By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Ring of Honor Wrestling TV (Episode 415)
Taped August 9, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario at Mattamy Athletic Centre
Aired in syndication on September 1, 2019, Mondays on the FITE TV app
Footage aired from Summer Supercard of Matt Taven beating Alex Shelley to retain the ROH Title. Rush came to the ring and confronted Taven (Taven vs. Rush for the ROH Title has been announced for Death Before Dishonor on September 22 in Las Vegas)…
Show hosts Ian Riccaboni and Quinn McKay checked in from a backstage area in front of an ROH backdrop. The duo spoke about Rush being unbeaten and stepping to the front of the line for an ROH Championship match…
Highlights aired of Rush beating Dalton Castle at Summer Supercard…
Backstage at Summer Supercard, McKay asked Jonathan Gresham for his feelings heading into the tag team main event. Gresham told her to go talk to Jay Lethal about it… A graphic listed the tag team main event… [C]
McKay interviewed Jay Lethal, who said Gresham was just a little worried because what’s at stake is so important. Lethal said they’ve never been tag champions and now they have tunnel vision. Lethal promised that he and Gresham would eventually become ROH Tag Champions…
The Top Prospect Tournament brackets were shown. The hosts set up a video packages on Dante Caballero and Joe Keys. Caballero spoke in front of a lake about taking what he wants and not giving anything back. Keys was shown letting his hair down in front of a fan and then standing in front of a white backdrop. He posed while talking about his perfect physique and being rude to a woman who was prepping him for a photo shoot. Keys eventually teased kissing the woman while dipping her, but he dropped her instead…
Powell’s POV: So they’re both arrogant dicks?
Highlights aired of the Dante Caballero vs. Joe Keys first round Top Prospect Tournament match. A graphic noted that the full match could be seen on Youtube. Caballero applied a Crossface and got the submission win to advance to the semifinals… [C]
Powell’s POV: It’s disappointing that they can’t just show each of these matches in full on the television show. At least it would provide some sort of a hook beyond all the highlights and the one main event that already aired on pay-per-view.
Footage aired of The Bouncers hitting their finisher on Shaheem Ali to win a tag match at Manhattan Mayhem. TK O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia attacked the Bouncers afterward. Marseglia lit up Bruiser’s cigar, blew smoke in his face, and said that if Bruiser wants to get sick with him then he’s game. Marseglia put out the cigar on Bruiser’s chest. Additional footage aired of the teams bickering at the Summer Supercard event and then brawling at ringside…
Backstage at Summer Supercard, Beer City Bruiser said if O’Ryan and Marseglia want to get sick then they’ll get sick. Brian Milonas said they would fight them anywhere and would stand tall and drink tall ones…
Marseglia was shown seated backstage. He said it makes him feel good to drag the violence out of The Bouncers. Marseglia said they initially wanted to have fun and drink beer, but now he and O’Ryan are bringing something different out of them. “Let’s have fun,” Marseglia closed…
The hosts pimped new merchandise that’s available on the ROH Pro Shop website. They also delivered a brief plug for the app and the Global Wars tour… [C]
McKay noted that there’s been a lot of tension building between Lethal and Gresham. Riccaboni ran through some of their recent issues. They went back to hyping the Global Wars tour for this weekend in Dearborn, Chicago, and Milwaukee with the CMLL crew. They touted Triton, Barbara Cavernario, and Stuka Jr. appearing…
Highlights aired from ROH Summer Supercard of Caristico, Stuka Jr., and Soberano Jr. beating Barbaro Cavernario, Hechicero, and Templario… [C]
A video hyped the Champions vs. All-Stars match featuring Matt Taven, The Briscoes, and Shane Taylor vs. Rush, Jeff Cobb, Jay Lethal, and Kenny King for next week’s television show…
Ring entrances for the television main event took place…
Powell’s POV: My full review of the tag team main event is listed below from the ROH Summer Supercard event. The only addition is noting roughly where the commercial breaks started.
1. Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham vs. Bandido and Mark Haskins. The teams shook hands prior to the match. [C] The first five minutes were slow paced. Lethal and Bandido checked in. Lethal backed Bandido against the ropes and then woooed at him. Haskins checked in and traded forearms with Lethal, then chopped him in the corner and tagged Bandido back into the match at 8:05.
At 10:30, Gresham got the better of Haskins and worked him over with a wrist lock, then tagged in Lethal who pressed him into the air and let him fall to the mat. Lethal covered Haskins for a two count. Lethal chopped Haskins and the ROH Tag Title belts could be seen hanging over the ring already for the ladder war. Haskins caught Lethal with a backbreaker and then tagged in Bandido. [C]
Bandido ran the ropes and Gresham held them open. Bandido fell to the floor. Lethal expressed displeasure to Gresham, who tagged himself in and then attacked Bandido at ringside. Gresham grabbed a chair and wound up to use it, but Lethal took the chair away from him. They fought over the chair at ringside. Lethal pulled the chair away and then Gresham shoved Lethal to the ringside mat.
Bandido tagged in Haskins, who performed a suicide dive on Lethal and then got the better of Gresham briefly. Lethal tagged in unbeknownst to Haskins and caught him by surprise. Haskins rallied and got a few near falls on Lethal. Haskins tagged in Bandido and hit Lethal with a falcon arrow, then Bandido performed a frogsplash. Bandido had the pin, but Gresham broke it up at 15:35.
Lethal and Gresham performed a double team high low style kick on Haskins, who then caught Lethal in an inside cradle for a two count. A short time later, Lethal put Haskins in a figure four while Gresham held Bandido at ringside and as they climbed into the ring. Haskins teased tapping. Bandido picked up Gresham and powerbombed him onto Lethal to break up the figure four, which drew an ROH chant.
Gresham looked angry as he directed Bandido’s gun sign at him. Bandido returned the favor. Gresham and Gandido traded forearms. Bandido knocked Gresham down, but he kipped right up and caught him with a kick. Bandido took out Gresham with a move, then ended up hitting the 21 Plex on Lethal. Haskins immediately applied his Sharpshooter. Bandido leapt over the top rope and flipped onto Gresham at ringside. Lethal tapped out to the Sharpshooter…
Bandido and Mark Haskins defeated Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham.
Powell’s POV: Here are my thoughts on the match from my Summer Supercard review. The first half of the match was slow and yet it built nicely to the second half of the match. Riccaboni correctly made a big fuss over Haskins forcing the former ROH Champion to submit and played this up as the biggest win of Haskins’ ROH run. I’m curious to see what the win leads to for Haskins, what the relationship is like between Lethal and Gresham coming out of this match, and whether the loss is intended to drive Lethal closer to snapping as Gresham has.
Backstage, Matt Taven ran through a list of wrestlers he’s beaten to retain the ROH Championship. Taven said the belt will stay with him whether people like it or not. Taven said he hasn’t forgotten what Rush did when he shaved his head in Mexico. Taven said that match took place on Rush’s turf. Taven said he will put Rush’s name on his list and put a line under it because it will be his most joyous win of all. Taven said he’s the greatest ROH Champion of all-time…
Powell’s POV: A good promo from Taven. ROH has their work cut out for them when it comes to finding a way for Rush to really connect with the crowd before he challenges Taven at Death Before Dishonor. With Taven’s contract expiring soon, there’s even a good chance that Rush beats him for the championship unless ROH and Taven come to a new agreement. Fans seem to like Rush, but I just don’t get the sense that they see him as their guy just yet. Hopefully they can pull it off somehow, and perhaps beating Taven will help in that regard. The new show format continues to feel like a very questionable approach. I just don’t believe ROH is giving viewers enough incentive to keep their weekly television show on the crowded and growing list of pro wrestling programming that’s available. I will have more to say in my weekly audio review available exclusively to Dot Net Members.
Be the first to comment