And we're back! Episode 130 of ROH TV, pre-taped from ROH's ancestral home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tonight's main event is Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jay Lethal for the TV title, but that's some ways off. Let's go to the start.
Team Benchmark (Bill Daly & Will Ferrara) vs. Hanson & Raymond Rowe
Team Benchmark make their ROH debut. They must be looking for some Observer love, since they're bringing a banner full of sponsor ads down ringside. Hanson and Rowe look like badasses compared to these guys. Hell, they look like badasses next to anyone on the ROH roster. Hanson takes it to Ferrara from the get go. Rowe keeps that going after a tag. Daly has to make a save after a Hanson German suplex.
Daly tags in and throws a pretty mean right cross at Hanson's jaw. He follows it with a chop, but Hanson isn't exactly reeling. Daly ducks a clothesline by Hanson and tags Ferrara back in. Ferrara gets to take it instead. Rowe comes in and tosses Ferrara with a hard fallaway slam. He got real snap to that one. Ferrara keeps serving as their punching bag and does his job well enough, save for whacky selling on one spot. Daly gets in again and goes right at Rowe. Kevin Kelly equates him to Johnny Manziel with his antics. Steve Corino doesn't get the reference, he's a baseball guy. Ferrara tags back in. Daly is too busy screaming in excitement to notice Hanson. Hanson's boot greets him upside the head. Rowe grabs Ferrara and ends it with Death Row.
Michael Elgin comes out after the match while Rowe and Hanson are still in the ring. Neither 'prospect' is afraid of him, but Elgin isn't playing the intimidation card. He talks up both guys, saying they represent the best wrestling in the world. Rowe and Hanson got his respect, now he has their back.
Match Rating: * Okay squash match to open things up. It could have been a bit shorter if they wanted a pure squash. Rowe's finisher still looks vicious and like it's going to cripple someone in the shoot way. Elgin hinted at them having tag team gold. Hopefully that means ROH is pushing these two as a team. I'm all for that.
Kevin Steen is in the ring after the break, mic in hand. Outlaw, Inc. come out before he can get a word in. They say that they took care of his Cliff Compton problem, now they want him to become an outlaw. Steen says it didn't work out too well last time he did something like that, and with all due respect, those guys were better men. Outlaw, Inc. try an ambush, but Steen fends them off while Nigel McGuinness and a crew of refs come running. Impromptu match time!
Kevin Steen vs. Homicide
Homicide answers the fight, so Kingston gets on commentary. Steen's has the best of Homicide at the start 'til Homicide gets a dropkick in. The two go outside, where Steen throws Homicie into the boards. They take it back to the ring so Steen can casually slip a clothesline and continue the beating. Homicide hits a swinging DDT and goes straight for the cover, but it's just a two.
Homicide puts Steen up in the corner until Steen bites his way free. Steen sentons Homicide from up top. He has Homicide in position for a cannonball in the corner, but Kingston leaves the announcer's table and saves his wounded partner. Why not kill two birds with one stone? A Steen cannonball from the apron to the outside does that.
Steen tries for a package piledriver. Homicide slips out and tries to counter with an ace crusher. Steen shoves him into the ropes, pops him into the air, and powerbombs him back down. He gets ready for a package piledriver when Kingston enters the ring. He hits a spinning backfast on the unexpecting Steen, ending the match via DQ.
Homicide takes the ringbell afterwards and goes after Steen. Him and Kingston are about to get the duct tape out when Cliff Compton comes flying out of nowhere, chair in hand. Outlaw, Inc. head for the hills while Steen and Compton stare each other down. Compton still has a chair in hand, but he never attacks.
Match Rating: * DQ ends an unremarkable match. Homicide and Steen really weren't clicking in there. Their timing seemed a bit off, neither guy looked particularly smooth either. Watchable but skipable if you're in a hurry.
Nigel addresses the crowd when the show returns from another break. He's goin to say something about the New Orleans show when Jay Briscoe interrupts. Jay appreciates being a 'credible contender', but he beat Adam Cole cleanly in San Antonio. As far as he's concerned, no one ever beat him, so he's still the champion. Two men claim they're champions and that's one too many. Nigel wants to do away with the controversy. There's only one way how. LADDER WAR FIVE.
Cole comes out to respond. "Absolutely unbelievable" are the first words from his mouth. He's disgusted with Nigel's matchmaking, but if this is how it has to be, this is how it has to be. Cole keeps talking while Michael Bennett sneaks int othe ring, gets behind Jay and low blows him. Mark comes running ut for the save, but Cole and Bennett walk away with their hands in teh air.
ROH Television Championship - Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Jay Lethal
Lethal got a visual pinfall last time these two met, but Ciampa walked out with the championship. Matt Taven, the distant third in this television title trio, joins the commentary team. Bobby Cruise is about to get in the ring when Ciampa lunges at Lethal. The two start to trade blows, no introductions, they're going right to the fight. Inside and out of the ring, they're trading forearms and fists. Neither guy is willing to back down. Lethal starts to wobble but he throws an enzuigiri that brings Tommaso down first.
Lethal hits a missile dropkick and Ciampa rolls out onto the arpon. He follows with a springboard kick that finds nothing but air after Ciampa moves. Ciampa drags Lethal to the ring apron, takes him by the leg, and throws him HARD into the boards outside. Lethal hit shoulder first, so Ciampa picks Lethal up and throws him shoulder first into the boards again. Lethal sits there, sucking air, while Ciampa comes charging with a rising knee. He throws Lethal into the boards again. Ciampa gets some space and comes running back for another knee until Lethal surprises him with an armdrag. Lethal cartwheels after that, placing himself in front of Ciampa so he can hit a dropkick.
Lethal drags Ciampa into the ring and covers. One count. Lethal suplexes him then goes for another cover. Up to two now. Lethal throws stiff chops at Ciampa. He bodyslams Ciampa then hits a diving dropkick to Ciampa's head. Cover gets another two. Ciampa bounces off the ropes and kicks Lethal in teh chest when he bends over for a back body drop. A hard chop of his own flips the match around.
They're up in the corner next with Ciampa hammering away at Lethal with elbows. Lethal almost falls off the top to the outside. Ciampa hits the rarely seen superplex as we go to commercial break. He's putting boots to Lethal when the match continues, but not for long. Lethal shoots up to his feet and hits a flurry of strikes. He tries a Lethal Injection; Ciampa pulls him down into a lungblower. Two count after that.
Ciampa gets flipped onto the ring apron. As he rises, Lethal springboards off the middle rope and hits a dropkick. Lethal's got a burst of energy, enough for three straight suicide dives. The third sends Ciampa crashing into the audience. Lethal rolls Ciampa back into the ring while he goes up top. Lethal lands an elbow drop but it's not enough to end it.
Lethal wants the lethal injection while both men are on the apron. Ciampa cracks him with a rising knee then slams him hard. Both men tumble outside. The ref starts the count but the cameras turn to the ring entrance, where Truth Martini has come out. Taven is on commentary still, but they refuse to acknowledge each other. Ciampa and Lethal barely get back in the ring as the ref counts nineteen.
Both guys are working hard to one up each other. Lethal stops Ciampa with a lethal combination which he rolls into a koji clutch. Ciampa works his way out of that and goes straight into a Sicilian stretch. Lethal gets a foot to the ropes while Truth Martini starts to berate Taven. Taven's had enough of that nonsense, so he takes Truth by the lapels and throws him onto the ring apron. The ref tries to sort that out while Lethal and Ciampa continue. Ciampa goes for a sunset flip that Lethal reverses it into a pin of his own. He clutches Ciampa's legs and gets another visual pinfall, nearly a six count, but Ciampa gets out by the time the ref turns. Ciampa deadlifts Lethal up from the mat and shatters his back with the project Ciampa. Ciampa makes the cover and gets the three count.
Match Rating: **1/4 Both guys go for the classic, all action, fast-paced style. Ciampa had some good moments in there where he shows his anger with Lethal, after all, it was Lethal who hurt his knee. The match could have used more of that, more visceral actions between the two.
Final Thoughts
Next week is a six man, Decade vs. Adrenaline Rush and Andrew Everett. This week wasn't as strong as last week, but that doesn't mean it was weak. This was a pretty exposition heavy episode, which you need from time to time. The two prospects have some direction now, Steen is going in a new one, and the main event kept both guys looking good.
Mar 20, 2014
Mar 19, 2014
AAW Pro Wrestling - Episode 3
AAW has no introduction this month, so neither do I. Let's go.
Danny Cannon vs. Marek Brave vs. Knight Wagner vs. Ty Colton
It's a fatal four-way. No tags, no count outs, no DQ, all action. Action so fast that I'll stick to the highlights. Brave lands a high cross from the top corner on to all three outside less than a minute in. That should tell you what kind of match this is. Danny Cannon joins the fun with a springboard corkscrew. Him and Colton work as fast as they possibly can in the ring after that. Tons of moves until Colton puts Cannon out of commission with a double stomp as Cannon lays across the middle rope.
Marek Braves goes at Colton until Knight Wagner pulls Brave off the top rope and drops him with an elbow. Colton gets to his feet. Him and Wagner shake hands, making a little truce, until Colton backstabs Wagner a heartbeat later and tries a school boy. Wagner repeats the process. Mini-Davey ends the feudin' and fightin' with a double DDT.
Cannon is caught in a tree of woe while Brave goes up top. Colton and Wagner join them, standing on the ropes until they superplex Brave and free Cannon. Cannon launches Colton with a dropkick. Knight Wagner running knees Cannon. Marek Brave spears Wagner and goes straight into a pin. Colton makes the save.
Colton misses a phoenix splash on Brave but Cannon lands a rotating splash on Colton. Both are hard to pull off here. The ceiling at the Berwyn Eagles Club is obnoxiously low. Cannon gets to shine a bit until he goes overboard. Brave flattens Cannon with a super kick as he comes off the top, then gets the pin.
Match rating: ** Really fast paced opener. It's a pure spotfest, but it did it's job: it got the crowd excited and plenty warmed up as the night opened up. It should do likewise on TV.
More Eddie Kingston after the AAW opening video. Kingston recaps what he did last week and loves every moment of it, to say the least. But tonight his attention turns to Juntai Miller.
Eddie Kingston vs. Juntai Miller
Kingston's got a mic before the match can start and he goes right for the cheap heat, ripping on the Blackhawks. The mic dies on him for a minute, giving the crowd a chance to chant "New York sucks!" A fan pegs him in the head with a streamer, a second almost gets him, and Eddie is pissed. Miller is cool as a cucumber over in the corner, waiting for Kingston.
Kingston arm drags Miller to start. Kingston throws one chop before Miller turns the tables with a half dozen of his own, chopping Kingston all around the ring. Miller arm drags Kingston and puts him in a hold until Kingston pushes him back into a corner and breaks the hold with a face wash. Kingston has to roll outside to escape Miller's offensive barrage, but Miller follows him out with a corkscrew dive.
Kingston grabs the ref and pulls him into Miller as Miller gets back in the ring. Kingston chokes Miller on the ropes, then gives Miller an eye poke when he tries to fight back. Kingston starts to work Miller's neck with with a cravate. Miller almost escapes with a few gut shots, but Kingston neckbreakers him before that can happen.
Miller finds himself back in the corner where Kingston chops him again and again. Miller sells how beat down and hurt he is while the bully Kingston throws him around. Kingston takes too long taunting the crowd, giving Miller enough time to raise a knee to Kingston's jaw when Kingston charges. Miller chops Kingston once before a Kingston forearm puts him down. He fires up, full of spirit, but another Kingston elbow drops him again. Miller keeps on fighting. He drives Kingston's head into the mat with a hard stomp. Kingston kicks out at two. Miller charges, Kingston catches him with an overhead suplex. Then a lariat. And a tiger suplex to boot, but Miller kicks out at two.
It's all Kingston now. He puts Miller down with a back suplex, then a running forearm as Miller sits up. Again a two count. Miller shows a ton of heart, but no amount of heart saves him from Kingston's spinning backfist. Kingston doesn't bother going for the pin. He lets Miller writhe around in pain. The ref checks on Miller, who is barely able to stand. Kingston goes to drag Miller up, but Miller's been playing possum. He enzuigiris Kingston, high kicks him, and big boots him. All of that is still only good for two.
Kingston is the one staggering now. Miller goes to the top. Kingston moves before Miller can land a double knee. Kingston spinning backfists Miller again, but before Kingston can get a pin, Silas Young interferes. He attacks Kingston until the undercarders, AAW's resident security guards, break the two up. Kingston backfists Silas while some of them hold him back.
Match Rating: * I like both guys a lot, but this wasn't the best I've seen of either. It's mostly sloppy and plodding, but there are some definite pluses. In particular, I think Miller does a fine job selling and looking like he's taking a beating. Plus there was no finish to the match. Miller disappeared, Kingston walked away. More important than the match rating is that the Silas-Kingston feud gets hotter.
Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza) vs. Monster Mafia (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)
"Big guys versus little guys" as Phil Colvin calls it, and he's spot on. Monster Mafia look like their combined weight would double Zero Gravity's. Alexander powers out of a headlock almost immediately by simply throwing Esparza across the ring. Esparza tries working holds until Alexander just smacks him away.
Esparza and Gakiya have to use trickery and high flying to their advantage. Alexander tags out to Page. Brett Gakiya catches him with a crucifix into a pin, but Page kicks out. Gakiya wrestles more like a high flying gymnast, but it's working against Page. Until Page knees him right in the gut, then it stops. Gakiya tags out to Esparza, who tries to dive onto Monster Mafia. Alexander stops that with a hard forearm. As he gets back into the ring, Gakiya comes charging, flips over Alexander and the top rope, and lands on Ethan Page. And the guard rail. Had to hurt.
