ROH – Reborn Again DVD Review

ROH – REBORN AGAIN – HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – MAY 11, 2007

Introduction

BG says: The Video Wire for this weekend’s shows starts off with ROH owner Cary Silkin’s announcement that ROH will be debuting on PPV in July of this year. Included in the wire are clips of Jimmy Rave’s return to ROH, Austin Aries’s title shot against Takeshi Morishima, Shingo’s title shot against Morishima, hype for Sweeney’s appearance on ROH’s PPV debut and finally hype for Bryan Danielson’s return to ROH. That last bit is pretty exciting.

Rebecca Bayless starts off the show by accidentally interviewing the returning Bryan Danielson. Danielson doesn’t like that ROH is about to be Reborn Again because he intends to do just what he did before, and that’s dominate. He was the best in the world for a year and a half and he’s going to prove why tonight. Really ROH just holds Reborn shows each time TNA pulls their talent, so Danielson really has nothing to worry about.

TNA Wrestling has pulled all their talent because of ROH’s upcoming Pay Per View debut. ROH is now able to sign their talent to contracts, but has lost Austin Aries and Homicide. Well, Homicide had accomplished about all he was going to in ROH, but what does this announcement mean for the Resilience?

JZ says: Rebecca Bayless opens the show by announcing that tonight’s show is called “Reborn Again.” Bryan Danielson is back and disagrees with the name of the show, because he’s back, and he’s better than ever.

Breaking news! Lenny Leonard delivers a voice over announcement noting that TNA has pulled their talent, namely Homicide and Austin Aries, from future shows. I actually am not the biggest fan of either guy (that is particularly true of Homicide). He does say that this allowed Ring of Honor to sign a bunch of wrestlers to contracts to avoid future conflicts.

MATCH #1: Jimmy Rave vs. Pelle Primeau

BG says: Rave, idiot that he is, points out how dead the crowd is as he enters the ring. They lock up and Rave tosses Primeau to the floor. He throws Primeau into the barricade and rolls him into the ring. Primeau gets a head scissors takedown and a huge DDT for 2. Rave hits a spear and pulls the pad off of a turnbuckle. He drops Primeau onto the exposed steel for 2. Rave misses a high knee and falls to the floor. Primeau follows him out with a dropkick from the apron. Back inside Primeau hits the springboard Thesz Press and a double stomp for 2. He blocks a blind charge and hits a hurricanrana but Rave rolls through and puts on the heel hook for the win. This was too short to make Primeau look good or to make Rave look dominant.
Rating: *

It’s No Remorse Corp promo time. Roderick Strong points out that Austin Aries has left his new group high and dry. Romero brags about taking Jack Evans out (which I guess he did when he kicked him at Good Times Great Memories) and Richards warns Matt Cross and Erick Stevens that they’re soon going to be following Aries out of ROH.

JZ says: Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard are the hosts tonight. Rave attacks Primeau right away and violently kicks him to the floor. He follows the much smaller Primeau to the floor and continues the assault. Rave remembers when Primeau pinned him back in October in Detroit, and he’s out for revenge. Primeau gets a brief bit of offense but Rave comes back and drops Primeau’s ribs on the exposed turnbuckle, and Primeau again spills to the floor. Back in the ring Primeau makes one last gasp, going for a hurricanrana. Rave rolls through and locks on the heel hook and Primeau taps instantly at 4:53. I see why Rave needed his win back, and this was a decent, short opener.
Rating: *½

Roderick Strong cuts another lamewad promo about how the No Remorse Corps is taking over Ring of Honor. Davey Richards isn’t any cooler either.

MATCH #2: Daizee Haze vs. Nikki Roxx

BG says: Nikki Roxx is hot. I want to tell her she’s hot but I’m afraid she’ll think I’m sexist. She’s so hot she’s making me sexist. Bitch. Haze puts on a wristlock to start. Roxx comes back with a lateral press for 1. Haze puts on an armbar but Roxx counters to a hammerlock. Roxx powers out but Haze gets a headlock takedown. They trade armdrags and kip up for no reason. Roxx hits a shoulder tackle but Haze comes back with a roll up for 2. She hits the head scissors takedown for 2. Haze hits a crossbody off the second for 2. Roxx rolls through and hits a swinging slam for 2. She hits a vertical suplex for 2. She stretches Haze across her back and slams her to the mat for 2. Haze blocks the Barbie Crusher and hits a facebuster for 2. She hits the Mind Trip for the win moments later. Haze didn’t screw anything up too badly and there’s something to be said for that. Roxx was her usual solid self. After the match Sara Del Rey gets in the ring and patronizes Haze.
Rating: *½

