Jeff Cobb vs. Timothy Thatcher - Supreme Pro Wrestling - 2/13/2013

The blog lives! Life put it on hiatus for a bit but it's time to get back into the swing of things with some fine independent wrestling. Let's go.

Jeff Cobb vs. Timothy Thatcher
I watched this match a few days ago, but not as closely as I will today. I enjoyed it immensely at the time, especially after watching the "Beat the Streets" wrestling competition before checking this out. Cobb and Thatcher look like legitimate athletes: muscular and lean but not overly chiseled. Thatcher has a similar build to Cesaro while "Mr. Athletic" Jeff Cobb is more squat, built like a keg.

They lock up straight away. Not your typical collar-and-elbow fair, but each has an underhook on the other as they jockey for position. Cobb drives Thatcher back into the ropes and breaks clean. Thatcher gets Cobb in a waistlock on the next lock up. Cobb escapes to grab one of his own, then hoists Thatcher into the air and brings him down to the mat. Thatcher counters on the ground to get behind Cobb. Both repeatedly go for waistlocks from behind when they can.

Thatcher gets Cobb in a hammerlock as they rise up. Cobb reverses into a hammerlock of his own, down to a waistlock, trips Thatcher, moves across him, and puts in a chinlock. Thatcher reverses into another hammerlock. Both men try quick pins, both get two counts.

They rise to their feet and tie up. Thatcher takes Cobb down and wrenches on Cobb's arm. Cobb grabs Thatcher's ankle and trips him. Thatcher picks Cobb's ankle from the bottom and pulls him into an ankle lock, forcing Cobb to grab the bottom rope. They lock up again, this time in a greco-roman knucklelock. Thatcher slips his leg behind Cobb, getting the mechanical advantage. He forces Cobb down to the mat and into a pin. Cobb bridges out before the three, rises up, and forces Thatcher down this time. Cobb shoves Thatcher's leg out from under him, putting Thatcher in a pin, but Thatcher gets out at two.

The two clutch onto each other in that Greco-Roman lock. Thatcher manages to break the hold on one hand with a kick to Cobb's arm, then yanks Cobb in and delivers a hard kick to Cobb's shoulder. Thatcher pulls Cobb to the mat again, this time working in a double wristlock. Cobb escapes and drops Thatcher with a fireman's carry. Now Cobb works Thatcher's arms, turning the wrist over, making Thatcher front flip to avoid a broken wrist. Cobb elbows Thatcher in the jaw when they rise up, the first strike of the match by my count. He shoots Thatcher into the ropes and dropkicks him. Two count. Thatcher gets back up. Cobb hoists him in the air for a delayed vertical suplex, marching around the ring before finally dropping the guy. Thatcher kicks out of a pin; Cobb grabs a headlock.

Thatcher pushes himself up into a headstand to escape. He rolls over Cobb, grabs a headlock of his own, gets a headlock take down, then pulls Cobb into a cross armbreaker. Thatcher has to roll back to escape it. Cobb rolls across Thacher, escaping his grip, then gets a headlock on.  Cobb takes Thatcher to the mat. Thatcher somehow twists Cobb into a crossface. Cobb has to use the ropes to escape again.

Now Thatcher has control. He butterfly suplexes Cobb then goes for a cross armbreaker. He's pulling back with all his might, but Cobb flips himself over and pushes Thatcher back into a pin. Thatcher kicks out at two but doesn't break his hold on Cobb's arm. Cobb clubs Thatcher in the back, finally breaking the hold. Thatcher hits a European uppercut, his first streak of the match. He attempts a pin but only gets two. Thatcher smashes Cobb across the back with a clubbing blow of his own, then drops Cobb with a big European uppercut. Cobb's reeling now. Successive uppercuts make him wobble. Cobb finally dodges one, gets behind Thatcher, and twisting back drops him. Thatcher kicks out of the pin. Cobb grabs a waistlock, deadlifts Thatcher up, and drops him with a German.

Thatcher kicks out and grabs another arm lock as he does so. He twists around Cobb, grabs underhooks on both arms from behind, and rolls Cobb over. Cobb's stuck in the pin, the ref counts to three. Thatcher gets the win in a great show of mat wrestling.

