Not an iPPV, but an important show nonetheless.
-Hosts are Dave Prazak & Kevin Kelly
-Match 1: Michael Elgin & Mike Mondo (w/Truth Martini) VS Kyle O'Reilly & Adam Cole
-Martini cuts a lengthy pre-match promo. Mondo needs to impress tonight to earn a spot in the House of Truth. Elgin overpowers both opponents, so they respond with a double hiptoss and a double dropkick. Cole hits Mondo with a basement dropkick for two. Mondo is tied to the Tree of Woe, and takes a double basement dropkick for two. O'Reilly boots Mondo off the apron and wants to try a missile dropkick off the apron, but he runs into a clothesline from Elgin.
Crowd chants "you can't wrestle" at Elgin, who responds by turning a tornado DDT from O'Reilly into an impressive tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Mondo locks in a rear chinlock on O'Reilly, so the crowd takes the opportunity to chant "Spirt Squad" at him. Cole gets in, and hits a leg lariat off the second rope on Mondo for two. Elgin hits Cole with a slingshot back elbow, setting up a diving headbut from Mondo for two.
Elgin takes superkicks from Cole and O'Reilly, before O'Reilly drops him with a discus lariat for two. Elgin gets O'Reilly on his back, then catches Cole in mid-air, then he delivers a fallaway slam/samoan drop combo, getting two on Cole. Cole & O'Reilly hit Mondo with a wheelbarrow code breaker/lungblower combo for two, then Cole finishes Mondo with a superkick and a German suplex. Really fun opener. Not a lot of psychology, but a fast pace and some innovative stuff.
-Martini gives Mondo the thumbs down, and Elgin lays Mondo out with a clothesline and spinning sitout powerbomb.
-Grizzly Redwood says he's going to chop down the Embassy.
-Match 2: Tommaso Ciampa (w/The Embassy) VS Grizzly Redwood
-I don't like Redwood's chances. Redwood lasts longer than I thought he would, controlling the first couple minutes with his speed, and side-headlocks. Grizzly hits a suicide dive, then plants a kiss on Princess Nia when she tries to hit him. Grizzly sends Ciampa into the barricade, but ends up taking a dropkick from Nia. Ciampa slowly works Redwood over. Ciampa exposes his knee, and hits a running knee to Redwood's face for two. Redwood fights back, and hits a sloppy hurricarana for two. Redwood tries another hurricarana, but gets caught with the Project Ciampa for the pin. Match was way too long and way too even, as Ciampa looks like he's getting a decent push, and Redwood is a tiny comedy character.
-Steve Corino saves Redwood from a beatdown, and says he was there for Redwood like he promised he would be, and asks Redwood if he will be there for Corino. Before Redwood can answer, Mike Bennett & Brutal Bob Evans enter. Bennett goes for the cheap heat, wearing a Red Sox shirt in New York City. Evans & Bennett get on Corino about his age. Bennett says tonight will be the night Corino falls off the wagon. Corino responds that NYC may hate him more than anywhere else in the world, but at least he's not from Boston. Corino says that facing Bennett would constitute falling off the wagon. Bennett says Corino will wrestle him tonight, if Bennett has to push Corino off the wagon. Corino fights with his emotions, and Bennett goads him into accepting the match.
-Match 3: Mike Bennett (w/Brutal Bob Evans) VS Steve Corino
-Match immediately spills outside, and they take turns going into the barricade. Corino actually looks like he's going to do a dive, but Bennett dropkicks Corino at the exact moment Corino sticks his head through the ropes. Corino wins a "boo-yay" exchange with an STO. Corino hits the Colby Shock (hammerlock DDT) for two. Corino hits the Eternal Dream (sliding clothesline) for two.
Corino locks in an abdominal stretch, and after giving it some thought...sticks his thumb in Bennett's ass. Bennett two Side Effect Rock Bottoms for two, and a third one finishes. Nothing particularly impressive from Bennett, but that's his whole gimmick. Corino was good here though.
Bennett and Evans attack Corino post-match, stopping to wait for someone to save Corino. Bennett finishes the beatdown with a piledriver.