JZ says: They do some chain wrestling in the early going, as I wonder why this card needed to have eleven matches, and have this be one of them. It gets sloppy in a hurry, as usual with the SHIMMER special attraction matches. Roxx hits a swinging Rock Bottom but it only gets two. Roxx continues to use her power but can’t keep Haze down for three. Haze fights back with a face slam for two. She executes the Mind Trip and that’s all she wrote at 5:02. I really don’t see the need for these matches to be on the main show. SHIMMER is a great place for them, and I even like and support SHIMMER, so don’t think I’m anti-women or anti-women’s wrestling.
Rating: ½*

Sara Del Ray comes out after the match and gets in Daizee’s face for some reason. The crowd’s reaction is rather odd. Haze, defying her stoner persona, jaws with a fan on her way to the back.

MATCH #3: Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jason Blade & Eddie Edwards

BG says: Blade and Generico start. They lock up and Generico powers Blade to the corner. Blade puts on a wristlock and they trade armdrags. Steen tags in and beats Blade down. Edwards tags in and trades forearms with Steen. Blade tags in and hits a dropkick. Generico tags in and runs into a double backdrop. Blade and Edwards double-team him with kicks for 2. Edwards hits a bodyslam and Blade hits a slingshot senton for 2. Edwards tags in and hits a snap suplex for 2. Blade tags in and hits a bodyslam but Steen pulls him to the floor and pushes him into the barricade. Back in the ring Steen tags in and hits an elbowdrop. He hits a back elbow for 2. Generico tags in and forearms Blade down for 2. Steen tags in and hits the somersault legdrop and a senton for 2. He puts on a chinlock and then hits a forearm to the back of the neck for 2. Blade ducks a clothesline and tags to Edwards. Edwards hits a back elbow and a clothesline. He hits a dropkick and Steen bails. Blade dumps Generico and Edwards follows him out with a suicide dive. Back in the ring Edwards hits a double knee strike and a leg lariat on Steen for 2. Blade tags in but Steen tosses him into Edwards and hits a neckbreaker for 2. Generico tags in but misses the corner Yakuza kick. Blade superkicks Generico into German suplex from Edwards. That gets 2. Steen hits an enziguiri on Blade and Generico boots Edwards to the floor. Steen hits the package piledriver on Blade and tosses him to Generico who hits a brainbuster for the win. I didn’t think that Team Vanilla had it in them but they gave the Canadians a good fight.
Rating: **¾

JZ says: Blade and Generico start it off. The Canadian duo is far more over than the New England twosome. Blade controls the arm for a moment or two, and then Generico tags out to Steen and Edwards soon follows. Blade and Edwards unload some awkward looking offense. They ground Generico and work him over for a while. Steen cheats to gain an advantage and gets himself tagged in. He works over Blade and acts like a dick at the same time. It eventually breaks down into a brawl, with Blade and Edwards gaining control. They do a cool double team move where Blade fakes a dive but then holds the ropes open for Edwards to deliver it instead. That leaves all four men on the floor. Back in the ring it’s not long before Steen regains control. Generico’s back is bleeding somehow. Steen and Generico have finally had enough and use a pair of kicks to the face to put Blade in position for the Package Piledriver and Brainbuster combination to get the pin at 10:18. That was pretty okay.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #4: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bobby Fish

BG says: Claudio has finally cut his hair, making him look a million times more money making. I have no idea who Bobby Fish is, so I don’t expect this to last long. They lock up and Fish pushes Claudio to the ropes. Apparently Fish has wrestled in NOAH, but as we’ve learned from Eddie Edwards that doesn’t equal success in ROH. Claudio puts him on the mat with the body scissors but Fish comes back with a headlock. Claudio puts on a headlock of his own but runs into a dropkick. Fish opens up with kicks and hits a snap suplex. He hits another for 2. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. Claudio comes back with a backbreaker for 2. He puts on the Kayak stretch and rolls Fish up for 2. He hits a delayed vertical suplex for 2. He hits a bodyslam and a legdrop for 2. He hits a series of European uppercuts and a rolling European uppercut. Fish comes back with a hurricanrana and a clothesline. He hits a back suplex for 2. He dumps Claudio to the floor and follows him out with a slingshot dive for 2 back in the ring. He hits a dropkick for 2. Claudio comes back with a bicycle kick and the Match Killer. He hits a running European uppercut for 2. Fish hits a flying knee and climbs the ropes. Claudio dodges a moonsault and hits the Lessertes Lift for the win. Fish dominated that match, which I can’t say is a good decision considering he never came back to ROH. The match was surprisingly solid though, and Fish gets cheered on his way to the back.
Rating: **½

