By Jason Powell
Ring of Honor TV
Taped September 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Sam’s Town Live
Aired in syndication over the weekend, Mondays on the FITE TV app
The show opened with still shots from the Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event… The standard opening video aired… The broadcast team of Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana checked in and hyped an ROH TV Title match and the first comments from Jay Briscoe since Death Before Dishonor…
Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser headed to the ring for a promo. Young removed his shirt to show the welts from the belt shots he took from Jay Lethal at the pay-per-view. Young said he was showing viewers the back of a man who talks the talk and definitely walks the walk. Young said Lethal beat him like a dog with a belt, yet he couldn’t keep him down.
Young said he’s better than the Golden Boy and deserves media opportunities. He said he and Bruiser had the goal of finding a third man to go after the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles. Young said that after months of searching, they couldn’t find one guy who paralleled them in manliness. Young said that changed at Death Before Dishonor and they invited someone to join them.
Silas announced that Minoru Suzuki wants to go after the six-man titles with them. Young called out the Young Bucks if they weren’t too busy making internet shows and putting themselves over constantly. “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson made their entrance along with Hangman Page and delivered a promo from the stage.
Matt boasted that the Hung Bucks are the greatest trio in wrestling. Page dangled his noose rope in front of his crotch, then said the Hung Bucks were up for the challenge. They teased doing the match on the spot, then said they don’t work until the main event, so they would see them “later tonight.” Riccaboni said he can’t wait until the match becomes official…
A graphic advertised Kenny King vs. Josh Woods for the ROH TV Title for later in the show… [C]
Powell’s POV: A good opening promo from Young. Fans who are only familiar with Suzuki from the pay-per-view have to be wondering what he did to earn their “manliness” respect given that he lost decisively to Cody, but he is a good fit with them for what I assume will be a one off.
1. Kenny King vs. Josh Woods for the ROH TV Title. A collage of still shots from the pay-per-view showed King winning the ROH TV Title at the pay-per-view and then celebrating with his daughter in the ring. The wrestlers shook hands before the match. Woods performed a fallaway slam in the corner and got a two count heading into the break. [C]
King came back and performed a nice corkscrew dive over the top rope and onto Woods on the floor. Back inside the ring, Woods connected with two kicks and a knee to the head, which led to another two count. Woods got another near fall off a powerbomb. A short time later, King made a brief comeback and dove off the top rope, but Woods caught him in a submission hold. King positioned himself on top of Woods and got the pin even though he was in the triangle choke. The wrestlers shook hands after the match…
Kenny King defeated Josh Woods to retain the ROH TV Title.
After the match, King took the mic and told the crowd to give it up for Woods. King’s hometown fans obliged. King spoke about how important it was for him to win the title in Las Vegas. He said he will be a fighting champion. King said he will defend the title in every city and every ROH tour date. He said anybody could get a shot.
Shane Taylor walked out minus entrance music. King said there were no cheeseburgers in the ring, so Taylor came out for no reason. He also said he and Taylor have history and Taylor is a dangerous dude. Chuckie T walked onto the stage. King acknowledged him as another wrestler he has history with. Punishment Martinez walked out. Mark Briscoe walked onto the stage and pointed at King, who said he and Briscoe have gone to war a couple of times. “This is my golden throne and if you want some of this you’re going to have to bend the knee,” King told his potential challengers…
Marty Scurll delivered a promo in front of the ROH logo. Scurll said there would be a celebration next week for Cody signing the most lucrative deal in ROH history… [C]
Powell’s POV: Hey, why wasn’t Scurll out there as one of the potential challengers? Anyway, the match was solid, though I continue to believe that Woods would be better off working a heel shooter gimmick to start. King’s promo was solid even though the “bend the knee” line seemed to conflict with him vowing to defend the title against anyone. There was a time when TV Titles were only defended on television, but I’m fine with him defending the strap on all of the house shows.
Ring entrances for the six-man tag title match took place. Young and Bruiser came out together, then Minoru Suzuki made a separate entrance and received a good reaction from the live crowd. Once he was in the ring, Young offered him a handshake. Suzuki didn’t commit right away. He was holding up his hand when they cut to the Hung Bucks entrance. “We don’t get the answer to that,” Cabana said on commentary regarding the handshake…
2. “The Hung Bucks” Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and Hangman Page vs. Minoru Suzuki, Silas Young, and Beer City Bruiser for the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles. There was some comedy early with Bruiser trapping Nick in the corner and Nick using a high-pitched voice while trying to tag out. The Hung Bucks hit a triple dropkick on a seated Young.
