ROH on Sinclair – Episode 122 – 18th January 2014
I really enjoyed last week’s episode of ROH on SBG. It was exactly the kind of product they should be putting on free television – with short, snappy, action-packed matches, brief and punchy segments to advance characters and storylines, ending with a strong main event. It was an enjoyable show in its own right, and is exactly how the promotion should present itself if it wants to entice fans into spending money on the product via VOD/DVD sales, tickets, PPV/iPPV later this year and so forth. They shouldn’t be handicapping/structuring live events to make good television – they should be making good television at specific tapings, so they can then go out and promote the sh*t out of live events to draw as many VOD and DVD buys as possible. At least that’s my opinion – providing they can find a way to get people to buy tickets to TV tapings, which as of last year, appeared to be a serious problem.
That was a bit of a tangent – my apologies for that. We turn our attention to show two from the TNA Asylum taped episodes. Tonight we have more 2014 Top Prospect Tournament action, and Jay Briscoe has challenged Adam Cole to ‘Real World Title’ match. Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino welcome us to Nashville, TN.
Andrew Everett vs Romantic Touch
This is another 2014 TPT first round match, and is a televised debut for both men. I say that on a technicality, because the on-going joke with Romantic Touch is that it’s very obviously Rhett Titus under a hood. He was banned from ROH when SCUM were removed from the promotion last summer, and has used the gimmick to start getting bookings again. His opponent has been impressing CZW fans for a long time, and can do some legitimately incredible things inside the ring. He’s a guy people have been wanting to get a shot in Ring Of Honor for sometime, and has finally been brought in by Prince Nana now. Can he win on debut?
Touch cheap shots the youngster to get us started…and Everett’s response is to attempt a Sky Twister Press. That misses, but as Rhett tries to flee the ring Andrew is already sprinting after him – hitting a RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! Standing moonsault inside the ring gets 2. Rebound elbow smash from Romantic, who quickly looks to slow the pace a little. He hits a (gyrating) monkey flip with such force that Everett is catapulted into a couple of flips through the air. Springboard frog crossbody gets another nearfall for the debuting (actually debuting) youngster. MIDDLE ROPE SPRINGBOARD SSP…MISSES! Touch decapitates him with Rhett Titus’ signature dropkick for 2. Veda Scott is at ringside, angrily wanting to know why Rhett Titus is booked in the tournament whilst RD Evans wasn’t allowed to enter. On commentary Steve Corino confuses Rhett with Kenny King which made me laugh heartily. Everett pounces on Touch’s distraction to pin him at 04:55
Rating - ** - I, like many other people, feared this tournament was going to be used as a vehicle to get the (barely funny) Romantic Touch/Rhett Titus gimmick over and he’d win the whole thing. I’m not anti-Rhett per se, I just don’t think he’s ever recovered from his serious knee problems in 2012, never come close to recapturing the form of 2011 which made him a legitimate prospect at that time, and certainly shouldn’t be winning a ‘Top Prospect’ tournament in 2014. Thankfully that’s not the route they chose to go down, and Everett advances. His appeal is obvious, as there just aren’t many guys in ROH who can do what he can. ACH is pretty much the only dedicated high-flyer they have, and it’s an area Ring Of Honor has had trouble expanding into as Evolve/DGUSA has always done a good job beating them to the punch in recruiting suitable talent. His look isn’t the best, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with actual wrestling matches (ACH is excellent at that, whilst guys like Jack Evans and Matt Cross struggled) but he certainly is something different.
Highlights of The Decade’s formation are shown, interspersed with old clips of Strong, Jacobs and Whitmer to emphasise their history in ROH
Jay Briscoe makes his way to the ring next, despite not being scheduled to appear until later. He calls out Adam Cole, who still hasn’t answered his challenge. Cole does come out, albeit in a suit, to imply that Jay is totally crazy. He then leaves, pissing everyone off by saying he’ll answer the challenge – but he’ll only do it next week.
Cheeseburger vs Hanson
This is the final TPT first round match, and it is a colossal mismatch. Cheeseburger is a popular and surprisingly talented act, and is now training with Bob Evans. Alas, his opponent is the massive Hanson (who has ditched a first name since we saw him last). He is a big dude, with a big beard and an aggressive attitude. Despite Burger having marginally more ROH experience, he’s a massive underdog.
Cheeseburger runs away…and gets a big pop for doing so! Hanson looks thoroughly unimpressed – eventually grabbing him for an easy toss through the air. Sunset flip attempted by Burger…only for his massive opponent to stand there and SUPLEX him from between his own legs. SPINNING HEEL KICK BY HANSON! He wins in an emphatic 02:34
Rating - * - This wasn’t without it’s charm, but went on a little too long and featured a little too much of Hanson ludicrously having to sell strikes from Cheeseburger. The appeal of Burger is that he seems to find ways to work with his opponent to make his offence seem somehow plausible. However, he won’t have experienced working with someone as big as Hanson too often, and that inexperience showed tonight.
The Top Prospect Tournament Semi-Finals are set:
Raymond Rowe vs Corey Hollis
Andrew Everett vs Hanson
TWO WEEKS – until AJ Styles makes his return to ROH.
