Ring of Honor on Sinclair
June 2, 2012
Report by: Jason Namako of Wrestleview.com
Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s ROH on Sinclair recap. If you all are ready, then let’s get on with the show!
We see video highlighting what took place in the main event of the Border Wars Internet PPV when Kevin Steen defeated Davey Richards to become the new Ring of Honor World Champion before the usual intro.
Kevin Kelly & Nigel McGuinness welcome us to the show, from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore, MD. Kelly & McGuinness hype up this week’s matches before taking us to video of pre-match comments from the participants in the opening match.
Adam Cole says “Mike Mondo, you’ve proven since you’ve come into Ring of Honor that you’re a very worthy competitor, that you’re a tough guy, but you also claim that you have no fear”. “Let me make something very, very clear to you”. “Although I respect you, I sure as hell don’t fear you”. “I’ve been on the run of my career with momentum on my back and I am not gonna let you get in the way of that”. “So come tonight, when I run through you, I’m gonna continue my rise to the top in Ring of Honor”.
Mike Mondo says “Adam Cole, let me tell you, there’s 3 things you don’t get when you wrestle Mike Mondo”. “No rest, no mercy & no fear”. “I’ve dealt with pretty boys like you who the girls drool over”. “Well I’ll do both of us a favor tonight, for me, I’m gonna smash your face in and make it look like a disordered jigsaw puzzle”. “For you, I’m gonna give you the pleasure of figuring out how to put it back together”. “Oh, one more thing, its Gutcheck time”.
Adam Cole vs. “No Fear” Mike Mondo
Before the bell sounds, Mondo adheres to the Code of Honor, but then pulls in Cole to say some pleasantries to him. Mondo locks in a side headlock as Kyle O’Reilly joins Kelly & McGuinness at the commentary table. Cole Irish whips out, but Mondo knocks him down with a shoulder tackle. Mondo does some push-ups before shoving away Cole in a sign of disrespect. Mondo taunts Cole, but then Cole grabs his arm and goes to a hammerlock. Mondo spins out and tries to take Cole down, but Cole holds on and goes back to the hammerlock. Cole then grabs Mondo’s other arm and pins him down for a 1 count. Cole then piefaces Mondo and tells him to bring it on. Cole hits a dropkick and that sends Mondo rolling out to the outside. Cole goes for a slingshot, but goes onto the apron instead. Mondo grabs Cole by the foot and pulls him down to the outside where Cole then nails him with a back elbow. Mondo sends Cole back into the ring and plays to the crowd, but that allows Cole to dropkick Mondo, knocking him off the apron. Cole then gets a head of steam and hits Mondo with a tope dive. Cole sends Mondo back into the ring, but as Cole tries to get back in, Mondo pops right up and scores with a swinging neckbreaker while Cole was in the ropes.
Mondo gains a 1 count, then hits an elbow to the top of head. Cole tries to fight back, but Mondo nails him with a forearm. Kelly mentions on commentary that at Best in the World, Adam Cole will face Kyle O’Reilly in the 1st Ever “Hybrid Fighting Rules” match. Mondo with a snapmare takeover, then stomps down on Cole’s neck as O’Reilly says that there is only 2 ways to win at Best in the World, knockout or submission. Mondo with a knee to the head, then drives Cole back first into the corner. Mondo then grabs Cole’s arm and wedges it through the middle turnbuckle pad in a way of handcuffing Cole so that Mondo can unload with a series of stomps, leaving Cole helpless. Cole tries to kick Mondo, but Mondo grabs his foot and puts it under the ring skirt so that Cole has one arm and leg trapped so that Mondo can choke him with his boot in the corner. Referee Todd Sinclair gets Cole free from the turnbuckle pad while Mondo measures him with a big smile on his face. Mondo taunts Cole some more, then hits him with a club to the back of the neck, but Cole fights back with a pair of right hands. Cole goes for another one, but Mondo catches his arm and then scores with a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Mondo locks in a headscissors as the crowd tries to will on Cole. Mondo then spins around and repeatedly drives Cole’s head into the mat while locked in the headscissors. Mondo spins back into the headscissors, then drives Cole’s head into the mat multiple times again. Mondo then chokes Cole before being forced to break the hold. Mondo gains a 1 count, then locks in a cravate. Cole tries to spin out, but Mondo keeps the hold applied. Cole tries again, but again Mondo keeps the cravate applied. Mondo switches to a chinlock as the crowd continues to will on Cole. Cole tries to hit a jawbreaker to break the hold, but Mondo breaks him free before he can do, sending Cole crashing down to the mat. Mondo goes for a fistdrop, but Cole gets his boot up. Cole hits a series of right hands & gut shots before catching Mondo’s foot and unloading with another round of right hands to him. The referee pulls Cole back, but then Cole goes right back on the attack, peppering Mondo with some more right hands.
