Ring Of Honor - The Best Of ROH on HDNet - Volume 5
There are two major themes running through this DVD - the 5th instalment in the 'Best Of ROH on HDNet' series: all the initial matches from the Jim Cornette-created Pick 6 Contendership Series and ROH's tag team division. Not everything is solid gold on this DVD, but there are some great matches. As ever, all match reports/ratings are taken directly from my ROH on HDNet episodic reviews - meaning I've not sat down to watch this DVD so I don't know if there are any cuts/amendments/additional material to this. We're in Philadelphia, PA for all matches - with Dave Prazak and Mike Hogewood calling the action.
Kenny King vs Delirious – Pick 6 Series Match (Episode 038)
These were the first two names for the inaugural Pick 6 matches. Kenny has been on an amazing run on HDNet recently, winning matches, injuring legends and getting lots of promo time to further his own agenda. Delirious, who lost his last match thanks to interference from Sonjay Dutt, will be looking to rebound, scoop himself some cash and get himself back into contendership for the ROH Title.
Before the match we get highlights from Final Countdown Tour Boston which saw Dutt put Daizee Haze (who’s back tonight) on the shelf with the Camel Clutch. As they exchange early pleasantries Prazak recaps Delirious’ tour of NOAH where he defeated KENTA and took Jushin Liger to the limit. Apparently Liger will be in ROH next month which is a pretty huge thing to randomly announce on commentary! Armdrags from the lizard man force Kenny to bail for a team talk with Rhett Titus on the floor. Delirious and the ANX have an amusing, cartoon-style near-miss chase sequence around the ring, ending when Daizee Haze FLOORS Titus with a clothesline. Hog suggests Daizee, like all women, wants Delirious to win the $2500 so she can ‘go shopping’. Between his POW jokes a couple of weeks ago to his constant underlying racism/sexism I have no idea how Hog has a job on TV. Another chase sequences ends with Titus drawing Delirious into a clothesline from Kenny on the floor. Back inside Kenny gets 2 with a big spinebuster. He tries to work Delirious’ back, but struggles to cope with the unorthodox approach of his opponent. It’s Delirious that gets the next nearfall, dropping King with a swinging neckbreaker. Never Ending Story in the corner, followed by the Leaping Lariat from the top for another nearfall. Cobra Stretch blocked though, with King getting to the apron to hit a SPRINGBOARD BLOCKBUSTER. Panic Attack misses and King hits the SHOTGUN KNEES for 2. ‘Daizee Haze can smell that money going in her purse’ – Mike ‘PC’ Hogewood. Delirious fires back with a German suplex as the match starts to go back and forth at a frantic pace. Panic Attack scores but King hits a CORKSCREW ENZI TO COUNTER SHADOWS OVER HELL! Royal Flush gets 2. Delirious then counters the Coronation with a roll-up to take the win at 10:23
Rating - *** - I don’t know where this crowd came from but they can stay. They were red hot for this match, and really contributed to making it an engaging back and forth encounter. I’m already sensing that Jim Cornette is out to cut the number of pointless, short and meaningless matches going on the show and make each match mean a little more. The intensity in this one was dialled up a lot from a great many of the ROH on HDNet matches we’ve seen in 2009. Surprised to see Delirious go over here given how much Pearce has invested in building Kenny King up in recent weeks – but I suppose you couldn’t really play up the integrity of the Pick 6 if Aries’ protégé was in the first line-up refusing to challenge for the title…
Sonjay Dutt vs Tyler Black – Pick 6 Series Match (Episode 038)
Black has been off ROH TV since Aries lit a piece of paper into a fireball in his face. He made his return at the end of last week’s show to staredown the World Champion and is now gearing up for Final Battle 2009 when he gets his World Title shot. Of course, if he wins here, he’ll go into the Pick 6 Series which will mean that, even in defeat, he’ll remain in title contention for an immediate rematch.
