This week's episode is a highlight reel form Supercard of Honor VIII, in fact. Looks like ROH got a quick turn around on this after some problems getting the Video on Demand up.
Silas Young vs. RD Evans (w/ Veda Scott & Ramon)
The crowd loves RD Evans. Silas tries to take care of business early on, going straight for the Nagasaki roll. Evans escapes that and boots Silas in the face. Not that it does much to slow Silas. Silas vertical suplexes Evans when Veda pulls his foot out from under him, letting Evans collapse onto him. Now he's pissed. Silas gives chase around the ring. Ramon tries to stop Silas. Silas backs him into a corner when Evans comes flying off the ring apron, wiping out the both of them.
Evans rolls Silas back into the ring. He goes to the top only for Silas to cut him off. Silas throws him to the middle of the ring then lays in the boots. He screams at Evans as he chokes him, "I'm the last real man!" Silas is big on that.
Evans and Silas do battle on the ring apron, trading blows. Silas ducks under a wild right that spins Evans around then scoops him up on his shoulders in an electric chair position. Silas drops back, slamming Evans into the ring apron and then down to the mats outside. Evans scrapes himself off the ground as the ref counts him out. It gets all the way to nineteen before Evans gets in.
Frustration mounts for Silas. He kicks the bottom turnbuckle in rage. He approaches Evans but the wry lawyer pulls him into a small package. Two count, a shade away from three. Silas punts Evans in the face for that one. Silas puts Evans up on his shoulders again and Veda Scott is there like before. She gets up on the apron, distracting the referee. Ramon tosses Evans his belt. Evans swings for the fences but Silas ducks under it and boots him in the gut.
Silas grabs the belt up from the ground. The ref is still dealing with Veda, so he's oblivious to the wrestlers behind him. Thinking fast, Evans claps his hands together and flops around in pain, acting like Silas just whipped him. The ref turns around to see Evans writhing in pain while Silas has a belt in his hands. Silas pleads his case, saying he didn't do it. Evans sneaks up behind him and rolls him into a schoolboy pin. Two count again. Silas, strap still in the hand, swings for Evans. Evans ducks and referee Paul Turner gets a strap to the face.
Evans drops Silas with a hangman's neckbreaker. He makes the cover and the crowd chants the pin. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. The ref never makes the count. Silas gets Evans up on his shoulders again. He hits the Nagasaki roll, pops up to his feet, and nails the Pee Gee Waja plunge. A second ref storms in and makes the count. One, two, three! The streak is over! Only Paul Turner is back up. He says no. Turner reverses the decision, disqualifying Silas. The streak goes on, 83-0!
Match Rating: **1/2 Tons of fun. Evans bumps around for Silas. Silas looks like a pure ass kicker up to snuff with his moniker. Evans' near falls get the crowd every time. The finish is a bit messy/anti-climactic with the referee's reversal, but it's for the best. Evans keeps his streak, Silas is the better man.
Truth Martini cuts an ominous promo on Taven. He says he doesn't walk alone for long, so Taven better be ready for a surprise. The House of Truth is getting a new member.
Matt Taven vs. ???? (w/ Truth Martini)
Truth comes out before his charge does. He's all alone, leaving us in suspense as we wait for the next House of Truth member. Truth calls Kevin Kelly into the ring. Corino figures Kelly must be the mystery opponent. Kelly is as confused as Taven. Truth opens up his book, giving some parting words. Taven cuts him off, slamming the book shut, saying no one wants to hear this. He sets the Book of Truth on fire. That puts Truth into a rage. He blindsides Taven with a swift low blow kick.
Taven searches the back of the building, desperately looking for Truth. He goes into the men's restroom, where you hear Taven screaming in pain. Truth comes out, cool as a cucumber. "I'm not fired, you're fired." ROH personnel yell for a paramedic.
ROH shows highlights of Tommaso Ciampa's European excursion, defending the TV title in WXW and Preston City Wrestling. The Ciampa-Lethal match is next.
Best Two Out Of Three Falls - ROH TV Title- Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Jay Lethal
Ciampa takes his knee brace off and puts it in Lethal's outstretched hand instead of adhering to the Code of Honor. The two lock up. Lethal pushes Ciampa back until they break in the corner. Lethal shoots Ciampa off the ropes; Ciampa shoulders him down. They aren't exactly feeling each other out early on. Lethal tries a La Magistral cradle only for Ciampa to catch him and pin his shoulders to the mat. Two count, but Lethal rolls through and takes it into a pin of his own for two.
