ROH on HDNet Debut!
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (ECW Arena)
March 21, 2009
Commentators: Dave Prazak & Mike Cogwood
By: Josh Boutwell of WrestleView.com
Well, the highly anticipated and long overdue television debut for Ring of Honor is finally here as they debut on HDNet. Interestingly enough ROH’s debut on television is the same night as their 7th Anniversary Show in New York City. Let’s not waste any time.
The show kicks off with a decent little opening video with highlights of various ROH stars mixed in with some rock & roll music. We first see Dave Prazak and the new commentator, Mike Cogwood, in an editing room liking set. They talk about what we will see tonight and Prazak puts over the Code of Honor in TNA and the Main Event for tonight, Tyler Black vs. Jimmy Jacobs.
Before the first bout they cut to a ?Smacktalk? segment where apparently wrestlers will be cutting promos before each match to introduce them to the fans. Delirious is up first and talks his usual gibberish.
Delirious vs. ?New F?n Show? Jerry Lynn
Pretty generic rock & roll type theme music for the guys, they show bullet points in a split screen as the wrestlers come out which give it a true sports feel. Lynn cuts a promo and talks about Delirious being a little ?off centered? and tonight he will show how off centered he can be. Nice camera angles from ROH. Lynn and Delirious shake hands and when the bell rings Delirious goes nuts like usual. Delirious shoots at Lynn but Lynn catches him in a front chancery. Delirious reverses it into a side headlock, Lynn pushes him off, and Delirious hits a big shoulder block. Delirious comes off the ropes but Lynn grabs his legs and Delirious goes facefirst to the mat. Lynn with a toe hold and then transitions into the bow & arrow, but Delirious is able to flip over into a nearfall. Delirious goes for a sweep but Lynn jumps over it and puts Delirious into another side headlock. Delirious pushes Lynn off but Lynn comes back with a shoulder block this time and then ducks a clothesline and follows up with a beautiful head scissors takeover followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. 1?2?NO Delirious kicks out! Lynn puts the boots to Delirious and then throws a couple of forearms. Lynn attempts to whip Delirious into the corner but he reverses it. Lynn nips up in the corner and tries to go up and over a charging Delirious, but Delirious catches him on his shoulders and hits him with a fireman’s carry press slam followed by a backsplash senton! 1?2?NO Lynn kicks out! Delirious puts Lynn in a modified side headlock and then throws Lynn over with a takeover. Lynn is able to fight to his feet and fight out of the hold, but Delirious hits a knee to the ribs and then a running clothesline followed by another one. Delirious goes for another clothesline but Lynn grabs Delirious? arm and turns into a backslide! 1?2?NO Delirious kicks out! Lynn picks Delirious up and puts him in the Gory Special and then hits him with a Gory Special Slam for another nearfall. Lynn charges Delirious in the corner but Delirious headbutts him in the midsection and climbs to the top. Lynn charges Delirious and he leaps up and over Lynn. Lynn charges Delirious again and he toe holds Lynn into the turnbuckles and then follows up with the Panic Attack (running knee strike in the corner)! Delirious climbs to the top and goes for Shadows Over Hell, but Lynn moves and goes for the TKO. Delirious rolls Lynn up, 1?2..NO Lynn kicks out! Lynn goes for the Cradle Piledriver but Delirious backdrops him into a pin for another nearfall. Delirious goes to the top again but Lynn crotches him and then hits the hurricanrana off the top followed by the TKO! 1?2?NO Delirious still kicks out! Lynn picks Delirious up but he drives Lynn into the corner and throws several shoulder blocks and chops. Delirious whips Lynn into the corner and charges, but Lynn moves and then hits the Cradle Piledriver for the pin!
Winner: Jerry Lynn via pinfall (Cradle Piledriver)
In the back Kyle Durden (I have no idea who this guy is) is in the back as the interviewer. He is with Tyler Black for an interview and talks with Tyler about he and Jimmy Jacobs feud. Tyler talks about getting his revenge will be sweet but will hurt him mentally and physically as well. Tyler puts over Jacobs bringing him into ROH but says Jimmy turned his back on him.