Alexander has Gakiya on the ground, grabs him by the neck, and throws him overhead with a fall-away slam in one hell of a physical spot. Alexander and Page lay the hurt on Gakiya. At one point, Alexander tries to drag Gakiya around by the ankle. Gakiya kicks the bent-over Alexander in the head, so Alexander stomps right on his chest. Monster Mafia double team Gakiya. Page goes for a pin, but Esparza saves his partner.
Alexander toys with Gakiya, sticking a boot in his face. Gakiya kicks Alexander's thigh, buying himself some space, but Alexander elbows Esparza off the apron. Gakiya rolls past Alexander, dives for the hot tag and gets... nothing. Except a deadlift backdrop when Alexander finds him. Gakiya keeps trying to sneak his way past the Monster Mafia, but they're throwing him around like a toy. Gakiya finally gets his much needed tag. Esparza comes flying in. He hits a cross body on Page, dropkicks Alexander, then flying clotheslines Page.
Page tries to dump Esparza outside, but he clutches the rope. Page puts him down with an enzuigiri instead. Monster Mafia double team Esparza until Gakiya can make the save. Zero Gravity get Flippy Cup 2.0, but Alexander kicks out. They drag him over to the corner, looking for an assisted moonsault, which lands. Esparza never gets to come off the top; Page pulls his teammate away. Gakiya flips over the top rope again, but Monster Mafia catch him and double powerbomb him into the ring apron. Esparza launches himself from the top, splashing the two big men.
Esparza tries going to the top yet again. Page yanks on the rope to stop that. Monster Mafia take Esparza and crush him with a double styles clash. That's a lot of weight coming down on a little guy, and it's enough to get the pin.
Match Rating: **3/4 There was a lot of good to this one. Zero Gravity eating Monster Mafia's offense, mostly by flying around the ring on tosses and slams, looks great. Zero Gravity resort to tricks and high flying to level the playing field. There's some sloppiness and I think Monster Mafia probably sold a little too much if anything, but they still looked like, well, Monsters, while Zero Gravity were hard fighting but undersized heroes.
After another break, we get some more revealing footage of Scarlett and an outro from Colvin and St. Holmes. They close it out, but Kingston gets the last word. I'm cool with this trend. Kingston wants AAW to send someone tough and bad at him. He's just getting started here.
Final Thoughts:
This hour of TV flew by. It's a really strong showing in AAW's main event. Every match did what it should. The opener is all action. The second match develops the main story on AAW TV. The main event is the best match they've shown yet. Thumbs up.
Danny Cannon vs. Marek Brave vs. Knight Wagner vs. Ty Colton
It's a fatal four-way. No tags, no count outs, no DQ, all action. Action so fast that I'll stick to the highlights. Brave lands a high cross from the top corner on to all three outside less than a minute in. That should tell you what kind of match this is. Danny Cannon joins the fun with a springboard corkscrew. Him and Colton work as fast as they possibly can in the ring after that. Tons of moves until Colton puts Cannon out of commission with a double stomp as Cannon lays across the middle rope.
Marek Braves goes at Colton until Knight Wagner pulls Brave off the top rope and drops him with an elbow. Colton gets to his feet. Him and Wagner shake hands, making a little truce, until Colton backstabs Wagner a heartbeat later and tries a school boy. Wagner repeats the process. Mini-Davey ends the feudin' and fightin' with a double DDT.
Cannon is caught in a tree of woe while Brave goes up top. Colton and Wagner join them, standing on the ropes until they superplex Brave and free Cannon. Cannon launches Colton with a dropkick. Knight Wagner running knees Cannon. Marek Brave spears Wagner and goes straight into a pin. Colton makes the save.
Colton misses a phoenix splash on Brave but Cannon lands a rotating splash on Colton. Both are hard to pull off here. The ceiling at the Berwyn Eagles Club is obnoxiously low. Cannon gets to shine a bit until he goes overboard. Brave flattens Cannon with a super kick as he comes off the top, then gets the pin.
Match rating: ** Really fast paced opener. It's a pure spotfest, but it did it's job: it got the crowd excited and plenty warmed up as the night opened up. It should do likewise on TV.
More Eddie Kingston after the AAW opening video. Kingston recaps what he did last week and loves every moment of it, to say the least. But tonight his attention turns to Juntai Miller.
Eddie Kingston vs. Juntai Miller
Kingston's got a mic before the match can start and he goes right for the cheap heat, ripping on the Blackhawks. The mic dies on him for a minute, giving the crowd a chance to chant "New York sucks!" A fan pegs him in the head with a streamer, a second almost gets him, and Eddie is pissed. Miller is cool as a cucumber over in the corner, waiting for Kingston.
Kingston arm drags Miller to start. Kingston throws one chop before Miller turns the tables with a half dozen of his own, chopping Kingston all around the ring. Miller arm drags Kingston and puts him in a hold until Kingston pushes him back into a corner and breaks the hold with a face wash. Kingston has to roll outside to escape Miller's offensive barrage, but Miller follows him out with a corkscrew dive.
Kingston grabs the ref and pulls him into Miller as Miller gets back in the ring. Kingston chokes Miller on the ropes, then gives Miller an eye poke when he tries to fight back. Kingston starts to work Miller's neck with with a cravate. Miller almost escapes with a few gut shots, but Kingston neckbreakers him before that can happen.
Miller finds himself back in the corner where Kingston chops him again and again. Miller sells how beat down and hurt he is while the bully Kingston throws him around. Kingston takes too long taunting the crowd, giving Miller enough time to raise a knee to Kingston's jaw when Kingston charges. Miller chops Kingston once before a Kingston forearm puts him down. He fires up, full of spirit, but another Kingston elbow drops him again. Miller keeps on fighting. He drives Kingston's head into the mat with a hard stomp. Kingston kicks out at two. Miller charges, Kingston catches him with an overhead suplex. Then a lariat. And a tiger suplex to boot, but Miller kicks out at two.
It's all Kingston now. He puts Miller down with a back suplex, then a running forearm as Miller sits up. Again a two count. Miller shows a ton of heart, but no amount of heart saves him from Kingston's spinning backfist. Kingston doesn't bother going for the pin. He lets Miller writhe around in pain. The ref checks on Miller, who is barely able to stand. Kingston goes to drag Miller up, but Miller's been playing possum. He enzuigiris Kingston, high kicks him, and big boots him. All of that is still only good for two.
Kingston is the one staggering now. Miller goes to the top. Kingston moves before Miller can land a double knee. Kingston spinning backfists Miller again, but before Kingston can get a pin, Silas Young interferes. He attacks Kingston until the undercarders, AAW's resident security guards, break the two up. Kingston backfists Silas while some of them hold him back.
Match Rating: * I like both guys a lot, but this wasn't the best I've seen of either. It's mostly sloppy and plodding, but there are some definite pluses. In particular, I think Miller does a fine job selling and looking like he's taking a beating. Plus there was no finish to the match. Miller disappeared, Kingston walked away. More important than the match rating is that the Silas-Kingston feud gets hotter.
Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza) vs. Monster Mafia (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)
"Big guys versus little guys" as Phil Colvin calls it, and he's spot on. Monster Mafia look like their combined weight would double Zero Gravity's. Alexander powers out of a headlock almost immediately by simply throwing Esparza across the ring. Esparza tries working holds until Alexander just smacks him away.
Esparza and Gakiya have to use trickery and high flying to their advantage. Alexander tags out to Page. Brett Gakiya catches him with a crucifix into a pin, but Page kicks out. Gakiya wrestles more like a high flying gymnast, but it's working against Page. Until Page knees him right in the gut, then it stops. Gakiya tags out to Esparza, who tries to dive onto Monster Mafia. Alexander stops that with a hard forearm. As he gets back into the ring, Gakiya comes charging, flips over Alexander and the top rope, and lands on Ethan Page. And the guard rail. Had to hurt.
Alexander has Gakiya on the ground, grabs him by the neck, and throws him overhead with a fall-away slam in one hell of a physical spot. Alexander and Page lay the hurt on Gakiya. At one point, Alexander tries to drag Gakiya around by the ankle. Gakiya kicks the bent-over Alexander in the head, so Alexander stomps right on his chest. Monster Mafia double team Gakiya. Page goes for a pin, but Esparza saves his partner.
Alexander toys with Gakiya, sticking a boot in his face. Gakiya kicks Alexander's thigh, buying himself some space, but Alexander elbows Esparza off the apron. Gakiya rolls past Alexander, dives for the hot tag and gets... nothing. Except a deadlift backdrop when Alexander finds him. Gakiya keeps trying to sneak his way past the Monster Mafia, but they're throwing him around like a toy. Gakiya finally gets his much needed tag. Esparza comes flying in. He hits a cross body on Page, dropkicks Alexander, then flying clotheslines Page.
Page tries to dump Esparza outside, but he clutches the rope. Page puts him down with an enzuigiri instead. Monster Mafia double team Esparza until Gakiya can make the save. Zero Gravity get Flippy Cup 2.0, but Alexander kicks out. They drag him over to the corner, looking for an assisted moonsault, which lands. Esparza never gets to come off the top; Page pulls his teammate away. Gakiya flips over the top rope again, but Monster Mafia catch him and double powerbomb him into the ring apron. Esparza launches himself from the top, splashing the two big men.
Esparza tries going to the top yet again. Page yanks on the rope to stop that. Monster Mafia take Esparza and crush him with a double styles clash. That's a lot of weight coming down on a little guy, and it's enough to get the pin.
Match Rating: **3/4 There was a lot of good to this one. Zero Gravity eating Monster Mafia's offense, mostly by flying around the ring on tosses and slams, looks great. Zero Gravity resort to tricks and high flying to level the playing field. There's some sloppiness and I think Monster Mafia probably sold a little too much if anything, but they still looked like, well, Monsters, while Zero Gravity were hard fighting but undersized heroes.
After another break, we get some more revealing footage of Scarlett and an outro from Colvin and St. Holmes. They close it out, but Kingston gets the last word. I'm cool with this trend. Kingston wants AAW to send someone tough and bad at him. He's just getting started here.
Final Thoughts:
This hour of TV flew by. It's a really strong showing in AAW's main event. Every match did what it should. The opener is all action. The second match develops the main story on AAW TV. The main event is the best match they've shown yet. Thumbs up.
Mar 14, 2014
Best of 2000s Japan SUPER FRIDAY
It's the last real day of spring break, so naturally I'm sitting on the couch watching wrestling. I'm trying to participate in the Best of the 2000s Japan wrestling project, but I've fallen behind my original schedule of one match a day. This is due in August, so it's time to start binge watching. Today I start 2002. Let's settle in for the long haul.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Genichiro Tenryu - AJPW - Feb 24, 2002
Tenryu has been a top three wrestler in this project for me. I love mean old bastards roughing up younger guys and Tenryu is the pinnacle of that. Kojima plays the unfortunate youngster this time. At about 31 years old, Kojima is hardly a kid, but next to Tenryu he might as well be. Kojima came back at Tenryu with tons of fire. The lariats Kojima hit on Tenryu looked killer, but Tenryu wasn't going to lose that easily. I loved Tenryu beating Kojima into the ground with chops but then falling back into the ropes, grimacing in pain once he saw Kojima wouldn't see it.
Match Rating: ****3/4
Jushin Liger & Wataru Inoue vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Liger and Inoue jump Kanemaru and Kikuchi as the bell rings. The four brawl for the next few minutes until things settle down. The crowd roars their disapproval whenever Liger or Inoue interfere. Liger is such a phenomenal dickhead. The NOAH fans want their guys to win so badly that they don't even care when Kanemaru puts his feet on the rope for a pin attempt. The wrestling match breaks down into a straight up fight for a few seconds here and there, really cementing the animosity. Liger flops around like crazy when Kikuchi gets him in an armbar and he makes his desperate attempts to get the ropes so dramatic. Kanemaru even uses one of Liger's finishers on Inoue to seal a victory.
Match Rating: ****1/4 and the best juniors match so far in the set. As if I didn't like this enough, there's a twenty man brawl at the end. I can't resist a big brawl while the timekeeper furiously wails away on the bell.
Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Another huge tag match from the same night. This one is a "SPECIAL MATCH" if the signs are being honest with me. Misawa and Nagata start it off but it's Akiyama vs. Kobashi the fans are dying to see. Nagata works a more methodical pace than Akiyama, who's going full bore at Kobashi and Misawa. That is until Kobashi and Nagata start smacking and chopping the crap out of each other. Interesting how the ref didn't care at all the Akiyama was in the ring, standing watch over Misawa when Nagata had Kobashi in a leg lock. I guess it doesn't matter if he doesn't attack Kobashi? The closing stretch is good, but today is the odd chance that I can say there was a better tag match on the same card. Akiyama getting the pin on Kobashi seems huge, but the crowd went silent for it.
Match Rating: ****
Masato Tanaka (c) vs. Shinya Hashimoto - ZERO1 - Mar 2, 2002
Tanaka already dropped a lot of his ECW baby fat. He's not as ripped as he is today, but the transition is starting. Tanaka kicks the belt away at the start, which infuriates Hashimoto. Hashimoto is bent on punishing Tanaka with an ass whooping. Tanaka bumps and sells more and more as Hashimoto continues the beat down. Tanaka pounces on Hashimoto for a pin the moment he gets Hashimoto down. He obviously wants nothing to do with this fight. Tanaka gets this look of "I'm sorry, please stop kicking my ass." Hashimoto finally obliges with a sick brainbuster.
Match Rating: ***1/2 but one of the stand out matches for what it is. Plays like a very extended squash.
Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Yoshihiro Takayama - NJPW - May 2, 2002
This must have been a TV broadcast, because there are a couple of Japanese commercials cut in before the match starts. Takayama is legitimately huge. At 198 cm, he towers over Nagata. Nagata starts wearing down Takayama early. Nagata makes every blow Takayama lands seem like it could be the end. I'm a fan of that. Nagata flinghing himself at the ropes when Takayama sets up for a German got a laugh out of me, but it emphasized how dangerous Takayama is. Nagata howls to show his fighting spirit but has to clutch the top rope to even stand at the same time. Nagata and Takayama start trading forearms. That evolves into trading rights. Nagata wins with two high kicks, the second smashing into the side of Takayama's head.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Satoshi Kojima - AJPW - Jul 17, 2002
I skipped a few matches that I'll have to go back and see just so I could get to the rematch right away. The crowd chants "Kojima" while Tenryu looks as stoic as ever. Tenryu cornered Kojima early on in the first match with strikes and chops. This time Kojima evens the score. Tenryu drives Kojima back into the corner during a test of strength not long after. The crowd knows what's going to happen. Kojima knows what's going to happen. Kojima pushes back with all his might to get out of that. What a tease. Kojima starts targeting Tenryu's knee. Tenryu throws a great jab, probably because he's punching Kojima square in the face.
Kojima keeps going back at Tenryu's knee whenever he gets in trouble. Tenryu actually has to roll out of the ring and take a moment to let the pain subside. Tenryu's favorite spot on the other hand is throwing Kojima into the corner then jabbing and chopping the hell out of him. I love it way more when he does it than when Kobashi does it his style. Holy hell Tenryu just did a suicide dive through the ropes. Kojima returns that with a plancha of his own. Tenryu's selling of his knee is phenomenal. He limps across the ring as he runs from an Irish whip. Kojima won't stop targeting it with stomps, a figure four, and then a sharpshooter.
Kojima mimmicks Tenryu's chops and punches in the corner. Unlike the first match, he has to sell this time around and he isn't hiding his pain. He fixes his knee pad every chance he gets. Tenryu's mannerisms never cease to amaze me. The little things he does get the crowd going, like the face and gesture he makes when Kojima falls over as he tries to stand after a German suplex.
The crowd wants Kojima to win this one so badly. Tenryu tries a brainbuster, which ended the first match, but Kojima slips out and counters with an Ace crusher. Tenryu hits the brainbuster on the second try, but he's too hurt to get the cover quickly. He stumbles over and flops onto Kojima, who kicks out at two. Tenryu sets Kojima up for the spider German like the first match. It lands, but Kojima rolls away from the back elbow drop that follows. Kojima lands an avalanche Ace crusher. Tenryu gets a foot on the rope before the three.
Tenryu chops Kojima before he can hit a lariat. It stuns him for a second, but Kojima comes right back with it a moment later. Both men are down and have to slowly scrape themselves up. They trade hard, hard shots. Especially Tenryu's chops. Another brainbuster. Tenryu immediately brings Kojima back up. A second brainbuster in a row. Kojima kicks out!
Tenryu clenches his fist, sizing Kojima up for a lariat. Kojima blocks it. He shoots Tenryu into the ropes and lariats him on the rebound. Two count. The crowd buys every nearfall and so do I. The camera keeps switching to an overhead angle when both men are down, which is a visual I love. Tenryu boots Kojima's arm when Kojima tries another lariat. More chops, then a fourth brainbuster. And a fifth! Kojima gets up, filled with fighting spirit. He stumbles into the ropes and springs back with a lariat. Tenryu kicks out at two. This is nuts.
Both men trade chops again until a SIXTH brainbuster puts Kojima down. Tenryu has to slowly roll onto him. Kojima kicks out at two. Tenryu's pissed. He chops the hell out of Kojima. No more brainbusters. It's powerbomb time. He plants Kojima back into the mat and folds him in half. Kojima can't kick out of this one.
Match Rating: ***** Superb. Not perfect, but the complaints I have feel more like nitpicks when weighed against the intensity and drama of the match. There's a fighting spirit spot, which I'm not a big fan of by nature, but I think Kojima does it about as good as it can be done. He gives up going after Tenryu's knee, but after a while he clearly wanted to put the old man away. The near falls were about to get excessive at the end but Tenryu picked the right moment to finish the job and he did it with something different to boot. Loved it. Best match of the set so far.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Genichiro Tenryu - AJPW - Feb 24, 2002
Tenryu has been a top three wrestler in this project for me. I love mean old bastards roughing up younger guys and Tenryu is the pinnacle of that. Kojima plays the unfortunate youngster this time. At about 31 years old, Kojima is hardly a kid, but next to Tenryu he might as well be. Kojima came back at Tenryu with tons of fire. The lariats Kojima hit on Tenryu looked killer, but Tenryu wasn't going to lose that easily. I loved Tenryu beating Kojima into the ground with chops but then falling back into the ropes, grimacing in pain once he saw Kojima wouldn't see it.
Match Rating: ****3/4
Jushin Liger & Wataru Inoue vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Liger and Inoue jump Kanemaru and Kikuchi as the bell rings. The four brawl for the next few minutes until things settle down. The crowd roars their disapproval whenever Liger or Inoue interfere. Liger is such a phenomenal dickhead. The NOAH fans want their guys to win so badly that they don't even care when Kanemaru puts his feet on the rope for a pin attempt. The wrestling match breaks down into a straight up fight for a few seconds here and there, really cementing the animosity. Liger flops around like crazy when Kikuchi gets him in an armbar and he makes his desperate attempts to get the ropes so dramatic. Kanemaru even uses one of Liger's finishers on Inoue to seal a victory.
Match Rating: ****1/4 and the best juniors match so far in the set. As if I didn't like this enough, there's a twenty man brawl at the end. I can't resist a big brawl while the timekeeper furiously wails away on the bell.
Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Another huge tag match from the same night. This one is a "SPECIAL MATCH" if the signs are being honest with me. Misawa and Nagata start it off but it's Akiyama vs. Kobashi the fans are dying to see. Nagata works a more methodical pace than Akiyama, who's going full bore at Kobashi and Misawa. That is until Kobashi and Nagata start smacking and chopping the crap out of each other. Interesting how the ref didn't care at all the Akiyama was in the ring, standing watch over Misawa when Nagata had Kobashi in a leg lock. I guess it doesn't matter if he doesn't attack Kobashi? The closing stretch is good, but today is the odd chance that I can say there was a better tag match on the same card. Akiyama getting the pin on Kobashi seems huge, but the crowd went silent for it.
Match Rating: ****
Masato Tanaka (c) vs. Shinya Hashimoto - ZERO1 - Mar 2, 2002
Tanaka already dropped a lot of his ECW baby fat. He's not as ripped as he is today, but the transition is starting. Tanaka kicks the belt away at the start, which infuriates Hashimoto. Hashimoto is bent on punishing Tanaka with an ass whooping. Tanaka bumps and sells more and more as Hashimoto continues the beat down. Tanaka pounces on Hashimoto for a pin the moment he gets Hashimoto down. He obviously wants nothing to do with this fight. Tanaka gets this look of "I'm sorry, please stop kicking my ass." Hashimoto finally obliges with a sick brainbuster.
Match Rating: ***1/2 but one of the stand out matches for what it is. Plays like a very extended squash.
Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Yoshihiro Takayama - NJPW - May 2, 2002
This must have been a TV broadcast, because there are a couple of Japanese commercials cut in before the match starts. Takayama is legitimately huge. At 198 cm, he towers over Nagata. Nagata starts wearing down Takayama early. Nagata makes every blow Takayama lands seem like it could be the end. I'm a fan of that. Nagata flinghing himself at the ropes when Takayama sets up for a German got a laugh out of me, but it emphasized how dangerous Takayama is. Nagata howls to show his fighting spirit but has to clutch the top rope to even stand at the same time. Nagata and Takayama start trading forearms. That evolves into trading rights. Nagata wins with two high kicks, the second smashing into the side of Takayama's head.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Satoshi Kojima - AJPW - Jul 17, 2002
I skipped a few matches that I'll have to go back and see just so I could get to the rematch right away. The crowd chants "Kojima" while Tenryu looks as stoic as ever. Tenryu cornered Kojima early on in the first match with strikes and chops. This time Kojima evens the score. Tenryu drives Kojima back into the corner during a test of strength not long after. The crowd knows what's going to happen. Kojima knows what's going to happen. Kojima pushes back with all his might to get out of that. What a tease. Kojima starts targeting Tenryu's knee. Tenryu throws a great jab, probably because he's punching Kojima square in the face.
Kojima keeps going back at Tenryu's knee whenever he gets in trouble. Tenryu actually has to roll out of the ring and take a moment to let the pain subside. Tenryu's favorite spot on the other hand is throwing Kojima into the corner then jabbing and chopping the hell out of him. I love it way more when he does it than when Kobashi does it his style. Holy hell Tenryu just did a suicide dive through the ropes. Kojima returns that with a plancha of his own. Tenryu's selling of his knee is phenomenal. He limps across the ring as he runs from an Irish whip. Kojima won't stop targeting it with stomps, a figure four, and then a sharpshooter.
Kojima mimmicks Tenryu's chops and punches in the corner. Unlike the first match, he has to sell this time around and he isn't hiding his pain. He fixes his knee pad every chance he gets. Tenryu's mannerisms never cease to amaze me. The little things he does get the crowd going, like the face and gesture he makes when Kojima falls over as he tries to stand after a German suplex.
The crowd wants Kojima to win this one so badly. Tenryu tries a brainbuster, which ended the first match, but Kojima slips out and counters with an Ace crusher. Tenryu hits the brainbuster on the second try, but he's too hurt to get the cover quickly. He stumbles over and flops onto Kojima, who kicks out at two. Tenryu sets Kojima up for the spider German like the first match. It lands, but Kojima rolls away from the back elbow drop that follows. Kojima lands an avalanche Ace crusher. Tenryu gets a foot on the rope before the three.
Tenryu chops Kojima before he can hit a lariat. It stuns him for a second, but Kojima comes right back with it a moment later. Both men are down and have to slowly scrape themselves up. They trade hard, hard shots. Especially Tenryu's chops. Another brainbuster. Tenryu immediately brings Kojima back up. A second brainbuster in a row. Kojima kicks out!
Tenryu clenches his fist, sizing Kojima up for a lariat. Kojima blocks it. He shoots Tenryu into the ropes and lariats him on the rebound. Two count. The crowd buys every nearfall and so do I. The camera keeps switching to an overhead angle when both men are down, which is a visual I love. Tenryu boots Kojima's arm when Kojima tries another lariat. More chops, then a fourth brainbuster. And a fifth! Kojima gets up, filled with fighting spirit. He stumbles into the ropes and springs back with a lariat. Tenryu kicks out at two. This is nuts.
Both men trade chops again until a SIXTH brainbuster puts Kojima down. Tenryu has to slowly roll onto him. Kojima kicks out at two. Tenryu's pissed. He chops the hell out of Kojima. No more brainbusters. It's powerbomb time. He plants Kojima back into the mat and folds him in half. Kojima can't kick out of this one.
Match Rating: ***** Superb. Not perfect, but the complaints I have feel more like nitpicks when weighed against the intensity and drama of the match. There's a fighting spirit spot, which I'm not a big fan of by nature, but I think Kojima does it about as good as it can be done. He gives up going after Tenryu's knee, but after a while he clearly wanted to put the old man away. The near falls were about to get excessive at the end but Tenryu picked the right moment to finish the job and he did it with something different to boot. Loved it. Best match of the set so far.
Mar 13, 2014
ROH TV Episode 129
ROH goes straight into a match so I don't have much to open with. We've got Silas Young vs. Matt Taven to start and the world championship match between Chris Hero and Adam Cole for the main event. Let's begin.
Silas Young vs. Matt Taven
Silas came out with a strap, whipping it into the boards and against the ring. He doesn't bring it into the ring though, so Taven can breath easy. The two lock up. Silas drives Taven into the corner. Taven fires at Silas with hard punches. Silas blocks an O'Connor roll attempt but can't dodge the follow-up arm drag. Taven lands a standing moonsault that gets him an early two. Silas rolls out of the ring to take a breather.
Taven is looking away, distracted by something. Silas hurries back into the ring and ambushes him. Turns out that Truth Martini came out from the back, which caught Taven's attention. Silas and Taven trade momentum back and forth until Silas grabs the ref and pulls him between them. The show goes to a break, returning with Silas holding Taven in a chinlock. Silas drops Taven on the top rope between his legs. A springboard clothesline knocks Taven out of the ring. He crawls back and Silas immediately gets on him. Taven rolls past Silas, who puts on the breaks to avoid crashing against the corner, but Taven enzuigiris Silas to change the flow of the match.
Taven is on fire, knocking Silas down again and again. He lands a springboard moonsault that gets a two. Silas tries a killer combo, but Taven ducks under the lariat. Taven lifts Silas for the angel's wings, but Silas gets out of it and immediately counters with a hard lariat. Silas hits the Finlay roll, goes into the corner headstand and then the springing moonsault. Taven rolls out of the way, Silas lands on his feet. That looks familiar. Big spin kick from Taven, flooring Silas. Taven goes up top and hits a frog splash. Three count follows. Silas shakes Taven's hand before a sucker punch. Truth wants Silas to join him once Silas stops putting the boots to Taven. Instead, Silas walks right past Truth, disinterested.
Match Rating: ** Fast paced action. Taven could benefit from slowing it down a little, at least in my book, but he put on a fine show. Very clean match too, I saw no noticeable missteps in there.
