ROH HDNet Recap – 6/21/10

ROH on HDNet Recap
June 21, 2010
The Arena in Philadelphia, PA
Commentators: Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak
Report by: Anthony J. Valvo of Wrestleview.com

The following is an exclusive presentation of Ring of Honor Wrestling…on HDNet!

The show started off with an announcement on tonight’s main event. It is a tag team match. The All-Night Express (Rhett Titus and Kenny King) would take on the team of Jerry Lynn and Delirious. This match would be Delirious’ first match since he was brutally attacked by Austin Aries.

Kidd Russell’s theme plays.

The viewers are now in the undisclosed location that is ROH Studios, where Mike Hogewood said a lot of good things happened at Death Before Dishonor VIII last weekend. Dave Prazak said you could find pictures of the event on www.rohwrestling.com or you could catch the replay at gofightlive.tv. Hogewood said that next week they will have highlights from a few of the featured contests from that card.

The viewers now watch at ringside where “The Voice of ROH” Bobby Cruise introduced the Ring of Honor Television Champion Eddie Edwards. Edwards entered the ring with Shane Hagadorn and Edwards got one streamer from a fan. Edwards grabbed a microphone and said since he was the only ROH Television Champion in history, the committee decided who did and who did not deserve a shot at the title. Edwards introduced a new concept. It was the Eddie Edwards 10-Minute Hunt. That was followed by a logo on the screen.

Edwards said that rules were simple for the challenge. If a wrestler can survive ten minutes in the ring with him, then that wrestler would earn a future shot at the ROH Television Championship. He then asked who the first lamb would be for him to slaughter. In came a wrestler who had yet to debut on HDNet (I should know because I watched every show since the start). Edwards asked who “the little fella” was. The wrestler identified himself as Nick Westgate. Edwards called him “Nate” and asked where he was from. Westgate said somewhere in Massachusetts (which generated boos from The Arena crowd). Edwards said it was fair enough that he deserved a match tonight. He asked if he was too young to compete, then clubbed him in the head with the mic. The match began immediately with no Code of Honor.

Eddie Edwards 10-Minute Hunt.

ROH Television Champion Eddie Edwards vs. Nick Westgate

Notes on the match since play-by-play is now a bit difficult since I started a couple ventures.

Notes on Edwards: He chopped Westgate to size numerous times and did them really stiff. He executed a nice dropkick off the ropes. I liked how he slammed Westgate down on the mat outside the ring. After he executed an armdrag, he was able to keep him down for a bit. If there was anything really strong about his match it was the ability to chop.

Notes on Westgate: His offense mainly consisted about counters. He countered into a head scissors takedown and did a nice Tilt-O-Whirl DDT. Once he failed a springboard maneuver, the match ended. He was overall not impressive in the ring.

Who was in control? From almost start to finish, Edwards was dominant.

Finish: After a failed springboard move by Nick Westgate, Eddie Edwards applied an Achillies’ Lock while stomping Westgate’s head. The referee called the match with 7:18 left in the Hunt. Westgate does NOT earn a title shot.

Winner via Submission: Eddie Edwards
Grade: D+

The viewers watched a backstage segment that featured Austin Aries and The All-Night Express (Rhett Titus and Kenny King). Aries said that it was a new beginning, as we now being the era of A-Double, Manager Supreme. Aries said that everything he did, he did great. Tonight, Titus and King will unleash something that has never been seen. Aries asked the cameraman to look at them and then told his team that he has a bit of motivation. After that line two women entered the backstage area. Aries introduced the women and the All-Nighters and told his tag team to not get too excited, as they were just in incentive if they win tonight. Aries told Delirious and Jerry Lynn that they would get their work cut out for them, because The All-Night Express would be going “all-in”. They were going all-in because they upped the ante and the pot will be theirs.

Bobby Cruise then announced the next match. It is a Women of Honor contest.