Big ‘welcome back’ chants for Black, which is pretty generous considering he only really missed four DVD shows with his neck injury, and had already appeared in Collinsville and Indianapolis before this episode was taped. Sonjay isn’t too keen on locking up with Black, so Tyler pursues him out of the ring to deliver a series of chops. He hits the big stomp in the middle of the ring, and as the clock ticks past three minutes it’s been all Tyler thus far. Much of his offence is focused on the neck, targeting a dropkick to that area then felling Dutt again with a big neckbreaker for 2. He thinks about the Phoenix Splash, but takes too long climbing the ropes and allows Sonjay to cut him off with a Venus Strike. Turnbuckle gutbuster scores, then the Indian drives Black’s chest against the ring apron. Somersault senton across the stomach next as Dutt starts to hone in on that region. He makes it harder for Tyler to breathe by choking him in the ropes, then shuts down a comeback attempt by poking him in the eyes. Sleeper/Bodyscissors combo applied until Black runs forward then drops backwards Taz vs Bigelow style to break the hold. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA from Tyler as he starts to get his momentum going again. He follows with the Springboard Lariat for 2. Press slam into a Lionsault gets another nearfall. Dutt retaliates with a springboard dropkick. Standing Shiranui countered…Peroxism countered. Shiranui countered again, but then Dutt blocks the F-5 with a tornado DDT and FINALLY lands the standing Shiranui for 2. Sonjay goes upstairs but MISSES the Hindu Press and walks straight into the F-5. PHOENIX SPLASH MISSES TOO! Buckle Bomb countered…SUPERKICK ANYWAY! SUPERKICK DUEL! PELE KICK! BUCKLE BOMB! BOTH MEN DOWN! Tyler is up first to hit a mafia kick, then counters a roll-up to GOD’S LAST GIFT to seal the win at 16:12
Rating - *** - I can’t believe that Sonjay was phased out of ROH after this performance. If anything this should have led to him picking up a few more bookings in my opinion. Admittedly this wasn’t a show-stealing, must-see main event…and I’ll admit I got incredibly frustrated that they worked 10 minutes of solid body-part work before no-selling everything in favour of rapid fire spots at the end. However, those last five minutes were SO much fun. Some of the counter-wrestling on display was really first class and the live crowd were absolutely eating it up. It’s a big step down from some recent HDNet main events (Danielson/Strong, Aries/Richards/Omega/Strong etc) however, it was undeniably entertaining and ROH can’t be giving away ridiculously good matches on free TV every week or else nobody would bother buying their iPPV’s or DVD’s. One concern I have – why not book Rhett Titus here? This is the last HDNet show before Final Battle 2009, why not send him into his World Title match with a win over one of Aries’ lackies? Not saying it had to main event like this did, but Black/Rhett would have made more sense and done more to hype the ppv.
Claudio Castagnoli vs Colt Cabana – Pick 6 Series Match (Episode 039)
These two met on HDNet pretty recently I recall. They always have very pleasant, midcard-ish, European-style matches, but this is the main event of the show. Can they step up their style to meet the demands of a HDNet main event. As we saw at the start of the show, Claudio believes himself to be at the top of his game – one of the best in ROH right now. To legitimise those claims, he needs to get into the Pick 6 and earn himself a title match…and he needs to do that at the expense of a motivated Colt Cabana. He’s desperate to break the Chicago ‘curse’ and finally bring a championship back to his hometown. He failed to do it against Aries at Reverse The Curse earlier this month, so needs to get back into the Pick 6 in order to earn another shot.
Colt dodges the glove slap and steals it, pissing Castagnoli off so much he’s nearly able to pin him in the first five seconds of the match. As you’d expect, they go straight to the mat where Cabana looks to use his wisecracking to throw Claudio off his game. And for all his joking, he’s also extremely proficient at the British style, and Castagnoli has his work cut out just keeping up with him. For the majority of the opening five minutes it seems like Cabana is making all the running as they continue to trade holds. Frustrated, Claudio slaps him in the mouth then runs off, allowing Prince Nana to distract Cabana. The distraction ensures Double C is able to flatten his opponent with a European uppercut for 2. Bicycle Kick nailed for the same result as the European athlete finally starts to establish himself in the match. It’s his turn to have taken Cabana off his game now – with Colt attempting a needless springboard off the ropes and dropping straight into another uppercut which splits his lip open. Claudio goes for another Bicycle, but this time Colt blocks it and lands the quebrada press. MAJOR power from Castagnoli though, catching him going for a crossbody and delivering a big backbreaker instead. But Cabana’s whacky pinning combinations are enough to give him a flash victory at 09:40
Rating - ** - Solid back and forth match, but very underwhelming for a main event. Much as I said during my intro, these guys normally put on entertaining midcard matches with lots of European influence. This wasn’t much different…except there wasn’t as much comedy therefore it wasn’t as entertaining. The first 5-6 minutes were painfully slow, which isn’t really excusable when they’re only working less than 10 minutes total. Compare this to Cabana/McGuinness from a few weeks ago which DID have some comedy and logically progressed from one point to the next throughout the match, and you can see why I gave that one 3* and tonight only 2*.
