The Glimpse:
Charlie Haas has turned on Shelton Benjamin, effectively ending Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team’s very existence in Ring of Honor. Charlie goes it alone, but what does this mean for Shelton moving forward and for the tag team division itself?
The Action:
Match 1: Rhett Titus vs Eddie Edwards
Winner: Eddie Edwards via referee stoppage
Edwards is out to his singles music, curious as he and Richards are teaming again. Bobby Fish is out on commentary for the match, seemingly doing his best to look like a toolbag. As of this taping, Titus has not joined SCUM so the Code of Honor is followed.
Titus opens up with a fireman’s carry and keeps the arm wrench, which Edwards quickly reverses to a hammerlock, then a headlock. Shoulder block takes Titus down, who gets lowbridged on a leapfrog. Quick exchange to a dueling dropkick, which is one of the worst ROH “staple spots”. Fish hates on Davey Richards as Edwards chops the bejesus out of Titus. Titus runs into a boot in the corner and ends up in the Tree of Woe, allowing Edwards to deliver a running dropkick and then one more from the floor. Titus kicks out and ends up taking a chop on the top rope and reverses the Chinchecker, landing a dropkick and knee drop for two. Edwards with a pair of kicks and a shining wizard for two. Headbutt into the corner and Titus ends up on the apron. He tries a flip back in over Edwards and lands a pair of knee strikes and a suplex, only to run into a chop, which he answers with a lariat. Edwards kicks out after two. Titus continues with an elbow to the jaw, but gets tossed to the floor, then catches a back kick and a moonsault off the apron. Both men are down for the count and roll into the ring, where Edwards lands a missile dropkick. Edwards with a series of chops in the corner which Titus answers with a boot in the other corner, but Edwards hits an enzuigiri and the Chinchecker for two. Edwards sits Titus on the top and climbs up after him, but Titus drops him jaw first on the top turnbuckle to even things up. Titus with a running corner dropkick and a schoolboy for two. Titus with a stomp before he heads to the top rope – Only to miss a frog splash. Edwards’ turn up top and he nails a double stomp to the back followed by a belly to back facebuster, transitioned to the Achilles Lock. Edwards positions to deliver stomps while Titus is still locked and the ref stops it.
Match 2: Mia Yim vs MsChif
Winner: MsChif via pinfall
At the least, Kevin Kelly makes mention of Yim’s previous affiliation with the Embassy. Once again the tale of the tape doesn’t at all reflect what Kelly says – mschif has no age but has the experience edge and Yim apparently has the leverage edge being the exact same height. No consistency between visuals continues to be a huge issue for this TV show.
Small package and a set of strikes from MsChif to open up then a bodyscissors bridge for a two count. Chif catches a boot in the corner and Yim locks in the Tarantula, following up with a second rope dropkick. Yim stays on the attack, pinning Chif chest first on the ropes. Yim hangs her opponent on the ropes and delivers a series of kicks to the midsection, then tries a pin. Chif immediately answers with a counter into a surfboard version of a Muta Lock, which Yim bites her way out of. MsChif with a moonsault for two. Yim with a cheap shot to the eye, a series of kicks and a front slam followed by a quebrada. MsChif kicks out and screams in Yim’s face allowing her to hit the Final Cut/Eye of the Hurricane and then follows with a German suplex. Into the corner and Yim gets put on the top rope, trying to fight out, and locks on a cross arm breaker in the ropes. Yim whiffs an axe kick, but continues to strike away at Chif with knees. Yim calls for the finish and misses a twisting moonsault, allowing MsChif to try the Desecrator DDT, but Yim avoids and goes behind, bridging out a German suplex for a very near fall. MsChif immediately gets up after Yim argues with the ref about the count and lands the Desecrator DDT for the win.
Inside Ring of Honor
National Pro Wrestling day – The Briscoes were sent instead of ROH World Champion in a “political” move. Steve Corino berated Ring of Honor to the crowd, but ROH originals Mark and Jay Briscoe retained their tag titles. Jay Briscoe responds by standing up and defending the company – Finally a champion for the company steps up, which will be critical moving forward after the growth of SCUM.
