ROH on Sinclair – Episode 099 – 10th August 2013
Hot on the heels of the shock Tag Title change in last week’s main event, we have more action from a stacked TV taping here. Mike Bennett faces his trainer Bob Evans in a grudge match of sorts, whilst our main event sees a lot of explosive personalities put into the same match with each other – as the American Wolves and BJ Whitmer take on Kevin Steen, Michael Elgin and Tommaso Ciampa in an ‘Honor Personified’ 6-man. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are in Providence, RI
Michael Bennett vs Bob Evans
Relations between the former-Prodigy and his trainer began to turn sour at Best In The World. Bennett returned to ROH at Supercard Of Honor with a lot of hype surrounding him, and rumours of multiple lucrative contract offers. Evans clearly felt he’d taken his eye off the ball when it came to the wrestling as Bennett continued to rack up the losses. Last time we saw these guys on TV Brutal Bob put a stop to Bennett picking on a hapless Cheeseburger. Michael formally ended his relationship with a Box Office Smash…and now managed solely by Maria Kanellis he’ll want to send an emphatic message to the man who trained him.
Apparently Bob is from Providence, so draws a bit of a hometown pop. It is quickly silenced as Bennett declines to follow the Code Of Honor in favour of dropping him with a superkick. They go to the floor with Bennett delivering repeated mafia kicks against the guardrails. Brutal Bob is a veteran though and isn’t a stranger to having to absorb an ass kicking. He comes back by hitting a backbreaker on the apron. Bennett nearly breaks his own legs hitting a dropkick from a floor to the ring though. More superkicks…but Evans keeps getting up and he eventually counters one into a powerbomb. Bob takes a ridiculous risk, misses a top rope leg drop and it’s all over for him. Bennett hits the Box Office Smash then a TKO in quick succession to win at 04:49
Rating - DUD - I know that, outside of ROH, Bob has been working a lot of matches and actually wanting to give his own wrestling career another serious shot before he gets too old. But this is ROH where he’s been portrayed as nothing more than a washed up, grizzled trainer. Having Bennett take the best part of five minutes, and have to endure significant periods of Brutal Bob offence does absolutely nothing for Bennett’s credibility. This was pretty infuriating to watch
Michael Bennett signs his ROH contract on Brutal Bob’s fallen body…then staves off an ill-advised attack from Cheeseburger to give the poor kid a piledriver.
MsChif vs Bonesaw Brook
Women Of Honor action up next, with MsChif looking to get her career back on track after a few recent defeats – and of course getting sidetracked by her issue with Veda Scott. Her opponent tonight is a Sinclair TV debutant who I’ve heard nothing about. She has some decent size to her though, and may not be the push-over many would expect this to be.
Maria Kanellis is on commentary, dishing out lots of praise to the Women Of Honor division as MsChif traps Bonesaw in the corner for a HANGING Boston Crab! MutaLock next as Brook struggles to make an impact. She doesn’t quit though, and she draws deserved applause for snapping off a gorgeous German suplex. They botch something...then run through a sloppy little spot in the corner. It serves as a lengthy set-up for that second rope X-Factor MsChif uses. Sadly they even botch the concluding pinfall. MsChif wins in an almost unwatchable 03:17
Rating - DUD - Brook looked nervous, albeit with a beautiful German suplex, whilst MsChif looked lethargic and uninterested in wasting her time with this rookie. Whatever the reason and whomever was to blame (I bet Bonesaw shouldered the majority of the blame – although it definitely wasn’t all her fault) this was rather terrible. ROH on SBG is 0-2 so far this week.
INSIDE ROH – Make that 0-3 as Kevin Kelly calls the current World Title tournament the ‘first in ROH history’ which is spectacularly wrong. He confirms that neither of the American Wolves are in the field as they concentrate on the Tag Titles…which they actually won at All Star Extravaganza 5 last weekend in Toronto.
NEXT WEEK – Jay Lethal and Roderick Strong take us on a guided tour of some of the best matches of the first 100 episodes of ROH on SBG.
Kevin Steen/Michael Elgin/Tommaso Ciampa vs Davey Richards/Eddie Edwards/BJ Whitmer
What an absolutely packed main event this is. There are three former World Champions, four former Tag Champions, two previous Survival Of The Fittest winners etc. Two of the best matches over the past 12 months have been Elgin/Steen at Glory By Honor last year, and Elgin/Ciampa at the 2013 Best In The World event. Those three men are now on the same very powerful but extremely volatile team. The edge in team work and ROH experience will go to their opponents though. Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards and BJ Whitmer have all been in Ring Of Honor a long time. Davey is no stranger to either Steen or Elgin, so look out for any exchanges between those three men. The goal of this is to end the 99th episode of ROH on SBG with a memorable, high quality wrestling match which Match Maker Nigel McGuinness can hold up as ‘Honor Personified’ as he pushes forward with his ‘Pure Honor’ era.