ROH Television Championship - Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Hanson
Hanson won the top prospect tournament, giving him this title opportunity. Philly loves Ciampa. The two charge right at teach other and trade blows. Hanson bullies Ciampa into the corner with hard forearms and fists. Ciampa fights back, first booting Hanson then following up with blows of his own. Ciamapa dumps Hanson outside with a back drop then dives onto the big man. It looks like he hit the top rope on the way out, so it wasn't a smooth dive.
Ciampa sits Hanson down and hits running knees. Ciampa catches Hanson on a jump and slams him down in an impressive show of strength. The two of them go back and forth with hard forearms. They bounce off the ropes and come back with a forearm about a dozen times. Hanson throws a cartwheel in for good measure then clotheslines Ciampa with all his might. The struggles continues until Ciampa catches Hanson with a rising knee as Hanson stands up.
Ciampa looks for the Project Ciampa. Hanson knows it, so he drives Ciampa into the corner. He elbows Ciampa again and again. Then a big splash. Hanson goes up top and moonsaults onto Ciampa. Ciampa kicks out at two. Ciampa immedately brings Hanson into the Sicilian Stretch. Hanson rolls over and to his feet. He re-positions Ciampa on his shoulders, breaking the hold. Hanson tries to dump him but Ciampa lands on his feet. Spin kick of doom! Ciampa wisely rolls to the ropes and holds on for dear life.
Ciampa climbs onto the top rope again before Hanson cuts him off. Ciampa fights out of a precarious position and drops behind Hanson. Ciampa pulls Hanson off the top rope. Project Ciampa! Two knees right into Hanson's back. Ciampa gets the pinfall and retains his TV title.
Match rating: **3/4 Fun sprint of a match. Hanson's agility is really impressive for such a big guy. His moonsault isn't quite a Vadersault, but kudos for even trying it. Ciampa wisely doesn't try to toss Hanson around too much. When he stands toe-to-toe, Hanson gets the best of him, so he has to rely on big impact shots and counter blows.
ROH World Heavyweight Championship - Adam Cole (c) vs. Chris Hero
Hero got the pin on Cole in an elimination tag, giving him the right to challenge for Cole's title. Cole is anything but eager to lock up with Hero tonight. Hero turns Cole around within seconds and gets a neck crank. Cole grabs the ropes to escape.
Nigel is on commentary for the main event. He actually makes a rare statement in pro wrestling: giving a wrestler's real height. He mentions Hero as 6'2-6'3 and Cole as 5'10. This is critical for Hero being able to get leverage, he notes. Hero makes it look easy on the mat as he out wrestles the champion. Cole keeps backing away, scared. He manages to shoulder Hero down one time and immediately shouts his own name with the height of hubris.
Cole finds himself in another cravate until he shoulders Hero into the corner. Cole steps out of the ring, calling a time out. Referee Todd Sinclair starts the count, so Cole rolls into the ring for a brief second to stop that. He won't go near Hero, so Hero chases him around the ring. Hero changes directions when Cole isn't looking and surprises the champion with a big boot. Cole has a reason to run now as Hero boots him in the face two more times.
Cole cuts Hero off and takes control for the first time in the match. He taunts the crowd, teasing a PK on Hero but instead he drops down and throws on a chinlock. Hero fights back until Cole hits a shining wizard. He made a weird, guttural sound as he did it and the crowd imitates it en masse as the show goes to break.
Cole kicks Hero's knee when the match continues. The crowd mocks him again. Hero clothelines Cole and follows with a neckbreaker as Cole gets back up. Hero catches Cole's foot as Cole tries to boot him. Instead it's Hero who lands a kick, once again right into Cole's face. Cole dodges a springboard curb stomp but not the rolling elbow that came after. Hero keeps going after Cole's neck, landing a cravate suplex. Hero sits Cole up top and puts on a cravate. He boots Cole in the face once more when Cole resists. Cole finally lands a boot of his own on Hero and changes the tide.
The crowd will not stop mocking Cole for the sound he made. Cole has this amazing look on his face, a mixture of being disgusted and pissed off. He tries to yell at Hero but the crowd cuts him off. Cole taunts Hero, who isn't going to stand for that nonsense. Hero decks Cole with a beautiful right. He gets Cole up in the electric chair position and drops him to his feet. Rolling elbow, right into the back of Cole's head. Cole drops forward and out through the ropes. Hero KO'd him and he has to deadlift Cole back up to get him in the ring. Cole immediately rolls back out, buying precious time. Cole takes another boot. When Hero tries to toss him back into the ring, Cole reverses it and gets Hero with a waistlock. Cole Germans suplexes Hero on the mats outside. Now the champion seizes the moment. He brings Hero back in the ring for his suplex into a neckbreaker. Hero kicks out at two.
Cole cannot believe that didn't finish the job. Cole struggles with Hero, trying to get a straight jacket German. Hero fights out of it with hard elbows, but an errant blow smacks the referee, knocking him out. Hero lands a downward spiral and then a big neck crank on Cole. Cole has to tap. He quits right there, clean in the middle of the ring. He's slapping his hand on the mat. But Nigel McGuinnes is busy tending to the unconscious Todd Sinclair, so no official sees it. Hero brings Cole up for another neck breaker. Cole steps away and lands an enzuigiri. Cole hits the ropes; Hero boots him. Hero hits the ropes; Cole boots him. Cole lands a super kick and goes right into a straight jacket German. Hero kicks out at two. Cole doesn't let go. A second Florida Key, as he calls it. Cole rolls over, still straight jacketing Hero, and lands a third one. One-two-three, and the champ will leave with his title.
Match rating: **** I liked this match a lot. A whole lot. Hero's offense looks great and I'm a big fan of his big boots, straight rights, and rolling elbows. He's crisp on the mat and knows how to work the neck. Cole is a top notch chickenshit heel. He knows the Philly crowd will love Hero, so he refuses to engage him and does everything he can to play up their animosity. His facials and mannerisms are elite for someone his age. I heard complaints about the ending, but I have no problem with it. Yes, it's a tainted win, but that fits perfectly for the situation. Hero made Cole tap so he's the better wrestler. The entire match was about him being a better wrestler. Cole is the winner though, and that's all he cares about.
Final Thoughts
Probably the best ROH TV episode that I've reviewed yet. Great main event and two strong undercard matches. Make sure you watch it. Next week is Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the TV title. Lethal calls out Ciampa for what hapened in their last match: Lethal had Ciampa out cold and in a pin but the ref wasn't there to make the three count. We'll see if he can get the job done this time.
Silas Young vs. Matt Taven
Silas came out with a strap, whipping it into the boards and against the ring. He doesn't bring it into the ring though, so Taven can breath easy. The two lock up. Silas drives Taven into the corner. Taven fires at Silas with hard punches. Silas blocks an O'Connor roll attempt but can't dodge the follow-up arm drag. Taven lands a standing moonsault that gets him an early two. Silas rolls out of the ring to take a breather.
Taven is looking away, distracted by something. Silas hurries back into the ring and ambushes him. Turns out that Truth Martini came out from the back, which caught Taven's attention. Silas and Taven trade momentum back and forth until Silas grabs the ref and pulls him between them. The show goes to a break, returning with Silas holding Taven in a chinlock. Silas drops Taven on the top rope between his legs. A springboard clothesline knocks Taven out of the ring. He crawls back and Silas immediately gets on him. Taven rolls past Silas, who puts on the breaks to avoid crashing against the corner, but Taven enzuigiris Silas to change the flow of the match.
Taven is on fire, knocking Silas down again and again. He lands a springboard moonsault that gets a two. Silas tries a killer combo, but Taven ducks under the lariat. Taven lifts Silas for the angel's wings, but Silas gets out of it and immediately counters with a hard lariat. Silas hits the Finlay roll, goes into the corner headstand and then the springing moonsault. Taven rolls out of the way, Silas lands on his feet. That looks familiar. Big spin kick from Taven, flooring Silas. Taven goes up top and hits a frog splash. Three count follows. Silas shakes Taven's hand before a sucker punch. Truth wants Silas to join him once Silas stops putting the boots to Taven. Instead, Silas walks right past Truth, disinterested.
Match Rating: ** Fast paced action. Taven could benefit from slowing it down a little, at least in my book, but he put on a fine show. Very clean match too, I saw no noticeable missteps in there.
ROH Television Championship - Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Hanson
Hanson won the top prospect tournament, giving him this title opportunity. Philly loves Ciampa. The two charge right at teach other and trade blows. Hanson bullies Ciampa into the corner with hard forearms and fists. Ciampa fights back, first booting Hanson then following up with blows of his own. Ciamapa dumps Hanson outside with a back drop then dives onto the big man. It looks like he hit the top rope on the way out, so it wasn't a smooth dive.
Ciampa sits Hanson down and hits running knees. Ciampa catches Hanson on a jump and slams him down in an impressive show of strength. The two of them go back and forth with hard forearms. They bounce off the ropes and come back with a forearm about a dozen times. Hanson throws a cartwheel in for good measure then clotheslines Ciampa with all his might. The struggles continues until Ciampa catches Hanson with a rising knee as Hanson stands up.
Ciampa looks for the Project Ciampa. Hanson knows it, so he drives Ciampa into the corner. He elbows Ciampa again and again. Then a big splash. Hanson goes up top and moonsaults onto Ciampa. Ciampa kicks out at two. Ciampa immedately brings Hanson into the Sicilian Stretch. Hanson rolls over and to his feet. He re-positions Ciampa on his shoulders, breaking the hold. Hanson tries to dump him but Ciampa lands on his feet. Spin kick of doom! Ciampa wisely rolls to the ropes and holds on for dear life.
Ciampa climbs onto the top rope again before Hanson cuts him off. Ciampa fights out of a precarious position and drops behind Hanson. Ciampa pulls Hanson off the top rope. Project Ciampa! Two knees right into Hanson's back. Ciampa gets the pinfall and retains his TV title.
Match rating: **3/4 Fun sprint of a match. Hanson's agility is really impressive for such a big guy. His moonsault isn't quite a Vadersault, but kudos for even trying it. Ciampa wisely doesn't try to toss Hanson around too much. When he stands toe-to-toe, Hanson gets the best of him, so he has to rely on big impact shots and counter blows.
ROH World Heavyweight Championship - Adam Cole (c) vs. Chris Hero
Hero got the pin on Cole in an elimination tag, giving him the right to challenge for Cole's title. Cole is anything but eager to lock up with Hero tonight. Hero turns Cole around within seconds and gets a neck crank. Cole grabs the ropes to escape.
Nigel is on commentary for the main event. He actually makes a rare statement in pro wrestling: giving a wrestler's real height. He mentions Hero as 6'2-6'3 and Cole as 5'10. This is critical for Hero being able to get leverage, he notes. Hero makes it look easy on the mat as he out wrestles the champion. Cole keeps backing away, scared. He manages to shoulder Hero down one time and immediately shouts his own name with the height of hubris.
Cole finds himself in another cravate until he shoulders Hero into the corner. Cole steps out of the ring, calling a time out. Referee Todd Sinclair starts the count, so Cole rolls into the ring for a brief second to stop that. He won't go near Hero, so Hero chases him around the ring. Hero changes directions when Cole isn't looking and surprises the champion with a big boot. Cole has a reason to run now as Hero boots him in the face two more times.
Cole cuts Hero off and takes control for the first time in the match. He taunts the crowd, teasing a PK on Hero but instead he drops down and throws on a chinlock. Hero fights back until Cole hits a shining wizard. He made a weird, guttural sound as he did it and the crowd imitates it en masse as the show goes to break.
Cole kicks Hero's knee when the match continues. The crowd mocks him again. Hero clothelines Cole and follows with a neckbreaker as Cole gets back up. Hero catches Cole's foot as Cole tries to boot him. Instead it's Hero who lands a kick, once again right into Cole's face. Cole dodges a springboard curb stomp but not the rolling elbow that came after. Hero keeps going after Cole's neck, landing a cravate suplex. Hero sits Cole up top and puts on a cravate. He boots Cole in the face once more when Cole resists. Cole finally lands a boot of his own on Hero and changes the tide.
The crowd will not stop mocking Cole for the sound he made. Cole has this amazing look on his face, a mixture of being disgusted and pissed off. He tries to yell at Hero but the crowd cuts him off. Cole taunts Hero, who isn't going to stand for that nonsense. Hero decks Cole with a beautiful right. He gets Cole up in the electric chair position and drops him to his feet. Rolling elbow, right into the back of Cole's head. Cole drops forward and out through the ropes. Hero KO'd him and he has to deadlift Cole back up to get him in the ring. Cole immediately rolls back out, buying precious time. Cole takes another boot. When Hero tries to toss him back into the ring, Cole reverses it and gets Hero with a waistlock. Cole Germans suplexes Hero on the mats outside. Now the champion seizes the moment. He brings Hero back in the ring for his suplex into a neckbreaker. Hero kicks out at two.
Cole cannot believe that didn't finish the job. Cole struggles with Hero, trying to get a straight jacket German. Hero fights out of it with hard elbows, but an errant blow smacks the referee, knocking him out. Hero lands a downward spiral and then a big neck crank on Cole. Cole has to tap. He quits right there, clean in the middle of the ring. He's slapping his hand on the mat. But Nigel McGuinnes is busy tending to the unconscious Todd Sinclair, so no official sees it. Hero brings Cole up for another neck breaker. Cole steps away and lands an enzuigiri. Cole hits the ropes; Hero boots him. Hero hits the ropes; Cole boots him. Cole lands a super kick and goes right into a straight jacket German. Hero kicks out at two. Cole doesn't let go. A second Florida Key, as he calls it. Cole rolls over, still straight jacketing Hero, and lands a third one. One-two-three, and the champ will leave with his title.