-Match 4: The All Night Express VS The Briscoe Brothers
-ANX hit a springboard legdrop/big splash combo on Mark for two. Briscoes come back with a big boot/German suplex combo on King. Titus hits a Stinger Splash and big boot on Mark. King takes Jay outside, and Titus hits a really awkward dive. Please don't do that again, Rhett. Titus becomes the face-in-peril, and has a recent wound re-opened. Mark pulls Titus outside, and gives him a suplex on the floor. Jay hits a sliding boot on Titus for two.
Jay gets Titus in position for a top rope hurricarana, but stops to fuck Titus' face, and takes Snake Eyes, allowing Titus to make the tag. King drops both Briscoes with kicks, and hits a spinebuster on Jay for two. Titus gets back in, but gets dropped on his head b Mark, and Jay follows up with a lariat for two. ANX prevent the Doomsday Device, so Jay hits Titus with a Michinoku Driver for two. Briscoes get Titus in position for a springboard Doomsday Device, but Titus rolls up Jay for the pin.
Briscoes go after the ANX after the bell, tossing aside anyone who rushes out to stop them. Titus avoids a Jay Driller on the floor, and King hits a dive to turn the tide. Briscoes fight back, and hit the ANX with chairshots to end the fight. Match was unremarkable until the hot tag to King. King managed to get the crowd behind the ANX, and the match picked up from there, spilling over to the post-match antics.
-Match 5: TJ Perkins VS El Generico
-Lots of reversals early. Perkins figure 4's his legs around Generico's head. Generico almost gets a pin, so Perkins Skull Fucks him. Generico hits a Michinoku Driver for two. Generico hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Twice Perkins is able to avoid a Yakuza Kick, the second time he slickly uses that to maneuver Generico into a sitout powerbomb for two. Perkins locks in a single leg crab with the other leg locked, but Generico reaches the ropes.
Generico hits a Yakuza Kick. Perkins comes back with a GTS/Death from Above mix, dropping Generico off Perkins' shoulders, as Perkins falls back and kicks Generico in the head. Generico goes outside. Perkins tries a suicide dive, but Generico catches him, and hits a brainbuster on the ring apron for the win. Slick finish, but these Perkins matches feel like exhibitions than anything competetive.
-Match 6: Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling (w/Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Ray) VS The Latin American Xchange (Homicide & Hernandez)
-Nothing is settled in the first few minutes. CC hits an impressive delayed vertical suplex on Hernandez, which Hernandez no-sells. Hernandez holds CC up in a suplex for almost a full minute before dropping down. Hero makes a blind tag, and suplexes Homicide onto CC's knees. CC hits a gorilla press hot shot on Homicide, then poses. CC goes for a diving European uppercut, but Homicide catches him with an Ace Crusher.
Hernandez gets in, and tosses both KoW around, getting a two count on Claudio. Claudio gets the UFO on Hernandez for two. KoW hits a superplex/moonsault combo on Hernandez for two. Homicide goes for the Three Amigos on CC, but Hero breaks up the third. Hernandez goes for the Border Toss on CC, but Hero breaks it up with a roaring elbow. Hernandez border tosses Homicide over the top and out onto the KoW and Hagadorn, then follows up with a dive on Hero.
LAX hit a powerbomb/big splash combo on Hero for two. Del Ray stops Homicide from hitting a lariat. Hero puts on a loaded elbow pad, but Homicide avoids it and strips it off Hero. Homicide goes for the Cop Killer on Hero, but Hero gets out of it, and the KoW hit a kick combination for two. CC finishes Homicide with a running European uppercut shortly after that. Excellent tag match. Wasn't formula, wasn't a bunch of finishers. It was just a fast-paced showing of the best both teams have.
-Backstage, Homicide is distressed about the loss as well as some other recent losses. Julius Smokes enters to pump Homicide back up.
-Match 7-Pure Wrestling Rules: Ring of Honor Television Champion Christopher Daniels VS Davey Richards
-Pure rules refresher: Each man gets three ropes breaks, after that, they cannot earn a break by using the ropes, and their opponent can use the ropes when applying a pin or submission. No closed fists to the face. First is a warning, second is a lost rope break. If the wrestler has no rope breaks, he will be DQ'd.
