Category Archives: Pro Wrestling

Here are live spoilers and impressions from the episode of ROH TV that will air this weekend.  The episode is the fourth TV taping from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore on February.

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WHAT TO WATCH: The four corners survival main event between Roderick Strong, Davey Richards, Michael Elgin and Matt Hardy is the only thing worth checking out on the show.  While it doesn’t quite rise to the level of being spectacular, it’s definitely a quality match with some great Davey Richards offense in the middle.

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Match 1: Eddie Edwards def. Rhett Titus in 10 minutes – This was kind of a mess and everyone knew it.  The two didn’t click and Rhett was so sloppy the crowd started turning on him.  There was one spot where Rhett kick Eddie’s feet out from underneath him while Eddie was pursuing him up the turnbuckles.  Eddie smashed his head into the turnbuckle and the crowd seemed frightened that he was seriously injured.  In the end, Rhett refused to tap to the single leg crab, so Eddie kicked him in the head until there was a ref stoppage.

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Match 2: MsChif def. Mia Yim in 6 minutes – MsChif earned control for the majority of the match through ranas, flips, an STO elbow drop and a release German.  Mia busted out the tarantula and a leveraged armbar over the top rope, but missed a variation of the Spiral Tap.  Mia’s fisherman suplex got a two count, but MsChif returned with a scissored DDT for the pin.

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Match 3: Michael Elgin def. Roderick Strong, Davey Richards and Matt Hardy in a four corners survival match in 17:30 minutes – There were two stories in this match.  First, Michael Elgin was chomping at the bit to get his hands on Roderick Strong, who constantly tried to avoid him.  Second, Matt Hardy had the match won at one point, but the ref was out of position.  Matt spent the remainder of the match complaining loudly to Nigel that the match should be over.  The work itself was above average, as you would expect.

Here are some additional details.  Davey and Roderick started off with a great series of counters.  Roderick locked Davey in some Indian Deathlock variant.  Davey reversed into a single leg crab until Matt Hardy broke it up.

Matt and Roderick worked over Davey until Elgin charged in.  Matt and Roderick did their own version of Poetry in Motion once, but during the second attempt Davey rolled Matt through for a two count.  Davey then proceeded to execute some EXCELLENT two-on-one offense that’s worth checking out.

At this point, the match turned into a melee.  Elgin finally got his hands on Roderick, but Matt intervened.  Davey hit a superplex then fought with Elgin.  All four men executed their signature moves on one another in a frenzy of attacks and break-ups.

As Davey watched Roderick backbody drop Elgin onto the ring apron, Matt hit the Twist of Fate for much more than a three count, but the ref was distracted on the outside.  Matt was infuriated, yelling at Nigel, “You saw it!  I won!  I won!  It’s over!  End the match!”  Eventually Matt got whipped into the corner and fell to the floor.

Back in the ring, Roderick’s sick kick on Elgin missed, and Elgin hit him with a massive bitch slap.  He nailed the bucklebomb followed by the spinning powerbomb.  He got the pinfall moments before Davey could break it up.

These are spoilers and impressions from the episode of ROH TV that will air this weekend.  The episode is the third TV taping from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore on February.

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WHAT TO WATCH: The main event for the tag team titles is worth checking out, especially since the losing team had to disband.  The rest of the show contained squash matches and an interview between Nigel and Matt Hardy regarding the Television Title.

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Match 1: Steve Corino and Rhino def. The Flatliners (Asylum & Matt Burns) in 4.5 minutes.  This was your basic squash.  The Flatliners have tagged for years and their coordination showed.  Corino had some really good crowd work.  In the end it was GORE GORE GORE on Asylum.  After the match, Rhino and Corino beat up one of the ROH Dojo guys assisting at ringside.

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Nigel McGuinness comes to the ring.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Nigel McGuinness accused Matt Hardy of having no honor due to his attacks on Adam Cole and subsequent theft of the ROH Television Title Belt.  He announced that Hardy will get his one-on-one match with Adam Cole in two week’s time on ROH TV.  However, that match will only be for the Television Title if Hardy proves he can fight with honor.  He’ll get that chance next week in a four corners survival match with Michael Elgin, Roderick Strong and Davey Richards.

NIGEL: Matt Hardy, I know you can hear me.  You’ve been parading around all day today with the Television Title around your waist.  You obviously want everybody to see it, so why don’t you come out here and show the world?

Mat Hardy came to the ring with the Television Title on his shoulder.

CROWD: Feed Matt more!  Feed Matt more!

NIGEL: You’re a grown man and you’re acting like a spoiled child.  The worst thing is – you stole that belt, pure and simple.  You think I’m going to let that go?  You have another thing coming.  I brought you out here now to tell you, give me that belt back or I’m going to have somebody take it from you.

