ROH on Sinclair – Episode 030 – 14th April 2012
Despite needing to promote two big shows in the Midwest at the end of the month, fresh content on ROH’s Sinclair TV show now takes a hiatus as we prepare for two weeks of Road Rage. I will discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of ROH making Road Rage episodes out of shows already broadcast on ippv later in the year, so lets not get too hung up on the fact that tonight we will be seeing material taped at Day 1 of Showdown In the Sun weekend. As usual, I’ll just be copying and pasting my match reviews from the actual DVD onto this – so I won’t be making mention of any edits. The show took place in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are on commentary
Nigel and Kevin have taped a special intro live in the arena for the TV show. We also get SBG-exclusive comments from Mike Bennett going into his match with Lance Storm…
Mike Bennett vs Lance Storm
This is one of the marquee matches on tonight’s card. It’s a huge coup for ROH to entice Lance out of his retirement on such a huge weekend. So when he was paired with Bennett, who is almost universally despised by the Ring Of Honor fanbase, there was outrage. He’s coming in as he’s watched The Prodigy on television and thinks he’s arrogant, disrespectful and doesn’t show the same heart and dedication that the rest of the ROH roster demonstrates week in and week out. For Bennett, this is a career-defining match. He’s been on the roster since late-2010 and is still waiting for that breakout moment. I like him, and have defended him in my reviews, on message boards, in emails etc. But, even considering he is stylistically supposed to be the antithesis of what an ROH competitor should be, he has sat back and watched the rest of the guys who came onto the roster with him (the likes of Elgin, Cole and O’Reilly) start delivering 4* plus performances and breaking the glass ceiling. Prodigy is yet to deliver that defining match, and as such has been stuck in the midcard, crapped out on his promise to win a title in 2011 and has never won a ‘big match’. It’s make or break time…
Bennett tries to brush Lance off with a disrespectful handshake, which Storm doesn’t like one bit. He puts Bennett in his place by easily outwrestling him…and forcing The Prodigy to straight up run away. In a twist, Nigel reveals that Lance had a hand in training Maria Kanellis in OVW. It’s completely one-sided with Storm effortlessly picking apart Mike’s arm. Each time Bennett escapes Storm has absolutely no trouble tying him up in another stretch. Even picking up the pace doesn’t work for Bennett as Storm simply springs off the canvas to get amazing height on a vertical dropkick. How about brawling on the floor? No, that doesn’t work either. Storm is a former ECW guy remember! In the end Prodigy grabs the referee and throws him at Lance, then capitalises on the distraction to hit a swinging neckbreaker. Bennett starts winding Storm – drilling the spine into the side of the ring repeatedly. By the way, the crowd are sh*tting on this match even though the opening six or seven minutes have been excellent. Bennett make a point by delivering an even more impressive dropkick and starts to try tiring the older man out by riding him with a chinlock. McGuinness points out how hard Storm is breathing whilst Bennett is still going strong…as proven when he repeatedly stomps on the ribcage. The Canadian fights back, although he’s not moving anywhere near as quickly as he was earlier in the contest. SPRINGBOARD CLOTHESLINE ANYWAY! Bennett blocks the following superkick and drives the wind from his lungs again with a spinebuster for 2. Box Office Smash nailed, but again Lance finds a way to kick out! Like a jerk Bennett teases the Half Crab…so Storm DROPS him with the superkick! Half Crab COUNTERED with a spear from Bennett! Storm plays possum, acting like he doesn’t have much left…then pounces with a dragon screw. HALF CRAB! The fans are begging Bennett to tap but he inches to the ropes right in front of a deeply concerned Maria! Was that Lance’s last effort though? He sluggishly clambers up the turnbuckles and doesn’t see Maria holding Bennett’s leg down as he tries a superplex. AVALANCHE BOX OFFICE SMASH NAILED! STORM KICKS OUT! The Prodigy is in disbelief and screams at Lance to die! STORM SLAPS HIM IN THE FACE! TKO! Finally Bennett beats the legendary Lance Storm. 16:18 was your time
