ROH 395 – Reloaded Tour: Lockport – 26th September 2015
I have no idea why I’m jumping into this review so soon after the California show, which I really had no fun at all sitting through (Elgin vs Roddy aside). The throwaway main event of Cole, Moose, Elgin and ACH meeting in a random four corner filler match certainly does little to entice me. However, being fair, this is probably the better of the two line-ups even if it doesn’t have an obvious stand-out bout like the aforementioned Elgin/Strong match. Roddy faces Watanabe tonight, and that should be hard-hitting if nothing else. Hanson and Christopher Daniels meet in an intriguing clash of styles, but as the match listing specifically points out that Ray Rowe and Frankie Kazarian will be at ringside for it I suspect more low-brow, overbooked shenanigans there. The real draw, and biggest wildcard, for this event is the presence of Stevie Richards in the semi-main event. Ordinarily I’d pan it for being ridiculous that ROH are booking this guy in 2015…but he made a real impression when he appeared earlier in the Reloaded Tour and I’m keen to see if he can back up his verbiage with a commendable showing between the ropes. His Proving Ground encounter with Jay Lethal could be really interesting, but could just as easily stink the place out. Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino will call the action from Lockport, NY (another new town for Ring Of Honor).
SIDENOTE – Ian Riccaboni provides solo commentary for our Women Of Honor opening match. I believe he provides all Women Of Honor/Future Of Honor internet match commentary, until graduating to main announcer duties in 2017.
Veda Scott vs Sumie Sakai
Talk about a blast from the past. Sumie appeared on a couple of shows all the way back in 2002/3, and since she’s based in the northeast of the US (and doesn’t have full-time commitments anywhere else) it isn’t that surprising that she has found her way back all these years later. Veda hasn’t done much wrestling in ROH, but has been an active in-ring competitor in SHIMMER for circa four years already so gets plenty of wrestling time elsewhere on the indies. This is the first time the reinvigorated ‘Women Of Honor’ division has made it onto a main show (as opposed to clipped to the bonus features).
It’s been more than a decade since I last saw Sakai wrestle…and the opening couple of minutes would suggest she still does most of the same happy, clappy spots she did last time she appeared in ROH. Veda eventually kicks her in the face so hard she falls all the way out of the ring. On the outside Scott breaks out her awesome guardrail-walk flying clothesline! Springboard bulldog (Stratusfaction) gets 2! Sakai takes to the top rope to land a beautiful missile dropkick…only for Scott to give her a HEAD DROP GERMAN SUPLEX! NO SOLD! JUMPING ENZI! Both women go down! They come up throwing some wild elbow strikes. It all gets a little untidy with Sumie trying to catapult Scott into a Boston Crab. Thankfully they tidy things up with a couple of really crisp nearfalls, which culminate with Veda nailing a Russian legsweep. Smash Mouth nailed by Sakai, but she takes way too long clapping and smiling before climbing the ropes for a moonsault. GERMAN SUPERPLEX BY VEDA! BACK DROP DRIVER! Veda wins at 07:25
Rating - *** - A generous rating obviously, but here’s the thing – these women wrestled like they gave a sh*t. They competed like this was actually a big deal for them, and it was so refreshing when one becomes so used to watching the men work their matches on complete autopilot during ROH house shows. Not everything was clean, but Veda and Sumie packed a heck of a lot into seven and a half minutes of ring-time, and I really appreciated their work ethic.
Donovan Dijak/J. Diesel vs All Night Express
I don’t know if I’ve said it before or not, but I really do HATE the Dijak/Diesel team. It plain sucks, because each of their matches gives us the choice between having Diesel in the ring and protecting Dijak but the match sucking, or letting Dijak work more to improve match quality but leave him taking bumps and selling where Diesel should be doing the heavy lifting. ANX could really use the win here, having dropped a Proving Ground match to The Kingdom in California…but then again Dijak could also use a big performance because he looked like a total chump in his match yesterday. Welcome to Delirious’ utterly bizarre booking folks…
Diesel starts for his team and lasts the entire first minute without obviously screwing up. He tags out to his partner, and it takes both members of ANX to get Donovan off of his feet. Titus makes a move to attack Truth Martini after he tries to interfere…which proves to be his undoing as it allows Dijak to boot him into the guardrails. House Of Truth isolate Rhett, even after Dijak misses an incredible springboard moonsault! Kenny finally makes the save with a springboard clothesline, before back flippin into shotgun knees and an exploder suplex on Dijak for 2. Coronation blocked…so King DIVES TO THE FLOOR onto Diesel instead! CHOKESLAM BACKBREAKER from Dijak to Titus gets 2! One Night Stand on Donovan gives ANX the win at 08:09
Rating - ** - This match actually wasn’t that bad, but that was because Dijak spent most of the time in the ring for his team. As a result the 2015 Top Prospect Tournament winner once again looks like a complete no-hoper, all the way down to taking the fall! But, horrible booking aside, they worked a pretty decent formulaic tag match. Dijak and King are both phenomenal athletes who move around the ring with incredible ease, meaning most of the match was a breeze to sit through. There’s no excuse for not having Diesel be the fall guy for his team here though.
