Ring of Honor Wrestling on Sinclair
March 28, 2015
Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, King Corino
Recap by: Jason Namako of Wrestleview.com
We see the usual intro, then commentary welcomes us to the show and goes over tonight’s main event between Samoa Joe against Kyle O’Reilly.
We go to the opening match.
MOOSE w/Veda Scott & Stokely Hathaway vs. Caprice Coleman
Commentary notes how Coleman is unhappy that MOOSE is listening to Veda & Stokely for advice instead of going to the other ROH veterans for it. MOOSE & Stokely even want to adhere to the Code of Honor with Coleman before the bell, but Veda stops them.
MOOSE throws down Coleman early. MOOSE tries to throw down Coleman again, but Coleman counters with an armdrag. Short arm scissors applied, but MOOSE rolls through it and deadlifts Coleman up. MOOSE blocks a Sunset flip, but Coleman avoids a dropkick and hits one of his own, but MOOSE does not go down. Springboard rana sends MOOSE to the outside. Coleman goes for a slingshot plancha, but MOOSE catches him in mid-air. Coleman slips out of a Snake Eyes and sends MOOSE into the ringpost. Coleman goes for the wrap-around kick around the ringpost, but MOOSE catches him and then swings Coleman repeatedly into the barricade!
Back in, MOOSE gets 2. MOOSE this time hits Snake Eyes on Coleman for another 2. Coleman fights back with gut shots. Two clotheslines, but MOOSE does not go down. Springboard dropkick gets MOOSE to a knee. Facebuster, followed by a Leaping Edge O’Matic gets Coleman 2. MOOSE with a gut shot, but Coleman pulls down the top rope, sending MOOSE outside. Spring-Out Moonsault wipes out MOOSE on the outside! Coleman sends MOOSE into the barricade, then back in. Coleman heads up top for the Sky Splitter, but MOOSE stops him with a BIG DROPKICK!!!
HIT STICK!!! 1-2-3!
Winner: MOOSE by pinfall (The Hit Stick)
Afterwards, Stokely checks on Coleman, but Veda again shoos him away and tells he & MOOSE to leave as we go to commercial.
THOUGHTS: Simple, effective showcase for MOOSE, with continued storyline development in the dynamic involving MOOSE, Stokely Hathaway & Veda Scott. Veda preventing MOOSE from adhering to the Code of Honor, as well as Stokely now, brings about an intriguing aspect to Veda’s character going forward as she was once all about Honor, but now seems to be turning her nose to what ROH is all about. Will be interested to see where that aspect goes from here.
Commercial
The Decade (Adam Page & “The Buzzsaw” BJ Whitmer) vs. Leon St. Giovanni & Shaheem Ali
Decade attack them as the bell sounds. Whitmer with a back elbow to Giovanni. Overhead backbreaker by Page to Ali. Decade stomp away at Giovanni in the corner. Running high knee by Whitmer in the corner, followed by a big clothesline by Page.
All Seeing Eye by the Decade gets the win.
Winners: The Decade by pinfall (The All Seeing Eye)
Afterwards, Whitmer has a mic.
Whitmer: “Adam, we have been scouting the entire wrestling world, looking for our next young boy, looking for your replacement and do you think that we are gonna find him amongst derelicts like those two? Do you think either one of them could carry that water bucket? Not at all. Now, I got a surprise for you, Adam, I have found our next young boy, I have found the perfect fit for the Decade. Someone that is more capable of carrying that water bucket. A second-generation kid that was abandoned and neglected by his father. And with my guidance, he might just become a star here in Ring of Honor. But Adam, he needs a big brother like you and he needs a father-figure like me. So Corino, I am giving you the opportunity and the chance to be our next young boy.” (looking at Corino on commentary)
Corino gets up from the commentary table, but Whitmer cuts him off.
Whitmer: “Oh, no, no, no, not you, Steve, your son, COLBY CORINO!!”
Colby gets into the ring with a surprised look on his face.
Whitmer: “Now, I’m gonna ask you, are you up for the challenge of being our next young boy?”
Whitmer & Colby embrace, then Corino gets into the ring to stop it.
Whitmer: “Oh, are you gonna come in here and try to change his mind? He’s a grown man, Steve. Steve, he’s 18 years old, you can’t do anything about it. Try and talk him out of this, Steve.”
Corino tries to talk to Colby and goes to lead him out of the ring, but Colby slaps his hand away.
Colby: “No, Steve.”
Whitmer: “How bout that. Oh, you gonna touch me?”
