By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Ring of Honor Wrestling TV (Episode 412)
Taped July 20, 2019 in New York, New York at Hammerstein Ballroom
Aired in syndication on August 10, 2019, Mondays on the FITE TV app
The ROH opening video aired… Footage aired from the Best in the World pay-per-view of the angle that saw Flip Gordon tease joining Lifeblood only to then join Villain Enterprises, which led to Villain Enterprises attacking the Lifeblood members. Gordon performed a shooting star press onto Tracy Williams at ringside and injured his elbow in the process…
Broadcasters Ian Riccaboni and Quinn McKay checked in from in front of the ROH backdrop and hyped Lifeblood members Bandido, Mark Haskins, and Tracy Williams teaming with PJ Black to face Villain Enterprises members Marty Scurll, PCO, Brody King, and Flip Gordon, and Dragon Lee vs. Jonathan Gresham…
1. Dragon Lee vs. Jonathan Gresham. Riccaboni, Colt Cabana, and Caprice Coleman were on commentary from the match taped at Manhattan Mayhem. This was a rough edit highlight match. Lee’s entrance was not televised while Gresham’s entrance was shown in full. While the referee removed some wrist tape from the ring, Gresham took a low blow cheap shot at Lee. They cut to later in the match with Gresham applying a hold that Lee escaped.
They cut to even later in the match with Gresham getting the better of a chop exchange, then cut to even later when both men were on the ropes slapping one another. Lee headbutted Gresham and then double stomped him while he was hanging in the ropes. Gresham fell to the mat and then Lee hit him with a running knee for a two count. Lee lowered his kneepad and blasted Gresham with a knee to the head and pinned him…
Dragon Lee beat Jonathan Gresham.
Powell’s POV: It really was impossible to get a feel for the match from a quality standpoint because there were so many edits. The new format is frustrating when they do this to a match that you’d like to see in full.
They cut backstage where McKay interviewed Dragon Lee, who spoke in Spanish. He said he’s making his dreams a reality in CMLL and in Japan and will do the same in ROH. He quoted his brother Rush and wrapped up the subtitled interview…
McKay interviewed Gresham in another part of the backstage area and asked him about the cheap shot. Gresham said he was trying to win. He said Jay Lethal was the voice in his head telling him how to do things. Gresham said he wants to live the champion’s lifestyle. He said Lethal has been there before and forgot what it’s like to be a wrestler at his level… [C]
Footage aired of Shinobi Shadow Squad members Eli Isom, Ryan Nova, and Cheeseburger working out in a dojo. They had a picture of ROH Six-Man Tag Champions Scurll, PCO, and King on the wall with ninja stars through their heads…
Riccaboni and McKay noted that Shinobi Shadow Squad will be challenging for the six-man tag titles. They shifted the focus to Karissa Rivera challenging Kelly Klein for the WOH Championship in a match that will air next week…
A Karissa Rivera promo aired. She spoke about bringing the fight to Klein and said may the best woman win…
Riccaboni and McKay spoke about Rhett Titus and set up a video package on him. It started with footage of his bodybuilding persona, then featured Titus sitting down and talking about how he has spent his entire career in ROH. He spoke about some of the highlights he and Kenny King had as a tag team.
Titus also spoke about King leaving the company right after they won the ROH Tag Titles. He said he tried out some different tag team partners and didn’t find the same success. Titus said they reunited when King returned and the beat The Briscoes on their first night teaming together in for years. Titus said things didn’t go their way after that and they formed The Rebellion to take it out on ROH. Titus also spoke about teaming with Will Ferrara as The Dawgs.
Footage aired of Titus doing the bodybuilder bit. He said he’s in the best shape of his life and it’s time to prove that he’s more than a tag team wrestler. He said his Proving Ground match with Shane Taylor was a big day for him. Footage aired of Taylor beating Titus, then King calling him out on the mic afterward in front of his wife. Titus was upset about being insulted in front of his wife. Titus said King may have been right and he’s made a lot of mistakes in his life, but the biggest mistake he made was not punching King in the mouth in Philadelphia… [C]
Powell’s POV: They recapped a whole bunch of failed gimmicks and tag teams and never even got to the Romantic Touch.