JZ says: I admit that I have no idea who Bobby Fish is. He’s rather generic looking, but let’s give him a chance shall we? They do some mat wrestling to start, and Fish tries to take control with suplexes and strikes. He doesn’t control it for very long, as Claudio is able to come back and start unleashing the European uppercuts and a stalling suplex. Claudio hits a few more uppercuts, but Fish comes out of the corner with a hurricanrana and a Saito suplex. Claudio tries to make a comeback, but Fish may have him figured out. Claudio finally hits a huge bicycle kick to the face. He follows that with the Match Killer and a European Uppercut but it only gets two. Fish hits a knee to the face and goes to the top but misses the Moonsault. Claudio then hits the Les Artess Lift to get the pin at 8:19. Fish looked competent but not special, and Claudio was his usual solid self. Why did Fish get so much offense though?
Rating: **

MATCH #5: Bryan Danielson vs. Shane Hagadorn

BG says: Bryan Danielson comes out to the ring in his Jedi cloak. But wait, it isn’t Bryan Danielson at all! It’s Shane Hagadorn under that cloak! Adam Pearce laughs at the fans for thinking it was Danielson. He says he’s going to give away two tickets to tomorrow’s Pay Per View, and they’re taped under two chairs right now. Of course that’s a load of bull and he teases a kid for looking. Danielson has an open contract for tonight, so he volunteers Hagadorn to take the match.

They lock up and Hagadorn slugs Danielson before running away. He strikes Danielson again and then runs again. Danielson kicks Hagadorn’s back a few times but Hagadorn goes to the eyes. Danielson slaps Hagadorn across the face and hits a European uppercut. He puts on the Mexican surfboard and then pulls Hagadorn back into a chinlock but Hagadorn gets to the ropes. Danielson counters a takedown to a suplex and puts on an armbar for the win. Quick and dirty match there, but I liked that counter near the end. Pearce attacks Danielson and a match starts between those two.
Rating: ¾*

JZ says: “The Final Countdown” plays and a guy in a cloak comes out, so most assume that it’s Bryan Danielson. It’s actually Shane Hagadorn, and Adam Pearce comes out to tell the audience how stupid they are. Pearce pokes fun at the audience not unlike Steve Corino used to do. Pearce volunteers Hagadorn to take Danielson’s open contract for tonight. Hagadorn looks displeased. The crowd does not like Hagadorn’s chances. He gets a few lucky shots in early but Danielson is having none of it. Hagadorn tries a European Uppercut and it has no effect. Danielson puts on the surfboard but Hagadorn reaches the ropes. Danielson invents a new suplex and locks on the same armbar he beat Roderick Strong with at This Means War and Hagadorn taps at 4:14. Well that was certainly a brisk return match.
Rating: ¾*

MATCH #6: Bryan Danielson vs. Adam Pearce

BG says: Pearce beats Danielson down and mocks Danielson. He hits a bodyslam and climbs the ropes. He hits a legdrop off the top for 2. He goes to the eyes but Danielson goes low and hits a dragon screw and puts on a leglock for the win. So much for Adam Pearce’s credibility.
Rating: ¼*

After the match Roderick Strong comes out to the ring flanked by Davey Richards and Rocky Romero. I have to say the No Remorse Corp looks cool when they’re all wearing the matching shirts. Strong asks Danielson, out of respect, if he wants to join the No Remorse Corp. He warns Danielson of the Corps “with us or against us” policy. Danielson harkens back to his late 2005 gimmick and declines on the basis that he won’t sell out. Matt Cross and Erick Stevens rush the ring and the Corp flees. Danielson challenges them to a six-man tag match but Strong declines. Cross isn’t having any of that so he dives out onto all of them, starting the match.

