ROH on HDNet Recap
September 27, 2010
The Arena, 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 some highlights from the main event last week. In the main event last week, Delirious finally got his revenge on Austin Aries with a very impressive victory in a cage match. After the match, The All-Night Express (Rhett Titus and Kenny King) attacked Delirious with a set of piledrivers. It ended with Delirious gasping for air while lying on the mat.
Enter the ROH on HDNet opening theme montage.
Tonight’s main event will be a Six-Man Tag Match. It will be ROH World Champion Roderick Strong and The House of Truth (Christian Able and Josh Raymond w/Truth Martini) vs. Christopher Daniels and The Briscoe Bros. (Jay and Mark Briscoe).
Match #1: Non-Title Tag Team Match
Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno and Player Dos) vs. The Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero w/Shane Hagadorn and Sara Del Ray)
There were streamers for everyone. The Code of Honor was somewhat applied, as the tag teams just shook their own hands. The match began with Chris Hero and Player Dos.
Notes on the Super Smash Bros.: Dos tried a headlock on Hero to start, but was brought down. Dos with kicks to Hero’s knee, but Hero did not sell and attacked a bit more. Uno was tagged in and the Smash Brothers did a double suplex to finally take down Hero. Dos then tagged himself in and they did a Shoulder block/Clothesline combination. The team also did a Moonsault/Fist Drop combination on Hero. When the Heroes got the upper hand on Player Uno, Uno reversed a double boot by spinning Hero to Castagnoli and brought Hero down with a neckbreaker. Dos was the man that got the hot tag. Dos connected with a Swinging DDT on Castagnoli, and followed that up with a Corkscrew Crossbody splash on Hero on the outside. Dos then went up top and hit the double knee drop on Castagnoli. Uno came in and delivered an elbow strike, and then Dos was lifted up by Uno so Dos could connect with an impressive Sliced Bread on Castagnoli.
Notes on the Kings of Wrestling: Hero took down Dos with a shove in the back. Hero then worked on Dos’ arm for a moment and followed it up with a chop. Hero kept the match in a slow pace with more work on the arm and a chop at the corner. Castagnoli was tagged in and connected with a Bicycle Kick to take down one of the Smash Brothers. Castagnoli then followed that up with an impressive Dead Lift Gutwretch take down. Hero then connected with an elbow strike. Kings then did a Wishbone leg snap on Uno. Castagnoli connected with a European Uppercut on Uno. What really impressed me was that Castagnoli was able to do a Military Press Slam on Uno (the heavier of the two). Hero then held Uno down with a Cravat and delivered some knee strikes to the head. Hero then elbowed Uno. When Dos was in “hot tag mode”, Castagnoli ended the momentum with a devastating European Uppercut. Near the finish, Hero destroyed Uno with a Elbow to the outside.
Finish: Claudio Castagnoli went up top and hit the Superplex on Player Dos. Chris Hero then went up and hit the Moonsault from the top turnbuckle. Hero won the match when he pinned Player Dos. The finish made Mike Hogewood SLAP THE PORPOISE!!!!
Winners via Pinfall: The Kings of Wrestling
Grade: B-
After the match, Hero and Castagnoli do a victory pose and raised their titles.
The viewers then saw a video package from Glory by Honor IX. Featured were Roderick Strong, Homicide, Kevin Steen, El Generico, The Kings of Wrestling, and the team of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. The video then showed some impressive moments of “The Dream Tag Team Match”. The Kings of Wrestling found a way to escape Haas and Benjamin with a victory. However, Shane Hagadorn was destroyed by Haas and Benjamin. After the match at Glory by Honor, Charlie Haas said that the match was fun. Haas had a great feeling and it was because the fans enjoyed and appreciated them (I can’t agree more). Haas said that they want to come back because of the tag team division. Benjamin said if he could sum it all up, it was fun. Benjamin admitted that they came up short in their match, but they will be back (please, PLEASE let them come back!!).
Sorry for the mark-out moments. I thought the KOW vs. WGTT match was fantastic. One of my best friends will get to see it tomorrow because I have the Glory by Honor IX iPPV on my computer.