MATT:  Let me tell you what should be painfully obvious.  I beat Adam Cole 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring, so I should be Television Champion right now.  Furthermore, I defeated BJ Whitmer.  Then I was attacked by Adam Cole not once, not twice, but multiple times.  I only used the title belt to defend myself.  You know that.  I took the title with me to stop the little bitch from hitting me again.

MATT:  I see you wanting to punish me.  Why don’t you punish Adam Cole?  Oh, I know why.  Because he’s one of your friends.  I’m not one of your favorites, because you’re jealous of me.  I can see the jealousy in your eyes.

NIGEL:  Matt, why wouldn’t I be jealous of you?  You’ve had a fantastic career.  You had the type of career I dreamed of as a child.  But maybe you’re jealous of me because I’m only one of ten Ring of Honor champions in company history.  I was one of the most critically acclaimed professional wrestlers in this sport.

NIGEL: Listen, this isn’t about you. This isn’t about me.  This is about this belt and the fact that you now have a problem with me.  To better resolve that, in two week’s time on Ring of Honor TV you will have a one-on-one match with Adam Cole.

MATT: Outstanding!  That’s all I was looking for.  And you know what, Nigel?  I’m even going to hand this title back to you, because in two weeks the wrestling icon Matt Hardy will officially be the Television Champion of Ring of Honor.

NIGEL: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  I set you’d get a one-on-one match.  I didn’t say you’d get a Television title shot…just yet.  If you’re going to win this title it’s going to be with honor, because that’s what this company is about – Ring of Honor.

NIGEL: Next week on Ring of Honor TV, you’re going to have that opportunity in a four corners survival match with you, Matt Hardy, against Michael Elgin, Roderick Strong and Davey Richards.  If you prove to me that you can fight with honor, then the following week against Adam Cole, this belt will be on the line.

Matt: Ok, Nigel.  I’ll prove to you that I can fight with honor.  I just hope that when I win next week, you keep your word.  I’ll prove that I’m a man of my word.  I hope you’ll do the same.

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Match 2: Grizzly Redwood vs. Vinny Marseglia is a no contest.  Mike Mondo was on commentary.  Kevin Steen came to the ring and interrupted before things got started.

STEEN: [to Marseglia] Get out.

Marseglia balked.

STEEN: You have guts.  I respect that.

Steen offered to shake Marseglia’s hand.  Then he kicked him in the gut and nailed the pocket piledriver.  Grizzly Redwood looked on, stunned.

STEEN:  You know something, Redwood?  Sometimes opportunities come out of nowhere.  You have to be smart enough to recognize it and take it.  Now I have my reasons for doing what I’m doing right now.  I’m giving you a match right now.  What do you say?

Redwood accepted.

Match 2 (the real one): Kevin Steen def. Grizzly Redwood in 4 minutes.  This was basically another squash.  Redwood tried to get his offense it, but he was just too small.  Steen hit some huge sentons and a fade away slam into the ring barricade.  The crowd winced as Steen nailed a nasty powerbomb onto the ring apron.  He finished things off with the F-Cinq.  Steen helped Redwood back to his feet after the match.

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Match 3: The Briscoes def. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team in a match for the ROH World Tag Team Championships.  Per the stipulation of the match, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team must now disband.  This was a solid, hard hitting match.  The crowd launched into “man up” and “fuck you Charlie” chants.  They reallllllly hate Charlie Haas.

These teams fought with the animus you’d expect.  Mark Briscoe tried unsuccessfully to bring a chair in the ring.  Shelton dropped one of the Briscoes back first onto the barricade.  Charlie took Cheeseburger and threw him into the barricade, drawing out three officials to carry him to the back.

The Briscoes hit the Doomsday Device on Charlie, but Shelton pulled the ref out of the ring.  Shelton and Mark traded shots in the ring until Shelton did his leaping top rope overhead suplex for a two count.

Then, in what was definitely the coolest spot of the match, Shelton did the famous HBK spot in reverse.  As Mark sprung off the top rope at him, Shelton nailed the superkick drawing a big reaction from the crowd.  A double powerbomb on Mark was fruitless as Jay pulled the ref out of the ring.  Shelton fought out of a Doomsday Device attempt and hit a big Paydirt on on Jay.

Charlie returned to the ring and hit the Olympic Slam on Shelton!  As the turncoat walked to the back, Mark hit the froggy elbow for the 1-2-3.  Charlie ripped a WGTT T-shirt up, flipped the crowd the bird and literally said “fuck you” to everybody.

CROWD: Thank you, Shelton!  Thank you, Shelton!  Hey, hey, hey goodbye!