Match Rating: ****? Tough to score, but I loved this. Obvious flaws of the star system and putting a square peg in a round hole and etc. etc. aside, this was great. They didn't work this like anything else I've watched lately except for amateur wrestling. Not that this was an amateur wrestling shoot-style pro wrestling match. It is clearly reminiscent of catch wrestling though. The first strike occurs about two-thirds of the way into the match. Thatcher doesn't strike Cobb until the last few minutes. They make the few blows that they work in seem ultra effective because of their rarity. There isn't a big finisher or high spot to end this either. It's not even a sudden roll up. It's a hard fought, scraping roll up. Thatcher gets Cobb in a bad place, a dominant position. He rolls him over and sticks his shoulders to the mat in a way that he can't get out of for three seconds. It wasn't a fight, it was a wrestling match. I almost feel bad giving this "just" four stars. It's excellent, but my biggest knock is that I never quite popped the way I do for matches that I rate more highly. That could be my own fault for being unfamiliar with the style, but four stars is nothing to scoff at.

ROH TV Episode 134

ROH pimps Supercard of Honor VIII hard out gate. Lethal hypes his showdown with Tommaso Ciampa for the ROH TV title in a best two out of three falls match. Lethal had Ciampa beat twice but for some unfortunate circumstances. Can he do it again? Let's find out.

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. 

AAW TV Episode 7

Eddie Kingston starts us off in his street clothes, talking up his showdown with Silas Young. Tonight's the night they meet in the ring.  

Phil Colvin appears alone in the booth after the intro rolls. Derek St. Holmes is on vacation, meaning Dave Prazak will be in on commentary.

AAW Heavyweight Championship - Shane Hollister (c) (w/ Scarlet Bordeaux) vs. Juntai Miller

Not only is Scarlett there, but Markus Crane and Dan Lawrence came out too. Juntai Miller clears Markus Crane out of the ring as the match starts. That gives Hollister the jump on Miller. Scarlett distracts Miller next, setting Hollister up for a slingshot elbow. Miller rolls out of the way before it lands. Hollister maintains his dominance early on, grinding Miller out. 

Hollister taunts Miller as Miller crawls around in pain. He eggs Miller on before grabbing a hold to work Miller's shoulder. Miller powers out of it. He follows up with high knees until Hollister cuts him off with a chop. Miller dodges a superkick and seizes the opportunity to bulldog Hollister. Hollister doesn't let that train get rolling. He stops Miller in his tracks with a spinning back elbow. Hollister charges Miller in the corner; Miller gets his knees up, putting Hollister down.

Miller gets behind Hollister and fights for a dragon suplex. Hollister squats to avoid it and locks his hands together, not letting Miller get the leverage he needs. Repeated back elbows get Hollister out of that predicament. Even more elbows slam Miller until he drops. Hollister tries to lift Miller for Shug's Last Gift, this time it's miller who won't be lifted. He rolls Hollister into a small package, getting a two count.

Hollister finds himself daze and facing the corner after a drop toe hold. Miller drives Hollister's head into the bottom turnbuckle with a hard curb stomp. Miller pulls Hollister up and lands the dragon suplex he wanted before. Miller waits for Hollister to get up. The champion looks hurt. Miller rises to charge but Hollister pulls the trigger first, flying across the ring with a hard drop kick.

They exchange forearms. Both wobble. Hollister throws knee to Miller's head; Miller returns the favor. Hollister catches Miller's leg on his last attempt, scoops him into the air, and power bombs the young challenger. Hollister lines up a super kick, goes for it, misses, then eats a hard slap on the counter. Miller throws a flurry of elbows and a backfist. He hits the ropes. Hollister cuts him off with a superkick. Next he lands a German suplex that bridges into the pin. It's good for two. 

Miller slips out of another Shug's last gift. He gets behind Hollister, scoops the arms, and hits a second dragon suplex. Hollister gets up right away, fired up, looking to fight.Miller lands a BIG boot. Hollister screams, Miller BIG boots him again. Hollister finally drops to his knees, letting Miller land a second curb stomp of the night, this one square in the middle of the mat. He wants to go for the pin but Dan Lawrence and Markus Crane get involved, leaping onto the apron. Miller has to swat them away like flies. Hollister gets the chance to recover, pulling himself up. Miller hits a running kick and goes up top. Double knees land on Shane. He covers. Two count! 

Miller tries the double knees from up top again. Hollister moves and Miller rolls through. He charges at Hollister. Hollister superkicks him square in the jaw. Miller staggers so Hollister adds a second. Hollister drags Miller in. He lifts the challenger up and drops him square on his head via Shug's Last Gift. Hollister rolls that into a cradle. The champion retains his title.

Match Rating: ** Not the best match from either guy, nor a real stand out for AAW TV. It's not bad but there are definite flaws. Miller has a lot of potential though at the same time he still looks green. His offense looks like it should be stiff and hurt like hell. The problem is that he doesn't always lay it in. As a result, some of it looks bad, particularly the Muay Thai knees. The fighting spirit spot from Hollister was odd. He's not a babyface, so the champion getting amped up and no-selling struck me as weird. On the bright side, as I watch AAW I find myself enjoying Hollister's finisher more and more. They protect it a lot, it doesn't have a crazy set up, and he can take it straight into a cradling pin. 

