ROH on Sinclair – Episode 091 – 15th June 2013
I alluded to it in my conclusion for Episode 90…but, in my opinion, it’s really inexcusable for ROH to have their ‘go home show’ for a ppv be a Road Rage episode from a show which has been out on VOD for nearly a month. After Supercard Of Honor 7 it felt like, for the first time in the four years that ROH has been a televised promotion, they’d worked out a synchronised TV/PPV/live show schedule…but it’s fallen apart since then. They had to cobble together a rushed card for Border Wars 2013, and have now only taped four weeks of TV for a five week gap to Best In The World. If they knew they only had four episodes-worth of content – why not run this Road Rage two weeks ago? So disappointing and another avoidable error for a company that constantly seems to take a couple of steps forward followed by a step backwards. Focusing on the positives, at least this is Road Rage from a house show, which firmly points the SBG TV spotlight on ROH’s live event circuit and new VOD business (which would become increasingly crucial once they ditch ippv after Best In The World). Joe Dumbrowski, effectively making his TV debut, and Steve Corino commentate from Richmond, VA.
Steve Corino has a special, pre-taped introductory segment which is absolutely hilarious.
We open with highlights of the show-stealing Lethal/C&C vs reDRagon/Taven trios tag. I’m glad they didn’t put this one on the show in full as it was genuinely a great watch and giving it away for free on TV would be a little disappointing for the VOD-buyers who paid for it.
SIDENOTE – Jimmy Jacobs, Cliff Compton and Rhett Titus have been added to the TV and Tag Title Matches for Best In The World. No real explanation for fans who missed the segment last week – it’s just dropped in on a graphic during one of Corino’s voice-overs like you should already know. This is shockingly bad...
Jimmy Jacobs vs Kevin Steen
Apparently Mr Wrestling has made it his mission to beat as many members of SCUM as possible before he gets his singles match with Matt Hardy. This evening he faces his former friend and co-founder of SCUM in a repeat of the match which rocked the 10th Anniversary: Young Wolves Rising event, when these guys tore the building apart in a No DQ war. Steen will be hot favourite, but one shouldn’t under-estimate Jimmy, who has been in matches of this ilk countless times before in his ROH career, and in 2013 is delivering some of his best in-ring performances for years. He’s a definite threat.
We don’t have to wait long for the fight to start, with fists flying and bodies crashing into guardrails before either man makes it to the ring. Jacobs tries to spear Steen, only for the former World Champion to move and cause the Zombie Princess to dive head-first into the barrier! He tries to choke Steen with a chain…and that’s a disqualification at 01:03. Security floods the ring to break them up, only for Steen to freak out and start attacking everyone who comes near him. Compton and Titus are out here too, rushing to the aid of Jacobs (and Corino). Kevin orders the ref to restart the match under No DQ rules, and after a brief ‘call’ to Match Maker Nigel McGuinness, the refs agree to his demands! Steen tosses Rhett and Cliff into the crowd then starts beating Jacobs with a stolen shoe! Jimmy hits back with a low blow followed by a spear on the apron! He bashes Steen’s skull against a chair then runs into a second spear for a nearfall. He lands a tope suicida too, putting his body on the line as he looks to take Steen out before he can reach Hardy. His body is on the line again moments later as Mr Wrestling scoops him up for the APRON POWERBOMB! Steen-ton Bomb gets 2! Jacobs thinks fast, avoiding the cannonball in the corner and landing the rebound cutter! He sets up the Contra Code but can’t move the big man and winds up caught for a tree of woe cannonball! TREE OF WOE COUNTER TO THE CONTRA CODE ON A CHAIR! That was awesome! He tries to drag a segment of guardrail into the ring, finally positioning it in the corner without seeing Steen wrap a chain around his fist! CHAIN-WRAPPED PUNCH! F-5 COUNTERED TO END TIME! COUNTERED BACK TO THE F-5! Jacobs drops Steen on top of the guardrail segment, but can’t finish the job with a chair shot! PACKAGE PILEDRIVER THROUGH THE GUARDRAIL! Steen wins at 11:39 (total time).
Rating - *** - It depends on your personal preference how much you liked the overbooking at the start, and I certainly found the watered down, family friendly, house show mode brawling to be a step down from their intense battle last year on ppv, but having said that these two are still plenty good enough to make this a decent match. I loved the countering at the end, particularly from Jacobs who continues his remarkable career upswing this year. ROH really needs to let him cut loose and wrestle more high profile stuff, as he’s having as good matches as anyone else on the roster at present.