JZ says: Pearce jumps in the ring and attacks Danielson, and Sinclair inexplicably rings the bell as in we’re starting a new match. The commentators are trying to sell it as an after the bell attack, but the referee and the wrestlers are treating it like a match. Pearce hits a guillotine legdrop. That doesn’t quite finish Danielson off though. A dragon whip by Danielson leads to a leg submission hold and Pearce taps right away at 1:22. Well Danielson is back and looks to be a focal point of the company as they head into pay-per-view. That works for me.
Rating: ½*

The No Remorse Corps come out to the ring in full force. Danielson has already faced two of their members in ROH, and a match between he and Richards seems likely at some point. Strong cuts a pretty good (for him) promo asking Danielson to join the Corps. Danielson chooses “against you” rather than “with you,” and says that he’s never sold out in his life. Does joining DP Associates in FIP count? Erick Stevens and Matt Cross come out to even up the odds. Danielson challenges the Corps to a six-man tag team match right here and right now. That sounds good. Strong disagrees though and says no. Cross decides to not take no for an answer and dives to the floor. Stevens and Danielson aren’t far behind and the match will happen now.

MATCH #7: Bryan Danielson, Erick Stevens & Matt Cross vs. Roderick Strong, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero

BG says: Everyone brawls around ringside for a while before the action gets into the ring. Strong and Danielson start. Danielson chops Strong around and tags to Stevens. Stevens hits a powerslam for 2. Romero and Cross tag in and Cross hits a leg lariat for 2. Danielson tags in and puts on a half crab. Strong and Richards break it up. Danielson hits a European uppercut and a bodyslam. Stevens and Richards tag in and Richards takes control. Strong tags in and they hit a double shoulder tackle. Richards tags in and opens up with kicks. Romero tags in and gets hit with a chokeslam. Cross tags in and hits a snap suplex for 2. Richards tags in and runs into a dropkick. Romero knocks Cross to the floor where he’s picked apart by the entire No Remorse Corp. Stevens and Danielson try to save and get the same treatment. Back in the ring Richards hits a back suplex. Romero tags in and kicks Cross’s back. Strong tags in and puts on the Cow Killer. Danielson quickly breaks that up. Richards tags in and keeps Cross from rolling to his corner. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special and hits a legdrop. He hits a snap suplex and tags to Strong. Strong holds Cross against the ropes so that Romero can hit the Funnel for 2. Strong hits a double backbreaker and a fall away slam for 2. Richards pulls Danielson to the floor and hits a vertical suplex. Romero and Strong hit a double delayed vertical suplex and Strong tags to Richards. Richards hits a backbreaker and tags to Strong. Strong hits a pancake and Richards & Romero sandwich Cross with kicks for 2. Strong starts to put on the Mexican surfboard but then stops to kick Cross low. Romero comes in illegally and hits a kneedrop for 2. Richards tags in and hits a bodyslam. He puts on a chinlock but Cross comes back with a springboard double stomp to the back. Stevens and Romero tag in and Stevens cleans house. He hits a German suplex and the Choo Choo avalanche on Strong. He swings Romero into Richards and hits the TKO. Richards bails so Danielson hits him with a suicide dive. Cross hits the Space Flying Tiger Drop on Strong and Romero. Back in the ring Stevens goes for a powerslam but Romero rolls him up for 2. He hits a knee to the face and tags to Strong. Strong and Steven trade chops and Strong goes to the eyes. Stevens hits a powerslam and tags to Cross. Cross hits a missile dropkick for 2. He counters the tiger driver to a hurricanrana for 2. Strong hits a chinbreaker and tags to Richards. Richards hits a gutbuster and a running knee. Strong tosses him into the Alarm Clock and Richards hits a German suplex for 2 when Danielson breaks it up with a diving headbutt. Danielson hits a bodyslam but Cross misses a shooting star press. Richards hits him with a tombstone piledriver for 2 before putting on 14:59. Danielson tries to make the save but Strong puts him in a Boston crab. Romero puts Stevens in an anklelock but Cross gets to the ropes. Cross gets a roll up for 2. He hits two enziguiris and a reverse hurricanrana. Romero kicks Cross’s head and Richards hits the DR Driver for the win. The finish felt really tacked on but the rest of the match was fantastic tag wrestling. Danielson was barely in it at all and it was still excellent. Stevens, Richards and Romero compliment one another so well as a group. There are times that they look like a swarm of bees overwhelming their opponents.
Rating: ***¾

