Cincinatti, OH – 2.16.2013
Championship Rundown
ROH World Champion: Kevin Steen
ROH Television Champion: Adam Cole
ROH World Tag Team Champions: The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe)
Commentary is provided by Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness.
Jay Briscoe vs. QT Marshall
After a lock up and a shoulder block, Jay gets in some strikes while Marshall is on the ropes. Marshall skins the cat to avoid being tossed out, only to be booted to the floor immediately. Jay slingshots him into the ring post and throws him into the barricades. Back in the ring Marshall trips Jay off the middle rope and onto his head. He stomps Jay in the corner before giving him a vertical suplex for two. Marshall steps on Jay’s face after dropping some elbows. He shows off to the crowd long enough for Jay to recover and throw some punches. He clotheslines Marshall twice. He gets two with a neckbreaker. Marshall sends Jay shoulder first into the ring post. He gives him a Fame-Asser for two. Marshall strings together a backbreaker and a slam for two. Jay comes back with the Jay Driller for the pin at 6:50. That was an energetic opener and a better performance from Marshall than you would expect. **1/2
Jay Lethal vs. Tadarius Thomas
The first few exchanges end in stalemates. There’s a lot of really quick action and the fans are impressed. So am I, for that matter. Lethal pushes Thomas to the mat in a test of strength hoping to get a pin. Thomas tries popping up into a huracanrana and Lethal instead locks on an STF. Thomas gets the ropes. Lethal surprisingly chokes him on the second ropes. He dropkicks Thomas from the floor. Chops are traded on the floor. Back in the ring Thomas throws a trifecta of kicks to the head and shoulders. He kicks Lethal in the chest for two. Lethal kicks out after a few punches. He chops Thomas in the corner and lures him into a superkick. He chops him in the face for two. Lethal goes for a superplex. Thomas hangs Lethal from a tree of woe in the second ropes and stomps onto his ribs. He gets two with a Dragon suplex. Lethal avoids a Saito suplex. He superkicks Thomas and hits the Lethal Injection for the pin at 11:51. These two were great opponents for each other. They were able to out maneuver and match up with one another, which raised Thomas’ stake as he was able to go toe-to-toe with a name talent and a former TV and tag team champion. I think Thomas has all the potential in the world. ***
Mark Briscoe vs. “Spyder” Nate Webb
They bow to each other instead of shaking hands. Webb rolls out of the ring to avoid Mark’s Redneck Kung-Fu. When he comes back in Mark puts on a wristlock. Webb kicks him away but gets armdragged back into it. Webb uses the referee to escape. He throws a forearm and drives Mark’s head into the mat. Mark overhand chops Webb to the corner. Webb runs out and gets caught with a rolling Death Valley Driver. Mark sends him to the floor and dropkicks him through the middle rope. Back in the ring he flips Webb onto his stomach. Webb comes back with the Arachnid Kick that sends Mark out. Webb follows with a tope con hilo. He hits a version of a cannonball in the corner. Mark Dragon suplexes him into the corner. The Froggy Bow gets him the pin at 7:19. Webb has clearly lost a step in his absence. Mark did his best and the fans liked their antics, but the wrestling was mediocre. *½
Roderick Strong vs. ACH
Strong pops out of his headscissors and shoves ACH. They vie for control on the mat. Strong elbows out of a waistlock. ACH hops over him out of the corner. He chops Strong in the corner. ACH puts him in a tree of woe and delivers a clothesline. They fight on the apron until ACH kicks Strong to the floor. He follows with a split-legged moonsault. Strong moves out of the way. He catches ACH’s huracanrana and swings him into the barricades. Strong continues to wear down ACH back in the ring, targeting his back as he is want to do. ACH kicks Strong out of the corner and rolls forward for a Complete Shot. He gamengiri’s Strong from the floor, then hits a slingshot Ace Crusher for two. Strong sends him to the apron. ACH scissor kicks him in the ropes. He baseball slides Strong further back, then jumps onto him with some assistance from the second rope. In the ring he gets two with a high-angle crossbody. Strong knees him in the stomach and delivers a half nelson backbreaker for two. Another backbreaker has the same result. ACH blocks the Tiger Driver and rolls him up for two. Strong puts on the Strong Hold. ACH kicks him in the head a couple of times. Strong throws some forearms. ACH blocks Death By Roderick with a reverse Frakensteiner! Strong gets his foot on the ropes to avoid the pin. ACH ducks a rolling clothesline and delivers an Ace Crusher. He misses a 450 splash. The Orange Crush backbreaker gets Strong the pin at 14:59. This match proved why ACH was the smartest pick up ROH has made lately. He’s hard working, diverse, and can get the crowd behind him with ease. He was able to adapt to Strong’s style and have a really entertaining match. He has a litany of fresh matches that await him and the sky is the limit with what he can accomplish. Strong of course deserves credit for a great match as well. ***1/2
Truth Martini comes out for “The Hoopla.” Scarlett Bordeaux and a women I don’t recognize come out with him. It’s tough to hear what he’s saying. There’s a lot of sexual stuff, he has Scarlett hold his “balls” (literally metal balls). The secret word is “underwear.” The ladies take their pants off. Adam Cole is brought out to be a guest, though he’s not so sure of what to make of the situation. He asks Cole about his upcoming TV title defense while baiting him into saying the word “underwear” a couple times. Cole thinks he means his defense against Matt Hardy, but Martini meant his match against Matt Taven in Chicago Ridge at the 11th Anniversary Show. Taven is the newest member of the House of Truth. Cole says Martini is going to whip his ass. Cole is about to throw a superkick when Scarlett gets in his way. He’s about to walk away when Martini smacks his ass. Cole then throws a superkick. This started out God awful, but the fact that it had a purpose made the last few minutes a lot more palatable.
