Ring of Honor Wrestling TV 09/02/15 Review
Ring of Honor Wrestling Television Episode #206 Review
Taped at the Meyers Pavilion in Baltimore, Maryland
Welcome wrestling fans to the most in-depth and exciting Ring of Honor review going today. ROH has been on a role as of late and two exciting matchups have already been announced for this weeks’ episode. Could the unprecedented dual championship reign of Jay Lethal crumble tonight? We’ll find out as he faces one half of the most physical tag team in ROH, War Machine’s Hanson. Will there be anything left of up-and-comer Adam Page when the baddest dog in the yard and ROH original Jay Briscoe gets through with him? Let’s get to the action to find out!
Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino open the show as usual as they hype the card and they also announce two more matches for later tonight. We don’t waste any time as the first match kicks off immediately.
Opening contest: Adam Page w/ Colby Corino and BJ Whitmer V Jay Briscoe
Mark Briscoe is conspicuous by his absence as Jay comes to the ring alone. Jay Briscoe has the craziest eyes in the business today. Jay extends his hand while Page talks trash and slaps him right across the face. Jay walks it off laughing all the while. Jay goes right back for the handshake and Page slaps him again. Jay delivers strikes and head butts until he gets Page in the corner. Jay proceeds to stomp a mud hole in Page before sending him to the floor and hitting a big suicide dive. Once Jay hits the floor Colby Corino hits him with BJ’s crutch and Page uses a chair to draw the disqualification.
Winner: Jay Briscoe via DQ
Post-match: Page throws Jay in the ring and delivers a Rite of Passage onto a pile of chairs just like they did to Matt Sydal weeks ago. Mark Briscoe comes out for the save but the damage has been done as we cut to the first commercial break.
My take: the presence of Jay Briscoe alone had me excited for this match. I’m excited to see these two enter into a longer program and I think it will be good for both men. I can see this culminate in some type of no DQ match where the action can get really brutal. This feud can make Adam Page if this is booked correctly and I have faith in ROH to do just that. I can’t wait to see more.
Two weeks ago: ROH returns to clips from the Silas Young/Dalton Castle match where the stipulation was made that the Boys will be on the line for their next match.
Backstage promo: Dalton Castle says he’s held back his anger long enough but he’ll stay silent no more. He says he will come crashing down on Silas Young like a 1000 ft. wave from Poseidon and that the boys are his. Castle says Young is off his rocker for asking for the boys to be on the line. Castle wants to teach Young a lesson so he agrees to put them on the line. Castle adds a wrinkle to the stipulation though as Young has to become one of the boys if he loses. Castle says he would make a great ottoman.
My take: I really like Dalton Castle and I don’t mind Silas Young but I am not a fan of this type of angle. The premise is just too out there to make sense to any fully functional adult and makes suspension of disbelief impossible. The slave/servant/personal assistant/ stipulation just doesn’t belong in a modern wrestling storyline yet every major American promotion is either currently running one or has ran one in the last couple of years. These angles are played out and stupid folks, time to move on.
Singles match: Cedric Alexander w/ Veda Scott V Caprice Coleman
Cedric Alexander cuts a promo before the match. He says he’s the only man to beat Moose; twice. He says beating Caprice does nothing for him so he’s going to go to the back. Caprice says he apologizes but maybe he should be talking to the one with the most hair on their chest, Veda Scott. This entices Cedric to attack Caprice as they brawl to open the match. Coleman pulls the shirt of Cedric over his shirt and pounds him in the corner. Cedric takes advantage but catches a drop kick from Caprice. Caprice hits a body slam but misses a leg drop. Caprice also misses a kick and gets caught in a rear waistlock. He fights out and hits the ropes but Veda Scott grabs his foot. Alexander takes advantage and delivers a big kick to caprice as he sits on the apron. We cut to commercial with Alexander firmly in control with the help of Veda Scott.
We’re back with Caprice in the middle of a comeback. Cedric puts a stop to it, however and delivers chop after chop to Caprice. Caprice fights out and delivers several punches before Cedric catches him with a spinning kick to the gut. Cedric goes back to the chops and sends Caprice to the opposite end of the ring with an Irish whip. Coleman hangs on and uses Cedric’s momentum to send him to the floor. Caprice hits a unique head scissor on the floor. Caprice throws Cedric back in the ring and heads up top but Cedric is able to recover but Caprice then hits a hurricanrana for a 2 count. Cedric gets a reversal and springboards off the ropes to take down Caprice for a 2 count. Cedric hits a spinning roundhouse to take down Caprice and then uses a Michinoku driver for a 2 count. Veda then grabs the wrench and hands it to Cedric as the ref checks on Caprice. Stokely Hathaway and Moose hit the ring and Stokely plants Veda on the outside as Moose holds the wrench and shakes his head. This allows Caprice to recover and hit the Sky Splitter for the victory.
Winner: Caprice Coleman via pinfall
Post-match: Cedric charges Moose but gets hit with his own wrench right in the face. Prince Nana comes to ringside and shakes Stokely Hathaway’s hand and hands Caprice Coleman a mysterious envelope.
My take: I should have liked this match more than I did, but I just didn’t. There were plenty of elements for a good match, former tag partners and whatnot, but those elements never came together to create something entertaining for me. I’m not invested in Caprice Coleman at all and I don’t really care what Nana handed him. Can’t Moose just come in and wreck everybody? It would have been nonsensical but I sure would have enjoyed it more than what we saw.
