ROH "Manhattan Mayhem" show report
March 20, 2011
New York City
By Eric Druckman, PWTorch reader

This was my first Ring of Honor show and it far exceeded my expectations. Solid show from top to bottom.

(1) Kyle O'Reilly & Adam Cole defeated Michael Elgin & Mike Mondo. Truth Martini cut a pre-match promo putting over Elgin and Roderick Strong. Chants of 'Spirit Squad' and 'Mikey!' erupted in the ballroom. Truth implied that this was Mondo's last chance to join the House of Truth. Solid match with a combination of high-energy offense from O'Reilly/Cole and devastating power moves from Elgin. Elgin was majorly impressive; he reminds me of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. The finish came when Adam Cole hit Mondo with a superkick followed by a bridging German suplex for the win.

Post-match: Truth Martini gave the 'thumbs down' to Mondo, propelling Elgin to hit Mondo with a spinning Dr. Bomb.

(2) Tomassso Ciampa defeated Grizzly Redwood. It wasn't your typical squash match, with Grizzly being able to showcase some solid offense. The finish came when Tomasso hit a powerbomb into a reverse lung blower for the win. Post-match, the Embassy stomped out Grizzly Redwood until Steve Corino charged the ring to make the save.

While Corino was helping Grizzly to his feet, 'The Prodigy' Mike Bennett, along with Brutal Bob, hit the ring sporting a Boston Red Sox jersey, much to the dismay of the raucous NYC crowd. Bennett cut a promo telling Corino that he's an old man and past his prime and he can beat him, blah blah blah. Corino, trying to mend his 'evil ways,' initially resisted Bennett's challenge, but reluctantly accepted.

(3) "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett defeated Steve Corino. The ROH hype machine of Mike Bennett is a bit over the top; he wasn't nearly as impressive as every other competitor at the show. After interference from Brutal Bob, Bennett hit the side effect on Corino not once, not twice, but thrice for the win. Yawn.

(4) All Night Express (Rhett Titus & Kenny King) defeated the Briscoe Brothers. Briscoes were mega-heels in New York, as usual, and the crowd was heavily behind the ANX. Explosive offense from Kenny King and a quick roll-up by Titus led to the huge win. Post-match there was a vicious brawl involving both teams, which was broken up by ROH officials. Rhett Titus looked to have been busted open hard way.

(5) El Generico defeated T.J. Perkins. Fun, solid, fast-paced match by two up-and-comers. Perkins is a highly innovative wrestler who I personally would love to see in Ring of Honor regularly. The finish was El Generico with a "Brainbustaaaaahhh!" off the ring apron.

(6) ROH tag champions Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) defeated LAX (Homicide & TNA wrestler Hernandez). As expected, the fans ripped into Hernandez with "F--- TNA" chants galore. This was by far one of the best matches of the night. Hernandez undoubtedly redeemed himself with his uncanny athleticism, hitting a plancha to the outside. The other big highlight was Cluadio hitting the UFO on Hernandez. This was certainly a sight to see. The finish came with Claudio hitting a running lariat-style European Uppercut on Homicide for the win. Afterward, the fans applauded LAX for their amazing performance.

(7) Davey Richards defeated ROH TV champion Christopher Daniels in a Pure Rules match. This match was not for the TV Title. Lots of innovative submissions came into play after both competitors used up their three rope breaks. Davey botched a Shooting Star Press into the ropes, which concerned many people, but he continued. For the finish, Richards jackknifed Daniels into a roll-up for the win after 20+ minutes. The botched shooting star press was scary, which prompted ROH president Cary Silkin to run to the ring to check on Davey. Davey seemed to be okay.

(8) Eddie Edwards defeated ROH World champion Roderick Strong to become the new ROH champion. This was certainly a test of endurance as both wrestlers showed exactly why they are in the main event. Roderick utilized some new backbreaker innovations in the match and heeled it up by spitting on Eddie a couple times. Lots of strong-style offense from both men with hits that would rival the famed Joe vs. Kobashi match. The finish came when Eddie rolled up Strong unexpectedly to shock the world. The entire arena erupted when Eddie was awarded the title. The locker room came out to congratulate him, including Davey Richards, who embraced him, but subtly hinted at a future World Title match between the American Wolves.



I would rate this show 10/10 - best $15 I ever spent. Jim Cornette announced Ring of Honor will return to NYC on June 26 for what is supposed to be ROH's biggest show ever, emanating from the Hammerstein Ballroom.

[Torch art credit Marco D'Alfonso (c) PWTorch.com]

We suggest these recent related articles...

SHOW RESULTS - 10/9 AAW in Berwyn, Ill.: Gargano challenges for AAW Hvt. Title, more title matches, big women's tag match, more

SHOW RESULTS - 10/3 NWA Smoky Mountain in Kingsport, Tenn.: NWA Hvt. Title match, Rob Conway, Kid Kash, Ricky Morton, more

LIVE REPORT - 10/4 TNA BFG PPV in North Carolina: Live notes on technical glitches, pre-Angle match announcement, Captain America Fan, more