ROH on HDNet Recap
March 8, 2010
The Arena in Philadelphia, PA
Commentators: Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak
Report by: Anthony J. Valvo of WrestleView.com
First off, my apologies for not providing the recap sooner this past Monday. I did not get the show until Friday and watched it just before Smackdown (remember, I do not have HDNet in Pittsburgh). So I was at the mercy of the Internet and it was not up until Friday. Hopefully I will be quicker next time.
The show began with clips from the main event of the 8th Anniversary Show between Tyler Black and Austin Aries. If you are still in disbelief, Tyler Black won that match on February 13 to become the ROH World Champion.
After the 8th Anniversary show, Black and other wrestlers celebrated the victory. Blacked spoke up and said thanks to everyone who believed in him. Jim Cornette then barged into the celebration and started to scream at Black. Cornette wanted to know why Black kicked him in the face. Black responded by saying that he did not know who was doing what at that moment and that he was willing to do anything to become the ROH Champ. Cornette then said that for now on, he was going to do what is best for Ring of Honor, not for select people. Black paused for a moment, and then started to celebrate with his peers once again.
Kenny King then got a hold of another camera man and we took a peek inside Aries? locker room. Aries is being consoled by Rhett Titus and a towel draped over Aries? head. Aries then looked at the camera and said that he wanted his rematch and he deserved it soon.
We then go to another altercation that involved Roderick Strong and ROH President Cary Silkin. Strong yelled at Silkin and asked for his title shot now that Black won the title. Silkin told Strong to ask Cornette. Strong responded and said that Silkin was the owner and that he had the power to do that.
Now we got back to real world time after what I thought was a pretty strong opening segment. Jim Cornette hyped up ROH’s Big Bang at Charlotte, NC. The event will happen on April 3, 2010. Cornette said that tonight he would tell Black who he will defend the title against.
Kidd Russell’s music hits. And now we embark on the ONLY true hour that is dedicated to professional wrestling (well actually 52 minutes). It is time for some honor in the ring. It’s ROH on HDNet.
Mike Hogewood said that tonight was going to be a great night because we began the ROH Television Title Tournament. Some red-haired beauty named Rayna (I believe) walked down with the new championship belt.
The ROH Bracket was shown for this tournament. We would have two matches tonight and two next week. Hogewood and Prazak made predictions (Hogewood picked Cabana and Prazak picked King) and the show started.
Ring of Honor Television Championship Tournament ? First Round
Match #1: Kevin Steen (ranked #1 and w/Steve Corino) vs. Rhett Titus (ranked #8)
Yes, I marked out when Titus walked down the ring because the man is just entirely cool. Before the match Steen looked at the title and covered Rayna’s chest with the title. Titus tried to woo Rayna with a hotel key and he got a lot of streamers (ROH brass, take notice). Steen held a sign that read ?Kiss Me Titus! It’s my Birthday!? Titus ran away and Steen ripped the sign up.
No Code of Honor was administered and a new ring bell sounded (makes it sound really professional).
The match began with a tie-up. Both moved around the ring until Steen got control at the corner. Steen broke the hold and Titus managed to escape quickly. Steen got a hold of Titus with a couple punches. Steen then sent Titus to the corner and chopped him a couple time to go along with a few punches. Titus regained momentum when he slapped Steen and tossed him using the Monkey Flip. Titus then ran to the corner where Steen was at, but Steen stopped Titus on his tracks. Steen went to the top turnbuckle, but Titus punched away. Steen then hit Titus? chest with his knee, then dumped Titus out of the ring.
Outside the ring, Steen grabbed hold of Titus and then rammed him to the ring post shoulder-first.
Back in the ring they both went and Steen hit a running kick on Titus. Titus came back with a punch, but Steen twisted the injured arm of Titus. Steen then did a shoulderbreaker/side Russian leg sweep combination and covered Titus. After a two count from the ref, Steen went back to work with a punch. However, Titus came back with one on his own and now punches are exchanged. Steen then grabbed hold of Titus? arm, but Titus poked Steen in the eyes and punched away on Steen. Once Steen got his vision back, he raked the arm and hit the Divorce Court takedown on Titus. After a cover for a two count, Titus came back and countered Steen’s attacks with a dropkick. Titus started to punch Steen a few times, but Steen worked on Titus? injured shoulder once again.
Steen then missed on an opportunity, and Titus worked Steen to the corner. Titus then hit a corner splash and then kicked Steen. Titus then hit a Leaping Leg Lariat (though Titus overshot this move) and covered Steen. After a two from the referee, Titus chopped Steen. However, Titus could not whip Steen to the ropes, so Titus hit the Codebreaker and followed that up with a Flipping Neckbreaker. Titus then covered Steen, but did not get the three count.