Kenny King vs. Sami Callihan
Sami Callihan calls himself ?the new whore? (I?m pretty sure that’s what he said) and says in his world every day is Halloween and his debut on ROH on HDNet is going to be a treat. Kenny King thanks ROH for bringing him in for the debut. Kenny sounded pretty charismatic and called himself the ?pretty boy pitbull?. King comes out to some hip hop (nice change of pace from all this damn hard rock stuff). They do shake hands before the match and when the bell rings Sami charges King, but he leapfrogs over Sami. They lockup and Sami locks King in a hammerlock, but King reverses it into a beautiful arm drag. Sami quickly takes King down with a double leg takedown, but King flips back up to his feet. Sami with a sweep for a nearfall and then locks Sami into a rolling Front Chancery. King gets to his feet but Sami tries to whip him into the ropes, but King reverses it into a bulldog onto the top rope as King clears the top rope to the floor at the same time! This guy is impressive (as I admit I have seen very little of him) and follows that up with a running clothesline back in the ring. King covers Sami for a one count and then puts the boots to Sami. Sami comes back with a body shot and then a right hand but King responds with a poke in the eyes and then chokes Sami on the top rope. King hits a scoop slam and then a springboard leg for a one count. King with a rear chin lock but Sami fights out of it and then kicks King in the face. Sami goes for a wheel barrow, King catches him, but Sami rolls him up in midmove for a nearfall. King goes for a front kick and Sami catches his boot, but King comes right back with a kind of modified Pele kick followed by a Spinebuster for a nearfall. They show replays of the last two minutes as King puts the boots to Sami. Sami with chops to King and King responds with a big forearm and then whips Sami into the ropes and goes for a spinning heel kick, but Sami ducks and hits an Atomic followed by a cradle overhead suplex! King goes for a clothesline but Sami ducks and hits a big right hand and then a huge forearm. Sami goes for a clothesline but Kenny blocks it and goes for a running front kick, but Sami avoids it, hits a leg kick, backkick, and then a stunner to a kneeling King! Sami then hits a huge Lariat to a seated King! Sami transitions right into the Koji Clutch! King fights his way to the corner and gets his boot on the bottom rope. Sami hits a huge running forearm in the corner on King and then goes for a running boot, but King moves and hits a nasty running double knee strike to the back of Sami sending him into the corner! Kenny picks Sami up and hits the Coronation for the pin!
Winner: Kenny King via pinfall (Coronation)
In the back Kyle Durden is now with Jimmy Jacobs. Jacobs says he brought Tyler Black into ROH to help him in a movement to spread the message of the Age of the Fall, but along the line Tyler Black decided instead of fighting against the masses he would fight for the masses. Jacobs says he?ll throw Black a bone just to pick it try and despite what Tyler thinks and the fans want, he will break him. Jimmy says Tyler is always talking about how the war is waiting, but the war is here now.
They show a ?history of ROH? video package showing a bunch of old ROH highlights featuring some of their old stars (including Homicide, Abyss, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, James Gibson, etc.) mixed with new stars. It was a very good video package to school new fans on ROH and make them want to see old shows.
Brent Albright vs. Rhett ?Addicted To Love? Titus
The very entertaining Rhett talks about his shoulders like boulders and how the thrust is a must. Albright had very generic music coming out. Albright starts the match off by lighting up Rhett’s chest with chops and then whips Rhett into the ropes and hits a big running back elbow. Rhett comes back with a knee to the gut and then goes for the Suplex, but Albright reverses it into a delayed Vertical Suplex of his own. Albright throws wicked forearms and right hands to Rhett and then whips him into the corner and charges but eats a boot from Titus. Titus climbs the ropes but Albright snatches him off right into a Backbreaker! 1?2..NO Titus kicks out! Albright goes for a shortarm clothesline but Rhett ducks only to eat a boot to the gut and then the Splash Mountain for another nearfall. Brent with a clothesline sends Rhett over the top to the floor! Albright takes to the air with a slingshot cross body block onto Rhett on the floor! Brent from the apron tries to send Titus into the top turnbuckle, but Rhett blocks it and then knocks Albright off the apron back to the floor. Rhett rolls Albright back in the ring and gets a nearfall. Titus puts the boots to Albright and then throws him headfirst into the top turnbuckle. Albright comes back with knife edge chops but Titus pokes him in the eyes and hits a snapmare followed by a dropkick to the back of the head for another nearfall. Rhett with a scoop slam and then a Knee for yet another nearfall. Rhett rakes Brent’s eyes and then taunts the crowd a little more. Rhett pretty much humps Brent’s head and then continues the beatdown and locks Albright into a rear chinlock. Albright fights to his feet and hits a big uppercut to the ribs and sends Rhett into the ropes and goes for a backdrop, but Rhett kicks him in the head. Rhett comes off the ropes but Albright hits a back heel kick and then repeated clotheslines. Albright whips Titus into the corner and hits a running dropkick for a nearfall before Titus got his foot on the bottom rope. Albright with a T-Bone Suplex and then slaps Titus in the corner. Brent whips him in the corner and charges but Rhett moves and charges, but Brent gets his boot up. Rhett comes back with a nice dropkick for a nearfall. Titus goes for a clothesline but Albright blocks it and hits the Rock Bottom. Albright then hits a Half Nelson Suplex and locks Titus in the Crowbar and he quickly taps out.