2. “Soldiers of Savagery” Moses and Kaun vs. enhancement wrestlers. SOS plowed through the enhancement duo and performed a double chokeslam on one of them for the win…
SOS won a squash match.
Powell’s POV: The company that prides itself on great wrestling has aired a heavily edited match and a quick squash match. There are some pros to this new approach, but not for viewers who enjoy watching full length matches. And while I’m all for SOS winning squash matches at this point in their ROH run, there’s so much ground covered in this new format that I don’t think this squash match will make an impact let alone be remembered by the time the show is over.
Footage aired from The Briscoes beating The Bouncers at Mass Hysteria. Mark hit Froggy Bow on Brian Milonas and pinned him. They cut to the post match toast of honor with the teams drinking beers together going into a break… [C]
Powell’s POV: I believe the Guerrillas of Destiny attack of the Briscoes came after the toast, but there was no point in running that again since their blowoff Ladder War took place on Friday at the Summer Supercard event.
A graphic hyped next week’s WOH Championship match…
Footage aired of Lifeblood beating Villain Enterprises in a six-man tag match at the Philadelphia taping… Ring entrances for the eight-man tag match took place…
3. “Villain Enterprises” Marty Scurll, PCO, Brody King, and Flip Gordon vs. PJ Black and “Lifeblood” Bandido, Tracy Williams, and Mark Haskins. The match taped at the Manhattan Mayhem event. Gordon was clearly injured and had his bad left elbow in a protective sleeve. Scurll backdropped PCO onto Haskins and Williams heading into a break a few minutes into the match. [C]
Williams was isolated by the Villain Enterprises members. Gordon tagged into the match for the first time and kicked Williams and then chopped him with his right arm in the corner. Gordon tagged out quickly. A short time later, Scurll flipped off the Lifeblood corner and had to be censored a couple of times. Williams made a hot tag to Bandido, who performed a corkscrew crossbody block.
Bandido used his speed to avoid King and PCO, then he used his strength to catch PCO coming off the middle rope. Bandido held him in place and then slammed him. Wow. Bandido went up top and dove onto Scurll, PCO, and King on the floor. Scurll checked in a short time later and turned Bandido inside out with a clothesline going into the final break. [C]
Late in the match, Haskins tagged in Black, who performed a double stomp off the ropes onto a standing King to drive him into the mat. Bandido checked in and performed his 21 Plex on King. Black performed a springboard 450 splash on King and pinned him to win the match…
Bandido, Tracy Williams, Mark Haskins, and PJ Black defeated Marty Scurll, PCO, Brody King, and Flip Gordon in an eight-man tag match.
Powell’s POV: An entertaining spot fest style match. The live crowd enjoyed it and responded with plenty of “this is awesome” chants. I’m happy that Gordon didn’t do much of anything, as he was clearly nursing that elbow injury. As much as I’ve said I’d like to see Black work as a heel, it now feels strange that he’s not a member of Lifeblood at this point given that he teams with them so often.
The new format that debuted last week is basically rehashing what happened at Manhattan Mayhem and Mass Hysteria with one full length match shown at the end. One positive is that the wrestlers are getting more promo time. I’m not sold on this Rhett Titus push, but at least they gave him a chance to bring people up to speed on who he is. But the big negative is that the show just doesn’t feel must see. And it didn’t most weeks under the old format either, but at least you had some level of hope under the more traditional format.
There’s so much pro wrestling available to fans today and my fear is that this format will make it easier for fans to eliminate the ROH television show from their crowded lists of weekly programming. But it’s also the great unknown and it’s possible that it works the other way since they are doing something different compared to everyone else’s approach. Only time will tell. Haydn Gleed will be by with this week’s Dot Net Members’ exclusive audio review of this episode.
This new format isn’t doing it for me. It’s too much like a clip show. I’m all for more Quinn McKay, but she isn’t enough to override how jumpy the show feels now. I plan to give it a couple more weeks, but for the first time since I started watching weekly ROH TV, I’m already seeing a future without it.
I’m with you. It’s a tough watch and I’m giving serious consideration to dropping it from my rotation. I can keep up on the tapings through HonorClub. Some of the mic work is productive. It’s just not enough to make this feel like it’s worth the one hour investment.