Titus then set up the Muff Driver, but Steen countered the Muff Driver. Steen did this by destroying Titus with a Powerbomb! Steen covered Titus for a two count. Steen then worked on Titus? arm and shoulder once again. Titus then punched Steen to regain the momentum. At that time both men were at the top turnbuckle exchanging counters. Steen then got out of the way and pushed Titus. Titus was not in the Tree of Woe and Steen took advantage with a running cannonball into the corner! After that, well we should know the rest?
Finish: Kevin Steen applied the Crossface Submission Hold on Titus. Titus tapped out instantly. Steen moves on to the Second Round of the Tournament!
Winner by Submission: Kevin Steen
Grade: B-
We saw Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak sitting in an announce table now. So yes, another new back drop on HDNet (they are improving on that as well). Hogewood said they started off with a ?bang? and spoke about ROH’s next PPV, Big Bang. Prazak promoted Big Bang a little bit and we then go backstage for Jim Cornette’s announcement.
Jim Cornette was backstage with Roderick Strong, Austin Aries, and ROH Champion Tyler Black. They are all seated and Cornette promoted ROH’s Big Bang on Internet Pay-Per-View. Cornette said that all of the wrestlers made demands. Aries wanted his rematch, while Strong wanted his match as promised by Black. However, Cornette’s goal was to not make anyone happy, it is about Ring of Honor Wrestling. Cornette wanted the biggest ticket so that the fans would watch the show or even buy the PPV.
With that said, Cornette said the main event for Big Bang would be?.
Tyler Black defending the ROH World Championship against?..Austin Aries AND Roderick Strong in a Triple Threat Match.
Both Aries and Strong stood up in disappointment. Strong went face to face with Cornette to express his displeasure. Strong said he wanted his title shot and that ROH screwed him once again. Cornette told Strong to stop acting like Bret Hart and Strong left the segment. Cornette admitted that this whole thing was ?busted? and while he was cleaning up the mess, Aries tried to talk strategy to Black.
Aries had an idea for Black since Strong was not thinking straight. Aries? plan was for both of them to take out Strong early and then face off one-on-one for the championship. Black told Aries to f**k off and that he would beat Aries at Big Bang. Black also said that he was going to kick some sense into Strong. Strong then re-entered the segment and said that he deserved that shot. Strong then grabbed Cornette by the jacket and shoved him down. Black and Strong were then exchanging words until security broke it up.
So, as announced from the previous segment?
Tyler Black (c) vs. Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong for the ROH World Championship at Big Bang.
Match #2: The Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero w/Shane Hagadorn and Sara Del Ray) vs. The Bravado Brothers (Lance and Harlem Bravado)
Before the match, the Kings of Wrestling got streamers. The Code of Honor was administered before the bell rang.
Once the bell rang, The Kings went to work quickly with stomps to the Bravados chests and clubs to the back. Harlem was dumped out by Hero and Lance was whipped to the ropes into a double elbow by The Kings. Castagnoli started this match ?legally? with some punches on Lance. Castagnoli tagged Hero. Hero whipped Lance to the corner and chopped Lance across the chest. Hero then hit Lance with the Rolling Elbow. Castagnoli was then tagged back into the action and destroyed Lance with a European Uppercut. Hero is tagged in and stomped on Lance at the corner.
Lance got one punch in, and then Hero took out Lance again with an elbow. Castagnoli was tagged in and The King clobbered Lance with a Dual Pump Kick. Castagnoli then attacked the neck of Lance, and then turned away from the action so Del Ray got a kick on Lance. Hero was tagged in and hit a low dropkick on Lance. Hero then drilled Lance to the corner. When Hero whipped Lance to the ropes, Harlem blind tagged his brother. Harlem took out Hero with an Enzugiri. Harlem then delivered a hurricanranna on Castagnoli. Harlem continued to attack both Kings of Wrestling. However, Hero whipped Harlem to the corner. Hero then lifted Harlem over to Castagnoli and Castagnoli hit a beautiful backbreaker on Harlem. The Kings then shook hands in appreciation of their work. Lance stormed in the ring and fired away on Castagnoli. Castagnoli did not enjoy that, and he lifted Lance up and Hero brought him down with a jumping elbow! Castagnoli then swung Lance around into a perfectly placed dropkick by Hero. Then The Kings grabbed hold of the legal Bravado (Harlem) and Mike Hogewood slapped his poor porpoise.
