ROH on Sinclair – Episode 097 – 27th July 2013
This is the show we’ve been counting down to for weeks and weeks in Ring Of Honor. It has taken precedence over the last ppv, it has been the focal point of this particularly TV taping – and tonight we will finally get to see the climactic battle between ROH and SCUM as they collide in Steel Cage Warfare. If ROH wins SCUM are gone, but if SCUM win then it’s Nigel McGuinness who is gone, with Steve Corino to replace him as the Match Maker. The stakes are as high as they’ve been on any of the 96 preceding episodes of ROH on SBG. Kevin Kelly has been at ringside for pretty much all of them, and is positioned there once again to call the action. We join him in Baltimore, MD.
American Wolves vs Mike Sydal/Zizou Middoux
Technically we already saw the #PartyBoys at Reclamation Weekend, in a botch-filled by strangely likeable encounter with Adrenaline RUSH, but as this was taped before that it makes this one their ROH debut. The two ROH Dojo graduates are certainly being thrown into the deep end of the pool though, facing former ROH Tag and World Champions in the American Wolves.
Middoux starts with Richards and actually doesn’t do badly with him. He still eats a heel kick to the face and collapses out of the ring though. He ducks Davey’s soccer punt from the apron though, and delivers a jumping enzi from the apron! SUPER-UGLY SYDAL-SAULT TO THE FLOOR by Mike! The #PartyBoys then hit a stereo backflip/dropkick combo (sort of in-sync) on Eddie for 2. Tornado DDT scores for Sydal too! Zizou tags and absolutely BATTERS Richards in the corner. Alarm Clock COUNTERED to a corkscrew enzi by Middoux. This is a hell of a showing! The #PartyBoys are in the ring together again…(sort of) tandem Matrix-ducks…into (sort-of) stereo neckbreakers! Codebreaker on Richards, into a flying double knee strike from Sydal. Mike trades flimsy strikes with Edwards before being pulled down into the splits for a CHOP/KICK COMBO from the Wolves. Double Alarm Clock on Middoux! DOUBLE DOUBLE STOMP! Zizou is done at 05:29
Rating - *** - I am massively over-rating this, but it was so much fun. Much as with their performance at Reclamation Night 1, the #PartyBoys seem to half-botch everything they do, but some of the stuff they are trying is so entertaining. Davey and Eddie are so good (and so generous with their time and skills, as Middoux and Sydal benefited from here) that they easily walked the rookies through a really entertaining sprint.
Sydal and Middoux act like jerks and walk out without shaking the Wolves’ hands.
SIDENOTE – Have Sinclair invested in a new cage or has the old one undergone extensive repairs? Either way it looks great – massively more professional than the rickety old cage they’ve used before (albeit a lot more ‘safe’ and ‘corporate’ looking like a WWE cage)
Jimmy Jacobs/Rhett Titus/Cliff Compton/Rhino vs Kevin Steen/Michael Elgin/Jay Lethal/BJ Whitmer – Steel Cage Warfare Match
The main event is getting plenty of time it seems. This is for all the marbles – SCUM will disband if they lose (meaning they are fighting for their employment presumably) and Steve Corino will be installed as Match Maker, threatening the very future of Ring Of Honor, if his men win. It will be Jimmy Jacobs, Cliff Compton, Rhett Titus and Rhino representing SCUM, whilst Michael Elgin, Jay Lethal, BJ Whitmer and the wildcard, former SCUM creator Kevin Steen on Team ROH. Rhino is a former ECW Champion so will feel very at home in this environment, whilst Jimmy Jacobs and Rhett Titus have been in their fair share of bloody battles in their ROH career so far. On the other side, fighting for ROH’s very existence is old hat to Whitmer. He’s been through this before when he entered the Cage Of Death to fight CZW back in 2006 and has answered the call once again – alongside Michael Elgin (who has foregone his World Title aspirations, despite being #1 contender, to lead the charge against the invaders).
SCUM won the coin toss meaning they will have the advantage of their guys entering first. Jimmy Jacobs is first out for SCUM…and out first for ROH is his great rival BJ Whitmer. FINALLY they are using this rivalry for the ROH/SCUM feud! Their stare-down and initial punch exchange is intense, and it’s Jimmy who gets the edge with a headscissors into the cage. He lines up an early spear – a foolish move as Whitmer sidesteps and uses his momentum to launch him head-first into the cage too. Exploder ’98 gets 2! BJ’s size is starting to become a factor as he rattles off effortless suplexes, vicious strikes and makes Jimmy into his human punching bag. It’s a fortunate time for the next SCUM entrant – and it’s BJ’s other former partner Rhett Titus. We go to commercials with BJ beating on Titus, but that is allowing Jacobs precious time to recover – and indeed when we return it’s the two SCUM guys beating on the hapless lone ROH entrant. The buzzer hits zero in timely manner though, bringing Michael Elgin into the fray. DOUBLE BACK SUPLEX on Titus and Jacobs! Jimmy recovers to hit a spear on BJ…but then sees his rebound cutter attempt on Elgin COUNTERED with a German suplex. Fallaway slam/Samoan drop combo from Unbreakable as he continues to fight both his opponents on his own. He lifts Jacobs up for the stalling suplex…but then amusingly puts him down after about a minute and tosses his disorientated body into the cage instead.