The crowd offered Shelton a solid round of applause for what will likely be his final Ring of Honor match.

These are live spoilers and impressions from the episode of ROH TV that will air this weekend. The episode is the third TV taping from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore on February.

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WHAT TO WATCH: The main event tag team match between the American Wolves & Michael Elgin vs. Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong is excellent. Watch it. The interviews are nothing special so reading the recaps is sufficient. The Top Prospect finals is solid, not spectacular. Watch the end, though, for a storyline development.

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Kevin Steen comes to the ring for an interview.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Kevin Steen explains that he didn’t hate ROH. He hated what Jim Cornette had done to it. Now that Jay Lethal has run Cornette out of the company, he’s proud of ROH again. Steen is willingly putting his title at stake but is confident that Lethal cannot defeat him.

KEVIN STEEN: Ring of Honor has been through a lot of changes, and not necessarily for the better, at least not a first. Because in 2010 this company wasn’t about pro wrestling anymore. This company became about one man – Jim Cornette. I wasn’t smiling last year, I wasn’t proud of [my ROH Championship] victory. I wasn’t happy that I was ROH Champion. The only reason I wanted this was because I thought it would help me kill this company. And I didn’t want to kill this company because I hated it. I love ROH. I always have. And that’s exactly why I wanted to kill it. I wanted to put it out of its misery because of what Jim Cornette was doing to it.

KEVIN STEEN: ROH was never meant to be a playground for a 50 year old jackass trying to relive his glory days. Ring of Honor was about young, talented wrestlers busting their asses to prove they belong in this industry. And the truth is, since Jim Cornette’s gone, this company is exactly about what it should be – and that’s pro wrestling. And you can call me a lot of things. You can say I’m sick. You can say I’m an asshole. But you can’t say I don’t love pro wrestling, because I’ve dedicated my life to it. I’ve bled for it. I’ve cried for it. And I’m not sorry I’m consumed. Since Jim Cornette’s departure, I’ve cared about this company and I’m proud to be Ring of Honor World Champion.

KEVIN STEEN: So Jay Lethal, that’s why I’m giving you the title shot even though I don’t have to. Because you deserve it. But hey, as talented as you are, you don’t deserve it because you’re a great wrestler or because you’ve beaten a lot of great wrestlers, because truthfully, you’re the one who got rid of Jim Cornette! But Jay, let me make this clear. Since winning this, I’ve beaten Eddie Edwards. I’ve beaten Davey Richards. I’ve beaten Roderick Strong. I’ve beaten Rhino. I’ve beaten Michael Elgin. I’ve beaten El Generico just to name a few. I’ve put myself through hell. And now, more than ever, I will do everything and anything to keep this title. [speaking directly into the camera] And Jay Lethal, what makes you think you can beat me? The truth is…you can’t beat me.

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Match 1: Matt Taven def. Tadarius Thomas in the finals of the ROH Top Prospect Tournament in 9 minutes and will receive a TV Title match at Chicago Ridge. Truth Martini wandered around ringside during this match. This was a back and forth contest where Taven employed his usual collection of high spots and Thomas executed his capoeira. Things were a little sloppy at points (you can see why these guys aren’t full fledged members of the roster yet), but the match never fell apart.

Early on, Taven focussed on Thomas’s abdominal area. He hit a really nice springboard twisting leg drop and deftly countered Thomas’s offense. Truth grabbed at Taven’s leg allowing Thomas to hit a back heel kick and clothesline. Is Thomas in cahoots with Martini?

Thomas hit a handstand windmill kick. They traded haymakers but Thomas nailed a tiger suplex for a two count. The ref got knocked down. Truth Martini removed his boot and threw it to Thomas. Thomas picked up the boot and threw it right back and Truth.

TRUTH: [throwing the boot back in the ring] What are you doing!? Hit him with it!

Taven led Thomas into the ropes where Truth nailed him in the head with the Book of Truth. Taven covered for the three count!

As Taven celebrated, Truth ran in and kneeled next to him. Truth extended his hand, but Taven stepped away. Truth grabbed Taven by the shoulder and whispered something in his ear for several seconds. Whatever Truth said, Taven liked it because he shook his hand and they celebrated together, much to Truth’s delight. As he was leaving, Taven grabbed a sign at ringside that said “the truth will set you free.”

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Jay Lethal is in the ring for an interview.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Lethal thinks it’s great that Kevin Steen has turned a new leaf, but he also thinks Steen is full of shit. Jay promises he won’t fall prey to his mind games.

JAY LETHAL: I want to talk to the world champ. Kevin Steen, you were out here earlier and it’s great that you had a change of heart. I think it’s great that you now love Ring of Honor and you want to be an honorable champion. All of these things are great. But Kevin, I also think that you’re full of shit.