Mondo misses a clothesline and Cole goes off the ropes, hitting Mondo with a running front dropkick to the knees. Cole goes back off the ropes and drills Mondo with a Shining Wizard that sends Mondo rolling out onto the apron. Cole goes for a slingshot moves, but Mondo gets out of the way and Cole lands awkwardly on his right knee. Mondo then charges at Cole, but Cole leapfrogs him and Mondo goes headfirst into the barricade. Cole sends Mondo back into the ring, then heads up top. Cole leaps and connects with the crossbody for a close nearfall. Irish whip by Cole, but Mondo reverses it, but Cole reverses his reversal. Cole goes for an enziguri, but Mondo ducks and Cole goes crashing onto the mat. Mondo then hits another leaping stomp to the back of Cole’s neck.
Mondo measures Cole and sets up for the Double Arm DDT, but Cole counters and then hooks Mondo in a backslide for the victory.
Winner: Adam Cole by pinfall (Backslide)
After the match, Cole wants to adhere to the Code of Honor, but instead, Mondo blows his nose on Cole’s hand and walks off in disgust.
Commercial
Before we come back to commercial, we see a hype video for the Best in the World Internet PPV on June 24th as Kevin Kelly interviews the All Night Express.
Rhett Titus says “We have been waiting for this opportunity for over 6 months now”. “Through the trials & tribulations, through the knee surgeries, our time is now and there is no way that we will be denied”.
Kenny King says “The talking is done, the preparation has been put in, the work has been put in”. “All that stands before us is those 2 suckers named Charlie & Shelton and we hear you talking, we hear you yapping, it sounds real silly saying “You’ll take these belts over our dead bodies” like its not a possibility”.
ANX does a throat slash to close out the hype video.
“The Dominant Male” Tommaso Ciampa w/The Embassy Limited vs. Nick Westgate
Ciampa is in a foul mood as he gets in Westgate’s face before the bell sounds. Westgate wants to adhere to the Code of Honor, but Ciampa, obviously not all there by the way he is acting, just drills Westgate with a lariat. Ciampa unloads with a series of right hands in the ropes, followed by a series of forearms. Ciampa chokes Westgate in the ropes, then hits him with a boot to the head. Ciampa hits a running boot to the head, then says ” I want Lethal” to the camera as the once undefeated Ciampa has become unhinged. Ciampa hits a leaping dropkick to the side of Westgate’s head as even the Embassy Limited can’t believe what is going on. Ciampa removes some of his wrist tape and puts it around Westgate’s face & mouth before pulling back on it. Ciampa then removes the kneepad and that spells the end for young Mr. Westgate. Ciampa charges, but Westgate amazingly hits him with a dropkick that rocks Ciampa. Westgate goes off the ropes, but Ciampa throws him up and then drills him with the Knockout Knee on the way down.
Ciampa then unloads with a series of knees and elbows to the back of Westgate’s head and referee Paul Turner has no choice but to call for the bell to stop the match.
