ROH on Sinclair – Episode 101 – 24th August 2013
The road to Death Before Dishonor and a new ROH World Champion officially started here with this episode of the TV show. Admittedly it’s unfortunate that TV scheduling versus live show scheduling means we actually know the full semi-final line-up already – but after last weeks rather tedious ‘100th Show Special’ it’s back to regularly scheduled programming, and the official beginning of the World Title tournament. It’s a battle of the former TNA X-Division stars as Jay Lethal meets the returning Sonjay Dutt in the main event. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are at the booth in Providence, RI.
Vinny Marseglia vs Todd Hanson vs Brian Fury vs Kongo
I think only Marseglia has any serious Ring Of Honor experience – and to be frank, he’s not very good anyway (although apparently Fury is a veteran, so he may have popped up in a forgotten jobber spot somewhere before). It’s actually the debutants, Hanson and Kongo, who present the most intrigue here. Hanson looks like a cross between Chris Hero and one of the Highlanders and seems quite imposing, whilst Kongo looks like a cross between Umaga and Sting (seriously)…and also looks rather intimidating if completely odd. Winner of this gets a TV Title shot against Matt Taven next week.
Even the referee isn’t an ROH regular! In fact, the crowd look on utterly perplexed as to who everyone is until Truth Martini and Matt Taven crash the commentary booth. Hanson clobbers on the clumsy Marseglia before tagging Kongo in. The South American quickly collapses out of the ring…and is wiped out with a tope suicida from Hanson. Vinny to the top rope for a semi-coherent somersault plancha to the floor. Todd cartwheels into a lariat…only to be flattened (literally) by the immense running crossbody from Kongo. RUNNING SAMOAN DROP! BUTT SPLASH! The straps come down (the crowd boo his man boobs)...only for Hanson to superkick him off his feet before he can do anything. Todd tries an ill-advised Bronco Buster and gets nothing as Marseglia hits a Russian legsweep on Fury. Swinging DDT gets a heatless nearfall. Matt Taven is stealing the show on commentary by the way…as Fury wins with…something. It’s over at 05:28
Rating - DUD - Thankfully Martini and Taven made this interesting with their commentary, because the match was completely pointless. Marseglia is rubbish, and never going to be an ROH-calibre competitor. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, works hard and says all the right things at the training seminars at the Dojo – but he’s clumsy, slow and nothing he does looks particularly forceful, realistic or remotely watchable. Of the other three Fury barely did anything, Kongo needs to lose about 50lbs to be able to play a big, stocky islander (like Samoa Joe or Umaga) because he’s so fat he can’t move right now, whilst Hanson looked to be the best of a bad bunch. Of the four of these guys Hanson was the only one I’d be interested in seeing more of.
Caprice Coleman/Cedric Alexander vs Mike Sydal/Zizou Middoux
We have differing goals for these two teams here. C&C WrestleFactory are trying to position themselves for another ROH Tag Title shot. Given the current chaos surrounding the division, with three title changes in as many defences, they must fancy their chances of finally getting their hands on the belts they’ve been chasing for nearly two years. At the other end of the spectrum the #PartyBoys are just looking to secure their roster spots with some decent showings.
The experienced members of each team start, so it’s Caprice in the ring working over Sydal. Why does Kevin Kelly always mention that Mike is a yoga instructor, but never mentions that he’s Evan Bourne’s brother? He nearly has no teeth either after Coleman lands a snug dropkick for 2. Middoux tags in…and somehow manages to bump on his face from a back body drop. He kicks Alexander to the floor, then distracts the referee whilst Mike puts the boots to him on the floor. Tandem moonsault dropkicks (they nearly time it this week) connect for a nearfall on Cedric. Zizou attempts a somersault leg drop and misses, giving Alexander the window for a hot tag to Caprice. He dives across the ring, over Middoux, to hit a springboard lariat on Sydal. Northern lights trilogy on the South African! Mike gets a knee up to block Alexander’s somersault plancha – then gets CROTCHED ON THE APRON by both his opponents in response! Dropkick through the turnbuckles by Coleman, whilst Cedric lines up the somersault plancha second time of asking. Overtime wins it at 07:35
Rating - ** - Once again from #PartyBoys, that really wasn’t a bad match despite their occasional timing and execution issues. Coleman and Alexander are a fun team, but they’ve been at the same level for the last 18 months plus and it may be time to do something different with them. The fact that Middoux and Sydal have been teaming together for two months and seem to have a better defined gimmick and identity as a team than C&C speaks volumes. They had a break-out match with the American Wolves earlier this year…but as ever with Delirious’ short-sighted, cheap trick booking style, they went nowhere after that. Their ‘break-out match’ turned into nothing more than an attempt to give the Wolves a fresh match and shift a few VOD/DVD buys…and C&C went back to floating around the undercard being ‘Ambassadors of the Grind’ – without getting any promo time (‘Hey Cedric…text ‘ROH’ to ‘T-O-D-A-Y’ doesn’t count) to actually explain what that means. As usual their spots were fun, Cedric looked like a star in the making, but the crowd just had no reason to get behind them other than taking a disliking to their more identifiable opponents. Turn them heel, split them up, or just give them a feud or something! Is that too much to ask? Sadly long term booking and feuds on the undercard seem a little beyond ROH’s current creative team at present.
