ROH – Suffocation DVD Review

ROH – Suffocation – Dayton, Ohio – October 27, 2006

Introduction

BG says: ROH gives you two video wires for the price of one this time around. The first has Jim Cornette as host. He starts to introduce the rest of the wire but Shane Hagadorn runs out to tell Cornette that a former WWE superstar who has worked with Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar and Hulk Hogan is at the building. Cornette takes offense and tells Hagadorn to figure out whom exactly it is. They show some clips of Delirious beating Sydal at the end of the Survival of the Fittest tournament. They will have a rematch in Dayton. Bryan Danielson lets us know that the sloppy Samoa Joe didn’t beat him in the tournament so their match in Chicago will not be for the title. Austin Aries and Roderick Strong want the tag titles back from the Kings of Wrestling and they’re going to take them back in Philadelphia. Cornette comes back to announce that since the Joe/Danielson match won’t be for the title and both of their matches have gone to a time limit draw their third match will have no time limit, no disqualifications and there must be a winner. If Joe beats Danielson he’ll be able to challenge for the title. Hagadorn runs out and introduces Zach Gowen to Cornette as the former WWE superstar. Cornette respects Gowen’s guts but not his attitude so he kills two birds with one stone by putting him in a match against another thorn in his side, Delirious.

The second video wire is hosted by the Briscoe Brothers outside a liquor store. Jay tells us what to expect on the wire and Mark tells us that today somebody is going to have to man up. They like to drink and then get in bar fights. This is seriously the most believable gimmick in all of wrestling. A clip is shown of Survival of the Fittest where Danielson attacked Joe with the title belt. You can watch Zach Gowen take on Delirious if you watch this video wire on ROHVideos.com or by ordering the Motor City Madness DVD, but it’s not available here. The Briscoes wrap things up by beating up Davey Richards and assuring him that no matter who he partners with he can’t beat them. They’re going to beat him in their upcoming singles matches as well. I’m going to make a rare video wire editorial by saying that I want to see Jay Briscoe feud with Roderick Strong for the FIP title all over ROH throughout 2007.

Homicide cuts another stream of consciousness promo alongside Samoa Joe about Jim Cornette’s crew. Telling the Briscoes to stop urinating in their cousins made for a pretty great moment. Joe adds little to the promo.

Austin Aries does a terrible job of making fun of Claudio Castagnoli’s name before declaring that he’ll get revenge for the briefcase shot that cost him the tag titles.

JZ says: Homicide and Samoa Joe open the show with Homicide, who somehow relates himself and Joe to the Freebirds. He then says Corino is fat like Dusty Rhodes, tells the Briscoes to stop pissing in their cousins. “Corino, your ass is gonna get your ass killed tonight,” and “I’m gonna put a birthmark on your face.

Austin Aries relates Claudio Castagnoli’s last name to different kinds of pasta. That’s not funny at all. And is it still cool to wear trucker hats sideways with aviator shades?

Jimmy Rave is shown yelling at Sal Rinauro in the back. Apparently they are still trying to remain a team in the absence of Prince Nana.

MATCH #1: Non-Title Match – Bryan Danielson vs. Sal Rinauro

BG says: They lock up and Danielson grabs a wristlock. He kicks the back for 2 and goes back to the hold. He kicks the back twice more for 2. He goes back to the wristlock but Sal gets to the ropes. Rave looks on with disdain as Danielson grabs a headlock. Sal hits a hiptoss and goes after Danielson’s arm. Danielson powers out and sets Sal up top. Sal pie faces him repeatedly and hits a tiger flip for 2. He hits a dropkick for 2. Danielson slaps him across the face and suplexes him by the arm for 2. He hits the unprotected elbows but stops to casually roll Sal up for the win. This was just a squash for Danielson and made for a pretty unremarkable bit for him on this show. After the match Rave slaps Sal, tosses him from the ring and calls out Shingo for their match.
Rating: *

