming chain match. Corino says the chain is what will bring them to the top of the mountain. Steen compares the chain to teaming with El Generico over the years, and that everything that’s happened so far is nothing compared to what is coming in the chain match.
Generico/Stevens post-match, ROH on HDNet #70, 8.16.10
Generico had Stevens set up for a coast-to-coast dropkick when Corino and Steen ran out and used the chain to choke Generico out. Colt Cabana runs out to make the save.
MATCH #13: Tag Team Chain Match – Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico, Glory By Honor IX, 9.11.10
Cabana and Generico win the coin toss and get to decide who is chained to whom for this match. The babyfaces dominate the early going with some synchronized offense. Steen and Generico battle in the ring while Cabana and Corino fight outside the ring. They trade places and it looks like Steen is the first one busted open. It doesn’t take much longer for Corino to join Steen in the bloody forehead club. All four men brawl in the ring as Generico and Cabana continue to control. They focus too much on Steen though, and that gives Corino the chance to hit both of his opponents with the chain and now Corino and Steen take control. Cabana is busted open, and Corino throws him to the floor while Steen chokes Generico with the chain. This is getting pretty nasty. Steen hits Generico with a superkick and then locks on a chain-assisted Sharpshooter! That’s cool. Cabana makes the save and all four men are in the ring again. Generico and Cabana come back, and Cabana traps Corino in the Tree of Woe for Generico to hit the Coast to Coast dropkick into a chair but Steen blocks it so Generico wipes him out with a somersault dive instead! Cabana instead dropkicks the chair into Corino’s face but it only gets two. They go back to the floor, where Cabana and Generico set up a table. Unfortunately for Generico, that backfires when Steen pulls him off the top rope and through the table! Cabana takes control of Corino while Generico uses everything in his power to hold Steen back. Steen calls for Colby Corino, who comes out and cuts Steen’s chain loose. Back in the ring Steen hits Cabana with the Pumphandle Neckbreaker. Corino frees himself as well, and they use the chains to tie Cabana to the ropes with his arms outstretched. Steen hits a superkick and Corino goes for a chair shot but Generico has recovered and he breaks it up! Generico tries to untie Cabana but can’t do it, as Steen pulls him to the floor and powerbombs him onto the apron. Corino again ties Cabana up and signals for the chair shot, but Generico covers his partner up to a chorus of boos. Finally Steen blasts Generico with a chair shot to the back but they still can’t hit Cabana. Generico will not stay down, and while the referee unties Cabana, Generico knocks Steen to the floor and wipes him out with a dive. Cabana recovers and sets up the steel chair for a powerbomb, and then locks Corino in the Billy Goat’s Curse to get the win at 19:45. The fight continues after the bell and Steen is able to pull Generico’s mask off! Cabana hurries Generico to the back so that no one sees his face. The match was a pretty brutal brawl, though I think they teased Cabana getting hit with the chair a bit too long. But it was a good idea for a spot and the rest of the match was really intense and the crowd heat was with them the entire time.
Rating: ****
Clips of Steen’s involvement in Colt Cabana & El Generico vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus, Fate of an Angel II, 11.13.10
Cabana and Generico were battling Titus and King when Kevin Steen ran out for a distraction. Generico wipes Steen out with a dive, and a distracted Cabana gets rolled up by Titus and pinned.
MATCH #14: ROH World Tag Team Title Match – Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. The Kings of Wrestling, Fate of an Angel II, 11.13.10
Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli have been the Champions since 4.3.10, and this is their seventh defense. Steen cuts a pre-match promo, noting that he’s from Quebec, which makes him better than regular Canadians. He says he cost Generico that match because last night Generico cost him a shot at the ROH World Title. Steen then brings out some local wrestlers who are going to guard the ring to make sure Generico doesn’t interfere.
The champions don’t take too kindly to Steen’s confidence in winning the World Tag Team Titles tonight, so they attack and the fight is on. They take it to the floor, where Castagnoli faces off with Steen and Hero battles Corino. Steen and Hero take it in the ring as order is restored to the match. The challengers keep Hero isolated, and Corino even does the Thumb in the Bum, my least favorite move ever. Castagnoli breaks that up because it’s gross, and now the Kings are in command. Hero and Castagnoli take turns working Corino over as Steen tries to fire up his partner from the apron. Corino fights back with a Canadian Legsweep and Steen tags in. Steen hits the Cannonball for two. He locks on the Sharpshooter and Castagnoli reaches the ropes. Castagnoli hits a springboard European Uppercut and makes the tag. Hero starts unloading with strikes but can’t quite put Steen away. Steen hits a Codebreaker and tags out. Corino hits a leg lariat and then a DDT/Colby Shock combo on both Kings. Hero catches Corino with an elbow and then hits a Cravat Suplex. Castagnoli tags in and hits a running European Uppercut and the bicycle kick for two. He executes the UFO for another two-count. The referee loses control and all four men are in the ring and everyone gets knocked down. The Kings recover and hit their own version of the Hart Attack and Steen breaks up the cover. Hero kicks Steen off the apron and then the Kings hit the Giant Swing/Dropkick combo on Corino for two. Corino fights back with Colby Shock on Hero and Steen follows with the Swanton for two. Steen dumps Castagnoli to the floor and Corino hits Hero with Eternal Dream for a near-fall. Corino puts Hero in the Sharpshooter and Steen adds a simultaneous Crossface. Castagnoli breaks it up. Steen hits an impressive swinging DDT on Castagnoli to send him to the floor. He hits Hero with the Pumphandle Neckbreaker and Corino follows with the Northern Lights Bomb for two. El Generico tries running in from the crowd and Steen gets distracted. The Kings take advantage with a series of strikes on Corino to put him away at 19:03. They did a pretty good job with the heel versus heel dynamic here, but there was little drama because of how obvious it was that Steen and Corino would not be taking the titles. Solid match otherwise though.