Winner: Brent Albright via submission (Crowbar)
They show some highlights from ?Rising Above? which was the initial split between Tyler and Jacobs. They then show Aries beating Black at ?Final Battle? and then Jacobs turning on him and of course the swerve where Aries joined forces with Jacobs to beat down Tyler Black.
Main Event
Tyler Black vs. Jimmy Jacobs
They use a nice tale of the tape like TNA does for title matches before the match. No Code of Honor handshake in this one obviously. They lockup but stop and Jacobs pushes Tyler. Tyler pushes Jimmy and knocks him to the mat. They lockup again and Jacobs knees him in the gut and then puts him in a side headlock, but Black shoves him off and hits a beautiful dropkick. Tyler with repeated right hands knocks Jimmy through the ropes to the floor! Jimmy then drags Tyler out of the ring by his feet and they brawl on the outside! Tyler gets the advantage again and rolls Jacobs back into the ring. Tyler rolls back in but Jacobs bails out to the floor and grabs 2 steel chairs and throws them into the ring at Black. This distracts Black as he kicked them out of the ring allowing Jacobs to slide back in and clothesline Black from behind. Jacobs puts the boots to Tyler and then rakes his eyes and hits a big clothesline for a one count. Jacobs throws Black headfirst into the top rope and throws right hands at Black. Jacobs chokes Black on the top rope and then attempts to whip him into the ropes, but Black reverses it and goes for a dropkick. Jacobs stops himself on the ropes and Black does a complete backflip landing on his feet! Black charges Jacobs but he ducks down pulling the top rope down at the same time sending Black flying over the top rope, but Black lands on the apron and hits a shoulder block to a charging a Jacobs. Black then hits a slingshot spinning heel kick followed by a scoop slam. Black puts a boot on the throat of Jacobs and then stomps on him and gets a nearfall. Black with right hands and then whips Jacobs into the top rope and charges, but Jimmy gets the boot up and climbs to the top. Jacobs flies off the top with a Cross Body attempt, but Black catches him in midair with an Atomic! Black puts the boots to Jacobs in the corner stomping him repeatedly. Tyler grabs Jimmy’s feet and pulls him up but Jacobs hits a hurricanrana in mid-move sending Tyler headfirst into the turnbuckles. Jimmy now puts the boots to Tyler and chokes him in the corner. Jacobs slams Tyler’s head into the mat and then climbs to the top. Jacobs hits a forearm down on Black and gets a nearfall and then puts Tyler in a rear chinlock. Tyler fights to his feet but Jimmy knocks him back down and then slams him into the top rope. Jimmy beats down Black more in the corner and then tries to whip Black into the opposite corner, but Black reverses it and hits a backdrop. Black with a clothesline and then a back elbow followed by a scoop slam. Black climbs to the top but Jimmy pushes him off the top sending him into the guard rail on the floor! Jacobs hits an Elbow off the ring apron on Black on the floor! Jacobs grabs a steel chair and sets it up at ringside. Jacobs sits Black in the chair as the referee stops him. They bring it back in the ring and Jacobs continues to put the boots to Black. Jacobs slams Black headfirst into the top rope and then hits a shoulder block and right hands. Jacobs hits a running shoulder block followed by a snapmare and then a running dropkick to the back of Black’s head. 1?.2?NO Black kicks out! Jacobs puts Black in the corner and charges but Black gets his knees up! Black charges at Jimmy but Jimmy nails Black with a double forearm and then chokes Black and gets a nearfall. Jimmy with rights and lefts on Tyler and then drags Tyler towards the corner. Jimmy repeatedly hits double stomps on Black and then a nipup elbow. Jacobs taunts Blacks slapping him repeatedly which pisses Black off! Black with a double leg takedown and then throws repeated rights and lefts at Jacobs! Black with more right hands but Jimmy kicks him in the gut and then attempts to whip Black into the ropes, but Black reverses it and then press slams Jimmy! Black with a running forearm on Jacobs in the corner and then biels Jacobs across the ring. Black charges Jacobs once again but Jimmy backdrops Black over the top. Black lands on the ring apron and hits an Enziguri to the back of Jacobs head! Black hits a springboard clothesline, 1?2?NO Jacobs kicks out! Black goes for an Asai Moonsault, Jacobs moves, but Black lands on his feet and hits a Standing Shooting Star Press! 