ROH on Sinclair – Episode 040 – 23rd June 2012
Best In The World is tomorrow, so ROH has one last show to score some additional ppv buys. By this point we’re all used to the ROH TV machine shilling their internet pay-per-view events, and it’s something that they are actually very good at. However, I’m also expecting a decent go-home show in it’s own right as both scheduled matches for the episode are intriguing. Bob Evans has his first ROH match in some time as he faces Eddie Edwards at the behest of his protégé Mike Bennett. Whilst the main event gives Davey Richards and Kevin Steen a chance to soften each other up before heading to New York for their title showdown as Team Ambition take on the World Champion and the Zombie Princess in the main event. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness to call the action from Baltimore, MD.
Bob Evans vs Eddie Edwards
Not that you’d expect Kevin Kelly to know, as he isn’t that good at his job, but this definitely isn’t the first time Brutal Bob has wrestled in ROH (as Kelly declares) as he comes to the ring. It is, however, his ROH on Sinclair in-ring debut and the first time he’s wrestled in an ROH ring for a long time. Rumours had been circulating that Bob was a little tired of his increasingly marginalised role as Bennett’s trainer (particularly since Maria has come to ROH) and was looking to start wrestling again. It’s a big jump to put him straight into the ring with a former World Champion though.
Naturally Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis accompany Bob to the ring. He tries to get the jump on Die Hard, but Eddie sees him coming and lands a flurry of chops. They spill to the floor where Edwards flings the trainer into guardrails and chases him around ringside with big boots and chops. Mike Bennett ends up distracting the former champion to enable his trainer to nail a running tackle. Despite having a bruised and bloody chest from all those chops, he shows impressive physicality as he beats Edwards on the canvas then drags him up with a dead lift body slam for 2. Machine Gun chops from Eddie, into a hurricanrana and a missile dropkick for 2. MOONSAULT OFF THE APRON! Edwards legitimately nearly killed both of them with that! Achilles Lock applied…but Bennett hops on the apron for a distraction. Edwards wins with a backslide at 05:26
Rating - ** - Enjoyable way to get the show started. Obviously Bob Evans isn’t TJ Perkins in there, but he hits hard and works a style well-suited to his gimmick and it meshed with Eddie Edwards to create an entertaining match. The crowd were definitely into it, and I think noticeably surprised and impressed with how Bob hung in there with the former World Champion. I’m not interested in seeing Brutal Bob work full time, but it certainly adds an interesting dynamic to the Prodigy and his supporting cast if Evans can get in the ring and throwdown every now and again. I really would like to know why Eddie hasn’t won a match with any of his finishers in months. It’s obviously a conscious decision to keep having him win with roll-ups and flash pins. Why not at least put the guy over as the master of the quick pinfall (remember how well Danielson did with the ‘Mr Small Package’ thing)?
Predictably Bennett and Evans launch into another two-on-one beatdown. Eddie is saved by the surprise return to TV of the Notorious 187 – Homicide. He gets a big pop, and gets a cautious handshake from the man he faces tomorrow night at Best In The World in Edwards. Wait…kick to the stomach. COP KILLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Eddie is unconscious!!!
They air a video package showing the history between The Embassy Ltd and the House Of Truth, the increasingly strained relationships with Tommaso Ciampa and Roderick Strong…with occasional comments from Jay Lethal as he’s stuck in the middle of everything and the third wheel in the TV Title three-way at Best In The World.
Jay Lethal vs Chris Silvio
This is little more than a warm-up for Lethal as he prepares to challenge for the TV Title tomorrow, but it won’t be easy as Silvio’s stock has been growing in ROH over the last few weeks. His pairing with Paredyse in Totally Awesome has led to a decent match at The Battle Of Richmond and a clash with the Briscoes at The Nightmare Begins. He’s on the cusp of becoming a fixture on the roster, and a win over the former TV Champion would probably secure his spot.
Silvio is smaller than Lethal, and he tries to leapfrog, duck and do whatever he can to stay out of his clutches. Eventually Jay catches him with a springboard dropkick which sends him to the floor. Nana and RD Evans are in the aisle watching, and they see Silvio rattle Lethal’s skull against the ringpost to bring himself back into the contest. Diving axehandle from the apron scores next, again clattering into Jay’s head and scrambling his brains. Truth Martini joins Nana and Evans in scouting Lethal, and the three share smiles and knowing looks as Silvio scales the ropes to land a flying leg drop. As Lethal begins a comeback the bizarre sideshow in the entrance continues as Tommaso Ciampa arrives, wearing a Jay Lethal shirt, and angrily berating his management team for their collusion with Martini. Jay seems remarkably focused as he hits the Lethal Injection to win at 06:34
Rating - ** - This was fine, although the distraction of all the guys at ringside was probably a lot more interesting than what Lethal and Silvio were doing in the ring. Jay has been really consistent in 2012, and is really just finishing up his TV Title obligations before pushing on towards the main event scene in the second half of the year. I’m just not sold on Silvio as a singles guy as yet. I love his gimmick and look, but every time I’ve seen him in singles action he’s seemed bland and uninteresting. Solid, as all the guys coming from OVW are, but just totally unremarkable.