CROWD: Oooooooooo!!!

JAY LETHAL: You see,

These are live spoilers and impressions from the episode of Ring of Honor TV that will air this weekend. The episode is the first TV taping from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore on February.

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WHAT TO WATCH: Matt Taven vs. Silas Young is the highlight of the show. Thomas versus Marshall had a lot of energy. The main event of Lethal vs. Jacobs had some good spots, but it didn’t stand out as anything you need to see.

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Dark Match: Brutal Bob def. Vinny Marseglia in 5 minutes – This came off as a squash match for Brutal Bob, who looked stiff and tough as hell. Vinny got in a couple of decent moves like a twisting senton off the second rope, but Bob dominated. As Vinny came off the top rope Bob delivered a wicked shoulder block. He hit some vicious chops and a deadlift slam. When Vinny went for a Stinger Splash, Bob just caught him and threw him down. Bob rolled him up and, not that he needed to, grabbed Vinny’s tights for the win.

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Match 1: Tadarius Thomas def. QT Marshall in the semifinals of the ROH Top Prospect Tournament in 6.5 minutes – Truth Martini was on commentary. Before the match, QT was pelted with toilet paper. He laughed it off. Marshall is doing a better job getting heel heat as the crowed was all over him. As they chanted, “QT sucks,” one guy in the front row yelled, “I think you’re doing a great job,” which got a laugh from the crowd.

Both men looked inspired during this match. Thomas’s capoeira style served him well. He used it to generate some clever counters. QT drove Thomas back first into the ring post, but Thomas recovered. He delivered three kicks to Marshall who responded with his own kick to the chest. Ultimately, Thomas locked in what looked like a version of the Florida Key where he looped QT’s arms in his without the wristlock and nailed the German suplex for the pin.

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Match 2: Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander and Nick Westgate & Brian Fury go to a no contest after 1 minute – Coleman did a big dive off the top rope to the floor. As Cedric looked to do something similar, he turned around to gain momentum by bouncing off the rope and ran right into a gore from Rhino. Steve Corino, who came out encouraging Rhino, entered the ring, elbowed Coleman in the head and grabbed the mic.

CORINO: Since the day that we formed S.C.U.M. the mission has never and will never change. I’m warning all of you. On March 2, from Chicago Ridge on PPV, evil is coming. Ring of Honor dies.

Corino backed up the ramp with Rhino following intensely behind. The refs ran out to tend to Coleman.

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Match 3: Matt Taven def. Silas Young in the semifinals of the ROH Top Prospect Tournament in 5.5 minutes – Silas was sporting a mustache that made him look like a villain from Walker: Texas Ranger. As the crowd threw stuff at him, Silas caught it and threw it right back. Taven was over and well supported by the fans in attendance.

Overall, this was a fun match worth watching. The tenor was a lot of back and forth based on counters and taunts. Things were a little sloppy at points, but it was still good stuff. Some highlights were when Taven sprung over the top from the apron only to be caught and slammed by Silas. Taven performed a beautiful (and scary looking) moonsault from the second rope onto Silas on the outside. Taven missed a top rope frog splash, Silas hit a spinning neckbreaker and went for the big lariat. Taven ducked and rolled him up for the pin. Cool finish.

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Ring announcer Bobby Cruise made the announcement that ROH has a tradition of throwing streamers and toilet paper, but please refrain from throwing cupcakes. Bizarre.

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Match 4: Jay Lethal def. Jimmy Jacobs in 8 minutes – The crowd was very pro-Lethal. The match started as a slugfest on the outside, where Jimmy set Jay up on a chair, tried a Tope, missed and crashed into the chair. Back in the ring, Jimmy speared Jay coming off the top, but Jay responded with a Lethal Combination. Jay took too long and Jimmy hit him with a superkick, went for what looked like a Lethal Injection, but turned it into a Codebreaker followed by Sliced Bread, but Jay was in the ropes. Two count.

Jimmy’s top rope hurricanrana was blocked. Jay responded with a running Death Valley Driver and Hail to the King for the three count.

Immediately, Corino and Rhino charged the ring. Cedric Alexander ran out to make the save but Rhino KILLED him with a Gore. Rhino set up Lethal for the same, but Kevin Steen ran out and stood between them. He told Jimmy to back off. Steen looked at Jay and extended his hand to help him up. Jay just backed off. After, Corino and Steen seemed to be having a verbal disagreement in the ring.

Here are live spoilers and impressions from the episode of ROH TV that will air this weekend. The episode is the third TV taping from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore on January 5.

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WHAT TO WATCH: If you’re short on time, the main event tag team gauntlet match is worth it, especially if you like the American Wolves.