Davey Richards vs Roderick Strong – Pick 6 Series Match (Episode 041)
First and foremost, the prize up for grabs here is a spot in the inaugural Pick 6 Standings, the $2500 prize money put up by HDNet, and the opportunity to get into contention for another World Title shot – a belt both men are chasing but are yet to win. However, the history between these two men definitely gives this match some extra spice. They were stable-mates in the No Remorse Corps – that is until Davey assaulted Roddy and turned on him to join Sweet’n’Sour Inc. That was 2008, and they had two terrific battles later that year (Battle Of The Best & The French Connection) trading a win each in doing so, with the rivalry continuing through to Caged Collision when Sweet’n’Sour Inc. were spectacularly defeated in a Steel Cage Warfare match. The simmering hatred between them has died down, but the rivalry remains intense and both men will be desperate to win this one.
Cagey start, which Prazak narrates by hyping Roderick Strong’s performance in the 2009 Survival Of The Fittest – once again good to see the DVD’s plugged on HDNet. Richards goes for his bridging kick but Strong has seen that spot plenty of times and knows to step aside and evade it. Terrific sequence of chain-wrestling and submission holds next, before they break for applause. They go to the floor and trade some brutal strikes – Strong ending up in the front row after taking a big boot to the mouth. Just as it looks like Davey is going to take control Strong comes back into things with a big chop. Richards is rattled, but recovers with an ELEVATED DDT TO THE FLOOR! Davey wants to win by count-out but his luck is out. He makes the rash decision to go for his Shooting Star Press and is punished with a jumping enzi kick to the jaw, followed by a big superplex out of the corner. Duelling strikes again, neither man backing down or getting a significant advantage. Death By Roderick blocked into machine gun kicks against the ropes and a handspring enzi for 2. And Davey has more counters too, evading the Half Nelson Backbreaker and hitting a crucifix pin instead. Back to stiffing each other again but neither man backs down. Richards hits a German suplex then goes to his Texas Cloverleaf…but since the match has been so even he’s not done enough damage to his opponent to pick up the win there. APRON BACKBREAKER gets Roderick a 2. Death By Roderick scores, only for Richards to BLOCK the Sick Kick into a Cradle Suplex. SICK KICK ANYWAY…2 again. Alarm Clock scores only for Strong to hit the Death By Roderick/Gibson Driver combo to win at 16:09
Rating - *** - Very solid match (if I gave half stars this would get an extra half) – with both guys doing a top job of bringing their fine 2008 clashes to a free TV environment. In reality I don’t think it was a patch on either of those previous bouts, and it felt very much toned down from those…but that’s not a bad thing when ROH are giving this away for free and could make money from selling the DVD’s instead. Roderick going over is a good thing as he continues to emerge from a career wasteland back into the ROH main event picture thanks to the departure of Danielson and Nigel. With Davey’s future still up in the air at this point it was only natural Pearce would put over a guy you can bank on being able to pick three months down the road – Roddy. They'd go on to have much better matches later in 2010 though...
Chris Hero vs Kenny Omega – Pick 6 Series Match (Episode 042)
I can remember a couple of previous encounters between these two men over the last year – with That Young Knock Out Kid coming out on top in both. He blasted through Omega in a fun little match on one of the early HDNet shows, then put him down again in the qualifying rounds of the Survival Of The Fittest tournament in Indianapolis. After coming so close to taking the belt at The Omega Effect, will the incentive of another chance to get his hands on Austin Aries be enough to inspire Kenny to a big win over Hero here.