Finish: I am not sure what the move was called, so I did some research. So don?t rip me if I am wrong, but The Kings Powerbombed Harlem hard with the KRS TWO (Kings Reign Supreme The World Over) and they won the match when Hero pinned Harlem.
Winners by Pinfall: The Kings of Wrestling
Grade: C- (but leaned toward a C, remember this was a squash, but a dang good squash)
Hero then grabbed a microphone. Hero said if we thought that was a ?big bang?, then on April 3 expect a bigger bang. Hero announced that The Kings will battle The Briscoe Brothers for the ROH Tag Team Championship and take their titles back. Castagnoli spoke Very European and they both said that ?Kings reign supreme?.
Hogewood and Prazak are back on the screen. Hogewood is concerned about The Necro Butcher. Prazak announced that Necro was suspended for his actions against Erick Stevens. Stevens was only fined for his part in the brawl. The reason why Necro was suspended was because he punched out the defenseless timekeeper. Hogewood then took it over to Kyle Durden because Durden has a guest.
Kyle Durden is backstage with the much underrated leader of The Embassy Prince Nana. Nana said it took three long years, but The Kings are back together. Nana said with his money, God is good and The Kings will win the tag titles. When asked about Necro Butcher, Nana said he did it because his family ran out of food stamps and told Necro to ‘stay out of his way?. Finally, Durden asked about rumors surrounding Rasche Brown. Nana said all he saw in Brown was dollar signs and wanted Brown to ?join the family?. Nana laughed, left the scene, and Durden took us back to ringside.
Match #3: ?Skullkrusher? Rasche Brown vs. Caleb Konley
The Code of Honor was administered.
The match started off with a tie-up, with Brown being dominant as ever. Brown broke the hold clean. Konley found this inopportune time to shove Brown. Big?Mistake. Brown whipped Konley to the corner, but Konley did get a boot in out of desperation. Konley then made another big mistake when he failed on the Moonsault. Brown then rammed Konley with a Three-Point Stance Spear. Then it was all over?
Finish: Brown laid the Burning Hammer on Konley and pinned him for the very quick victory.
Winner by Pinfall: ?Skullkrusher? Rasche Brown
Grade: D
We then went backstage to Kyle Durden once again. Durden talked a bit about the ROH TV Title Tournament and then brought in Mike Tedesco’s Favorite ROH Wrestler Colt Cabana**
**Why the shameless plug for WWE NXT and Smackdown recapper Mike Tedesco? Well, we have an agreement. If Professor Tedesco marked out Goose Mahoney (my favorite WWE Referee) for me, I would plug Cabana as his favorite ROH wrestler. So far, I think it is a pretty good deal. **
Ok, back to my recap since this is why you are reading this. Durden asked Cabana if the TV Title was a good idea. Cabana said it is a good idea as it is good for ROH and HDNet. Cabana said that he was made for TV, kind of like The Late Pitchman Billy Mays without the ENTER DRUG JOKE HERE. Personally, I don?t know why he made a joke on my favorite pitchman ever, but oh well. Cabana said the fact there is a champion on TV, he enjoyed that. Durden then asked about El Generico. Cabana said that Generico was not at his best, but was getting better each day. Cabana said that the tournament was good for Generico.
Before Cabana finished the segment, Steve Corino interrupted. Corino asked if he was interrupting, and Cabana said ?he was as sorry as interfering in his match?. Corino said he came out and told Cabana that Kevin Steen advanced to the next round of the tournament, yet all Cabana talked about was El Generico. Corino called Generico a footnote and done. Corino told Cabana he was tired of warning him about aligning with Generico and left. Cabana then said ?Ladies and Gentlemen, Steve Corino in the middle of my interview?. Good Stuff here.
Next is the Main Event. It will be another tournament match when Kenny King takes on El Generico.
Big Bang Promo Time!! If you want to watch the PPV, pay $14.95 to www.gofightlive.tv. I don?t know what the full card is but I will check it out after the recap.
Earlier, Jim Cornette announced the main event. See above to find out what it was because I am not typing it again.
We see Hogewood and Prazak for a third time! Oh, goody! Hogewood and Prazak talked about the possible turmoil between The American Wolves. Prazak question their future as a team.
We then saw clips of The American Wolves last two matches on HDNet. First was a loss to The Young Bucks (now Generation Me in TNA) on February 9, 2010. The second match highlights was The Wolves vs. Dark City Fight Club. DCFC delivered Project Mayhem on Eddie Edwards for the victory last week. After the second defeat, it was visible that Davey Richards was not enjoying this losing streak.