NEXT WEEK – It’s a Briscoe Brothers special. ‘You’re going to be on the farm! You’re going to see chickens! You’re going to see dogs’ – Mark Briscoe
Jay Briscoe vs BJ Whitmer – ROH World Title Match
For a filler title defence, this one has received a lot of hype. Whitmer is calling it his chance at redemption, with the championship belt being proof of the hard work he’s put in to turn his life around, overcome multiple injuries and personal problems since his ROH departure, and reward for the way he’s turned his career around since earning his job back in 2012. He was awarded this title shot as Nigel tried to throw challenger after challenger in front of Kevin Steen whilst he had the belt. Of course Jay ended up being the man who ended Steen’s run, with Whitmer now looking to profit and defeat a still only half-fit World Champion in his second title defence.
The initial pace is slow and ground-based, which you have to believe favours Whitmer rather than the champion. The challenger shows his comfort in this style of match as he openly requests more hold exchanges with Jay – holding his arms out for knucklelocks, willingly bringing him in for grapples and so forth. In the end it becomes so intense that they spill out of the ring and lay in some brutal strikes – with Briscoe now gaining the edge using a mafia kick off the rails. He tosses BJ into the barriers with such force that he busts through them and spills into the laps of the fans behind. Wisely BJ drags the match back into the ring, and back to the deck as he delivers a spinebuster for 2. Except this time he’s been weakened from the abuse on the outside, and leaves his chin open for a Roaring Elbow from the champion. He needs a big strike, and swings for the fences by landing an elbow suicida. That drove his back and neck against the guardrail, and it’s a region of the body Whitmer stays focused on as he hits rolling suplexes then grounds the champ again with a chinlock. Briscoe goes for a DVD only for it to be countered into a powerslam for 2. Jay has been on the back foot for several minutes, so sensibly hits a flipping neckbreaker – attacking a body part BJ has struggled with since his wild table ride at the hands of Charlie Haas at Final Battle 2012. DRAGON SUPLEX BY BJ! He’s back up in a flash to deliver the rolling fisherman suplexes and score another nearfall. BRISCOE GRABS BJ AND BACK DROP DRIVERS HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE…THROUGH A TABLE! He seemed to crash through that table head-first! The pressure of being champion looks like it’s weighing on Jay, as he angrily blocks the path of medical personnel and additional referees and demands to be allowed to bring Whitmer back into the ring to finish the match. Whitmer kicks out, so Jay pulls him up and NECKBREAKERS HIM! Joe Dumbrowski calls it ‘uncomfortable’ to watch, and I’ll second that, particularly writing this review on the same weekend as his accident with Mike Bennett in Toronto! JAY DRILLER! WHITMER KICKS OUT! He can barely stand and doesn’t appear to be able to move one of his arms, but he still gets to his feet and hits an exploder suplex! Briscoe channels Bryan Danielson, pummelling Whitmer’s neck with elbow strikes. Whitmer refuses to go down, despite being repeatedly booted in the face! Jay is remorseless, and doesn’t stop putting his boots through BJ’s face! Todd Sinclair is begging Whitmer to stop, and when he doesn’t Jay locks in a dragon sleeper. At last the challenger has nothing left, handing Jay another successful title defence at 20:31
Rating - *** - I hadn’t heard many positive things about this match, so I was actually pleasantly surprised. Admittedly I’ve given it the same rating, but I personally enjoyed this far more than the Adam Cole defence at Border Wars (which was completely devoid of interest until all the overbooking came in). These guys had a long time allowance, and used it to tell a story. It might not have been particularly interesting (BJ looking to wrestle and suplex his way to victory, whilst Jay backing himself in a striking/brawling game) – but they stick with it. The last quarter, with Briscoe getting irritated at not being able to put BJ away, then targeting his suspect neck like an asshole – then putting him through a table and refusing to let doctors attend to him were really good. It injected some much needed personality and intensity into Jay’s championship reign.
Tape Rating - N/A - I’ll give this show the benefit of a doubt. The timing was lousy, but the match content was decent, they used house show rather than ippv content – and Steve Corino was utterly fantastic during his vignettes. If you’ve not seen the Relentless show this episode is well worth checking out as you’ll get to see a lot of the best bits.