Ring of Honor Wrestling on Sinclair (Best in the World PPV Preview Edition)
June 21, 2014
Hosts: Larry Mercer, Mandy Leon
Recap by: Jason Namako of Wrestleview.com
We start the show with a look at the closing minutes of the Kevin Steen vs. Shinsuke Nakamura match from the War of the Worlds iPPV on May 17 in New York City that saw Nakamura get the win.
Afterwards, Steen grabs the mic and says that he has to make it quick because he thinks he broke his jaw. Steen mentions that he has a family to take care of and how it has grown by one recently. The bottom line is that it is time for him to step away for a bit. He starts to thank New York for everything, but all of a sudden, Silas Young’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring. Silas has a mic and says he apologizes to Steen for interrupting him. He will not agree with the fans, but he agrees when they chant “No” at Steen leaving. Silas says that we have a World Champion who looks like a lady boy. We have tag team champions who look like a couple of kids off a Disney show. We have a TV champion who runs around with a fruit who tried to recruit myself, not knowing what a real man is. Silas says that Steen is the only other “man” in the ROH locker room. He can understand having a family. He can understand putting someone else ahead of you, but you are going to be a bitch and beg for these fans? These fans don’t give a crap about you. Once you leave, it will be the next flavor of the month. You can go ahead and quit and your son can be a quitter, just like you.
Steen attacks Young and they brawl until refs and attendants break it up. They get Silas out of the ring, but then Steen heads up top and wipes out everyone with a flip dive, except for Silas, who got away before Steen dove onto everyone.
We go to a promo from Silas Young, who says that there is nothing sadder or more pathetic than losing their own manhood by their own means. He sees a bunch of wannabes and pansies. When he looked at Steen, he thought he saw a man. Then Steen came out at War of the Worlds to give a sad sap of a speech. Silas says that Steen is spineless and pathetic like the fans. I want you to take solace in the fact that the day after Best in the World, he will have to admit that he got his ass whipped, but he got his ass whipped by a real man.
Commercial
Back from commercial, we see video on the rivalry between Roderick Strong & Cedric Alexander, including highlights from their match at the Global Wars iPPV in Toronto on May 10 that saw Cedric get the win, but the Decade attack him afterwards and Strong suplexing him through four chairs, injuring Cedric’s shoulder and putting him out of his scheduled match with New Japan’s Kazuchika Okada at the War of the Worlds iPPV.
We go to a promo from Jimmy Jacobs, who says that after they beat Cedric down at Global Wars, they have heard a lot of talk from him about what they took from him. They took his spot, his spot in the locker room? It was never his spot in the first place. You cannot take their ten years in the locker room. You cannot take the respect they have earned. You cannot take the titles that they have won from them. Strong will take the fight from you at Best in the World. Strong says he will finish what he should have a long time ago in a submission match.
We then go to a promo from Cedric Alexander, who says that Strong has tried to take so many things away from him. You took away his place in the locker room. You took away his match against Okada at War of the Worlds. You took away his World Title opportunities. In Nashville, he won’t be the one to give up, you will.
Commercial
Back from commercial, we go to looking at the ROH Tag Team Title match at Best in the World between champions reDRagon and challengers Christopher Daniels & Kazarian.
We go to an episode of the Fish Tank with Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly. O’Reilly welcomes everyone and he introduces himself and Bobby Fish. Fish says that they are best friends, similar to other teams in the company. Bobby mentions WarMachine and how they might be worthy challengers for the Tag Titles. O’Reilly says that they got the title belts cleaned. Fish says that Ring of Honor would not agree. Just like in the past, they are going to try to blindside reDRagon and try to take the titles from them. They bring in Daniels and Kazarian. O’Reilly says that he could picture Kazarian and Daniels. He says that there are similarities between the teams. They’re influencing the children of America. They are inspiring the children of the DPRK. O’Reilly says that he enjoys an appletini as much as the next heterosexual guy, especially on a Sunday. In a perfect world, they would be great friends, but this is not a perfect world. The laws of physics in the ring are created by these Gods. They will cut Daniels and Kazarian down. Fish wants to know if they are ready to wrestle them for the next 24 hours? They started training a day ago and ended this morning. They have been training 13 days a week. O’Reilly reminds Daniels that when he points a finger at them, he is pointing three fingers back at them. They say the richest soup makes the best conversation. O’Reilly says that he meant chowder instead of soup. Fish says that on June 22nd, they will rise when their number is called. They will walk into battle, just like his uncle Thaddeus P. Fish. He did what needed to be done. He got filthy, just like Tom Lawlor. Are you ready to go to war Daniels and Kazarian? They have been redefining tag team wrestling.
We see video from the January 31, 2011 edition of ROH TV on HDNet when Christopher Daniels defeated Eddie Edwards to win the ROH TV Title.