Charlie Haas talks some trash while drinking a beer. Parks slaps him while he’s drinking a beer. Haas rolls to the floor and Parks dives after him. The match is on.
Charlie Haas vs. Pepper Parks
Parks whips Haas into the barricades. He hits a dropkick back in the ring. Haas pulls up the apron to catch Parks as he tries a baseball slide. He throws some strikes and kicks while Parks is trapped, then sends him back first to the barricades. Haas Olympic Slams him into the ring post. Haas beats down Parks back in the ring as the fans jeers get under his skin. He gets two with a belly-to-belly suplex. He accidentally crotches himself on the middle rope when Parks avoids an attack. Parks throws some back elbows. He powerslams Haas for two. He also gets two with a fisherman’s neck breaker. Haas pops him up into a spinebuster for two. Parks fight shim off the top rope. He comes off and delivers a neckbreaker for two. They go to the floor where Haas backdrops Parks onto the guardrails. Haas brings in his box of beer. The referee stops him so Haas shoves him down. Haas sprays beer in Parks eyes behind his back. Hje rolls Parks up for the pin at 11:23. Too long for a crappy finish. In fact, why wasn’t Haas DQ’d for shoving the referee? Parks worked really hard but got put in with a guy who can’t be interesting no matter how hard he tries. **
Haas beats up a student nicknamed Cheeseburger on the floor, repeatedly throwing him into the guardrails in a Giant Swing. He then dumps a beer on him as officials come to his aid. You can watch it on YouTube.
BJ Whitmer vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Whitmer cleanly breaks a lock-up in the corner. O’Reilly backs him to the ropes. He goes for a kick but Whitmer ducks. After trading holds on the mat Whitmer knocks down O’Reilly with a back elbow. Whitmer throws some chops. O’Reilly sends him to the apron and twists his arm before kicking him to the floor. O’Reilly comes off the apron with a dropkick as Whitmer is seated. O’Reilly goes for a cross armbreaker back in the ring but Whitmer makes it to the ropes. He sweeps out Whitmer’s legs for two. He drives his knee into his head. Whitmer gives him a belly-to-belly suplex. He then pulls off two consecutive suplexes for two. O’Reilly gets two with a Saito suplex. Whitmer kicks out at one after a brainbuster. As they both fire up, slap and punches are thrown. A suplex causes them both to tumble to the floor. Whitmer suplexes him into the barricades. He gives O’Reilly more suplexes in the ring but can’t keep him down. O’Reilly crotches him on the top rope. He brings Whitmer down and gives him a Regalplex. He applies a triangle choke while elbowing Whitmer in the head. Whitmer picks him up for a powerbomb. He rolls O’Reilly forward and throws knees at his head. He applies the Peruvian Neck Tie. O’Reilly taps out at 16:47. This made both guys look tough as nails. Some people have a hard time watching relatively unsafe matches, and if so this might make you slightly uneasy. I did think this had some of the usual no-selling problems both guys can be guilty of but the fans dug it so I can’t complain too much. ***1/4
Elimination Match
Davey Richards, Michael Elgin & Adam Cole vs. S.C.U.M. (Kevin Steen, Steve Corino & Jimmy Jacobs)
We start off with three pairs: Richards and Corino, Cole and Jacobs, then Elgin and Steen. In the first two exchanges the ROH side gets the advantage . Things get a little heated between Steen and Elgin, but they insist that their partners keep their cool. Elgin gives Steen a powerslam. Richards and Cole help Elgin wear Steen down. Richards ends up on the apron and goes to kick Steen on the floor. Steen blocks it and Jacobs spears Richards to the floor. S.C.U.M. isolate Richards in their corner. Most of their attack targets his mid-section. He escapes when he shoves Jacobs head into Corino’s arms, dropkicks Corino, causing him to DDT Jacobs. Cole throws forearms at Corino. He hits a Shining Wizard and Jacobs breaks the cover. All six men fight in the ring with the ROH side getting the better of it. Steen and Jacobs are sent out. Cole superkicks Corino into Elgin’s Blue Thunder Bomb. Richards gives him a double stomp and Jacobs breaks the pin. Elgin press slams him onto Steen and Corino on the floor. Richards suicide dives onto all of S.C.U.M. The brawl between al six men gets out of control, leading to a number of officials coming out in an attempt to restore order. Steen gives Cole a powerbomb onto the ring apron. He throws him in the ring so Corino can pin him. Cole is able to kick out. He is now isolated by S.C.U.M., with them getting in cheap shots where possible. Cole manages to hop over Jacobs when he charges him in the corner. Elgin takes down Jacobs with a modified STO. He Samoan Drops Corino while giving Jacobs a fallaway slam. Corino sends Elgin shoulder first into the corner. Richards Saito suplexes Corino. Steen DDT’s Richards. Cole superkicks Steen. Jacobs sends him to the apron. Corino and Jacobs give Cole a spike piledriver on the floor! Officials and his teammates check on him. Steen didn’t see what happened so his partners have to clue him in. Cole is taken to the back, presumably eliminating him from the bout.
