Ring of Honor on HDNet Recap
September 28, 2009
ECW Arena in Philadephia, PA
Commentators: Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak
Report by: Anthony J. Valvo of WrestleView.com
Wow, today is the big day wrestling fans! First off before I go on, I want to thank Adam Martin for allowing me to do the weekly recaps for ROH. Well, I already did my welcomes and thanks on ?From the Desk of Mr. V #35; so let’s get down to business.
Welcome to Mr. V’s first Ring of Honor Recap!
Let’s get to the action immediately.
Right after the theme song for ROH which sounds worse than the Motor City Machineguns theme song, we get our first contest.
Rhett Titus and Kenny King vs. Jerry Lynn and Tyler Black
Before the match began, Titus got a lucky lady to kiss him as he presented one of those coveted hotel keys. We did have the Code of Honor (handshake before the match), however Tyler Black wanted nothing to do with Titus (as he put his hand in his?.ya know it!).
We begin the match with Titus taunting Lynn a bit. Then we have back and forth tie-ups and scoop slams. Lynn thrusts on Titus, and Titus did not want any of that! King comes in with some kicks and a club to the back of Lynn. After the regular attack, King gives us his tribute to The King of Pop for some reason. Jerry Lynn repeats King’s move sequence and then dances in front of King. After a ?You got Served!? chant, we have another tie-up.
Tyler Black is now in the ring and gives King a boot, and then King comes back with a headlock and an armdrag. However Black avoids the armdrag. After some kicks and more shots, Black gets a hip toss into to the contest and tags Jerry Lynn.
Lynn and Black then come out with their first teamwork move. Lynn went with a drop toe hold, while Black did a springboard moonsault on King. Titus tries to come in at this time, but Lynn catches that with a nice armdrag on the man known as ?Addicted To Love?. We see more teamwork from the good guys, as both chop and elbow drop Titus.
Lynn then tries to get the upper hand by punching King, but as Lynn sets up the TKO, King holds Titus? leg, and then pushes Lynn’s neck on the ropes. Titus then hit a dropkick and then tagged King in for some teamwork. We get a scoop slam by Titus and a springboard leg drop by King. King then worked on the ground a bit and executed a headbutt. Lynn came back with an inverted DDT. As Lynn completed the DDT, he attempted the tag to Black, but Titus distracted Black and Lynn was unable to tag. King then clotheslines Jerry Lynn for a 2 count.
King then placed Lynn at the corner and Titus choked Lynn from behind with the tag rope. King then worked the back with some clubbing blows. Titus responded by attacking Lynn’s abdominal area. We got a whip to the corner and Titus applied his thrust. Lynn caught this and hit the jackknife pin for 2. Jerry Lynn then hit the power bomb off the corner. Now King and Black are in and Black started it off with a clothesline. Black then hit a standing shooting star press for 2. Titus found a way to tag after King pushed Black to the corner. Black comes back and hit an inverted DDT. Black then continued the dominance by hitting a top elbow drop.
Lynn is in and we get more team work by the good guys (a synchronized side slam/elbow) for another two count. Lynn then hit the TKO on Titus, but before Lynn could get the pin, King executed a solid liftover power bomb. Black saw a standing King and hit the Pele kick on King! Rhett came in for the save and gave Black a neckbreaker.
Titus and Black continued punching each other at this stage. King grabbed Black’s leg, and Titus nailed a leaping leg lariat behind Black. Lynn hit at this time a springboard dropkick on King and Black got a head scissor takedown on Titus. Once Titus and King were out of the ring, Lynn and Black both accomplished suicide dives over the top rope! Black then pushes Titus back into the ring and then gave him a face plant.
Black then ran out of the ring. After King tried the suplex, Lynn pushed him off. King quickly recovered from this to hit the leaping enzugiri on Lynn. Titus hit a top rope facebuster on Lynn and got a 2 count. Titus fought a little bit with punches. Then we had some miscommunication with Titus and King, Lynn kicked Titus and King hit a nasty clothesline on Titus!
Tyler Black hit a springboard clothesline on King and The Finish was done?..
FINISH: Jerry Lynn hit the package pile driver on for the pinfall win.
WINNER: Jerry Lynn and Tyler Black (pin)
Grade: B (It was a good match, well executed. However I was a bit concered over Black’s performance.)
After the match: Nothing really, just the good guys celebrating.
We then got a segment promoting the steel cage main event with an interview with Brent Albright. Brent says that he can?t train for a cage match and said that Claudio Castagnoli will be hurt. He concluded by saying he will be ready for the match.
Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak then go on saying this will be the first cage match on HDNet (and it is a fact). Prazak concluded by going over the rules of the match.
Now we get our first women’s match in forever!!