Women of Honor Match
Reggie vs. Sara Del Ray (w/Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, and Shane Hagadorn)

For those that do not know, Reggie is best known for her work at Ohio Valley Wrestling to my knowledge at least. I know she was on their roster page for awhile. No Code of Honor was enforced.

Notes on Reggie: She was not bad at the start of this match, as she applied the headlock well. Her jackknife pin attempt was impressive. Her counters were good, as she relied once on a roll-up. She did hit a good top rope leg lariat, but it took her a long time to execute that.

Notes on Del Ray: She was just too powerful tonight. She executed the gut wretch suplex well, and then gave her a boot. Del Ray wore Reggie down with a set of chinlocks and choke holds. Del Ray even took Reggie down once by her hair, that looked very painful. With the help from her entourage, she got the victory. However, I don’t think she needed her team for the victory.

Who was in control? I would give the edge to Del Ray, even though Reggie held her own tonight.

Finish: Del Ray’s team (Hero, Hagadorn, and Castagnoli) distracted both the ref and the opposition. Hero and Castagnoli argued with the referee, while Hagadorn grabbed hold of Reggie’s leg. It led to Del Ray hitting the Rolling Wheel Kick and the Spike Piledriver for the pinfall victory. The victory made Mike Hogewood SLAP HIS PORPOISE!!

Winner via Pinfall: Sara Del Ray
Grade: C- (leaned toward a C)

After the match, the viewers were led to a Jerry Lynn highlight package. On October 19, 2009, Kenny King defeated Jerry Lynn with the help of Rhett Titus. After the match, Titus and King took out Lynn with a double-team Spike Piledriver. After the attack, King said that Jerry Lynn “needed a little help” in order to retire and it was a young man’s game. Later on during this feud, Lynn was taped to do a promo. Lynn thought for a bit that the attack could have ended his career. However, Lynn said that he accepted the risks, but it was different when someone tried to end his career. Lynn said that King has the look, ability, and charisma; but his direction was a bit twisted.

Back to the ring…

Ricky Reyes vs. “Skullkrusher” Rasche Brown

Brown received a streamer when he entered the ring. There was once again No Code of Honor.

To those new to ROH, Reyes is no pushover. He, along with Rocky Romero, teamed up as The Rottweilers in ROH. Romero and Reyes actually won the ROH Tag Team Titles back in 2004 and held them for over six months during their reign.

Notes on Reyes: He started off by attempting to kick Brown’s legs out from under him, but could not. He got a boot in Brown’s face while Brown charged. When in control, Reyes worked on Brown’s leg. He avoided a good bit of Brown’s power and when he avoided it, he went right to the leg. He actually grounded Brown, which was something I don’t think I saw since Brown debuted in ROH. He did a back elbow splash and an Enzugiri near the end of the match. Overall, he did a nice job trying to take down Brown, but his efforts were not rewarded.

Notes on Brown: He started off the match with his raw power. He choked him at the corner, and then threw him down with a hip toss. Right after the toss, he lifted him over his head and delivered a press slam which was very impressive. After Reyes control his leg, Brown regained momentum with a hard-hitting spear! Brown also did a nice job selling the work done on his leg and it was probably his most difficult match since he debuted in ROH. He finished off Reyes efficiently was well. Overall, it was a pretty solid showing.

Who was in control? I think Reyes had a good bit of offense, but Brown’s power helped him control the match when he needed it the most.

Finish: “Skullkrusher” Rasche Brown finished this contest with a Torture Rack and followed it up with The Burning Hammer. Brown pinned Reyes to earn the victory.

Winner via Pinfall: “Skullkrusher” Rasche Brown
Grade: C

After the match, Brown was attacked by Erick Stevens (From The Embassy) and that led to punches by both men. The referees and security broke it up and Brown looked like he came out on top of this battle.

The viewers went backstage again to see Delirious, who is still holding his neck after the attack that Aries did weeks ago. We saw clips of how Aries kicked his throat and then did a top rope attack on Delirious in which his throat met the ROH Barricade. Daizee Haze walked to the camera and said that there was only one thing on their minds…Revenge!