Corino removes his suit jacket and is about to go after Whitmer when Jimmy Jacobs runs in.
Jacobs: “What the hell are you doing? That’s his son, dude. Are you kidding me, BJ? What is wrong with you?”
Whitmer: “Oh, this has gone too far, you ain’t seen nothing yet, Steve.”
Colby holds open the ropes for Whitmer & Page to leave as Jacobs keeps Corino back while we go to commercial.
THOUGHTS: Good angle and another chapter told in the long-form story between Whitmer & Corino into what one would assume to be an eventual match down the line with Corino coming out of retirement. Adding Corino’s son, Colby, into the story with him joining the Decade as their newest “young boy” gives the Decade, who were spinning their wheels since Final Battle, a fresh coat of paint for the summer. Everyone played their roles very well, good stuff here.
Commercial
We see video of Donovan Dijak accepting Truth Martini’s offer last week to join the House of Truth, then of Dalton Castle coming out and challenging Lethal for the TV Title with Dijak costing Castle the match.
The House of Truth (Donovan Dijak & J. Diesel) vs. The Brutal Burgers (“Brutal” Bob Evans & Cheeseburger)
Crowd chants for Cheeseburger before the bell. No Code of Honor here. Evans & Diesel start. No one goes down off a shoulder tackle. Pieface exchange, Diesel with a shoulder tackle, but Evans trips him up. Fujiwara armbar applied, Diesel quickly gets to the ropes. Dijak & Cheeseburger get the tags in. Cheeseburger leaps onto Dijak with right hands, but Dijak shoos him off. Cheeseburger with a chop, but then Martini grabs his leg. Cheeseburger stomps on Martini’s hand, but the distraction allows Dijak to hit a Chokebreaker!
Dijak goes for a cover, but then pulls Cheeseburger up on Martini’s orders. Dijak with right hands, Diesel tags in. Diesel with a knee to the ribs, followed by a big slam. Diesel stomps away, then hits a shoulder to the ribs. Dijak in, House of Truth stomp away at Cheeseburger in the corner. Standing suplex slam by Dijak, Diesel tags in. Diesel kicks at Cheeseburger, then hits a fallaway slam. Cheeseburger fights back, roll-through into a basement DDT on Diesel.
Dijak & Evans tag in. Evans with a series of jabs to Dijak, running back elbow in the corner, followed by a bulldog. Diesel knocked off the apron, Cheeseburger tags in. Brutal Burgers go for the Double Backpack Stunner on Dijak, but Dijak blocks it, sending Evans down. Dijak lifts up Cheeseburger, big boot to Evans.
FEAST YOUR EYES!!! 1-2-3!
Winners: The House of Truth by pinfall (Feast Your Eyes)
House of Truth celebrate their win, then leave as Evans helps up Cheeseburger and they embrace. They celebrate on the turnbuckles, but all of a sudden, Evans mows down Cheeseburger with a running shoulder tackle! Evans leaves his fallen former partner in the ring as we go to commercial.
THOUGHTS: Another simple showcase, this time for the beefed-up House of Truth with the addition of Dijak. Dijak has lots of potential to be a big deal for ROH in time and adding him to a longtime successful stable in the House of Truth will do nothing but good for him. Break-up angle for the Brutal Burgers was fine and allows for Cheeseburger to get a win under his belt against a veteran in Evans on the undercard.
Commercial
Back from commercial, we are supposed to see a promo from Ring of Honor World Champion Jay Briscoe, but the KRD hack into the feed once again.
KRD: “We have been watching. We have our goals. We have our agenda. We have picked our targets. There is no ceiling. We are the Knights of the Rising Dawn.”
Main Event for the First Time Ever: Ring of Honor Tag Team Champion “The Ambassador of Kick-assador” Kyle O’Reilly w/Bobby Fish vs. “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe
“Welcome back” chants by the crowd for Joe before the bell. Code of Honor as the bell sounds. Both go for leg kicks early. They get the hooks in, Joe takes down O’Reilly. Joe goes for the Kokina Clutch, but O’Reilly quickly slips out and goes outside to regroup. Back in, another leg kick exchange, but then O’Reilly catches the leg and backs Joe into the ropes, breaks clean. Joe goes to work on O’Reilly’s arm, but O’Reilly reverses out. O’Reilly goes to drive Joe’s arm across his own shoulder, but Joe grabs him for the Kokina Clutch again. O’Reilly takes Joe down, but Joe kicks him off. Joe avoids a basement head kick, roll-up gets 2. O’Reilly avoids a head kick by Joe, stalemate. “This is wrestling” chants by the crowd. O’Reilly avoids more leg kicks by Joe, but Joe catches him with a big right hand. Series of jabs and rapid-fire strikes by Joe in the corner. Running back elbow, followed by an enziguri by Joe in the corner. Joe with the series of facewashes in the corner, followed by the running facewash. “One more time” chants by the crowd and Joe obliges them with another running facewash as we go to commercial.