Match 3 – Roderick Strong vs Matt Hardy vs Davey Richards vs Michael Elgin, Four Corners Survival
Winner: Michael Elgin via pinfall
Lets preface this by saying the idea of a match where the first falls wins it but half the wrestlers are on the apron is silly. The match is called “Four Corners Survival” and yet is not at all a survival match. More of that “not thinking verbiage out well” thing we see from ROH more often than we should.
Strong and Richards start in the ring and exchange arm wrenches and counters. Hardy tags his way in, as does Elgin for an early switch. Elgin pressures him into the corner and breaks clean. Hardy tries a kick to the gut but gets overpowered by Elgin; Hardy tries to dive to Strong for a tag but he avoids it. Elgin lands a backbreaker for an early near fall. Roddy tags himself in to fight Elgin but then immediately runs to Richards to tag himself back out. Match of the year contender Richards vs Elgin here in short order. Quick exchange ends in a dropkick from Richards. Richards and Elgin tie up knuckles for a test of strength, which is a poor life choice for the American Wolf. He rolls backwards to put pressure on Elgin’s wrists, but he simply tosses Richards over his head to escape. Hardy blind tags himself in to face off with Elgin and begins to work on his arm, then tags Strong in to continue the arm onslaught. Strong wants a scoop slam but can’t get Elgin up, suffering one himself. Echoing chop from Elgin and a whip to the corner, followed by an avalanche for a two count.
Now Richards with the blind tag and a snap supelx on Strong. Strong answers with a dropkick on the jaw and it’s Hardy’s turn to fight Davey Richards. Hardy and Strong are treating this like a tag match, taking it to Richards and tagging in and out. Back from a commercial, Elgin and Hardy are in the ring with Hardy escaping an attempt at the Elginbomb. Richards makes his way in and hits a missile dropkick and a forearm in the corner. Richards puts Hardy on the top turnbuckle and wants a superplex, which he connects with. Elgin breaks up the pin, drawing the ire of Richards, who offers a handshake. Elgin squeezes a bit too hard on the hand and they exchange forearms. Elgin gets the best of the exchange and off a handspring, Richards catches the shock treatment backbreaker. Hardy wants a Side Effect and Elgin counters, only to suffer one shortly after. Roddy delivers a jumping knee to Hardy, then Richards low bridges him to the outside, delivering a kick to both Elgin and Strong on the floor. Hardy wants a Twist of Fate but ends up in the Ankle Lock. Elgin, Strong and Richards fight it out in a corner, ending with Strong delivering a belly to back on the apron for Elgin. Hardy hits a Twist of Fate in the middle of the ring and gets a visual pin on Richards, but Todd Sinclair is on the floor checking on Elgin.
Sinclair makes his way back in and apologizes to Hardy. Strong tags himself in and wants a Gibson driver on Davey, who fights his way out and lands a standing double stomp. Elgin now in to jump on Roddy, but catches a knee and a kick out of the opposite corner. Elgin catches Death by Roderick and stays on his feet, delivering a lariat for a near two. Hardy runs his mouth to the crowd and gets tossed to the post by Elgin. Elgin avoids a superkick from Roddy and hits a backfist, a bucklebomb and the Elginbomb to win it.
The Reaction:
Fish denounces Richards but talks up Edwards and Titus wrestles a clean match which gives no indication of his eventual turn to SCUM. Really odd. Still a functionally good match and Edwards didn’t try to vertical suplex Rhett to the outside and take himself with him, so that’s always a plus.
Another strong performance from the Women of Honor. Nice to see Yim in a position that isn’t just being eye candy, as she can handle herself in the ring. The inclusion of women’s matches is good for ROH, but there’s little focus – MsChif comes in once a month and pins somebody. It ends up being more like an exhibition, but more power to them for making the inclusion, as long as the match quality stays good.
So quite a few things here – Elgin continues to be a dominant force, Matt Hardy had a visual pin on one of the top guys in the company, Roderick continues to be a cowardly heel and Richards remains protected. All good choices for what we’ve seen from the last iPPV, it’s just odd to cover it afterwards. Good action all throughout, some more brutal than it needed to be – That backfist from Elgin always looks like a sledgehammer blow.
The Preview:
None properly given, but expect SCUM’s takeover fallout as we move forward.
The Shill:
As always, if you like what you read here, let me know in the comments or on twitter @sbfantom. I sincerely would like to hear what people think and strike up some conversation!