Pepper Parks vs Caprice Coleman
I believe it was in early 2016 that Parks began working in TNA full time as Braxton Sutter. He’s worked a handful of Ring Of Honor events previously and always looked reliable but unspectacular. He has freshened up his look since his last appearance at least, but don’t expect more than a flying visit from him since he’s going to be a TNA guy in a few months. Caprice has started finding a voice and a more edgy attitude in recent weeks, and produced a strong performance in defeat to ACH yesterday. Improved performances are fine, but what he needs tonight is nothing less than a victory.
Parks gets a huge pop, which works fine as Coleman is trying out more of a heel vibe now. PP doesn’t take kindly to Caprice’s smarmy pre-match promo so begins the match kicking lumps out of him in the corner. He’s so violent that he puts Caprice in the odd position of having to slow down the pace just to survive. Parks shakes off an assortment of fierce strikes to suplex him into the bottom turnbuckle! Somersault plancha nailed by Parks! But he takes too long getting Coleman back in the ring, and the veteran rolls back through the ropes into a headscissors on the floor. Caprice is being really aggressive now – and dropkicks Parks’ head straight into the guardrails! Pepper’s response is to punch him in the corner with such force that they snap the ties holding the turnbuckle pad in place. Mind Trip countered to a powerslam by Pepper, only for Coleman to come back up and deliver the Trinity INTO those busted turnbuckles! Parks tries to use a steel chain whilst the ref tries to fix the ring…but Caprice grabs it first and nails him with it! Parks is KO’d, allowing Caprice to force a stoppage victory at 09:26
Rating - ** - Booking Parks was smart. He is competent in the ring, and has enough of a reputation in this market to mean fans were really into him. Coleman’s new heel character works a lot better when fans actually react to it, and even though the content here was quite basic, the crowd heat they generated meant it was always enjoyable viewing.
Takaaki Watanabe vs Roderick Strong
I believe it was in early October that Watanabe returned to New Japan, repackaged as ‘EVIL’ and put together with Tetsuya Naito in Los Ingobernables de Japon…so this match serves as something of a culmination to his confusing and largely unimportant ROH excursion. He has generally been ok to watch in the ring in recent months though, and given the killer year Roddy has had you suspect this one could be very watchable if Delirious gives them enough time.
It doesn’t take long for the stiff strikes to fly, with neither man backing down. Roderick lands the first offensive bomb; a slingshot back suplex to deliver a real blow to his opponent’s spine and neck. Those body parts take plenty of early punishment, but Taka keeps getting up and demanding that Strong hits him some more. Happy to oblige, Roddy punishes the midsection more with camel clutches and abdominal stretches…and still Watanabe doesn’t quit and demands more! Despite all the abuse he still looks composed and showcases his strength with a flurry of hard Irish whips to the turnbuckles. His big German suplex is blocked, so he headbutts Roddy in the corner and gives him a NECK DROP FISHERMAN BUSTER for 2! Strong blocks the German again…only for Wata to block a cradle backbreaker. MUSO INSTEAD gets 2! Huge elbows block Death By Roderick only for Watanabe to take too long climbing the ropes and dragged back in with the superplex. End Of Heartache blocked into the ROLLING GERMANS! FACE DROP GERMAN SUPLEX! LARIATOOOOOO! Strong kicks out! Roddy fights out of the Evil STO to scoop Wata into Death By Roderick. Sick Kick sends Watanabe back to Japan at 12:50
Rating - *** - Where would Ring Of Honor be without Roderick Strong? This wasn’t the ‘amazing’, ‘incredible’ ‘match of the year contender’ that Corino and Kelly predictably oversell it as, but it was a very good, hard-fought, big-hitting encounter which was far higher in quality than any of the previous mens bouts on the card. I really liked the storyline they went with early, with Strong running through his usual tactics but getting pissed off because Watanabe not only refused to stay down but actually kept demanding more. In the end Wata succeeded in luring Mr ROH into a battle of who could hit hardest and/or land enough offensive bombs to win the match, and although Roddy was successful he wound up taking far more punishment than he’d anticipated.