NEXT WEEK – RD Evans returns to Ring Of Honor too, with the ‘New Streak’ still going strong
We’re all set for a match between Mark Briscoe and Adam Page…but proceedings are interrupted by The Decade. Jimmy Jacobs wants to recruit Mark…who winds up fighting them after they try to bully Page.
BJ Whitmer/Jimmy Jacobs vs Mark Briscoe/Adam Page
The Decade haven’t wasted in any time in trying to make an impact. Their destruction of Eddie Edwards at Final Battle tainted Die Hard’s farewell. And last week they disrupted Chris Hero’s first ROH match in almost two years, costing him defeat as they sought to make an example of someone who had left ROH to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Now they will look to punish Mark for declining their invite, and to show Page exactly what it takes to survive for a decade in Ring Of Honor.
We JIP as Page drops Jacobs with a spinning heel kick for 2. Thanks to assist from Whitmer, Jimmy soon has him on the mat though, and The Decade try to isolate their young adversary. BJ throws Jacobs into a big spear for 2. Briscoe gets a tag – marching into a real slugfest with Whitmer. SHOOTING STAR OFF THE APRON by Page! Mark is impressed by that, and lines up an apron move too! CACTUS ELBOW TO THE FLOOR! Page demands to be tagged back in, drawing a close nearfall with a Red Star Press. BJ retaliates with an avalanche exploder! He back drops Mark OVER THE TURNBUCKLES to the floor! The Decade win with an awesome Dominator/cutter combo at a time of 06:39 (shown).
Rating - ** - It was nice to see Whitmer and Jacobs tagging together again for the first time in years. They always had a strong chemistry as team-mates and they certainly haven’t lost that. I’m intrigued by The Decade as a group, and I like that the commentators acknowledge there is a portion of the ROH fanbase who backs them. Given the proximity to the SCUM storyline, I think an enigmatic tweener faction certainly favours them more than simply becoming another frontline heel group. The match itself was perfectly serviceable filler, although there wasn’t much substance to be found amongst the major spots.
Kevin Steen is furious at Cliff Compton’s sneak attack last week.
Tommaso Ciampa vs Silas Young – ROH TV Title Match
This match is Silas’ reward for victory in the Strap Match over Mark Briscoe at Final Battle. That same evening Ciampa was winning the Television Title – in a memorable five-minute demolition of the entire House Of Truth. Not wanting to waste any time in building his own legacy, Tommaso has already challenged Jay Lethal (remember, Jay was the guy he couldn’t beat for the same title back in 2012), and readily accepted this defence at the first tapings of the year.
Silas is in fantastic shape, and carries the Final Battle strap to the ring like a trophy. Matt Taven comes out pre-match looking to shake hands with Tommaso…only for Young to attack him before he can. With Ciampa, Taven and Lethal all vying for the TV Title, Silas could be forgiven for feeling a little overlooked. He begins extremely aggressively, and soon has the champion beaten onto the canvas. Tommaso hits back with running knee strikes against the guardrail. They are hit with such force that Young is left with a bloody nose and he tries to leave the arena. Ciampa retrieves him only to have the middle rope kicked into his crotch by the ever-resourceful veteran challenger. The two men can’t be separated, repeatedly dropping bombs on each other – until Young succeeds in scooping him up for the backbreaker/lariat combo. In return Ciampa goes for the Sicilian Stretch, but it’s far too early for it. Silas tries to hit him with the leather strap…and instead gets a KNEE STRIKE! RUNNING RACK BOMB gets 2! Project Ciampa blocked though, with Young driving him into the ringpost. Headstand Arabian Press gets 2, causing Young to after the strap again out of sheer frustration. Ciampa delivers the Air Raid Crash from nowhere…YOUNG NO SELLS! FINLAY ROLL – COUNTERED TO THE SICILIAN STRETCH! Ciampa retains at 08:01 (shown).
Rating - *** - I may be a tad biased as these are two of my favourites in ROH right now, but I thought this was an extremely decent watch. I’m sad they didn’t get a little more time, but the way they pitted Ciampa’s sheer destructiveness with Silas’ own blend of aggression and old school heel work really worked well. Nobody bought Young as a winner here, but they delivered a match which made him look better even in defeat.
Silas doesn’t take defeat well, and launches into an attack on Ciampa. Jay Lethal and Matt Taven both enter the ring to stop him. The three top players in the TV Title scene end the show facing off.
Tape Rating - ** - Not quite as good as last week’s episode, although this wasn’t a bad instalment by any means. It followed the same formula of multiple short, fast-paced and exciting matches, delivering maximum impact for minimum in-ring time, coupled with some brief interview and promo segments to drive storylines forward. It feels like a high octane hour of television, which is a good thing. Raw has now been extended to a bloated 3-hour timeslot. Smackdown and Impact, at two hours each, get similarly bogged down. ROH can’t compete with those guys in sports-entertainment style television. But they can totally smoke them when it comes to in-ring action, and they need to use their show as an hour-long commercial to prove it. This one more than delivered on that score.