In the best part of the show so far, Davey ‘sneak hugs’ Kevin Steen during the Code Of Honor. It’s Ciampa to start with BJ, in the same building where he destroyed his knee at Boiling Point 2012. Eddie tags, giving Steen multiple clean breaks before finally belting him with a stinging chop…causing Mr Wrestling to immediately tag out and collapse on the floor outside the ring. He tries the same chops on Unbreakable, who’s much bigger chest isn’t as easily damaged, and he shakes them off to nail a shoulder tackle before we cut to commercials. When we return Elgin has Richards high in the air for the never-ending stalling suplex. Whitmer doesn’t like that, but before he can get to Elgin Tommaso grabs him for a Sicilian version of the stalling suplex. Steen doesn’t want to be left out, and the crowd groan in frustration as Eddie counters his attempt at a stalling suplex with a brainbuster. Elgin rattles Die Hard’s skull with a jumping enzi…only for Davey to do the same to him as he tries to hit the dead-lift superplex on him. FALLAWAY SLAM/SAMOAN DROP COMBO on both Wolves! Steen powerbombs BJ onto his neck. LUNGBLOWER/SENTON COMBO from Steen to Whitmer and Edwards! Whitmer gets knees up to block the Steen-ton Bomb then flees to his corner where the American Wolves are waiting to pounce on Mr Wrestling for a double-team assault. Ciampa is in – trading strikes with Richards in the corner until Edwards saves his partner with Machine Gun chops! Backpack Stunner blocked – ACHILLES LOCK instead! Elgin stomps on Eddie’s face – AND HE NO SELLS! Richards with an Anklelock on Elgin! EXPLODER ’98 ON STEEN!
Whitmer puts Steen in a front choke! STEREO COUNTERS by the opposing team – with duelling LeBell Locks from Ciampa and Elgin either side of Steen’s Sharpshooter. Davey hits a Cactus clothesline on Steen, leaving Tommaso and Eddie alone in the ring tearing into each other. SUPERKICK BY EDDIE! DISCUS LARIAT BY CIAMPA! Whitmer grabs Ciampa for the rolling fishermans and gets 2. Double Alarm Clock by the Wolves…into a SUPERKICK/SAITO SUPLEX combo for 2. Vicious kicks to Ciampa’s chest from Richards…only for the Sicilian Psychopath to dust them off and knee Davey in the jaw. Air Raid Crash gets 2! In an awesome sequence, Elgin Buckle Bombs Richards into the corner, leaving him in position for the bare knee strike from Ciampa then the cannonball from Steen. WHITMER SUPLEXES CIAMPA TO THE FLOOR! With Elgin blind-tagging himself in as they spill past him! HE POWERBOMBS EDDIE OVER THE TOP ROPE straight at them! Elgin and Davey are the last men standing. GERMAN FROM DAVEY…NO SOLD! CROSS ARMBREAKER! COUNTERED TO OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE…COUNTERED TO A KICK OF DEATH TOMBSTONE! ELGIN KICKS OUT! Incredible sequence! ANKLELOCK! Elgin physically climbs the turnbuckles to escape, then plasters Davey with the Back Fist. BUCKLE BOMB! NO SOLD! BUZZSAW KICK! NO SOLD! BACK FIST! SPIRAL BOMB…COUNTERED TO A ROLL-UP FOR 2! Unbreakable drags Davey up for the SPIRAL BOMB – and wins at 19:20 (shown)
Rating - **** - Slow to get going, but some of the stuff Davey and Elgin were pulling off down the stretch was completely mind-blowing. The countering on display in the last few minutes of this match was nothing short of extraordinary. Even those people who really detest the ‘head drop…no sell’ formula of Davey’s matches in this genre must have really admired this. If I was to criticise anything it would be the criminal under-utilisation of Kevin Steen, who barely featured at all. Still, that’s a minor complaint on what was another excellent free television main event.
Tape Rating - *** - The first half of the show sucked, but since the main event took up the entire second half and was the obvious selling point of the episode this becomes an easy recommend. Check it out for that one alone…just make sure you skip past another dire Women Of Honor match.