Page called for Suzuki to tag in. Young tagged him in. Cabana laughed at Page for calling out “the most intimidating man in pro wrestling and maybe just the world.” Page was able to bodyslam Suzuki, who then scooted on his back toward Page and put him in a kimura. Funny. The challengers all applied kimura locks on their opponents briefly. The Hung Bucks sold at ringside heading into the break. [C]
Suzuki applied a leg lock on Matt Jackson while hanging over the ring apron. A short time later, he teased running at Nick and Page in their corner, stopped, and then pointed and laughed at them for being intimidated. The Hung Bucks battled back. Suzuki set up for a piledriver on Page, but the Bucks broke it up with a double superkick. Bruiser went up top and performed a cross body block on the Bucks. The rapid fire spots continued with a Page shooting star press on Young off the apron, and Bruiser taking Page out with a cannonball off the apron.
Riccaboni announced next week’s main event as The Kingdom vs. Search & Destroy (ugh). In the ring, Suzuki performed a package piledriver on Page, then Bruiser performed a top rope splash. The Bucks broke up the pin attempt heading into another break. [C]
Suzuki and Page squared off in mid-ring and Page shoved him. Suzuki responded by spitting at him. Page wiped the spit off his chest and licked his hand. Suzuki worked him over with strikes, but Page came back with a nice forearm. Young entered the ring and ended up going for his handstand into a moonsault, but the Bucks superkicked him while he was doing the handstand. Page moonsaulted off the top rope and onto Young and Bruiser on the floor.
Matt held up Young for an Indy Taker on the floor. Page stopped Nick from performing his part of the move, then performed a shooting star press off the apron that drove Young down. Riccaboni called it a Shooting Star Indy Taker. They rolled Bruiser back inside the ring. Page performed the Rite of Passage finisher on Bruiser and pinned him…
Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and Hangman Page defeated Minoru Suzuki, Silas Young, and Beer City Bruiser to retain the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles.
After the match, Cabana noted that it looked like the Suzuki partnership with Bruiser and Young was over. Bruiser barked at Suzuki from the ring. Riccaboni said it seemed like he was trying to blame Suzuki for the loss. Suzuki entered the ring and was shoved twice by Bruiser. Suzuki smiled and punched Bruiser and then Young. Suzuki put Bruiser in a sleeper briefly, then traded punches with Young until security ran out to keep them apart… [C]
Powell’s POV: Suzuki was much more animated and entertaining in this match than he was in the match with Cody at the pay-per-view. This was a fun match with the usual Bucks style madness.
Jay Briscoe headed to the ring for a promo without playing to the fans. Footage aired of Jay slamming a table onto the head of Bully Ray at the pay-per-view. “So I guess everybody wants to know why,” Briscoe started. Tommy Dreamer walked out without entrance music. Cabana said it’s been years since Dreamer appeared in ROH. The fans chanted Dreamer’s name as he entered the ring.
Dreamer said he was there to talk to Briscoe and “our wrestling family.” Dreamer told a story about cutting the cast off of Bully’s foot so that he could work the Barely Legal pay-per-view in 1997. He said Bully walks with a limp because of it. He also spoke about someone hitting Bully with a bottle at a bar. He said they beat the crap out of four men and then Bully finished his drink before going to the hospital. He said Bully is missing a piece of his ear.
Dreamer also recalled Chris Jericho knocking out Bully in 2002 during the first Raw Roulette. Dreamer said he spent the night in the hospital with Ray, who asked if he finished the match and questioned where his parents were at. Dreamer said Bully didn’t remember that his mother died three months earlier. Dreamer said studying the brain is a scary thing and he feels partially responsible for all the chairs he broke on Bully’s head.
Dreamer said he spent the night at the hospital with Ray again in Vegas. Dreamer said he wasn’t there to fight Bully’s battles or to speak for him. Dreamer said there’s life after pro wrestling, and for the first time he is worried about his friend. “I’m here to let you know that you messed up and I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Dreamer said before thanking the fans for having him and leaving the ring. Jay paced in the ring while Riccaboni hyped next week’s main event. Jay left the ring without saying more to close the show…
Powell’s POV: A terrific promo by Dreamer. I was expecting him to be left lying by Jay at the end of this, but I like that they let Dreamer’s words sink in, as it certainly made Bully Ray seem like a sympathetic figure. Yes, it was a letdown that Jay didn’t explain his actions, but Dreamer’s promo more than made up for it and helped get this angle back on track after a fairly flat turn at the pay-per-view. Overall, this was a good show and a strong start to the latest television taping. I was surprised that we didn’t hear from Cody given that he makes regular appearances on the show, and even more surprised that there was no hype for the Global Wars online pay-per-view on Sunday.
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