-From New York City
-Hosts are Kevin Kelly (formerly WWF's only "hermaphrodite"), and Dave Prazak
-Kevin & Dave are in the ring for the pre-show. They bring out RoH Owner Cary Silkin and new COO Dave Cobb (I think that's his name). They bring out Jim Cornette, and Cobb gets the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to him on his 50th birthday. Holy fuck, Cornette is ONLY 50?
-Kevin & Dave run down the card.
-Pre-Show Match: Winner gets put in a qualifier at Survival of the Fittest 2011: Grizzly Redwood VS Andy Ridge
-Ridge's nickname "Right Leg", is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in wrestling. Redwood is barely above midget level. For two guys where the story of the match is that they've wrestled each other so much they know each other's moves, they have some miscommunication early on. Redwood gets some jobber offense, and Ridge fails at basically everything that doesn't involve him using his right leg. Redwood hits a sliding bulldog with Ridge on his knees for two. Ridge crotches Redwood on the second rope, then hits an Orton backbreaker in a nice spot. Ridge avoids a 619 and hits a slingshot Ace Crusher for two. Superkick gets two for Ridge. Redwood hits a swinging DDT for two. Ridge counters a sunset flip with a folding press for the pin. Not bad.
-Kevin & Dave review the All-Night Express VS Briscoes feud, when the Briscoes themselves come out. Jay blames what's going to happen to ANX on New York City because Hurricane Irene destroyed his daddy's chicken farm. OK then.
-Match 1: Tomasso Ciampa & Rhino (w/The Embassy) VS Homicide & Ring of Honor Television Champion Jay Lethal
-Lethal out-wrestles Ciampa, so Ciampa tags in Rhino. Homicide tags himself in and gets overpowered before hitting a neckbreaker for two. Lethal and Ciampa get back in, and Ciampa dropkicks Lethal off the apron and into the barricade. Lethal no-sells some chops before hitting some of his own, but Ciampa springs from a seated position and hits a low dropkick. That was cool. Rhino floors Lethal with a big clothesline for two.
Belly-to-belly sets up the GORE GORE GORE, but Lethal moves out of the way, and drops Rhino with a superkick. Homicide goes for the Three Amigos, but Ciampa blocks the third, so Homicide hits an Exploder suplex instead. Homicide hits a tope con hilo on Rhino, but takes a Northern Lights suplex for two. Ciampa exposes his knee and hits three running knees to Homicide's face, but Homicide blocks a powerbomb and hits an Ace Crusher. Lethal takes Rhino to the outside with a hurricarana, but Ciampa finishes Homicide with the Project Ciampa (powerbomb into a lungblower). Great finishing move. Embassy sworm on Homicide until Lethal grabs his TV title belt and chases them away. Decent opener, and I'm coming away from this match really liking Ciampa.
-Match 2: Mike Bennett (w/Brutal Bob Evans) VS Ring of Honor Tag Team Champion Shelton Benjamin
-Kevin & Dave talk about RoH fans saying that Bennett is a crappy wrestler on twitter. Is that how they try to put heel heat on guys these days? Bennett starts avoiding Shelton as the crowd really gets on his case. NYC fans question Bennett's sexual orientation after Kevin & Dave discuss Bennett dating Playboy bunnies. Bennett gets Shelton tied in the ropes, and hits a backbreaker. Bennett takes too long setting up a suplex, and Shelton counters with a small package for two. Bennett hits a crappy dropkick, and Dave makes it worse by talking about how great a move it was.
Shelton hits a neckbreaker, and they do the "boo-yay" punch exchange, which Shelton wins. Bennett charges into a sky-high for two. Bennett blocks Paydirt with a backbreaker for two. Bennett hits a missile dropkick for two. Shelton counters a urinage with a rollup for two. Shelton launches Bennett with a release German suplex. That gets two, as Evans puts Bennett's foot on the ropes. Shelton chases Evans into the ring, where Evans accidentally helps Shelton hit the Dragon Whip on Bennett. Shelton superkicks Evans, then finishes Bennett with Paydirt. It appears that Bennett's deal is that he wrestles a slow WWE style, but it was not a good outing for him. This was pretty boring and never got out of first gear.