Silas responds to Hollister in another pre-taped video. He can't wait to get his hands on Kingston and show him who's actually the coward. 

Silas Young vs. Eddie Kingston

Silas barrels into Kingston before the match even starts. He slams his fists into Kingston's side and drives him into the corner. He chokes Kingston, forcing the New Yorker to escape to the outside. Kingston tries to fight back out there, not that it works much. Silas beats him from corner to corner, throwing Kingston into the guard rails, choking him with his boot. Kingston begs for mercy. He gets a couple of shots to Silas' gut then whips the Last Real Man into the rails. Silas remains undeterred, getting back at Kingston with a boot to the gut so that the ass whoppin' can go on. 

Silas finally rolls Kingston into the ring. That gives Kingston the opening he needs to rake Silas' eyes. Silas comes back at Kingston with a ton of fire. They start slapping each other. Not hard slaps, more like little shows of disrespect. Silas whips Kingston into the corner. He charges but Kingston tosses him over the ropes and back outside.

Kingston tries a vertical suplex but Silas isn't letting it happen. He punches Kingston in the side then counters it, suplexing Kingston on the hardwood floor. They take it back to the ring where Silas lands a double ax handle from up top. Kingston and Silas throws stiff, stiff chops into each other. Young drops Kingston with the last of those. Silas is up on the middle rope with Kingston in the corner, starting the 10-punch combo, but Kingston inverted atomic drops him to cut that off. 

Kingston throws Silas with an uranage that gets a two count. Kingston hits the sliding D, an elbow to the back of Silas's head while seated, but that only gets two. Kingston keeps upping the ante. He tries a backdrop driver but Silas gets out. Silas throws high kick then springs off the corner. Some miscommunication happens but the end result is Kingston going down. Silas starts to look for the Pee Gee Waja Plunge when Kingston slips off his shoulders. Kingston backdrop drivers Silas. Two count. 

Silas ducks under a spinning backfist. He scoops Kingston onto his shoulders, rushes the corner, and hits a Nagasaki roll, a/k/a the Finlay roll. Silas calls the finish, slapping the corner. Alex Colon comes out from back and distracts Young before he can try the Pee Gee Waja Plunge. Those precious seconds let Kingston get to his feet. He backfists Young once, then twice, dropping Silas. He makes the cover. Silas kicks out at two. 

Silas has Colon go looking under the ring for a chair. The two high five, so clearly they have something together. Val Malone sprints out and grabs that chair away from Kingston before he can dome Young with it. She slaps the hell out of Kingston too, getting a bit of retribution. Kingston is about to go after her when Silas makes the save with a Killer Combo. Kingston kicks out at two on the pin. Young puts Kingston in the stock lock, a full nelson stretch, right in the middle of the ring. Kingston refuses to tap. Luckily for him Colon jumps onto the apron, distracting Silas. Colon grabs Val, forcing Silas to go after him. He gets Colon into the ring and crushes him with a Nagasaki roll. Silas boots Colon a few times for good measure. Kingston rises up. He stalks behind Silas and low blows him with a swift kick. Silas eats another spinning backfist. He collapses to the mat. Kingston makes the pin and defeats Silas in the main event!

Match Rating: **1/2 Better than the opener and there was quite a bit going for it. The two do a fine job brawling, especially outside the ring. There are a few slip ups and awkward transitions that drag down the match. This may not be an all time great match but it does an excellent job continuing the feud. 

Final Thoughts

One okay match and one pretty good match tonight. Neither match is tearing down the house this week. Silas and Kingston see their feud get bigger and bigger now, especially in the promo Silas cuts after the match. The Kingston-Young feud is the highlight of these initial AAW episodes. The blow off is coming up soon, May 2, and the TV is setting it up wonderfully. 

ROH TV Episode 133

No Kevin Kelly or Steve Corino at the top of the show. It's ROH correspondent Larry Mercer, whose name sounds like a guy the WWE would give to someone with a boxer gimmick. Mercer is all decked out in a tux too. Why? Because it's ROAD RAGE this week. Raising the Bar Nights 1 and 2 in Milwaukee and Chicago provide our matches, so we get Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero and reDRagon vs. The Young Bucks. I'm pumped, you should be too, let's watch.

Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero
Footage from earlier in the night precedes the match. BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs, the other members of Decade, offer Adam Page a spot. He accepts, though doesn't exactly look thrilled about it. Decade stays in back for now with only Roderick Strong out for the match. The crowd is roaring before the bell even rings. Milwaukee might have great acoustics, but no doubt this crowd is hot.