Next Week’s Matches: Two TV Title Tournament first round matches! Colt Cabana will take on Eddie Edwards. Davey Richards will battle Delirious.
And now, YOUR MAIN EVENT!!!
ROH Television Championship Tournament ? First Round
Match #4: Kenny King (seeded #2) vs. El Generico (seeded #7)
Before the match, El Generico got a few streamers. Seriously where do the fans get these streamers past security? The Code of Honor was administered in this match.
Both wrestlers faced off until Generico applied the waistlock on King. King broke free and followed suit. Generico broke the hold and applied a knucklelock. King reversed the hold and applied a front face lock on Generico. Generico broke free from the lock and started to work on King’s arm. King grabbed hold of the ropes and the hold was broken. King then asked Generico to do a test of strength, but when King tried to cheat Generico reversed it into a hard chop! Generico then kicked King and executed a few armdrags. King then ran out of the ring to think his plan over.
King then entered the ring and mocked the ?Ole? chant. Both men tie-up once again and King drilled his knee to the stomach of Generico. King then applied a solid-looking headlock. When Generico broke the lock, King then brought Generico down with a shoulder tackle and another headlock. Generico broke the hold and applied a hammerlock on King. King revered the hold and delivered an armdrag. King sprang back up on his feet, but Generico got back up and executed a nice dropkick on King. Generico covered King, but only got a one count from the referee. Generico then hit a crisp backbreaker on King. King was holding on to the ropes. When Generico walked towards King, King kicked Generico and then snapped his arm on the ropes while King jumped over the ring for more pressure.
King went back inside the ring to work Generico’s arm at the corner. King then kicked Generico and applied pressure with his foot to Generico’s face. King then applied a knucklelock, and then got up and did a leg drop on Generico’s injured arm. King then continued to focus on Generico’s arm, and then did a Suplex. Right after the suplex, King laid Generico out with forearms. King covered Generico and got a two count from the referee (he taunted for a bit with the crowd). King then set up a low abdominal stretch, but Generico got his foot on the ropes just barely after a few seconds in that hold. Generico started to punch away, but King worked on the injured left shoulder of Generico. King continued to attack Generico at the corner. King then whipped Generico to the corner and hit the corner splash. King then attempted the cover and only got a two count.
When Generico got up, both men exchanged chops, but King regained momentum thanks in part to a drop kick to Generico’s arm. King then whipped Generico to the corner and started to dance a little bit. Generico noticed that and clotheslined King and then delivered a back body drop. King then was dumped over the ropes by Generico. When Generico teased a high-risk dive, King ran for cover. Generico, who was at the ring apron, kicked King. While King was down by the barricade, Generico set up and delivered a perfect Split-Leg Moonsault to the outside of the ring. Generico is back in the ring still selling the left arm injury that King administered earlier in the match.
King then came back to the ring and Generico welcomed him with a high crossbody! Generico covered, but only got the two count. King tried to even things up with elbow strikes, but Generico bodyslammed King to the mat. Generico the set up the Ole Kick, but King countered that with a Running Knees move similar to TNA’s D?Angelo Dinero’s DDE. King covered Generico for only a two count. Generico tried once again for the Ole Kick, but failed again. King responded with two Enzugiri kicks and a clothesline. King tried to win by covering Generico, but still only a two count from the referee.
King tried to set up The Coronation, but Generico blocked it off and almost got the Half Nelson Suplex on King. However, the agile Generico found a way to deliver his Half Nelson Suplex a moment later. King was then at the corner and Generico finally got the Ole Kick on him. Generico covered and thought he would get the victory. But King kicked out of the cover at two! Generico is not stumped and wondered how he would defeat King. Generico attempted to go high-risk, but King kicked Generico. Now both men are at the top turnbuckle and after a few moments, Generico set up King into the Tree of Woe. Generico went up to another corner and went coast-to-coast with a Somersault Dropkick! Remarkable! Generico pinned King, but King kicked out at two once again! Generico then went up to the top rope. King slowly got back on his feet and noticed something. The referee was near the corner. So Austin Aries? student used what was taught to him and shoved the ref ?accidently? to the ropes, which caused Generico to lose balance. Then we got our final finish of the evening?
Finish: Kenny King set up and delivered the Super Royal Flush! This impressive maneuver helped King defeat Generico via pinfall. Kenny King advances to the Second Round of the ROH Television Championship Tournament.
Winner by Pinfall: Kenny King
Grade: B
Quick Results:
Kevin Steen (w/Steve Corino) defeated Rhett Titus by submission.