Points for trying, but I can’t help but laugh at a HDNet graphic hyping Austin Aries vs ‘Justin’ Liger for LA. Omega is impressive from the outset, using his speed and athleticism to hang with his larger opponent as they trade holds. Of course, Chris isn’t just a solid technician, and he soon has Omega backed into the ropes with a big elbow smash. Omega cranks the pace up further by running the ropes into a lucha armdrag, then busts out an amazing Japanese armdrag variant too. Hero retreats only to tagged with a flying dropkick through the ropes. Frog Crossbody COUNTERED with an elbow smash for 2. Just like that the momentum changes and it’s the hard-hitting style of Hero that dominates proceedings. Kenny tries to hit one of his signature tumbling athletic moves, only for Hero to explode off the ropes into the FLASH KICK! More strikes from Hero, but this time Kenny manages to absorb them and floor Hero with the HADOUKEN! Frog Crossbody scores this time and gets him a nearfall. BACK DROP DRIVER BY HERO! Omega took that flush on top of his head, but Hero doesn’t even cover…instead dragging Omega up for a big elbow smash combo. Death Blow countered to a small package for 2, so Hero gets up and uses the ROARING ELBOW to send Omega spinning through the air. SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX gets Kenny a 2-count. Leapfrog Bulldog attempted, but once again it’s countered to allow Chris to land a big elbow smash – with such ferocity that Omega goes all the way to the floor. Hero goes for a rebound elbow off the guardrail…COUNTERED WITH THE STOP SIGN ENZIGURI! LEAPFROG BULLDOG ON A CHAIR! Omega then goes all the way up the aisle, getting the longest run up possible for A FLYING DOUBLE KNEE STRIKE! Back inside with Blue Destiny, but it’s still not enough to get Omega into the Pick 6. Croyt’s Wrath escaped into a Ripcord Elbow for 2. Hero has taken a beating here, and has no choice but to reach for the Golden Elbow. But he MISSES the Loaded Elbow smash, allowing Kenny to roll him up for the win at 15:11
Rating - **** - Slightly generous rating, but I thought this match was better and more entertaining than Richards/Strong from last week so went for a rating that showed that. These guys make for great opponents (which is why I remain surprised at how underwhelming their SOTF 2009 match was) with Hero’s brutal, no frills, grounded style making a great base for the athletics of Kenny Omega. The sequence on the floor around the steel chair was some of the best action we’ve seen in the entire HDNet run…I imagine the Stop Sign Enzi and mega-run up knee smash spots will be replayed in many a video package in the coming months.
Jay Briscoe vs Mark Briscoe – Pick 6 Series Match (Episode 043)
This is the last of the initial six Pick 6 Series Matches, and it’s probably the most eagerly anticipated. The Briscoes have been the standard bearers for ROH’s tag division for a long time, but both harbour World Title aspirations too. The three previous encounters between these three are stuff of legend. The brothers spent the first year of Ring Of Honor’s existence feuding with each other – with Mark winning his first ever ROH match against Jay at Honor Invades Boston, before going on to join Christopher Daniels’ villainous Prophecy stable later in the year. Personal circumstances brought them back together, with the final match to settle their rivalry taking place at the First Anniversary Show. That one end up so competitive that it needed a stunning ROLLING Jay Driller sequence for Jay to put his brother away. Then in 2007, after losing their ROH Tag Titles the previous evening, Jay and Mark fought again at Fifth Year Festival: Finale to ‘toughen each other up’…and ended up doing such a good job of that it went to a double TKO. Who gets the bragging rights, the cash and the Pick 6 spot?
Fiercely competitive mat exchange gets us started…and not the overly rehearsed chain-wrestling stuff from 2002. It’s just down and dirty grappling with each man fighting for superiority. Prazak and Hog raise an interesting point about whether either one will want to hurt the other and subsequently put the success of their new Tag Title reign in jeopardy. Mark lands a spinning heel kick but Jay pops up with a hurricanrana so it’s all even again. They trade chops next before Jay puts his boot into Mark’s face and gets the first nearfall. But Mark comes right back into it with an urinage suplex, then a vertical suplex for his own 2-count. Knowing his brother is bigger, Mark looks to trap him on the canvas and wear him down with a grounded headscissors. No dice on that and after a flurry of elbows Jay manages to drag Mark into the turnbuckles with a flatliner…then wipes him out with a somersault senton to the floor as his little brother tries to escape. Crossbody attempted too but Mark counters by dropkicking the ribs. Jay is winded now and Mark capitalises with a bodyscissors. Jay goes for his DVD, but Mark has weakened him enough to block it and he hoists him up for a fisherman buster. TUMBLEWEED SENTON TO THE FLOOR! SHOOT BOXING OUTSIDE THE RING! Unfortunately they get so preoccupied with fighting each other they forget about the match and it’s a double count-out at 10:40. But here Executive Producer Jim Cornette and he gives them the chance to restart if they want. Naturally they agree, and don’t waste any time in going at it with big strikes again. Mark takes it to the second rope…but it’s Jay who delivers his brother’s trademark second rope Ace Crusher for 2. Jay Driller blocked and Mark scores with a Busaiku Knee then a dragon suplex for 2. Cut-Throat Driver blocked now and Jay rolls his brother into a flash pin for 3 at 13:15
Rating - *** - I didn’t care for the over-booked false finish, and I felt like that sort of killed their momentum just as they’d started to get going. The actual finish was pretty weak too. However, this is free TV, and what they did was provide a terrific, condensed TV version of what we’re used to seeing when these two go at it. Dave Prazak spent a good portion of the match talking about the Liverpool match from 2007, so hopefully this fine TV match entertained the viewers, and did enough to convince them to drop some dollars at the ROH Store and pick up a DVD too – which is what ROH started branching out into TV to do, make more money. Of course, on a personal level I’d like to have seen them go longer, not have to work a goofy overbooked TV-style finish…and to be honest having seen Jay work singles for a good portion of last year, I think having Mark win would’ve been a little more interesting. HOWEVER, it’s hard to deny that these two pulled off a great match WITHIN the confines of the job they’d been given to do.
