Ring of Honor on Sinclair
December 29, 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 the usual intro, then Kevin Kelly welcomes us to the show, from the ROH studios. Kelly says we will find out what the match of the year for ROH was in 2012 as this is another “Best of 2012” edition of the show this week.
Kelly mentions the year the Briscoes had this year, then we go to a match that was exclusive to ROHWrestling.com as The Briscoes & Papa Briscoe took on Truth Martini, Roderick Strong & Michael Elgin. This match saw Papa Briscoe defeat Truth Martini with a Stunner.
Kelly mentions the Tag Team Title match involving the Briscoes, C & C & S.C.U.M. from Final Battle, hyping up the iPPV replay on ROHWrestling.com as we go to commercial.
Commercial
Back from commercial, Kelly says that ROH wrestlers sacrifice their blood, sweat & tears for ROH, but injuries can happen and it happened to 2 ROH stars this year. One was Tommaso Ciampa, who tore his ACL at Boiling Point against Jay Lethal. The other being Mike Mondo, who broke his ankle at Glory by Honor XI against Mike Bennett. Both men were able to finish their respective matches because of their fighting spirit.
We go to Mondo’s ROH World Title match with champion Kevin Steen from ROH TV this past July.
From the July 21st episode of ROH TV for the Ring of Honor World Title: “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen (c) w/”The Zombie Princess” Jimmy Jacobs vs. “No Fear” Mike Mondo
Mondo nails Steen with a series of right hands as the bell has sounded and we are underway. Mondo hits a series of forearms, but Steen comes back with a kick to the gut. Steen with a club to the back and a forearm as Steve Corino joins Kelly & McGuinness at the commentary table. Irish whip by Steen, but Mondo sidesteps his back drop attempt with a kick to the chest. Mondo goes off the ropes and nails Steen with a knee to the back, sending Steen through the ropes and to the outside. Mondo charges and connects with a baseball slide. On the outside, Steen rakes the eyes of Mondo, then nails him with a club to the back. Mondo fights back with a right hand, but Steen rakes his eyes again. Irish whip by Steen, reversed by Mondo, who sends Steen back first into the barricade. Mondo then repeatedly drives the back of Steen’s head into the barricade. Mondo then goes to the ramp way, gets a head of steam and shoulder tackles Steen into the barricade.
Headfirst goes Steen off the barricade, but Steen rakes Mondo’s eyes again. Steen then goes for a suplex on the ramp way, but Mondo breaks free. Mondo with a series of right hands, but Steen comes back with a back elbow. Steen then breaks apart one of the barricades and goes to throw it down on Mondo, but fortunately Mondo is able to get out of the way. Mondo with a forearm, then setups for his Double Arm DDT on the barricade, but Steen counters and then POWERBOMBS MONDO ON THE BARRICADE!
Mondo is down and hurt on the outside while Steen plays to the crowd. Referee Todd Sinclair starts his 20 count as Mondo starts to crawl back to ringside. Jacobs talks trash to Mondo while Mondo is trying to crawl back in. At the referee’s 19 count, Mondo is somehow able to get back in the ring and Steen can’t believe it as we go to commercial.
Commercial
Back from commercial as the crowd tries to will Mondo back into the match. Steen chokes Mondo in the ropes while dueling chants for both men commence from the crowd. Steen then bites at Mondo’s ear. Steen mocks Mondo, who fights back with a right hand. Steen comes back with a pair of boots to the face, but Mondo will not stay down as he pulls himself to his feet and nails Steen with a right hand, but falls down in the process. Steen then soccer kicks him in the gut. Mondo continues to try and fight back, but he cannot stand up. Steen chokes Mondo with his boot, followed by a short-arm clothesline and finally a leaping back senton. Steen plays to the crowd, then gains a nearfall. Steen with another boot to Mondo, then grabs the mic and says that Mondo doesn’t deserve the title shot. Steen says when he is done with Mondo, he won’t be known as “No Fear”, he’ll be known as “No B***s”.
That fires up Mondo, who unloads with right hands and gut shots. Mondo with a big right hand that knocks Steen down. Steen goes to the outside, but then Mondo takes out Steen & Jacobs with a somersault plancha. Back in the ring, the crowd chants “This is awesome” as Mondo heads up top and hits a double stomp across the back of Steen’s neck for a close nearfall. Mondo is clutching his back in pain as the crowd chants for Mondo. Mondo fights to get himself up the ropes. Steen stops him, but Mondo comes back with more right hands as he is now on the apron. Mondo goes for a shoulder to the gut, but Steen catches him with a kick to the face. Steen then hits a DDT bringing Mondo into the ring, while spiking Mondo on his head. Mondo is slumped in the corner and Steen charges and connects with the Cannonball for a nearfall. Steen can’t believe it, then lifts up Mondo for the F-Cinq, but Mondo squirms out, then hooks Steen in an inside cradle for a close nearfall. Mondo hits a discus forearm, then goes again for the Double Arm DDT, but Steen blocks it and hotshots Mondo throat first across the top rope.