JZ says: Dave Prazak and Jared David are the hosts tonight, and they welcome us as Rave berates Rinauro before the bell even rings. They mention that Danielson is only required to defend the title once per month, but I prefer the 30-day rule. Danielson appears to be having no trouble with Rinauro whatsoever. Rinauro is able to do a little bit to Danielson’s shoulder, but the advantage is extremely short lived. The champion hits the elbows to the head and then wraps Rinauro up in a small package to decisively pin him at 5:28. That’s a curious way to book Danielson, but he got the crowd warmed up. Rave abuses Rinauro after the match and gets on the microphone and calls out Shingo.
Rating: *¼

MATCH #2: Shingo vs. Jimmy Rave

BG says: Shingo makes his big return here and has apparently traded his last name for an evil Japanese mustache. Rave goes for a cheap shot but Shingo catches it and slaps him down. Rave slaps him back so Shingo forearms him out of the ring. Back inside Rave goes for a wristlock but Shingo counters to a headlock. Rave spits in Shingo’s face so Shingo runs through him and spits back. He hits a bodyslam and Rave bails. Shingo follows him out and rams him into the barricade. Back in the ring Shingo hits a back elbow for 2. He puts on a chinlock and hits a kneedrop. Rave comes back with an overhead suplex into the turnbuckle. They trade forearms and Rave hits a knee to the gut. He stomps the face for 2. He hits a low blow and a neckbreaker for 2. He hits a clothesline in the corner but Shingo dodges a high knee and Rave falls to the floor. Shingo follows him out with a clothesline from the apron. Back in the ring Shingo hits a short arm clothesline. He hangs Rave on the middle rope and hits a DDT. He hits a second rope kneedrop for 2. Rave hits a swinging DDT for 2. Shingo hits a gutbuster but Rave comes back with a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a gutbuster of his own and another DDT for 2. He puts on a butterfly lock but Shingo counters to a roll up for 2. He lifts Rave into a powerbomb but Rave comes back with a spear. He hits Ghanarrhea for 2. Shingo hits the Blood Fall and the Pumping Bomber before finishing with the Last Falconry for the win. Disappointing match for Shingo, but about what I’ve come to expect from Rave. It just dragged on without ever getting out of first gear.
Rating: **½

Brent Albright is ready to make is ROH debut against Christopher Daniels. He’s going to prove to the world that he is the best wrestler out there. Glad to have you Brent.

JZ says: Shingo is making his return, the last time we saw him was 8.27.05 at Dragon Gate Invasion, against Curry Man. He has since grown an awesome mullet / moustache combination. Shingo takes the advantage early on, and Rave looks lost without Nana. Raven pulls Shingo to the floor but Shingo soon regains the advantage and goes to work on him. Every time Rave tries to unload on offense, Shingo basically no-sells him. Rave connects with a low blow and is able to maintain some control. Rave charges with a high knee in the corner and Shingo moves, sending Rave crashing to the floor. Back in the ring Rave gets control and puts on the butterfly lock. Shingo responds with a powerbomb. Rave hits a spear and connects with the move formerly known as Ghanarea. Rave tries Greetings from Atlanta but Shingo counters it with a face driver for two. Shingo hits a “wrist-clutch burning hammer” to get the victory over Rave at 12:26. That was a really solid match and it’s good to see Shingo go over.
Rating: ***

Brent Albright cuts Generic Wrestler Promo #1 to introduce himself as the newest member of the ROH roster. Wow, that certainly was awesomely average.