1?2?NO Jacobs kicks out! Tyler climbs to the top and goes for the Phoenix Splash, but Jimmy moves and Tyler lands on his feet. Jacobs hits a nasty Spear! 1?2?NO Tyler kicks out! Jacobs puts Tyler in a waistlock, Tyler reverses, Jimmy reverses, Tyler hits the Pele kick out of nowhere! Black rolls to the floor to pick up that chair that Jacobs set up earlier, but Jacobs comes flying over the top rope with a plancha onto Black sending him crashing into the chair! Jacobs throws Black back into the ring and covers, 1?2?NO Black still kicks out! Jacobs chokes Black on the mat and drags him towards the corner again. Jacobs climbs to the top and goes for the top rope Senton, but Black gets his knees up and attemps God’s Last Gift but Jacobs counters into the End Time! Black charges into the corner sending Jacob’s back first into but Jacobs holds on! Black does it again but Jacobs still holds on! Black begins to fade in the hold but is able to throw Jacobs off. Black goes for the Superkick but Jacobs ducks and rolls Black up! 1?2?NO Black kicks out but Jacobs transitions right back into the End Time! The referee lifts Black’s hand up once, it falls, he lifts it up a second, it falls, the referee lifts it up the third time?.Black holds it up and flips over into a bridging pin! 1?2?3 he gets the win over Jacobs!
Winner: Tyler Black via pinfall (bridging pin)
Final Thoughts
This was a pretty nice start for ROH on television. They had some pretty nice new camera angles, the picture quality was also very good. The introduction videos and bulletpoints were also a nice touch, but the music was pretty generic and the commentary was horrible even for ROH standards. The new guy, Cogwood, was really bad and annoying as hell. His ?that hurt!? catchphrase (or attempt at one) is even worse than Michael Cole’s ?vintage (insert wrestler name)? crap. The match quality was very, very solid but the promos weren?t very good. Jimmy Jacobs & Kenny King were the only ones that sounded natural on the microphone and even their backstage interviewer was pretty bad.
The opening bout between Delirious and Lynn was very fun and they had a nice little back and forth match. Former ECW fans that are new to ROH will immediately be hooked seeing Lynn.
The second bout between King and Callihan was even better than the opener as well. King is very flamboyant and charismatic along with being extremely athletic. Sami looks really weird and acts really weird but is very technically sound. The only problem I had with the match was that I had no clue who was heel and who was face as both had heel and face tendencies. King looks a future star in the business.
Albright and Titus was pretty boring and didn?t really put either go over. Very skippable match though I am not a fan of Albright at all so that might be part of it.
The Main Event was very good. Jacobs and Black have very good chemistry but it really didn?t have that blood feud feel to it like you would have thought it would. Regardless it was a great match and a great way for ROH to end their first TV show. Black is so athletic and he really reminds me a lot of Rob Van Dam in the ring. Jacobs was great as always. It wasn?t the best match either man has had but it was still very solid. Point is that I highly recommend any ROH or wrestling fan in general really give this show a shot.
– Match of the Night: Black vs. Jacobs (***1/2)
– Promo/Segment of the Night: Jimmy Jacobs backstage promo
– Final Grade: B +
Scheduled for Next Week:
– Kevin Steen vs. Eddie Edwards
– Sara del Ray vs. Daizee Haze
– Claudio Castagnoli vs. Alex Payne
– Main Event: Nigel McGuinness (c) vs. Jay Briscoe