Commercial
Back from commercial as O’Reilly with kicks to Joe as he is against the barricade, seated on a chair. O’Reilly with a facewash, then goes for a running dropkick, but Joe catches him with a big forearm! Joe seats O’Reilly against the barricade and starts the “OLE” chant with the crowd. Joe charges and nails O’Reilly with the OLE Kick against the barricade! Joe gets distracted by Fish, allowing O’Reilly to nail him from behind. O’Reilly then with a Divorce Court to Joe on the outside! O’Reilly wraps up Joe’s arm in the ropes and pulls at it, then they get back in. O’Reilly with a kick to the arm, but Joe blocks a suplex and hits more jabs, followed by a big slap. Uppercut by Joe, but O’Reilly follows him in with a running knee to the ribs, then hits an arm whip. Keylock applied by O’Reilly, but Joe fights out. O’Reilly with another kick to the arm, but Joe catches him by taking O’Reilly’s legs out from under him.
Clothesline, inverted atomic drop, running boot and a back senton by Joe gets 2. O’Reilly drives Joe’s arm across his own shoulder, but Joe again catches O’Reilly coming in, this time with a snap slam, for another 2. O’Reilly blocks a powerbomb, but Joe with a chop. O’Reilly tries for a rana, but Joe counters it with a powerbomb for another 2. Joe switches to locking in a STF, then switches to a Rings of Saturn variation, but O’Reilly gets to the ropes. Joe calls for the Muscle Buster and goes for it, but O’Reilly counters it into a front gulliotine choke. O’Reilly with shots to Joe, then he takes him down and locks in a Fujiwara armbar, but Joe quickly gets to the ropes. Joe goes outside, but O’Reilly goes out onto the apron. O’Reilly runs off the apron and catches Joe with a running dropkick to the injured arm, sending Joe into the barricade. Back in, O’Reilly with a front kick to the injured arm, followed by a Brainbuster for a close 2. O’Reilly goes for ARMageddon, but Joe clasps his hands to block it. O’Reilly breaks the grip and locks it in, but again, Joe quickly gets to the ropes. Crowd chants for Joe.
More kicks to the arm by O’Reilly, but Joe catches one and hits a series of rapid-fire slaps. O’Reilly avoids a spinning backfist and goes into his series of strikes. Joe avoids the leg sweep and DRILLS O’Reilly with a knee strike to the face. O’Reilly falls backward into the ropes, then comes back, NIGEL, but Joe does not go down and then hits an enziguri, both men down! “This is awesome” chants by the crowd. Both avoid each other’s charges in the corner, then Joe catches O’Reilly coming in with ST-Joe! Series of knees to the face by Joe, then he places O’Reilly up top.
MUSCLE BUSTER!!! 1-2-3!
Winner: “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe by pinfall (Muscle Buster)
“That was awesome” chants by the crowd afterward as Joe celebrates his win. Commentary runs down the main matches for next week as O’Reilly & Joe go nose-to-nose, then adhere to the Code of Honor as the show closes.
———————-
THOUGHTS: Definitely felt like a truncated version of the Samoa Joe-Kurt Angle match from TNA Lockdown in 2008 with heavy MMA influence being spliced throughout his match given both Joe & O’Reilly backgrounds and training regimens. Joe & O’Reilly had good chemistry, O’Reilly did not look out of place against a big-time veteran in Joe, there was good mat work and believable false submissions on both ends and Joe, much like I mentioned a couple weeks back with his match against ACH, looked like he hasn’t lost a step and appears to be in much better shape. Real good main event.
Overall, ROH TV this week was mostly about the main event involving Samoa Joe, but the rest of the show had some good storyline development for the middle to undercard, allowing for a lot of things up & down the ROH cards going forward to have some semblance of meanings, instead of thrown together matches. If you are a fan of Samoa Joe, you will highly enjoy the show this week.
Jason Namako recaps and reviews the weekly Ring of Honor TV, as well as all PPVs and VOD releases for Wrestleview.com
Twitter: @Jason_Namako
E-Mail: jason@wrestleview.com