The viewers then saw a “Moments ago” highlight package, where “Skullkrusher” Rasche Brown and Erick Stevens exchanged some punches after Brown’s victory.

The viewers then see the commentators once again. Mike Hogewood said that it was comical that The Embassy believed they could have a chance to take out Brown. Hogewood told The Embassy to let it go. Dave Prazak said that wrestlers should never say “NO” to the Embassy. Prazak led us to a highlight in the Dayton show in which Erick Stevens and Shawn Daivari delivered a Powerbomb to The Necro Butcher on a couple of standing chairs.

It was announced that for next week The Necro Butcher will face Erick Stevens. Also, the main event will be ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. El Generico in a non-title match.

ROH then went to ringside where Austin Aries entered the ring dressed in his best and smoking a pipe (one of those old school pipes from your grandfather years). The timekeeper held the ropes for Aries. Aries is welcomed with a streamer. Aries’ name was chanted across The Arena. Aries said if they loved him so much, they would shut up and let him talk. We then got a shot from the A-Double Cam (shot via the Dugi Super 75X5), in which Aries said he was talking right at that camera. Aries then shut up the crowd once again. He said not too long ago on the very guardrails in this arena he took out Delirious.

Aries admitted that he crossed the line and tried to reach out to Delirious. Aries tried to apologize, but instead Delirious attacked him like a madman. Aries said sadly Delirious would have to wait because A-Double the Wrestler is gone. A-Double the manager has arrived! Aries said that ROH Executive Producer Jim Cornette tried to get the title off his waist and he succeeded at doing that. Now, Aries said that he would beat Cornette at his own game. Aries said instead of being the greatest man that ever lived, he will be the great “man” ager that ever lived. Aries continued when he said he would be a great manager by taking his tag team to the top and make them future world champions. Aries then introduced the audience to the future ROH World Tag Team Champions…Kenny King and Rhett Titus, THE ALL NIGHT EXPRESS!! Then King and Titus entered the ring to Titus’ theme music. They both received some streamers and shook Aries’ hand.

Bobby Cruise announced that this contest is the MAIN EVENT!!

Main Event
The All-Night Express (Rhett Titus and Kenny King w/Austin Aries) vs. Delirious and Jerry Lynn (w/Daizee Haze)

Before the match, Lynn and Delirious received streamers. There was no Code of Honor handshake. Rhett Titus and Jerry Lynn started the match.

Notes on Titus and King: Titus started the match by countering Lynn’s holds into a fireman’s carry takedown. Once Titus was outmatched, he escaped and Aries talked strategy (I hope Shane Hagadorn is taking notes). Titus slammed down Lynn well, while King punched Lynn along the ropes effectively. This was a good heel tag team. When Titus was in trouble, all he did was poke the eyes and tagged in King. When King was in trouble, Titus went off his corner and did a neck snap on Delirious. When in control, King and Titus did a bit of ground work on Delirious. They put on a few chinlocks and wore him down. When King was in a bit of trouble, Titus tagged himself in and did quick work. They took advantage of Lynn distracting the referee. When the ref’s back was turned, they would do a quick double team move which made for some good heel tag team wrestling. Then you had the manager factor. Aries would do his best to distract the opposition. He first grabbed hold of Haze, but Delirious paid no mind to it. However, the second time caught Delirious’ eye and The All-Night Express knew just what to do. King executed a great spinning backbreaker and Titus delivered the knee to the chest to end this. Overall, they have some potential but they need to gain more control in their matches together.