MATCH #3: Colt Cabana & Jimmy Jacobs vs. Irish Airborne

BG says: Before the match BJ Whitmer addresses Jacobs from the hard camera stand. He says again that until the doctors clear him that he’s going to be Jacobs’s shadow. When he comes back he’s not going to break Jacobs’s leg, he’s going to break his neck. Jacobs and Jake Crist start the match. Jacobs puts on a hammerlock and slips into a half crab. Jake gets to the ropes so Jacobs blows a kiss at Lacey. Jake gets a headlock takedown and tags to Dave. Cabana tags in and channels Jim Duggan for reasons I can’t comprehend. He spreads Dave’s legs apart but Dave counters to a headlock. Cabana grabs a wristlock but Dave springboards off the ropes to escape. He grabs a wristlock but Cabana blocks his flippies and gets an armdrag. Jake tags in and walks into a wristlock. Jacobs tags in and double stomps Jake’s arm. Jake comes back with a neckbreaker for 2. Dave tags in and hits a dropkick for 2. He hits a bodyslam and tags to Jake. Jake hits a second rope moonsault for 2. Dave and Cabana tag in and Jake kicks Dave in the head by mistake. Jacobs tags in and spears Jake and Cabana suplexes Dave onto him. Jacobs hits a seated dropkick for 2. Cabana tags in and they hit a double back elbow. Cabana alley oops Jacobs onto Dave for 2. Dave becomes a huge heel by blocking the three-point stance so he tags out. Jake hits a crossbody on Cabana and a clothesline on Jacobs. He hits leg lariats on both opponents but Cabana cuts off his momentum and tags to Jacobs. Jacobs hits a bodyslam but Dave makes the blind tag and they hit a double spinebuster. Dave hits a moonsault press for 2. Cabana tags in and elbows the Crists down. He tosses off the top rope onto Dave with a senton for 2. Cabana hits the three-point stance on Dave but misses the Flying Asshole on Jake. Jake hits a springboard kick on Cabana and Dave dives onto him on the floor. Jacobs hits the missile headbutt on Jake but Dave blocks the Contra Code and rolls him up for the win. Decent little match that ignored the storyline, which was actually a nice change of pace for Jacobs and Cabana. After the match Lacey tears into Jacobs but Cabana tries to calm her down. Things seem to have changed a little bit.
Rating: **¾

Tank Toland calls himself the 21st Century Wrecking Machine. He heard a lot about ROH from James Gibson, Spanky and CM Punk while in WWE and he wants to make a name for himself here. Pelle Primeau runs up and recognizes Toland as one of the Dicks. Apparently he was a big fan but Toland takes offense and pins him against a wall by his throat.

JZ says: Cabana’s shenanigans during the ring entrance are pretty funny and makes me wonder how Ace Steel got signed by WWE before Cabana, who remains as yet unsigned. Before the match can get underway, BJ Whitmer cuts a promo from the platform where the hard camera sits. He threatens to break Jacobs’s neck. Jacobs outwrestles Jake and then blows a kiss to Lacey. Cabana tags in and channels Hacksaw Jim Duggan, whom he had recently wrestled on WWE Heat. Cabana and Dave have a go of it and just guess who embarrasses who in that one. Jacobs gets tagged back in and the Crists take control. That doesn’t last long, as Cabana and Jacobs regain control and show some pretty good teamwork. The Crists come back with some high flying stuff and we’ve got a brawl with all four guys now. Cabana and Jacobs execute a really cool rocket launcher senton. They set up for a double 3-Point Stance but only Cabana is able to connect. A kick to the head sends Cabana to the floor and Dave hits a big dive. Back in the ring Jacobs hits a missile headbutt and goes for the Contra Code. It gets blocked into a perfect position for the Irish Air Raid, which doesn’t connect either. He tries the Contra Code again but it gets reversed to an Ohkana roll for the three-count at 11:09. That was a fun mid-card tag team match that saw Jacobs and Cabana actually jelling as a team only to lose on a rollup. Lacey is yelling at Jacobs and Cabana tries to clam her down and comfort Jimmy. What a nice guy.
Rating: **¾

Tank Toland dubs himself the “21st Century Wrecking Machine.” He has some pretty weird facial hair. Pelle Primeau comes up and makes fun of Toland for his prior WWE gimmick. Toland takes exception to that and abuses poor Pele.

