Ring of Honor Wrestling Television 09/09/15 Review by Webb Anderson
Ring of Honor Wrestling Television Episode #207 Review
Taped at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA
Welcome wrestling fans to the most in-depth and exciting Ring of Honor review going today. If last week left you feeling a bit discouraged you weren’t the only one, but ROH has a chance to erase the memory of that rough outing tonight. Jay Lethal defends his ROH World Championship against Roderick Strong and while I was a little tired out that feud after the previous hour long contest, I have no doubt that these two great wresters are going to go out there and give it their all. Let’s get to it!
Opening promo: We start will Jay lethal and Truth Martini cutting a promo in front of the green screen that they add the ROH backdrop to. Truth says Lethal is going to give Strong a multiple choice test on how he wants his ass beat. A: punch to the face. B: chop to the chest. C: a knee to the gut. Or D: all the above. Jay Lethal says or you could just go back to the end of the line because Strong’s time is up. Lethal says Cheeseburger is more deserving of a shot and Strong better never ask him for a title shot again after he gets beat tonight.
We immediately cut to Roderick Strong cutting the same style promo. He says every time he goes out there he wrestles with his heart, soul, and pride on the line. He says Lethal is great but he’s that much better. He says when the bell rings tonight there will be decisive winner, and he will be a two time ROH World Champion.
My take: It was the right call to hype this match immediately. We don’t often see a world title match on ROH TV so when we do it should be built up like a big deal. Lethal in particular had an amazing delivery here and showed passion and intensity that reminded me of a great Roddy Piper promo.
Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino welcome us to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. I didn’t know we were going to be getting past the Baltimore tapings this week so that was a nice surprise. The show is being promoted as a championship special and the Addiction will be defending against the Young Bucks tonight as well.
ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Young Bucks V The Addiction w/Chris Sabin ©
Your ROH World Tag Team Champions of the World are out last and they have their boy Chris Sabin in tow. They show the replay of the beat down the Addiction put on the Bucks two weeks ago which set this match up. Matt and Nick superkick Daniels just as the intro is wrapping up to take the champs by surprise. The Bucks haven’t forgotten the beat down as Sabin has to get involved. The referee quickly ejects Sabin as the “This is Awesome” chant kicks off. Sabin eats a double super kick as he tries to leave. Matt and Nick hit Christopher Daniels with a double arm drag into double dropkicks. They take turns clotheslining Sabin in the corner as the “too sweet” chant rings through the arena. Kazarian gets the tag and takes down Matt Jackson with a DDT for a two count as we cut to break.
We’re back with Christopher Daniels pounding on Matt Jackson in the middle of the ring. The addiction cuts off the ring and uses quick tags and a methodical offense to wear down Matt Jackson. Christopher Daniels uses a waist lock as a rest hold and uses the ropes to gain leverage while the referee isn’t looking. Matt Jackson finally uses his speed to take advantage and uses a move that I can only call a tornado stunner off the turnbuckle to take down Christopher Daniels. Both men are down as Matt Jackson gets the hot tag to Nick Jackson and Christopher Daniels gets the tag to Kazarian. Nick Jackson takes down Christopher Daniels on the floor with a tornado DDT before hitting a face buster on Kazarian. Nick Jackson tags Matt Jackson as the two fly around the ring and hit their amazing double team offense on Kazarian. Matt goes for a pin but Christopher Daniels breaks it up. Nick Jackson is taken down and the addiction is able to double team Matt Jackson. Matt hits Kazarian with a superkick but Daniels tries a BME which is reversed by Matt Jackson. Nick runs in and takes down Christopher Daniels but gets hit with a slingshot cutter from Kazarian. Matt Jackson takes down Kazarian and everyone is down on the mat. Christopher Daniels throws Nick Jackson over the top rope and hits a suicide dive while Kazarian locks a submission on Matt Jackson. The Kingdom arrives out of nowhere to take down Daniels on the floor. Nick superkicks Kazarian into Matt as they set up a Meltzer Driver. The referee is about to count to three but the Kingdom pulls him to the outside. Nick Jackson takes down Matt Taven as Daniels runs in with the belt. He gets a superkick for his trouble. Matt Jackson poses with the tag title but Maria grabs it off of his shoulder. He teases a super kick on Maria but Kazarian rolls him up for a quick 3 count using the tights.
Winner: The Addiction via pinfall
Post-Match: Nigel McGuinness says he is tired of the antics of the Addiction and thinks they deserve a rematch. He calls the Kingdom wankers, which apparently is a term Maria has never heard. He says he would strip the Kingdom’s title shot but he can’t due to contractual issues. He turns the match into a triple threat match at All-Star Extravaganza, much to the dismay of the Kingdom.
My Take: There were a few cool spots here but a lack of psychology and the convoluted shenanigans brought this one down. I’m not going to complain about the Young Bucks being added to the Tag title match but ROH really, and I mean really, likes multi team tag matches on PPV these days. You’re guaranteed tons of great spots but these matches all feel the same to a degree.