Notes on Lynn and Delirious: Lynn started off the match with a set of waistlock takedowns, then worked the arm of Titus. Lynn countered very well throughout the start of the match. He delivered a nice arm drag on Title, but missed a bit on the dropkick. Lynn worked on Titus’ back a good bit, thanks in part to three straight body slams. When Delirious was tagged in, he was making a b-line to Aries. The men showed good awareness when they saw King try and hit a Suicide Dive. Instead, they moved out of the way and King landed on his tag team partner. The team really did a nice job on Titus. They did at least ten elbow drops on Titus. Delirious followed that up with a Fireman’s Carry Slam and a back senton. Delirious then continued to attack Titus by drilling his shoulder to Titus’ stomach along the ring corner. Delirious then delivered a crisp back suplex to Titus, then Lynn got in with an ax punch to his back. Their double team work was great, as they did a very impressive flapjack/Double dropkick to the head combination. Delirious took a beating after that. He sold the neck injury pretty well as well as the shoulder (Delirious had tape all over his left shoulder). When Lynn came in for the hot tag, he cleaned house with good clotheslines. At the end, they double teamed again on the opposition, with a great TKO/Shadows over Hell combo and then a Side Slam/Top Rope Legdrop on Titus. Delirious then hit the Panic Attack knee striker to the corner. Overall, Delirious told a great story as his mind was set on Aries. Lynn was effective as well, but he took the pinfall loss.

Who was in control: Though The All-Night Express worked a ton on Delirious, I think the edge went to the team of Jerry Lynn and Delirious.

Finish: Just when Jerry Lynn and Delirious finished off Titus, Austin Aries distracted Delirious when he went for Daizee Haze. Kenny King noticed this and The All-Night Express capitalized. King did a modified Fireman’s Carry Backbreaker and Rhett Titus went up top and drilled his knee to Lynn’s chest. King pinned Lynn for the victory.

Winners by Pinfall: The All-Night Express (Rhett Titus and Kenny King)
Grade: C+ (leaned towards a B-)

After the match, Kenny King, Rhett Titus, and Austin Aries tried to damage Delirious’ throat again, but Jerry Lynn ran toward them to save that from happening. Lynn chased them off with a steel chair in his hand. Daizee Haze and Lynn check on Delirious while The All Night Express raised their hands in the air in celebration of their victory.

End.


Quick Results
ROH Television Champion Eddie Edwards defeated Nick Westgate via Submission in a 10-minute hunt.
Sara Del Ray defeated Reggie via Pinfall.
“Skullkrusher” Rasche Brown defeated Ricky Reyes via Pinfall.
The All-Night Express (Kenny King and Rhett Titus) defeated Jerry Lynn and Delirious via Pinfall.

Mike Hogewood’s Slap the Porpoise moment of the week: When Sara Del Ray did the Spike Piledriver on Reggie.

Thoughts on the non-wrestling segments

Eddie Edwards announces The Eddie Edwards 10-Minute Hunt – I like the idea, but seriously Shane Hagadorn or somebody needs to talk for him. Edwards has improved when talking in front of an audience, but aren’t managers supposed to do at least some of the talking? I give Edwards credit for attempting to generate some heel heat.

Austin Aries and All-Night Express segment – Now THIS is what a manager should do. Aries hyped up his team the entire show and made this team better than they actually were. I like what they are doing to Aries at this time. Aries is not going for the ROH World Title anytime soon and he now is feuding a bit with Jim Cornette. This should be some exciting television in the near future with Aries now playing a manager role.

Jerry Lynn Promo – This was simply to tell the story of how Lynn was out of ROH in the first place. It was short and to the point. Good video package there.

Delirious/Haze Promo – Again, the manager talked for the wrestler. They just showed how Delirious got injured and he held his throat. He sold the attack and that was perfect. Having Haze say they were out for revenge was the best way to promote this feud.

Aries introduces his creation – Just like Cornette back in the day, Aries built up his tag team as the greatest in the world. Aries went as far in this segment to say that Rhett Titus and Kenny King will be future ROH World Tag Team Champions. That is something I could see happen, but not soon though. It continued to tell a story and honestly this all centered on Aries. Again, ROH did a nice job with this story.

Thoughts on the wrestling matches

Edwards vs. Westgate – This was a total squash and I was not impressed with Westgate. For a match that lasted only three minutes, there was no selling at all until the finish. Edwards worked well in that time frame, but I was hoping for a bit more.