Jimmy Jacobs interrupts Corino and Kelly as Strong and Hero work the mat. Hero looks like he picked up a lot from William Regal based on how he works Strong's joints. Strong tries to leapfrog Hero. Hero anticipates it and boots him in the chest. Jacobs on commentary distracts me. He sounds out of breath and the announcers aren't calling the match either. Hero tosses Strong to the ropes and lines up a big boot. Strong catches himself and slides outside to avoid that. Hero runs at Strong, who moves out of the way when Hero dives. Hero braced for that too, diving over the top rope, springing his hands off the apron, and completing a front flip unscathed. Now he boots Strong in the face.

Hero tries to senton Strong from the apron into the ring. Strong gets his knees up. Strong smells blood. He takes Hero outside and whips him into the barricades. Hero collides back first. There's almost no room to maneuver out there. It looks like the set up has half the space between the ring and barricades that it usually does. Strong beats on Hero outside the ring then takes him back in for a two count. He keeps working Hero's back with a chinlock stretch. He puts the boots on hard and uses the ring post to stretch Hero more. Hero boots Strong in the face as he gets back in the ring, stopping Strong for now.

Hero doesn't get to do anything else before Strong dropkicks his face. Strong continues to work the back. Hero powers out of a hold and chops Strong across the chest. Strong nails Hero with an enzuigiri to cut him of once again. Here come the stiff chops. Hero fires back with chops of his own. A hard right backs Strong into the corner. Hero comes at him, Strong whips his leg up for an enzuigiri again, this time Hero ducks under it and boots Strong in the jaw.

Hero alternates between big boots and hard elbows. He's got Strong reeling now. Hero tries to lift Strong into the electric chair position. Strong fights out. Hero gets it on a second attempt though Strong slips out again. Strong lands an Olympic slam, a running knee into the corner, and then eats yet another boot from Hero as he tries a second running knee. Hero goes for another boot. This time Strong slips under it, catches Hero's leg in a cradle, and drops the lanky striker over his knee.

Strong cinches in a backslide that gets a two. Hero comes back with a la magistral that gets two. Both throw desperation blows. Hero brutalizes Strong with a stiff elbow. It gets a two count; I bought it as the finish. Hero gets Strong in the electric chair again. Strong slips out again but fails at an O'Connor roll. He gets a big jumping knee instead and an even stiffer Sick Kick. Hero kicks out at two and Strong immediately takes him into a Stronghold. Hero twists to escape and pulls Strong into a cradling pin for a two. Hero crushes Strong with three discus elbows. He gets Strong up in the electric chair again, drops him to his feet, and throws a great discus elbow. Strong drops, dead to the world. Hero puts him in the Stretch Plum. The referee calls for the bell right away. There was no tap out, the ref had to stop it for the unconscious Strong.

Match Rating: **** Wow, I loved this. Hero is killing it since he went back to the indys. Strong looked great. He worked the back smartly and kept cutting Hero off at the right time. I could gripe about not enough selling if I wanted to but instead, I'm going to point out that they weren't exactly no-selling either, plus this was more of an elongated sprint. Hero's striking is one of my favorite things going right now.


ROH Tag Team Championship - reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) 
I was lucky enough to be in attendance for this one. The Young Bucks came out to a huge face reaction, despite being heels everywhere else. Nick Jackson superkicks a streamer out of the air, getting a pop from the crowd. Scarlett Bordeaux introduces them as IWGP Junior tag champs, but only the ROH titles are on the line tonight.

Nick Jackson and Kyle O'Reilly start. O'Reilly tries a cross armbreaker very early. Nick counters it into a pin. O'Reilly kicks out but almost eats a superkick as he rises to his feet. Nick wrings O'Reilly's arm and tags his brother in. Bobby Fish makes an early save, probably unnecessary, which Nigel McGuinness notes on commentary. Fish tags in next. Matt takes it to the mat and then focuses on Fish's elbow. His brother helps out after tagging back in. They add one of their trade mark, over-the-top back rake spots.

Fish works over Matt when we return from a break. He tags in O'Reilly, who boots Matt but gets a boot to the gut of his own. O'Reilly overpowers Matt and takes him down, squeezing his head. Matt fights out of that, hits the ropes, and tries a sunset flip. O'Reilly never drops. Instead he takes the arm and goes for another cross armbreaker. Matt squirms out, so O'Reilly tries the other arm. Matt desperately fights out of it.