Split crowd at the start. Davey seems to have more support. Daniels doesn't give Davey a clean break, drawing some jeers. Daniels comes off the top with a stomp on Davey's chest for two. Daniels locks in a triangle choke around the ropes, and then talks the ref into charging a rope break to Richards. Daniels figure 4s his legs around Davey's head, forcing Davey to use his second rope break. Daniels gets sent outside, and Davey hits a springboard moonsault.
Richards blocks a hurricarana with a powerbomb, and locks in a Texas Cloverleaf, which causes Daniels to use his first rope break. After a series of counters, Davey slaps on an anklelock, forcing Daniels to use his second rope break. They trade kicks (Richards) and palm strikes (Daniels). Richards hits the Alarm Clock, but Daniels comes back with an STO, and locks in the Koji Clutch. Davey counters that into an anklelock. Daniels gets the Koji Clutch again, and Richards has to use his last rope break.
Richards avoids the Arabian Press to the outside, and hits a baseball slide, off which Daniels tumbles over the barricade. Richards drapes Daniels over the barricade, and hits a double stomp from the top. That gets two, but really should be a finish. Richards hits a superplex, and holds on to hit a Falcon Arrow and lock in a cross-armbreaker, which causes Daniels to use his last rope break.
Out on the apron, Richards hits about 20 kicks to Daniels' chest. Richards gets Daniels up on his shoulders, but Daniels counters into a standing Koji Clutch, which appears to put Richards out. Daniels wants a count out, but Richards gets in at 11. Richards avoids the BME. Daniels tries to use his legs and the ropes to choke Richards out. Richards counters with an anklelock in the ropes, but Daniels uses a headscissors to dump Richards over the top. They fight on the top turnbuckle. Daniels locks in a guillotine choke, but Richards counters into a Texas Cloverleaf with Daniels hanging upside down.
Richards hits a double stomp to the back. Richards goes for a shooting star press, and somehow manages to land on the ropes. Daniels goes for Angel's Wings, but Richards counters into a jackknife rollup for the pin. Action was good, but the psychology was all over the place.
-Daniels reluctantly shakes Richards' hand.
-Match 8: Ring of Honor World Championship: Roderick Strong [c] (w/Truth Martini) VS Eddie Edwards
-Strong sends Martini to the back. Neither man has an advantage for the first few minutes. Edwards opens Strong's chest open with chops. Elbow exchange proves nothing. Strong locks in a Crippler Crossface. Edwards hits a modified F-5 for two. Edwards ties Strong to the Tree of Woe, and runs from the entrance to the ring, jumping onto the apron with a kick to Strong's shoulder.
Strong slams Edwards back-first onto the corner of the ring apron. Strong slowly works Edwards over. Edwards blocks a backbreaker and hits an enziguiri, but Strong counters the backpack stunner, and slaps on the Stronghold. Strong goes for a Gibson Driver on the apron, but Edwards counters into a hurricarana. Edwards hits a dive, which smashes Strong into the barricade and busts Strong open.
Edwards hits a flying knee for two. Edwards hits an inverted bodyslam for two. Strong hits a roaring elbow and a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Strong hits a turnbuckle backbreaker for two. They chop the shit out of each other. When it looks like Edwards is going to win the exchange, Strong hits a high knee. Strong hits a high knee, but runs into a lariat for two. They fight on the top turnbuckle. Edwards sends Strong down, and hits a double stomp off the second rope. Edwards hits a powerbomb for two, and locks in the Achillies Lock.
Truth Martini causes a distraction, allowing Strong to hit a superkick, Death From Above, and the Sick Kick for two. Strong spits on Edwards, hits a superkick, and a suplex into a backbreaker for two. Edwards counters the Stronghold into the Achillies Lock. Strong kicks his way out, but ends up getting rolled up and pinned to give Edwards the title. Crowd EXPLODES for that. Started off really slow, but turned into a HELL of match before it was over. Edwards becomes the first Triple Crown winner in RoH, and the first to dethrone a defending champion on his first opportunity.
-Davey Richards teases being pissed that his partner won the title before he did, but ends up giving Edwards a hug.
-FINAL THOUGHTS: Pretty good show, with only one match I could say that entered "bad" territory, with a couple others being pretty bland. The dream tag team match and the main event are well worth going out of your way to see, and some will like the pure match more than I did.
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