Ciampa ducks under Lethal's leg when the latter tries a springboard kick. The two keep countering and evading each other, showing how much they learned in previous encounters. Lethal hits his signature dive to the outside. He hits it again when Ciampa rises. The crowd chants for one more time. He goes back in, lines up a third try and hits it. Ciampa bowls over the railings and into the crowd.
Lethal chops Ciampa across the chest outside of the ring when a commercial break ends. Ciampa shoves him into the ring post to cut that out, then sits Lethal down in the corner. Ciampa goes to the far end of the ring, makes a mad dash at Lethal, and hits him with a hard rising knee with so much momentum that Ciampa rolls over the railings and into the crowd again. Ciampa brings Lethal back into the ring for a pin attempt that gets two. Lethal reverses an irish whip, hip tosses Ciampa, cartwheels, then drop kicks him in the face. He chops Ciampa hard across the chest. Lethal continues to target Ciampa's chest with drop kicks, chops, and an elbow drop. Lethal hits an enzuigiri out of nowhere that buckles Ciampa's knees. Lethal tries a surprise Lethal Injection , only for CIampa to pull him down into a lungblower. It doesn't land cleanly at all. Ciampa holds his knee in pain.
Both men try to suplex each other with little success. Lethal finally gets Ciampa up, suplexing him to the outside, but Ciampa held on and takes Lethal with. The ref counts both men out while they trade blows, ignoring it entirely. They both jump in at nineteen. Lethal goes for another Lethal Injection. It's short. Ciampa gets a waistlock, pushes to the ropes, and rolls back for an O'Connor roll. Lethal pops throw it, bridges into a pin, and gets three! Lethal takes the first fall.
Lethal puts up three fingers, taunting Ciampa. Ciampa boots him right in the face. Lethal counters a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Ciampa kicks out of the pin and rolls into one of his own that gets two. Both men rise up. Ciampa gets there first and crushes Lethal with a rising knee. Lethal barely kicks out in time.
Lethal pops Ciampa with a Lethal Combination that goes into a Koji Clutch. Ciampa slips out of the submission and goes right into a Sicilian Stretch. Lethal spins his body around to get a foot on the rope, barely. Both men try to hit the ropes, only for the other to cut them off. Ciampa hits a surprise ace crusher for two. No one bought it as a nearfall. Ciampa takes Lethal up top, trying to get him on his shoulders. Lethal slips off of him and pulls Ciampa out of the corner. He drops Ciampa with Project Ciampa! Ciampa kicks out at two. Lethal goes to the corner as the crowd chants "Randy Savage." He wastes too much time, letting Ciampa get up. Lethal springs off the ropes with a back elbow. Ciampa ducks it, meaning referee Todd Sinclair eats that Tajiri special.
Ciampa hits three rolling German suplexes while Sinclair is down. Four actually, releasing on the fourth. Lethal gets right up after that, because why wouldn't he? Ciampa flattens him with a lariat to make sure he stays down. Truth Martini comes down to the ring. He slides the knee brace to Lethal. Ciampa stumbles up to his feet. Lethal smashes the hard brace against Ciampa's head and makes the cover as Sinclair gets up. Two count! That shocks Lethal but he hasn't given up. He climbs to the top turnbuckle and drops an elbow on Ciampa. Lethal makes the cover. Ciampa kicks out at one. He fires up, full of fighting spirit. Lethal superkicks him but Ciampa won't go down. Another superkick, Ciampa still won't go down. Lethal kicks Ciampa in the knee. That drops him down. Lethal Injection. Cover. Three count. Lethal wins the ROH TV title two falls to zero. Truth Martini celebrates, raising Lethal's hand in the air.
Match Rating: *1/2 Many will rate this much, much higher than I did. There was good action in there and some nice spots. That said, they killed it for me after the second fall. Both men, especially Lethal, stopped selling. Lethal got up after four German suplexes like it was just a clothesline early in the match. Ciampa kicked out at one. Some people love that. I'm on the "I hate this" side of the coin.
Final Thoughts
Loved the opener. RD Evans and Silas Young play off each other perfectly. Silas is 100% serious and here to kick ass. Evans being the goofball that he is has to luck his way into a victory, but it works. The main event was disappointing. All this talk about Ciampa's knee an the only time Lethal goes at it is the very end. At least he got that right. The selling was egregiously bad at times. I can't stand the kick out at one that late in the match either. I don't like fighting spirit, hulking up babyfaces as a rule, but the one count makes it that much worse. This was not a bad episode of ROH TV, just disappointing.
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