Match rating: **** I liked this match a lot. A whole lot. Hero's offense looks great and I'm a big fan of his big boots, straight rights, and rolling elbows. He's crisp on the mat and knows how to work the neck. Cole is a top notch chickenshit heel. He knows the Philly crowd will love Hero, so he refuses to engage him and does everything he can to play up their animosity. His facials and mannerisms are elite for someone his age. I heard complaints about the ending, but I have no problem with it. Yes, it's a tainted win, but that fits perfectly for the situation. Hero made Cole tap so he's the better wrestler. The entire match was about him being a better wrestler. Cole is the winner though, and that's all he cares about.
Final Thoughts
Probably the best ROH TV episode that I've reviewed yet. Great main event and two strong undercard matches. Make sure you watch it. Next week is Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the TV title. Lethal calls out Ciampa for what hapened in their last match: Lethal had Ciampa out cold and in a pin but the ref wasn't there to make the three count. We'll see if he can get the job done this time.
AAW Pro Wrestling TV Episode 2
AAW has Phil Colvin and Dave Prazak on commentary. From the looks of it. AAW will reach into the distant past for content, so no worries about the TV show moving past the live events. Colvin and Prazak don't waste much time before sending us to the action, so I won't either. Let's get to it.
Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza) vs. Kung Fu Manchu (Louis Lyndon & Marion Fontaine)
Quick action early on with all four men in the ring, unable to get the best of their opponents. Colvin and Prazak talk up how much Gakiya looks like Bryan Alvarez, adding that it's too bad Esparza doesn't look like Dave Meltzer. Kung Fu Manchu have control, working over Esparza. They double team Esparza again and again, leaving Gakiya on the apron, desperate to tag in. Lyndon and Fontaine work a slower pace to ground Esparza. Esparza flips through a German suplex, lands on his feet and gets the hot tag to Gakiya.
Gakiya springs off the top rope, taking out Lyndon. Gakiya tags back out to Esparza after a moment. Zero Gravity fly free, diving off the ropes, out of the ring, and off of each other. Lyndon stops Zero Gravity with hard strikes. Fontaine joins in, superkicking Esparza. Lyndon puts Esparza down with an upkick, Fontaine lands a springboard moonsault, and three seconds later the match is done. Kung Fu Manchu gets the win.
Match rating: *1/2 It's a fast-paced opener, which is very typical of AAW, but got it gets sloppy at a few points and is short.
Eddie Kingston vs. Francois McIntyre
Kingston debuts in AAW. He establishes his dominance early, shoving Francois around and hits an exploder. Francois lands one spinebuster and gets a big head for it. Kingston blocks a suplex then counters with one of his own, chucking Francois into the turnbuckles. Kingston waits for Francois to get up, smashes him with a spinning backfist, and gets the pin.
Match rating: N/A This was a minute long and just a way to get Kingston in the ring. Kingston gets on the mic afterwards, which is much more eventful. Kingston is one of the better mic workers in the indies, very natural. He rambles at the start before getting to his point. He came all the way to Chicago for a fight, 90 seconds of action isn't enough. After a bit of crowd work, Markus Crane comes out, answering the challenge.
Eddie Kingston vs. Markus Crane
Crane shows a lot of empty bravado to stand up to Kingston. He backs down immediately when Kingston moves towards him at all. Kingston grabs Crane, hits a backdrop driver, and gets the pin. 44 seconds. He's halving his match times.
Match Rating: N/A Haven't seen a company use enhancement matches like this in a long while.
There's an editing transition and all of a sudden Knight Wagner is in the ring with Kingston. Wagner asks if he's supposed to be afraid of Eddie Kingston. Yes, yes he is. Kingston is dumb struck, laughing in Wagner's face. Wagner ducks a backfist, slaps Kingston, and we are on.
Knight Wagner vs. Eddie Kingston
Wagner hits a busaiku knee seconds in but it barely gets two. Kingston hits an exploder and then a big lariat. Wagner dumps Kingston outside. He dives over the top, crashing onto Kingston. Wagner rolls Kingston into the ring then goes up to the top rope. He leaps at Kingston, who spins around and smacks Wagner with a backfist as he's in midair. Kingston covers Wagner and goes to 3-0 on the night.
Match Rating: N/A This one maybe went two minutes. I like the concept of the finish, though I'm not sure if Kingston really connected.
AAW's ads vary it up a whole lot more than the first episode. That's a big plus, they got annoying last time around. Still repetitive, but they tone it down.
Scarlett Bordeaux gets some more camera time. Come see her live some time.
Samuray del Sol vs. Silas Young (w/ Val Malone)
Two great local talents are up. Del Sol traveled all over in the last few years, including a career move down to Orlando now, but he's a Chicago local. Silas hails from Milwaukee, but he is an AAW mainstay. Silas and Del Sol start out with wristlocks, hammerlocks, and your intro chain wrestling. It's smooth and stands out a lot compared to much of AAW's action. Del Sol is crazy fast. I don't think I've seen anyone move around as quickly in a ring. Silas locks hands with Del Sol. Time for a test of strength. Silas probably has thirty pounds on Del Sol, but Del Sol is game.
Silas waistlocks Del Sol, squeezing him hard and refusing to let go. Del Sol flips out of that and uses his lucha stylings to take down Silas. He dodges a dropkick by laying out, grabs Silas' legs, and puts on a knee lock until Silas gets to the ropes. Del Sol wears out Silas with a kick to the back and a back suplex. Del Sol tries to springboard from the apron back into the ring, but Val Malone grabs his foot.
Del Sol goes for the same springboard as before but Silas ducks under it. At least Del Sol got to try this time. Silas stops Del Sol with a fireman's carry into a backbreaker. Del Sol is down; Silas puts a hard knee into his back. He kicks Del Sol again, taunting him. Del Sol blocks a suplex, so Silas clubs him in the back. Del Sol blocks it again, so Silas drives him into the corner. The third attempt goes through. Two count. Del Sol fights back for a heartbeat until Silas back body drops him, aggravating Del Sol's already injured back.
Silas continues to wear down Del Sol's back by driving a knee into it. He moves on to a neck crank, twisting Del Sol's head. Del Sol gets back to both feet but Silas immediately throws him down. Silas bends over to taunt Del Sol. Del Sol kicks him in the face, seizing his chance. Del Sol goes on a roll, kicking at Silas and landing a code red that's good for two. He hits a springboard cross body that Silas rolls through. Silas lifts up Del Sol and backbreakers him again.
Silas has Del Sol down with a chinlock and he taunts the crowd. Del Sol struggles to his feet then fights his way out of the lock. Del Sol hits the ropes and looks for a hurricanrana, but Silas stops it, dropping Del Sol across the top rope. Del Sol monkey flips Silas, both men are down.
The pace picks up once both men get to their feet. Del Sol lands an asai DDT that gets a two count. Del Sol drags himself up to the top rope. Silas gets up, Del Sol flips over him. Silas knees Del Sol and hits a killer combo: a backbreaker, kneeling lariat sequence. Del Sol kicks out at two on the pin.
Silas slows it back down. He screams at Del Sol, telling him he means nothing. Del Sol upkicks Silas with both boots as Silas stands on the bottom rope and leans over him. Del Sol struggles with Silas on the top rope until he brings Silas down with a rising sun. Del Sol blasts Silas with hard kicks to the chest. Silas ducks a third attempt, scoops Del Sol onto his shoulders and lands a Finlay roll. Silas springs up, headstands on the top turnbuckle, and goes for his signature springboard moonsault from there. Del Sol moves but Silas lands on his feet. Del Sol spikes Silas on his head with a hurricanrana. Del Sol hits a hard side kick, booting Silas in the face. Only a two count.
Both men move around in agony. Del Sol rises to his feet and gets the crowd amped up. Del Sol charges Silas but Silas evades him. Del Sol lands gracefully on the middle rope and springs back into Silas. Silas catches Del Sol in the electric chair position then drops him face first onto the top turnbuckle. Silas grabs Del Sol, plants him with a snake eyes to compress the spine, rolls into the stock lock, and forces Del Sol to tap.
Match Rating: **1/4 Good but not great. Also got a little sloppy at times which broke up the flow. The chain wrestling to start was probably the crispest part of the showdown and I could have gone for more of that. Silas stopped working over Del Sol's back after a while, but the finish calls back to that earlier work so I give it a thumbs up.
Kingston is back out with a microphone. He compliments Silas, who is still in the ring, saying it was a nice match. Kingston calls out the fans: they make him sick. He's disgusted with how the fans boo Silas, a long time champion, yet cheer him on arrival. He buries AAW fans, saying that they might as well be CZW fans. Low blow, man. Kingston didn't come here to get cheers. He came here to challenge Silas.
Silas says the fans ARE dumb, but they're HIS fans. Kingston might be a big deal elsewhere but in AAW all he did was beat three goofs. Silas gets in Kingston's face and says he hasn't done shit. If Kingston wants a match he has to earn it. But Silas will give him a fight.
Kingston gets the mic back. He loves fighting, but he's not getting paid to fight again tonight. He tries to ambush Silas when Silas turns away. Silas blocks a punch and the two go at it. Silas has the best of it until Kingston low blows him. Kingston gets a chair and is about to lay into Silas when Val jumps in the way. Kingston thinks about smashing Val with it, but drops the chair instead. He won't hit her with a chair, but he will grab Val by the hair and punch her in the face. So he has some standards?
Kingston drags a table over to the side of the ring. He stabs it into Silas' side then brings Silas to the apron. Kingston puts Silas through the table with a sit out powerbomb. Val is out, Silas is out, and Kingston takes a seat in the middle of the ring. AAW is going to change, now they have a king.
Final Thoughts
A strong second show for AAW. We get Kingston's debut where he starts as a babyface that the fans love. Silas is a dickhead heel in his match versus Del Sol. But at the end of the hour, fortunes change and there's a double turn. AAW has a marquee feud to center itself around now.
Zero Gravity (Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza) vs. Kung Fu Manchu (Louis Lyndon & Marion Fontaine)
Quick action early on with all four men in the ring, unable to get the best of their opponents. Colvin and Prazak talk up how much Gakiya looks like Bryan Alvarez, adding that it's too bad Esparza doesn't look like Dave Meltzer. Kung Fu Manchu have control, working over Esparza. They double team Esparza again and again, leaving Gakiya on the apron, desperate to tag in. Lyndon and Fontaine work a slower pace to ground Esparza. Esparza flips through a German suplex, lands on his feet and gets the hot tag to Gakiya.
Gakiya springs off the top rope, taking out Lyndon. Gakiya tags back out to Esparza after a moment. Zero Gravity fly free, diving off the ropes, out of the ring, and off of each other. Lyndon stops Zero Gravity with hard strikes. Fontaine joins in, superkicking Esparza. Lyndon puts Esparza down with an upkick, Fontaine lands a springboard moonsault, and three seconds later the match is done. Kung Fu Manchu gets the win.
Match rating: *1/2 It's a fast-paced opener, which is very typical of AAW, but got it gets sloppy at a few points and is short.
Eddie Kingston vs. Francois McIntyre
Kingston debuts in AAW. He establishes his dominance early, shoving Francois around and hits an exploder. Francois lands one spinebuster and gets a big head for it. Kingston blocks a suplex then counters with one of his own, chucking Francois into the turnbuckles. Kingston waits for Francois to get up, smashes him with a spinning backfist, and gets the pin.
Match rating: N/A This was a minute long and just a way to get Kingston in the ring. Kingston gets on the mic afterwards, which is much more eventful. Kingston is one of the better mic workers in the indies, very natural. He rambles at the start before getting to his point. He came all the way to Chicago for a fight, 90 seconds of action isn't enough. After a bit of crowd work, Markus Crane comes out, answering the challenge.
Eddie Kingston vs. Markus Crane
Crane shows a lot of empty bravado to stand up to Kingston. He backs down immediately when Kingston moves towards him at all. Kingston grabs Crane, hits a backdrop driver, and gets the pin. 44 seconds. He's halving his match times.
Match Rating: N/A Haven't seen a company use enhancement matches like this in a long while.
There's an editing transition and all of a sudden Knight Wagner is in the ring with Kingston. Wagner asks if he's supposed to be afraid of Eddie Kingston. Yes, yes he is. Kingston is dumb struck, laughing in Wagner's face. Wagner ducks a backfist, slaps Kingston, and we are on.
Knight Wagner vs. Eddie Kingston
Wagner hits a busaiku knee seconds in but it barely gets two. Kingston hits an exploder and then a big lariat. Wagner dumps Kingston outside. He dives over the top, crashing onto Kingston. Wagner rolls Kingston into the ring then goes up to the top rope. He leaps at Kingston, who spins around and smacks Wagner with a backfist as he's in midair. Kingston covers Wagner and goes to 3-0 on the night.
Match Rating: N/A This one maybe went two minutes. I like the concept of the finish, though I'm not sure if Kingston really connected.
AAW's ads vary it up a whole lot more than the first episode. That's a big plus, they got annoying last time around. Still repetitive, but they tone it down.
Scarlett Bordeaux gets some more camera time. Come see her live some time.
Samuray del Sol vs. Silas Young (w/ Val Malone)
Two great local talents are up. Del Sol traveled all over in the last few years, including a career move down to Orlando now, but he's a Chicago local. Silas hails from Milwaukee, but he is an AAW mainstay. Silas and Del Sol start out with wristlocks, hammerlocks, and your intro chain wrestling. It's smooth and stands out a lot compared to much of AAW's action. Del Sol is crazy fast. I don't think I've seen anyone move around as quickly in a ring. Silas locks hands with Del Sol. Time for a test of strength. Silas probably has thirty pounds on Del Sol, but Del Sol is game.