Match #2: Women of Honor Match
Rachel Summerlyn vs. Daizee Haze
Before the match, the Code of Honor was in force.
Notes on Summerlyn: She started her offense with some elbows at the corner. Later on, Summerlyn did a drop toe hold and held Haze down with a front headlock. Then she did a knucklelock and followed it up later with a neckbreaker. After she administered some forearm strikes, Summerlyn hit a beautiful Gory Bomb! She was also pretty good with a couple of reversals.
Notes on Haze: She started the match off with a headlock and an arm twist. She was a bit off on a Fireman’s(?) Carry, but her opponent was much taller than her. Haze worked a bit on the arm also, and she did it well. She did a couple of roll ups and jackknife pin attempts, but Summerlyn then showed off her power on the much smaller Haze. However, in the end Haze got the upper hand.
Finish: Daizee Haze delivered the Heart Punch to Rachel Summerlyn and then executed a German Suplex with a Bridge Pin and got the three count and the victory.
Winner via Pinfall: Daizee Haze
Grade: C (leaned toward a C+)
After the match, Haze helped Summerlyn up and shook her hand. Good sportsmanship was displayed for a change.
Kyle Durden was backstage with Christopher Daniels. Durden talked about the main event to Daniels and wanted thoughts on the main event. Daniels said that he was annoyed and not happy with Roderick Strong. He said that Strong could win by himself, but instead Strong was listening to Truth Martini and was aligned with The House of Truth. Daniels said that he would put a stop to the H.O.T. and Strong. Daniels said that with him there were two men that he respected. After that comment, Jay and Mark Briscoe entered in the segment and Jay agreed with Daniels. Jay said that Strong used to be a boy of his. Jay said that he did not like “The Book of Truth”. Mark said that he will take a page out of the Book of Briscoe and whoop ‘dat @$$. Daniels then say that all of them talk the same language and that is the gospel according to the Fallen Angel.
The viewers then saw a Glory By Honor IX highlight package that featured the Double Chain Match that had Steve Corino and Kevin Steen battle against Colt Cabana (WWE NXT and Smackdown Mike Tedesco’s favorite ROH wrestler) and El Generico. The match ended with Corino tapping out to Cabana’s Billy Goat’s Curse. After the match, Generico was about to set up the (dare I call this) BRAIIIINNNNNNBUSTA!!!!! when Steen unmasked Generico. After the unmasking, Steen placed Generico’s mask on a chair and wrote the words “Mr. Wrestling” on the chair using Corino’s blood. After that match, Steen said that Generico is “ugly and sick” and that he exposed Generico at Glory by Honor. Steen said that at Glory by Honor, he killed Generico.
In two weeks, ROH Executive Producer Jim Cornette authorized Kevin Steen and El Generico to “Pick their Poison” in which they pick the opponent for each other. Next week, El Generico will go against Kevin Steen’s choice…Davey Richards. No word on who Generico picked Steen to face (and I DON’T read spoilers, so done ruin it for me).
Match #3: Singles Match
Aiden Chambers (already in the ring) vs. Steve Corino (w/Kevin Steen)
Before the match, Steen told “The Voice of ROH” Bobby Cruise to be quiet. Steen also told Hogewood and Prazak to take the match off as well, as Steen would provide commentary. Steen then introduced Corino and told the crowd to pay attention because Corino will teach kids how to bully.
Notes on Chambers: All I can say is that he sold well and tried to punch Corino on a couple occasions. The highlight for him was when he went to the middle turnbuckle, but missed on a crossbody. I think he was laughing a bit at Steen’s commentary.
Notes on Corino: He started the match with a HUGE slap and did some chops. Steen was really making fun of Chambers, calling him “purple” because he work purple tights. Corino then did an Abdominal Stretch while sticking his thumb up Chambers’ back side. It was gross, but I though Steen had the line of the night when he told Todd Sinclair “Wait your turn, you pervert!”. Corino raked Chambers’ face at the corner and did a running chop at the corner. After a discus clothesline, Corino finished this off.
Finish: After the discus clothesline, Steven Corino hit the Sliding C Special (sliding lariat) and pinned Aiden Chambers easily. The finish made Kevin Steen PUNCH THE PANDA!!!
