ROH on Sinclair – Episode 182 – 14th March 2015
Cards on the table, I haven’t watched any wrestling in a LONG time. It’s January 2016, and the last ROH review I finished (the Chicago Conquest Tour show) was way back in October. All too often as a functioning adult, life has to take priority over wrestling, as has been the case in recent times. My wife and I welcomed our first child in November, so between taking care of my heavily pregnant spouse then sleepless nights and loaded nappy duties alongside a full-time job – I simply haven’t had the energy to sit through much wrestling at all. Much less the energy to sit through a product that, since Sinclair took over, seems to continue steaming further and further away from myself as a target audience at all. With a full glass of Pepsi Max in one hand and a sleeping infant in the other (metaphorically speaking – obviously my hands are free, I’m typing), time to pick up where I left off.
And that is on the final countdown to Supercard Of Honor 9, for the first TV taped in the aftermath of the limp 13th Anniversary Show. The Conquest Tour events in Milwaukee and Chicago overlap this episode and were poor, but I’m hopeful that the first episode from a fresh set of tapings might spice things up. We have an exciting double header of tag team main events scheduled, with The Addiction facing Matt Sydal and ACH then the Young Bucks squaring off with The Kingdom. Both of those matches have the unnerving potential to be great if SBG and Delirious let them off the leash…or raging disappointments if they don’t. We’ll find out along with Kevin Kelly and Steve (still not calling him ‘King) Corino – who are in situ in Baltimore, MD.
Matt Sydal/ACH vs The Addiction
There is a whole lot of frustration contained within this one. The Addiction are getting increasingly pissed off at their apparent isolation from the Tag Title picture, and the Sydal/ACH team was basically formed because both men had nothing better to do after losing so many high profile singles matches. With reDRagon still dominant, The Kingdom lined up as their next challengers and the likes of the Young Bucks ahead of them in the pecking order, which duo will step forward to force their way back into title contention? This match also pits former Tag Champions Chris Daniels and Matt Sydal against each other interestingly. I reckon the odds are slim that Kevin Kelly even knows that...
This venue looks much better with the new Cary-tron setup. The experience of Daniels and Kaz as a team hands them an early advantage over Sydal, until the popular ACH springs in with a double stomp to Frankie’s chest. He’s too quick for the veterans but annoyingly has to slow down to land some tenuous double teams with Sydal. Kazarian counters that slingshot flatliner move ACH does in every match…then clocks Matt with the Jerry Lynn leg drop that HE does in every match! Daniels lands the Arabian Press as take our knee brace break. The Addiction isolate ACH at a sedate pace, more suited to their age and style. In fairness, Daniels can still go amazingly well, but Kazarian is looking OLD tonight. His offence is seriously poor and the crowd is almost silent whenever he is in the ring. Sydal rescues his partner with a Slice/jawbreaker combo on both opponents straight into the standing moonsault on Daniels for 2. BME misses…Tomikaze blocked…into the Here It Is Driver for 2! RUNNING MOONSAULT to the floor by ACH! One of the KRD red masks hops the rails and smashes Sydal in his bad leg just as he prepares for the Sydal Press! Addiction hit Celebrity Rehab and pick up a tainted victory at 12:39 (shown)
Rating - ** - A solid TV match, albeit one where you know they are capable of much better. Frankie Kazarian was considerably off the pace of everyone else which didn’t help matters either. The KRD angle is goofy, but I’ll give it a chance before writing anything off. At least it gives The Addiction a much-needed victory in this instance.
Promo time for Jay Briscoe next, after a video package which made the 13th Anniversary main event look considerably better than it actually was. Jay doesn’t care if people thought he was vulnerable in Vegas since he’s still World Champion and hasn’t been pinned in two years. Samoa Joe makes his presence felt and lays down the challenge – he wants Jay at Supercard Of Honor. He leaves after reminding Jay what happened the last time they met in a World Title Match…
Jimmy Jacobs crashes the show to complain that Joe is apparently getting a title shot despite not being in the company for years. His promo is superb, demanding a title shot for himself – one he feels he’s earned after years holding the company together. No Decade, no young boys, nobody by his side…it’s just a raw stream of consciousness, setting the table for a huge future title match and dropping a few hints that something major is in the pipeline for him…
Michael Bennett/Matt Taven vs Young Bucks
I think this is unofficially a #1 contenders match for the Tag Titles, but you’d have to consider The Kingdom to be in absolute pole position for that slot having won high profile matches at Winter Warriors Atlanta and the 13th Anniversary. They are going from strength to strength as a team, but do they have what it takes to defeat the most thrilling, exhilarating and over tag team on the planet right now? Can the Bucks Superkick their way into the Tag Title picture just weeks before Supercard Of Honor in California?
The Bucks are so over the chants of the fans drowns out their entrance music. Bennett tries to leave the ring to avoid the Superkicks…but gets a dropkick to the face anyway. SPRINGBOARD TOPE ATOMICO by Nick! MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY MATT! Maria Kanellis breaks up the fun by tripping Matt to feed him into the Bennett spinebuster for 2. Sensibly he and Taven slow things down, but in a much more organic and interesting way than Daniels and Kazarian did with ACH earlier. Taven springboards into an enziguri strike on Matt seconds after Mike drags Nick off the apron to thwart a Jackson tag. Back from the commercials and this time we do get the hot tag to Nick…who moonsaults off the apron at Bennett. RUNNING SUICIDE DIVE BY TAVEN! Five Star Frog Splash gets knees though and the Bucks hit back with the assisted Shiranui combo for 2. We get a tease of a Superkick on Maria…but Bennett saves with the Twist Of Fate before things get that far. SWANTON BOMB by Taven for 2. SUPERKICK ON BENNETT! Springboard splash/standing moonsault combo gets a nearfall! More Bang For Your Buck blocked into a bicycle kick/backpack stunner combo by The Kingdom. LEAPFROG SUPERKICK NAILED! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S ON MIKE! More Bang For Your F*ck countered…SPIKE PILEDRIVER COUNTERED WITH A MID-AIR SUPERKIIIIIIIIICK! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S AGAIN! MORE BANG FOR YOUR F*CK! A KRD RED MASK BREAKS THE FALL! SUPERKICK TO MATT! LOW BLOW ON NICK! SPIKE PILEDRIVER NAILED! The Kingdom get a huge win over the Bucks at 11:24 (shown).
Rating - **** - Obviously the finish was a little annoying, but considering the quality of match that usually makes it onto ROH television this was an utter adrenaline rush (in a non-TD Thomas sense). The Bucks are on another level right now. Not everyone enjoys their style of course but it is insanely over and their brand of spot-fuelled, self-indulgent mayhem is seeing them steal shows all over the world. Taven and Bennett have their detractors but are in top form at the moment too and made great opponents for the Jacksons in the way they slowed the pace and generated great heat preventing the Bucks hitting the majority of their signature high spots. The inference with a KRD guy saving The Kingdom at the end there is an interesting continuation of the 13th Anniversary too, where it seemed increasingly likely that it was Taven, Cole and Bennett who were donning masks and popping up all over the place. It also enabled the Bucks to put The Kingdom over without denting their own credibility too much.
reDRagon stand in the aisle, apparently acknowledging that The Kingdom will be challenging them for the Tag Titles in California.
NEXT WEEK – Jay Briscoe defends the World Title against Jimmy Jacobs.
Tape Rating - *** - Whilst the live event circuit saw some infuriating shows this weekend, the TV show was pretty impressive. We have our Supercard Of Honor main event set, we had a spectacular main event and some of the best mic work of 2015 thus far with that raw Jimmy Jacobs promo. This is what ROH TV should be like every week…