Kenny King vs El Generico – Pick 6 Series Match (Episode 044)
Of course contendership to the ROH World Title is important – particularly when you consider the fact that Kenny King isn’t likely to challenge for the belt whilst his mentor Austin Aries is champion – therefore locking up a Pick 6 spot and meaning one less potential challenger to A-Double. However, the issue here has to be whether Generico is even in a fit state to compete after having a month to sit and stew on Kevin Steen’s actions at Final Battle. DVD packaging incorrectly advises this as having taken place on Episode 043 - I can assure you it didn't.
Generico is subdued during his entrance, and things get worse for him when King attacks him from behind as the bell rings. Kenny continues to dominate the early exchanges as Dave Prazak does a good job of hyping his grudge match with Jerry Lynn in LA the following weekend. El Generico explodes into a life with a flurry of right hands and armdrags. Unable to handle that aggression, King argues with the ref to buy himself some time, then lands another cheapshot to put the luchador down again. He hurts Generico’s back with a fierce whip to the buckles, only for the angry masked man to fire up and hit a backbreaker of his own. But he foolishly hesitates as King calls for a time-out, allowing the Pitbull to hit a hotshot then a springboard legdrop for 2. More babyface fire from Generico, clotheslining Kenny to the floor then hitting a wild SOMERSAULT PLANCHA! King goes to the eyes then knees him into the guardrail though. THROUGH THE TURNBUCKLES TORNADO DDT ON THE FLOOR! Generico gets 2 with a Michinoku Driver as the confidence starts to flow through him again…until King hits a terrific jumping heel kick as he looks to deliver the Yakuza Kick. Flying crossbody COUNTERED TO THE ROYAL FLUSH FOR 2! But King tries a back flip out of the corner and pays for his cockiness with the YAKUZA KICK! Rope run tornado DDT from Generico, but he hit a similar move earlier in the match and this time King is able to counter with a northern lights suplex to the turnbuckles. Generico makes another mistake going for the Yakuza Kick again, and Kenny capitalises with the CORONATION to score the win at 12:32
Rating - *** - This was a little gem of a match (I’m talking ***1/2 level) with some AMAZING character development from El Generico providing an unexpected amount of depth to this match. Kenny played the unsympathetic jerk role to perfection, and was the perfect sounding board for the emo Generico character confusion we saw in this match. He was aggressive but unfocused. He made mistakes, he got distracted…and in the end it cost him victory as he made one error too many and missed out on a chance to get into the Pick 6. El Generico has always been a fantastic babyface, but adding this new character-driven aspect to his matches just makes him an even more interesting member of the ROH roster right now.
Roderick Strong vs Tyler Black – Pick 6 Series Match (Episode 045)
These two had three terrific matches on DVD shows last year so it’s only natural they’d bring their rivalry to HDNet eventually. Tyler controversially defeated Strong to win Survival Of The Fittest. Then they went to a 20-minute draw…before Roddy scored a return win an underrated match at Eye Of The Storm 2 on the eve of Final Battle. Such was the nature of the fierce combat between them that both have built a level of mutual respect for the other – which led to Black asking Strong to be his judge at the 8th Anniversary Show, in exchange for a guaranteed title match if he wins. Roddy wants to make sure he’s undoubtedly the first in line for Tyler if he wins in New York by beating him here tonight, and Black is giving him the opportunity to do so to prove he’s a man of his word and to buy his impartiality as a judge for his title match.