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Match 1: Tadarius Thomas def. Antonio Thomas in the 1st round of the ROH Top Prospect Tournament in 5 minutes – Strangely, Antonio came off as the bigger star in this match. He was one step ahead of Tadarius the whole way until one countered move cost him. Tadarius hit a top rope swinging neckbreaker and got the pin. During the match, Truth Martini wandered to the ring to observe.

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Match 2: Roderick Strong def. Grizzly Redwood in 6 minutes – Mike Mondo was on commentary. Before the match Roderick grabbed the mic.

RODERICK: Grizzly, I know you know this – you facing me tonight is a big deal. But I also know that you know me facing you is a small deal. [anger from crowd and Grizzly growing] Hey, hey, don’t take it like that! But Grizzly, not just in wrestling, but in life you have to understand that you’re just always going to come up short.

Grizzly attacked Roderick furiously, but Roderick rushed him, kneed him and just brushed it off. Grizzly worked his usual, technically-above-average match with some great moves and excellent counters. Roderick was clever, though, and worked his way out of everything.

Roderick’s hit a muay thai knee, running forearm in the corner and Death by Roderick in succession for, surprisingly, only a two count. Grizzly’s quick roll-up came up short. Roderick countered with a wicked jumping knee, standing vertical into a backbreaker followed by the Strong Hold. Grizzly tapped out.

Michael Elgin came to the ring to run off Roderick. Strong just backed up the ramp flexing.

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Match 3: Michael Elgin def. Mike Bennett (with Maria and Brutal Bob) in 6 minutes – Michael Elgin played the babyface. He called for support from the crowd and the crowd chanted his name. While there were definitely some powerful back and forth moves, Elgin ran the match the way he wanted to with his usual collection of power spots.

Bennett went for the cradle piledriver while yelling “Jerry Lynn”, but ended up throwing Elgin to the floor. He followed with a running shoulder block from the apron. Elgin recovered and tried his dead lift suplex from the second turnbuckle into the ring. Maria grabbed Bennett’s leg to stop the move, so Elgin set her up for it. Bob grabbed Maria’s leg, allowing Bennett to recover. He hit a Rock Bottom from the second rope for a two count.

Elgin fought back, hitting the bucklebomb and spinning powerbomb (though he really had to fight to get him up) for the pin.

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Match 4: Tag Team gauntlet match for the #1 contendership to the Tag Team Championship. The American Wolves got a HUGE positive reaction and were mega-over for the entire match. Fans were sporadically chanting for both Davey and Eddie.

The American Wolves def. The Bravado Brothers in 7 minutes – Charlie Haas came out to observe. Davey got Lance in his version of the Trailer Hitch and Eddie cheated by wrenching back on Davey for added pressure. The match devolved into a tornado tag. The Wolves chained super/spin/stereo kicks into ankle lock/single leg crab submissions. The Bravados got two counts by reversing into pin attempts. Everything broke down and the action was fast, furious and awesome. Davey grapevined the ankle lock on Harlem who had to tap out.

The American Wolves def. Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs in 2.5 minutes – The match settled down. Corino used cheap tactics like punching the Wolves as they bounced off the ropes and hitting a low blow. Corino went for the Texas lariat, but Eddie (incredibly) ducked and rolled him back for a crucifix-style pin. Furious, Corino hit the Wolves with a roll of quarters.

Kyle O’Reilly and BobbyFish def. The American Wolves in 6 minutes – With the Wolves totally laid out, Fish and O’Reilly sauntered to the ring with shit-eating grins on their faces. Back to a conventional tag match, Eddie fought back with great Eddie offense. Davey recovered and delivered about 18 kicks to the chest. He pinballed Fish and O’Reilly and absolutely killed Kyle with a release German and big clothesline.

With Fish out on the floor, the Wolves hit two top rope double-stomps on Kyle for a two count. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome!” Fish and O’Reilly isolated Eddie and took him out with Total Elimination. They followed with their kick-to-the-chest brainbuster finish and got the win to become the #1 contenders for the ROH Tag Team Championship. This totally deflated the crowd. Fish and O’Reilly celebrate their win and intimate that they will soon hold the belts.

Here are live spoilers and impressions from the episode of ROH TV that will air this weekend.  The episode is the second TV taping from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore on January 5.

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INTERVIEW SEGMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Jay Lethal challenges Kevin Steen for the Ring of Honor World Championship and Steen accepts, to the shagrin of S.C.U.M.  Dissention seems to be bubbling.  The transcript of the face-off is below.

The show begins with Nigel McGuinness in the ring flanked by security.  He calls out Jay Lethal, then Kevin Steen.  Steen comes to the ring with Jacobs, Corino and Rhino.