JZ says: Danielson and what’s left of the Resilience control the match early on, with everyone tagging in and out and working pretty well as a team. The Corps take over on Stevens and use lots of double and triple teaming. They tag in and out very quickly and work Stevens over with lots of kicks. Stevens uses his power to make a comeback on Romero and he tags Cross in. The referee can’t control this one, as there’s action both in and out of the ring. Stevens and Danielson must be too hurt to save Cross. After a long period of abuse, Cross finally makes the hot tag to Stevens and he unloads on all three members of the Corps. The fight once again spills to the floor and continues in the ring as well. Stevens uses his power to gain an advantage and tags back in to Cross. This one is getting too crazy for me to follow here. Cross and Richards end up the only two in the ring. Romero lands a kick to Cross’s head from the apron, and Richards nails the DR Driver for the win at 18:42. That had some awkwardness and sloppiness in the early going but the second half was really good and wall-to-wall action.
Rating: ***½

INTERMISSION

BG says: Rebecca Bayless catches up with Jimmy Rave at intermission. Rave said he was just getting his win back from Primeau and from now on he’s taking what he wants. Does anyone still care about Rave?

JZ says: Bayless is backstage with Jimmy Rave, and she’s angry at him for the way he treated Pelle Primeau tonight. Interviewers need to stop interjecting their opinions. Rave cuts a lame angry man promo, finishing with “now I’m taking what I want.’ Oh no, run!

MATCH #8: Tank Toland vs. Mitch Franklin

BG says: Toland hurts Franklin’s hand during the opening handshake. They lock up and Toland easily overpowers Franklin. Bobby Dempsey does curls at ringside at Toland’s command and Toland bodyslams Franklin. Franklin tries to stick and move and hits a head scissors takedown. Toland military presses Franklin and tosses him across the ring. He hits a pumping vertical suplex for 2. Franklin comes back with kicks but Toland counters a head scissors takedown to the Alabamaslam for 2. Toland hits jumping jack double stomps and an elbowdrop for 2. Franklin stomps on his foot but Toland hits him with a scary Razor’s Edge. He hits a one-handed slam and does one-armed push ups on Franklin to pin him for the win. I usually try to look for any worth in squashes but this was really boring. Eh, that powerbomb was pretty sick, so we’ll give that some credit. After the match Toland forces Dempsey to hit Franklin with the cannonball.
Rating: ¼*

Delirious cuts a rambling promo. Words I can understand; KENTA, Go2Sleep, Ativan, Zoloft, Cobra Stretch, tap tap tap and epic. So altogether I’m thinking he said KENTA won’t hit him with the Go2Sleep and after Delirious is done with him he’ll have to take Ativan and Zoloft because he’s going to put on the Cobra Stretch to make KENTA tap tap tap in an epic match. Yeah, that sounds about right.

JZ says: Toland uses his power early on and just tosses Franklin around. Toland is both giving Franklin a beating and making Dempsey try to sweat off the pounds. Toland gets a majority of the offense, but Franklin gets a small flurry near the end. Toland delivers an impressive looking Razor’s Edge into a Dominator, and then follows with the significantly less cool looking one handed spinebuster to get the pin at 4:12. Well that was fine f or the first match after intermission. Toland has managed to be legitimately entertaining despite not being a good wrestler at all, which is very impressive for ROH.
Rating: ¼*

Delirious is backstage to cut a promo about his match tonight against KENTA. He cuts his usual gibberish promo but you can more or less understand what he’s getting at.

MATCH #9: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Matt Sydal

BG says: They lock up and then trade holds on the mat. Marufuji blocks a hiptoss but not a hurricanrana. Sydal hits a dropkick and Marufuji bails. Sydal hits a baseball slide and they knock each other’s faces into the apron. Back in the ring Sydal hits his corner combo for 2. He hits the cannonball legdrop for 2. He puts on the bow and arrow but Marufuji flips over for 2. Marufuji dropkicks Sydal to the floor and follows him out to whip him into the barricade. That’s a little dirty for an honest contest like this. He props Sydal against the barricade and hits a running basement dropkick. He rams Sydal into the post as a gash on Sydal’s shoulder becomes visible. Back in the ring Marufuji gets 2. He puts on a surfboard stretch and kneels on Sydal’s back. He hits a bodyslam and ties Sydal in a unique crucifix-style hold. Sydal scrambles for the ropes to escape. Sydal starts to fight back but Marufuji hits a back heel kick. Sydal hits a leg lariat and an enziguiri. He hits a clothesline and the Slice for 2. He climbs the ropes but Marufuji dodges the flying maneuver and hits a superkick. Marufuji hits the corner elbow and a dropkick to the face for 2. Sydal bounces around and hits a standing moonsault for 2. He sets Marufuji up top and hits a hurricanrana for 2. Marufuji hits a clothesline and a powerbomb for 2. Sydal ducks a superkick and dropkicks the knee. He rolls Marufuji up for 2. He gets a crucifix pin for 2. Marufuji gets a sunset flip for 2. He hits a superkick and the Shiranui for the win. I know Sydal isn’t paired up with Daniels anymore but I expected him to be the heel in this match. Instead Marufuji played that role and it seemed like they were both saving their A-game for the PPV.
Rating: ***¼