Winner via Pinfall: Steve Corino
Grade: D
After the match, Corino grabbed a fork and was about to dig into the flesh of Chambers when Colt Cabana ran in. Corino yelled for Cabana to enter. However, Cabana was not alone and El Generico ran full speed into the ring. Steen and Corino ran out of the ring. Cabana grabbed a mic and told Steen and Corino to quit running away and to get in the ring. Corino and Steen then came near the ring with chairs in hand.
The viewers then saw a rewind video package of Tyler Black vs. Roderick Strong for the ROH World Championship. It started with Black wanting a No Disqualification match at Glory by Honor IX. Strong wanted the title, but Tyler Black wanted to take the title to the WWE (or FCW) once his time in ROH was over. After some highlights from the title match, Roderick Strong ended the match with a Sick Kick and became the ROH World Champion. After Strong won the title, Homicide’s music hit and he returned to ROH! After the confrontation, Homicide looked into a camera and said “guess who’s back?”
Earlier in the show, Kyle Durden was backstage with ROH World Champion Roderick Strong, Truth Martini, Christian Able, and Josh Raymond. Durden asked Martini if he helped Strong reach the pinnacle of ROH. Martini said “Every man has a destiny” and that Strong reached his destiny. Martini said that Strong knows the truth and is now a champion. Strong then said that he got what was his and he is now the “top dog”. Strong hyped up the main event and said he will send a message to Christopher Daniels. Martini ended it by saying that it was the truth.
A plug for ROH on Tour was shown. If you are near Dayton, Chicago, Detroit, or Toronto areas, check out some good professional wrestling.
And now, YOUR MAIN EVENT (Bobby Cruise did not announce it, as Strong and The House of Truth were in the ring).
Match #4: Six-Man Tag Team Match
ROH World Champion Roderick Strong and The House of Truth (Christian Able and Josh Raymond) w/Truth Martini vs. Christopher Daniels and The Briscoe Bros. (Jay and Mark Briscoe)
No Code of Honor was enforced and the match began with Josh Raymond and Christopher Daniels.
Notes on Strong and the House of Truth: Raymond started the offense off with a headlock takedown. Raymond then punched Daniels along the corner. Raymond tagged Able after being hammered. Able then took Daniels down by the waist. After an elbow that might have missed the mark, Able tagged in Strong. Strong then delivered some kicks and chops to Mark. Able was tagged in to deliver some ground and pound offense on Daniels. Able then delivered a chop. After Daniels tried to fight off the corner, the H.O.T. clobbered Daniels with a Neckbreaker/Leg Drop combination. Raymond was tagged in and he applied a headlock and took Daniels to the corner. After a few distractions, Raymond went up and hit a missile dropkick. Strong was tagged in and attacked Mark with basic punches and knees. Able was tagged in and he hit a back suplex and did more punches on the mat against Mark. Able slowed the match down with a chinlock.
Knowing that Mark was about to tag out, Strong left his corner and took out Jay and Daniels in order for Able to get the upper hand. Able got up and choked Mark with his boot. Raymond was tagged in and kicked Mark, and then poked him in the eyes. Able was then tagged in and powerbombed Raymond onto Mark. Able then did a modified Fisherman’s Suplex into a cradle pin on Mark. Strong then tagged in and stomped on Mark for a bit. Strong demonstrated good ring awareness by getting away from Mark’s Crossbody from the top. Strong came back with a chop and the H.O.T. helped out. The H.O.T. attacked Jay for a moment. Moments later, Able avoided a Briscoes attack and rammed Mark’s head to a top buckle. Raymond then hit a Shooting Star Crossbody on Jay. Truth Martini even tried to get a piece of the action and almost clubbed Daniels with “The Book of Truth”. It was nice to see the manager getting his hands dirty so his associates can get a win.