‘Storytime with Adam Cole’ is up next, and he has some words for Matt Jackson. He calls out the ‘One Buck’ to face consequences for all the Superkicks he gave Cole in California. Amusingly, Jackson comes through the crowd and Superkicks him again! Matt Taven runs out next, leading straight into their scheduled match…
Matt Jackson vs Matt Taven
The Kingdom and the Young Bucks had plenty of interaction leading up to All Star Extravaganza, and the Jacksons remain top contenders for the Tag Titles. Matt will know if he can score a win over Taven this evening it further solidifies his teams contendership credentials. Likewise Taven is here not just to punish the Buck for all the Superkicks he’s given Adam Cole this weekend, but to bump him and his brother back in the queue.
The bell rings with Taven stomping Jackson into the corner which seems a little unfair. Adam Cole remains at ringside and watches in horror as the Buck repeatedly tells his Kingdom colleague to ‘suck it’ – eventually causing enough of a distraction to allow Taven to hit a springboard enzi. Lionsault is blocked by knees though…with Jackson capitalising to nail a springboard diving cutter. To the floor goes Jackson; for ANOTHER Superkick on Cole! NECK DROP Blue Thunder Driver by Taven after that! Climax blocked with ‘Suck It’ Punches then a Superkick! More Bang For Your (One) Buck misses…SUPERKICK ON COLE! SUPERKICK ON TAVEN! Jackson wins at 06:35
Rating - ** - It was short, punchy, didn’t outstay it’s welcome and had a hot finish so it certainly wasn’t bad at all. I don’t think either of Matt Jackson’s singles matches across this weekend have been particularly memorable; in fact the singles environment left him rather exposed and short of actual ‘moves’ once you remove all the ‘suck it’s and superkicks. They did the right thing keeping this short, and the crucial takeaway is that following this win the Young Bucks are instantly positioned back amongst the top Tag Title contenders.
Cole has endured one Superkick too many and violently attacks Jackson after the bell. But again, this is Sinclair-owned ROH, even at house shows we can’t have a heel actually look strong (unless they are Bullet Club). Matt Jackson shrugs him off and ends the segment with yet another Superkick…
Bob Evans/Tim Hughes vs Will Ferrara/Cheeseburger
This was supposed to be a singles match between Ferrara and Brutal Bob, but apparently Will can book his own matches now and he brings out Cheese to join him in fighting both Evans and his ‘stooge’. Bob and Cheeseburger hate each other of course, and have had a couple of rather violent matches since their tag team was ended.
Evans and Hughes jump Will whilst Burger is still in the midst of his entrance, but the babyfaces quickly isolate Tim once Cheesey does make his way in. Cheese tries to put him in the Walls Of Jericho (since this was right around the time Y2J put him over on Twitter)…only to get his face smashed in by Bob. He spearheads a beatdown on CB, albeit with a couple of neat touches like he and Hughes using double team spots that Brutal Burgers used to do. Eyes Wide Shut/Shotei combo by Ferrara and Cheesey knocks Evans back, then a diving knee/DVD combo finishes Hughes at 05:18
Rating - * - I don’t really like any of the guys in this match, so I’m considering it something of a win that this didn’t end up completely, irredeemably sucking. Three of the competitors (Evans, Hughes and Cheeseburger) don’t belong in ROH at all and are all uniformly atrocious in a company which is supposed to value a quality in-ring product above all else. Ferrara isn’t as bad, but after a year of having the exact same match, hitting the exact same spots, in the exact same order, whilst Corino and Kelly reel off the exact same phrases to describe his potential, has started to wear me down. Could this not have been cut or dumped on the pre-show to give extra time to something like Strong/Watanabe?
The Addiction get promo time for the second show running, and again make the point that they weren’t beaten at All Star Extravaganza. Daniels complains about being forced to wrestle twice yesterday, and brags about having beaten every team in Ring Of Honor. He wants to continue but is interrupted by the entrance of War Machine. They point out that Addiction have never beaten them then throw down a challenge for tonight…which Daniels decline because Frankie tore ‘both his quadriceps’ last night. Hanson demands Daniels in singles action as a result, and despite not having had his ‘pre-match Apple-tini’ the Ring General is forced into action!