-Match 3: Elimination Match: The Bravado Brothers VS Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly) VS The Young Bucks
-Bravados look like they're from a 1970s TV family. One man from each team in the ring at one time, they can only tag their own partner. Bravados jump the other teams at the bell. Series of dives put everyone on the floor. O'Reilly hits a flying kick on one of the Bravados from inside the ring to the outside against the barricade. O'Reilly hits a series of kicks on Lancelot Bravado. Nick Jackson hits a springboard frog splash on Lancelot for two. Bucks and O'Reilly hit a series of moves on Lancelot, culmintaing in a wheelbarrow Ace Crusher by the Bucks. Harlem Bravado prevents a Cole/Matt Jackson showdown.
Matt walks into a bicycle kick from Harlem, but Nick hits a slingshot X-Factor. Match breaks down, and Future Shock hit Ride the Lightning (legsweep/clothesline combo) on Lancelot for the pin and the first elimination.
Bucks hit a series of moves on Cole, ending with a spike tombstone, but O'Reilly makes the save. Future Shock almost get a double submission, as O'Reilly locks in a triangle choke while hitting elbows on Nick, and Cole locks in a guillotine choke on Matt. The team exchange superkicks before Cole floors Matt with a clothesline to put all four men down. Bucks hit the More Bang for Your Buck series of moves, a Finlay roll, followed by a 450 splash, followed by a moonsault for the pin. Match was a collection of spots (which, if you know anything about the Bucks, you're not surprised), so it was entertaining if particularly memorable. Kevin Kelly takes a dig at Booker T for saying the Bucks didn't have any talent. Bucks refuse to shake hands with Future Shock, pissing off the crowd.
-Match 4: El Generico VS Jimmy Jacobs
-Slow start as they work to establish that Jacobs is working on the level. Generico hits a backbreaker for two. Generico hits some chops, which only annoy Jacobs, who hits a neckbreaker, and follows with a suicide dive. Generico blocks the Contra Code and hits a spinning sitout powerbomb for two. Generico hits a Michinoku Driver for two. Generico hits a swank snap half-nelson suplex. Generico wants a Yakuza kick, but ends up charging into the End Time. Generico counters, so Jacobs gets a rollup for two.
Jacobs hits a springboard Ace Crusher for two. Generico catches Jacobs with a nasty running Yakuza kick, but Jacobs blocks the turnbuckle brainbuster, and hits a spear on the ring apron for two. Generico hits a second Yakuza kick, but Jacobs again fights off the turnbuckle brainbuster, and hits a swinging DDT.
Kevin Steen emerges from the crowd, and grabs the house mic, taunting both wrestlers before the mic is cut off. Wrestlers and security come out to take Steen away. Jacobs attacks Steen, but ends up taking a powerbomb onto the ring apron. Generico hits a dive that takes out everyone BUT Steen. Steen lays out some people in the ring, then tries to give Cary Silkin a package piledriver. He is stopped, and the crowd BOOS. Cornette gets in and Steen flips him off and spits on him, so Cornette tries to get a piece. Generico and Steen are held apart as Steen is forced through the crowd and out of the building. Match was pretty good, and I liked the psychology of Jacobs trying to walk the straight-and-narrow. The stuff with Steen was pretty heated, and I'm interested in seeing where this whole thing goes.
-INTERMISSION
-Match 5: Michael Elgin (w/Truth Martini) VS Ring of Honor Tag Team Champion Charlie Haas
-Elgin looks like a quickly-made CAW in No Mercy. Haas does some arm work to start. Haas tries to springboard, but Martini grabs his foot, allowing Elgin to knock Haas into the barricade. Elgin hits a shoulder block from the top for two. A series of simultaneous clotheslines puts both men down. Haas wins a "boo-yay" strike exchange, then hits a big boot and a series of German suplexes. Elgin runs into a powerslam for two.
Elgin hits a cradile Michinoku Driver for two. They go outside, and Haas hits a belly-to-back suplex onto the barricade. Back in the ring, Elgin hits a superplex for two. Elgin goes up, but Haas hits a pop-up German superplex. Haas hits a big lariat...for the pin? OK. Match was decent. Nothing special, as Haas has zero physical charisma, and, as I wrote earlier, Elgin looks like a No Mercy CAW and didn't bring much to the match.
-Match 6: Ringmaster Challenge: Roderick Strong (w/Truth Martini) VS Eddie Edwards
-This is best of 3, with the first fall being pinfall only, second fall is submission only, and third is a 15 minute Iron Man match. Talk about overbooking.
FIRST FALL: Neither man gains a clear advantage for the first few minutes. Edwards rolls out of a schoolboy attempt, so Strong hits a STIFF superkick for two. Strong takes control, and hits a urinage backbreaker for two. Strong hits a series of elbows, but then gets dumped on his head. Strong blocks a backpack stunner, and hits a slam for two. Edwards hits a double-knee to the chest, but Strong comes right back with a suplex into a Death From Above varation with Edwards landing back-first on Strong's knees, and that gets the pin to put Strong up 1-0.