NIGEL: [to Lethal]  You wanted your opportunity to talk.  This is your opportunity.

LETHAL: Kevin Steen, first of all, I’m actually surprised you had the balls to come out here.  And wherever Kevin Steen goes, the scumbags are sure to follow.  I don’t know why you brought them out there – this isn’t about them or these security guards or even Nigel McGuinness.  This is about me and you, Kevin.  I wanted you out here so I could ask you like a man to accept my challenge for that Ring of Honor World Title.

CORINO: Jay Lethal, how dare you!?  This is the World Champion.  I would have thought your mother had taught you a lot more respect than that.  You think Steen will face you again?  You don’t understand.  Your mother got spit on because your father, that ingrate, threw water on Kevin Steen.  Instead, he should have thrown in the towel.

Jay pushes the microphone out of the way and jawjacks with Corino.

CORINO: You mad at me, Jay?  Let me give you another fact.  You…

LETHAL: Kevin, you’re not a real champion.  You’re a vile human being who spits in the face of 58 year old women.  You’re a disgusting human being who only cares about himself.  Kevin, you say you’re here to destroy Ring of Honor, to kill it, because years ago Ring of Honor did you wrong.  And how are you going to kill it?  You said you’d do it by beating every single wrestler back there who believes that honor lives.  Well the biggest believer is standing in your face, challenging you for your World Title and you’re telling the world that you’re too scared.

LETHAL: Kevin, not only are you too scared, but you fail to realize that we actually need each other.  I need you to fulfill my dream of becoming the Ring of Honor World Champion.  And whether you realize it or not, you need to defeat me to stick it to Ring of Honor.  And what better way to do it than to beat one of its most honorable men, me!

LETHAL:  The sad part, Kevin, is that I know I can beat you for that title.  And you know why?  Because I’m fueled by much more than winning that belt.  I’m fueled by my family, my hatred of you, and my confidence that tells me that I deserve to be ROH Champion.  I’m looking at you, Kevin, and I see it clear as day.  You know it deep inside.  Until you beat me, you ain’t shit.

LETHAL:  Kevin Steen, I challenge you for that Ring of Honor World Title that you have on your shoulder!

(After a lengthy pause Kevin Steen walks out of the ring, turns his head back and says…)

STEEN: I accept.

CROWD:  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!

The rest of S.C.U.M. argues with Nigel that it shouldn’t happen.  Nigel and Jay shake hands.  Jay is clearly very happy.

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Match 1: Silas Young def. Adam Page in the 1st round of the ROH Top Prospect Tournament in 6 minutes – Silas (who look like a legitimately tough guy) played the heel in this one.  Page dominated early with high impact strikes, a big back body drop to the floor, an impressive shooting star press off the apron and a big top rope crossbody.  Silas recovered with heavy strikes of his own, chaining a Bubba Bomb into a full nelson for the submission.

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INTERVIEW SEGMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Charlie Haas complained that 1) ROH says he can’t swear anymore and 2) it’s a “crock of crap” that WGTT can’t participate in the tag team gauntlet match coming up because Shelton’s wasn’t there.  The crowd pelted Charlie with an insane amount of toilet paper, which a ringside attendant, who is training as a wrestler, tried to clean up.  Charlie was offended and gave him a “match” in which he basically destroyed him.  There was an insane amount of heat here – it’s probably my favorite Haas segment of all time.  The full transcript is below.

An unhappy Charlie Haas came to the ring wearing a “100% Grade A Haashole T-shirt”.

HAAS: (looking disgusted by the fans) Now I see why Ray Lewis going to quit football.  Or maybe just like all of you, he’s just a big pussy.

[The crowd was throwing a ridiculous amount of toilet paper and other crap at him.  A roll hit him right in the mouth.]

HAAS: Keep throwing stuff.  I’ll come down there and slap you right in the face.  I’m pissed off about a couple of things.  First of all, ROH corporate, you send letters to my house saying you’re going to censor me and that I can’t curse?  I can’t flip the bird?  Well last I checked, I live in the United States of America, and I have the freedom to speak so suck on that bitches [He gave the crowd the middle finger].

HAAS: Second – BJ Whitmer.  Nobody knew who you were until I Haasplexed you 12 feet through the air onto your head through a table and I pinned you.  Now you get a TV Championship match?  Well that’s a bunch of crap.

HAAS:  That’s on you Nigel McGuinness, you whining bastard.  You sit up here all high and mighty.  You think that because you have a pen that you’re the man.  You want to book a tag team gauntlet match because Shelton’s not here.

[People were still throwing lots of toilet paper at him.]

