By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Ring of Honor TV
Taped June 30 in Fairfax, Virginia at Eaglebank Arena
Aired in syndication on July 28 and Mondays on the FITE TV app
The show opened with a brief video package that recapped Jay Lethal winning a four corner survival match over Dalton Castle, Cody, and Matt Taven to become the new ROH Champion. It closed with a shot of Lethal and Castle shaking hands… The standard ROH opening video aired… Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana checked in from their desk near the stage and hyped the main event. Bobby Cruise was the ring announcer…
1. Jonathan Gresham vs. Kushida. Gresham used his leg to tie Kushida’s arms behind his back, then fell onto his own back to wrench his arms in a cool move that led to a two count. Kushida came back with a kick heading into a commercial break. [C] Late in the match, there was a sequence that was a bit contrived that led to Kushida applying the Hoverboard Lock. Kushida ended up rolling over Kushida and performing his Back to the Future finisher for the win…
Kushida defeated Jonathan Gresham.
Marty Scurll was shown seated in an undisclosed area. He asked if Shane Helms was trying to piss him off. He accused Helms of trying to make a name for himself off of him. Scurll said he’s not in the mood. He said a broken finger will be the least of Helms’s issue when they meet next week. Scurll said the difference between he and Helms is that Helms is playing the part of a superhero, whereas he doesn’t cosplay. “I am the real Villain,” Scurll closed… [C]
Powell’s POV: A solid opening match with Gresham doing the norm of looking competitive and putting over a bigger name. The Scurll promo was top notch in terms of delivery and wording, and it’s nice to see they are building up a match a week out.
Footage aired of The Briscoes standing over The Young Bucks and putting the boots to them after beating them at the Best in the World event until SoCal Uncensored came out and ended up attacking the Briscoes…
SoCal Uncensored delivered a promo from the locker room setting. Christopher Daniels spoke about losing the ROH Title to Cody a year earlier and how the crowd reacted to it. He said he and Frankie Kazarian were hurt, so they took it out on the fans and disrespected ROH and Joe Koff. Daniels recalled Koff saying SCU is done at the end of the year.
Daniels said he has six months left in ROH and asked himself if he really wants to be forced out of ROH because his feelings were hurt. Daniels said he could go to Koff with his hat in his hand and beg for forgiveness, but instead he, Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky will attempt to earn their spot. He said they want to make the company better than when they found it and that makes the Briscoes their target.
Kazarian asked what viewers would do if they knew they were going to leave the earth and questioned whether they would right their wrongs or go out in a blaze of glory. He also spoke about how the Briscoes have always been the hunters rather than the hunters until now. Kazarian said their lives depend on beating the Briscoes for the titles. Sky said he’s worked his entire life to be in this moment. He said he came in with The Addiction and if he has to then he’ll go out with SCU…
Powell’s POV: A very good promo with good logic from all three men to explain the shift in their motives. Daniels really delivers in long form promos when he has a story to tell.
A video package aired on ROH TV Champion Punishment Martinez…
2. Hana Kimura and Kagetsu (w/Hazuki) vs. Jenny Rose and Mayu Iwatani. Mandy Rose sat in on commentary for the match. Hazuki tripped Rose while Kagetsu distracted the referee. Iwatani whipped Kagetsu towared the ropes and Kagetsu ended up performing a suicide dive onto Rose heading into a break. [C]
Iwatani threw a couple of nice kicks at Kimura, who came right back with a suplex. Both women tagged out. Rose got a near fall on Kagetsu following a fisherman’s buster suplex. Rose went up top and hit a clothesline off the top rope for another two count. Kagetsu came back with a cross arm breaker. Rose reached the ropes with her feet. Later, Hazuki hit both opponents with an Oedo Tai wooden symbol, which led to a near fall. A short time later, Kagetsu performed a falcon arrow and pinned Rose…
Hana Kimura and Kagetsu beat Jenny Rose and Mayu Iwatani.
Riccaboni hyped a four corner survival match to determine the No. 1 contender to the Women of Honor Championship for next week with Tenille Dashwood, Karen Q, Madison Rayne, and Kelly Klein…
Powell’s POV: An entertaining match. The Stardom women are very impressive and this filled the television time well. I’m happy to see they are going with a four corner match next week that will showcase the WOH regulars to determine the number one contender.
Footage aired of Jay Lethal returning backstage after winning the ROH Championship. He spoke about how it had been out of his possession for too long and how he was lost without it. He said the two years without the belt felt like forever and it drove him mad. He put the title over as the greatest championship in the world. He said he is realizing his worth and the title is his prize for being the best. He said the belt doesn’t make the man. He added that he knows he has a target on his back now. He told challengers to come and get it because he’s on top of his game…
Powell’s POV: A good promo from Lethal. He did a good job of expressing confidence and putting the championship over. I like that he was playing it up like the adrenaline from his title win was still flowing rather than taking the humble babyface approach.
Austin Aries joined the broadcast team on commentary and had his trusty banana with him… Ring entrances for the main event took place. A pre-taped Kingdom promo aired with the trio laughing off Isom and saying all fairytales come to an end…
3. “The Kingdom” Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, and Vinny Marseglia vs. Kenny King, Chuckie T, and Eli Isom for the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles. Aries spoke about Isom and how youthful exuberance and ignorance can work to your favor because you don’t realize the gravity of the situation. Taven distracted the referee while O’Ryan and Marseglia worked over Isom heading into a break. [C]
Isom made a tag to King coming out of the break. King worked over O’Ryan and Marseglia. Aries questioned where King’s head is at and noted that he has all the tools to be a top guy and questioned why he hasn’t reached that level. Later, Isom tagged back into the match and ended up performing a fallaway slam on Taven.
Isom went to the ropes, but Marseglia popped a balloon by his ear. Cabana said Isom had to know he was in the Kingdom’s corner. The Kingdom set up for their Rockstar Supernova finisher, but King and T tripped O’Ryan and Marseglia as they were running the ropes. Isom ended up getting a near fall on Taven while Cabana noted that it was the same way he scored the upset pin on Daniels. Taven blocked a huracanrana attempt and then the Kingdom performed a mistimed version of the Rockstar Supernova. Taven pinned Isom to win the match…
The Kingdom defeated Kenny King, Chuckie T, and Eli Isom to retain the ROH Six-Man Tag Titles.
Riccaboni hyped Marty Scurll vs. Hurricane Helms, Silas Young vs. Chris Sabin to determine the No. 1 contender to the ROH TV Title, and SoCal Uncensored vs. Evil, Sanada, and Bushi vs. The Young Bucks and Adam Page in a Triple Threat six-man tag match…
Powell’s POV: A forgettable match, though I did enjoy the way the company thrust Isom into contention and the story that was told with him making a rookie mistake by going to the opposing team’s corner. The match served as a reminder of how good Aries is on commentary. It’s easy to understand why Vince McMahon liked him in that role in WWE. Aries definitely has a bright future ahead of him as a color commentator once his in-ring career is over. It’s worth noting that ROH has a very good regular team in Riccaboni and Cabana. They were in a tough spot when Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino, and Nigel McGuinness left the company, but Riccaboni and Cabana quickly established themselves as a top notch broadcast team.
Overall, a quality show with the promos actually being more impressive than the in-ring work this week. The mic work of Scurll, SoCal Uncensored, and Lethal was very good. It was nice to see the company dedicate some time to setting up one match for next week (Scurll vs. Helms), but they hype at the end of the show for the Triple Threat six-man tag match was of the blink and you missed it variety.
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