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PPV Reports
RADICAN'S ROH CAGED COLLISION PPV Report (Steel Cage Warfare, Aries & Jacobs vs. Black & Danielson)
Apr 15, 2009 - 4:00:47 PM


By Sean Radican, PWTorch Columnist

RADICAN’S ROH “CAGED COLLISION” PPV REPORT
DEBUTS APRIL 17, 2009
CHICAGO, RIDGE, I'LL.
TAPED FOR PAY-PER-VIEW IN JANUARY


"Caged Collision" debuts on Direct TV, Indemand, and The Dish on April 17.

-Dave Prazak introduced the show in front of a hot crowd. They went backstage to Kyle Durden, who introduced Jimmy Jacobs and Austin Aries as tag partners tonight. Durden told them the winner of tonight's match against Tyler Black & Bryan Danielson would get a title shot of their choosing. Jacobs said he didn't trust Aries. Aries and Jacobs both said they didn't want back to get the title shot tonight. Aries then punched Durden in the face and he fell into the set, which collapsed.

-A video package aired that sounded like music you might hear in a nightclub.

1 - - KENNY KING vs. ALEX PAYNE vs. SILAS YOUNG

Prazak ripped Payne and said he didn't belong on PPV. He's got a point. King immediately sent Payne to the outside and took down Young with a shoulder tackle. Payne grabbed King's foot, which allowed Young to take him out with an atomic drop. Young and Payne worked together against King, who spilled to the floor. Young and Payne then went at it in the ring. King recovered and said he was going to hang out on the outside and let Payne and Young wear each other down. King finally pulled Payne to the outside and tossed him into the barricade. Young went for a dive, but caught himself as King got out of the way. Young went to the apron but King caught him with a sick looking kick.

Payne ran back into the ring and rolled up King from behind for a 2 count. Young recovered and nailed King with a neckbreaker, but Payne broke up the pin. Payne and Young went at it with King down for the moment. The pacing here was difficult to follow, as guys were doing moves all over the place. King hit a sitout powerbomb for a 2 count on Young. Prazak continued to run down Payne, who took out Young and King with a missile dropkick off the top. Payne hit a fisherman's suplex on Young, but King broke up the pin. King caught Payne as he came off the ropes and slammed him to the mat, but Young broke up the pin. King went for the double knees in the corner on Young, but he got out of the way and hit a clothesline for a 2 count. Payne eventually got the pin out of nowhere with a hurricanrana for the win.

WINNER: Alex Payne

STAR RATING: (*1/4) – This was simply a collection of moves and a vehicle for Prazak to get across how much he hates Payne.

-They went to a video package narrated by Claudio Castagnoli and Kevin Steen. Castagnoli said he's what everyone else is trying to be. Steen then said he wasn't going to be a stepping stone for Castagnoli in Chicago.

2 - - KEVIN STEEN vs. CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI

They went right to the ring with no entrance for either man. Castagnoli wouldn't shake hands and seemed bothered by the crowd's heckling. Steen took Castagnoli down to the mat and spun around on his back several times before slapping him on the back of the head and applying a headlock. Steen went for a sharp shooter moments later, but Castagnoli got the ropes. Steen blocked a European uppercut and slapped Castagnoli right in the face. Steen continued to get the upper hand on Castagnoli and eventually clotheslined him to the outside. Moments later Steen went for a cannonball in the corner, but Castagnoli dragged the ref in front of him and used the distraction to get the upper hand on Steen. Castagnoli grabbed a headlock. The crowd tried to rally behind Steen, who got to his feet, but Castagnoli caught him with a series of backbreakers and covered him for a 2 count.

Castagnoli continued his assault with an impressive dead lift gut wrench suplex. Castagnoli then applied the sharp shooter on Steen and the crowd continued to heckle Castagnoli and cheer Steen. Steen struggled, but eventually got the ropes. Castagnoli fired back with a spinning DDT. He followed up with a pump-handle neckbreaker for a 2 count. Steen favored his back as he went up top. Prazak mocked Steen for going for a senton with a bad back. Castagnoli got his knees up and Prazak cackled. Castagnoli hit his modified version of the Angle slam, but Steen kicked out. Steen countered the Ricola bomb and hit a superkick. Steen then locked in the sharp shooter, but Larry Sweeney ran down and got up on the apron. El Generico ran out and chased off Sweeney. With the ref distracted, Castagnoli hit a low blow on Steen and then finished Steen with the Ricola bomb for the pin.