JZ says: They do some chain wrestling in the beginning, both guys just trying to feel the other one out. Wow, that sounds really gay. Neither man can gain a pronounced advantage in the first few minutes. The battle spills to the floor and Marufuji gets back in the ring and waits for Sydal in an act of sportsmanship. Sydal is able to gain the first advantage and the first near-fall of the match. Marufuji comes back with an awesomely creative springboard dropkick and they’re back to the floor again, where Marufuji delivers a big dropkick to the chest and face of a prone Sydal. Sydal has a gash on his shoulder from the guardrail. Marufuji works on the shoulder back inside the ring. Sydal takes the abuse and fires back but Marufuji cuts him off. Sydal makes the big comeback and hits the standing Moonsault but can’t get the pin. He puts Marufuji up top and tries the Moonsault Belly-to-Belly but can’t hit it. He hits a sweet rana instead for a near fall. Sydal tries the Here It Is Driver but Marufuji cleverly avoids it and hits a wicked clothesline. A powerbomb follows but Sydal is able to kick out. Sydal executes a couple of cool pinning combinations and they exchange some near falls. Marufuji breaks that up with a Superkick and tries the Shiranui. Sydal avoids it once but the second time Marufuji hits it and scores the pin at 15:00. Sydal looked good in losing there, and Marufuji brought the goods as usual.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #10: KENTA vs. Delirious

BG says: Delirious freaks out at the bell and the match takes a minute to get started. KENTA puts on a leglock but Delirious counters to a front facelock. They continue to trade holds until Delirious goes for a shoulder tackle. KENTA puts on a headlock and hits a Yakuza kick. Delirious, who had previously asked that KENTA not kick, hides under the ring. KENTA goes out to look for him and then dodges a baseball slide to kick Delirious around ringside. Back inside Delirious catches KENTA’s leg and bites it. He kicks KENTA’s back and bites his leg again. KENTA bites Delirious’s head but Delirious comes back with a back suplex. He hits a bodyslam and a senton for 2. He rams KENTA’s head into three turnbuckles but KENTA regains control by hanging him on the top rope and coming out of the corner with a kneedrop. He puts on a headlock and hits a pair of kneedrops. He hits the afterthought kick and a vertical suplex for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Delirious rolls to the ropes. KENTA hits two Yakuza kicks in the corner but Delirious comes back with the Neverending Story clotheslines. He hits a leaping clothesline and a German suplex for 2. He goes for the Cobra Stretch but KENTA blocks it. KENTA goes to the floor so Delirious somersaults onto him from the top rope. Back in the ring Delirious gets 2. KENTA hits a leg lariat and a dropkick. He hits the springboard dropkick for 2. He hits a leaping knee in the corner and a basement dropkick for 2. He goes for another dropkick but Delirious blocks with a headbutt to the chest. He hits the Bizarro Driver for 2. He drop toeholds KENTA into the corner and hits the Panic Attack. He climbs the ropes but KENTA catches him with the Ace Crusher on the way down. He hits a fisherman buster for 2. Delirious comes back with a clothesline and climbs again. He hits the Shadows Over Hell for 2. He puts on the Cobra Stretch but KENTA gets to the ropes and hits a tiger suplex for 2. He hits a running knee for 2. Delirious gets a backslide for 2. He gets a roll up for 2. He goes back to the Cobra Stretch and gets a crucifix pin for 2. He hits Chemical Imbalance II for 2. KENTA hits the Busaiku knee kick for 2. He hits a running knee and the Go2Sleep for the win. I can’t really call this disappointing because I didn’t expect these two to gel all that well but KENTA really didn’t look interested in this match at all. The match was structured to feel epic but didn’t come close due to KENTA making a joke of all of Delirious’s heaviest offense and then just running through his usual finishers to win.
Rating: **½