The start is super even with lots of countering and near-miss sequences. Austin Aries comes out with popcorn and wine to scout his opponent. His entrance distracts the two wrestlers, but they quickly get back to it by laying in a flurry of nasty chops to each other’s chests. Tyler stomps Strong down in the corner as an unimpressed World Champion starts throwing popcorn at them. Black blocks the slingshot falcon arrow only to be back dropped out of the ring…right in front of Aries who pelts him with more popcorn. SUPERKICK TO ARIES! That was hilarious, but he distraction allows Roderick to hang Tyler into the ropes for an elevated backbreaker. He zones in on the back now, wrenching it with a camel clutch after another backbreaker in the centre of the ring. Kondo Clutch in the ropes follows next, doing more damage even though it’s an illegal hold. Tyler tries to return fire with that slingshot rolling heel kick he does, only for Roddy to effortlessly counter with another improvised backbreaker for 2. Pele Kick from Black…and now both men are down. Roderick is sent to the floor, but he lies in wait to lay in another chop. GUARDRAIL MOONSAULT BY TYLER! That hurts his back and he takes too long setting up for the Springboard Lariat…QUEBRADA PEROXISM INSTEAD! Black is on a roll, so Strong starts attacking the back again to shut him down – getting another nearfall with cradle backbreaker. He punts Tyler in the head then drops him all the way from the top rope with a superplex. Stronghold countered…and Black floors Strong with the kick from the mat he does in every match. Sick Kick COUNTERED to the F-5 for 2. Black thinks about a quebrada…but slips off the ropes, which looks pretty stupid but is actually in keeping with a match where he’s had his back attacked for most of it. TREE OF WOE DOUBLE STOMP BY TYLER! BUCKLE BOMB GETS 2! Austin Aries is back and is angrily trying to get into the ring…only for Black to throw Strong at him and knock him into a pile of referees on the floor. Strong is bloodied after knocking heads with Aries there…and Black finishes him with the Superkick at 15:57
Rating - **** - Another in the growing catalogue of really good Tyler/Roderick matches in recent months. Of course this was a lot more storyline-driven than their previous matches, but I’ve no issue with that since this is on TV, and it’s great to see HDNet actually booked with a purpose and desire to build to add ticket and DVD sales to ROH’s live events. The finish wasn’t the strongest, but the match that came before it was a lot of fun. I’m sure people will point to the obvious botch as a reason I should have knocked my rating down lower – but in truth I thought the messed up quebrada spot probably added more to the match and forced Tyler to sell the back far more than I’m guessing he’d intended to do so had he connected with that spot.
Young Bucks vs American Wolves (Episode 046)
Since these were the Jacksons’ last HDNet appearances, ROH asked the fans to vote for who they wanted to see them face. They voted for a rematch of the awesome ROH Tag Title Match we saw in November between these two teams. Of course, the Wolves have since lost the belts, but the Bucks would still love a return win on their way to TNA. Given that Eddie made Nick tap to the Achilles Lock in Los Angeles last week at SoCal Showdown, the Wolves are coming into this with all the momentum and confidence on their side.
The Briscoes come out and offer the winners of this match a Tag Title shot. Straight up, no gimmicks. This is now for #1 Contendership to the Briscoes’ championship belts. Richards starts with Matt, wrestling him to the ground and hammering him with forearm smashes. It’s obvious his strategy is to ground the high-flying, rapid tagging antics of his opponent. But he makes the mistake of letting Matt up, and in a flash he’s hit a satellite headscissors and made a tag to Nick. He delivers a flurry of dropkicks to Edwards, luring him into the Bucks corner for a slingshot leg drop from his waiting brother Matt. The fluent teamwork of the Jacksons sees them earn the advantage at the five minute mark. But Matt foolishly starts trying work armbars and headlocks with the superior mat wrestlers, and is promptly BLASTED off the apron by Davey…which hands the initiative right back to the Wolves. Richards then sprints into a BRUTAL kick to Nick’s chest. He then tosses him to the floor to Eddie who delivers a big body slam on the floor…and my DVD cuts out again. For f*cks sake. In think the dude I got these from has tried to shoehorn 3 episodes onto each disc and they’re not quite long enough, so I’m going to have this problem every third episode. Luckily this match is on the Best Of HDNet Volume 5 compilation which I own so I’ll continue my review from there. Back to the match with Nick courageously countering the Handspring Enzi from Davey with a MID-AIR DROPKICK TO THE BACK! JUMPING CODEBREAKER by Edwards, into the Tombstone Piledriver from Richards for 2. Nick saves his brother from the DR Driver only to take a hard spill to the floor himself as punishment.
