Official ROH Discussion Thread

[gadge]

9th Anniversary Show - Chicago Ridge, IL - 26/2/11

 

Thumbs up for the HDNet-produced iPPV intro video here, as usual. Also, the commentary seems clearer here than recent DVDs. The overall volume could still use turning up, though.

 

Davey Richards vs Colt Cabana - An interesting choice of opener, with Davey starting again on iPPV after failing to defeat Roderick Strong at Final Battle. Dave Prazak and Kevin Kelly make the ridiculous claim at the start here that Cabana did some MMA training to prepare himself for this match. Cabana shows no sign of that in his work, though he drops the comedy but still brings the European moves in the early going, without making Davey look ridiculous. Good so far. They gradually switch to a more American style, and Davey begins to move ahead, then there's some big moves back and forth before Davey earns a submission win with the cross armbreaker out of the Falcon Arrow at 12:11. Enjoyable stuff, though Davey got to take it comparably easy here in relation to his recent ROH output.

 

Steve Corino vs Kyle O'Reilly vs Mike Bennett vs Grizzly Redwood - For the most part, this is a decent Four Corner Survival, though the finish is enough to make you tear your hair out. Grizzly is Grizzly, which is fine for what it is, and there's some heated exchanges between Corino and O'Reilly. The latter is on fire for a significant part of the match, and the crowd digs it, while they're also into the Corino redemption angle. So, of course, Bennett wins the match having done nothing of note, pinning Corino with the GSS#7 at 10:45.

 

El Generico vs Michael Elgin - Yet more good work from Elgin here. His role in the House of Truth is spot on - he's not the big star, but his big man repertoire is good and he can also keep up with anyone. Generico naturally thrives against such an opponent, and there's a bunch of well worked spots. Truth Martini also interferes in a much well worked way than Bob Evans does for Mike Bennett. Given the right amount of time for fans to get used to him, and the right booking, Elgin breaking away from Martini could be a big angle. In the end, interference from Truth is ineffective due to the ref being blinded, then Generico capitalises on the confusion, scoring the pin with a tight rollup at 10:27.

 

Post match, Roderick Strong helps Elgin beat down Generico and we head stright into...

 

ROH World Title - No DQ Barrio Street Fight: Roderick Strong vs Homicide - Not much wrestling to note here, the live iPPV commentary can't see as Strong and 'Cide brawl through the crowd, there's some spots with chairs in the ring which the crowd likes, and then there's an extended sports entertainment sequence at the back end. More interference from Martini prevents Homicide getting the pin, Michael Elgin attempts a run in and is quickly dumped to the floor, Martini hits a low blow but then eats an Ace Crusher, then Roderick hits 'Cide with the Sick Kick and (sigh) All The Landslides Birds Have Ever Seen for the pin at 14:51. Here endeth the undefeated streak of Homicide since his return, and hopefully his run at the top of the card. Overall this was alright, not putting this on last was definitely wise however.

 

Sara Del Rey vs MsChif - It's evident very early on that this is going to be short, with no feeling out process at all. As the Queen of Wrestling, Sara Del Rey has added a Royal Wave to her repertoire, which raised a smile here. She gets the win with the Death Razor (wrist clutch Angle Slam) at 3:54. Of more note was the post match angle, where Sara spits on MsChif, but then moves away so she has to sell MsChif's green mist getting in her eyes even though it clearly ended up all over her torso instead. Oh dear.

 

ROH World Tag Team Titles: The Kings of Wrestling vs The All Night Express - A surprisingly great tag match here, the best performance of the ANX to date, you might say. As title challengers they become de facto fan favourites, though antagonising Claudio with chants of "Heyyy!" seems to be the preferred choice of the crowd. After having the better of the Kings early, Rhett Titus is isolated for the heat segment of choice (though again, "Heyyyy" dominates). Kenny King's flurry when he gets the hot tag is excellent, and he breaks out a beautiful shooting star press during the final stretch. The last minute or so is messy though, as Kenny intercepts the loaded elbow pad, then Claudio is seemingly out of it and can't do the UFO, so Hero manages to regain and use the loaded elbow pad and Claudio just falls on top of King for the pin at 15:57. A cracking effort however, and the ANX get a round of applause on their way out.