WINNERS: Claudio Castagnoli

STAR RATING: (**3/4) – This was a solid singles match. The crowd was really into the action, but the match never got into high gear like you would expect from these two.

-A video package aired highlighting Necro Butcher's problems with Jimmy Jacobs and Delirious. This was a nice video package.

-Durden was backstage and asked Payne how it felt to win his first match on PPV. McGuinness then ran into the picture and wiped him out with a forearm. McGuinness said that was payback for what Payne did to him on the last PPV. McGuinness then ran down Generico, Danielson, and Lynn. He mispronounced their names and said none of them could beat him. He said Generico was getting a title shot tonight. McGuinness said he was going to kill Generico.

3 - - THE NECRO BUTCHER & JERRY LYNN vs. BRODIE LEE & DELIROUS (w/Jimmy Jacobs)

Lynn and Necro were just getting to ringside during their entrance when they cut to this match. All four men went right to the outside and began brawling at ringside. Lynn ducked a senton from Delirious and tagged in Necro after the action spilled back into the ring. Necro monkey flipped Delirious twice and applied an abdominal stretch. Lee slapped Necro twice, but he wouldn't break the hold on Delirious. Lee eventually tagged into the match and went face to face with Necro. They exchanged blows in the middle of the ring. Necro hit a series of headbutts on Necro in the corner. Moments later, Necro began peppering Lee with fists before tagging in Lynn.

Lynn hit a hurricanrana on Lee, but he popped right back up. Lee chased Lynn around the ringpost, which was pretty funny. Jacobs grabbed Lynn's boot from the outside, which allowed Lee to nail him with a clothesline. Lee started down Necro as he continued to pound on Lynn. Delirious and Lee continued to wear down Lynn while tagging in and out to stay fresh. Lee missed a running boot, but Lynn couldn't tag out because Lee had dragged Necro off the apron to the floor. Lynn finally tagged out and Necro ran wild on Lee. Necro fired up on Lee with a series of punches and chops in the corner. Necro put Lee up on the top rope and hit a hurricanrana. Lynn then tagged in and nailed him with a cross body, but Lee stood up right away and nailed Lynn with a black hole slam.

Necro ran back in and took out Lee and Delirious. The action spilled back outside where Necro nailed Lee with a chairshot to the back. Necro set up Lee on a table on the outside and nailed him with a legdrop off the apron. Delirious went for Shadows Over Hell on Lynn inside the ring, but Lynn moved and nailed him with the cradle piledriver for the pin.

WINNERS: Jerry Lynn & The Necro Butcher

STAR RATING: (***) – This was a good tag match with a hot crowd behind Lynn and Necro, who both took a sustained beating before things picked up. I liked how everything built to a crescendo here with Necro hitting the legdrop on Lee through a table and then Lynn getting the win over Delirious moments later.

-After the match, Jacobs looked despondent and upset as he approached Delirious. Jacobs kicked Delirious and told him he had disappointed him for the last time. Jacobs said he does this because he cares. Jacobs took out a chain and wrapped it around his fist. Prazak said Jacobs is doing this because he needs to get in his head. Daizee Haze ran down, but Jacobs shoved her. Haze took a spike out of her boot and confronted Jacobs. Jacobs told Haze to do it and shoved her to the mat. Haze worked herself up and charged at Jacobs, but ended up accidentally nailing Delirious when Jacobs pulled him in her way. Haze cried as Jacobs smiled while consoling Delirious. Good segment.

-A video package aired highlighting the issues between Black, Aries, and Jacobs.

-Austin Aries was then shown in the ring with a microphone. Aries told the fans he didn't want to hear any of their chants. Aries was sporting a mustache and new ring attire for his new persona. Aries said he and Jacobs tore each other apart for 8 months and the fans loved it. He said he was done giving the fans big moments. Aries said he was writing down his thoughts in A Double manifesto. He said when that saw the light of day, people would finally understand. This was an interesting heel promo to establish his new persona to the PPV audience.