Silas waistlocks Del Sol, squeezing him hard and refusing to let go. Del Sol flips out of that and uses his lucha stylings to take down Silas. He dodges a dropkick by laying out, grabs Silas' legs, and puts on a knee lock until Silas gets to the ropes. Del Sol wears out Silas with a kick to the back and a back suplex. Del Sol tries to springboard from the apron back into the ring, but Val Malone grabs his foot.
Del Sol goes for the same springboard as before but Silas ducks under it. At least Del Sol got to try this time. Silas stops Del Sol with a fireman's carry into a backbreaker. Del Sol is down; Silas puts a hard knee into his back. He kicks Del Sol again, taunting him. Del Sol blocks a suplex, so Silas clubs him in the back. Del Sol blocks it again, so Silas drives him into the corner. The third attempt goes through. Two count. Del Sol fights back for a heartbeat until Silas back body drops him, aggravating Del Sol's already injured back.
Silas continues to wear down Del Sol's back by driving a knee into it. He moves on to a neck crank, twisting Del Sol's head. Del Sol gets back to both feet but Silas immediately throws him down. Silas bends over to taunt Del Sol. Del Sol kicks him in the face, seizing his chance. Del Sol goes on a roll, kicking at Silas and landing a code red that's good for two. He hits a springboard cross body that Silas rolls through. Silas lifts up Del Sol and backbreakers him again.
Silas has Del Sol down with a chinlock and he taunts the crowd. Del Sol struggles to his feet then fights his way out of the lock. Del Sol hits the ropes and looks for a hurricanrana, but Silas stops it, dropping Del Sol across the top rope. Del Sol monkey flips Silas, both men are down.
The pace picks up once both men get to their feet. Del Sol lands an asai DDT that gets a two count. Del Sol drags himself up to the top rope. Silas gets up, Del Sol flips over him. Silas knees Del Sol and hits a killer combo: a backbreaker, kneeling lariat sequence. Del Sol kicks out at two on the pin.
Silas slows it back down. He screams at Del Sol, telling him he means nothing. Del Sol upkicks Silas with both boots as Silas stands on the bottom rope and leans over him. Del Sol struggles with Silas on the top rope until he brings Silas down with a rising sun. Del Sol blasts Silas with hard kicks to the chest. Silas ducks a third attempt, scoops Del Sol onto his shoulders and lands a Finlay roll. Silas springs up, headstands on the top turnbuckle, and goes for his signature springboard moonsault from there. Del Sol moves but Silas lands on his feet. Del Sol spikes Silas on his head with a hurricanrana. Del Sol hits a hard side kick, booting Silas in the face. Only a two count.
Both men move around in agony. Del Sol rises to his feet and gets the crowd amped up. Del Sol charges Silas but Silas evades him. Del Sol lands gracefully on the middle rope and springs back into Silas. Silas catches Del Sol in the electric chair position then drops him face first onto the top turnbuckle. Silas grabs Del Sol, plants him with a snake eyes to compress the spine, rolls into the stock lock, and forces Del Sol to tap.
Match Rating: **1/4 Good but not great. Also got a little sloppy at times which broke up the flow. The chain wrestling to start was probably the crispest part of the showdown and I could have gone for more of that. Silas stopped working over Del Sol's back after a while, but the finish calls back to that earlier work so I give it a thumbs up.
Kingston is back out with a microphone. He compliments Silas, who is still in the ring, saying it was a nice match. Kingston calls out the fans: they make him sick. He's disgusted with how the fans boo Silas, a long time champion, yet cheer him on arrival. He buries AAW fans, saying that they might as well be CZW fans. Low blow, man. Kingston didn't come here to get cheers. He came here to challenge Silas.
Silas says the fans ARE dumb, but they're HIS fans. Kingston might be a big deal elsewhere but in AAW all he did was beat three goofs. Silas gets in Kingston's face and says he hasn't done shit. If Kingston wants a match he has to earn it. But Silas will give him a fight.
Kingston gets the mic back. He loves fighting, but he's not getting paid to fight again tonight. He tries to ambush Silas when Silas turns away. Silas blocks a punch and the two go at it. Silas has the best of it until Kingston low blows him. Kingston gets a chair and is about to lay into Silas when Val jumps in the way. Kingston thinks about smashing Val with it, but drops the chair instead. He won't hit her with a chair, but he will grab Val by the hair and punch her in the face. So he has some standards?
Kingston drags a table over to the side of the ring. He stabs it into Silas' side then brings Silas to the apron. Kingston puts Silas through the table with a sit out powerbomb. Val is out, Silas is out, and Kingston takes a seat in the middle of the ring. AAW is going to change, now they have a king.
Final Thoughts
A strong second show for AAW. We get Kingston's debut where he starts as a babyface that the fans love. Silas is a dickhead heel in his match versus Del Sol. But at the end of the hour, fortunes change and there's a double turn. AAW has a marquee feud to center itself around now.
Mar 6, 2014
ROH TV Episode 128
Another week, another ROH TV episode. That sounds way worse than it should, ROH has been on a roll since I started watching. Tonight is the 12th Anniversary show from Philadelphia, at least in part. Michael Elgin comes out but his opponent, Matt Hardy, was unable to make it due to weather. Let's get to the show.
Elgin gets on the mic. Scarlett Bordeaux is in the ring too, dressed much more modestly than she once was. She's the new ring announcer, I'm guessing (and hoping) on an interim basis. Not that she's bad, but she doesn't have Bobby Cruise's pipes. Elgin has two goals: become the ring of honor world champion and send Matt Hardy out of Philadelphia on a stretcher or a body bag. No Hardy tonight, so that's not going to work. The rest of what he has to say is Ring of Honor glad-handing. He does call out Raymond Rowe, who answers.
Michael Elgin vs. Raymond Rowe
Rowe dropkicks Elgin as the bell rings. Elgin gets his delayed suplex spot in early. Rowe isn't having it, so he fights his way out once, then again, but a third attempt goes through. Elgin drops Rowe just in time for a commercial break.
Rowe tries to out wrestle Elgin as the two swap waist locks. Rowe fights out of a German suplex with a hard elbow then hits the ropes. Elgin follows. Rowe stops and hits the ropes behind Elgin. The two engage in an awkward little dance of trying to run behind each other. Elgin ends that by no selling an exploder suplex. Both men lariat each other, neither having the strength to floor their opponent. Elgin overpowers Rowe, who kicks out at one after a lariat put him down. Elgin eats an over the head belly-to-belly and rolls out of the ring. Rowe dives through the ropes and right onto the mats. Elgin dodged that one. He gets Rowe up for a powerbomb and tosses Rowe right into the guard rails. Elgin drags Rowe back to the ring, gives him a spinning powerbomb, and ends this one.
Match rating: 1/2* "Yawn" is about right. The crowd agrees, judging by their absolute silence. I like Rowe but Elgin is wearing on me fast. This match was basically his signature spots and zero selling. Rowe didn't get much of a chance to shine.
Adam Cole runs out after the match, looking to blindside Elgin. Rowe makes the save, grabbing the belt from Cole before he could do the deed. Elgin is about to make Cole pay when Mike Bennett comes out of nowhere and low blows Elgin. Bennett and Cole put the boots to Rowe and Elgin until Jay Briscoe sprints to the ring. Cole gets out of there ASAP while Bennett eats a series of Funkian jabs.
Jay Briscoe vs. Michael Bennett
Jay's version of the ROH championship is on the line. The crowd is immediately into this match in a way that Elgin-Rowe could only dream of. Bennett and Jay brawl outside the ring. Jay throws Bennett into the barricades and suplexes him from the ground onto the ring apron. Jay is beating the hell out of Bennett until Maria comes out and distracts him with her screaming. Jay only lets the surprise take him for a moment or two until he gets back to whoopin' Bennett. He suplexes Bennett on the entrance ramp before bringing the action back to the ring.
Jay dropkicks Elgin for a two count. Bennett avoids Jay's splash attempt in the corner to change the tide. He goes for a pin after an elbow drop and gets a two for his efforts. Bennett gets to work the advantage until a bit of deja vu occurs. This time it's Jay who moves out of the corner when Bennett tries to splash Jay.
Bennett and Jay trade hard rights. Jay reels back, bounces off the ropes and loads up for a big right. Bennett isn't having it. He scoops Jay up and spinebusters him as the show goes to a break. Bennett is eating jabs when the show returns. A superkick stops that. Jay immediately cuts Bennett off with a rolling elbow. Two count.
Jay goes up top. Bennett socks him with a right before Jay can do anything. The two fight while standing up on the ropes. That is, until Jay drops Bennett. Jay's frog splash lands, but only gets a two count. Bennett and Jay continue to trade places for control of the match. They trade moves and they trade blows, neither getting much momentum. Jay hooks Bennetts arms for a Jay Driller when Cole jumps onto the apron for the distraction. Jay lets go, wanting to chase after Cole. Bennett low blows Jay then rolls him up with a cradle. Jay kicks out at two. In fairness, it was an awful low blow. Cole and Maria are screaming at the ref. Jay low blows Bennett while the ref isn't looking. Jay spikes Bennett with a Jay driller just as the ref turns. Three seconds later this one is done.
Match rating: **1/4 Much better than the opener and pretty good in its own rights. My major knock is that the middle of the match was a long stretch where they traded the lead so often that the crowd never got invested into it, especially after the hot opening. Nor did I. Still a pretty good match.
Jay Lethal vs. AJ Styles
Main event time! The crowd loves Styles. I'm skeptical, mostly because the soccer goalie gloves he's wearing. Styles and Lethal test their strength to start. A major segment of the crowd chants for Lethal over Styles when the dueling chants begin. The two start with grappling, particularly an extended wristlock by Lethal. Lethal gets pushed into the ropes but grabs on to avoid a Styles' dropkick. Styles charges and ends up going onto the apron after Lethal pulled down the top rope. Lethal lands a springboard dropkick to knock Styles out of the ring. He lines up for a dive, but Styles hustles back into the ring and clotheslines Lethal as he gets to the ropes. Lethal is outside now. Styles starts a plancha but pulls himself onto the apron when Lethal moves. Styles kicks Lethal in the chin then moonsaults onto nothing. Jay moved, but Styles landed on his feet. Lethal must have run like hell because he got back into the ring and an instant later he dives back through the ropes, crashing into Styles.
Lethal has Styles in a leg hold after a commercial break. He's working over Styles until he gets to the ropes. Lethal chops Styles so hard that Styles tumbles over. Styles blocks two suplex attempts while he's on the apron. He manages to get Lethal up first, bringing him out to the apron, then suplex him on to the apron with the second effort. Styles Irish whips Lethal into the barricades. They got back into the ring where Styles still has control. Lethal makes sure to not break the Steamboat rule. He gets a few uppercuts in. Not enough to stop Styles though, who shoots him to the ropes and then floors him with a dropkick.
Styles takes the chance to show his submission prowess with a bridging leg lock. Lethal sells his knee in a noticeable way the moment he gets out. Styles works a chin lock until the crowd fires Lethal up. Lethal fights his way out of it and gets into a trade of chops. Each guy tries to out chop the other. They end that before long and move on to rights. Then forearms. Plus a few more chops. Lots of strikes, to say the least. Lethal combination ends it. The backbreaker, faceslam dyad, not a combination that is fatal.
Lethal sits Styles up on the top, looking for a superplex. Styles drops between Lethal's legs then yanks him off the top rope. Styles is on the apron again. He springboards into the ring with a big superman forearm. Two count. Styles teases a styles clash, but Lethal is fresh enough to avoid it. Lethal still sells the knee, staggering around, not going so fast when he runs. He can't get enough momentum to knock Styles over with a clothesline. Styles tries to set Lethal up for a styles clash a second time, but Lethal fights his way out of it again, this time getting to the ropes.
Styles gets out of a dragon suplex set up by hitting his Pele kick. Both men are exhausted, breathing heavy. Lethal lands that dragon suplex on the second try, flipping Styles all the way over. Lethal goes up top for an elbow drop. It lands! It looked good too, but not good enough for a three count. Lethal calls his next move out: lethal injection. Styles grabs him by the wrist, stopping that before it happens. Lethal chops Styles hard across the chest. He goes back to his original plan. Lethal injection. Styles catches him midjump and drops him with a reverse fireman's carry. Styles follows up with a powerbomb. He doesn't let go of Lethal's legs, so he lifts him back up and finally gets what he always wanted: a styles clash. Three count and we're all done.
Match rating: ***1/4 Fine work in there. Loved that Lethal sold the knee so well, but wish Styles bothered to go after it again. This wasn't as good as the Styles-Strong encounter but is definitely worth a watch.
Final Thoughts
This week flew by. The main event was almost 20 minutes long but certainly did not feel it. There were no interviews or backstage segments more than a few moments long. So, basically, we've got a reverse TNA situation here. In other words, ROH is doing it right.
Elgin gets on the mic. Scarlett Bordeaux is in the ring too, dressed much more modestly than she once was. She's the new ring announcer, I'm guessing (and hoping) on an interim basis. Not that she's bad, but she doesn't have Bobby Cruise's pipes. Elgin has two goals: become the ring of honor world champion and send Matt Hardy out of Philadelphia on a stretcher or a body bag. No Hardy tonight, so that's not going to work. The rest of what he has to say is Ring of Honor glad-handing. He does call out Raymond Rowe, who answers.
Michael Elgin vs. Raymond Rowe
Rowe dropkicks Elgin as the bell rings. Elgin gets his delayed suplex spot in early. Rowe isn't having it, so he fights his way out once, then again, but a third attempt goes through. Elgin drops Rowe just in time for a commercial break.
