ROH on Sinclair – Episode 083 – 20th April 2013
I liked last week’s episode for a number of reasons. Firstly, getting the first show after the ippv to have all the big show fall-out is a genuine achievement to be celebrated. Secondly there was some decent wrestling. Thirdly, it gave us plenty of results without splurging all the choice cuts of a ppv show onto free television. Fourthly, it set the ball instantly rolling towards the next ppv which is only a few weeks away already – with Jay/Cole for the World Title and Mark Briscoe challenging for the TV Title already finalised, plus the NOAH stars being announced too. All that – plus a bonus fifth reason that the Grand Ballroom looks stunning on television. With another three episodes to go from this venue, and from tapings that occurred during Wrestlemania weekend, I’m certainly stoked to see what else is in store. Without further delay I rejoin Kevin Kelly in Manhattan, NY.
Kevin Steen makes his first post-Supercard Of Honor appearance, and receives a huge ovation from the crowd. Steve Corino interrupts him before he can say a word, wanting to know why he’s been ignoring his calls. Steen tells him he’s not interested in SCUM’s mission to kill ROH – he just wants to get his title back. He refuses to back Corino’s decision to bring Matt Hardy…which formally ends his association with SCUM it seems. Corino has his henchmen (who all surround Steen in the ring) attack…but not before Mr Wrestling lands a few shots on Hardy first. Steve lets Matt finish the assault with the Twist Of Fate.
Roderick Strong vs Mike Bennett
After complaining about being overlooked for title shots last week, it seems Roddy’s star has fallen so far that his entrance to the ring is cut to make way for commercials. His opponent tonight is another man with championship aspirations and a point to prove. The Prodigy only returned to ROH at Supercard Of Honor, and didn’t answer any of the questions surrounding his future with the company. With both men seemingly directionless and with big question marks over their future career trajectory – a win here becomes critical.
Mike Mondo is on commentary since he has history with Bennett and beef with Roddy after being disrespected last week. First knockdown goes to Roderick as he lands a missile dropkick from the second rope. He then hauls Bennett to the outside and chops him all around ringside. Taking it outside is to Mike’s advantage though as he has Brutal Bob creating a spectacle of himself and the added assistance of the guardrails to beat Roddy up with. Mondo is talking complete garbage on commentary, but is doing it in such an incomprehensible and rambling manner that he becomes more interesting than the match. Bennett slows the pace and tries to throttle the life out of the former World Champion. Strong retaliates with a Sick Kick THROUGH the ropes to the outside! Bennett tosses Strong into Mondo! No Fear doesn’t like that…and it gets worse as Roddy sidesteps the oncoming Prodigy and watches as Bennett SPEARS MONDO INTO THE GUARDRAILS! Torture rack backbreaker into the apron from Strong to Bennett! Death by Roderick countered into a spear by Mike…only for Roddy to then block the TKO with a jumping knee. Orange Crush Backbreaker set up…but here comes Bob Evans to distract him! TKO! Mondo distracts Bennett now…ORANGE CRUSH BACKBREAKER! That’s enough for Strong to get a much-needed victory at 07:40
Rating - ** - I think these two have a much better match in them, but this one got completely derailed by the two on the outside. After his improving performances as 2012 progressed, I’m not as vehemently anti-Mondo as I once was, but ROH have really got to start booking him better. The idea of having him interact with Roderick (who he currently has beef with) and Bennett (the guy who broke his leg) is the right one. But having those interactions consist of awful commentary then spoiling wrestling matches (remember, this is a company for fans who want good wrestling) seems completely foolish.
Mondo jumps Strong before he can even get his hand raised in victory. He jumps The Prodigy too, and security is needed to separate the three of them as they brawl...
Tadarius Thomas vs Jorge Santi
With his new partner ACH in the main event this evening it frees TD up to continue his promising singles career with an enhancement match. Santi certainly looks better than some of these enhancement talents ROH have brought in, but he has a tough task ahead of them – both in a kayfabe sence (TD’s style makes him a worthy foe) and in a very real sense (TD’s style can make him extremely difficult to work with at times).