Winner: “The Dominant Male” Tommaso Ciampa via referee stoppage (Strikes)
Ciampa continues the assault after the match and even the referee can’t pull him off. The Embassy Limited come in and R.D. Evans is able to pull Ciampa off. Then, Ciampa goes back on the attack and its clear that the Embassy is losing control of its unhinged “Crown Jewel”. Ciampa finally stops the attack while having a psychotic look on his face. Ciampa poses as the Embassy Limited is in shock & awe as to what they just seen. Ciampa then again goes back on the attack of the unconscious Westgate as we go to commercial.
Commercial
Back from commercial, its time for this week’s “Inside Ring of Honor”.
The 1st topic is what happened at Border Wars in the Fight Without Honor for the Tag Team Titles when Charlie Haas used an ether-soaked towel on Mark Briscoe to render him unconscious, giving Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team the win over the Briscoes to regain the Tag Team Titles. We go to comments from the new champs.
Charlie Haas says “You know what the problem with Toronto was, it was Mark Briscoe. “He had so much chicken grease all over him, I couldn’t get a hold of him”. “That’s why it took me so long to put that sleeper on him”. “See, I came up with a solution, I grabbed a towel & some disinfectant and I wiped him clean and then I choked him out”.
Kevin Kelly mentions that the Briscoes will not be given a shot against Haas & Benjamin with the titles on the line. Now, the new champs look to Best in the World against the All Night Express. We go back to the new champs for comments on their next title defense.
Shelton Benjamin says ” The All Night Express, the guys who have supposed to been the champions already”. “Supposed to according to who? Your 4 or 5 Twitter followers”. “Rhett Titus says his knee injury derailed them from being the Tag Team champions, your knee had nothing to do with it, the All Night Express was always a lame team”. “At Best in the World, there can only be one team that can be called Best in the World and it won’t take all night to prove it”.
The next topic is Jay Lethal, who ended Tommaso Ciampa’s undefeated streak at Border Wars and now wants his Television Title back from the current champion, Roderick Strong. We go to comments from Lethal.
Lethal says “It took 2 people, 2 people to cause me to lose my Ring of Honor Television Championship, Roderick Strong & Tommaso Ciampa”. “Well, one down and one to go, right”. “Because in Toronto, Canada, I took what Tommaso Ciampa held near and dear and boy did that feel good, I took his undefeated streak and he went home crying like a little baby”. “So now there’s one left, Roddy that’s you, Roderick Strong, you are the last person left and I’m coming for you Roddy”. “So you better tell the Truth & Elgin, everybody backing you, tell them to get ready because Jay Lethal’s coming for what’s rightfully his and I’m taking it and if you ask Truth Martini, he’ll tell ya, that even that’s the Truth”.
Kevin Kelly mentions that Tommaso Ciampa is demanding a rematch with Lethal and Lethal wants a match with Strong, so ROH hopes to have one, or both of them signed by next week for Best in the World.
The next topic is Fit Finlay, who lost in his ROH debut when he challenged Roderick Strong for the Television Title at Border Wars, but will now face “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin at Best in the World. We go to comments from “The Belfast Bruiser”.
Finlay says “You know, its not really about the destination, its about the journey and what you do in that journey”. “So Mike Elgin, 24th of June, right there in New York City at the Hammerstein Ballroom, this is gonna be a test that you may not pass cuz I’m coming to test who you really are”.
The final topic is Eddie Edwards’s quest to regain the ROH World Title. How is he gonna do that? Well, he has created the “Die Hard Challenge”, where he is challenging former World champions to single matches. The first was former ECW champion Rhino, who he defeated at Border Wars. Next, he will challenge former ROH Champion Homicide at Best in the World. But before that, next week on ROH TV in the main event, it will be a rivalry renewed as Edwards will take on the man who defeated him for the ROH World Title last year at Best in the World, the now former ROH Champion Davey Richards. We go to comments from Edwards on next week’s main event, Richards-Edwards IV.