Nikki Roxx vs. Sara Del Ray
For those who are TNA fans, Nikki Roxx was Roxxi.
After the Code of Honor, we had a shoving match with these two ladies. Roxx then did a low drop kick and a chop to Sara at the corner. Sara then hit the combo kick for 2. Sara followed this by more kicks to the corner. After the kicks, Sara hit an impressive snap suplex for another 2 count. Sara then got an arm stretch/knee to the back type submission hold. Roxx broke this hold, but was thrown down immediately.
Sara then dropped a knee to Roxx’s head. However when Roxx got up, they both hit boots to each other’s chest! After the both got up, Roxx hit Sara with the chinbreaker, then punched her and set her up for the atomic drop. Roxx then nailed the Beauty Special for 2. When Roxx was ready to set up her finisher, Sara used her knee and kicked Roxx, which let to the?.
FINISH: Sara used the Royal Butterfly and pinned Nikki Roxx!
WINNER: Sara Del Ray (pin)
Grade: C (which is better than 90% of WWE Diva matches recently)
Now Claudio Castagnoli had a segment discussing his strategies for the cage match later tonight. Claudio says that he has a plan unlike Brent. Then he mentions the flag match in which he desecrated Old Glory (which Brent ended up winning that match). Finally, Claudio says that he will destroy Brent Albright.
Alex Payne vs. Sonjay Dutt
After the Code of Honor, we had a tie-up and Dutt took advantage with a couple of headlocks and arm twists. Payne then tried the leg lock, but Dutt grabbed the ropes.
We then got another tie-up, this time Payne got the upper hand with a headlock and a shoulder tackle. Payne continued his momentum by using the head scissors followed by a headlock. Dutt then broke the hold and punched away on Payne. Dutt then did a snap mare take down and a chin lock. Payne then broke the lock and applied a head lock.
Payne, after Dutt broke the hold hit a running clothesline and a dropkick, but missed on the corner splash. Dutt then ran into a corner boot by Payne (who is getting booed by the way) and then a chin breaker for 2.
Dutt then nailed a chin breaker and started to kick Payne. Payne then countered with a rollup. Payne then applied the STF on Dutt, but Dutt managed to escape. Dutt then went to a corner and as Payne tried to make a corner splash, Dutt escaped and hit a pendulum kick on Payne, then executed a springboard dropkick and did some punches. With a prone Payne laid on the mat, Dutt concluded this match?..
FINISH: Dutt applied the Camel Clutch and Payne tapped out!
WINNER: Sonjay Dutt (submission)
Grade: C+ (It was Payne’s best match on HDNet and I am happy to see Dutt on the winning side.)
After the Match: Kyle Durden made an appearance and talked about Sonjay’s change in personality. Dutt was upset about losing his debut match to Delirious. Then he mentioned that ROH is like his sideburns for some reason. The segment concluded with Dutt calling out Delirious and that he will pin him next week!
We then go to a taped segment in which Delirious is getting trained by some black belt martial arts guy with Daizee Haze coaching the crazy man. Delirious was getting owned throughout the segment, until he got the upper hand by choking out the sensei with his white belt (I am not making this up!). I found this to be very comical and hope that the fans enjoyed that little bit.
Steel Cage Match is Next!
We see a clip of the cage being built. But Hogewood takes us to another taped segment with Colt Cabana. Cabana talks about his wrestling career and at one time CM Punk said that his wrestling career is one big fart joke. Mainly Colt talks about wrestling and having fun.
Honor Rumble on Monday (or Friday depending on availability) GET SOME!
We have our last segment of the night. Nigel McGuinness (I will miss this guy in ROH) takes a look at his career and states for now on he will not be wrestling for the fans anymore.
And now…YOUR MAIN EVENT OF THE EVENING!
Steel Cage Match
Claudio Castagnoli (w/Prince Nana and Ernie Osiris) vs. Brent Alright
I did not detect any toilet paper thrown in this match.
We start this match with??..a tie-up! Brent punched Claudio, but Claudio hits his patented European Uppercut. Brent then tried more punches and attempted to throw him to a side of the cage, but Claudio did not want any of that just yet. Claudio then kicked Brent and tried to exit the cage, but did not complete the journey.
Claudio then scooped Brent up and slammed him down. Claudio followed this by climbing to victory?only to have Brent pull him down. Then we got some punches (Brent) and Very European Uppercuts (Claudio). Brent then generated more offense with some chops, but Claudio managed to fight off. This went on for a few moments.