Rowe tries to out wrestle Elgin as the two swap waist locks. Rowe fights out of a German suplex with a hard elbow then hits the ropes. Elgin follows. Rowe stops and hits the ropes behind Elgin. The two engage in an awkward little dance of trying to run behind each other. Elgin ends that by no selling an exploder suplex. Both men lariat each other, neither having the strength to floor their opponent. Elgin overpowers Rowe, who kicks out at one after a lariat put him down. Elgin eats an over the head belly-to-belly and rolls out of the ring. Rowe dives through the ropes and right onto the mats. Elgin dodged that one. He gets Rowe up for a powerbomb and tosses Rowe right into the guard rails. Elgin drags Rowe back to the ring, gives him a spinning powerbomb, and ends this one.
Match rating: 1/2* "Yawn" is about right. The crowd agrees, judging by their absolute silence. I like Rowe but Elgin is wearing on me fast. This match was basically his signature spots and zero selling. Rowe didn't get much of a chance to shine.
Adam Cole runs out after the match, looking to blindside Elgin. Rowe makes the save, grabbing the belt from Cole before he could do the deed. Elgin is about to make Cole pay when Mike Bennett comes out of nowhere and low blows Elgin. Bennett and Cole put the boots to Rowe and Elgin until Jay Briscoe sprints to the ring. Cole gets out of there ASAP while Bennett eats a series of Funkian jabs.
Jay Briscoe vs. Michael Bennett
Jay's version of the ROH championship is on the line. The crowd is immediately into this match in a way that Elgin-Rowe could only dream of. Bennett and Jay brawl outside the ring. Jay throws Bennett into the barricades and suplexes him from the ground onto the ring apron. Jay is beating the hell out of Bennett until Maria comes out and distracts him with her screaming. Jay only lets the surprise take him for a moment or two until he gets back to whoopin' Bennett. He suplexes Bennett on the entrance ramp before bringing the action back to the ring.
Jay dropkicks Elgin for a two count. Bennett avoids Jay's splash attempt in the corner to change the tide. He goes for a pin after an elbow drop and gets a two for his efforts. Bennett gets to work the advantage until a bit of deja vu occurs. This time it's Jay who moves out of the corner when Bennett tries to splash Jay.
Bennett and Jay trade hard rights. Jay reels back, bounces off the ropes and loads up for a big right. Bennett isn't having it. He scoops Jay up and spinebusters him as the show goes to a break. Bennett is eating jabs when the show returns. A superkick stops that. Jay immediately cuts Bennett off with a rolling elbow. Two count.
Jay goes up top. Bennett socks him with a right before Jay can do anything. The two fight while standing up on the ropes. That is, until Jay drops Bennett. Jay's frog splash lands, but only gets a two count. Bennett and Jay continue to trade places for control of the match. They trade moves and they trade blows, neither getting much momentum. Jay hooks Bennetts arms for a Jay Driller when Cole jumps onto the apron for the distraction. Jay lets go, wanting to chase after Cole. Bennett low blows Jay then rolls him up with a cradle. Jay kicks out at two. In fairness, it was an awful low blow. Cole and Maria are screaming at the ref. Jay low blows Bennett while the ref isn't looking. Jay spikes Bennett with a Jay driller just as the ref turns. Three seconds later this one is done.
Match rating: **1/4 Much better than the opener and pretty good in its own rights. My major knock is that the middle of the match was a long stretch where they traded the lead so often that the crowd never got invested into it, especially after the hot opening. Nor did I. Still a pretty good match.
Jay Lethal vs. AJ Styles
Main event time! The crowd loves Styles. I'm skeptical, mostly because the soccer goalie gloves he's wearing. Styles and Lethal test their strength to start. A major segment of the crowd chants for Lethal over Styles when the dueling chants begin. The two start with grappling, particularly an extended wristlock by Lethal. Lethal gets pushed into the ropes but grabs on to avoid a Styles' dropkick. Styles charges and ends up going onto the apron after Lethal pulled down the top rope. Lethal lands a springboard dropkick to knock Styles out of the ring. He lines up for a dive, but Styles hustles back into the ring and clotheslines Lethal as he gets to the ropes. Lethal is outside now. Styles starts a plancha but pulls himself onto the apron when Lethal moves. Styles kicks Lethal in the chin then moonsaults onto nothing. Jay moved, but Styles landed on his feet. Lethal must have run like hell because he got back into the ring and an instant later he dives back through the ropes, crashing into Styles.
Lethal has Styles in a leg hold after a commercial break. He's working over Styles until he gets to the ropes. Lethal chops Styles so hard that Styles tumbles over. Styles blocks two suplex attempts while he's on the apron. He manages to get Lethal up first, bringing him out to the apron, then suplex him on to the apron with the second effort. Styles Irish whips Lethal into the barricades. They got back into the ring where Styles still has control. Lethal makes sure to not break the Steamboat rule. He gets a few uppercuts in. Not enough to stop Styles though, who shoots him to the ropes and then floors him with a dropkick.
Styles takes the chance to show his submission prowess with a bridging leg lock. Lethal sells his knee in a noticeable way the moment he gets out. Styles works a chin lock until the crowd fires Lethal up. Lethal fights his way out of it and gets into a trade of chops. Each guy tries to out chop the other. They end that before long and move on to rights. Then forearms. Plus a few more chops. Lots of strikes, to say the least. Lethal combination ends it. The backbreaker, faceslam dyad, not a combination that is fatal.
Lethal sits Styles up on the top, looking for a superplex. Styles drops between Lethal's legs then yanks him off the top rope. Styles is on the apron again. He springboards into the ring with a big superman forearm. Two count. Styles teases a styles clash, but Lethal is fresh enough to avoid it. Lethal still sells the knee, staggering around, not going so fast when he runs. He can't get enough momentum to knock Styles over with a clothesline. Styles tries to set Lethal up for a styles clash a second time, but Lethal fights his way out of it again, this time getting to the ropes.
Styles gets out of a dragon suplex set up by hitting his Pele kick. Both men are exhausted, breathing heavy. Lethal lands that dragon suplex on the second try, flipping Styles all the way over. Lethal goes up top for an elbow drop. It lands! It looked good too, but not good enough for a three count. Lethal calls his next move out: lethal injection. Styles grabs him by the wrist, stopping that before it happens. Lethal chops Styles hard across the chest. He goes back to his original plan. Lethal injection. Styles catches him midjump and drops him with a reverse fireman's carry. Styles follows up with a powerbomb. He doesn't let go of Lethal's legs, so he lifts him back up and finally gets what he always wanted: a styles clash. Three count and we're all done.
Match rating: ***1/4 Fine work in there. Loved that Lethal sold the knee so well, but wish Styles bothered to go after it again. This wasn't as good as the Styles-Strong encounter but is definitely worth a watch.
Final Thoughts
This week flew by. The main event was almost 20 minutes long but certainly did not feel it. There were no interviews or backstage segments more than a few moments long. So, basically, we've got a reverse TNA situation here. In other words, ROH is doing it right.
Mar 5, 2014
AAW Pro Wrestling TV - Episode 1
AAW is my local promotion. I'm about twenty minutes away from the Berwyn Eagles Club where they run most of their shows and I've gone to the last four live events. I plan on going to all the nearby shows in the future too. Why? Because AAW is a good promotion with lots of top independent wrestlers coming in. Now I get to enjoy them live each month and on video each week with their new TV show. It's on MaddyGTV on Roku and the AAW youtube channel each Wednesday at 7 from here on out. Let's see how the first episode goes.
Announcers Phil Colvin and Derek St. Holmes start the show by explaining one of AAW's draws: no count outs, no disqualifications. AAW isn't an ultraviolent promotion, the referees have discretion to stop a bout, but as Colvin and St. Holmes explain: "we like to see winners and losers."
AAW's first episode starts with Kevin Harvey on the mic. His big brute Keith Walker stands nearby. Harvey demands an answer to this question: how can an undefeated streak end on a two count? However it happened, Harvey thinks its time for some closure. He calls out "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin. Elgin isn't afraid to answer.
Michal Elgin vs. Keith Walker
Walker rushes Elgin to start the match. He shows early on that he isn't afraid of Elgin. Not only that, but he's bigger than Elgin too, and is able to toss him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Walker tosses Elgin into the barricades outside the ring a few times, then brings him back in for a chokebomb. Elgin kicks out at two on the ensuing pin. Elgin cuts Walker off with a spinning backfist. He ducks a lariat and hits a German suplex that puts Walker down.
Elgin charges from corner to corner and back seven times for seven lariats on Walker. Walker slips off Elgin's shoulders. Both men jockey for position on waistlocks. Elgin catches Walker with a black hole slam.Walker dumps Elgin with a back body drop shortly after that. Walker hits the ropes hard, first hitting Elgin with a forearm, then a butt bump. Walker's side suplex gets another two count.
Elgin blocks Walker's lariat attempt. Walker does the same to Elgin. Walker throws Elgin with a release German suplex. Elgin pops up, full of fighting spirit, and returns the favor. Walker is fired up now. He jumps to his feet and throws Elgin with a second German. Elgin stops a charging Walker with a boot, then backfists him. Elgin is about to powerbomb Walker when Tweek Phoenix comes running out of nowhere. It stops Elgin from powerbombing Walker. Harvey and Phoenix grab Elgin's foot, tripping him up, which lets Walker drop Elgin with a hard lariat. Elgin kicks out at two.
Elgin takes Walker by the legs. He deadlifts Walker up into the air and powerbombs him. Two scissor kicks follow once Walker got to his feet. Then a spinning backfist. A sit-out powerbomb finishes this one, giving Elgin the first win on AAW TV.
Match rating: ** It was a good opener live and holds up well on tape. It's two big men throwing each other around and makes for quite the spectacle. The biggest drawback to me is the German suplex exchange. I hate spots like that. Some people love them, but I don't.
AAW returns from the ads with a Matt Cage promo. He's worked hard to win the AAW Heritage championship and wants us to know it.
AAW Heritage Title - Matt Cage (c) vs. Mallaki Matthews
Cage headbutts Matthews instead of shaking the poor guy's hand. Cage is ruthless, stomping away at the stunned Matthews. Cage has a mean leg lariat and knows how to use it. Matthews makes the most of his limited chances. He has control of Cage for a minute before the Heritage champ ends that. Colvin and St. Holmes pick on Matthews a bit for being the inexperienced youngster making some mistakes. Rather than trying to cover it up, they point out how Cage will make him pay. Cage outfoxes Matthews repeatedly, like when he trips Matthews on the apron and Matthews goes face-first into the steel steps. Cage stops Matthews with his version of the facebuster code breaker in a short match.
Match rating: *1/2. It's a short match, but it's perfectly acceptable wrestling. Cage gets to heel it up, Matthews gets a shot on the main show. Nothing wrong here.
Another commercial break. We come back to Scarlett Bordeaux preening in front of a mirror. She cuts a short promo: she's Shane Hollister's manager and the sky is the limit for her. Twenty-two years old and already managing a champion.
Tweek Phoenix (w/ Nikki Mayday and Kevin Harvey) vs. Colt Cabana
Cabana is one of the most over guys in AAW and the crowd chants his name before the match starts. Cabana scares Phoenix out of the ring before the match even starts, chasing him around with a towel, trying to snap it at him. Cabana and Phoenix tie up once the bell rings. This one's exactly that you'd expect from Cabana: a lot of his British-influenced grappling and comedy spots. Cabana uses his guile to get a few shots on Phoenix while the ref looks elsewhere. Kevin advises Phoenix to slow the match down and wrestle at his own pace.
Phoenix gets a side headlock on Cabana for a few moments. That doesn't last long. Cabana gets his own side headlock and goes on to make a fool of Phoenix with his smooth wrestling. Cabana is too clever for Phoenix tonight. Phoenix gains the upper hand when Cabana doesn't take him seriously or turns his attention elsewhere. Otherwise, it's all Colt.
Nikki and Kevin do their best to slow down Cabana. Tweek is able run the show for an extended period after that, mostly working Cabana over with forearms. Tweek goes up top for a splash. He has to check the precariously low ceiling before taking the leap. That gives Cabana enough time to roll out of the way. Cabana goes up for a splash of his own. Tweek immediately rolls. Cabana saw that coming, so he lands on his feet and springs forward, splashing Phoenix.
Nikki and Kevin distract Cabana once again. Cabana gets the best of them too, taking both of them by the scruff of the neck and forcing Kevin to motorboat Nikki. Phoenix gets the jump on Cabana, dropping him with a loaded boot. He covers, but it's only good for two. A discus lariat follows, but that wasn't enough to put Cabana down. Cabana clocks Phoenix with another boot. He takes Phoenix by the legs and taps him out with the Billy Goat's Curse.
Match rating: **. The finish came out of nowhere on this one, which was is a peeve of mine. A bit of work to set up the submission would be nice. Still, Cabana really tied this one together. His timing and comedy manage to keep this from being an awkward match where the face controls the majority of the action and it gets zero heat.
More commercials! St. Holmes and Colvin give a quick wrap up, but Eddie Kingston gets to send us home. He's out in the alley, smoking a cigarette, and he wants a fight. I can't do this one justice. Kingston is a great promo with top notch delivery. Go watch it.
Final Thoughts
Glad to see AAW get a weekly series running. Tonight's episode had three matches from it's December show, One Twisted Christmas, so they're going back a few months for content. I've seen all the matches at least three times now: live, once on video before, now this, and it still kept me entertained. It'll be even better your first time around. Give it a watch. The only complaint I have are the commercials which are kinda long and repetitive, but AAW is putting out a free show, so don't take that too heavily. Watch AAW, support your indies.