Rating - **** - F*ck it. Most reviews I’ve read have only gone ***1/2 on this, and I can understand why. But I’ve been a fan and defender of Mike Bennett since he came into ROH and seeing him produce a great match on a big stage with Lance Storm was really pleasing. I’ll tell you why I was extra generous and went to 4* on this – because even if the wrestling wasn’t necessarily amazing, the story they were telling was absolutely superb. This was completely the right story for this match, with Lance making Bennett look like a little b*tch, Bennett cheating to get the advantage then looking to work his obvious advantage in stamina over his 43 year old opponent. I’ve also seen it written in most reviews that the avalanche Box Office Smash should have ended the mach…but I disagree on that. The pop Lance got for kicking out was awesome. That was money…and the pay-off for the entire match came in those next few moments as an exhausted Storm defiantly didn’t want to lose, and the disbelieving, previously arrogant Bennett had to literally beg Storm to let him win. That moment where Lance kicked out then slapped Bennett in the face was fantastic. I said at the start of this one it was make or break for Bennett – and time for him to deliver a big performance in a big match. Even the fiercest of critics must agree this was the outstanding performance of his ROH tenure thus far.
Post-match Lance Storm cuts a promo for the TV show. He calls Bennett an ‘ignorant prick’ and challenges The Prodigy to a rematch…and this time it’s personal.
Next we see highlights of the exciting Briscoes vs TMDK bout that opened the ppv.
NEXT WEEK – Highlights of Showdown In The Sun: Day 2
INSIDE ROH – Kevin Kelly shows more highlights and footage from Day 1 of the Florida double header, including lots of clips of the Richards/Edwards/Strong main event. Jim Cornette discusses his uncertainty about booking Richards vs Steen at Border Wars…but backs Davey to get the job done in Toronto. Strong vs Fit Finlay, Edwards vs Rhino and Briscoes vs WGTT round 56 are also booked.
Kevin Steen vs El Generico – Last Man Standing Match
Showdown In The Sun marks the first time we’ve seen Generico since Final Battle 2011. That night he saved Jim Cornette from Kevin Steen…only for Steen to put him on the injured list with a Package Piledriver through a table. Everyone knows the history between these two – former tag partners, former ROH Tag Champions that then spent 2010 embroiled in a vicious blood feud after Steen turned his back on the Generic Luchador at Final Battle 2009. Their Fight Without Honor a year later in the Hammerstein remains one of ROH’s best ever matches. El Generico won that one, and is coming for revenge again tonight…
YAKUZA KICK FROM GENERICO! TURNBUCKLE EXPLOIDAAAAA! SOMERSAULT PLANCHA! Steen, who came out attacking pictures of Cornette and screaming at the crowd, just didn’t see that coming! He tries to strangle Generico with a Canadian flag but that barely keeps the luchador at bay before he slams him into the guardrails and pulls out a turnbuckle wrench and spare set of ring ropes from under the ring! Steen’s nose is already bleeding and he’s yet to get a foothold in the match at all. MOUNTED HISPANIC PUNCHES! It’s not the usual ten so the crowd can count along in Spanish, Generico has to be pulled off as he beats the sh*t out of his former partner. He tries a slingshot only for Steen to COUNTER with a mid-air Ace Crusher. He follows up with a steel chair to the back and quickly begs Generico to get up so he can do it again. CHAIR-ENFORCED CODEBREAKER! SOMERSAULT LEG DROP ON THE CHAIR TOO!