 

ROH World TV Title - 2/3 falls: Christopher Daniels vs Eddie Edwards - Our friendly neighbourhood reviewer, Dearly Devoted Dexter, sometimes likes to describe matches as "somewhat of a curate's egg". Well, with Daniels having won the TV title on HDNet in an overtime period following a fifteen minute draw, this rematch is set up with a 2/3 falls stipulation and a thirty minute time limit. As a result, everyone is expecting this to go the distance, which sadly means there's next to no drama and the reactions of the crowd are polite and little more. None of this is the fault of the participants of course, though perhaps they could have upped the pace of first fifteen minutes of the lengthy fall #1. Notable things in the first period are the power of Edwards' chops, Daniels dissecting the back of the neck of Edwards resulting in some good selling from Eddie, and some exchanges of the Achilles Lock and Koji Clutch, including using each others moves, before Daniels traps Edwards in the same 3/4 nelson that pinned Michael Elgin the previous evening for the first fall at 23:00. Edwards manages to even things up with the Achilles Lock at 26:46. Then, inside the last two minutes, the top of Daniels' head is accidentally sliced open on an Edwards top rope 'rana, he's made more woozy when sent to the floor and into the barricade by Edwards in the final seconds, and the time limit draw is called at exactly 30:00. Unlike the match on HDNet, there's no chance of Daniels continuing into overtime due to the cut, and that's our lot. This was certainly watchable, with really solid work, and the half hour whizzing by, but I couldn't say this was essential viewing. I wonder what the HDNet bout was like...

 

Jay and Mark Briscoe vs Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin - Our new main event, this is for a tag title shot in Atlanta on WrestleMania weekend. As a dream match, I found this slightly underwhelming. It's decent, but they seem to keep a couple of gears in reserve and the crowd never really comes unglued as a result. Unlike the previous night, Haas takes full part, and both teams get a spell to isolate one of the opposing team, but with two fan favourite teams no heat actually materialises. The best response comes when they start to break out the trademark double teams towards the end, and Mark breaks out a springboard dive into the crowd, but the finish seems sudden when Shelton pins Jay after a Blockbuster at 22:22. The Briscoes accept the code of honor after teasing not, and that's our anniversary show done.

 

Overall - A series of solid matches, but this iPPV/DVD effort is lacking one killer match to get everyone talking. DVD run time is 2 hours 45 minutes, with the March 16 VideoWire and three backstage promos that didn't get edited into the main show as extra features.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Our friendly neighbourhood reviewer, Dearly Devoted Dexter, sometimes likes to describe matches as "somewhat of a curate's egg".

 

One of those phrases I use far too often.

[TotalDebacle]

Hi guys,

 

Long time reader of this topic - really enjoy reading the reviews.

 

I was wondering if I could rely on your expertise for a second:

 

http://freetexthost.com/h0xvlbq40p

 

This is a list of my ROH dvds, mostly sealed and unwatched. I've been an avid collector for a few years now.

 

I have to move house and thinking of selling some, and was wondering if anyone could advise me as to whether any are worth eBaying or putting on here? I'm really no sure and I don't want to sell them if it's pointless.

 

Thanks so much for any help guys.

[Evolution4life]

Hi guys,

 

Long time reader of this topic - really enjoy reading the reviews.

 

I was wondering if I could rely on your expertise for a second:

 

http://freetexthost.com/h0xvlbq40p

 

This is a list of my ROH dvds, mostly sealed and unwatched. I've been an avid collector for a few years now.

 

I have to move house and thinking of selling some, and was wondering if anyone could advise me as to whether any are worth eBaying or putting on here? I'm really no sure and I don't want to sell them if it's pointless.

 

Thanks so much for any help guys.

 

Im no real expert on the prices but you have a fair few DVD's there that are hard to find I believe and so would go for a fair bit. If you do decide to sell let me know, Ill gladly buy a few.

[TotalDebacle]

Thanks to you and everyone else who has helped I will probably be making a topic in classified at some point soon. I've had a few PMs about them already which was a pleasant surprise! Not sold anything yet though so do feel free to contact me. I won't say anymore as I know this isn't the right topic.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Supercard of Honor 6

[Icon]

Does everyone on here not rate Delirious as a booker then. They seem to really like him on the ROHbots forum when I last looked

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Hmmm. The problem is with trying to assess Delirious as a booker is that you don't know how much influence Cornette has over things. I wouldn't say he's set the world on fire - better than Pearce, but then that wouldn't be very hard. I know that since he took over each ROH show seems to feature at leats one dodgy finish, sometimes more. He seems to have re-established the NOAH connection, which is a good thing. They may as well keep hold of him at moment, on the grounds there's no-one else really around who could do better at the moment

 

EDIT : Actually, there is, upon reflection. Mike Quackenbush. But obviously that isn't going to happen anytime soon. I'd say he's the best booker on the indies at the moment. Chikara 2010 was a masterpiece

Edited September 15, 2011 by Dearly Devoted Dexter

[air_raid]

Hot on the heels of Kev "hacking" the forum....

 

"Due to technical difficulties and a security issue, ROH Forum will be offline. We do this to protect our fans and friends' computers from being compromised."