Rating: ***¼
Despite everyone’s best efforts to keep them apart, Steen and Generico get a hold of each other and start brawling after the match. When they are split up, Bobby Cruise announces that they are not to have any physical contact until Final Battle, at which point they will face off in a Fight Without Honor.
MATCH #15: Kevin Steen vs. Grizzly Redwood, ROH on HDNet #82, 11.15.10
Redwood gets a couple of early shots in but when he tries the mini bulldog Steen catches him and hurls him over the top rope to the floor. Steen follows him out for a chop, and then throws him back in the ring for more abuse. Redwood avoids the somersault legdrop but Steen isn’t too fazed. Steen hits the F-5 for a two-count. Redwood tries a cross body block but Steen catches him and hits an Air Raid Crash for two. Steen goes up top but misses the Swanton. Redwood hits a swinging DDT for a two-count. He knocks Steen off the apron to the floor, but that proves costly as Steen grabs him and hits the powerbomb on the ring frame. Steen puts Generico’s mask on Redwood and then hits him with the Package Piledriver for the win at 4:17. That was a fun little squash.
Rating: **
Steen cuts a promo after the match about stealing Generico’s identity (the mask). He challenges Generico to make their Final Battle match a mask versus career match. Generico comes out to the ring and agrees to those terms.
In ring promo with Kevin Steen, ROH on HDNet #85, 12.6.10
This is a quick promo by Steen to hype the upcoming Final Battle match and put over the mask versus career stipulation. It’s a good final sell.
MATCH #16: Unsanctioned Fight Without Honor / ROH Career vs. Mask Match – Kevin Steen vs. El Generico, Final Battle 2010, 12.18.10
The video package for this match gives Kevin Ford a slight boner. I never reviewed Final Battle 2010 so I’m looking forward to this. They start cautiously, trying to psyche each other out but that doesn’t last long. Generico boots Steen to the floor and wipes him out with a dive. He finds a chain and wraps it around Steen’s neck, then hits him in the face with it. Back in the ring Generico continues the assault with the chain, hitting Steen with it and wrapping it around his forehead before delivering the Yakuza Kick. Obviously Steen is busted open now. Generico uses a table as well, and he has been dominant thus far. He brings out a ladder and drills Steen in the face with it. Steen comes back with a boot to the gut and a powerbomb on the edge of the ring frame. He starts piling barricades on Generico and hits a Frog Splash off the apron. Steen actually tries to throw a guardrail at Generico, who luckily moves out of the way. Generico counters a powerbomb with a back drop. Back in the ring Generico uses the ladder as a weapon. Steen backdrops Generico on the ladder and the crowd chants “ROH.” Generico is looking worse for wear as Steen hits a big powerbomb. Steen goes outside and brings in a couple of chairs to abuse Generico with. He hits a Codebreaker with assist from the chair and then lands the somersault legdrop, also on the chair. Now Generico is also pouring blood. Steen sets up a ladder but Generico is able to catch him with a Michinoku Driver right on the ladder! Generico then hits an exploder suplex into the ladder in the corner. He follows that with the half-nelson suplex onto the ladder for a two-count. Steen rolls to the floor and Generico goes for the swinging DDT but Steen throws a steel barricade cover into his face. Steen launches Generico into another barricade cover and then produces a table. He sets a ladder up between the apron and the guardrail, and then sets a table up on top of that. Generico is able to recover and hit the missile swinging DDT. That was awesome. Back in the ring Generico runs right into a superkick. Steen tries the Package Piledriver on a chair but Generico reverses it to the half-nelson suplex. Generico then hits the Brainbuster but it only gets two. He goes for the running Yakuza Kick but Steen avoids it. Steen goes to the top rope and Generico slams him through the table and onto the ladder! Back in the ring Generico hits the Package Piledriver but Steen kicks out! They take it to the apron and Generico hits the Brainbuster! Steve Corino comes out to make the save. He blasts Generico with a lariat and then knocks out referee Todd Sinclair. Corino goes for a steel chair shot but Colt Cabana comes out and runs him off. Cabana then launches the chair at Steen’s face but again it only gets two! Generico goes for a running Yakuza Kick but he accidentally nails the referee! Sinclair crashes off the apron through a table to the floor. Steen kicks Generico in the nuts and hits the Package Piledriver. Bryce Remsburg comes out to make the count but he can only count two so Steen hits him with the Package Piledriver too! Steen hits Generico with the Package Piledriver on a chair and Paul Turner comes out to make the count but once again only gets two! They fight to the top rope and Generico avoids a super brainbuster and drops Steen face-first on the exposed steel. Generico hits the running Yakuza Kick and then finally lands the Turnbuckle Brainbuster! Amazingly that only gets two. Generico picks up the steel chair and Steen tries to appeal to him with the mask he stole from him. Steen begs for mercy but Generico KILLS him with the chair to finally get the pin at 31:12. That was brutal and awesome, and the only way that feud could have possibly ended. I knew how long it was and that immediately had me thinking it was too long but I was wrong. This was one of the best hardcore spectacles ever in ROH and one of the best matches in either Steen or Generico’s career. I missed a handful of shows in 2010 but I believe this is a strong contender for 2010 ROH Match of the Year.
Rating: ****¾
The Pulse: The DVD certainly closes with a bang but this was a strong collection of matches throughout. I’ve always liked DVDs that focus on a particular feud or time period as opposed to being a random smattering of matches, and this one certainly has a focus and does it really well. Also, 13 of the 16 matches reach three stars or higher, and four of them are higher than four stars with one very nearly perfect. You can (and should) purchase this DVD at the ROH Store.