-Jimmy Jacobs made his entrance. Tyler Black and Bryan Danielson came out together to Danielson's music. Nice to finally see some entrances on this show. Danielson got on the mic before the match started and said he knows there's a lot of emotion between Aries, Jacobs, and Black. Danielson said he's not sure if he could trust anyone in the ring. Danielson said nothing is more important to him than the ROH World Title. Aries played to the crowd and looked disgusted while Danielson talked. Danielson said this match should be turned into a Four Way match. The crowd cheered and chanted "Four Way." The match was made into a Four Corner Survival match. ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness came into the booth to watch the match. He said he would beat the winner of this match in due time. This made no sense, but at least we get a match that makes sense from a storyline standpoint out of this convoluted setup.

4 -- JIMMY JACOBS vs. AUSTIN ARIES vs. TYLER BLACK vs. BRYAN DANIELSON - #1 Contender Four Corner Survival match

Jacobs went to tag out to Aries early on and he wouldn't tag in, so Jacobs just slapped him gently across the chest. Aries offered up a handshake to Danielson and the crowd applauded. The fans began chanting for Aries, who bailed to the outside and stalled for time. McGuinness said the fans were fake just like Aries had said earlier in his promo. Aries came back into the ring and backed Danielson into the ropes. Aries offered a clean break and Leonard expressed his surprise. Aries and Danielson did some great back and forth counter laden exchanges on the mat. Danielson eventually got and tried to lock in the surfboard, but settled for just stomping his knees into the mat instead. Aries went to tag out, but Jacobs jumped off the apron. Aries gave Danielson another clean break on the ropes, but then slapped Black across the face and the ref declared him the legal man. Danielson and Black shook hands before going at it in the middle of the ring. Jacobs blind-tagged himself into the match and jumped Black from behind after Black had knocked Aries off the apron.

Black fired up on Jacobs, but he ran over to Aries and tagged him into the match. Black charged right at Aries and pushed him into the ropes, but the ref pushed him away. Aries took Black down with a headscissors, but Black countered with Aries's signature escape dropkick. Aries was mad, but Black ended up just slapping him in the face when he charged at him. Danielson tagged into the match and sent Aries to the floor, but Aries ran back into the ring once Danielson went up top. Danielson dropkicked Aries into the ropes, but Aries skinned the cat. Danielson looked at Aries and smiled before shoving him to the floor. Danielson set up for a dive to the outside, but Jacobs pushed him off the top and into the guardrail.

Aries tagged in Jacobs, who didn't look pleased. Aries stomped on Danielson's mid-section several times before blowing a kiss to Tyler Black. Aries then tagged in and hit a slingshot senton. Danielson fired back and Black blind-tagged himself into the match and ran wild on Aries and Jacobs. Black set up Aries and Jacobs in opposite corners. He nailed them both with running clothesline, but Dragon nailed him with a missile dropkick. Danielson nailed Black with a running knee strike and covered him for a 2 count. Danielson then applied the cattle mutilation, but Black escaped and nailed him with a paroxysm. Black then went up top, but Aries cut him off. Danielson nailed Aries with a flying knee strike and nailed Black with a belly to back superplex. Jacobs had blind-tagged himself into the match and covered Black for a 2 count. This is fantastic so far. Jacobs went for the contra code, but Black tossed him to the floor and went for a dive, but Aries ran up and tripped him at the last second. Aries dropkicked Danielson off the apron and hit the heat seeking missile on Jacobs. Black then hit a dive over the top on Aries and Jacobs while they were arguing on the outside and the crowd roared.

The crowd started an "ROH, ROH" chant with everyone down on the outside. Black whipped Aries and Jacobs into the crowd. Danielson then dropkicked Black through the ropes and he landed in the crowd. Danielson then dove off the top and wiped out all three of his opponents with a dive as the crowd went nuts. A man ran in and shoved Danielson into the camera man. Prazak identified him as Bison Smith and said he wasn't under ROH contract. Smith powerbombed Danielson on the floor and walked back through the crowd. McGuinness said Smith was a monster from Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan. Aries and Black went at it in the middle of the ring. Aries hit a hotshot on Black, but Black kicked him right in the head. Black was going for God's last gift, but Jacobs ran up and caught him in the end time. Black drove Jacobs into the turnbuckles to break the hold. Aries went for a dropkick on Black, but hit Jacobs instead. Black lifted Jacobs and used him to knock over Aries before dumping him to the mat, but Aries broke up the pin.