MATCH #4: Christopher Daniels vs. Brent Albright

BG says: They trade armdrags to start. Daniels grabs a headlock but Albright keeps him from taking it to the mat. Albright puts on an armbar but Daniels counters and goes back to the headlock. The fight continues on the mat for a while and Albright more than impresses. Daniels changes things up with a chop and a leg lariat for 2. Albright hits an awesome armbreaker and zeroes in on the area. He puts on a cross armbreaker but Daniels quickly gets to the ropes. He dropkicks the arm for 2. He puts on an armbar but Daniels blocks a second armbreaker. He hits the STO and a back bodydrop. He hits an enziguiri but Albright comes back with an overhead suplex for 2. He hits a northern lights suplex for 2. Daniels hits the uranage and the triple jump moonsault but his arm is too damaged to cover. Albright puts on an armbar but Daniels gets to the ropes. Albright hits a half nelson suplex for 2. He goes for la magistral but Daniels blocks it and pins Albright for the win. This match was incredibly focused and well paced. It wasn’t particularly exciting but it did a lot to establish Albright.
Rating: ***

JZ says: Albright yells really loud to show that he is INTENSE. The crowd chants “Smackdown sucks.” I didn’t know there was a heel wrestler in this match named “Smackdown,” how ironic. The comparisons to James Gibson for Albright are pretty obvious, and Prazak and David expound on them so I don’t feel the need to. They also say that Albright didn’t need a fancy gimmick, and the funny thing is that he had no such thing. He had a stupid name, but his gimmick was that he was a young Chris Benoit and he was duller than dishwater. They do some chain wrestling to start, and Albright has a distinct size advantage and he uses that to keep Daniels grounded. Albright focuses on the arm to eventually set up for his finisher, the Crowbar. Daniels comes back and hits an STO. He gets a few moves in and then Albright cuts him off and hits a nice Northern Lights suplex for two. Daniels recovers and hits the Best Moonsault Ever but can’t capitalize because of the injured arm. Albright grabs a hold on it but Daniels is able to reach the ropes. Albright stays on offense and goes for La Magistral cradle but Daniels blocks it and holds on for the three-count at 12:46. Albright looked fine, but I don’t for one second believe that John Walters or Matt Stryker couldn’t have had the same exact match.
Rating: ***

MATCH #5: Four Corner Survival – Chris Hero vs. Roderick Strong vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Tank Toland

BG says: Mark Briscoe’s front teeth are gone. Jimmy Bower joins the commentary team and explains that Mark got into a bar fight, got his teeth knocked out, calmly walked out of the bar and hit a shooting star press off the roof onto the guy as he left the building. I read something different back when it happened but who am I to question Jimmy Bower. Hero and Strong start but Hero quickly bails and Toland takes his place. Toland and Strong fight over an armbar. Hero and Mark tag in as Bower and Prazak argue the merits of the Bill Watts system of hiring and firing wrestlers. Mark gets the first near fall of the match with a leg lariat. Hero bails after taking a slingshot double stomp so Strong beats him up on the floor. Toland and Strong tag in and Toland shows off how high he can jump. Mark makes a blind tag and hits a guillotine kneedrop with Strong on Toland for 2. Mark hits a yelping springboard splash for 2. I think he’s my new favorite wrestler. Hero tags in and hits a bodyslam for 2. Hero’s offense comes in spurts. He hits two or three moves in succession and then struts around for a while. Strong tags Mark out and cleans house on Hero and Toland. Toland hits a big spear on Hero and Strong blocks a crossbody from Mark with a big boot. Strong finishes off the match with the gutbuster, tiger driver and Stronghold on Hero. Stuff happened in this match but none of it came together into anything special.
Rating: **¼

Strong has to tell the music guy to plays his music. Claudio Castagnoli runs down to the ring and holds Strong over his shoulder for Hero to boot him off. Aries makes the save and clears Hero from the ring. He calls for the referee and their match begins.

JZ says: Toland is the second WWE release making his ROH debut tonight. Jimmy Bower steps in to explain Mark’s missing teeth, which were broken in a bar fight. Toland and Strong have a nice little exchange. Strong tags out to Briscoe and Toland tags Hero in. Bower comes back in to reference Bill Watts for no apparent reason. More stuff happens and the crowd is pretty silent and no one’s really helping me get into it. Hero and Briscoe have a fairly long time together in the ring. Strong gets a tag finally and goes nuts on everyone. Toland comes in for his share. Everyone comes and it’s a big brawl. Strong and Hero wind up in the ring together and Strong puts on the Strong Hold and Hero taps out at 13:01. That just never did anything for me at any point in time. Claudio comes out to attack Strong, and the Kings stand tall. The crowd chants for Austin Aries, who finally comes out. Holy shit what took him so long? That leads into our next match though.
Rating: **