JZ says: Delirious starts off by going after the leg and KENTA starts going after the arm. This one starts very slowly, with the usual mat wrestling. They engage in a battle of shoulder blocks in the first few minutes, and when KENTA threatens a kick, Delirious bails. KENTA follows Delirious to the floor and starts delivering hard kicks. Delirious is able to come back and start working on the neck, no doubt to set up for the Cobra Stretch. KENTA fights back with kicks and goes to a headlock. KENTA appears to be on autopilot tonight. Delirious fights with the Never Ending Story clotheslines and a leaping clothesline. A German suplex gets two and he tries the Cobra Stretch. KENTA rolls to the floor and Delirious hits a huge flip dive off the top rope. KENTA fights back with, what else, kicks. He can’t put Delirious away though. Delirious powers up and hits a Bizarro Driver for two. He continues the offense, hitting the Panic Attack and tries the Shadows over Hell but KENTA counters it with a bit of an Ace Crusher. The crowd barely popped for that. Fisherman buster by KENTA gets two. Delirious actually hits Shadows over Hell but KENTA kicks out. Delirious locks on the Cobra Stretch. KENTA escapes and hits a Tiger Suplex for two. They exchange some near falls and Delirious tries the Cobra Stretch again. KENTA fights out of that and Delirious hits Chemical Imbalance II for a near fall. KENTA hits the Busaiku knee for two. Another knee to the side of the head is followed by the Go 2 Sleep and KENTA gets the anticlimactic pin at 22:27. That was decent but definitely too long and KENTA appeared to be phoning most of it in.
Rating: ***

MATCH #11: ROH World Tag Team Title Match – Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Takeshi Morishima & BJ Whitmer

BG says: Nigel McGuinness was Morishima’s scheduled partner for this match but due to an injury it was decided that he not risk his health before the PPV debut and Whitmer was chosen to replace him. Whitmer and Jay start. They trade holds until Jay hits a hurricanrana. Whitmer hits a head scissors takedown and pie faces Jay. Morishima and Mark tag in and lock up. Mark uses his speed to avoid Morishima’s strikes and Morishima uses his strength to escape Mark’s holds. Mark hits a dropkick but Morishima hits a shoulder tackle. He catches a crossbody but Jay dropkicks them down. Morishima hits a side slam on Jay but Mark hits him with a springboard crossbody for 2. He puts on a chinlock and tags to Jay. The Briscoes double-team Morishima in the corner for 2. Morishima strikes Jay around and tags to Whitmer. Whitmer hits a vertical suplex and a northern lights suplex for 2. Morishima tags in and hits a back elbow. Whitmer and Mark tag in and Mark hits a fistdrop for 2. He hits a gutwrench suplex and a kneedrop for 2. Jay tags in and the Briscoes hit a facebuster/Complete Shot combo for 2. Jay hits a basement dropkick for 2. He hits a bodyslam and tags to Mark. Mark hits a slingshot double stomp for 2. Whitmer hits a spinebuster and tags to Morishima. The double shoulder tackle does nothing to Morishima and he wipes the Briscoes out with clotheslines. He hits the butt lariat on Mark and dumps him to the floor. Whitmer whips Mark into the barricade and rolls him back into the ring. Morishima hits a double stomp and stand on Mark’s stomach. Whitmer tags in and forearms Mark to the floor. Morishima shoves Mark into the barricade and hits the Olé butt splash. Back in the ring Whitmer gets 2. He hits a gutwrench gutbuster and goes to the eyes. Mark hits a double jump moonsault but the challengers keep him from making the tag. Morishima sits on Mark and Whitmer gets 2. Morishima tags in and shoves Mark into the corner with his butt. Whitmer tags in and gets hit with a forearm. Mark hits a superkick and tags to Jay. Jay hits a leg lariat and a dropkick. He hits a powerslam and knocks Morishima off the apron. He hits the military press DVD and Whitmer bails. Morishima comes in and trades strikes with Jay. He hits a butt butt and Whitmer hits a frog splash for 2. Morishima clotheslines Mark to the floor just before Jay hits a big boot on Whitmer. The Briscoes hit a springboard leg lariat Hart Attack on Whitmer for 2. Mark tags in and hits a climbing dropkick. He hits a T-bone suplex for 2. He goes for the cutthroat driver but Whitmer blocks and hits an exploder. Morishima tags in and hits a handspring avalanche. He climbs the ropes and hits a dropkick. He hits a crossbody on both Briscoes and climbs the ropes again. The Briscoes cut him off and hit a double superplex. They hit a double superkick for 2. Jay tags in but his offense doesn’t hurt Morishima. He hits a flapjack and climbs the ropes to hit a crossbody for 2. He hits a blockbuster neckbreaker for 2. He climbs again but Morishima catches him and hits a side suplex. Whitmer tags in and hits a running knee for 2. He hits a brainbuster for 2. Morishima lariats him down by mistake and Mark dropkicks Morishima. Jay hits the Jay Driller and Mark hits the shooting star press on Whitmer for the win. This was alright but Whitmer ended up looking really out of place. Unfortunately when it was all said and done he kind of looked like a jobber.
Rating: ***