Aries went for the brainbuster, but Black countered and went for a powerbomb. Aries slipped out and went for a sunset flip. Jacobs then speared him and both men covered Black, but he kicked out. Aries and Jacobs began arguing, but went back to attacking Black. Aries and Jacobs hit the double team kick on Black on the corner that Jacobs and Black used to hit when they were a tag team. Both men then covered Black, but he kicked out. Jacobs and Aries argued. Aries tossed Jacobs to the outside. Black hit a powerbomb on Aries and Jacobs went for a spear on Black, but he got out of the way and Jacobs hit Aries instead. Black then rolled up Jacobs for the pin.

-McGuinness expressed anger that Black had won a shot against him. Aries and Jacobs also looked angry. Several people attended to Danielson, who was still out on ringside.

WINNER: Tyler Black to become the #1 contender.

STAR RATING: (***3/4) – This was a really good match with non-stop action throughout. The issues between Black, Aries, and Jacobs were all on display and it played off as it should have in the end. Bison Smith's debut was a total surprise, so that sets him up for a feud with Danielson. The angle setting this match up made no sense, but these guys pulled off a great Four Corner Survival here. I like that Black has secured a shot at the title as the # 1 contender as well.

-A video packaged aired featuring highlights of the previous encounters of Generico and McGuinness on DVD.

-Durden interviewed Lynn backstage. He asked Lynn about his history with McGuinness. Lynn said it was all mind games between him and McGuinness. He said if Generico didn't get him, than he would.

-McGuinness was shown just getting into the ring. Generico had already made his entrance. Bobby Cruise did the formal introductions.

5 - - NIGEL McGUINNESS vs. EL GENERICO – ROH World Title match

McGuinness jumped Generico as he stared at the title belt and tossed him shoulder first into the ringpost. Generico spilled to the outside and slammed Generico's shoulder into the ringpost. McGuinness set Generico up on the apron and hit the Tower of London on the apron and Prazak cackled in support. The ref administered the 20 count and Steen ran down and tried to urge Generico back into the ring. Generico made it back inside the ring at 18 and the crowd cheered. Prazak said Generico had come close to beating McGuinness for the title on 2 previous occasions, but never got the job done. Generico fired back and dropkicked McGuinness off the apron to the floor. Generico went for a dive, but McGuinness tripped him. McGuinness then dragged Generico to the outside and tossed him shoulder first into the barricade. McGuinness tried to toss Generico into the guardrail again, but Generico countered and McGuinness went flying into the guardrail. Generico went for a running kick, but McGuinness ducked and kicked Generico right into the barricade. Once again, Generico struggled, but got into the ring to beat the 20 count just in time. Nigel immediately applied the London dungeon, but Generico got the ropes.

McGuinness continued to work over Generico's shoulder as the crowd tried to rally behind Generico. Danielson then caught Generico in an arm submission with a bridge, but Generico escaped and nailed McGuinness with several punches. McGuinness quickly fired back and drove Generico shoulder-first into the mat and applied the London dungeon again, but Generico quickly got to the ropes. Generico fired back again and went for a tornado DDT, but McGuinness countered and drove his shoulder into the canvas once again. Generico tried to fire back once again McGuinness nailed him with a knee to the shoulder for a 2 count. Generico went to the second rope and nailed McGuinness with a springboard hurricanrana. McGuinness spilled to the floor and Generico slipped as he went for a springboard moonsault, but luckily Nigel caught him.

Generico went up top and hit a crossbody on McGuinness in the center of the ring for a 2 count. Generico went for a Yokuza kick in the corner, but McGuinness got out of the way and hit his kick to the back/clothesline combination for a 2 count. McGuinness then followed up with a Tower of London, but Generico kicked out and the crowd applauded. McGuinness set up Generico for a lariat on the middle rope, but Generico kicked him in the face. Generico went for the Yokuza kick again, but McGuinness got out of the way and nailed him with a Tower of London on the apron. Steen tried to urge the crowd to get behind Generico and they got a short "Ole, Ole" chant going. McGuinness tossed Generico into the barricade at 18 and rolled into the ring. Generico then recovered and dove through the ropes just as the count was about to hit 20 to beat it. That was a cool spot that really got the fans fired up. McGuinness went for a lariat, but Generico countered with a brainbuster for a 2 count. Generico hit the Yokuza kick in the corner and went for the brainbuster on the turnbuckle, but McGuinness nailed him with a lariat off the top for a 2 count. McGuinness locked in the London dungeon once again in the middle of the ring. Generico countered and caught McGuinness in a cradle for a nearfall. McGuinness caught Generico with a lariat and applied the London dungeon again. Prazak urged on Generico to tap and he finally did.