Christopher Daniels vs Hanson
Both Frankie Kazarian and Ray Rowe will remain at ringside so don’t expect this to be a simple wrestling match which passes without incident. This may have come out of a tag team rivalry, but Hanson has singles aspirations too and will be well aware of his much his stock will rise if he can pull out a victory over the man who main evented the first ever ROH event.
As you’d expect Hanson’s power is far too much for the Fallen Angel in the early-going. It isn’t long before Kazarian causes a distraction that gives his tag partner a route back into the match. Daniels reaches deep into his veteran bag of tricks to keep the big man on the ground – but visibly gets more and more confident as each minute passes. Eventually he starts arguing with a front row fan, turning his back on Hanson and eating a big press slam as a result. The cartwheel lariat flattens the Ring General, with Rowe emphatically shoving Kaz to the ground whilst Hanson breaks out the Sledgehammer strikes. Daniels kicks Hanson in the balls, getting himself disqualified at 06:18
Rating - * - There was the nucleus of a good match here, which isn’t surprising since Daniels is outstanding and Hanson is capable of decent singles bouts too. Unfortunately Delirious and his erection for sh*tting up potentially good matches with his abysmal over-booking meant any chance of this being enjoyable was harpooned in favour of silly antics, outside interference and a lousy finish.
Ray Rowe rescues his partner from a 2-on-1 beating at the hands of The Addiction, and knocks Daniels out with the Superman Punch. In the end Daniels grabs a chair to put both War Machine members down. That would be a fine place for the segment to end, but (for the hundredth time this weekend!) heels can’t look strong in ROH anymore, so War Machine get to fight back heroically. Hanson ends the segment by hitting his top rope somersault flop onto The Addiction and all the security guys who were trying to separate them. SPINEBUSTER THROUGH FOUR CHAIRS takes out Daniels.
Jay Lethal vs Stevie Richards
Richards appeared for an in-ring interview segment earlier in the Reloaded Tour, and raised the ire of Jay Lethal by not singling him out for specific praise. Lethal feels that as Undisputed Champion he deserved a little more respect, meaning Stevie’s interview degenerated into a rather intense stand-off. Richards is a veteran, but still thinks he has something to offer and returns on the hunt of the ROH World Title. This is a Proving Ground Match, meaning all he has to do is avoid defeat and he’ll earn himself a title shot. He looks to be in superb shape, but will age catch up with him when stepping into the ring with the ‘greatest first generation wrestler’?
Lethal supposedly wants to embarrass Richards, and he instantly exposes him as having not done his homework by hitting the cartwheel dropkick spot. One hint of the Stevie Kick has him retreating to the floor though. Stevie deposits the champ to the outside again moments later, and takes the fight to him out there where Corino thinks he has an edge due to his ECW experience. Jay evidently believes that theory too as he returns to the ring at the earliest opportunity. Truth Martini interjects himself by shoving Richards off the ropes – and he lands in prime position for the Tope Trifecta! Stevie has had extensive neck problems over the years and Lethal is well aware of that; jerking him to the ground with an aggressive neckbreaker for 2. Even a basic chinlock piles the pressure onto that known weakness on the challenger. Richards is desperate to get the champ off him – and does so with repeated turnbuckle Irish whips followed by the Stevie Bomb for 2. Crossface applied…but countered into the Lethal Combination! Hail To The King gets 2! Stevie Kick blocked, leading them into a genuinely impressive exchange of fast-paced nearfalls. STEVIE KICK! Lethal kicks out! Richards wants to hit it again so Martini pulls his client out of the ring to rescue him. AWFUL pescado by Richards, sacrificing execution in his desire to take the fight to his weakened adversary. Lethal starts throwing some sickening chops in the aisle and nails him with Taeler Hendrix’s shoe as Paul Turner converses with Martini. Lethal Injection wins it for the World Champion at 15:42
Rating - **** - This is a super-low end 4* match, just to set a reasonable expectation. It wasn’t amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but the gulf in quality between this and anything else on the show was so vast I needed to reward it accordingly. Credit to Stevie who entered in great shape and obviously wanted to work hard in putting Lethal over. That workrate from the veteran contributed to a match I enjoyed perhaps more than I’d anticipated. I loved Lethal’s aggression, and dug the ‘embarrass the past it veteran’ mentality he adopted. He worked smart to avoid Richards strengths (like brawling on the floor, ECW-style), targeted known weaknesses to win…and even in defeat Stevie is protected by the quality of his work and the usual Delirious-booked (remember, heels can’t go over) shady finish. I’m not sure whether this was good enough to warrant a more regular slot on the roster for Stevie, but it certainly saved this forgettable house show, and boosted the World Champion in a similar manner to the way Lance Storm helped out Bryan Danielson years ago.