Reggie vs. Del Ray – I was happy to see a women’s match on HDNet again. Del Ray is a heck of a wrestler and showed dominance during the match. Reggie’s debut on HDNet was a bit successful, but I don’t think she did enough to catch the viewers eye with her wrestling. Hagadorn did interfere by grabbing hold of Reggie’s leg, which I thought looked really stupid. Del Ray can handle these matches by herself, so the distractions threw me off. Still, Del Ray showed viewers why she may be the best women’s wrestler in the world because TNA and WWE’s women’s division are watered down.

Reyes vs. Brown – Well, this was Brown’s first true test in ROH because every other match he was in was a total squash. Reyes was great on working the leg of Brown and it was the first time I saw Brown playing hurt. When Brown shows off his power moves, he is very dangerous. Now there is a story between Brown and The Embassy which could be very interesting based on spoilers that I read. This was a good, mid-card match and I hope to see Brown take off a bit from here. As for Reyes, he has been impressive and I hope that maybe he finds some staying power on HDNet.

All-Night Express vs. Lynn/Delirious – It was a pretty solid main event, but it did not stand out on a wrestling standpoint. I thought it only centered on Aries, and he was not even wrestling. When Lynn was in the ring, he tried to slow it down. He showed some good all-around wrestling which was pretty impressive. Delirious sold a good bit but was able to hit the moves that the fans enjoy seeing. He has improved a lot on his character. King and Titus were not bad either. King was bumping all over the ring, as well as Titus. But give them both credit for controlling a little bit of the match and earning their first win as an official tag team in ROH programming. If there was one thing I would have wanted to see, it would be less spots. It seemed like a huge spotfest near the end and it is something that ROH needs to scale down.

Overall Thoughts and Grade

Though the grades on each match are not as high as hoped, I thought this was a solid show. There was a lot of storytelling and the booking tonight was above average. Though it was not anything to tell your friends about, I think viewers of this week’s edition would be impressed with the presentation. Nice job tonight, HDNet!

Overall Grade: B- (leaned toward a C+)

-Mr. V’s Pick Three of the Night-

Wrestler of the Night: Jerry Lynn

Although he took the pin and lost, Lynn was probably the best all-around wrestler of the week. He was technical during the first half by working on the back of Rhett Titus and was able to control the match well when he was in the ring.

Disappointment of the Night: Mike Hogewood and Shane Hagadorn

Hogewood has been the play-by-play man for over a year on HDNet and he messed up on naming moves and still has NO control volume. He has had better weeks, but he still shows inconsistency when commentating matches. I know that he is cheering for the face wrestlers, but he needs to scale down on that a bit.

Hagadorn has been a manager for Del Ray and The Kings of Wrestling since Larry Sweeney left the company. Hagadorn rarely, if never, hypes up his wrestlers and just stands there when they wrestle. I liked that he did interfere in a match this week though. Too bad it was a women’s match and Del Ray probably did not need the help.

Surprise of the Night: Delirious

Ring of Honor is known to have wrestlers that don’t sell anything. However, Delirious sold any attack at his neck. He did not have to speak, and told an amazing story in the ring tonight. And he did not have to say a word to tell it.

The ROH / HDNet Pick 6 Contenders Standings have been updated as of 6/22/10. (Credit: www.rohwrestling.com)

1. Roderick Strong
2. Christopher Daniels
3. Kevin Steen
4. Chris Hero
5. Davey Richards
6. Kenny King

There were no changes in the standings after the matches from last weekend. Strong won a Gauntlet to maintain his spot in Toronto to earn a title match in the future. Daniels defeated Omega to maintain his spot in Toronto. Richards failed to win the ROH World Title off of Tyler Black in Toronto last weekend. All matches took place at Death Before Dishonor VIII.

Thanks for reading my latest ROH Recap. See you the week of June 28, 2010.

E-mail: mistervwv@hotmail.com

Facebook: Anthony J. Valvo (Pittsburgh, PA)

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