Ring of Honor Wrestling on Sinclair
January 11, 2014
Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville Fairgrounds)
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino
Recap by: Jason Namako of Wrestleview.com
We see video from the Triple Threat World Title match at Final Battle that saw Matt Hardy help Adam Cole retain the title, but also saw the return of Chris Hero to ROH as he laid out Cole & Hardy.
We see the usual intro, then Prince Nana joins Kelly & Corino on commentary for the opening match in the 2014 Top Prospect Tournament.
2014 Top Prospect Tournament 1st Round Match: Ray Rowe vs. Kongo
No Code of Honor adhered to before the bell. Shoving match ensues early. Strike exchange, Rowe gains advantage. Shoulder tackle, but no one goes down. Rowe off the ropes, but Kongo with a body block. Right hand, but Rowe avoids a charge. Rowe with right hands and a big forearm that sends Kongo to the outside. Rowe with forearms on the outside, then sends Kongo into the ringpost. Back in, Kongo comes back with a Samoan Drop. Rowe fights back with forearms, then hits a release German, but Kongo kicks out at 1! Rowe with a knee strike and a front kick. Running forearm in the corner, then Rowe goes up & over and hits Shotgun Knees for a nearfall. Rowe with chest kicks, but Kongo comes back with a Pounce! Kongo with a running knee in the corner, then heads up to the middle rope. Kongo goes for a Vader Bomb, but Rowe moves out of the way.
Death Rowe by Rowe for the win.
Winner and advancing to the Semi-Finals: Ray Rowe by pinfall (Death Rowe)
Afterwards, Michael Elgin makes his way to the ring as Kongo gets back to his feet. The two go nose-to-nose, then Elgin nails Kongo with a spinning backfist. Elgin then somehow lifts up Kongo and lays him out with a powerbomb!
Commercial
Back from commercial, Elgin is still in the ring with a mic. Elgin says that what we just saw is only a sign of things to come. When you stand in this ring, you now stand in my ring. Final Battle was supposed to be the night that I finally became ROH World Champion. Just because Adam Cole left the ring with the belt doesn’t mean this is over, its far from over. The way you talk, Cole, makes me seem to think you are forgetting what I did last year. You forget that I had the best win/loss record in ROH, the matches I had that still have people talking. You think I am a thing of the past, you think I’m behind him. Well if you think that, you better have eyes in the back of your head because you have something I want, that ROH World Title that you cherish, I want. And what Michael Elgin wants, he takes. Don’t worry about Jay Briscoe or Chris Hero or AJ Styles, because you may look at them is the future, I only see them as three men who stand in my way.
Chris Hero comes out to ringside. Hero says the crowd is as happy to see him as I am to see you all. Its been a long time since I have been in ROH and in that time, Elgin has become the man. We have the same goal of being ROH World Champion, but in Pittsburgh, we are tag team partners. We can’t ruffle each other’s feathers, we can’t get in each other’s way. But when that’s done, its every man for themselves.
The music of Kevin Steen hits and he makes his way to the ring. Steen says he is sorry to interrupt, but I heard you guys talking about title matches, so I have to remind you both that I still have yet to have a title rematch after the title I lost in April. Elgin, you cannot be around here saying you are most deserving person to have a title shot when I have yet to receive my title rematch. Hero, you haven’t been here in 2 years and if you think you are gonna beat me tonight, I have unforunate news for you. Instead of saying “Chris is Awesome,” you will be saying “Kevin Steen just kicked my ass, OH NO!!”
Commercial
Before our next match, Bill Daly comes out in a suit with his protege, Will Ferrara. Ferrara introduces us to the man who has changed my life and will change all of your lives, Bill Daly. Daly says he will not compete in the tournament due to a high ankle sprain. After advise from my agents, lawyers and most importantly, my sponsors, I am withdrawing myself from the Top Prospect Tournament. Considering I’m already the 2014 Top Prospect, I demand a shot at the ROH TV Title. Believe the hype! Daly & Ferrara leave. Referee goes to award Corey Hollis the win by forfeit, but Hollis’s tag team partner, Mike Posey, stops him. Posey says he knows Hollis doesn’t want to win that way. No one knows Hollis than myself. I’m not in the Top Prospect Tournament, but I know Hollis is a man of honor, so prove to all these people that you deserve to advance in the tournament right now. Hollis accepts.
2014 Top Prospect Tournament 1st Round Match: Corey Hollis vs. Mike Posey
Code of Honor before the bell. Chain wrestling early with Posey gaining advantage, Hollis gains control and dropkicks Posey to the outside, then wipes him out with a slingshot plancha on the outside. Posey comes back by driving Hollis into the barricade, then ringpost. Back in, slingshot legdrop by Posey for a nearfall. Hollis sent shoulder-first multiple times into the turnbuckles. Divorce Court for a nearfall. Slam, followed by a series of leg drops by Posey for a nearfall. Keylock applied. Hollis gets free, then avoids a corner charge by Posey. Inverted atomic drop, followed by 2 clotheslines and a leg lariat. Hollis fires up, then hits a savate kick to the leg of Posey. Spinning neckbreaker for a nearfall. Posey comes back with a draping sit-out spinning facebuster for a nearfall. Posey with forearms, but Hollis fights back with some of his own. Posey with an enziguri, but then Hollis with a discus Northern Lariat for a nearfall. Posey comes back with a neckbreaker, then heads up top. Alabama Jam, but Hollis kicks out! Posey cannot believe it and talks trash to Hollis.