We go to a promo from ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal & Truth Martini. Martini says that you are looking at the best in the world. At Best in the World, you will witness what this man is all about. He is going one on one against Matt Taven. He thought Matt would have gotten the hint. It is fear on their part that got Truth immobilized. Lethal says that Taven got what he wanted. He got a television title match and he got Truth taken out of the equation. Truth is not walking in the ring with you, Lethal says that he is. The world will see you the way that he sees Taven. He is a loser.
Commercial
Back from commercial, we see video of the rivalry between Matt Hardy, Michael Bennett and Maria Kanellis against the Briscoes, featuring highlights from Supercard of Honor when Hardy & Bennett cost Jay Briscoe the ROH World Title, then when Adam Cole gave Matt Hardy the replica world title belt of Jay Briscoe’s that Hardy has now rechristened the I.C.O.N.I.C. World Title.
We go to a promo from the Briscoes. They ask Hardy if he thinks this is a game. Mark says that if you keep playing with fire you are going to be burned. Jay says that they are not from cartoon land. They are not the other guys that Matt is used to wrestling. He will take his belt back.
We go to a promo from Maria Kanellis. Maria says that the Briscoes have had their time. They were there in the creation of Ring of Honor. You have been top guys and history makers. You are the history of Ring of Honor. Your time has come. It is time to move to the side. It is time to understand that a new kingdom is rising. A new group of gentlemen is going to take your spot. Michael Bennett, Adam Cole, and Matt Hardy are the future. Maria says that she was afraid for anyone who got in their way today. Matt and Michael are going to show up, they are going to make their way to the ring at Best of the World, and they are going to destroy the legacy of the Briscoe Brothers. Your time is over and her kingdom has come.
Commercial
Back from commercial, we see video highlighting Michael Elgin’s road to the Ring of Honor World Title against Adam Cole at Best in the World.
We see a promo from Elgin, who says that the Ring of Honor World Title is not just special to him, it is special in all of pro wrestling. You think of the lineage of the title. You mention Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson. That makes the world title the most prestigious thing in the world. You talk about those names and Ring of Honor. Ring of Honor gets coverage from all over the world. Not just for the action and athletes, but for what they have done for wrestling and how they have changed the landscape everywhere. When you talk about Ring of Honor and who has come from Ring of Honor, you hear Samoa Joe, CM Punk, and Bryan Danielson. What one thing do those three men have in common? That is the Ring of Honor World Title. There is Matt Sydal, Claudio Castagnoli, and Christopher Daniels. You don’t think of their names first because no matter how great they were or what they gave every time in the ring, they were never Ring of Honor World Champion. There is a status in life. To be up there, you have to give the world a reason to remember you. That reason is the Ring of Honor World Championship. He could say that someday he will be the champion. Elgin says that he needs to be champion and he will be the World Champion. He does not want to be known as a good wrestler who was part of Ring of Honor. He wants to be remembered as one of the best, if not the best World Champion.
We go to a promo from Adam Cole. Cole says that Ring of Honor hosts its biggest event of all time on Sunday. The main event is the biggest match in ROH history because it is the first time the World Title is defended on pay per view. If he was to say that Elgin was not an intimidating force or that he has not done a fine job, he would be kidding himself. Elgin is one of the best, but Adam says that he is the best. On the biggest stage, Elgin has been broken before and he will be broken again.
We then see video from the June 7th ROH live event in Collinsville, Illinois and the closing moments of a No DQ match between Michael Elgin and Michael Bennett. Elgin takes a piece of the barricade and he puts it across two chairs. Elgin picks up Bennett, but Adam Cole hits Elgin from behind. Cole & Bennett stomp away at Elgin, then grab zip ties and tie up Elgin’s arms to the ropes. Cole grabs a bag and removes the contents of it, showing of a pair of scissors and hair clippers. Cole grabs the scissors and cuts off Elgin’s mullet. Cole then grabs the clippers and begins to shave Elgin’s head. Cole grabs a chair, but Elgin’s wife, women’s wrestler MsChif runs in and gets inbetween Elgin & Cole. Cole yells at her to move, but when she doesn’t, Bennett grabs her from behind and Cole grabs a mic. Cole says that we have quite the little predicament. Physically, he knows that he can get to Michael Elgin because he has kicked his ass more times than he can count. He also took his hair. Cole says he will let Elgin’s wife make the decision. Will it be physically? Will we see the love of her dreams get smashed with the steel chair. Or Will it be emotionally? You can say that Adam Cole is more of a man than Elgin is and you can kiss me . . . with tongue. MsChif spits at Cole in defiance. Cole grabs the chair and he teases hitting Elgin with it as Elgin is yelling at Cole to do so. Cole instead puts the chair down and then PUTS MSCHIF IN THE FIGURE FOUR, while taunting Elgin, who is going bezerk. Referees and attendants rush in and pull Cole off of MsChif as Cole, Bennett & Maria leave, happy about what they have done. Attendants check on MsChif as others get Elgin removed from the zip ties. Once they do so, Elgin lays waste to all of them and checks on his fallen wife as the show closes.