Claudio then completed the sequence by poking Brent in the eyes and hitting a nice gut wretch suplex! He tried to escape (w/Ernie’s help), only to be pulled back by Brent. It appeared that Brent was trying to reach for the cage until Prince Nana swung the cage door right at Brent’s face, busting it open as a result. The Claudio whipped Brent on a side of the cage, and covered for 2. Claudio then tried to clutch Brent down, and after that he whipped Brent to the cage again! Claudio could had done more here, but decided to flex his ?Very European? muscles to the ROH fans.
After his taunts, Claudio got to work once more. He executed the slingshot in which Brent’s face met the cage and the raked his face on the cage for good measure. Brent tried to chop his way into this contest, but Claudio then responded with a snap mare and a chin lock. Brent then breaks the lock with some more punches, sadly when Brent started to charge again, Claudio used his momentum to ram his head on the cage once more!
Claudio then attempted to climb the cage once more, but Brent grabbed his foot again. Claudio then planted Brent with a dropkick. Claudio then hit the uppercut and rams Brent’s face at the cage again. Claudio was going to hit his Alpamare Waterslide, but Brent rolled up Claudio for 2.
Right after the attempted pin, Claudio nailed Brent with a bicycle to only get a 2 count once again. Claudio then grounded Brent with another chin lock. Brent then fought this off again, and finally rammed Claudio’s head to the cage! The fans at this time were going crazy and Nana wants Ernie to silence the crowd. Brent continued his dominance, rammed Claudio’s face to the sides of the cage at least four times, making Claudio bleed like a faucet right now. Brent then tried to do the slingshot, but Claudio stops at the middle rope. Claudio avoids the Air-Rate (probably messed it up but did not hear it well), carp and hit Brent with the modified back suplex. Once again, Claudio climbs up the cage, but Brent held him back yet again and did a fantastic released German suplex for 2. Brent put Claudio on the turnbuckle, and continued to punch and ram Claudio. Brent tried to do the Superplex, but Claudio countered by attempting to climb the cage once again. Brent stopped Claudio barely, and hit the Move of the Night (Super Exploder Suplex) from the top of the cage!! All that work and Brent only got a 2 count!
Claudio now tried to hit the Very European low-blow. Brent then attacked a bit more with punches, until Claudio finally got the kick placed in Brent’s family jewels. Claudio then walks toward the cage door and you would think that he would just walk out, right?
NO! Claudio wants Ernie to fetch him a steel chair. Claudio then placed the chair above Brent’s head and attempted to stomp his head in. But Brent recovered and avoided the stomp! Brent then kicked Cluadio’s Very European Jewels and caused Claudio to fall down. Brent then grabs the chair and placed it on Claudio’s head. And that is where we got out??
FINISH: Brent stomped on the chair with Claudio’s head under it! Albright got the 3 count pin.
WINNER: Brent Albright (pinfall)
Grade: B+ (I enjoyed the back and forth action, no one really had an upper hand during the match. Overall it was a pretty solid cage match for both competitors.)
After the match, Brent is being helped by the ref to the ramp and Brent waves to the crowd.
Mike Hogewood’s Slap The Porpoise Move of the Night: He did not announce one for a change.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this week’s helping of Ring of Honor. Sure, there was no Austin Aries or Kevin Steen. But still, we got four pretty good matches and hats off to all of them. I wanted a little bit more though, perhaps an on-screen segment. But still, this episode gave the viewer a solid showing of wrestling. If you want to check out a show that was probably 85% wrestling, then this is the show for you!
Wrestlers that caught Mr. V’s Attention
Wrestler of the Night: Brent Albright – He was able to endure the pain inside the cage (and outside by way of Nana’s interference) in order to win his match over Claudio Castagnoli!
Disappointment of the Night: I could not think of one that did a terrible job. I was a bit disappointed with Tyler Black. Don?t get me wrong, I think he has done a terrific job for ROH recently. But he took a step back in the way of executing some of his moves.
Surprise Wrestler of the Night: Alex Payne. In a losing effort, he actually put on a pretty good match with Sonjay Dutt. Dutt needed the win to enhance this rivalry with him and Delirious, but I thought Payne is primed to win his first match on HDNet very soon.
Overall Grade (Segments and Wrestling): B
I watch each show on TV at least once (maybe twice depending on my schedule). I would have to say that this ROH show was much better than RAW, but not as good as ECW.
Well, I hope that you enjoyed my recap this week (I know I broke kayfabe here with the teacher gimmick). If you want me to continue the recaps or want to talk wrestling, please send me a line at mistervwv@hotmail.com. I bid you good night and I hope you have a nice weekend.
See you this weekend with Predictions from the Faculty – Hell in a Cell Edition
Later this week From Mr. V??
– Top 20 Wrestling Themes (votes by the WrestleView students)
– From the Desk of Mr. V #36
Thanks for reading.
Follow WrestleView.com on Twitter: twitter.com/wrestleview
Send us news/results: click here