MATCH #6: Austin Aries vs. Claudio Castagnoli

BG says: They trade forearms to start and Aries creatively knocks Claudio to the floor. He follows him out with the Heat Seeking Missile and rams him into the barricade. He seats Claudio in a chair and then comes off the top rope onto him with an axe handle. Back in the ring Aries stays in control. Claudio goes to the eyes and drops Aries ribs-first on the top rope. He hits a gutbuster for 2. He puts on a seated abdominal stretch and hits a gourd buster for 2. Aries goes for a springboard elbow but Claudio blocks it with a European uppercut. He hits a series of elbowdrops for 2. He hits a bodyslam and a senton for 2. He puts on an abdominal stretch and uses the ropes for leverage. The referee sees it and kicks Claudio’s arm away. Aries puts on an abdominal stretch and uses the ropes for leverage too. Claudio hits a hiptoss to escape. He slams Aries stomach-first onto the mat but Aries comes back with a clothesline. He hits a slingshot splash and a springboard moonsault for 2. I guess he’s powering through that injury. Claudio sets him up top but Aries fights him off and hits a missile dropkick. Claudio hits the Match Killer for 2. Aries blocks the Ricola Bomb and hits a hurricanrana. He hits the corner dropkick for 2. He climbs the ropes but Claudio cuts him off and hits a climbing enziguiri. He hits the Iconoclasm for 2. Aries hits a roaring elbow but Claudio blocks the brainbuster. Aries counters the Alpamare Waterslide to the crucifix bomb. Stiff kick to the face, brainbuster and 450 splash with no sign of pain from the injury give Aries the win. Why make me sit through Claudio’s dull offense for ten minutes for Aries’s standard finish? After the match the Kings of Wrestling beat on Aries until Strong makes the save.
Rating: **½

JZ says: Aries is on fire to start the match, probably because his partner got his ass handed to him and he did nothing abut it. Aries still almost literally begs for cheers. Aries controls the early portions of the match but Claudio comes back and works on the ribs, just like he and Hero did when they won the titles from Aries and Strong. Aries makes a comeback with some forearms and chops, followed by the twisting body press and Asai moonsault into a cover for two. Claudio goes right back to the ribs though. Aries comes back with a running dropkick in the corner for two. Claudio tries the Alpamare Water Slide but that gets blocked, and Aries tries the brainbuster and it gets blocked. They exchange blows and Aries wins, but the brainbuster gets blocked again. Claudio again goes for the Water Slide, but Aries hits the crucifix bomb and then string together the Joe Killer Combo and that’s enough to pin Claudio at 11:20. That was mostly solid but pretty dull in the beginning. Chris Hero comes out to attack Aries. They try the KRS-1 but Strong belatedly comes out and the crowd doesn’t pop at all.
Rating: **½

Intermission

BG says: At intermission Lacey tries to motivate Jacobs through negative reinforcement by planting a wet one on Cabana. Cabana wants her to show Jacobs some compassion. She tells Cabana that as part of Lacey’s Angels he’ll do what she says. He doesn’t seem on board but we don’t get to find out how he really feels because BJ Whitmer comes in from out of nowhere to spear Jacobs through an exit out of the building. Great segment.

JZ says: Prazak is with Lacey’s Angels and Colt Cabana. Lacey blames Jacobs for the loss tonight and gives him an ultimatum for tomorrow night. Lacey then makes out with Cabana right in front of him and Cabana tells her to have some consideration. Lacey tries to control Cabana, but unlike Jacobs, he just laughs her off. BJ Whitmer then comes out of nowhere and attacks Whitmer and we abruptly cut away.