Fish isolates Matt in the corner. He steps on Matt's casted hand while O'Reilly hits two running knees to the ribs. reDRagon don't really work over the hand, despite the obvious injury. The commentary harps on that but the champs clearly have another plan. They keep Matt from getting near his brother, try though he may. Matt lands a spear out of nowhere, knocking over O'Reilly. He crawls to his brother and finally gets a tag, just as O'Reilly brings his partner in. Nick is full of fire. He dropkicks O'Reilly off the apron and takes it to Fish until we head into another break.

Nick tags out to Matt when the match returns. O'Reilly throws Nick into the corner of the barricade. He lines up on the apron, takes off, and falls prey to the first superkick of the night. Matt drapes Fish over the middle rope while Nick hits a springboard 450 splash on him. Two count follows. The Young Bucks isolate Fish now. He wipes Fish out with a superkick but the cover takes too long. O'Reilly makes the save.

Now the Young Bucks double team O'Reilly. They Irish whip him into the corner. O'Reilly dumps Nick over the ropes and onto the apron. Matt charges O'Reilly, who moves out of the way as his brother attempts an enzuigiri, so he bites it instead. reDRagon return the double team favors. Matt rolls out of a double backdrop. He throws O'Reilly into Fish, buying himself some time. Matt sidekicks O'Reilly. Fish backdrop driver's Matt. Nick comes in and spinning high kicks Fish, but O'Reilly avenges his partner with an ax kick and a hard, hard elbow. Matt finishes the circle with a superkick, leaving all four men on the mat.

The Chicago crowd chants for the Young Bucks, willing them to their feet. Fish charges Nick, who drops and pulls the top rope down, spilling Fish outside. O'Reilly takes another boot to the face. Nick goes out to the apron, where Fish yanks him down and then drives him into the corner of the barricades. O'Reilly gets his second chance at a jumping knee from the apron, landing this time. Fish rushes at Matt in the corner. Matt gets his boots up. O'Reilly grabs Matt by the ankle before he can take off from the top, giving Fish time to get back up. Fish hits a top rope falcon arrow. Matt kicks out at two. Fish and O'Reilly start to set Matt up for Chasing the Dragon when Nick grabs Fish by the ankle. Matt slips out of the suplex and rolls behind O'Reilly, pulling him into a school boy pin. O'Reilly kicks out in the nick of time.

Matt elbows and knees O'Reilly until O'Reilly cuts him off with a blow to the injured hand. O'Reilly tries to sweep the leg. Matt hops over it and superkicks O'Reilly. Nick adds a second. O'Reilly stumbles around. he whips his mouth guard at Matt, who teases a superkick but instead cracks O'Reilly with his cast while the ref isn't looking. Fish gets on the apron, so the Bucks double superkick him back off.

Matt covers the still-down O'Reilly, but he kicks out at two. Nick dives over the top onto Fish, taking him out again. Matt sets O'Reilly up for a tombstone. Nick gets on the apron, springboards in, and finishes the spike tombstone piledriver. Nick makes the cover. One, two, no three! Bobby Fish dives into the ring and shoves Nick off just in time. All four men look exhausted. The crowd chants "this is awesome." Nick dumps Fish outside. They set O'Reilly up for More Bang for Your Buck. The Finlay roll lands. Nick tries a 450. O'Reilly turns and catches him, taking Nick straight into a triangle choke. Nick squirms around and reaches for the ropes with his legs but he's too far. Fish grabs Matt, keeping him from saving his brother. Nick keeps fighting the hold. He pushes his legs off the mat, rolling over O'Reilly, flipping him into a pin as O'Reilly keeps the hold locked in. The ref spots the pin, drops down, and counts the three! O'Reilly's shoulders were beneath his own weight and Nick's, he couldn't kick out. New tag champs! The crowd can't believe it. Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly believe it even less. But the Young Bucks get to walk out with the titles.

Match Rating: **** If you're looking for a fast-paced, all action ROH tag, look here. These four start at a slower pace but build into a frantic scrum at the end with the four wiping each other out repeatedly. O'Reilly catching Nick into a triangle choke looked like it was the end, especially when Fish grabbed Matt. I know I thought it was over when I was there. This one held up from how I saw it live, though ROH did not do the best job capturing the noise of a very raucous crowd.


Final Thoughts
Whew. ROH TV really turned it up this week. Two blistering matches that are very different from each other. Strong and Hero tried to beat the hell out of each other with stiffness while the tag match was built around high spots and high flying. Both excel at what they did. ROH can add another strong episode to its run of solid TV this year.

ROH TV Episode 132

Apologies for the delay, but a hectic schedule sometimes will do that. No worries, ROH TV Episode 132 is still up for another couple of days. Catch it while you can. Or read this and get the gist of it. Either way, let's get to the show.