Notes on Daniels and Briscoes: Daniels followed Raymond’s suit with a waistlock takedown. In a battle of crowd reaction, Daniels beat Raymond hands down. Daniels tried to roll up Raymond with the fans distraction. Daniels then did a shoulder tackle on Raymond and stood on the back of his neck. After Daniels punched Raymond in the corner, Jay was tagged in. Jay delivered some strikes at the corner. When Able was tagged in, Jay put him in a headlock. Jay then did a head scissors takedown on Able and then tagged in Mark. Mark started with punches and The Briscoes then did a double hip toss takedown on Able. Mark then delivered some “redneck kung-fu” with some uppercut chops to Strong. After Mark delivered some knee strikes to Strong, he tagged in Daniels. Daniels delivered chops across Strong’s chest and followed it up with an STO-style takedown on Raymond. Daniels then pounded Raymond while he was lying on the mat. Mark tagged in and did some nice corner attacks to Raymond. Mark also hit a nice vertical suplex to take down Raymond again. Jay tagged in and The Briscoes did their signature Three-Point stance Shoulder Tackle on Raymond. Raymond was then chopped by Jay and Jay ended the sequence with a power slam and a leg drop.
Daniels then tagged in and delivered a nice suplex on Raymond. Daniels then hits the Arabian Press (or split-leg moonsault). Daniels then tagged in Mark and he hit a back suplex on Raymond. Moments later, Mark connected with a boot and a neckbreaker to Able. Mark then delivered a forearm, but Strong held on to avoid the tag. However, Mark then tagged in Daniels. Daniels then punched away on Strong. Daniels then continued the hot tag and attacked both members of the House of Truth. Daniels hit a very nice Blue Thunder Bomb on Able in one of many power moves administered by Daniels. Daniels then attacked Strong with some forearms and chops. Daniels then threw Strong from the top turnbuckle. In the middle of all this, Jay took out the H.O.T. (an STO on Able and Able’s head landed at Raymond’s groin area). Jay then hit the Death Valley Driver on Able. Mark demonstrated some Redneck Kung-Fu uppercut chops on Raymond and ended it with a spin kick. Moments later, Mark took out the H.O.T and Jay with a moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the floor. Daniels then focused on Strong and delivered a dropkick and pinned Strong a couple of times. Daniels then tried to go for Angels Wings, but Martini tried to interfere.
Finish: Christopher Daniels went off the ropes, but was tripped up slightly by Truth Martini. Roderick Strong then set up Daniels and hit the Fireman’s Carry into a Gutbuster (better known as Death By Roderick). Strong then pinned Daniels and grabbed his tights for the pinfall victory.
Winners via Pinfall: Roderick Strong and The House of Truth
Grade: B-
After the match, Mike Hogewood demanded replays. Well, ask and ye shall receive. The replays showed Martini’s interference. However, Strong and the House of Truth celebrated their win while Daniels and The Briscoes showed frustration in defeat.
ROH closed the program by plugging next week’s main event which will be Davey Richards vs. El Generico. Also, you can follow ROH through Twitter, Facebook, and the ROH Podcast.
-End of Show-
Quick Results
* The Kings of Wrestling def. The Super Smash Bros. via pinfall
* Daizee Haze def. Rachel Summerlyn
* Steve Corino def. Aiden Chambers
* Roderick Strong and The House of Truth def. Christopher Daniels and The Briscoe Bros.
The Mike Hogewood Slap the Porpoise Move of the Night: When Chris Hero finished off Player Dos with a Moonsault.
The Kevin Steen Punch the Panda Move of the Night: When Steve Corino hit the Sliding C Special on Aiden Chambers.
Thoughts on the Non-Wrestling Segments
The various Glory by Honor IX video packages – The packages showed a lot of the top matches in the very few minutes allotted. I thought it was done well and was pretty happy to hear that Haas and Benjamin want to come back to ROH and challenge The Kings of Wrestling. It was great to hear that they both had fun in the ring because I thought they had a great match at Glory by Honor. As for the other matches that were featured, they did a nice job on that as well. They did not show much of the Double Chain Match and the ROH World Title Match and that is a good thing. Pick up the iPPV on gofightlive.tv. You won’t be disappointed.
Durden w/Daniels and The Briscoes – It is nice to see Daniels be in the spotlight again. He expressed his displeasure with Strong and chose his words very well. The Briscoes came in and just rambled, but I did not mind that because their gimmick kind of matches they way the talk. They wanted the viewers to know that they were coming for their opposition and it was accomplished well.