MATCH #7: Davey Richards vs. Jay Briscoe

BG says: Richards hasn’t been able to get a win against the Briscoes in tag action so he’s taking both of them on in singles this weekend. They trade forearms to start and Richards unloads with kicks. He hits a hurricanrana and a hiptoss. He goes for his finisher so Jay bails. Back in the ring they knuckle up and Jay shoves Richards to the floor. He goes for a dive but Richards blocks it with a kick. He rams Jay into the barricade and hits a bodyslam for 2 back in the ring. He puts on a cravat and hits a running kick for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Jay quickly gets to the ropes. Jay comes back with a faceplant and an elbowdrop. He hits a hurricanrana and a dropkick for 2. He puts on the stretch plum but Richards gets to the ropes. Jay hits an avalanche to the back and climbs the ropes. Richards cuts him off and hits a superplex. They trade forearms and Richards back suplexes Jay to the floor before diving out onto him. Back in the ring he hits a springboard missile dropkick. Jay hits a Manhattan drop and a crossbody. He climbs the ropes and hits a legdrop for 2. Richards hits a hurricanrana and a capture suplex. He hits the STO for 2. He hits an overhead suplex and a running forearm. He hits a side suplex and a German suplex for 2. Jay hits a stun gun and a falcon arrow for 2. They trade slaps and Richards hits a handspring enziguiri. Jay goes for the Jay Driller but Richards counters to a backslide for 2 before hitting the D.R. Driver II for the win. Good, hard-hitting match here. I enjoy the ongoing trend with the Briscoes being almost unstoppable as a tag team but slightly lost without each other.
Rating: ***¼

JZ says: They start hitting hard right away. The Briscoes have been able to beat Richards every time in tag team competition, this is the first time Richards has faced one of them one-on-one. Jay asks for a test of strength and he gets it. The battle eventually spills to the floor. Richards hits a series of kicks and Jay goes back to the ring. Richards stays in control with some knee strikes. He tries a head scissors but Jay dumps him on his face. Richards’s butterfly brainbuster is now called the D.R. Driver. They exchange strikes in the middle of the ring and Richards tries a German suplex and it gets reversed to the point that Richards suplexes Briscoe over the ropes the floor and hits a sick looking dive on him. Briscoe hits some big moves but can’t put Richards away. Richards comes back with a flurry. Jay comes back with a falcon arrow for two. A cool sequence leads to Richards hitting the D.R. Driver and getting the pin at 14:58. That was a pretty fun match that picked up all the way leading up the ending. Richards will face Mark tomorrow night in Chicago Ridge.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #8: Delirious vs. Matt Sydal

BG says: Delirious shouts in Sydal’s face to start. They lock up and Delirious grabs a headlock. Sydal counters to a leglock and pins Delirious for 2. He goes for a wristlock but gets tangled in Delirious’s tassels, frustrating him. He hits an armdrag and a dropkick. Delirious hits a knee strike but Sydal comes back with a kick to the face. Sydal hits a bodyslam but Delirious blocks the standing moonsault. Delirious hits a back suplex for 2. He puts on the first nerve hold ever to get over with a crowd but Sydal fights out. Delirious hits a stiff kick to the back for 2. He puts on the cobra clutch and flings Sydal across the ring. Sydal bails and Delirious crawls under the ring. Sydal brilliantly rings the bell and Delirious has his usual reaction to it. Back in the ring Sydal hits a leg lariat. He hits a leaping clothesline and an ugly version of the Slice for 2. Sydal, frustrated with Delirious’s tassels, pulls a few out. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Delirious gets to the ropes. He hits the cannonball legdrop for 2. Why is he acting like a heel in this match? He hits a fisherman suplex for 2. He chokes Delirious with a tassel until the referee calls for the break. Delirious hits a leaping lariat and the Neverending Story clotheslines. Sydal blocks a pair of clotheslines but runs into a back elbow. Delirious slams him to the mat and hits a big boot. He puts on the cobra clutch but Sydal goes to the corner. Delirious hits a dropkick to the back but Sydal dodges the Panic Attack. Delirious hits a neckbreaker for 2. Sydal hits a series of enziguiris and dropkicks Delirious to the floor. He follows him out with a handless dive and rolls him back into the ring. Delirious hits the pumphandle piledriver on Sydal for 2. How insulting. He climbs the ropes but Sydal brings him down with a hurricanrana. Sydal hits Shadows Over Hell on Delirious for 2. How offensive. He sets Delirious up top but Delirious blocks the hurricanrana and hits the Panic Attack. Sydal blocks Shadows Over Hell with a kick to the gut and blocks a sunset flip for 2. He gets a roll up for 2. Delirious gets a roll up for 2. He gets a sunset flip for 2. He gets another roll up for 2 and the slips in the Cobra Stretch. Sydal counters to a roll up for 2. They trade roll ups and Sydal hits the standing moonsault for 2. He misses the shooting star press but hits a superkick. He climbs the ropes and hits a dropkick. He hits a spinning kick but Delirious responds with Chemical Imbalance II out of nowhere for the win. They were given more time than they needed here and Sydal’s heel tactics were confusing. They called every signature move before they did it too, which was quite annoying. The crowd chants about how awesome they thought the match was but they barely made a peep throughout. This reminded me a lot of their match at Epic Encounter II where they were given plenty of time and didn’t do much with it until the last few minutes. This match was more enjoyable than that one, but I don’t think it came close to the stuff they did against each other in the Survival of the Fittest finals.
Rating: ***¼

