By Jason Powell
Ring of Honor TV
Taped August 20 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Sam’s Town Live
Aired in syndication over the weekend, available Wednesdays on Comet TV
The standard opening aired and then Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino checked in on commentary from ringside to hype the show and All Star Extravaganza…
1. Silas Young vs. Toru Yano. The comedic Yano got Young to shake hands, but immediately rolled him up for a two count. Young bumped around early for Yano, who played to the receptive crowd. Silas came back and got a two count going into the break. [C]
Yano used a took to cut the ring turnbuckle pad off. Young charged, Yano moved, and Young crashed into the exposed turnbuckle. Yano struck Young with the pad. Yano went for a low blow, but Young blocked it and hit him with a cutter for two. Yano got a couple of near falls off a low blow and en exposed turnbuckle.
In the end, Young caught Yano with a low blow and rammed him into the exposed turnbuckle before rolling him up and holding the tights. After the match, Young threw some punches at Yano, but the Briscoes ran out to save their six-man tag partner…
Silas Young defeated Toru Yano.
Powell’s POV: It’s nice to see Silas get a win, though it’s not exactly a credibility building win over the comedy character. I’m surprised that the comedy focus was all on Yano and we saw very little personality from Young.
Christopher Daniels sat in a dark room and said he’s often the smartest man in the room and he often says things to infuriate his opponents. In this case, he said the best approach is to tell the truth heading into Ladder War. He said he’s still wrestling after 23 years and wonders if the end is near. Daniels said he knows all the cliches such as nothing lasting forever.
Daniels said he knows he could get a knock on the door at any time as far as his career can go. He said he also knows there could come a time when when he hands the belt to a referee before a match and he doesn’t get it back. He brought up his opponents in Ladder War and told them to imagine how tight your grip becomes if you believe you let something go and may never hold it again. He spoke about sacrificing to keep things that are important.
Daniels said he’s lived a long life. He said he’s been a father for 13 years and a husband for 23 years. He said if he woke up tomorrow and it was all gone and the only thing he had left was his ROH Tag Title, he’d be fine with it. He said he’s a terrible husband and father, and pro wrestling is the only thing he’s ever been good at. He said a life without a tag title is a life he’s not interested in. Daniels said he will risk everything at Ladder War and will be the guy who tells time to f— (censored) off. He said The Addiction will end the Young Bucks and Motor City Machine Guns in the Ladder War…
Powell’s POV: I have seen a lot of Christopher Daniels promos over the years and this is hands down the best that I can recall. He’s been all over the top heel in ROH since he returned, so this was unexpected and excellent. There’s not major storyline issues between the three tag teams in Ladder War, so this serves as the most effective push for the pay-per-view main event. It’s odd that it left me wanting to cheer the only heels in the match, but it was a great promo nonetheless.
2. Cheeseburger vs. “Punishment” Damien Martinez (w/Kevin Sullivan, BJ Whitmer). Martinez destroyed Cheeseburger in the ring while Sullivan lectured Corino on commentary. Corino continued to question why Sullivan chose to help Whitmer. Sullivan said Whitmer brought him the reincarnation of The Purple Haze in the form of Martinez, who won the match with a nice chokeslam.
After the match, Whitmer entered the ring and chopped the head of Cheeseburger repeatedly. Will Ferrara ran out for the save and was quickly taken down by Martinez. Sullivan asked Corino why he didn’t do anything and told him to show him what he has…
Damien Martinez defeated Cheeseburger.
Adam Cole delivered a promo in front of the ROH logo screen and hyped the tag team main event. He said both of his opponents wish they could be ROH Champions, but it’s not going anywhere. Cole said he and Page will make an example out of Michael Elgin and Hiroshi Tanahashi…
Powell’s POV: I really like Martinez and I’m happy they changed his name from the clunky Punisher Martinez. I have no idea what to make of the Corino vs. Whitmer feud at this point. I just hope they find a way to put the spotlight on Martinez rather than on the Ode to Kevin Sullivan feud. I also believe Dot Net staffer Darren Gutteridge is right in assuming that this feud is headed into Broken Matt Hardy territory with Corino’s trip to the desert.
At ringside, Corino held a spike in his hand while he and Kelly spoke about the previous segment. Kelly asked Corino if that was the golden spike that was driven into the head of Corino at Best in the World. Corino asked if he wants him to meet him in the desert. Kelly asked if he will meet him there. Corino said Kelly knows the answer is yes, then he laughed…
Footage aired from during the break of BJ Whitmer cutting a promo in the ring on Corino, telling him that he is the evil spirit and he will know that they are his salvation and maybe he is theirs… Kelly hyped the ROH All Star Extravaganza card. Bobby Fish delivered a promo in front of the ROH logo screen and said Donovan Dijak will wake up a wiser man after being beaten by him. Jay Lethal delivered a separate promo about taking a stand and making a statement when he whips Tetsuya Naito’s ass. Adam Cole was also featured and spoke about his title defense against Michael Elgin… [C]
Kyle O’Reilly sat in on commentary for the main event…
3. Adam Cole and Hangman Page vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin. Elgin was still wearing a bandage on his head. Cole hilariously mocked Tanahashi’s air guitar routine. O’Reilly said he hopes that Cole retains the title at All Star Extravaganza so that he can take it from him. Corino questioned whether he wants the title or the title. O’Reilly said he wants the title regardless of who wins it on Friday. Elgin performed a long standing suplex on Page. [C]
The heels took control coming out of the break. Tanahashi eventually tagged in Elgin, who worked over Page with power moves. Page came back with a DDT and got a two count heading into the break. [C] Late in the match, Elgin threw strikes at Page, who didn’t sell them well facially, and then floored him with a big clothesline for a two count.
Elgin performed a Buckle Bomb with Page taking the blow on the middle turnbuckle, and then followed up with the Elgin Bomb for the win. After the match, Elgin and Cole had a staredown to close the show while Kelly hyped the pay-per-view…
Michael Elgin and Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Adam Cole and Hangman Page.
Powell’s POV: A decent main event that focussed more on Elgin beating Page than anything. It gave Elgin a win going into the pay-per-view, but I can’t say it left me anxious to see Cole vs. Elgin on Friday night. Overall, this was an entertaining show that included some good hype for Friday’s pay-per-view. The main event and the Christopher Daniels promo were geared toward the pay-per-view, but I doubt the opening match or perhaps even the second match and drama really play into anything major on Friday night. This was better than the last go-home show, but ROH can still get better about delivering shows that are all about selling the pay-per-view.
Join me for live coverage of ROH All Star Extravaganza on Friday night as the show airs on pay-per-view. Also, check out Darren Gutteridge’s All Access Daily Podcast review of this ROH television show on the main page. Darren will be by on Thursday morning with his weekly ROH Hit List.
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