Edwards says “Now, I’m not trying to kick an old friend when he’s down”. “I take no pleasure in the fact that Davey lost in Toronto”. “Even if we are not the brothers that we once were, but if I beat Davey next week, if I beat Homicide in New York City, you add that to me beating Rhino in Toronto, I will be the #1 contender”. “I say this to you Davey, you’ve had your chance, now its my chance and I will show the Wolf how to hunt”.
Commercial
Main Event
Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander vs. The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus)
Both teams adhere to the Code of Honor before the bell sounds. King & Alexander will start things off for their respective teams. Alexander with an arm wrench into a wristlock. King counters out into his own wristlock, but then Alexander counters that into a hammerlock. King then spins out of it and takes down Alexander with a Japanese armdrag. King with a regular armdrag into an armbar. Irish whip by King, but Alexander catches him with a spinning headscissors takeover. Alexander then with his own armdrag, followed by ducking under King’s spin kick attempt. King then ducks under Alexander’s roundhouse kick attempt. Both men then go for a windmill kick and no one connects so we are at a stalemate. King with a side headlock, then switches into a front chancery, followed by a pair of clubs to the back before tagging in Titus. Titus goes off the ropes and hits a running knee to the ribs of Alexander, who was still in King’s front chancery. Titus goes for a suplex, but Alexander counters and hits a kick to the leg.
Alexander locks in his own front chancery and then tags in Coleman. Coleman with a gut shot, followed by a chop and finally Irish whips Titus. Coleman leapfrogs Titus and then catches him coming in with a dropkick. Titus rolls out to the apron as King comes in, but misses a clothesline as Coleman nails him with a series of right hands. Irish whip by Coleman, reversed by King, but Coleman sidesteps King’s back body drop attempt with a kick to the chest. Coleman then springs off the middle rope inside the ring and hits a moonsault onto Titus on the outside. King goes to the outside, but Coleman nails him with a swinging kick using the ringpost. Then in the ring, Alexander gets a head of steam and hits ANX with a somersault plancha on the outside. Coleman & Alexander play to the crowd as Alexander brings Titus back into the ring. Coleman then heads up top and hits Titus with a crossbody for a nearfall. Coleman with a right hand, but Titus comes back with a forearm. Titus with another forearm, but Coleman with an Irish whip, but Titus reverses it. Titus charges, but Coleman backdrops him over the ropes and to the outside with Titus landing facefirst on the apron. Coleman gets a head of steam and sets to dive, but King catches him before he can do so with a knee to the head.
Titus then gets onto the apron and hits Coleman with a slingshot shoulder tackle for a 1 count. Tag into King while Titus hits a slam on Coleman. ANX then hit a springboard legdrop/running splash combo on Coleman for a nearfall. King with a club to the back of Coleman’s neck before locking in a seated abdominal stretch with a facelock. King then presses the point of his elbow into the ribs of Coleman to put more pressure on the hold. Coleman tries to fight out of the hold as we go to commercial.
Commercial
Before we come back from commercial, we see another hype video for the Best in the World Internet PPV on June 24th as Kevin Kelly interviews The House of Truth. Kevin Kelly starts with Michael Elgin and asks him about his match with Finlay, but Roderick Strong cuts him off and says “Let’s see if you can beat Finlay faster than I did in Toronto, how ’bout that, Big Mike”. Elgin says “Finlay, you’re trying to hold on, trying to show the world that you have a little bit of fight left in ya”. “Well in New York City, Finlay, Michael Elgin is “Unbreakable and you’ll find out”. Elgin closes by saying “Roddy, you can watch very closely”.
Back from commercial as King just drills Coleman coming in with a clothesline. Tag into Titus as ANX hit a double chop, followed by a forearm. Titus with a snapmare takeover and then ANX hit a double kick to Coleman. Titus plays to the crowd before gaining a nearfall. Titus with a neckbreaker for another nearfall. Headfirst goes Coleman into King’s outstretched boot on the apron as King is tagged in. Titus holds Coleman so King can hit him with a gut shot. King then unloads with a series of stomps in the corner before tagging back in Titus. King with a pair of knees to the head before ANX do a double Irish whip. However, King plays to the crowd in mid-whip and when Titus goes for an Alley-Oop move, Coleman catches Titus on the way down with a knee to the head. King charges in, but Coleman catches him in a front facelock. Then, Coleman uses Titus as a springboard and drills King with a DDT, spiking King on his head. Alexander wills on his partner to make it over for the tag as all 3 men are down.