S.C.U.M. attack Elgin and Richards. Elgin is worked over back in the ring while Richards recovers. They focus on his arm and hand presumably to neutralize his Backfist. Even with that, he manages to deadlift German suplex Corino while Jacobs is on his back attempting to put on a sleeper. Richards gamengiri’s Steen form the apron and nails a top rope dropkick. He clothesline him and applies a Trailer Hitch. Jacobs tries breaking Steen free but gets put in an ankle lock. The referee tries getting rid of Jacobs when Corino punches Richards in the head with a roll of quarters. Steen pins him for two. Steen then gives Richards a Package Piledriver for the pin at 27:17. Elgin is now on his own. He accepts the challenge by throwing firsts of fury at all three members of S.C.U.M. The numbers game overcomes him. Corino joins commentary while Jacobs and Steen work on Elgin. Adam Cole emerges and re-appears on the apron. Elgin superplexes Jacobs and tags Cole in. He spears Steen and throws a flurry of punches. He gives Steen a brainbuster onto his knee for two. He has Steen pinned with the Florida Key but Corino pulls the referee to the floor. Cole pescado’s onto him. Jacobs spikes Cole in the groin when he goes to the top rope. Steen gives him a cannonball senton and the F-Cinq for the pin at 33:48. Elgin, now truly alone, gives Steen a Boss Man Slam. He buckle bombs Corino after a Backfist. The Revolution Bomb puts Corino down at 34:53. Elgin blocks Jacobs crossbody, gives him a Buckle Bomb, then the Revolution Bomb to eliminate him at 35:16. We’re down to Elgin vs. Steen. Steen gets multiple two counts: one with a powerbomb, one with a sleeper suplex. Elgin gets his knees up to block a Swanton. He deadlifts Steen into a German suplex twice, both times getting two. Corino gets on the apron. Jay Lethal runs out to neutralize him. Steen schoolboys Elgin for two. He then small packages Elgin for the pin at 38:55. I must say, that was a very dissatisfying ending for nearly 40 minutes of action. The action was consistently good and the Cole story was intriguing, not to mention the fact that Elgin looked like a beast combating all of S.C.U.M. basically by himself. All of that to go to waste in a small package is maddening. Yes, you could argue Steen got a fluke win, but then what good does that do for him? He’s already champion; why not have Elgin pin him and set up a future title match? In spite of the finish, the wrestling and pacing was good enough to cap off the show in a positive way. ***3/4
Jay Lethal is attacked by S.C.U.M. after the match. Elgin tries to save him but is overpowered. The Briscoes run out and S.C.U.M. bails to the floor. The Briscoes send the Cincinatti fans home with a thank you speech.
Bonus Match – ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) (Champions) vs. S.C.U.M. (Steve Corino & Jimmy Jacobs)
“National Pro Wrestling Day 2013” – Philadelphia, PA – 2.2.2013
Corino says tonight begins the death of ROH as they reclaim the tag team titles. Cary Silken is in the Briscoes corner. Corino throws punches to Jay in the corner. He whips him across the ring and follows in with a chop. Jay responds with a jab and tags in Mark. Mark delivers a springboard dropkick. Jay throws a bunch of punches to Jacobs before he and Mark nail double shoulder tackles. Mark tope con hilo’s onto both Jacobs and Corino. The Briscoes do some more damage before bringing them back into the ring. Corino gets in a cheap shot from the apron to Jay. He chokes him with his boot. Jacobs snapmares Jay into a double arm stretch. He and Corino throw double right hands for a two count. Jay drives Corino into the middle rope with a Complete Shot. Mark uses Redneck Kung-Fu to fight off both members of S.C.U.M. Mark gives Corino a palm strike and Jon Woo dropkicks Jacobs to the corner for two. The Briscoes hit him with the Redneck Boogie but Corino breaks the cover. Jacobs spears Mark and Corino clotheslines Jay. He helps Jacobs give Mark the Contra Code. A sliding clothesline from Corino gets two. Jay superkicks Corino to block a double team. The Briscoes put away Jacobs with the Doomsday Device at 6:12. That was a fun way to kick off this mega event. Both teams put in a good effort and the crowd was into it. No one believed the titles were going to change hands though. **1/2
After the match S.C.U.M. attack the Briscoes. Corino spouts about how ROH will become Ring of S.C.U.M. soon enough. Jay Briscoe, now recovered, tells Steen (via the camera) that he would be willing to take the ROH World title from him any place, any time.
K Ford Reviews 