By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Ring of Honor TV
Taped October 14 in Philadelphia at 2300 Arena
Aired in syndication on November 10, Mondays on the FITE TV app, a week delay on FITE TV
The ROH opening aired and then the broadcast team of Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, and Caprice Coleman checked in and hyped the matches while Bobby Cruise introduced the wrestlers for the opening match…
1. ROH V Champion Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Taylor in a non-title match. Cobb offered a handshake, and Taylor responded by spitting in his hand. Cobb performed an impressive suplex, but Taylor popped right up. Taylor performed a suplex of his own and then Cobb stood right up. Cobb and Taylor traded punches, then Taylor knocked Cobb down with a clothesline going into the first commercial break. [C]
Cobb caught Taylor on the ropes and held him up in vertical suplex position before slamming him down and getting a two count. Fans chanted Cobb’s name. Taylor came back with a knee to the head and followed up with a Canadian Destroyer for a near fall. Cobb bounced back with a German suplex and a clothesline, then performed his Tour of the Islands finisher and made the clean pin…
Jeff Cobb defeated Shane Taylor in a non-title match.
After the match, Adam Page entered the ring and had a staredown with Cobb, who is a few inches shorter. Security entered the ring. Cobb and Page beat up security and went back to jawing at one another, and Cobb held up the ROH TV Title belt. A security guard stood by the ropes and looked petrified. Page left the ring, then Cobb worked over the security guard…
Powell’s POV: An entertaining match that gave Cobb another impressive win and made Taylor look stronger than usual in defeat. Yet while I enjoyed the match, it was a bit odd that it was just given away. Sure, they announced it last week, but this big man battle could have been built up to mean more. Meanwhile, the post match angle with Page was solid and sets up an attractive match.
Jay Lethal delivered a promo about facing Kenny King at Global Wars. Lethal said it was a different story on this show because he, Jonathan Gresham, “and a man you’ll be shocked to see” would put an end to the Kingdom…
Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas delivered a promo about their upcoming tag match and how they would win and get back on track… [C] After the break, Milonas asked a couple of independent wrestlers if they’d seen Beer City Bruiser. They said they didn’t know where he was while he fretted because, “We have a match”…
A video package featured Marty Scurll setting up his fourth match with Shane Helms for next week… Milonas found Bruiser drinking at a bar. Bruiser was upset because Silas Young abandoned them last time they were in Philadelphia. Milonas said he had to get over it and worked him up for their match…
2. “The Bouncers” Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas vs. Cheeseburger and Eli Isom. Riccaboni hyped the Global Wars show for Toronto and airing on HonorClub. Bruiser and Milonas were setting up for their finisher on Cheeseburger when Isom performed a springboard dropkick on Milonas. Cheeseburger performed a DDT on Bruiser, then Isom suplexed him for a near fall. Milonas ended up running Cheeseburger into the post. Isom went up top and Bruiser shoved Milonas into the ropes to crotch him. Milonas performed a superplex and then Bruiser performed a frogsplash for their Closing Time finisher and the win… [C]
The Bouncers beat Cheeseburger and Eli Isom.
Powell’s POV: Fine for an undercard tag match. I’m not sure why they felt the need to have Bruiser address Silas Young now or why he was mopey about it instead of vowing revenge, which seems truer to his character but no real harm was done. Meanwhile, this show aired in syndication prior to Sunday’s Global Wars show, but it would be wise of ROH to strongly emphasize that fans can see that event and all of the ROH live events on HonorClub even after they air live. After all, this show airs Mondays on FITE TV and there’s no telling how many fans watch it on DVR delay like I do.
The SCU trio of Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky was in the ring. Sky delivered the “worst town I’ve ever been in” line and had the fans fill in the last two words. Kazarian said he actually considers 2300 Arena to be sacred ground. An ECW chant broke out. He pointed to the banners for some of the ECW legends that are hanging on the wall, then led the crowd in saying SCU.