Once again the brutality of the Wolves has trumped the dynamism of the Bucks, and as Davey puts the boots to Nick on the floor, Eddie is really working Matt over in the middle of the ring. ALARM CLOCK out of the corner gets 2. On the floor Nick snaps and hits Davey with a suplex, but before he can make a tag Edwards dives across to sweep him off the apron again. Finally he does get into the ring with the slingshot facebuster…then hits the ROLLING MOONSAULT OFF THE APRON fractions of a second later. Nick is legally tagged now and he takes it to both Wolves. The former champions line up the double Alarm Clock but MATT SAVES WITH A SPEAR ON DAVEY! SPRINGBOARD SPLASH/STANDING MOONSAULT COMBO FOR 2! Eddie is back, kicking Nick in the face then dragon screwing Matt’s leg against the ropes…only for Matt to fire back with the Tumbleweed Cutter. Davey pelts him with a missile dropkick as the match goes back and forth at an electrifying pace now. Matt hits a neckbreaker on Edwards then a reverse rana on an unsuspecting Richards. More Bang For Your Buck misses…ROPE RUN GERMAN SUPERPLEX BY DAVEY! POWERBOMB LUNGBLOWER GETS 2! ACHILLES LOCK ON MATT! TEXAS CLOVERLEAF ON NICK! This is how they lost last time…BUT THE BUCKS FIGHT FREE WITH STEREO SMALL PACKAGES FOR 2! DOUBLE ALARM CLOCK! SUPERKICK GERMAN MISSES! SUPERKICK COMBO ON RICHARDS…BUT HE KICKS OUT! MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! EDWARDS BREAKS THE PIN! SOMERSAULT PLANCHA ON HIM! Matt eats a kick in the head…BUT COUNTERS THE DR DRIVER TO A ROLL-UP! IT’S OVER! BUCKS WIN AT 20:59
Rating - **** - Not quite the MOTYC I’d seen some build it up as. For my personal taste I’d rather have seen the MBFYB finish it and found the roll-up finish highly anticlimactic after what was another superb encounter between these two teams. That said, I thought the match did a great job of playing up the hard hitting technicians vs high-flying acrobats dynamic of the two teams, and the super-generous time allowance really let them explore that theme in depth…meaning the last five minutes of utter carnage, when they came, were absolutely spectacular. Best ROH match of 2009 up to this point…
Tyler Black/Roderick Strong vs Austin Aries/Kenny King (Episode 049)
This is the first time these individuals have been in the ring together since the 8th Anniversary Show. Black famously won the belt from Austin Aries in a wild climactic sequence – which even saw him superkick his own partner tonight in Roderick Strong. Roddy was quick to disrupt Tyler’s victory celebrations to demand the title shot Tyler had promised him in exchange for being his judge in that match. However, as former champion, Aries also has claim to the next title shot…as does his partner Kenny King who I believe remains in the Pick 6 standings at this time. Essentially, although he might want a shot at Black, it’s in his best interests to help him fight A-Double and K-Double tonight so he can guarantee his place at the front of the queue.
Aries petulantly demands that Kenny start the match for their team which is pretty amusing. King takes a bit of a beating from Strong and looks for a tag…only to be met with a motivational speech from A-Double then sent back into battle. Tyler tags in and kicks King in the spine, so Austin pulls his protégé out of the ring for another pep talk. Finally King gets an advantage by wrenching Strong’s arm…and this time the former champion does accept a tag. Roderick lands one chop and Austin immediately tags Kenny back in though. The heels start double teaming Strong in their corner, bringing Black over to make a save…but in the ensuing melee Aries lands another cheapshot on his former Generation Next stablemate and gives his team the advantage again. He dives off the top with the Macho Axehandle then, of course, makes sure Kenny King is once again the legal man in the ring and doing the work. Finally Roddy manages to kick through both his opponents and makes the hot tag to Black. Flatliner/Peroxism combo on both of them…then the F-5 on King for 2. Quebrada misses, Black Star Press doesn’t, meaning Austin has to save his partner from defeat. Black responds to that by diving over the ropes into a SOMERSAULT PLANCHA to Aries in the floor. SICK KICK from Strong to Kenny. Tyler re-enters and tries to level King with the Superkick as well…HE HITS STRONG! King opportunistically pins Roderick, and with Aries dragging Black away, Kenny gets the win at 12:19
Rating - *** - This wasn’t a ‘must-see’ HDNet main event by any stretch of the imagination, but it did a good job advancing the World Title storyline going into Tyler Black’s reign so to that end, you’d call this match a success. Aries making King do all the work was SO funny and the Black/Strong misfire finish, although predictable, had to happen as we start building towards a potential Tyler/Roddy World Title Match. Roderick has emerged as a genuine World Title threat again, and if ROH wants fans to take him seriously as a credible challenger, he absolutely HAD to sever any potential links to Black and any stigma of being Tyler’s ‘sidekick’. DCFC/Wolves from earlier in this episode was a better match though…
Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs Young Bucks – ROH Tag Title Match (Episode 048)
It seems VERY early in the show to get to the main event, so either this a short episode or this match has been given a very decent time allowance. The Briscoes currently lead the Bucks 2-1 in victories – but that one victory for the Jacksons probably came at the biggest show as they scored an upset win over the 6-Time Tag Champions at Glory By Honor 8 last September. That’s a win the Briscoes have been looking to avenge.