Santi wisely instigates a mat-wrestling exchange rather than trade strikes with Thomas. TD shows his skills by LANDING ON HIS FEET out of a hurricanrana attempt! Credit to Jorge, he isn’t thrown and double stomps him in the back! Roundhouse punch from the debutant…but that’s a mistake as it engages Tadarius in the striking game and he glides effortlessly into a kick combo. Sling Blade scores…but Jorge nips up! Simultaneous boot strikes! Just as this starts to pick up SCUM (Jacobs and Compton) jump the rails and attack both of them causing a no contest at 01:37
Rating - N/A - I really enjoyed that, and was disappointed to see it end. As I said at the outset, Thomas can be a tricky customer, but he and Santi worked an AWESOME 90-seconds of action in before taking a back seat to the on-going SCUM angle. I’d happily see Jorge back…
Rhett Titus, Rhino and Steve Corino show up again…and Santi’s debut ends with him eating the Gore. Nigel McGuinness isn’t impressed, and comes out flanked by Jay Lethal and Michael Elgin to order SCUM to clear the ring. Corino refers to himself as ‘God’, and makes plenty of ‘Jesus’ references to Matt Hardy - a divisive but provocative way of drawing heat. Nigel and Corino agree to a tag match at Border Wars – two members of SCUM against Lethal and Elgin. If Team ROH wins then SCUM leaves. But if SCUM win then Matt Hardy gets a World Title shot, and Steve Corino is given a spot as the new colour analyst for ROH television.
INSIDE ROH – Jay Briscoe (and the rest of the Briscoe family) shout like crazy rednecks, telling Adam Cole to bring it at Border Wars. Elsewhere ACH backs himself to be the new TV Champion by defeating Matt Taven in tonight’s main event…and Mark Briscoe supports that, as he wants to face ACH in Toronto for the gold.
Matt Taven vs ACH – ROH TV Title Match
This is the title shot ACH earned by beating Taven in a Proving Ground fourway at WAR recently. He’s earned rave reviews for his performances, and earned a full-time contract after stealing the show with his match against Roderick Strong at Honor vs Evil. Tonight he looks to cement his meteoric rise to prominence in ROH by becoming the new TV Champion. Ironically, his opponent is one of the few men who arguably boasts an even more spectacular rise to fame this year. Taven came from seemingly nowhere to win the 2013 Top Prospect Tournament (when he snatched an opportunity presented to him and cheated to beat Tadarius Thomas in the finals – and assume the spot in the House Of Truth many people assumed Martini had hand-picked TD for), then shocked the world again when he dethroned Adam Cole to win the belt just 24 hours before Cole’s ‘marquee’ title defence of the 11th Anniversary weekend with Matt Hardy.
Taven shows solid fundamentals by grapping the challenger straight to the mat where all his athleticism can be taken out of the equation. ACH gets up and immediately quickens the pace with a running rana. STEPPING DROP-SAULT IN THE ROPES! Matt shuts him down again in a hurry with a roundhouse kick to the face for 2. ACH back flips off the top rope to palm strike Taven to the floor! RUNNING SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW PLANCHA NAILED! Crowd is hot when we go to the break, but when we return things appear to have evened up, with the champion in command, albeit unsuccessfully attempting a springboard corkscrew senton back into the ring. ACH drops him out again, this time smashing him into the guardrails with a Heat Seeking Missile. Martini tries to pull the ropes down on ACH…but he’s so athletic he LANDS ON HIS FEET! It works as a distraction though, as Taven capitalises to baseball slide him. SLINGSHOT SWINGING NECKBREAKER OFF THE APRON! He wants a count-out win, but ACH crawls back in! He sets up the Cradle DDT…blocked! Headlock Driver blocked too! ROPE RUN mafia kick from ACH…into a super rana! FROG SPLASH…gets 2! Scarlett Bordeaux distracts ACH though…then Truth trips him up to boot. He stumbles defencelessly into the Headlock Driver – and Taven retains at 06:46 (shown).
Rating - *** - Really exciting stuff, but their time allowance was criminally short. I’m sure ACH will get all the plaudits for the quality of this match (he was on fire with some of his high spots), but I thought Taven held up his end of the deal too. He wrestled a sound, smart match. Normally he’s quite an athletic, agile worker in his own right but here he realised he’d never shine working that style and capably played the grounded foundation for ACH to work around. Obviously the finish was lame, and it’s a shame that the House Of Truth ‘hoopla’ is overshadowing Taven as he does show genuine promise – albeit he’s increasingly starting to resemble a deer in the headlights having been thrust into such an elevated spot so early into his ROH career.
Tape Rating - ** - It wasn’t that this episode wasn’t interesting, but this is supposed to be a wrestling show – and there wasn’t much wrestling on this show at all. Less than seven minutes for your TV Title main event? That sucks! The evolution of the SCUM vs ROH angle is interesting, albeit hugely polarising as ROH takes some of the spotlight from the charismatic and vastly popular Kevin Steen – and instead turns it on Matt Hardy (who the fans despise), Steve Corino (who’s biblical references are honestly amongst the more edgy things the very safe ROH on SBG show has ever done) and Nigel McGuinness (who can’t wrestle anymore). It’s not that I’m not interested in what’s happening (Steen/Hardy should be a real spectacle), but dedicating TWO segments to Steve Corino/SCUM promos seemed like overkill for one 45-minute episode.