By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Ring of Honor TV
Taped December 15, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 2300 Arena
Aired in syndication on January 12, 2019, Mondays on the FITE TV app
The ROH opening aired and then the broadcast team of Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, and Caprice Coleman checked in during entrances for the opening match…
1. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tracy Williams. Riccaboni noted that Sabre won the New Japan Cup last year. The wrestlers did not shake hands prior to the match. Williams wore a shoulder brace. Williams tried to leapfrog Sabre, who caught him in a leg submission on the way down. Williams came back with an armbar attempt going into a break. [C]
Sabre worked a leg submission only to have Williams counter into a cross arm breaker. Sabre escaped and briefly applied his own version, but Williams twisted him into a Sharpshooter. Sabre rolled out and caught Williams in an inside cradle for two. Sabre targeted the bad shoulder of Williams with kicks. Williams came back with a clothesline for a near fall. In the end, Williams applied his octopus hold and won by submission…
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tracy Williams.
Backstage, Beer City Bruiser stopped Silas Young and complained that he hasn’t returned his calls or messages despite their 18 years of friendship. Young said they were never friends. Young told Bruiser he doesn’t want to wrestle him because he knows he can’t hang… [C]
Powell’s POV: Who are these guys?!? Okay, so I’m well aware of both men, but ROH continues to assume that their viewers are big fans of Japanese and independent wrestling. And many are, but ROH should avoid making their casual audience feel like they are late to the party. In this case, it would have been nice to hear from both men going into the match to give casual viewers a better feel for what they are about. And it’s not like viewers who are familiar with them wouldn’t want to hear from both men. That said, Riccaboni does his best to get over some basic history. The match itself was a good submission style encounter, which is Sabre’s specialty. I was pleasantly surprised to see Williams get as much offense as he did. I never expected Sabre to lose, but I assume we’ll see more of Williams in ROH this year than Sabre.
The Briscoes delivered a backstage promo about Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky invoking their rematch clause. Mark said the rematch clause is usually a good thing for former champions, but in this case it will be listed as the cause of death…
2. Madison Rayne and Britt Baker vs. “Twisted Sisterz” Holidead and Thunder Rosa. Riccaboni noted that Holidead was trained by Gangrel. They cut to break as the Sisterz were working over Baker. [C] Rayne took a hot tag and performed a cutter on Rosa for a two count. Later, Baker checked back in and ended up pinning Rosa…
Madison Rayne and Britt Baker defeated Twisted Sisterz.
Powell’s POV: A solid tag match. This may be the last we see of the Rayne and Baker team in ROH now that Baker has signed with All Elite Wrestling.
Clips aired from Bully Ray, the Briscoes, and Shane Taylor taking out Cody, The Young Bucks, and Adam Page. Riccaboni noted that full footage was available on HonorClub… Ring entrances for the main event took place… [C]
3. Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky for the ROH Tag Titles. Sky threw a nice high knee to the head of Jay and then performed a neckbreaker before both men tagged out. Sky performed a flip dive onto both Briscoes heading into a break. [C]
Mark threw a chair inside the ring and Jay tried to use it on Sky, but Kazarian cut him off. Kazarian had Jay pinned, but Mark pulled referee Todd Sinclair from the ring. Kazarian performed a huracanrana on Mark that drove him into Sinclair. REF BUMP!!!
Jay hit Sky with a chair. Mark hit Kazarian with a second chair from the floor. Kazarian still got a visual pinfall before a second referee arrived. Jay hit a Jay Driller on Sky. Jay performed a superplex on Kazarian, then Mark performed Froggy Bow for a two count. Kazarian spat at both Briscoes and started hitting them. Jay was bleeding from the forehead. The Briscoes hit the Redneck Bookie (crucifix powerbomb and neckbreaker combo) on Kazarian, and Mark pinned him… [C]
The Briscoes defeated Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky to retain the ROH Tag Titles.
Riccaboni said Marty Scurll would appear after the break to talk about the ROH Championship… The pulse video aired… [C]
Powell’s POV: A very good match with the Briscoes giving plenty of offense to the SCU duo despite the fact that they were leaving the company.
Marty Scurll made his entrance and said he wanted to discus the elephant in the room. He asked what’s next for him. He said he’s been the top guy in ROH and now it’s time he take the top prize that represents it. Scurll said he made his intentions clear when he confronted ROH Champion Jay Lethal.
The Kingdom music played and Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, and Vinny Marseglia made their entrance. Taven said he is the real world champion, not Lethal. Taven said he’s been waiting for this moment for a long time. Taven said Scurll didn’t have a friend in the world and had no backup while surrounded by an entire kingdom. Scurll said his friends have left him, but it doesn’t mean he can’t make new friends.
The lights went out. When the lights turned on, Brody King was standing in the ring next to Scurll and he received a mild reaction. The lights turned out again and this time PCO showed up to a good reaction. Scurll, PCO, and King worked over the Kingdom trio and cleared them from the ring. PCO performed a moonsault onto the Kingdom at ringside. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Villain Enterprises,” Scurll said over the house mic..
Riccaboni hyped Rush vs. TK O’Ryan for next week, and the the beginning of a tournament to determine the No. 1 contender to the ROH TV Championship…
Powell’s POV: A good angle to close the show. I am a bit disappointed that we’re not getting Scurll flying solo without his Elite brothers. That storyline had potential. Then again, so does Villain Enterprises, so we’ll see where it goes. Overall, a good episode with quality in-ring action and the big angle at the end of the show. Haydn Gleed will have more to say in his members’ audio review of this edition on Tuesday.
Check below for the new Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and Brian Fritz discussing the formation of All Elite Wrestling and their launch rally.
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