Moose vs ACH vs Adam Cole vs Michael Elgin
Not much more than pride on the line for these four, but in a main event setting like this a win has obvious implications for who might get a World Championship opportunity in the future. That will certainly appeal to former World Champions (and known enemies) Adam Cole and Michael Elgin in particular. It seems like there are tornado rules in place for this one, so all four will be permitted in the ring at the same time.
Cole declines a handshake with any of his opponents, meaning they all begin the match pissed off with him. That makes it all the more impressive that he ducks and dives past all three of them in the first minute. Moose can vertical jump higher than ACH is tall – as proven when he mostly connects with the air OVER his head when attempting to give him a dropkick. ACH and Cole stand and watch as Big Mike gives Moose a 30-Second Suplex…which Moose no sells to muscle Unbreakable into a vertical suplex of his own. The big men grab their smaller opponents…STALLING SUPLEX DUEL! Elgin starts German suplexing everyone! DEAD-LIFT avalanche falcon arrow on ACH for 2. To the floor everyone goes; with ACH last out after hitting the running moonsault dive over the ropes! Hitstick attempt by Moose…ACH SOMERSAULTS OVER IT! INTO A SUPERKICK BY COLE! Western Lariat from Elgin to Moose! Bossman Slam on ACH…and as Moose scoops ACH up Elgin waistlocks the ex-NFL star for a GERMAN SUPLEX/FALLAWAY SLAM COMBO! Game Breaker on Mike gets 2! Cole dodges the same spot to give Moose a NECK DROP GERMAN SUPLEX! Moose gets right back up and dropkicks him off the top rope as he sets up Panama Sunrise. PANAMA SUNRISE ON ACH INSTEAD! Michael Elgin and Adam Cole, two great rivals, are left alone in the ring to trade blows with neither man giving an inch. Superkick no sold! Lariat! Buckle Bomb! ELGIN BOMB! HITSTICK from Moose to ACH! Double cover…so Elgin and Moose dive at each other simultaneously to break each other’s pinfalls! DEAD-LIFT POWERBOMB FROM ELGIN TO MOOSE! How is that possible! BARE KNEE WIZARD from Cole to Moose! ACH kicks Cole away! MIDNIGHT STAR ON MOOSE! ACH WINS! 13:21 is your time
Rating - **** - Again this was an extremely low-end 4* rating from me, but just like I enjoyed the improved quality of the story-telling over the rest of the show during Lethal/Stevie – here I felt this match needed to be rewarding as it’s the only time all night I’ve felt genuinely excited by the action I’m watching. You can quibble over whether you think ACH was the right winner or not, but I don’t think many would deny that these four meshed extremely well and were extremely entertaining as they went flat-out for the duration of the contest. Elgin and Moose (who has improved SO much by the way) were great in their power exchanges, I loved the call-backs to the Elgin/Cole rivalry, and ACH delivered wonderfully executed cameos as the smallest guy and the highest flier of the four.
Tape Rating - ** - Starting with the obvious, this was an improvement on the Reloaded California event. Not substantially better, and at two hours fifteen minutes way too short to justify screwing matches like Strong/Watanabe and Daniels/Hanson for time…but an improvement nevertheless. Nothing was as good as Elgin/Strong, but then again those two have had numerous better matches than last night, meaning if you really do feel compelled to get one of the shows from this weekend (and both are eminently skippable) then this is the one to get. Stevie Richards’ in-ring debut (ten years after we’d initially expected it) was better than most would have guessed, the main event was spot-filled mayhem and although filled with all of Delirious’ usual booking crutches (crap finishes, making heels look like morons etc) the undercard was mildly more tolerable. I’m not sure your money is that well spent with either of the shows from this weekend, but this DVD has a little more going for it than California.
Top 3 Matches
3) Roderick Strong vs Takaaki Watanabe (***)
2) Jay Lethal vs Stevie Richards (****)
1) ACH vs Moose vs Adam Cole vs Michael Elgin (****)
Top 5 Reloaded Tour California/Lockport Weekend Matches
5) Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs The Addiction (*** - California)
4) Roderick Strong vs Takaaki Watanabe (*** - Lockport)
3) Jay Lethal vs Stevie Richards (**** - Lockport)
2) ACH vs Moose vs Adam Cole vs Michael Elgin (**** - Lockport)
1) Michael Elgin vs Roderick Strong (**** - California)