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
ROH TV opened with highlights of Kenny King winning the ROH TV Title and eventually being confronted by the four wrestlers who will compete in the main event to become No. 1 contender… The ROH opening montage aired… The broadcast team of Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana checked in from ringside and set up the show…
1. Marty Scurll vs. Jay White. There were dueling chants from the fans prior to the match. Scurll blew off White’s handshake offer. Scurll caught White in the apron and then stomped on his hand heading into a break. [C] White delivered a series of strikes and took offensive control while selling the left arm that Scurll had been targeting. White performed a couple of suplexes and then did another that drove Scurll into the corner, which led to a two count.
Scurll came back and applied and Octopus. He grabbed the hand of White for the finger break spot, but White punched his way out of it. White went for a rollup, but Scurll held a tag rope in the corner to block it temporarily. A short time later, Scurll tossed his umbrella at White, who caught it. Referee Paul Turner take the umbrella away. While the ref was ditching the umbrella, Scurll caught White with a kick below the belt and then caught him in an inside cradle for the win…
Marty Scurll defeated Jay White.
Powell’s POV: Why wasn’t this match promoted on last week’s show? This matchup easily could have been a television main event or a pay-per-view match, yet it was just thrown out there to open the show without any hype. Strange. The broadcast team did a good job of playing up the match with Cabana raving and saying that it was only the first match on a big show. Anyway, it was a quality match with a finish that gave Scurll a win that plays into his Villain gimmick, while also protecting White. I continue to wish that the company would do more with both men. Perhaps White is on borrowed time in ROH due to his New Japan Pro Wrestling commitments, but Scurll continues to lack a real storyline direction.
Backstage, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian delivered a promo to set up next week’s main event match against Jay Lethal and Kushida. Daniels said ROH is plagued by a litany of problems. He said the only one bigger than the fanbase thinking they know what wrestling is are the wrestlers who cater to them. He said Lethal is one of the worst and if they put an ass beating on him and put him on the shelf then they solve their problem. Kazarian spoke about Kushida and how he should go back in time to when they weren’t a problem for him and then he would give him permission to worship them…. [C]
Backstage, Jay Lethal cut a promo in which he said he won’t let wrestlers spit on ROH. He said Daniels and Kazarian cost him a shot at the ROH Title in the Honor Rumble…
Powell’s POV: I like the focus on next week’s main event. ROH has really improved when it comes to make their television shows feel episodic. At the same time, they leave something to be desired when it comes to delivering similar hype for main events within the same show. For instance, I hope we hear from the wrestlers in the four corner survival match that will main event this show.
2. “The Dawgs” Rhett Titus and Will Ferrara vs. “The Tempura Boyz” Sho and Yo. The Dawgs attacked the Tempura Boyz when they entered the ring. The Dawgs got cocky and mugged for the cameras, which led to the Tempura Boyz delivering belly-to-back suplexes. Ferrara performed a nice tornado DDT from the apron. The Dawgs were in offensive control heading into the break. [C]
Titus slapped Ferrara’s nuts and they shoved each other. Titus shoved Ferarra down and then catapulted him onto one of their opponents for a two count. The Tempura Boyz came back and had their offensive run including a nice combination that included a lung blower move and a running knee that led to a two count on Titus. They were setting up for a double team move, but Ferrara broke it up. Titus caught Yo with a big kick to the head. Moments later, the Dawgs performed a double team move for the win…
The Dawgs defeated The Tempura Boyz.
Powell’s POV: A nice win for the new Dawgs tag team. They are working as heels, but I could also see them clicking as a fun loving, mid-card babyface team somewhere down the road. I had a good conversation with Titus about how the tag team was formed as well as the differences in training styles by Austin Aries and Daniel Bryan. I enjoyed the interview a lot and you can check it out at PWAudio.net.
Backstage, Cody, The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, and Hangman Page delivered a promo in front of the ROH banner. Cody boasted about his new ROH contract. “How big is it?” Page asked before looking down. Scurll started laughing. The rest of them started laughing in a super over the top manner… [C] Coming out of the break, the Bullet Club members were still laughing uproariously…
Ring entrances for the main event took place. Caprice Coleman sat in on commentary for the television main event and hyped his Pulpit interview with Kenny King for next week. Ring announcer Bobby Cruise delivered in-ring introductions for the main event…
3. Punishment Martinez vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Shane Taylor vs. Chuckie T in a four corner survival match to become No. 1 contender to the ROH TV Title. Briscoe and T shook hands before the match, but the heels declined. T and Martinez started the match. T chopped Martinez, then tagged in Briscoe, which led to some laughs from the crowd. A short time later, T and Taylor ended up in the ring. Cabana questioned whether Chuck Taylor and Shane Taylor are related. Funny. Briscoe and T performed over the top rope dives onto the heels heading into the break. [C]
Martinez got the better of Briscoe and got a two count. The heels eventually cleared the ring and squared off. They ran at one another and performed simultaneous clotheslines. Taylor recovered and went for a running splash, but Martinez moved heading into the final break. [C]
Martinez and Taylor traded strikes coming out of the break. Taylor charged at Martinez, who stomped him down in the corner with a foot. Briscoe returned to the ring and went after Martinez and performed a fisherman’s buster suplex and went for a cover, but T broke it up. T performed Sole Food on Briscoe, who bounced right back. T caught him with a powerbomb for a two count.
Taylor took T down and got a near fall. Mark performed a great suplex on the massive Taylor for a pop. Late in the match, Martinez used the second rope to springboard over the top rope with a flip onto his three opponents. Martinez rolled T back inside the ring and went up top only for Taylor to knock him down on the ropes with a punch. T caught Taylor on the ropes and gave him a hanging piledriver. Briscoe performed Froggy Bow off the back of Martinez (who was still in the corner on the ropes) and onto Taylor for the win…
Mark Briscoe defeated Punishment Martinez, Shane Taylor, and Chuckie T in a four corner survival match to become No. 1 contender to the ROH TV Title.
After the match, Jay Briscoe came out and confronted his brother. The camera mic picked him up asking Mark if his last name is still Briscoe. He asked if they are going to team or if Mark is going to do the singles thing. They jawed at one another while security stood by just in case to close the show…
Powell’s POV: A good main event and a good show overall. Jay confronting his brother Mark after the main event was a nice touch that keeps their ongoing storyline with Bully Ray alive. It will be interesting to see where that goes now that Mark has an ROH TV Title shot against Kenny King. There was also good hype for next week’s tag team main event. Again, though, it would have been nice to hear from the wrestlers who worked in this week’s main event going into the match. Hell, it would be nice to hear from Chuck Taylor period. We’re still waiting for his first mic work on ROH television, which is a real head scratcher. I will be by later today or on Thursday with my audio review.
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