SECOND FALL: Strong locks in an arm-submission, but Edwards makes it to the ropes. Edwards blocks a big boot, and locks in an STF, but Strong makes it to the ropes. They go outside, and Strong hits a high knee before delivering a bodyslam into a seated chair that's leaned up against the barricade. Strong then drops Edwards back first onto the seat of the chair. Strong locks in the Stronghold, but Edwards won't give it up. Strong hits Death From Above and a half-nelson backbreaker, but Edwards locks in a single-leg crab, and Strong taps to even the match at 1-1.
THIRD FALL: They brawl on the outside, with Strong mostly trying to create some distance. Back in the ring, Edwards hits a modified Awful Waffle, but can't make the cover. Strong hits a back breaker by dropping Edwards on the top turnbuckle. Strong hits a Death From Above backbreaker for two. Strong locks in the Stronghold, but Edwards makes it to the ropes.
Strong takes Eddie outside, and gives him a double underhook powerbomb on the entrance ramp. Edwards BARELY makes it back in the ring at 19. Eddie fights off the Stronghold with chops to the neck. Strong goes up, but Edwards hits three enziguiris and a backback stunner for two. Eddie hits a spinning backfist and a belly-to-back suplex for two. Edwards hits a superplex for two. Strong avoids a 2K1 bomb, which sets off a series of rollups and reversals. Strong gets a backslide, and Martini helps hold Edwards down for the pin, and Strong takes the lead with 90 seconds left.
Edwards goes after Martini, who accidentally hits Strong with the Book of Truth, which leads to a 2K1 bomb and pin by Edwards to tie it up. The time limit expires, and the crowd is NOT happy when it looks like it'll be a draw. Cornette comes out and declares that this match MUST CONTINUE, one fall to a finish.
Chop exchange proves nothing. Strong hits a high knee, but Edwards hits two superkicks and a Tiger suplex for two. Strong comes back with another hight knee, followed by a Sick Kick for two. Edwards counters a top rope gutbuster with a hurricarana. Edwards hits Death From Above, but Strong knocks him for a loop with another Sick Kick. Edwards knocks Strong off the top with a couple enziguris, then hits a double stomp on the apron for two. Edwards hits a sit-out powerbomb for two. Edwards finally finishes with the 2K1 Bomb. Match was good and managed to overcome the goofy stipulations, and it really stood out against the bland undercard. I liked Edwards having to fight from underneath. It's something he's good at. They did get bogged down with big mover overkill in the extra time though.
-Match 7: Ladder War III: The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) VS The Briscoe Brothers
-The prize is a contract for a future tag team championship match. The Briscoes come out wearing gas masks. Titus lets the Briscoes double-team King while he grabs a ladder. They brawl on the outside, and King gets backdropped through a table. Briscoes take turns throwing a chair at Titus, then drive him face-first into the chair which is wedged in the corner. Titus is busted open, but he manages to fight back. ANX drive a ladder into Jay's nuts. They then wedge his head in between the rings and ram it into the ringpost.
Titus is a mess. Jay gets busted open somehow, and quickly matches him. Mark gets opened up too soon after. Jay tosses a ladder over the top and onto Titus. Briscoes beal King into a ladder propped in the corner. Jay dropkicks a chair into King's face. Briscoes go for a spiked Jay Driller, but Titus shoves Mark through a table to break it up. ANX drive Jay through a table with a springoard blockbuster/powerbomb combo. Titus climbs a ladder, but Jay dropkicks it out from underneath him. Briscoes set up a ladder and a table in the aisle, and Mark ends up diving off the ladder, splashing Titus through the table.
Back in the ring, King hits a shooting star press on Jay. King and Jay fight it out on top of a ladder, and King knocks Jay off, then grabs the contract for the win. OK car crash that went way too long. Didn't have much flow to it. Good booking decision to give ANX the win here, as the Briscoes don't need it.
FINAL THOUGHTS: OK show. Undercard was a series of TV-quality matches. Last two matches were a step above the rest, but that doesn't say much. RoH really needed to ass a sense of fun to this show, as PRO WRESTLING IS SERIOUS BUSINESS gets tiring after a while. If this was my first exposure to RoH, I might not be moved to check it out again. Still, I am looking forward to the new TV show.
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