Daniels took the mic and said that was fun, but he has to take a page out of his friend Lance’s (Storm) book by being serious for a minute. He recalled Joe Koff saying they were done at the end of the year. Daniels said he was right because they gave him every reason to want them gone, but in recent months they have done everything to show him why he should keep them. He said they tried to show it by ending the reign of the Briscoes.
Daniels announced that he and Kazarian would join the Young Bucks in challenging the Briscoes for the ROH Tag Titles next week. Daniels promised the fans that they would win the tag titles, change Koff’s mind, and they will be the best thing about ROH in 2019. As SCU was leaving, the Briscoes came out and attacked them from behind. Jay piledrove Daniels on the stage…
The Kingdom were shown backstage… [C]
Powell’s POV: Daniels heavily emphasized his promise to win the tag titles, so are they foreshadowing a tag title change heavily or was that erased by the injury angle? Either way, this served as good hype for next week.
The broadcast team spoke as footage showed of Daniels being treated (by security and referees standing around him). They questioned what would happen the tag title match for next week, then switched to pondering who the mystery man would be in this week’s main event…
Ring entrances for the main event took place with Lethal and Gresham coming out first. Lethal said he tried to get their mystery man to appear, but he said no until Gresham called him. Dalton Castle made his entrance with The Boys to a big pop. Castle had a brace or wrap on his back and left thigh. The Kingdom made their entrance heading into a break… [C]
3. Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, and Dalton Castle vs. “The Kingdom” Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, and Vinny Marseglia. Cabana noted that Daniels could be heard saying he couldn’t feel his arm while he was being tended to on the stage earlier. Gresham toyed with O’Ryan early on. Gresham tagged in and said he wanted the Peacock, which led to Castle tagging in. A short time later, Taven checked in and took Castle to ringside where he ran him into the barricade before tossing him over it.
Lethal worked over Taven at ringside and wanted to performing a running move on him, but referee Todd Sinclair stood in front of the chair that Taven was sitting on. Sinclair was pulled under the ring. Lethal went back to working over Taven and then performed a suicide dive on O’Ryan. Taven roughed up Lethal with a chair. Sinclair returned to the ring and made a two count while Marseglia let his red balloons float upward. [C]
Castle performed a bulldog on Taven and had him pinned, but Marseglia broke it up. Castle performed running knees off the apron onto his opponents. Gresham worked over Marseglia in the ring and then performed a cannonball through the ropes onto O’Ryan on the floor. Gresham went for a shooting star press on Marseglia, who put his knees up. Lethal performed a Lethal Injection on O’Ryan, who rolled to the floor. Marseglia tried to hit Castle with a chair, but Castle avoided it and performed a Bangarang for the win…
Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, and Dalton Castle defeated The Kingdom.
Riccaboni hyped Scurll vs. Helms, and the Briscoes vs. Young Bucks vs. Daniels and Kazarian for the ROH Tag Titles for next week, then made another push for the Toronto Global Wars on HonorClub. The babyfaces celebrated afterward. Castle held onto the wrist of Lethal, who was holding up the title belt. Castle was censored as he said Lethal could bet his balls he wanted the title. Castle offered a handshake. Lethal held up the title belt while shaking hands with Castle to close the show…
Powell’s POV: It was very nice to see Castle back. He looked a little heavier, which is understandable since he probably hasn’t been able to do much while nursing his back injury. The fact that he’s wearing the wrap left me assuming he’s back to working through the injury rather than being fully recovered, but I hope I’m mistaken. Either way, his return was very well received by the fans and he was a good payoff for the mystery partner spot. It was logical to have Castle win in his return and I’m curious to see if Taven starts to scold his sidekicks or if it will just be business as usual for the Kingdom. Something has to change with that act and Taven is clearly the guy they are trying to establish, so that would be one way to shake things up and give him a boost. Overall, this was a good show thanks to the opening match and the return of Castle, and they delivered nice hype for next week’s show. Haydn Gleed will be by with his audio review on Tuesday.
Check below for the latest Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and guest Salina de la Renta from Major League Wrestling.
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