Cliff Compton is in – throwing powder as usual! It blinds Michael, and whilst he struggles to regain his senses Cliff and Jimmy pull out zip-ties and restrain him against the cage! He is powerless to prevent a 3-on-1 assault on Whitmer! SPIKE PILEDRIVER! Whitmer is eliminated at 09:55 (shown). Jay Lethal makes his entrance in the nick of time, levelling Titus with a steel chair then dropkicking it into Compton’s face! LETHAL COMBO ON A CHAIR for Jacobs! Jay then pulls out a blade to cut Elgin free as we go the next advertisement break. But just when ROH look to be evening the odds Rhino makes his entrance. GORE ON ELGIN! He aims a Gore at Lethal too…but he moves! INADVERTENT GORE ON TITUS! LETHAL INJECTION! Lethal eliminates Rhino just seconds after he enters the match at 12:31 (shown). He then climbs the ropes for a Randy Savage-style double axehandle on Compton for 2. Elgin tosses Jacobs, who CLINGS to the cage (a’la Rob Van Dam) and springs back into an elbow smash on Unbreakable. The buzzer hits zero for the final time…and here comes Kevin Steen! MATT HARDY ATTACKS HIM FROM BEHIND! And with the cage open supposedly to allow Steen to enter, the wrestlers start spilling out of the cage! Steen launches Hardy into the cage then grabs a chair to lay into as many SCUM members as he can find. Elsewhere Elgin drops Compton with a sidewalk slam on the floor as Jacobs sets up a table in the ring.
Kevin Steen is still detained fighting Matt Hardy, further putting the odds in SCUM’s favour. LETHAL INJECTION ON TITUS! The numbers just got a little better as Rhett is eliminated at 17:52 (shown). That technically makes it 3 ROH guys and 2 SCUM guys remaining, although that doesn’t factor in Hardy – who Steen is laying into with a crutch! Lethal lines up Jacobs for the Injection, only for Jimmy to blast him with a chair. SPEAR THROUGH THE TABLE! Compton dives in and pins Lethal, eliminating him at 19:26 (shown) and taking us down to the final four. Jacobs hits the Contra Code on Steen…and is then promptly LAUNCHED into the cage by Elgin! Cliff tries to climb the cage, but is caught on the top rope by Elgin. AWESOME BOMB NAILED! Elgin eliminates Compton at 20:52 (shown). Steve Corino feels things sliding out of control…AND THROWS A FIREBALL IN ELGIN’S FACE! HOLY SH*T! Jacobs pins Unbreakable at 21:24 (shown) meaning officially we’re down to Steen and Jacobs, two of the three founding members of SCUM – with Hardy and Corino still at ringside. Steen tries to piledrive Corino but is dropped as Hardy hits a TWIST OF FATE! Corino douses Corino in lighter fluid! Even Jimmy Jacobs doesn’t want this! CORINO SHOVES JACOBS AWAY! NIGEL MCGUINNESS IS OUT! MCLARIAT ON CORINO! STEEN HITS THE PACKAGE PILEDRIVER ON HARDY! PACKAGE PILEDRIVER ON JACOBS! STEEN WINS! ROH WINS! It’s over at 23:33 (shown).
Rating - **** - An outstanding main event, and easily a Top 5 Match for the SBG show so far. It wasn’t all perfect and at times felt like a paint by numbers multi-person cage match, but some of the booking and pay-offs in this were amazing. Starting with BJ and Jacobs was perfect, the way Corino unravelled through the match was just awesome – and the shock at his use of fire followed by the pop for Nigel’s involvement were the real highlights. I was really worried ROH were going to pull a corporate move and put Elgin or Lethal over rather than Steen – but credit where it’s due. Steen got his moment of redemption as he destroyed Matt Hardy, beat his former friend and got to end SCUM just as he started it. It took a while to get going but the last 5-10 minutes were fantastic.
Steen and Nigel celebrate victory and shake hands over the fallen SCUM bodies as they are doused in streamers. Adam Cole is standing topless on the stage watching too…
Tape Rating - **** - Great episode of the SBG show; one of my favourite so far. The ROH/SCUM video packages were good, the Wolves/#PartyBoys match was surprisingly fun and the much-hyped Steel Cage Warfare main event lived up to the hype to produce a stellar main event. The feud with SCUM hasn’t been particularly awesome (after a strong start), but this was a stunning way to end it. I’m guessing most ROH fans have seen this one, but if you’re a Ringside Member and you’ve not seen this one already – it’s definitely one to watch.