WINNER: Nigel McGuinness to retain the ROH World Title

STAR RATING: (***1/4) – This wasn't nearly as exciting as the encounter between these two from Dayton last August. The action was solid, but McGuinness beat on Generico forever and there just weren't enough "hope" spots for Generico to really get the fans into the match until the end. The match was still really good, but not what you would expect out of an ROH World Title defense on PPV.

-Black confronted McGuinness as he went up the ramp. Black got on the mic and said he could exercise his title shot at any time he wanted to. Black said he wanted to use his title shot on PPV tonight in Chicago. The fans started to applaud and McGuinness looked worried, but Aries and Jacobs ran down and jumped him as Prazak laughed on commentary. Lynn and Necro ran down and chased off Jacobs and Aries. McGuinness ended up running through the crowd to escape. The crowd chanted for Black and his music played as he headed to the back.

-A video package aired hyping the Steel Cage Warfare main event.

-Durden was shown backstage with Sweeney. Sweeney said he had assembled the most dominant faction ever to exist in ROH. Sweeney said the world would see their wrath.

-Bobby Cruise announced that 2 men would start in the ring and a new man would enter every 3 minutes. Cruise said a decision in the match could not take place until all entrants were in the cage.

6 - - BRENT ALBRIGHT & JAY BRISCOE & RODERICK STRONG & ERICK STEVENS & ACE STEEL vs. SWEET N' SOUR INC. (DAVEY RICHARDS & EDDIE EDWARDS & TANK TOLAND & BOBBY DEMPSEY & ADAM PEARCE w/ Larry Sweeney)

Strong and Richards were the first two men in the cage. The announcers said they didn't even know who all five participants were for both teams. Richards went for a running forearm in the corner, but Strong got out of the way and nailed him with a kick. Strong tried to slam Richards into the steel, but he countered and tried to toss Strong into the cage, but he blocked it. Tank Toland was the next man out and he ran in and beat on Strong with a 2 on 1 advantage. Toland did jumping jacks on Strong's chest before dropping an elbow to his mid-section. The next entrant was out super quick, as Ace Steel ran into the ring to even the odds. Steel ran wild on Richards and Toland and ended up tossing both men into the cage and the crowd roared. Strong and Steel then hit stereo dropkicks on Richards and Toland. Eddie Edwards was in quickly and he grabbed a chair and stood next to the guardrails. That's a new one. An overhead shot showed all four men brawling on the turnbuckles. Jay Briscoe was out next, but he got jumped by Sara Del Rey. Edwards then ran up and nailed him with a chairshot to the back. Edwards set up Jay on the guardrail and nailed him with a chairshot to the knee.

Prazak said this was a fantastic strategy from Sweeney. Bobby Dempsey was out next and Sweeney hit him as he entered the cage. Dempsey kicked away at Steel at the urging of Toland. Strong ended up busted open as Edwards and Richards went after his cut. Erick Stevens was out next and he ran wild. Dempsey managed to avoid his attack. Richards begged for mercy from Richards, but Stevens tossed him into the cage. Sweeney freaked out on the outside and screamed for Dempsey to do something. Stevens continued to run wild, as he tossed Edwards and Richards into the cage. Adam Pearce was the next man out and he drew some boos. Shane Hagadorn came out with him. Pearce was immediately jumped by Stevens and got tossed into the cage. The countdown began again and Brent Albright was the last man into the ring. Albright tossed Pearce into the cage. Steel then cracked Pearce with a chairshot to the head. Toland took an unprotected chairshot to the head from Strong. Strong then nailed Richards with an unprotected chairshot to the head. Strong went after Dempsey, who begged off. These guys are nuts taking unprotected chairshots to the head. Richards, Edwards, and Toland all got tossed outside. Pearce was busted open and Strong tossed him head-first into the cage. Pearce ended up alone with all of his partners on the outside. Strong and Steel nailed him with a double team powerbomb off the top. Albright then came off and nailed him with an elbow drop.