Brutal Burgers (Cheeseburger and "Brutal" Bob Evans) vs. reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly)
reDRagon have been picking on Cheeseburger recently, trying to humiliate him in arm wrestling and in the debut episode of The Fish Tank. He gets a chance at revenge here. Not at the ROH Tag Titles though, which reDRagon come to the ring with.

O'Reilly starts with Cheeseburger. O'Reilly can throw the little guy around, no problem. Cheeseburger tries a German suplex on O'Reilly but isn't strong enough to pull that off. O'Reilly keeps toying with him, slapping Cheeseburger in the face, until Cheeseburger gets some comeuppance and returns the favor. O'Reilly lunges at Cheeseburger. Cheeseburger slips past him and gets a tag to Evans.

I never noticed how big Bob Evans is. He dwarfs Bobby Fish, who tags in for O'Reilly. That size doesn't prevent Fish from wrestling him down to the mat. The two trade armlocks. Evans outwrestles Fish, showing his experience, and Fish resorts to strikes to get his momentum going.

Cheeseburger tags back in and tries his luck at a vertical suplex. He's a bit small for that too, but Evans igives him a boost. Fish and O'Reilly both try to come at Cheeseburger, who rolls away once again to tag Evans back in.

Fish gets the better of Evans until a hard lariat. Evans falls back and tags Cheeseburger in. The underdog tries to stand up to Fish and O'Reilly, but they double team him. reDRagon catch Cheeseburger on a crossbody attempt until Evans charges in and shoulders the lot of them down. Cheeseburger lands a stunner on Kyle O'Reilly. That gets him a two count. Evans and Cheeseburger take O'Reilly up for a chokeslam, getting a second two count. reDRagon dump Evans outside and go back to doubling up on Cheeseburger. Evans has to make a save before they can get a three.

reDRagon pick apart Evans and dump him outside yet again. O'Reilly lifts Cheeseburger up and the tag champs finish him off with by chasing the dragon.

Match review: ** Really enjoyable match to start. reDRagon get to play prick heels who beat up on Cheeseburger. Cheeseburger, the undersized hero, tries to stand up to them but that's just not going to work. Evans is trying to help him out. Individually, Evans might have been able to handle one of reDRagon. As a team, him and Cheeseburger fall short.


"Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. AJ Styles
ROH World Heavyweight Champion Adam Cole joins Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino in the commentary booth. The tale of the tape hilariously lists Elgin as an inch taller than Styles, who is at least an inch taller than him when they face off. Both men adhere to the code of honor and we are off.

Elgin drives Styles back into the corner twice. Maybe locking up isn't the way to go. Styles has to use speed instead, which he does when he gets around Elgin, grabs a waistlock, and then transitions into a headlock. Elgin uses his strength advantage to keep ahead of Styles. Styles smartly refuses a test of strength and instead takes it back to the mat. Down there he gets the best of Elgin.

Styles and Elgin trade forearms. That's in Elgin's wheelhouse too, so Styles takes Elgin to the mat again. Styles works over Elgin's back. The announcing team talks up how strong Elgin is, saying he's physically ROH's strongest competitor ever. Styles works over Elgin, cutting him off with a dropkick after Elgin tried an Irish whip.

Elgin gets his delayed vertical suplex in. Styles pops a shoulder up at one. Elgin hurls Styles into the corner with a hard Irish whip, leading us to a commercial break. Don't fret! The ROH action continues even in the break. J.G. Wentworth must be a new corporate sponsor, because Jay Lethal is here to tell us about their wonderful business.

Elgin has Styles sitting in the corner by the barricades outside when the wrestling resumes. He plants a big boot square in Styles' jaw. A shoulder off the top levels Styles. Styles ducks under a discus forearm. He Pele kicks Elgin, though it didn't land too hard. Elgin cuts Styles off before Styles can get on a roll. Styles moonsaults onto Elgin, who's outside, and drops him with an inverted DDT. It wasn't one smooth motion, but an impressive sight nonetheless.

It takes until the count of seventeen before Elgin can drag himself in. Styles is full of fire. He drops the big guy with a springboard forearm. Elgin has to drive Styles back into the corner to kill this run. Styles catches Elgin facing away on the turnbuckle. He throws on a torture rack submission, though he can only hold it for a few seconds before he drops Elgin. Styles knees Elgin in the face twice when Elgin goes for another delayed vertical suplex. Styles bounces off the corner, trying another moonsault into an inverted DDT. Elgin catches Styles on his shoulder this time then spikes Styles with a tombstone piledriver! Two count and the match goes on.