HAAS:  Now WGTT can’t get in it?  Well that whole thing is a crock of crap.  [A small, thin attendant at ringside is trying furiously to clear the toilet paper out of the ring.]  What in God’s green earth are you doing?  This is my time.  What’s your name?

ATTENDANT:  My name is McGill.

HAAS: Your name should be hungry because you’re thin.  [Crowd laughed.]  It looks like you need a cheeseburger.  Your name now is Cheeseburger!  You want to interrupt my time?  What are your credentials to be out here when I’m in the ring.  Are you a wrestler?  Who are you?

CHEESEBURGER:  I’m a wrestler.

HAAS:  You’re a wrestler!  [Fans were STILL throwing toilet paper at Charlie.]

CROWD:  Cheeseburger!  Cheeseburger!

HAAS:  You’re a wrestler hun?  Are you enrolled in the ROH Dojo?

CHEESEBURGER:  Yep.

HAAS:  So you’re a wrestler.  So you’re cleared to wrestle.  Well tonight I’m going to give you a chance.  [Charlie got hit in the face with what looked like a soaking wet roll of toilet paper.]  Tonight Charlie Haas, the Outlaw, vs. Cheeseburger, right now, one on one.

CROWD:  Cheeseburger!  Cheeseburger!

The crowd was super hot for this.  There was no referee, but Charlie hit a belly-to-belly suplex anyway.  Cheeseburger reached for the ropes, but Charlie applied an absolutely brutal looking Haas of Pain while flipping everyone the bird.  Someone rang the bell.

HAAS:  [with his foot on Cheeseburger’s head]  Who’s the fucking man!?

Charlie tried to kick the refs away when they came in for the save.  Honestly, it’s hard to believe there were that many rolls of toilet paper in the building.  This segment was a ton of fun.

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Match 2: Matt Hardy def. Rhett Titus in 8 minutes – Rhett Titus had wrapped ribs.  The crowd gave Matt a very positive reaction.

This was a solid, if unspectacular, match.  It was mostly a back and forth with a couple notable spots.  Titus countered Matt’s second turnbuckle leg drop with a dropkick to the face.  Matt’s Side Effect got a two count.  Titus countered a Twist of Fate into a backslide for a two count.  After Matt slammed Titus all the way to the floor, he finished him off with the Twist of Fate.

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Match 3: In a match for the Television Championship, Adam Cole retained against BJ Whitmer in 9.5 minutes – Matt Hardy was on commentary.

Throughout the match, both men were quick but BJ was more powerful while Cole was more sudden.  BJ went for a Topé.  When Cole countered with a wicked kick to the back of Whitmer’s head, the crowd came to life.  Cole looked around taking it in – cool moment.  Great presence by Adam.

The match turned after BJ hit a superplex.  He came down hard on the back of his head and looked to be legitimately injured.  The matched paused for a bit, but when BJ said he could continue, Adam went into a ballistic finish.  He hit a huge overhead suplex followed by a shoulderbreaker and the Florida Key.

BJ was brought an ice pack immediately after the match as he continued to react to the injury.  Hardy and Cole had a staredown to end the episode.

These are live spoilers and impressions from the episode of ROH TV that will (likely) air this weekend. I have highlighted in black the portions of the show which will likely not air on television. The episode is the first TV taping from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore on January 5.

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As far as I can recall, the Code of Honor was abided by in every match.

Match 1 – Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly def. Alabama Attitude (Corey Hollis & Mike Posey) in 5.5 minutes – This match was used to establish Fish & O’Reilly as a new force in ROH. They were aggressive, efficient, and like at Final Battle, they displayed great coordination. They also showed a willingness to cheat.

Fish and O’Reilly dominated most of the match, despite Posey hitting a nice top rope leg drop. After Hollis got taken out by a suplex on the floor, Fish and O’Reilly went to town on Posey. O’Reilly held him in a delayed vertical suplex position, Fish kicked him in the gut, and O’Reilly finished him off with the brainbuster. This looks to be their finisher.

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When referee Todd Sinclair come out after this segment, a fan in the bleachers to the right of the hard camera put on a Barney Rubble mask which led to a “Bar-ney Rub-ble” chant.

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Nigel McGuinness comes out to a great ovation and “Nigel” chant.

NIGEL: At Final Battle this year…

CROWD: WHAT!?

NIGEL: …I will admit things got a little out of control.

CROWD: WHAT!?

NIGEL: (pausing to give the crowd a look, then sarcastically) Is this 1999? Same old shit! Same old shit!

Nigel then pauses to restart the segment.

NIGEL: At Final Battle last month I will admit things got a little out of control and a situation occurred between Jay Lethal and myself where I had to kick him out of the building.

CROWD: Boooooo!!!