Durden w/Strong, Martini, and The House of Truth – First off, Truth Martini is right. Every man (or woman) has a destiny. It is up to us to accomplish the destiny. I liked how Martini and Strong heeled it up. Strong wanted the viewer to know that he wanted to send a message to Daniels, and he did just that. I thought it was pretty good the way they built it up for the main event. As for Raymond and Able not talking, I think that was ok. Strong is the star of the show now, while The House of Truth is the angry wall of meat that will take bumps for Strong.
Thoughts on the Wrestling Matches
Kings vs. Smash Bros. – This was a solid opener to the show. The Kings were very in synch and did not do much double team work, and that sometimes shows that a tag team can do good things without any help. The Super Smash Bros. did a pretty good job in the match as well, but it seemed that they were out of their element against the wrestling styles of Castagnoli and Hero. The Smash Brothers used too many double team maneuvers, but I think they needed to do that so they could look like a threat to the tag champions. From start to finish, I was entertained and thought this tag match was better than what ROH on HDNet offered us last week.
Haze vs. Summerlyn – Though those in attendance did not enjoy this match, I thought it was a good program for the time they got. Also, give credit to ROH for showing off some of their women wrestlers (who usually get little exposure in the SHIMMER promotion) and it was a good little match. It felt scripted and a lot of move-for-move, but the work was done well. Probably one of the better women’s matches outside of anything done by Sara Del Ray.
Corino vs. Chambers – The commentary was hilarious by Steen (but too many “mama” jokes). Overall, it was Corino putting on a clinic in this squash match against Chambers.
Strong/H.O.T. vs. Daniels/Briscoes – The start of the match was a bit on the fast side, but it was pretty good. Daniels got the crowd fired up and showed great quickness. Daniels was the storyteller in this match, hands down. I thought Daniels was solid on his offense and sold the attacks well. Able’s power was pretty surprising, however he had his moments where he struggled with being aware around the ring. Mark did a nice job with the time he got. He was the man that took a lot of Strong’s offense, as well as the offense by The House of Truth. When Daniels got the hot tag, it was the right person to get that tag.
Jay had some offense in, but honestly I did not see a whole lot of him throughout this match. I wondered if he was injured or his part in this match was pretty small. The House of Truth worked very well as a tag team. I found them both to have potential, but there were moments where they were a little off in this game and it must have been tough going against proven ROH talents like those around them.
Strong is “The Man” right now on HDNet, and he did a nice job as a heel champion today. The match was very spotty in the end, but it needed to be done so at the end of the match we had Strong and Daniels. Many may hate the way that Strong won it, but I think it adds another element. This was the second time Daniels lost to Strong I think, with the first one match also done by interference (Martini clubbed Daniels with the book). To have Strong grabs the tights will make Daniels even more frustrated that Strong can’t beat him “alone”. Folks, that is why it is called storytelling. I thought it was a good story from start to finish, but there were just a few elements missing. Also, the match could have been shorter. Still, a good match nonetheless (but had potential to be better).
Overall Thoughts and Grade
To conclude, the promos by both tag teams in the main event were done well. The video packages were impressive as well and I hope it made a few people interested in the iPPV or even a future iPPV.
The wrestling was not bad, but nothing stood out (unlike last week’s main event). There were two matches that were good and entertaining, a squash that carried another story, and a solid Women of Honor match. All in all, I was pretty happy with the product this week.
Overall Grade: B
-Mr. V’s Pick Three of the Night-
Wrestler of the Night: Christopher Daniels
He may not have won, but he was the best wrestler in the main event. Daniels was spot-on in the match and I thought he never missed a beat tonight. Here’s hoping he wins the ROH World Championship soon, even if it is for a month or two so he at least “got it”.
Disappointment of the Night: Christian Able
I was not disappointed with anything, but Able’s lack of awareness was shown on television. It is a shame, because I think he is improving as a tag team wrestler in ROH.
Surprise of the Night: Rachel Summerlyn
Summerlyn held her own very well against Daizee Haze. Her Gory Buster looked fantastic and looked painful. Honestly, I think we should have more Women of Honor matches in the middle of the card. It is another element that the other wrestling companies on TV don’t have. There is some untapped potential going on right now.
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