Alexander then gets the tag and hits Titus with a springboard clothesline. Alexander with a spinning back kick to the gut of King, then goes off the ropes and hits King with a running front dropkick to the side of the head. Titus comes back with a boot to the head, but Alexander then drills him with an enziguri for a nearfall. Coleman & Alexander go for a double team on Titus, but King charges in. However, King misses a clothesline and Coleman & Alexander hit him with a double dropkick. Coleman & Alexander then hit a enziguri/snapmare DDT combo on Titus. Alexander goes for the cover, but King breaks up the pin attempt. King with a club to the back of Alexander, but Alexander comes back with a spinning back kick. Alexander springs off the middle rope, but King catches him with a spinebuster. Coleman then comes in and hits another spin kick to the gut of King, followed by a spin kick to the back of King’s head. Titus then blocks a right hand from Coleman and nails him with a boot to the head, followed by a discus clothesline. Titus is all fired up as he picks up Alexander and goes for a neckbreaker, but Alexander counters and goes for a suplex, but Titus blocks that. Coleman comes in and he & Alexander go for a double suplex, but King stops that from happening by grabbing onto Titus and placing him on his feet. ANX then hit stereo kicks to Coleman & Alexander for a double nearfall. Titus motions to King and gives a throat slash, signaling that the end is near for Coleman & Alexander. Titus plays to the crowd as ANX go for the One Night Stand, but Alexander comes in and nails King with an enziguri, knocking King off the ropes and sending him crashing down to the outside. Coleman gets out of Titus’s powerbomb attempt and Irish whips him. Coleman then charges and connects with a running knee to the head. Coleman & Alexander go for Overtime, but Titus moves out of the way on Alexander’s Frog Splash attempt. King comes back in and charges, using Alexander’s back as a springboard and proceeds to drill Coleman with Shotgun Knees.
ANX then hit the One Night Stand on Alexander for the victory.
Winners: The All Night Express by pinfall (One Night Stand)
Both teams adhere to the Code of Honor once more in sign of mutual respect as we go to commercial.
Commercial
Back from commercial, Kevin Kelly is in the ring and he brings out the new ROH World Champion Kevin Steen, who comes out flanked by Jimmy Jacobs & Steve Corino.
Kelly starts to talk, but Corino cuts him off, saying “Kevin Kelly, I don’t wanna be rude & interrupt, but as the junior member of the announce team, you know if you order a DVD, you’ll finally hear me, because we waste time on a former World champion that no one cares about to be on TV”, referencing McGuinness. “So, I wanna introduce to you, your brand new ROH World Champion, Kevin Steen!” Corino goes to Steen and says “How does it feel to know that 18 months ago, there was a man that tried to destroy your career, to starve you out and now he has to call you for bookings, he has to look you in the eye and call you “Kevin Steen, the ROH World Champion”.
Steen says “Well, it feels pretty amazing, you know it feels even better that I’ve been saying for 6 months that this”, looking at the ROH World Title, “was gonna happen and now, I get to stand in the middle of this ring and show the world that I am a man of my words”. The crowd chants “KILL STEEN KILL” as Steen says to the camera, “Look how shiny it is”, referring to the ROH World Title belt.
Corino says “Just weeks ago, I was wondering why all these people would chant “KILL STEEN KILL”, but it was you that convinced me that EVIL is the only way to go” as Steen shows off his EVIL tattoo on his arm. “And I want to know, Kevin, and the whole world wants to know, what’s gonna make you, Kevin Steen, different than every other World Champion in the past?”