Announcers Phil Colvin and Derek St. Holmes start the show by explaining one of AAW's draws: no count outs, no disqualifications. AAW isn't an ultraviolent promotion, the referees have discretion to stop a bout, but as Colvin and St. Holmes explain: "we like to see winners and losers."
AAW's first episode starts with Kevin Harvey on the mic. His big brute Keith Walker stands nearby. Harvey demands an answer to this question: how can an undefeated streak end on a two count? However it happened, Harvey thinks its time for some closure. He calls out "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin. Elgin isn't afraid to answer.
Michal Elgin vs. Keith Walker
Walker rushes Elgin to start the match. He shows early on that he isn't afraid of Elgin. Not only that, but he's bigger than Elgin too, and is able to toss him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Walker tosses Elgin into the barricades outside the ring a few times, then brings him back in for a chokebomb. Elgin kicks out at two on the ensuing pin. Elgin cuts Walker off with a spinning backfist. He ducks a lariat and hits a German suplex that puts Walker down.
Elgin charges from corner to corner and back seven times for seven lariats on Walker. Walker slips off Elgin's shoulders. Both men jockey for position on waistlocks. Elgin catches Walker with a black hole slam.Walker dumps Elgin with a back body drop shortly after that. Walker hits the ropes hard, first hitting Elgin with a forearm, then a butt bump. Walker's side suplex gets another two count.
Elgin blocks Walker's lariat attempt. Walker does the same to Elgin. Walker throws Elgin with a release German suplex. Elgin pops up, full of fighting spirit, and returns the favor. Walker is fired up now. He jumps to his feet and throws Elgin with a second German. Elgin stops a charging Walker with a boot, then backfists him. Elgin is about to powerbomb Walker when Tweek Phoenix comes running out of nowhere. It stops Elgin from powerbombing Walker. Harvey and Phoenix grab Elgin's foot, tripping him up, which lets Walker drop Elgin with a hard lariat. Elgin kicks out at two.
Elgin takes Walker by the legs. He deadlifts Walker up into the air and powerbombs him. Two scissor kicks follow once Walker got to his feet. Then a spinning backfist. A sit-out powerbomb finishes this one, giving Elgin the first win on AAW TV.
Match rating: ** It was a good opener live and holds up well on tape. It's two big men throwing each other around and makes for quite the spectacle. The biggest drawback to me is the German suplex exchange. I hate spots like that. Some people love them, but I don't.
AAW returns from the ads with a Matt Cage promo. He's worked hard to win the AAW Heritage championship and wants us to know it.
AAW Heritage Title - Matt Cage (c) vs. Mallaki Matthews
Cage headbutts Matthews instead of shaking the poor guy's hand. Cage is ruthless, stomping away at the stunned Matthews. Cage has a mean leg lariat and knows how to use it. Matthews makes the most of his limited chances. He has control of Cage for a minute before the Heritage champ ends that. Colvin and St. Holmes pick on Matthews a bit for being the inexperienced youngster making some mistakes. Rather than trying to cover it up, they point out how Cage will make him pay. Cage outfoxes Matthews repeatedly, like when he trips Matthews on the apron and Matthews goes face-first into the steel steps. Cage stops Matthews with his version of the facebuster code breaker in a short match.
Match rating: *1/2. It's a short match, but it's perfectly acceptable wrestling. Cage gets to heel it up, Matthews gets a shot on the main show. Nothing wrong here.
Another commercial break. We come back to Scarlett Bordeaux preening in front of a mirror. She cuts a short promo: she's Shane Hollister's manager and the sky is the limit for her. Twenty-two years old and already managing a champion.
Tweek Phoenix (w/ Nikki Mayday and Kevin Harvey) vs. Colt Cabana
Cabana is one of the most over guys in AAW and the crowd chants his name before the match starts. Cabana scares Phoenix out of the ring before the match even starts, chasing him around with a towel, trying to snap it at him. Cabana and Phoenix tie up once the bell rings. This one's exactly that you'd expect from Cabana: a lot of his British-influenced grappling and comedy spots. Cabana uses his guile to get a few shots on Phoenix while the ref looks elsewhere. Kevin advises Phoenix to slow the match down and wrestle at his own pace.
Phoenix gets a side headlock on Cabana for a few moments. That doesn't last long. Cabana gets his own side headlock and goes on to make a fool of Phoenix with his smooth wrestling. Cabana is too clever for Phoenix tonight. Phoenix gains the upper hand when Cabana doesn't take him seriously or turns his attention elsewhere. Otherwise, it's all Colt.
Nikki and Kevin do their best to slow down Cabana. Tweek is able run the show for an extended period after that, mostly working Cabana over with forearms. Tweek goes up top for a splash. He has to check the precariously low ceiling before taking the leap. That gives Cabana enough time to roll out of the way. Cabana goes up for a splash of his own. Tweek immediately rolls. Cabana saw that coming, so he lands on his feet and springs forward, splashing Phoenix.
Nikki and Kevin distract Cabana once again. Cabana gets the best of them too, taking both of them by the scruff of the neck and forcing Kevin to motorboat Nikki. Phoenix gets the jump on Cabana, dropping him with a loaded boot. He covers, but it's only good for two. A discus lariat follows, but that wasn't enough to put Cabana down. Cabana clocks Phoenix with another boot. He takes Phoenix by the legs and taps him out with the Billy Goat's Curse.
Match rating: **. The finish came out of nowhere on this one, which was is a peeve of mine. A bit of work to set up the submission would be nice. Still, Cabana really tied this one together. His timing and comedy manage to keep this from being an awkward match where the face controls the majority of the action and it gets zero heat.
More commercials! St. Holmes and Colvin give a quick wrap up, but Eddie Kingston gets to send us home. He's out in the alley, smoking a cigarette, and he wants a fight. I can't do this one justice. Kingston is a great promo with top notch delivery. Go watch it.
Final Thoughts
Glad to see AAW get a weekly series running. Tonight's episode had three matches from it's December show, One Twisted Christmas, so they're going back a few months for content. I've seen all the matches at least three times now: live, once on video before, now this, and it still kept me entertained. It'll be even better your first time around. Give it a watch. The only complaint I have are the commercials which are kinda long and repetitive, but AAW is putting out a free show, so don't take that too heavily. Watch AAW, support your indies.
Mar 2, 2014
Match review: Rey Mysterio vs. John Bradshaw Layfield - Judgment Day 2006
JBL is coming for Rey's title. I have no clue who won this match, but I don't remember JBL getting a second reign off of Rey at the time, so I can guess. But the ending itself will be a surprise. Rey never has bad matches as far as I'm concerned. JBL is really hit or miss: some gems and a lot of duds. Let's get to it.
World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. John Bradshaw Layfield
JBL towers over Rey. Everyone towers over Rey, but it looks like a man and his son. His masked, tattooed son. Rey tries to stand up to JBL. JBL shoves him down time and time again. JBL starts the beatdown on Rey early on. Rey trips JBL to set up a 619. JBL rolls out of the ring to escape. Rey quickly establishes that high flying offense is his way to hurt JBL.
Rey baseball slides into JBL as JBL sits in the corner. JBL is selling it like a gunshot. As well he should, that would hurt like hell. The ref admonishes Rey while JBL crawls around in pain. Rey dropkicks JBL out of the ring. For a little guy, his offense is really good. It actually looks like it could hurt the giant he's up against. JBL throws Rey headfirst into the steel steps. He bludgeons Rey with his big hands and boots, taking it to him inside and out of the ring. He slams Rey's head into the steel steps again. JBL rolls Rey back in the ring and gets a two count.
JBL suplexes Rey. Slow, deliberate twist of the hips. Second suplex. And a third, a wonderful homage to Eddy Guerrero's three amigos. And a great little taunt after too. Rey's bleeding. JBL drags Rey to the barricade at ringside, right in front of Rey's wife so she can see the ass kicking up close and in person. JBL tosses Rey with a fallaway slam on the mats, then brings Rey back into the ring for a two count.
Three clotheslines flatten Rey. JBL pulls Rey around like a ragdoll. Blood stains Rey's snow white mask. JBL boots Rey down almost the moment he gets back to his feet. Rey catches one of JBL's punches and counters with a few of his own. JBL cuts him off with an eye rake and then a sleeper. He pounds on Rey's head and drains the life from him until Rey is down on the mat. The ref is about to drop Rey's hand down for the third time when JBL lets go. He wants to embarrass Rey, so he goes for the pin. Rey kicks out at two. JBL props Rey up on the top turnbuckle. Rey fights his way out of a super backdrop. Hard fists drop JBL to the mat. Picture perfect moonsault onto JBL.
Rey takes control. He kicks JBL in the side of the head in Daniel Bryanian fashion. Two count. JBL scoots into the corner. Rey charges and tries to splash JBL. JBL gets a boot up! That boot impales Rey, right in the crotch too. JBL hauls Rey up and signals that it's powerbomb time. Rey punches his way out and hurricanrana's JBL onto the ropes. 619 time. Rey springboards up for the next hirricanrana, but JBL pulls the ref in the way. JBL grabs Rey and powerbombs him with all his might. He signals for another ref. Out he comes for the count. Only two! A disgusted JBL socks the ref, knocking him out cold. Lil Naitch bumps beautifully on that hard right.
JBL goes to get a chair. He charges Rey, who gets his boots up on time to crash that chair into JBL's skull. JBL flops over. Rey pops up to the top rope. Five star frog splash. Three count!
Match Rating: ****1/2. I really have no complaints or negatives here. Maybe the commentary was bad or the crowd was dead, but in full disclosure I watched this with the sound off. JBL was superb as this big giant prick who wants to kick the crap out of Rey to prove a point. His mannerisms and facials were top notch, so were his reactions like when he KOd Charles Robinson after getting only a two count. Rey got so much sympathy as the underdog. It's easy to root for the brave little guy over the big mean bully, but I have to commend Rey's efforts. Rey's offense looked stellar. Everything he did, from the punches to the drop kicks and splashes, was smooth and looked like it would actually hurt JBL. But this wasn't KENTA vs. Takayama where the little man was trying to outstrike the bigger man. This was him using his every opening and capitalizing on them.
World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. John Bradshaw Layfield
JBL towers over Rey. Everyone towers over Rey, but it looks like a man and his son. His masked, tattooed son. Rey tries to stand up to JBL. JBL shoves him down time and time again. JBL starts the beatdown on Rey early on. Rey trips JBL to set up a 619. JBL rolls out of the ring to escape. Rey quickly establishes that high flying offense is his way to hurt JBL.
Rey baseball slides into JBL as JBL sits in the corner. JBL is selling it like a gunshot. As well he should, that would hurt like hell. The ref admonishes Rey while JBL crawls around in pain. Rey dropkicks JBL out of the ring. For a little guy, his offense is really good. It actually looks like it could hurt the giant he's up against. JBL throws Rey headfirst into the steel steps. He bludgeons Rey with his big hands and boots, taking it to him inside and out of the ring. He slams Rey's head into the steel steps again. JBL rolls Rey back in the ring and gets a two count.
JBL suplexes Rey. Slow, deliberate twist of the hips. Second suplex. And a third, a wonderful homage to Eddy Guerrero's three amigos. And a great little taunt after too. Rey's bleeding. JBL drags Rey to the barricade at ringside, right in front of Rey's wife so she can see the ass kicking up close and in person. JBL tosses Rey with a fallaway slam on the mats, then brings Rey back into the ring for a two count.
Three clotheslines flatten Rey. JBL pulls Rey around like a ragdoll. Blood stains Rey's snow white mask. JBL boots Rey down almost the moment he gets back to his feet. Rey catches one of JBL's punches and counters with a few of his own. JBL cuts him off with an eye rake and then a sleeper. He pounds on Rey's head and drains the life from him until Rey is down on the mat. The ref is about to drop Rey's hand down for the third time when JBL lets go. He wants to embarrass Rey, so he goes for the pin. Rey kicks out at two. JBL props Rey up on the top turnbuckle. Rey fights his way out of a super backdrop. Hard fists drop JBL to the mat. Picture perfect moonsault onto JBL.
Rey takes control. He kicks JBL in the side of the head in Daniel Bryanian fashion. Two count. JBL scoots into the corner. Rey charges and tries to splash JBL. JBL gets a boot up! That boot impales Rey, right in the crotch too. JBL hauls Rey up and signals that it's powerbomb time. Rey punches his way out and hurricanrana's JBL onto the ropes. 619 time. Rey springboards up for the next hirricanrana, but JBL pulls the ref in the way. JBL grabs Rey and powerbombs him with all his might. He signals for another ref. Out he comes for the count. Only two! A disgusted JBL socks the ref, knocking him out cold. Lil Naitch bumps beautifully on that hard right.
JBL goes to get a chair. He charges Rey, who gets his boots up on time to crash that chair into JBL's skull. JBL flops over. Rey pops up to the top rope. Five star frog splash. Three count!
Match Rating: ****1/2. I really have no complaints or negatives here. Maybe the commentary was bad or the crowd was dead, but in full disclosure I watched this with the sound off. JBL was superb as this big giant prick who wants to kick the crap out of Rey to prove a point. His mannerisms and facials were top notch, so were his reactions like when he KOd Charles Robinson after getting only a two count. Rey got so much sympathy as the underdog. It's easy to root for the brave little guy over the big mean bully, but I have to commend Rey's efforts. Rey's offense looked stellar. Everything he did, from the punches to the drop kicks and splashes, was smooth and looked like it would actually hurt JBL. But this wasn't KENTA vs. Takayama where the little man was trying to outstrike the bigger man. This was him using his every opening and capitalizing on them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)