The commentary puts over how Elgin landed weirdly on his knee there. Styles goes after it. He rolls Elgin onto the mat to cinch in a knee hold. Elgin grabs Styles by the hair and slams his head down repeatedly until Styles has to let go. Elgin finds himself up in the corner again. Styles tries a hurricanrana. Elgin stops him. He lifts Styles up for a superbomb. Now Styles counters, tossing Elgin with a hurricanrana. Elgin is down. Styles goes out to the apron. He launches himself back into the ring, springing off the ropes, hitting Elgin with a frontflip leg drop. Styles goes for a pin, Elgin kicks out at two. He wants to keep going but we're at 30 minutes. The time keeper rings the bell. We have a draw!

The crowd chants for five more minutes. Elgin, still on the mat, gets a mic. He says Styles couldn't beat him in 30 minutes and he can't beat him in 5 more minutes. Elgin will go all night long. Styles wants it, Elgin wants it, and the crowd wants it. Only Adam Cole wants nothing to do with this. He's a man of action too. Cole snatches the bell away from the time keeper and throws it aside. He slides into the ring with his title belt, which he uses to drop Styles and Elgin. Jay Briscoe comes running out. Cole escapes the ring before Jay can catch him. Cole tries heading up the ramp, but that's where Kevin Steen is there to stop him. Cole has to make a break for it, hurdling the barricade, escaping through the crowd.

Match Review: *** I liked this match a lot more than I like most Elgin matches, especially one going this long. Styles was great in there and he made Elgin look like a monster. Any time they went toe-to-toe, Elgin got the best of it. Elgin didn't fall into his routine spots, save for one delayed suplex that was only twenty seconds or so. Big thumbs up for ending on a draw too. Sometimes it's got to happen.


Final Thoughts
Another good hour of ROH TV. I normally prefer episodes with three matches instead of two, particularly when one of those takes the bulk of the hour, but Elgin and Styles did well. Next week's episode comes from CHICAGO, from the Raising the Bar Night 2 event. I was at that one live, so I'm looking forward to watching it again on TV. Until then watch wrestling.

AAW TV Episods 4 and 5

Double review today! To save you all fromdroning, I'll have more concise thoughts instead of full recaps. As for the wrestling, AAW is developing some storylines through the first three episodes, so let's see how that continues in these two. 

AAW TV Episode 4

Colvin and St. Holmes start us off with a little intro to tonight's action. They kick it out to the opener. Looks like we've got AAW TV's first ever ladies' match to start. 

"Miss Natural" Heather Patera vs. "The Punk Rock Rag Doll" Heidi Lovelace

These two have a long-lasting feud in AAW, so long that this match, taped almost a year ago, already was part of an old rivalry. Patera's twice the size of the diminutive Lovelace. Heidi is all energy; Patera is a powerhouse. 

Patera tosses Lovelace around the ring and into barricades like a rag doll, so she earned nickname. Lovelace goes for quick roll ups and surprise pins multiple times. Patera is more of a tank in there, smashing through Lovelace with tosses, suplexes, slams, and just about whatever she wants. Lovelace's durability must have been too much for Patera, who resorts to pulling on her opponent's shorts to seal the win. 

Match Rating: ** Lovelace bumps like crazy for Patera and it looks great. Patera serves as a solid base for Lovelace to work off of too. These two have solid chemistry.

"Dirty" Dan Lawrence vs. Colt "Boom Boom" Cabana

It's a match between one wrestler who makes his opponents look like clowns and another wrestler who always looks like a clown. Lawrence has this great way of screwing up when he should succeed and pulling through when he should fail. Cabana is a total enabler. 

This match isn't about a bitter feud or rising up the ranks in AAW. It's a midcard comedy match with two guys pulling out tricks to one up each other over and over. Or in Lawrence's case, to keep falling on his face. Cabana gets Dirty Dan in the middle of the ring with the Billy Goat's curse.

Match Rating: **1/2 Stars can't adequately rate this match. It's not a technical wrestling showcase or something like that, but these two were made for each other. Superbly enjoyable and I've watched it three times in the past week. 

Markus Crane vs. Alex Colon

Crane goes for an immediate roll up that Colon reverses. Colon takes a little bit of punishment from Crane, but finishes him off in under two minutes. 

Match Rating: N/R Barely a match for Colon here. He got the W, but that's not enough for him, so Colon cuts a short promo after. 

Alex Colon vs. Silas Young

Silas Young comes out and grabs a mic to challenge Colon. Young is there to represent the very special AAW fans. Young and Colon open with chain wrestling. Neither is able to get a real edge, even with the major size difference. Young gets to show that size difference, and the power that comes with it, while Colon is keen on making things dirty.

