Ring of Honor on Sinclair Results
January 7, 2012
Report by: Jason Namako of Wrestleview.com
Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s Ring of Honor on Sinclair report. If you all are ready, then let’s get on with the show!
This week’s show is a look at some of the matches that were filmed back in December in Spartanburg, SC, for Ring of Honor’s “Southern Defiance” show that will be released in full on DVD in the near future.
Kevin Kelly and Ring of Honor Executive Producer Jim Cornette welcome us to the show, and takes us to a video of pre-match comments from TJ Perkins and Ring of Honor Television Champion Jay Lethal before our 1st match.
“Proving Ground” Match: Ring of Honor Television Champion Jay Lethal(c) vs. TJ Perkins
Before the match begins, Lethal does the Randy Savage finger wave and it starts a ‘Thank You Savage’ chant from the crowd. Lock up and Lethal backs Perkins into the corner and breaks clean. Both men go for a knucklelock and Perkins traps the leg, going for a chinlock but Lethal holds on and takes Perkins down, but Perkins bridges out. Lethal then sweeps out the leg and gets a nearfall. Perkins then comes back with a monkey flip, but Lethal holds on to the knucklelock. They each try to block the other and Perkins gets to his feet first after cartwheeling out as we have a stalemate. Lethal then gains the advantage with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker for a nearfall. Lethal scores with a back suplex for another nearfall. Lethal tries for the figure 4, but Perkins counters with an inside cradle for a nearfall. Lethal then comes right back with a handspring back elbow for another nearfall. Lethal Irish whips Perkins to the corner and begins to kick away at Perkins. Lethal with another Irish whip, but Perkins with a kick to stop Lethal’s charge in. Perkins hits some right hands, but Lethal then hits the hiptoss/cartwheel/dropkick combo for another nearfall. Lethal then tries for a submission, but Perkins counters and has Lethal in a rocking chair type position, then getting a rollup for a nearfall. Perkins scores with a kick to the head, followed by a snapmare and a leg drop for another nearfall. Perkins with a succession of European uppercuts, but Lethal comes back with kicks and European uppercuts of his own. Lethal then scores with a back elbow and heads up top, but Perkins crotches Lethal and places him in the Tree of Woe, hitting a hesitation dropkick for a nearfall as we go to commercial.
-Commercial-
Back from commercial, as Perkins has Lethal in a front chancery. Lethal then sends Perkins into the corner and fires away with chops. Perkins comes back with a right hand, but Lethal comes back with a chop. Perkins then with a succession of kicks for a nearfall. Perkins then locks in a crossface chickenwing, but Lethal fights out with elbows and then both men miss kick attempts. Perkins scores with a superkick but then Lethal hits a superkick of his own. Lethal goes for a suplex, but Perkins counters with a suplex of his own. Lethal and Perkins then go back and forth, exchanging chops and right hands. Then they go back and forth exchanging elbows and European uppercuts. Lethal hits a kick that sends Perkins to the outside, but then Perkins hits a dropkick that sends Lethal to the outside. Back in the ring, Perkins hits a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall. Perkins then scores with a rana and rolls through for a pin attempt, but Lethal counters with a rollup. and an inside cradle for a nearfall. Lethal then hits the Lethal Combination for a close nearfall. Lethal heads up top for the Macho Elbow, but Perkins gets his boot up, hitting Lethal in the face. Perkins sets up for the Detonation Kick but Lethal escapes it.
Perkins then avoids a back suplex attempt, but Lethal hits the handspring Ace Crusher for the victory.
Winner: Ring of Honor Television Champion Jay Lethal by pinfall (Handspring Ace Crusher)
We go to a video of footage from the Spartanburg show before we go to commercial.
-Commercial-
Back from commercial, we join our next match already in progress.
“The Prodigy” Mike Bennett vs. Adam Cole
Cole scores with right hands to Bennett in the corner, but Bennett pushes Cole away. Bennett then runs into a superkick, and Cole then scores with a German Suplex for a nearfall. Bennett goes to the outside, as Cole follows him. Bennett then goes back in the ring, but then Cole drills him with an enzuigiri from the outside. Cole then heads up and hits a crossbody for a nearfall. Bennett then comes back with a right hand, followed by Irish whipping him to the corner. Cole tries to float over, but Bennett catches him and hits a TKO for a nearfall. Bennett goes for the Box Office Smash, but Cole counters with an armdrag. Cole hits an Ace Crusher, then tries for a roundhouse kick, but Bennett ducks. However, Cole then scores with an enzuigiri, followed by hitting the roundhouse kick for a nearfall. Cole heads up top, but Bennett prevents it. Cole goes for a sunset flip, but Bennett grabs the ropes to hold on, but Cole then is able to get him down for a nearfall. Bennett charges, but Cole gets his boot up. However, Bennett pulls Cole off the turnbuckles and hits a Randy Orton style backbreaker, followed by the Box Office Smash for the victory.
Winner: “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett by pinfall (Box Office Smash)
-Commercial-
Back from commercial, we go to a video of pre-match comments from Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team and The House of Truth before our main event.