 

Working teh internet, ROFL.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Death Before Dishonor 9 Results, from 411 :

 

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Tommaso Ciampa & Rhyno over Jay Lethal & Homicide when Ciampa hits Project Ciampa on Homicide

 

Shelton over Bennett with Paydirt

 

Young Bucks over Cole/ O'Reilly & Bravado's with MBFYB on O'Reilly

 

Generico vs. Jacobs goes to No Contest when Steen runs in.

 

Haas over Elgin with "running clothesline"

 

Edward Edwards over Roderick Strong 2-1 in the "Ringmasters Challenge". Strong wins first fall with roll-up; Edwards with Achilles Lock for 2nd. 15 minute iron man third fall goes to a draw, Edwards pins Strong in overtime. Match lasted around 43 mins.

 

Kenny King & Rhett Titus win Ladder War 3.

 

[close spoiler]

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Edited September 18, 2011 by Dearly Devoted Dexter

[gadge]

Death Before Dishonor 9 Results, from 411 :

 

SPOILER - Highlight the black box to read

Tommaso Ciampa & Rhyno over Jay Lethal & Homicide when Ciampa hits Project Ciampa on Homicide

 

Shelton over Bennett with Paydirt

 

Young Bucks over Cole/ O'Reilly & Bravado's with MBFYB on O'Reilly

 

Generico vs. Jacobs goes to No Contest when Steen runs in.

 

Haas over Elgin with "running clothesline"

 

Edward Edwards over Roderick Strong 2-1 in the "Ringmasters Challenge". Strong wins first fall with roll-up; Edwards with Achilles Lock for 2nd. 15 minute iron man third fall goes to a draw, Edwards pins Strong in overtime. Match lasted around 43 mins.

 

Kenny King & Rhett Titus win Ladder War 3.

 

Hate the blacked out way of doing spoilers, have to quote the post on my phone to be able to read it. Any word on match quality?

[JPC]

Detailed F4W Report

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

ROH Death Before Dishonor IX iPPV report

 

By Bryan Alvarez

bryan@wrestlingobserver.com

 

1. Tommaso Ciampa & Rhino beat Homicide & Jay Lethal. Fine opener. Lethal got the hot tag and it broke down into a four-way. Homicide tagged back in, Lethal took out Rhino, then Ciampa pinned Homicide with his back cracker finish. Ciampa was by far the greenest guy in the ring, but he got the pin.

 

2. Shelton Benjamin beat Mike Bennett. Highlight of the match was the various chants, nearly all directed at Mike Bennett, whom the crowd HATED. I mean, they hated this man. He got the heat and worked over Shelton's back. Shelton did the big comeback, then Brutal Bob hit the ring right in front of the ref. It was like a TNA finish, the difference being that they actually did it very well so I was fine with it. And nothing got sprayed in anyone's eyes. Shelton tried to kick Bob, Bob spun him around, Shelton did his kick but hit Bennett, which looked great, then superkicked Bob outside and hit the paydirt on Bennett for the pin.

 

3. Young Bucks beat Bravado Brothers and Future Shock in a three-way elimination match. This was a hell of a lot of fun. It was like one long train wreck with a bunch of really cool three-way spots mixed in. Fans loved it and were chanting "THIS IS AWESOME!" and "THIS IS WRESTLING!" Bravados were eliminated first, then the Bucks used their combo 450/moonsault finish for the pin. The whole point of this match appeared to be to put over the Bucks and alert the world that they were, in fact, very talented despite what "a third-rate wrestling announcer" might have claimed. This was a reference to Booker T, obviously.

 

4. Generico NC Jimmy Jacobs. Only problem with the match was that it was largely heatless. The work was very good. Generico went for his top rope brainbuster but Jacobs turned it into a super DDT. Suddenly, through the crowd came Kevin Steen. He was SHOOTING on the mic and they cut him off, then security came out. The highlight of the brawl was when Generico tried to do a running dive onto him but Steen moved and Generico wiped out like twenty security guys. That was awesome. Steen tried to give Cary Silken the package piledriver, but it was broken up, then Cornette came out and was screaming at Steen and even threw a wild punch. Fans were super into it, screaming for Steen. The melee was very much like the one they ran with him on the last PPV.

 

5. Charlie Haas beat Michael Elgin in a House of Truth vs. Haas of Pain match. Match also lacked crowd heat. They did get into the big spots, including a run-up-the-ropes German by Haas, which flipped Elgin completely over. He also took a 360 bump for a Haas clothesline, which ended up being the finish. Good match, nothing blow-away or anything.

 

6. Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards in the Ringmaster Challenge. Rules were the first fall was pinfall only, the second fall was submission only, and the third fall was a fifteen minute Iron Man match. Long story short, they split falls, Roddy winning the first via pinfall and Eddie winning the second via submission, then they ended up 1-1 at the end of the Iron Man match. Cornette came out and said this match wasn't ending in a draw, and they weren't doing the five more minutes gimmick, he was just going to ring the bell and they could go all night long. They traded a million nearfalls and hard strikes before Eddie finally hit him with two powerbombs, a lariat and a die hard cradle driver for the pin. They went about 40 minutes and it was an awesome match. They said Eddie won a future shot at Davey Richards' ROH Title. Richards, for the record, is in Japan working right now.