Outside the ring Ciampa shoves Truth over, which brings Roderick Strong out to start brawling. Of course, Lethal gets involved as well with crazy scenes ensuing as we cut to commercials.
INSIDE ROH – As we’re on the eve of the ppv, there’s very little additional content other than Kevin Kelly profiling various matches at Best In The World tomorrow. The only real development is that Jim Cornette authorises the Anything Goes stipulations (plus the Package Piledriver) for the main event.
In the SCUM locker room Kevin Steen pats himself on the back for getting ‘Hostage Crisis’ added to the title of the ppv. He also wants to defend the World Title more often (since Davey didn’t) and gloats that he keeps winning no matter what stipulation or situation Cornette puts him in.
Team Ambition still don’t seem like they’re on the same page. Davey interrupts Kyle, shoves him and slaps him in the face to fire him up, shut his mouth and get his mind on the main event.
Kevin Steen/Jimmy Jacobs vs Davey Richards/Kyle O’Reilly
We are less than 24 hours from Best In The World, where Kevin Steen will defend the World Title against Davey Richards under Anything Goes rules. This represents an opportunity for both men, flanked by their respective lackeys, to do some real damage ahead of that contest. These two teams were scheduled to do battle in Richmond, but a concussion for Steen ruled him out of action. Now we have the rescheduled encounter on TV and it’s our main event of the evening.
Bobby Cruise barely gets through his introductions before the fight gets underway. Initially it seems like Team Ambition are the aggressors, but as Jimmy rams O’Reilly into the ringpost it seems like the tables begin to turn. Steen sets up the Apron Bomb…only for Davey to save with the running punt then drill Jacobs with the tope suicida. MISSILE DROPKICK TO THE FLOOR FROM O’REILLY! Richards puts Steen in the Anklelock…so it’s amazing that moments later Steen has rolled out of the ring to POWERBOMB KYLE INTO THE APRON! Back from commercials with Jacobs continuing to press home that advantage on Kyle with a neckbreaker then repeated double stomps to the chest. SCUM are isolating O’Reilly as Richards lies prone on the outside struggling to catch his breath. At last Davey does get a tag and he makes a beeline for Steen again – pummelling him in the corner with kicks. German suplex…STEEN NO SELLS! ANKLELOCK! JACOBS SAVES WITH END TIME! O’Reilly saves his mentor and the fight spills out of the ring again. STEEN WITH A SOMERSAULT PLANCHA! What the hell…DAVEY WITH AN EXPLODER ON THE APRON! Jimmy stops him climbing for a double stomp…and somehow Steen has recovered enough to kick the rope into his balls. END TIME ON O’REILLY! STEEN AND DAVEY FALL THROUGH THE TIMEKEEPING TABLE! END TIME DDT THROUGH THE TABLE FROM JACOBS TO O’REILLY! Todd Sinclair has seen enough of this carnage, and calls it a no contest at 10:41 (shown)
Rating - *** - Crazy little main event, and a terrific way to go into the ppv tomorrow. We haven’t seen much wrestling from Jacobs and O’Reilly over the last few weeks so it was good to see them get a chance to shine at main event level – and as ever they didn’t disappoint. This was exactly the kind of match they should have wrestled. It felt like all four guys hated each from the outset, and the escalating brutality and violence cranked up the heat and whipped the crowd into a fever pitch. The stage is well and truly set for Steen/Richards at Best In The World tomorrow.
The end of the match doesn’t stop Steen and Richards in their desire to fight each other. They keep swinging punches and sending officials flying as the show ends.
Tape Rating - *** - Very strong go home show, and it’s actually been a really decent month of programming generally for ROH on Sinclair. Of course the wild main event deserves (and will get) a lot of praise, but the whole episode was really entertaining. Brutal Bob’s return to the ring exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations, and the return of Homicide was both a surprise and an intriguing lead in to Edwards/Homicide at Best In The World. Lethal/Silvio, as a match, wasn’t the best either, but as a vehicle to hype the Strong/Ciampa/Lethal Triple Threat it was really fun. The point is, this whole show was both geared towards selling the ppv AND producing a decent hour of wrestling. I’ve said it a few times, but I’ll say it again. It’s very easy to bash Cornette as a booker and question how capable he is of heading ROH’s creative direction in 2012. However, what cannot be questioned, is his ability to structure and format these TV tapings to hard-sell ppvs and reach a consistently decent standard.
ROH on SBG Episodes 37-40 – Top 5 Matches
5) Roderick Strong vs Tommaso Ciampa (*** - Episode 039)
4) Michael Elgin vs Matt Taven (*** - Episode 038)
3) All Night Express vs Caprice Coleman/Cedric Alexander (*** - Episode 037)
2) Kevin Steen/Jimmy Jacobs vs Davey Richards/Kyle O’Reilly (*** - Episode 040)
1) Eddie Edwards vs Davey Richards (**** - Episode 038)