Hagadorn and Sweeney yelled at Dempsey to do something. Everyone ended up brawling on the outside. Strong nailed Edwards with another unprotected chairshot to the head. Strong cracked Edwards over the head with another chairshot as they brawled in the crowd. Strong then suplexed him over the guardrail to the floor. Jay's music played and he limped back to the ring and went after Dempsey. Jay tossed Dempsey into the cage and Prazak said the odds were even again, which I didn't even realize since the babyfaces had been running wild. Jay went to the top of the cage with his bad knee and wiped out everyone with a senton to the floor and the crowd went nuts. Pearce ended up back inside the cage with Steel and Albright. Steel nailed Pearce with numerous forearms in the corner. Stevens then held a chair and Steel got a running start and kicked it into his head. Stevens hit the choo choo in the corner. Strong nailed Pearce with a gutbuster and Albright finished him off with a half-nelson suplex for the pin.

WINNERS: Ace Steel & Brent Albright & Roderick Strong & Jay Briscoe & Erick Stevens

STAR RATING: (**1/2) – This just never clicked. The babyfaces never seemed to be in any danger at any point during the match. Everyone in this match was in the ring before I could blink my eyes, as the match only went around 20 minutes and there were supposed to be 3 minute intervals between each participant coming out. I didn't even realize Jay had been taken to the back and he just came back out of nowhere, which fell flat as well. The action was fine, but I was bothered by the numerous unprotected chairshots to the point where I became uncomfortable. It's just so unnecessary for these guys to risk the long-term damage, especially when the chairshots lose their desired effect when they are dished out at a rapid-fire pace.

After the match, Sweeney confronted Dempsey. Prazak said Dempsey was a miserable failure. Prazak said Dempsey should have helped Pearce. Sweeney slapped Dempsey across the face and spit at him. Sweeney turned around into Albright and Strong. He went to run away, but Dempsey slapped him right across the face. Everyone took turns tossing Sweeney into the cage. Dempsey ripped off his shirt and nailed Sweeney with an avalanche. Dempsey took his straps down and nailed Sweeney with a cannonball. Dempsey picked up Sweeney as the fans chanted for him and nailed him with a DVD. The fans applauded as Dempsey hugged Stevens, Strong, Steel, Albright, and Jay. Dempsey posed on the turnbuckles as the fans applauded and chanted for Dempsey.

Recommendation: (6.0) This was the weakest of ROH's PPV offerings to date. There just wasn't the one standout match that stood out that fans will be buzzing about once this PPV debuts this week. The show wasn't bad by any means, but it doesn't hold up to ROH's previous PPV offerings. The main event was a letdown, although the post-match payoff with the Dempsey ended the show on a good note and sent the fans home happy, so that was a good move on ROH's part.

There were a number of good matches on this card. McGuinness-Generico was a good, but not great title defense from Nigel. He was just on the advantage for too long and the match never really got out of second gear until the end. Steen had to work hard on the outside to get the fans behind Generico. These two have had good chemistry in the past, but it just wasn't there on this night. I was blown away by their match from Dayton last August, so definitely seek that out if you want to be blown away.

The build to the Four Corner Survival match for the #1 contender was convoluted, but the match itself was perfect in terms of how it was built around the issues between all four men involved. I don't know why they just didn't book the match as a Four Corner Survival, instead of a tag match in the first place. The match certainly stole the show and built the foundation for ROH's storylines moving forwards, as it was the most interesting thing on the show.

The Lynn & Necro vs. Lee & Delirious tag was a lot of fun as well and did a good job of holding its spot on the card. The post-match angle with Haze was the most compelling thing she's been involved with in ROH in a long time. Jacobs was perfect in his role too.

I was letdown by the main event because there was no drama and a lot of unnecessary risks were taken by the wrestlers with the unprotected chairshots. They tried to cover things up with some stunts and a lot of blood, but it never felt like the babyfaces were ever in any danger. It didn't help that each participant in the match got into the ring shortly after the last wrestler had been entered. I don't know why they didn't give this match enough time to properly play out. It felt rushed and unorganized. The post-match payoff with Dempsey finally standing up for himself was a newsworthy moment for sure and helped send the fans home on a high note. It was nice to see Dempsey get that moment after being involved in the storyline for so long. Sweeney also got what was coming to him as well, but it felt like all of that should have played into the match and not taken place after the pin on Pearce was counted.