The Kings of Wrestling (w/Hagadorn and Del Ray) defeated The Bravado Brothers by pinfall.
?Skullkrusher? Rasche Brown defeated Caleb Konley by pinfall.
Kenny King defeated El Generico by pinfall.
Mike Hogewood slapped the porpoise after The Kings of Wrestling clobbered Harlem Bravado.
Overall Thoughts
Now if one wanted to watch all wrestling, then those would have been disappointed. ROH produced two mid-card matches and two squash matches. I am sure that riled up some ROH fans. However, and don?t be shocked when I say this, but?
?I liked the show tonight. Yeah, I really enjoyed this hour of programming. It was a story time hour for me, only I am not the one reading to elementary students. ROH was reading to me and used the wrestling matches and segments as illustrations.
Each match told a story. Steen was controlled by Corino and got the upper hand on Titus in what I thought was a decent match. Titus was a little off and the match overall lacked some kind of awareness, but both made up for it with great skills around the ring. I don?t think there was one ?high spot? in that match and it was refreshing to see a good match without the theatrics.
The Kings of Wrestling told a story. They ?reigned supreme? by making a statement over the Bravado Brothers. The made that statement to prove that they are ready for Big Bang against The Briscoe Brothers. Again, strong buildup and told a story.
Rasche Brown to me told a story. Well, more like Prince Nana before the match. Nana made it clear that Brown would be a strong asset to The Embassy. Brown, probably doing this for himself, proved why Hagadorn and Nana are trying to recruit him. Now if not for Nana, then the match had no value. But it did have some value.
The main event told a story as well. Kenny King (who maybe at one point would have cost himself the match) learned a lot from Austin Aries in means of thinking through a match. He left the ring to gather his thoughts, he was quick to address a part of the body, and he used in-ring awareness to position himself to victory when he shoved the ref to the ropes and caused El Generico to lose his footing. Aries, King is learning from you and learning fast.
Generico sold his arm very well for the most part. Plus, when Colt Cabana in his segment said that Generico was getting better he was not lying. Generico showed that in the ring when he thought he got the match won, then looked confused as to why he did not get it. He tried almost everything, but lost in a strong effort.
The segments tied into almost everything that was going on in and out of the ring. I am enjoying the buildup with Tyler Black, Austin Aries, and Roderick Strong. Strong felt like he got screwed out of a title. He may sound ?whiny?, but he spoke the truth. He was upset because Black told him that he would get the first title shot, not the way the Cornette proposed. That part made it work very well.
Nana had a great interview and Colt Cabana had a great interview as well. Kyle Durden asked questions and they answered them what I thought in an honest tone. I was just overly impressed with how this show ran this past week.
So, even though I did not get the show until Friday my patience was rewarded with great acting, tremendous storylines away from the squared circle (which was flawed in ROH), and some quality matches. Again, if you watched it for wrestling you would not be impressed. I looked for an overall product and I thought it was the most professional show they put on without losing their format. Terrific Job, ROH!
No knocks to my friend Josh Boutwell who recaps TNA, but I have to say this to TNA.
TNA: This is how you push feuds and matches leading to PPVs. It is not rocket science.
Overall Grade: A
-Mr. V’s Pick Three of the Night-
Wrestler of the Night ? Kenny King
King took this title for the second week in a row thanks to his awareness and the timing of each move. He did not have to be flashy and he defeated El Generico in the main event. I am sure backstage, King’s mentor Austin Aries was smiling a bit.
Disappointment of the Night ? Lance Bravado
In a joking matter since I could not find anything wrong of course. However, Lance only punched Chris Hero once and did nothing but take drastic bumps during his squash match.
Surprise of the Night ? Kyle Durden
By far this was his best work since ROH started this program. Durden asked great questions, showed great emotion, and did his job in a superb manner. I would go as far as saying that Durden could probably do a better job as a backstage interviewer than Jeremy Borash in TNA.
Well, that does it for me tonight. I wish you all a pleasant week and I thank you for reading this recap. Take care everyone!
E-mail: mistervwv@hotmail.com
Facebook: Anthony J. Valvo (Pittsburgh, PA)
Thanks for reading and I will be back with another ?From the Desk of Mr. V? on Thursday.
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Dave Stephens recaps Monday Night Raw
Josh Boutwell recaps TNA Impact
Mike Tedesco recaps WWE NXT and Friday Night Smackdown
Jeff Springer recaps WWE Superstars (say hello to him, he is new to WrestleView).
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