 

7. Rhett Titus & Kenny King beat the Briscoes in Ladder War III to win a future shot at the ROH Tag Team Titles. A wild, bloody, violent, nutty brawl. The peak was a spot where Mark Briscoe climbed to the very, very tippy top of a 12-to-15 foot ladder and did a big splash, putting Rhett Titus through a table on the floor. This was complete madness. Everyone but King bled, and Jay in particular was bleeding like crazy, blood just leaking out of his head like a faucet. Rhett and Mark were dead, so Jay and Kenny climbed the ladder and had a brawl at the top. Kenny ended up winning, Jay fell off the ladder, and Kenny grabbed the contract to win. This was the kind of match that WWE's "PLEASE DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME" was referring to. But a hell of a way to cap off the show.

 

[close spoiler]

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[harlow2]

http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-sto...anhattan-center

 

 

wow

[Joey Joe Joe Jr]

the russo chant bit was great

[The Cum Doctor]

Thoughts on the show.

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

 

The Embassy vs. Jay Lethal and Homicide

 

The action to begin with was plodding as hell. Ciampa still looks very green in the ring at points, but he's good enough for a match like this I suppose. I continue to love Lethal though. The match develops into a hot opener, and the crowd helps by being white hot for much of it. I love how the crowd is stone dead when the hot tag goes to Homicide though. I love Ciampa's finisher as well. Anyways, as far as an opening match goes, this did it's job. The fans cared about pretty much everyone in the match even if Homicide was greeted with silence.

 

Mike Bennett vs. Shelton Benjamin

 

I get the feeling that Brutal Bob won't be the only brutal thing about this match. I think if Bennett was more than an average wrestler, he'd be a star in ROH, because he seems to have everything else going for him. He isn't more than an average wrestler though and that will only get you so far in the eyes of the ROH fans. This match was okay, but Shelton isn't really good enough to get something more than that out of Bennett.

 

The Bravados vs. Future Shock vs. The Young Bucks

 

The tag division in ROH is in safe hands with this sort of tag team division battling with each other, and you also have the main event as well. Good times there. You can't ask for a more action packed spotfest than this bad boy. Dragon Gate USA would kill for a match like this between three US teams on one of their shows. Some of the spots were incredibly innovative, some of them just out and out violent and ALL of them spectacular. Great match.

 

El Generico vs. Jimmy Jacobs

 

This match had quite the shadow hanging over it and it did a considerable amount of harm to the crowd heat of the match. I'll comment on the match though and comment on the rest next. The crowd was so dead, Jacobs even brought out the "HUSS!" to try and liven them up, and to a very small extent, it worked. The match wasn't really up to much anyways. It was put together well enough, but it felt like a match you would see on HDNet and not on a PPV. That didn't help the fans get behind what they were seeing either.

 

So, Kevin Steen turns up at ringside and things go a bit pear shaped. The angle didn't quite have the same impact as the one in the last PPV, but it did what was intended and made us want to see yet more of the Generico vs. Steen battles. I can't see that happening though. For some reason, I think we're heading into a Generico and Steen vs. Corino and Jacobs fued.

 

Michael Elgin vs. Charlie Haas

 

I think this is the worst match I've seen involving Michael Elgin yet. It just seemed to lack any sort of focus. We didn't get to see much of the shows of strength which had made Elgin such an interesting watch before. Outside of some shoulder blocks we didn't really see much of anything from him, and Haas didn't show much more than that either. A disappointing match between two guys who are capable of more.

 

Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards - The Ringmaster Challenge

 

The first fall was a good one as both guys really took it to each other in what was a physical battle. The second fall was good for the most part too, as Roderick Strong continued down the path that gave him the first fall by working on the back, but the fall was made a bit worse by Eddie Edwards coming back with what can only be described as a Cena-esque Superman comeback. The iron man section of the match didn't quite live up to what came before. It had it's moments though. The final section between them after the Iron Man was brilliant. I've seen rave reviews for this match, but there were too many flaws in it for me to think it's anything more than really good.

 

The Briscoes vs. The All Night Express - Ladder War III

 

They have a lot to live up to since the first two matches of this type were great fun. These four guys look to throw the kitchen sink at each other in order to try and make it all work. I think this match is a bit more reminiscent of some of the Briscoes No DQ/Street Fight matches than it is of the two ladder wars that came before it. The match is a total bloodbath which most of the guys in the match showing the juice, and showing it in a BIG way. I thought it was a bit plodding from time to time and it took too long to go from one big move to the other considering there was NOTHING in between.

 

 

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