Inside ROH with Mandy Leon: Mandy recaps the Dalton Castle/Silas Young feud that began at Best in the World. She goes over the stipulation where if Young wins he gets the boys and if Castle wins Young becomes one of the boys. Young cuts a previously unseen backstage promo where he says the boys are going to learn to chop wood, change the oil in the car, and “put a mouthy broad in her place”. He says they might be rude and misogynistic, but the boys will be real men.
My take: Dalton Castle has become one of my favorite wrestlers today and Young is growing on me in his role as a hyper masculine throwback douche. I’m not a fan of these stipulations as I ranted about a bit last week but on the bright side I fully expect Castle to win and Young as one of the ring boys could be absolutely hilarious if done properly.
ROH World Title match: Roderick Strong V Jay Lethal © w/ Truth Martini, J. Diesel, and Donovan Dijak
To catch everyone up these two went to a 60 minute draw at Death before Dishonor. We hear Dueling chants from the crowd as Todd Sinclair hold the coveted ROH World title high above his head. Jay lethal and Roderick Strong shake hands and are reluctant to let go. They immediately start brawling, trading the advantage back and before Roddy is dumped to the outside and lethal hits a suicide dive. Lethal goes for another but Strong hits a beautiful drop kick as we cut to break.
We’re back with both men brawling on the outside. Roderick Strong gets Lethal back in the ring and gets only a one count. Roderick Strong suplexes lethal and sends Jay Lethal to the floor before attempting a baseball slide where he lands in the arms of the House of Truth. Lethal is able to take charge as he sends Roderick Strong into the barricade. Lethal throws Roderick Strong back in the ring and gets a one count. He then locks in a rest hold but Strong powers out. Lethal hits a snake eyes on Roderick Strong and continues to dominate the challenger. Strong is busted open as lethal locks on a sleeper. He nearly powers out but Lethal throws him violently to the ground and maintains the hold. Lethal then throws Roderick Strong to the floor and distracts the ref so the House of Truth can provide an unfair advantage as we go to another break.
We return to see Lethal go for a lethal injection only to be caught by Roderick Strong into a backbreaker. Both men are down but Strong gets up first and chops Lethal again and again in the corner. He then charges the length of the ring only to get a big boot. Roderick Strong hits a big boot and runs the ropes delivering running elbows into an inverted power slam. Strong gets a near fall. Roderick Strong gets to his feet first but Lethal hits a superkick into the Lethal combination for a near fall. Lethal takes Strong to the corner and sets him on the top turnbuckle, delivering right hands all the while. Lethal sets up a Superplex but Strong powers out and throws Lethal to the mat. Strong flies with a Macho Man elbow for a 2 count. Both men slowly crawl to their feet, trading blows as they work to a standing position. Strong pushes Lethal and dares him to hit him. Lethal obliges him and delivers stiff shots right to the face of Strong but Strong fires right back. They both fall to opposite corners but meet in the middle to trade blows again. Strong hits a jumping knee, followed by another, followed by a Superplex. Strong tries to stand up for another move but Lethal goes for a small package for a two count. Strong hits a knee to the face but Lethal hits a superkick. He goes for a Lethal injection but Strong hits a sick kick for a two count. We have to take one more break.
We return to see Strong taking down House of Truth members with his frantic offense and landing another big knee on Lethal. Lethal hits 2 superkicks and wraps his wrist tape around the neck of Strong. As the referee is distracted Lethal nails Strong in the face with the title and lands a Lethal injection for a near fall that really fooled the crowd. Lethal can’t believe it as he hits a kick to the face and another Lethal injection which does the job.
Winner and still ROH World Champion: Jay Lethal via pinfall
Post-match: Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish appear on the ramp as the announcers hype the upcoming PPV.
My take: This was a solid match between two really good wrestlers. These two have had so many matches over the years and have developed a really good chemistry. The speed these two work at together is unreal at times. The thing about being a dual heel champion is that winning clean will turn you in to a baby face before you know it so I really like the way this one was booked. Lethal gets a pin fall in the record books for a successful title defense but everyone watching knows he took a big short cut to get there. This also allows ROH to get Strong out of the title picture without losing any credibility.
Honorable Mention: Jay Lethal. He’s the champ for a reason. Lethal is polished, he’s different, and he was the star of the night. Strong certainly held up his end of the match but Lethal’s promo work is on a different level than what Strong is capable of.
Final Take: I didn’t expect any title changes tonight but I did expect some quality wrestling. For whatever reason the opener didn’t really take off but the main event was pretty good and was the best match I’ve seen on TV all week. Next weeks’ episode should finalize the PPV card and really set the table for All Star Extravaganza. The ROH website is back to uploading these shows on the Thursday morning following the Wednesday night cable broadcast so seek this one out if you have time.
What did you think of the show? I would love to hear fan predictions for the upcoming PPV preview I’ll be putting together. Feel free to email me webbanderson2@gmail.com or follow me on twitter @webbanderson2 or reply in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!