Steen says “Well, an important thing is I will represent this company as World Champion the way it should be”. “I’m not gonna waste my time training for jiu-jitsu”. “What I’m gonna do is I will go to the events that I feel this company should be represented at, such as for example, that Health & Fitness Expo”. “I mean, if anybody should represent this company for health & fitness, who better than me?” “But that’s not all, I’ll gladly so see the sponsors who invest money for advertising on our program and I’ll go there, I’ll take pictures, I’ll kiss their children, whatever champions do”. “But more importantly, see in September there is this big dinner, the Affiliates dinner they call it, that’s where all the big TV station executives that carry the Ring of Honor programming, that’s where they discuss business”. “And it just so happens that the Ring of Honor World Champion has to be there and Jimmy, let me tell you, I will be there dressed to the nines, I’ll pull out the tuxedo t-shirt and everything”. “And I can assure you that all those people will hear exactly what they have to know about Ring of Honor and especially Jim Cornette”.
Steen is then interrupted by Jim Cornette, who says “Hey Kevin Steen, I got some news for you, pal”. Cornette makes his way into the ring and says “Let me explain something to you, I would rather swim the backstroke in your sewer than see you at that Affiliates meeting”. “And I can promise you, you will not be the Ring of Honor World Champion by the time that rolls out. “And by the way, Steve Corino, thanks a lot”. “I couldn’t be in Toronto, so I call you and I say, “Don’t let this big, fat bastard do anything I wouldn’t like” “. “And what do you do, you end up hugging him at the end of the night”. “So remember that job, that DVD commentary job that I gave you because I felt sorry for you when he hurt you at Final Battle and you couldn’t wrestle anymore, well your services are no longer required, thank you very much”.
Steen says to Corino in a mocking tone to Cornette, “What are you gonna do, Steve?” as Corino says “Jimmy, I had to wrestle him at Final Battle because of you, you’re the one that told me if I wanted a job here, I had to change my ways”. “Why don’t you look at that crappy contract that you made me sign?” “It doesn’t say that you can choose my friends, it just says show up to work, show up on time, talk on the DVDs and you’ll pay me and “Oh My God”, every once in a while, I’ll get to appear on TV”. “So why don’t you get those lawyers that you’re always talking about and have them look at that contract”. “Until then, shut up Jim”.
Cornette is incensed as he says to Corino, “We’ll talk about your job assignments later on”. Cornette then turns to Steen and says, “You’re a cancer, you’re a sickness in this company, you’re doing nothing for our public relations, you’re doing nothing for our image”. “So, we’re gonna find somebody that can beat you for that title and I’ve been back there and I’ve been talking to Eddie Edwards, I’ve been talking to Jay Lethal, I’ve talked to the House of Truth”. “Every single person in that locker room wants a piece of you in New York at Best in the World and I’ve made my decision”. “At Best in the World on June 24th in New York City, you will be defending that title one-on-one against none other than the man that I believe…..
Cornette is interrupted by the infamous wolf howl as the former ROH World Champion, Davey Richards, makes his way to the ring, flanked right behind him by his Team Ambition partner, Kyle O’Reilly.
Cornette starts to talk, but Richards cuts him off, saying “Shut up Jim!” “I am so sick of being lumped into Camp Cornette, so I would like to take this opportunity in front of everyone to say, “Jim Cornette, kiss my ass” “. Cornette tries to talk again, but Richards again cuts him off. Richards says “Listen Jim, I’m not your friend, I’m not your job boy, I’m not your business associate, I fight for me and what I believe in and me only”. “Now I know you’d love it, Jim, I know you’d love for me to come out here and give myself an out from Toronto”. “But, the old Davey’s back and he tells it like it is”. “You see, I can say “Oh, the crowd turned on me and got in my head” “. “Or that the 2nd turnbuckle was exposed allowing him to hit the Package Piledriver”. “The reason I lost in Toronto is because on that night, that guy was better than me”, referencing Steen. Cornette says “That seems to be the problem I have”. Richards says “Yeah, and that’s your problem”. “So, I’m gonna make it real easy on you, the reason I want this match, Kevin, at Best in the World, for that title, is because that title, this company, is about 2 of the best wrestlers in the entire world, fighting to see who the best is”. “And right now, as different as we are, Steen, me and you, we are the best”. “So, I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna make it real easy for you”, looking at Cornette, “you give me that match because if I don’t get to kick his ass”, referencing Steen, “I’m gonna kick yours”.