You'll definitely get $15 dollars of value out of this show when it debuts. This show just wasn't on the level of other ROH PPVs or even some recent DVD releases such as "Final Battle 2008" There's a lot of solid in-ring action here and the crowd was hot for most of the show. I think the Frontier Fieldhouse looks great on television and should strongly be considered for future HDNet tapings. The fans really support ROH in Chicago and that showed on this night.


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WWE SUMMERSLAM PPV REPORT 8/23: Keller's report on John Cena vs. Randy Orton, DX vs. Legacy, Jeff Hardy vs. C.M. Punk, Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler...
CALDWELL'S WWE SUMMERSLAM PPV REPORT 8/23: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Cena vs. Orton, Hardy vs. Punk, DX vs. Legacy
RADICAN'S WWE SUMMERSLAM PPV BLOG 8/23: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Orton vs. Cena, DX vs. Legacy

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Current Top Ten Staff Picks
Staff Picks
TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: In-depth look at why Vince McMahon is marketing the WWE product as PG family-friendly
WWE News: TOP STORY - "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson working with WWE on a TV project beyond guest-hosting Raw
WWE News: Linda McMahon reveals the McMahon Family's vast wealth in Senate campaign filing
WWE News: Raw TV ratings are in - Did Raw rebound from the 2009 year-low?
WWE News: WWE announces guest hosts for the next four weeks of Raw, including two new names
Hogan News: Watch VIDEO of the Hulkamania Press Conference breaking down into a staged fight (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: SPOILERS - first two matches announced for TNA's December PPV
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up
CALDWELL'S WWE RAW REPORT 11/16: Complete coverage of Roddy Piper hosting, DX vs. Cena & Taker vs. Jericho & Show
TNA News: Kurt Angle suffers back injury at Sunday's Turning Point PPV