Mark and Matt start, with Briscoe wisely trying to keep the quicker, smaller man down on the canvas. In the end they come up even and make simultaneous tags to their brothers to continue the battle. Nick gets the edge over Jay by flying around the ring and quickening the pace…but tags Matt back only for Jay to use his size advantage and muscle Jackson down against the turnbuckle in a flatliner. Flipping neckbreaker/backbreaker combo gets the Young Bucks a 2-count. Nick then gets DRILLED into the canvas with a vicious spinebuster whilst Mark hauls his brother out of the ring to introduce him to some guardrail. That opens up an injury and gives the champions an opportunity to isolate Nick from his brother. Briscoe Biel does damage to the midsection, with Jay immediately making it worse with a big double stomp. Mark then drops all his weight across Nick’s chest with a second rope senton splash. Of course Nick does eventually make the hot tag, bringing Matt in for a somersault headscissors on Jay. Nick dropkick’s Mark off the apron then joins his brother for an inverted DDT/double stomp combo for 2. Leapfrog Dropkick COUNTERED with a lariat by Jay, absolutely clobbering Jackson with that. Mark drops Matt with the urinage suplex…THEN SOMERSAULTS OVER THE TURNBUCKLES INTO A PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR! In the ring Jay gets a nearfall after a DVD on Nick. Mark lines up the Ace Crusher out of the corner…COUNTERED WITH A POWERBOMB BY MATT! That was flogging awesome, and it allows Nick to make a second crucial tag to his brother in a matter of minutes. Mark catches Matt with a Venus Strike, into an Iconoclasm for 2. Duelling ‘Young Bucks/Briscoes’ chants from the hot crowd as the two teams engage in a SUPERKICK DUEL! BOTH TEAMS DOWN! Matt blocks Mark’s Cut-Throat Driver…MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK GETS KNEES! AVALANCHE SPLASH MOUNTAIN NECKBREAKER! Nick makes a last second save there. Spike Jay Driller countered to one of Matt’s flash pins (they’ve pinned DCFC before) for 2. DOOMSDAY DEVICE! Briscoes retain the belts at 15:50
Rating - **** - Not a whole lot of plot, psychology or selling going on there so I imagine there’s a purist element who won’t like this – but for contemporary, fast-paced, spot-filled, totally manic tag team wrestling this really delivered. I’m not quite sure this had the storyline of their FCT Dayton match (which remains my favourite Briscoes/Bucks match – totally underrated), in terms of doing a balls to the wall, unrelenting spotfest – this was still their best effort. Truthfully the Jacksons don’t have the chemistry with Jay and Mark that they have with the Wolves, or they had with Steen-erico…but this was a fine match for them to end their full-time gig with ROH on. They’ll be back later in the year, but for now leave, head for Orlando and will shortly be transformed into GenerationMe in TNA.
Tape Rating - **** - As ever, these Best Of HDNet compilation DVD's are fantastic value. In my opinion this could well be the best one yet - and if not the best, it's certainly one of the most consistent. There's not a bad match on the whole DVD, and there are some absolutely corking matches here. Wolves/Bucks 2 is sensational - and the follow up Briscoes/Bucks Tag Title Match is well worth watching too. And whilst matches like Strong/Richards from Episode 41 and Briscoe/Briscoe from Episode 43 aren't perhaps as good as you might expect - there are matches like Omega/Hero, Black/Strong and Black/Dutt which really exceeded my expectations. Honestly if you're an ROH fan that didn't get to see the TV show all of these Best Of HDNet DVD's are essential purchases - but this one particularly stands out.
Top 3 Matches
3) Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs Young Bucks (**** - Episode 048)
2) Tyler Black vs Roderick Strong (**** - Episode 045)
1) Young Bucks vs American Wolves (**** - Episode 046)