Young gets to be an asskicker in this match, which he excels at. Colon and Young continue tonight's apparent theme: good chemistry. No noticeable mishaps in there, no mistiming of note, just solid wrestling. Young taps Colon out to end a fast-paced match.

Match Rating: **1/2 This one's a real sprint of a main event. Colon and Young work at a blistering rate. There's not a lot of selling or building off of work in the match, two things that up a rating in my book, but I can see a lot of people giving this more love than I do. It's a good piece to build up Young. 

AAW TV Episode 5

Silas Young gets up close with the camera somewhere backstage as episode 5 starts. He's looking for revenge and can't wait to beat Eddie Kingston's face in. 

Colvin and St. Holmes gives us our obligatory opening. Today's matches come from outside the Berwyn Eagles Club for the first time. Instead, we go down to Bourbon Street. 

AAW Heavyweight Championship - "Sugar" Shane Hollister (c) (/w Marcus Crane & Scarlett Bordeaux) vs. Flip Kendrick

AAW announces Hollister at 180 pounds. This is probably my personal fascination, but announced weights catch my interest. Hollister's is probably accurate. Kendrick is even smaller. Hollister uses that size advantage to push Kendrick into the corner at the start. Hollister can bully Kendrick around when he grabs a hold of him. Kendrick avoids letting that happen at all costs as he flies around the ring, into the ring, out of the ring, wherever he can. 

Hollister relishes in hurting Kendrick, like when he gets him in a seated stretch and starts to grind his thumb into Kendrick's ribs. He lays the boots into him after that, then tries a Jericho pin for good measure. 

Hollister looks like a confident champ. Kendrick has to be the upstart, which is hard enough without Markus and Scarlett there to distract him. He flies as well as anyone I've seen in AAW. Good thing for that, since most of his offense involves going through the air. Things get a bit sloppy in the latter stages here. Scarlett and Markus keep interfering too, possibly saving Hollister that night. Hollister closes out Kendrick with a great finishing sequence that I'll leave you to watch since I don't want to do it misjustice.

Match Rating: ** Hollister looks great when he controls the match and that's when things flow best. Kendrick can do some impressive flying, but he got too much in for my liking. Hollister flipped between looking like a dominant champ and a guy who was vulnerable, but not in a good way. 

Eddie Kingston responds to Silas Young. This won't be the last we see of him either. Kingston is in the main event today against Rhino, who gets some camera time of his own. 

Eddie Kingston vs. "The War Machine" Rhino

Kingston hurls a chair at Rhino from outside the ring before the match starts. Not content with having one opponent tonight, Kingston decides to get into it with the fans too. The match starts out with a bit of wrestling. Can't say that I expected that. With these two, I was thinking we would have a pure brawl on our hands. One stiff chop too many kills that. Let the punches fly! 

Kngston and Rhino trade hard chops outside the ring. Kingston parts the crowd to throw Rhino into the sea of chairs, PWG style, only for Rhino to turn the tables. The brawl goes into the crowd for a while until returning to the ring. They trade bombs back and forth as momentum trades between the two. Kingston lands a hard discus elbow then an exploder, but Rhino kicks out at two. 

Rhino's toughness gets the best of Kingston, who digs some chairs out from under the ring. He sets two up, facing each other then lays a third on top. Kingston starts climbing the ropes when Rhino cuts him off. Rhino grabs Kingston and powerbombs him through the chairs. That's a two count too. 

Rhino spears Kingston in the corner, but it's not a full gore. So he bides his time in a far corner, waiting for Kingston to get up. A full force gore follows, but that's not enough to end it. Rhino tries a second gore but Kingston gets a knee up. Kingston gets a chain from under the ring now. He wraps it around his fist and socks Rhino, but that doesn't get the three. A spinning backfist doesn't put Rhino down either. A second one makes him wobble. A low blow and a third backfist finally wrap things up.

Match Rating: ** There are things to like here. Both are adept at brawling and those segments of the match go well. Rhino gets put over huge here even in a loss. He ate so much punishment. The real problem is that things went too long. Going five minutes less would have helped a ton. 

Kingston cuts another promo that night after his match. Super intense. 

Final Thoughts

Two very different shows. The first one had four matches, three of substance, all of which went by in a flash. All three were smooth and enjoyable in their own ways. That was probably AAW TV's best episode yet. Episode 5, on the other hand, had two matches, both of which were significantly longer than anything on Episode 4. Both could stand to trim some fat from the matches. Not a great hour of TV, but the Kingston-Silas Young feud keeps building, so its worth watching. 

ROH TV Episode 130

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.