JZ says: This is a rematch from the finals of the Survival of the Fittest match three weeks ago in Cleveland. They do some mat wrestling to start and the crowd seems invested in both guys. I’ve actually seen their very first match that they had together (about the third total in either of their careers’) and it’s great to see how far they’ve come. Sydal appears to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder tonight, and he’s stalling more than usual. The ROH fans get another all-new chant going – “work the nerves.” I’ll leave it to you to discover how that comes about. Delirious controls for a while and spins Sydal out of the corner and he goes to the floor. Delirious crawls under the ring looking for his opponent. Sydal cleverly grabs the ring bell hammer and rings it to try and make Delirious go crazy. Sydal gets frustrated and rips at Delirious’ tassels, drawing solid boos from the crowd. Delirious tries the Roots Clotheslines but Sydal is able to counter them. The battle goes back to the floor and Sydal hits an impressive dive. Sydal tries the Here It Is Driver, but Delirious reverses it to one of his own for two. Delirious then sets up for Shadows over Hell but Sydal knocks him down and hits a nice rana. Sydal hits his own Shadows over Hell for a two count. They do some more awesome exchanges. The crowd is a little quiet but they’re starting to warm up a bit. Delirious locks on the Cobra Stretch. Sydal escapes that but moments later Delirious hits the Chemical Imbalance to score the pinfall at 24:28. That was a tremendous match from two guys who keep climbing their way up the card.
Rating: ****

MATCH #9: Homicide & Samoa Joe vs. Steve Corino & Adam Pearce

BG says: Jim Cornette brings Adam Pearce, Shane Hagadorn and Steve Corino down to the ring for the main event. Heaven forbid we go a show without the exact same Cornette promo. Pearce thankfully takes over on the microphone and introduces Corino to the crowd. Corino runs down the crowd and actually gets me to laugh at his enjoyment of an Adam Pearce joke. This eventually leads into the main event.