Main Event in the “Proving Ground”: Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions(at the time this was taped) Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team(Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin) vs. The House of Truth(Roderick Strong & “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin) w/Truth Martini
Benjamin and Strong start things off for their respective teams. Lock-up and Strong with right hands to Benjamin’s injured ribs. Strong with a snapmare and a succession of kicks to the back. Strong locks in a rear chinlock, then goes to a side headlock. Strong with a right hand and a chop out of the corner, but it does not faze Benjamin. Benjamin with a right hand of his own to Strong and then Haas nails Strong with a right hand from the apron. Benjamin nails Strong with a chop, followed by Irish whipping him to the corner and hitting a Stinger Splash for a nearfall. Haas tags in and WGTT hit a double shoulder tackle on Strong for a nearfall. Elgin then tags in and he and Haas circle each other. Lock-up and Elgin with right hands and a shoulder tackle, but neither man goes down. Haas then scores with a dropkick that sends Elgin to the outside. Back in the ring, Haas blocks a kick and sends Elgin to the corner. Benjamin tags in and nails Elgin with right hands, but Elgin drives Benjamin to the corner and Strong tags in. Benjamin fights off both Elgin and Strong in the corner but then Truth Martini grabs Benjamin’s leg. Benjamin throws Strong over the top rope to the apron. Benjamin then nails Elgin with a right hand and knocks Strong down to the outside. Elgin then comes back with a powerslam for a nearfall as we go to commercial.
-Commercial-
Back from commercial, Strong tags back in and he nails Benjamin with chops and right hands, followed by shoulders to the ribs. Strong then places Benjamin in the ropes and hits a running shoulder tackle for a nearfall. Elgin tags back in and he kicks Benjamin in the ribs. Elgin locks in a surfboard, but Benjamin is able to get out. Elgin then comes back with a back suplex into a side slam for a nearfall. Elgin scores with a delayed vertical suplex for another nearfall. Elgin then locks in a bear hug and gets a near fall, showing off his power. Benjamin punches his way out of the hold but Elgin catches Benjamin as he goes for a tag and Elgin hits a spinebuster for a nearfall. Strong tags back in and stands on Benjamin’s ribs. Martini then chokes Benjamin while the referee deals with Haas on the apron. Strong sends Benjamin to the outside as Haas tries to help out, but the referee keeps Haas at bay while Elgin sends Benjamin into the barricade. Back in the ring, Strong gains another nearfall. Strong then locks in a reverse chinlock. Benjamin tries to fight back with a kick, but Strong nails him with a knee, followed by the Death by Roderick for a nearfall. Strong tries to lock in the Strong Hold as Benjamin fights to stay out of it, but Strong is able to apply it. Benjamin is able to get to the ropes as Strong breaks it. Strong with a succession of forearms, followed by a chop. Strong sets up for the Gibson Driver but Benjamin fights out of the hold and counters with a back body drop. Strong grabs Benjamin’s leg to prevent him from making the tag, but Benjamin kicks him away.
Haas and Elgin then tag in and Haas nails Elgin with right hands and a clothesline. Haas hits a running elbow to the corner and then kicks Strong, followed by a belly-to-belly suplex on Elgin for a nearfall. Elgin misses a charge into the corner, then Haas tries for a back suplex, but Elgin blocks it. Haas scores with a back body drop, but Strong comes in with a forearm to Haas and Benjamin on the apron. Haas then hits a standing exploder on Strong. Haas goes for the Olympic Slam on Elgin, but Elgin blocks it. Haas then avoids a short arm clothesline and Benjamin hits a superkick. Haas then hits the Olympic Slam for a nearfall. Benjamin and Strong exchange right hands in the middle of the ring as Strong nails Benjamin with a knee, sending him to the outside. Strong then hits a dive onto Benjamin. Elgin blocks a kick from Haas and hits an enzuigiri. Elgin with an avalanche in the corner, followed by a running boot by Strong. Elgin then runs Haas into Strong’s knee, and hits a running powerslam into a Side Effect for a nearfall. Elgin then hits the Buckle Bomb, followed by a Sick Kick from Strong for a nearfall that Benjamin breaks up. Elgin and Strong setup for a double suplex on Benjamin, but Benjamin counters it, landing on his feet and hits a neckbreaker on Strong. Elgin then with a kick to Benjamin, followed by a chop. Benjamin comes back with a DDT on Elgin, but Strong then blocks a kick from Benjamin. Strong tries for a roaring elbow, but Benjamin blocks that, and hits Strong with the Dragon Whip kick. Haas then hot shots Strong and WGTT hit Strong with the Leap of Faith. Out of nowhere, Truth Martini heads up top, but Benjamin kicks the ropes and Martini gets crotched. Benjamin shakes the ropes, doing more damage to Martini. Elgin comes back with a backfist to Haas, followed by a Black Hole Slam to Benjamin.
Elgin then hits the TKO on Haas and then heads up top, looking to go for a moonsault. All of a sudden, Benjamin leaps to the top, hitting a release German Superplex onto Elgin. Haas, the legal man, then makes the cover and gets the victory for his team.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team by pinfall (Top Rope Release German Suplex)
WGTT celebrate their win as we go to credits.
My Thoughts
Good 3 matches they chose from the “Southern Defiance” show to put on the TV show this week. Lethal/Perkins and the main event were 2 good back and forth matches, although I felt the main event went a little too long. My favorite thing on the show, however, was the closing minutes of the Adam Cole/Mike Bennett match. These 2 have really good chemistry, and Adam Cole plays a very good babyface, both on comebacks and on the selling front. Really not much to say as a whole, as this was matches from a future DVD, will go more in-depth when its released on the Independent Roundtable, but as an overall show, it provided very entertaining and solid action throughout.
My Grade: B-
Well, that will do it for me this week. I want to thank you all for reading and I will be back next week, but remember….
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See ya next week for more Ring-of-Honor!