JZ says: The Briscoes have been champions since 3.30.07, and this is their third defense. Whitmer is replacing the injured Nigel McGuinness here. Whitmer starts it off with Jay. In an ironic twist, Morishima picked Whitmer as his partner for the same reason that Whitmer picked Jimmy Jacobs back in 2005. Whitmer gives Jay a pie-face and then tags out to the ROH World Champion. Mark eagerly comes in to fight the intimidating champion. Morishima uses his power to control Mark, but the Briscoes double team him and gain an advantage. The challengers regain control and work on Jay’s back. That doesn’t last long, and Jay tags out to Mark. They beat on Whitmer for a while until he hits a spinebuster and tags in Morishima. The Briscoes try to double team but Morishima but he is just having none of it. Outside the ring Morishima continues to dominate. The Briscoes are able to take the advantage back on Whitmer. Death Valley Driver on Whitmer by Jay and Whitmer rolls to the floor. Morishima comes back in the ring and attacks Jay, who brings it right back to him. Things break down a bit with everyone coming in and out of the ring at will. The Briscoes are able to execute a double superplex on Morishima. The challengers regain control and hit some big moves trying to put the Briscoes down and win the Tag Team Titles. Jay is able to hit Morishima with a Superkick off the top rope, sending him to the floor. That leaves Whitmer prone to taking a Jay Driller and a Shooting Star Press and the champs retain at 19:53. That was a bit uneven at times, but never boring, and I pretty much always enjoy watching the Briscoes.
Rating: ***¼

Love to Spare

BG says: Jimmy Jacobs in association with ROH Wrestling presents “Love to Spare.” Jacobs is in his hotel room getting ready to pick Lacey up from the airport. Lacey has agreed to give Jacobs four days to impress her on vacation in Chicago. Date one will see Jacobs and Lacey go bowling, even though Lacey doesn’t really like to bowl. Jacobs only has one good leg but he still carries Lacey’s ball. They do reality show style confessionals which are all pretty funny. Lacey is nervous about this vacation out of the gate. Jacobs tries to help her bowl but ends up making her get a gutter ball. In his confessional Jacobs admits bowling may have been a bad idea considering he’s a terrible bowler with both good legs, let alone one bum leg. At the bowling alley’s bar Jacobs leaves Lacey alone for a second and some skinny kid who probably buys chicken wings for two dollars every Tuesday hits on her. Lacey isn’t into him and when Jacobs comes back he tosses the kid to the floor. The twisted Lacey obviously liked that and admits as much in her confessional. At the end of the night Jacobs walks Lacey to her hotel room and gets nothing more than a wave goodbye. Great stuff to start the four-part series.

JZ says: This is the first part of a four part series that’s going to chronicle Jimmy’s attempts to woo the lovely Lacey. He announces that the first thing he has planned is bowling. Lacey doesn’t like to bowl though. Jacobs remains undaunted in trying to help Lacey with his injured knee. This is done in an “Office” type format, with documentary style interviews splice between the action. Jacobs is pretty damn funny here. Lacey gets left alone at a bar, and some Creepy McCreeperton comes up and tries to hit on her and Jacobs doesn’t take too kindly to that. Lacey gives Jacobs some credit for sticking up for her like that.

MVP

BG says: I’m going to have to give it to Roderick Strong for anchoring an awesome six-man tag match.

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 RESPECT IS EARNED!