Steen then lifts up Mondo again and this time hits the F-Cinq to retain the title.
Winner and STILL Ring of Honor World Champion: “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen by pinfall (F-Cinq)
We see video of Steen’s successful ROH title defenses in 2012, then we relive when Jim Cornette said that Jay Lethal needed a “Killer Instinct” in order to beat Kevin Steen for the ROH World Title.
We see what happened at “Killer Instinct” back in October when Kevin Steen spit on Jay Lethal’s mother, causing Lethal to snap and injure Jim Cornette.
We now go to the finals of Survival of the Fittest 2012 from ROH TV as the final 2 are Lethal & Davey Richards. We join that match in progress.
From the October 27th episode of ROH TV in the finals of Survival of the Fittest 2012 in a 6-Way Elimination Match (The winner will receive a guaranteed Ring of Honor World Title shot on demand): “No Fear” Mike Mondo vs. “American Wolf” Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong w/Truth Martini vs. “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin vs. Jay Lethal vs. Ring of Honor Television Champion “The Panama City Playboy” Adam Cole
Lethal & Richards, the final 2 left in this match, get set to fight with both in an opposite corner of the ring. They slowly meet in the center of the ring as mostly all of the babyface ROH locker room comes out and stands around ringside, slapping their hands on the mat to fire up their peers. Lethal & Richards adhere to the Code of Honor, but then Lethal plants Richards with an Ace Crusher. Lethal heads up top and hits a leaping stomp for a close nearfall. Lethal lifts up Richards, but Richards breaks free. Richards hits the Alarm Clock kick, charges at Lethal in the corner and connects with a running forearm. Lethal then catches Richards and hits the Lethal Combination. Lethal keeps a hold of Richards and hits a 2nd one, but Richards kicks out. Lethal then goes right into hooking Richards in the Koji Clutch as Richards may be out cold. Richards, however, is able to counter out into the Anklelock. Then, Lethal counters out of that and hooks Richards in his figure four style surfboard, but Richards is able to reach the ropes. Lethal heads out with Richards on the apron and they go back to exchanging right hands, chops & kicks until Richards nails him with an enziguri. Richards then exploder suplexes Lethal off the apron and to the outside. Back in the ring, Richards heads up top and connects with a top rope double stomp, but JAY LETHAL KICKS OUT AT 1!!!
Davey can’t believe it as Lethal fires up. Davey then hits a trifecta of roundhouse head kicks to Lethal, but Lethal kicks out again! Richards with a throat slash and goes for the sliding kick, but Lethal catches him with a superkick. Richards with one of his own, then Lethal returns the favor with another superkick. Lethal with another superkick, but now its Richards who is somehow able to kick out. We see Kyle O’Reilly come out onto the rampway to get a better look at the match as Lethal calls for the Lethal Injection, but Richards sidesteps it and hooks Lethal back in the Anklelock. Lethal kicks him off, but then Richards hits a charging forearm, a corner whip and a 2nd charging forearm. Another corner whip by Davey, followed by a 3rd charging forearm. Davey places Lethal on the top turnbuckle, then heads up with him. Davey connects with a Top Rope Superplex, holds onto Lethal and then proceeds to drill Lethal with a Brainbuster, but JAY LETHAL KICKS OUT YET AGAIN!
Davey with another throat slash, then this time connects with the running sliding kick, but AGAIN JAY LETHAL KICKS OUT! Richards locks back in the Anklelock, but Lethal breaks free. Lethal hits a Release German Suplex, Davey gets right up, charges in, but then Lethal connects with a Release Full Nelson Suplex, however Richards kicks out. The wrestler slap their hands on the mat to will these two on as Lethal is frustrated. Crowd chants “ROH” as Davey is having to pick himself up, using Lethal to do so. Lethal says something to Davey, then hits a headbutt and chop, but Davey then spits in his face.
Lethal drills Davey with a leaping enziguri, then this time hits the Lethal Injection and that finally, finally, BY GAWD FINALLY , puts down the American Wolf.
“American Wolf” Davey Richards has been eliminated
Winner of Survival of the Fittest 2012 and earning a future Ring of Honor World Title shot: Jay Lethal by pinfall (Lethal Injection)
Commercial
Back from commercial, its time to find out what the match of the year for ROH was in 2012. Kelly says that the one match that stood out above the rest was Davey Richards defending the ROH World Title against Michael Elgin at “Showdown in the Sun” back in March. We now go to that match.