Generico has been knocked loopy, and as he goes for the rope run tornado DDT he finds it countered with a mid-air backbreaker! CANNONBALL SENTON WITH A CHAIR! Steen and Generico are, by some distance, the most over guys on the ROH roster tonight – this crowd just haven’t sat down. To the floor again – for a horrific POWERBOMB INTO THE APRON! Steen starts swatting fans away as they try to help him back to his feet – that’s the level of connection these guys have with the crowd! YAKUZA KICKS FROM GENERICO! Steen retreats up onto the stage and into the crowd to get some distance! MICHINOKU DRIVER ON THE STAGE! Had Steen not fallen off the stage there’s no way he’d have been able to get back to his feet! GENERICO DIVES OVER THE ANNOUNCE TABLE INTO A FREAKING SOMERSAULT PLANCHA OFF THE STAGE! And he’s not done! HE WALKS THE GUARDRAIL INTO A TORNADO DDT ON THE FLOOR! He thinks he’s won it and looks shocked when Mr Wrestling drags himself back up. He thinks about a Brainbuster through a table but it takes too long to set it up! STEEN WITH A SOMERSAULT PESCADO THROUGH THE TABLE! Generico barely avoids defeat…but recovers quickly to hit a NECK DROP HALF NELSON SUPLEX THROUGH OPEN CHAIRS!
This match is absolutely nuts! These guys are trying to kill each other! CRADLEBREAKER THROUGH A CHAIR BY STEEN! Steen climbs to the top rope looking to finish it off…SO GENERICO HITS HIM WITH A YAKUZA KICK! He falls through the timekeeping table as we approach 20 minutes of non-stop insanity! The crowd aren’t even cheering for anyone now, simply chanting ‘YES’ in delight that the match is continuing. HALF NELSON SUPLEX! NO SOLD! BRAINBUSTER COUNTERED! F-5…COUNTERED TO THE BRAINBUSTER! Both men are down, but slowly they struggle back to their feet and grab a chair! CHAIR DUEL! Generico drops to his knees, and we’re at Final Battle 2009 all over again! Before Steen can nail Generico with the chair Jimmy Jacobs sprints out and begs him not to. HEAD DROP HALF NELSON SUPLEX ON A CHAIR! Jimmy hands Generico a chair to finish the job…THEN SPIKES GENERICO IN THE FACE! HE’S EVIL! A portion of the crowd chant ‘welcome back Jimmy’ which is just awesome. Steen watches in delight as Jimmy SMASHES HIM IN THE FACE WITH A CHAIR! The slow count begins…and Generico is counted out at 23:24
Rating - ****1/2 - Steen and Generico now present a major dilemma to promoters across the independents. On the one hand, they are absolutely spectacular together and deliver guaranteed box office. But, on the other hand, the jaw-dropping quality of their feud ending matches in both PWG and ROH means that they set an insanely high bar for themselves. They could easily have gone out there, thrown in a few chair shots and table spots and sent the crowd home happy. But, with the legacy of their stunning Fight Without Honor to live up to, they went out and did their best to deliver the best match of the entire weekend. I’ve never seen a hardcore ‘stunt show’ match like this wrestled at such a crazy pace. Normally you get the sick spots, and a rest period in between whilst the two men catch their breath. Not tonight, as these two just tore each other apart from the first bell with a hatred so intense that they just kept getting up and trying to do more damage to their opponent. Of course, it wasn’t as good as Final Battle 2011, and the Jimmy Jacobs ending did damage it a little (albeit the Jacobs turn is awesome too). But this was absolutely worth the price of the DVD…and in a slow year for ROH will surely still be up there with the best of 2012 come year end.
Tape Rating - N/A - Like I said, I’ll go into more detail on my opinion about ROH putting ppv content on free television later in the year. To some extent, it makes sense to put Showdown In The Sun highlights on TV…purely to hook in any casual fans who may have attended their first live show in Florida and want to see it back then learn more about the ROH product. Showdown In The Sun Day 1 was a great show. I’m not sure giving away all of the Bennett/Storm match and most of Steen/Generico for free was particularly smart on your DVD sales, but it made for a terrific hour of TV for those same casual fans. Hot crowd (particularly for the Last Man Standing Match), great wrestling and a fast paced broadcast definitely made this easy to sit through. I liked that there was some effort to progress storylines and provide SOME new content with bonus promos and the Border Wars focus.