Posey off the ropes, but Hollis catches him with the spinning back elbow for the win.
Winner and advancing to the Semi-Finals: Corey Hollis by pinfall (Spinning Back Elbow)
Commercial
Back from commercial, we see video from Pursuit Night 2 in Columbus, Ohio back in November when after C & C Wrestlefactory lost to reDRagon, Caprice Coleman got on the mic and said that C & C needed to go their separate ways because their futures were bright as singles competitors, especially Cedric Alexander.
Caprice Coleman vs. Jay Lethal
Commentary mentions that new TV Champion Tommaso Ciampa has already challenged Lethal to a match. Code of Honor before the bell. Coleman backs Lethal into the corner, then a shoving match ensues. Chain wrestling between the two, until Lethal sends Coleman to the outside. Lethal with a head of steam and wipes out Coleman with a tope suicida! Back in, Lethal gains a nearfall. Coleman fights back, but Lethal with the hiptoss/cartwheel/dropkick combo for a nearfall. Lethal with chops, but Coleman sidesteps a backdrop and sends Lethal to the outside. Lethal pulls Coleman to the outside, but Coleman catches a superkick and hits a head kick. Back in, Coleman wipes out Lethal with a springboard moonsault on the outside! Coleman gets Lethal back in and gains a nearfall. Lethal goes up & over and hits a rana. Lethal runs into a boot, then Coleman heads up top and hits a leg lariat for a nearfall. Slam, then Coleman with a senton. Coleman goes for another springboard moonsault, but Lethal gets his knees up. Lethal with a spinning back kick, but Coleman catches him off the ropes and hits the Trinity for a nearfall. Lethal avoids Coleman in the corner. Coleman catches a kick, but Lethal hits the Lethal Combination. Lethal heads up top, but Coleman catches him with the no-hands rana. Bless-TO for a nearfall. Lethal fights out of the Snapmare Driver, but Coleman with jabs. Coleman gets out of another Lethal Combination, but Lethal hits a superkick.
Lethal Injection for the win.
Winner: Jay Lethal by pinfall (Lethal Injection)
Afterwards, Lethal apologizes to Coleman, saying he under-estimated him. Congrats on a bright future. The two adhere to the Code of Honor. Lethal says that Tommaso Ciampa has challenged him because we have a little unfinished business since he got hurt the last time we wrestled. Anytime, anywhere, I accept. In fact, I will be out here next week doing commentary for Ciampa’s match with Silas Young. Good luck.
Commercial
Back from commercial, we go to a promo from Jay Briscoe. Jay says he has an offer for Adam Cole. Next week on ROH TV, I will make you the offer of a lifetime. Leave your belt at home because I don’t want there to be any pressure on you. I want you to be relaxed so I make you offer of you vs. myself for the REAL World Title because in case you forgot, you still haven’t beaten me. Think about it, you have nothing to lose.
Main Event: “That Young Knockout Kid” Chris Hero vs. “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen
Code of Honor before the bell. Crowd chants for Hero. Hero applies a cravate early, Steen gets to the ropes. Steen takes down Hero, but Hero goes back to the cravate and Steen quickly gets back to the ropes. Hero with a side headlock, but Steen blocks the takeover. No one goes down off a shoulder tackle not once, but twice. Steen goes to do a shoulder tackle, but instead nails Hero with a dropkick. Steen off the ropes, but Hero with his own dropkick, followed by a back senton for a nearfall.
Commercial
Back from commercial as Steen knocks Hero off the apron, sending Hero crashing into the barricade. Steen with forearms on the outside, then gets Hero back in. Slingshot senton for a nearfall. Dueling chants by the crowd for both men. Hero fights back with a knee strike. Strike exchange, Hero gains advantage with some chops. Hero runs into an elbow, but flips himself onto the apron. Steen runs into a boot, then Hero with a sliding dropkick. Hero with a running forearm in the corner, followed by a big boot for a nearfall. Steen slips out of a neckbreaker, but Hero slips out of the Package Piledriver. Steen avoids the rolling elbow and hits the F-Cinq for a nearfall. Steen heads up top, Steenton Bomb for a nearfall. Steen cannot believe it as Hero fires up. Steen piefaces Hero, but Hero drills him with a stiff jab for a nearfall. “This is awesome” chants by the crowd. Hero off the ropes, but Steen catches him with the Pop-Up Powerbomb. Steen charges, but Hero catches him with the rolling elbow. Cyclone Kick, but Steen kicks out! Hero calls for the end and goes for the Hangman’s Elbow, but the Decade come out to ringside. Hero with a baseball slide wipes out BJ Whitmer. Jacobs & Strong check on Whitmer as Hero gets back in.
However, Steen hits him with the Sleeper Suplex for the win.
Winner: “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen by pinfall (Sleeper Suplex)
The Decade is happy about what they have done as Jacobs taunts Hero. Steen goes to leave, but all of a sudden, a fan attacks Steen. The fan is none other than Cliff Compton, who chokes out Steen with a rope. Security gets Compton off of Steen, but Steen is laid out as we go to credits.