Joe and Pearce brawl on the floor but Pearce slips away and helps Corino beat on Homicide. Joe runs in and the tide turns in Homicide’s favor. The match regains a sense of composure with Homicide and Pearce as the legal men. Homicide hits a back elbow and tags to Joe. They hit a double shoulder tackle but Pearce pokes Joe in the eyes. Corino and Homicide tag in and works over Corino’s arm. The thing I dig about Homicide and Corino having some legitimate heat is that they really lay into each other. Homicide kicks referee Sinclair in the balls in what is actually a nice bit of continuity. Pearce hits a clothesline from the apron and tags in. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. Corino tags in and chokes Homicide with some tape. Pearce tags in and hits a powerslam for 2 when Joe breaks it up with a stiff kick to the head. Homicide hits the Bad Slap and a swinging DDT on Corino. Joe tags in and hits a powerslam on Corino and the STJoe on Pearce. He hits an enziguiri on Corino and Homicide follows up with a face wash. Pearce hits a dropkick on Joe and dumps him to the floor. Hagadorn takes a few shots so Joe slaps him down. Back in the ring Pearce gets 2. Joe slaps him down and tags to Homicide. Corino comes in and gets tossed. Pearce meets the same fate and Homicide follows him out with a suicide dive. Joe blatantly whiffs on an Ole Kick on Pearce but it gets sold anyway. Everyone brawls into the crowd where Homicide hits Corino with a chair. He DDTs Corino on the bleachers but that too blatantly makes no contact. Homicide hits another Bad Slap and throws another chair at Corino’s face. He sets Corino on a table and dives off the top rope onto him through the table with a splash. He sets up a table in the corner and brawls with Corino into the crowd. Joe hits a big boot and a senton on Pearce for 2. Pearce and Corino hit a double flapjack on Joe for 2. Corino hits a bodyslam on Homicide and climbs the ropes. Homicide cuts him off with another Bad Slap and pulls him down with the Ace Crusher for 2. Pearce hits Homicide with a spinebuster for 2. Homicide hits Corino with Cornette’s tennis racket and Joe hits Pearce with it for 2 when Hagadorn breaks it up. Joe and Homicide hits a clothesline/backdrop driver combo on Hagadorn. Cornette hits Homicide with the tennis racket and Pearce rolls him up for 2. Pearce climbs the ropes but Joe crotches him and sort of suplexes Corino into the table in the corner. He powerbomb Corino through the table for real and hits the Muscle Buster on Pearce. He holds Pearce for Homicide’s lariat which picks up the win for the good guys. This was pretty much a rehash of the main event of the last show, but Pearce and Corino are no Briscoe Brothers and this wasn’t half as innovative, crisp or exciting.
Rating: **¼

After the match Joe slaps Hagadorn down. He drags Hagadorn to the back, which leaves Homicide wide open. Cornette calls the Briscoes down to the ring and numbers catch up to Homicide. Corino wraps a plastic bag around Homicide’s head as the Briscoes fight off anyone who tries to make the save. Enough wrestlers eventually run out and chase Cornette’s crew out of the ring but it takes a few minutes for them to realize that the bag is still on Homicide’s head. That just came off as silly at the end there. As much I loved this angle Cornette’s promo and the lack of focus is starting to burn it out for me.

JZ says: Pearce and Corino could make for an entertaining tag team. Cornette of course has to talk before the match. Pearce and Corino also take up some mic time. It’s a big brawl to start and I love these sorts of matches because I don’t do much talking about them because it’s all just big brawling. Order is eventually achieved, and Pearce and Corino use double teaming and dirty tricks to work over Homicide. Joe finally gets tagged in and is a domicile ablaze. It once again degenerates into a brawl, highlighted by Homicide hitting a splash on Corino through a table from the top rope to the floor. Joe attacks Pearce with a chair and kicks him in the head. Homicide and Joe are looking dominant here. Joe uses the tennis racket as a weapon. Hagadorn unwisely interferes and takes a beating for his trouble. Joe hits the Muscle Buster on Pearce, but then he gets picks him up and allows Homicide to get the lariat and pin Pearce at 17:07. Pearce appeared to have kicked out right away, but the referee calls it three (the bell doesn’t even ring). That was a pretty underwhelming brawl after the main event of the last show. Speaking of last month’s main event, Cornette calls the Briscoes out, and this looks like a cool heel faction. Corino puts a plastic bag over Homicide’s head, trying to suffocate him. Aries and Strong come out to try and help, but the Briscoes cut them off. Finally Sydal, Delirious, and Davey Richards come out to fight off Cornette’s crew.
Rating: **¾

MVP

BG says: I’m giving it to Brent Albright for catching on with ROH fans. That’s hard to do for former WWE guys but he did it well and in a very solid match. He may be the first guy I’ve given MVP to for his debut.

JZ says: I’ll give it to Matt Sydal, for being half of a great match and showing that there may be a good future for him as a heel.

You can pick up this show, as well as all other ROH shows at ROH Wrestling Dot Com.

Coming soon will be our review of IRRESISTIBLE FORCES!