Singles Match: Brutal Bob Evans V Cheeseburger
Well we haven’t seen these two in some time. I sure didn’t miss them. Things kick off on the floor and Bob swings a chair at Cheeseburger but hits the ring post. Cheeseburger does a dive from the guard rail before throwing Bob in the ring. Bob begs for mercy as the bell rings. Cheeseburger is thrown into the turnbuckle but he jumps over Bob and uses his speed to take advantage. Bob ducks outside and trips up Cheeseburger. Bob gets back in the ring and puts the boots to Cheeseburger. Bob hits a powerslam into a neckbreaker and pulls up Cheeseburger instead of taking the win. He then pounds on the face of Cheeseburger and tries another powerslam but Cheeseburger fights out only to get hit with a devastating shoulder tackle. Bob shoves the ref before going for a toe hold on Cheeseburger but Cheeseburger tries to fight out. Cheeseburger uses his speed to hit a school boy roll up but only gets a 2. Bob then hits a big clothesline and goes to look for a weapon. He pulls out a table and sets it up on the floor. Bob goes for a powerslam on the apron but Cheeseburger squirms out and hits a dropkick, sending Bob through the table and to the floor. The ref begins the count and calls for the bell.
Winner: Cheeseburger via countout
My take: The few kids in the audience sure seemed to like it but I never want to see these two guys again. For the record I don’t tune in to ROH every week to be sports entertained, I want to see legit wrestlers and pro wrestling with a sports-like presentation. I expect cringe-worthy matches and moments from WWE but not from ROH.
Main event for the ROH Television Title: Jay Lethal © w/ Truth Martini V Hanson
The story has been that everyone is gunning for Lethal and the pressure is getting to him and Bobby Fish, who will face the winner of this match, helps reiterate that fact on commentary. Bobby Cruise gives us that big fight intro as we get ready for what should be a great match. Both men adhere to the Code of Honor but Lethal immediately turns his attention to Fish at ringside. Hanson waits for him as the two tie up. Lethal attempts to brawl with the big man and quickly has to go on defense and Hanson pounds away on lethal in the corner. Hanson charges in but is caught with a big boot. Lethal charges out but gets hit with a big boot from Hanson for a 1 count. Hanson maintains control and shoots a half nelson to knee Lethal in the gut multiple times. Lethal fights to the corner but continues to take a pounding from the big man. Hanson catches Lethal and attempts a big power slam but Lethal gets to the apron as Lethal chops Hanson but Hanson no sells and throws Lethal back in the ring. Truth distracts Hanson and Lethal nails him with a suicide dive, and then another, and then a third that sends Hanson over the guard rail. Cue commercial.
We return with Lethal in control as he applies a sleeper hold to Hanson. Jay Lethal grabs Hanson by the beard and jumps over the ropes to the floor. Ouch! Jay gets back in the ring and goes back to the sleeper as the crowd attempts to rally Hanson. Hanson fights to his feet and Lethal goes back to the chops. Hanson catches him with a big sidewalk slam as both men are down. Hanson hits Jay Lethal with a back body drop and sends him from corner to corner before finally catching a back elbow. Jay Lethal attempts a sunset flip but Hanson is too strong and deadlifts him into a vertical suplex that Lethal escapes. Hanson levels him with a big clothesline for a near fall. Hanson sets up Lethal on the turnbuckle and pounds on the chest of Lethal. Hanson goes for a bronco buster like maneuver but Lethal gets the knee right to the groin. Lethal heads to the top rope and dives off with a Mach Man elbow. Hanson kicks out and appears to fire up a bit. Jay Lethal looks scared but gets up and delivers a right hand. Hanson answers right back and knocks Lethal flat on his back. Both men brawl and Hanson goes for a rebounding back elbow. He slips a bit but still connects, sending Lethal to the floor. Hanson heads up top for the moonsault but Lethal gets the knees up. Lethal goes for the lethal injection but Hanson reverses. Lethal flips over and hits a super kick. Lethal then hits two Lethal injections to pin Hanson.
Winner and still ROH television Champion: Jay Lethal via pinfall
Post-match: Bobby Fish says he is either going to take Lethal’s ability to walk or the TV title. Kyle O’Reilly also comes out to ringside as Lethal taunts both men. Fish and O’Reilly hop up on the apron and Roderick Strong also comes out, but he charges the ring, causing Lethal and Truth to retreat. Everyone truly is coming for Jay Lethal as he holds up both titles as the show ends.
My take: The slip up by Hanson took away from the match somewhat but this was far and away the best match of the night. Lethal got the decisive win but he is most definitely the hunted.
Honorable mention: Jay Lethal. He was the best wrestler on the show tonight and looked very strong in his victory over the enormous Hanson. Jay lethal is a polished talent and absolutely deserves to be where he is in ROH. Usually this is a tough call every week because so many wrestlers manage to shine in a one hour show. This week it was tough for the opposite reason.
Final Take
This is the most negative ROH review I’ve done to date. The reason being is that this was the worst episode of ROH TV that has aired since I’ve started my review by a country mile. The opener wasn’t even a match, the second match about put me to sleep, the third match made me want to change the channel, and the fourth was average. It looks like the trend of below average episodes towards the end of a taping cycle will continue for the time being. Hopefully Strong and Lethal tear the house down next week to get us over the hump till the PPV and the tapings with the New Japan stars. I can forgive a bad episode here and there, but a more casual fan will not and if you had never seen ROH before and tuned in during the Cheeseburger match you probably won’t ever do that again, and that is a damn shame. If you missed this week’s episode you picked a good one to miss. I do not recommend seeking this one out, just wait till next week.
What did you think of the show? Feel free to email me webbanderson2@gmail.com or follow me on twitter @webbanderson2 or reply in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!