From the Showdown in the Sun IPPV on March 31st for the Ring of Honor World Title: “American Wolf” Davey Richards (c) vs. “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin w/Truth Martini
Richards with knees but he cannot get Elgin down with a shoulder tackle. He is able to get him, though, down with a dropkick. Elgin goes to the apron and Richards kicks Elgin in the back and sends him to the floor. Richards with a suicide dive onto Elgin. Richards kicks Elgin in the chest as he goes around ringside. Davey goes to the turnbuckles while Elgin is on the apron, but Elgin blocks it and chops Richards.They both go onto the turnbuckles but Richards knocks him down onto the apron. Elgin then clotheslines Richards off the turnbuckles and gets a nearfall.
Elgin with forearms to the chest. Elgin with a delayed vertical suplex and he keeps Richards in the air for close to a minute before going down with him for a nearfall. Elgin with forearms across the chest while Davey is hanging over the edge of the ring. Elgin then with a leg drop across the chest for another nearfall. Elgin tries for a powerbomb, but Davey blocks it and he sends Elgin into the corner and then connects with shoulders. Elgin blocks a running forearm and tries for a Death Valley Driver, but Richards escapes. Richards goes for a handspring move, but Elgin catches Richards on his shoulders and hits Shock Treatment for another nearfall. Elgin then tries for a belly-to-back suplex, but Richards holds on to the ropes. Both men then exchange right hands. Elgin with a chop that sends Richards to the mat. Elgin with a forearm to the back, but Richards comes back with a jawbreaker, but Elgin then with a shoulder tackle and a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall as we go to commercial.
Commercial
Back from commercial as Richards has crotched Elgin on the top turnbuckle. Davey tries for a German suplex from the turnbuckles but Elgin holds on, but then Richards hits him with a kick to the head. Richards then hits a super Dragon suplex for a close nearfall. Richards applies the anklelock, but Elgin gets to the ropes. Davey kicks Elgin in the chest and it looks like Elgin is struggling to stay on his knees. Richards with a 3rd kick, but Elgin stays on his feet and defiantly piefaces Richards. Richards with some Kawada kicks, but Elgin with a cravate and knees to the head. Richards with some more kicks and then Elgin with more knees. Richards with a kick to the chest and puts Elgin against the ropes, hitting a series of kicks. Elgin then connects with a Chaos Theory for another close nearfall. Elgin with a kick, followed by a Hellavator for another nearfall. Elgin then locks in the crossface and Davey almost submits. Richards gets his foot on the ropes and the referee tells Elgin to break the hold. Richards is laying on the apron and Elgin goes up top. Richards with forearms and then Richards with the dragon screw leg whip in the ropes. Richards goes up top and hits a double stomp onto the apron. Then, Richards goes back up top for another double stomp, but Elgin barely kicks out.
Richards hits the running forearm, but Elgin with a kick. Richards with a discus clothesline followed by an Exploder suplex for another nearfall. Richards gets to his feet first and he signals that it is all over. However, Elgin blocks a kick, but Davey with an enzuigiri. Elgin then with a forearm elbow, followed by a Curtain Call Driver for yet another nearfall. Elgin is the first to his feet this time as it looks like Davey is out on his feet. Elgin with a buckle bomb, but Richards comes back with a kick. Elgin then with a clothesline. Richards then with a sunset flip and rolls into the ankle lock. However, Elgin counters into a Crossface but Richards gets a nearfall with a rollup. Elgin with a kick to the head, followed by a spinning back fist and finally the 360* Powerbomb, but Richards barely kicks out.
Elgin goes back to the crossface and Richards fights to get to the ropes, but Elgin rolls through and gets into the center of the ring. Davey goes for the ankle and is able to get Elgin back into the ankle lock. Elgin reaches for the ropes, but Richards pulls him into the center of the ring. Elgin with kicks to the head but Richards still holds on to the anklelock. Elgin wants to tap, but rolls through and sends Richards into the corner. Richards with a buzzsaw like kick, but Elgin kicks out at 1 and then spits in Richards’ face. Richards then with a series of kicks for another near fall.
Finally, Richards with a huge roundhouse kick to the head of Elgin and that finally puts him down for the win.
Winner and still Ring of Honor World Champion: “American Wolf” Davey Richards by pinfall (Roundhouse Kick)
Back in the ROH studios, Kelly hypes up the ROHWrestling.com ringside membership and what is in store for ROH in 2013. Kelly says on behalf of everyone from ROH, we wish everyone a Happy New Year. Next week will be a “Road Rage” edition from Final Battle 2012.
“Happy Holidays & HONOR LIVES!”