Steen says “As much I would like to see Davey Richards kick your ass”, looking at Cornette, “I’ve got better things to do”. “So, I’m gonna take my buddies, I’m gonna take my title, and I’ll see you later, fellas, carry on”. “Oh, by the way, that’s real gratitude for you”, looking at Richards. “You work your ass off and you ask for a rematch and he doesn’t want to give it you”. “Jim, let me tell you something, you’re the only tennis player I know that has no b***s”.
Cornette says to Steen, “Before you take your bows, you want that match?”, looking at Richards, “Well, let me tell you something”. “Somebody has got to get rid of him, so if you want that match so bad, I’ll give it to you, you’ve got it”. “I’m gonna give you the same deal I gave Steen, you got 1 more chance, Davey, 1 chance at that title and if you don’t make it good in New York, you’ll never get another one and I’ll find somebody that can”.
Richards says “You know what Jim, I’ll win the title in New York, but not for your BS vision of what Ring of Honor should be, I’ll do it for me”. “You understand, so get the hell out of here before I throw you out of here”. Cornette leaves the ring as Richards turns to Steen, who is on the apron and says, “Hey Kevin, I’m coming for you in New York City”. “So, you bring your piledriver, you bring your clique, you bring whatever you want, its not gonna matter”. ‘There’s a brand new Wolf and he’s bloodthirsty”. ‘You think you’re Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare, Kevin, I’m gonna be your worst nightmare and your nightmare begins in New York City”.
Steen & Richards have a staredown as we go to credits.
My Thoughts
I thought this was a pretty good episode this week with a lot of storyline progression heading into Best in the World.
The opener with Cole-Mondo was a solid match with Mondo getting to show off more of his unique offense. Cole was good on FIP and the crowd got into his comeback. Good effort by both.
The Ciampa squash was very fun as it continues to show that Ciampa is descending into madness and the fact that the Embassy Limited can no longer control him. Ciampa’s facial expressions were sensational throughout the match.
The main event was a good back and forth tag match that kept Coleman/Alexander looking decent while putting a lot of showcase behind ANX heading into the Tag Title match at Best in the World. Hopefully ROH finally pulls the trigger on ANX at Best in the World, but time will tell.
Inside ROH is always real good at letting the talent get comfortable at cutting promos and its also used well to progress storylines for both the TV & iPPV. It continues to be one of the best segments on wrestling TV week in and week out.
The closing promo exchange with Steen, Corino, Cornette & Richards was very well done and made me want to see the Steen-Richards re-match at Best in the World. Corino was very good in his role, as was Steen, playing the rebel the fans love. Cornette continues to show a lot more heelish things in his promos, which he is one of the best in the business at doing. Finally, Richards showed a lot of charisma and refreshing vigor in his promo also. Say what you want about Richards, but his 2012 has been worlds better than ANY of his other years as a performer. Yes, he needs to die down the kicks and the no-sells, but he has improved at least IMO at everything else.
My Grade: B
Line-up for “Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis” on 6/24:
This week on the Independent Roundtable:
Plus, the news of the week & much more!
Also, there will be a belated post-show for this past weekend’s CHIKARASaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur iPPV that I attended in Philadelphia with myself, my Independent Roundtable co-host Nicholas Gray & Teacher’s Lounge co-host “Mr. V” Anthony Valvo that will go up either Tuesday or Wednesday for Wrestleview VIPs.
If you would like to send in questions on any of the topics discussed this week on the Roundtable or thoughts on this past weekend’s CHIKARA iPPV, shoot us an e-mail at roundtable@wrestleview.com
So with that, I will see you all next week for more Ring-Of-Honor!