NIGEL: Look, it’s been a month now and I want to address the situation in a public forum so that I can make my position perfectly clear. Jay Lethal, I want you to be out here face-to-face so you can hear it straight from my mouth.

Jay Lethal comes to the ring to a positive reaction overall.

NIGEL: Jay, when I became Ring of Honor matchmaker here, I knew someone was going to step up to challenge me. And I have to be honest, I didn’t think it was going to be you. Maybe Kevin Steen, maybe Charlie Haas, but you spit in my face. I had no choice but to kick you out of that building. I hope you can understand that. I had some time to think about it – I can fine you, or suspend you…look Jay, we’ve been friends a long time and go back a long way. I’m not going to do that because I understand what it’s like to get emotionally invested. Sometimes things get out of control, so Jay, I’m not going to fine or suspend you. I’m going to give you a warning.

CROWD: OOOOOOooooooooooooo…..

NIGEL: Watch my lips. This will be the last warning that you get. If you step out of line again, you will regret it.

JAY: Nigel, these last two weeks have been the most frustrating two weeks of my entire life. At Final Battle it all came to a boiling point for me. I haven’t played the role of Mr. Nice Guy, I know you can’t stand for it and I respect your position. But Nigel, respecting your position doesn’t help my situation with Kevin Steen. What will help my position with Kevin Steen however, is if you just tell me in plain English what I need to do get my ROH World Title shot against Kevin Steen.

NIGEL: It’s real simple, Jay…

JAY: Whoa whoa, Nigel, please, before you give me that whole spiel you gave at Final Battle about, “I can’t get a World Title shot unless Kevin Steen loses the belt,” I am telling you Nigel, I can’t wait until Kevin Steen loses the title. I want my Ring of Honor Title shot as soon as possible. So come up with a new answer. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO!!!???

NIGEL: No spin. I’ll make it simple. My hands are tied. Kevin Steen had it written in stone that you won’t get a title shot while he is champion. There’s nothing I can do about it. There’s nothing you can do about it. The only person who can do anything about it is Kevin Steen. So Jay, until you can change his mind, I don’t want to hear about that match ever again.

CROWD: OOoooooo….

JAY: Nigel, I understand what I have to do.

NIGEL: Just remember, Jay, I’ve given you one warning. You won’t get a second.

JAY: That’s funny, Nigel, because I was going to say the same thing to you.

CROWD: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

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Match 2: QT Marshall (with RD Evans) def. Mike Sydal in the 1st round of the ROH Top Prospect Tournament in 6.5 minutes – Truth Martini was on commentary. Marshall is developing well as a heel and drew lots of heat. He was swamped with toilet paper streamers upon entering the ring. The crowd chanted “Marshall sucks,” which was doubly insulting because they pronounced his name incorrectly, saying [mahr-shuhl] (like federal marshall) instead of [mahr-shal] (like I shall have a donut).

In the ring, Marshall and Sydal played to their individual styles, trading power moves (Samoan drop, suplexes, whips) and speed moves (kicks, dropkicks) respectively, with no man earning a clear advantage. The tide turned with RD hit Sydal from behind and attacked him on the floor. Despite Sydal rallying to hit a top rope moonsault onto both RD Evans and Marshall on the floor (which drew an ROH chant), Marshall recovered and hit an inverted powerslam (i.e. chest first instead of back first) for the win.

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Match 3: The Briscoes retain the ROH Tag Team Championships against Cedric Alexander and Caprice Coleman in 11 minutes – This was a good match, one worth watching. The Briscoes got an ABSURD amount of streamers, but to my ears, the crowd was 55/45 in favor of C&C.

This match went through a few phases. After Mark and Cedric exchanged quick moves and counters into a standoff, C&C, who looked crisper and more cohesive to start, took over with simultaneous Topé con hilos.

The matched settled down as the Briscoes worked over Cedric. Coleman’s hot tag was punctuated by hitting suplexes on both Briscoes simultaneously. After C&C escaped the Briscoes’ Doomsday Device, Coleman hit the top rope hurricanrana and Cedric followed with the top rope splash. They pinned the Briscoes simultaneously, but both kicked out in a very close near fall.

CROWD: This is awesome! This is awesome!

Then it was the Briscoes’ turn. After Coleman was taken out with a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination, Jay hit the falcon arrow and Mark hit the top rope froggy elbow on Cedric. The crowd thought it was over, but Cedric kicked out at 2.9. The Briscoes responded by hitting the Doomsday Device and got the pin.

CROWD: That was awesome! That was awesome!

Post match, Corino and Jacobs run in and attack everybody. Then, Rhino runs out wearing a S.C.U.M T-shirt. He gores Cedric to a huge reaction as the show goes off the air.