NEXT WEEK – Matt Taven vs Brian Fury for the ROH TV Title. That’ll draw huge…
INSIDE ROH – Steve Corino invades Kevin Kelly’s intro, once again insisting he has a contract as a broadcast journalist and has a right to be there. Speaking of C&C getting promos – they get one in this segment and they show genuine personality (particularly Caprice, who cuts an incredible promo when he gets the opportunity) demanding one clean ROH Tag Title shot. The American Wolves are announced as the new Tag Champions (the week after they lost them at Manhattan Mayhem 5 - smart). Adam Cole pops into the studio to talk about the World Title tournament too.
Nigel McGuinness, Cary Silkin and Joe Koff are in the ring to officially launch the ROH World Championship tournament. Even Cary can’t help but refer to the World Title’s prestige in the past tense ‘it’s BEEN the most significant championship in North America’, not ‘it IS’.
Sonjay Dutt vs Jay Lethal
This was technically the first match in the tournament, although it has become one of the last to be seen. I think ROH actually included all the Providence TV taping tournament matches as a bonus feature with the All Star Extravaganza 5 VOD (not the DVD) so fans were caught up. Of all the wildcard, non-contracted talents to enter the tournament Dutt was probably the most unexpected. He’s hardly a stranger to Ring Of Honor, but his inclusion was a bit of a surprise. That said, pairing him up with Lethal is immediately very interesting. Both are relatively recent TNA X-Division guys, have masses of television experience, are similar in stature and work a similar style. Lethal is a former Survival Of The Fittest winner, so perhaps his previous experience in winning major tournaments in this promotion will be the determining factor here.
They start a fast pace, with both men going for early pinning combinations trying to catch their opponent out. Dutt clearly has the edge at this speed, sprinting into a hurricanrana then going to the outside with a headscissors off the apron to the floor. Octopus stretch applied until Lethal counters out into the hiptoss dropkick combo. It’s rare that Lethal is the guy voluntarily trying to slow the pace and use his power, but he does so – socking Dutt with a short-distance clothesline then trying to wear him down with a bear hug. Repeated elbow drops to the ribs next, blowing the wind out of Sonjay’s lungs. A springboard dropkick knocks Dutt back outside, pressed against the rails and in the path of Jay’s tope suicida. After commercials we see Lethal physically stopping a Dutt comeback attempt by shoulder blocking the ribs. Sonjay COUNTERS a Tombstone attempt by landing on his feet then rolling backwards into a swinging DDT to leave both men down. Jay slows us down, punching his opponent in the face…only for Sonjay to shove him into the corner for a running mafia kick. Super rana…rolled through! STANDING MOONSAULT instead by Dutt. He goes to the top rope but misses the moonsault double stomp. Superkicks by Sonjay…LETHAL COMBINATION for 2! Cradle gourdbuster nailed, dropping Dutt straight into his sternum again, but still it’s only good for a nearfall. Hail To The King evaded, with Sonjay slingshotting into a guillotine leg drop in the ropes. Lethal Injection countered with a dropkick TO THE FACE! BERMUDA TRIANGLE MOONSAULT! Sonjay follows that with the springboard splash for 2. Standing Shiranui blocked…Lethal to superkicks the back of the head! LETHAL INJECTION! Jay advances at 12:55 (shown)!
Rating - *** - These two oozed class and experience in this one. TNA (often rightly) gets a lot of criticism, but it was the time they spent working the undercard on Impact that prepared these two perfectly for a TV main event like this. The pacing was excellent, the story (with Lethal changing his normal game to work slow, and work the power/ground offence) was intelligent and the execution was spot on. Dutt seems to get better with age and looked very crisp in his first ROH appearance in years. I wouldn’t be averse to seeing him – particularly on TV tapings where he has the ability to get a lot of out of a relatively minimal time allowance. Strong performance, and a credible win for Lethal as he becomes the first man to advance to the quarter finals.
NEXT WEEK – Just in case Taven/Fury doesn’t have everyone with a TV set and Sinclair access tuning in next week, there’s also more tournament matches as Mark Briscoe returns to face Adam Cole, whilst Karl Anderson is in from NJPW for an intriguing styles-clash battle with ACH.
Tape Rating - * - The main event was worth watching, but it wasn’t SO good that it salvaged what was a pudding of a show before that. A decent free match doesn’t make up for putting a whole hoard of enhancement talent in your first match and doesn’t make up for your lead bookers crippling inability to install potency and purpose to the midcard. Lethal/Dutt in the World Title tournament was great. But outside of hot-shotting the Tag Titles and ruining the World Title lineage, there isn’t much to engage and connect you to the product at present – no matter how good the work inside the ring.