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UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
WWE RAW 11/16: Place Your Bets on tonight's Raw - Week 12 featuring Roddy Piper
WWE RAW 11/2: "Place your Bets" Scoreboard after Week 11 - Review the previous scores before tonight's Raw PYB contest
TORCH MONTHLY AWARDS: List of the 2009 Torch Monthly Award winners through October
WWE News
WWE News: What's on Smackdown tonight - Taker & Kane vs. Big Show & Jericho
WWE News: Jim Ross comments on possible WrestleMania 26 return, current WWE contract status
TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: In-depth look at why Vince McMahon is marketing the WWE product as PG family-friendly
TNA News
TNA News: TNA Impact ratings break down - Inside the numbers on TNA's recent ratings trends
TNA News: Impact rating is in - how did post Turning Point episode fare?
TNA News: Details on Chris Sabin re-injuring his neck at this week's Impact tapings
ROH News
ROH News: ROH Title match signed for Final Battle; Air dates for McGuinness and Danielson's Farewell speeches
ROH News: Ring of Honor announces details on Austin Aries's next ROH Title defense
ROH News: Tonight is Bryan Danielson's final ROH match - details on tonight's special ROH TV episode (w/VIDEO)
Other News
PWG News: First round matches for tonight's Battle of Los Angeles tournament - Aries vs. Kendrick; Cabana, Shelley, Strong in action
Hogan News: Hulkamania Tour secures TV deal in Australia, Notes on Hogan & Flair arriving at the airport to begin the tour
Austin News: Steve Austin to appear in new season of NBC's "Chuck" show
PPV Reports
CALDWELL'S TNA TURNING POINT PPV REPORT 11/15: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels
RADICAN'S DGUSA "Untouchable" PPV review - Doi vs. Danielson, Shingo vs. Richards
10/25 WWE Bragging Rights Results: KELLER'S detailed match-by-match PPV report - Cena vs. Orton Iron Man match
TV Reports
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/20: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Jericho & Show vs. Undertaker & Kane
CALDWELL'S WWE SUPERSTARS TV REPORT 11/19: Complete coverage of Henry vs. Rhodes on WGN
PARKS' TNA IMPACT REPORT 11/19: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the post-Turning Point show
Arena Reports
11/14 TNA in Scranton, Pa.: Second Report - Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels, Chris Sabin vs. Suicide, Amazing Red vs. Homicide
11/14 WWE in Dublin: The Undertaker very limited in the ring vs. C.M. Punk, Rey vs. Dolph, Very interesting John Morrison vs. Matt Hardy match, No Jericho
11/14 TNA in Scranton, Pa.: Home of "The Office" delivers Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels and Amazing Red vs. Homicide PPV warm-up matches
MMA / UFC Coverage
MMA News: Update on Brock Lesnar's health - how long Lesnar had been dealing with health problems, expected return to UFC
MMA News: Brock Lesnar health update - UFC president much more optimistic than this weekend
MMA News: Brock Lesnar released from the hospital tonight; Lesnar's UFC future in doubt
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER BLOG: WrestleMania goes up to $55, all other PPVs $45 - let the pirate feed frenzy begin
KELLER BLOG: Dixie Carter asks wrestlers to step it up, but what does that mean? Shouldn't their goal to be winning matches and nothing else?
KELLER FLASHBACK: Review of Hulk Hogan's first autobiography - Hogan's political maneuvers evident in who he protects and buries
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL FLASHBACK (Dec. 1994): C.M. Punk's character is the latest Vince McMahon creation responding to criticism of his WWE product
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up
MOJO MITCHELL'S RAW 11/2: Stream of My Fourth Grade Hero and The Mid-Card Kicks Main Event Ass
MCNEILL'S TAKE
The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down: McNEILL previews TNA Turning Point 2009!
McNEILL BLOG: The Big Questions About Hulk Hogan in TNA
Fight For Your Right to Bragging: McNEILL Previews WWE Bragging Rights!
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Raw, Smackdown, TNA PPV discussion - MSG crowd, Survivor Series hype, Kofi breaks out, CSI:Miami vs. 30 Rock
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Hitting the hot topics - Raw tonight, Turning Point vs. Survivor Series, Jesse Ventura, Brock Lesnar, Shane McMahon
RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN: A list of things wresters and TNA fans can support for Dixie Carter
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
RADICAN: Daddy's little girl V 2.0 debuts on Impact
The Specialists
11/19 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Rosa Mendes, Eric Escobar, Lackluster Show
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - TNA Impact 11/19: Forgotten history between A.J. and Angle, TNA's new cameras, Pope gets referee assist, Numbers - The Rock a horrible tag champ
HITS & MISSES - TNA IMPACT 11/12: Review of last week's show before tonight's Impact - Wolfe-Angle build-up, Lethal loses to Niedhart
Guest Editorials
GUEST EDITORIAL: Disgruntled TNA fan says he's done with the promotion after today's Impact taping (Contains SPOILERS)
GUEST EDITORIAL: The ultimate irony - Hulk Hogan appears on TNA Impact and pre-taped TV sitcom promoting WWE on the same night
GUEST BOOK REVIEW: Hulk Hogan provides strong defense of his public image in new autobiography
Torch Feedback
ECW TV Reax #1: "C.M. Punk scoring the pin in the main event made Smackdown seem more important than ECW"
WWE Raw Reax #3: "While WWE delivered an above-quality show, they still haven't given viewers a reason to order Survivor Series"
WWE Raw Reax #2: "This was NOT one of the best Raws of 2009, but one of the worst..."
Ask the Editor
Ask the Editor: Wouldn't incorporating MMA-style holds into pro wrestling matches just be trying to be something it's not?
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
DVDs - VGames - Books
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: Death Before Dishonor VII: N2 - Storm-Hero, Ryan-Cabana
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
Torch Flashbacks
PARKS'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1 YR. AGO (11-21-08): Final Survivor Series build-up to Undertaker vs. Big Show casket match, Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H, Morrison & Miz
KELLER'S WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 10 YRS. AGO (11-14-99): Big Show vs. Triple H vs. The Rock, Edge & Christian & Hardys team, Chris Jericho vs. Chyna
KELLER'S WWF SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 15 YRS. AGO (11-23-94): Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund, Undertaker vs. Yokozuna, Team Hall & Waltman vs. Team Michaels & Nash
VIP Exclusive Features
11/20 Wade Keller Hotline - Guest Bruce Mitchell: Survivor Series Match by Match Preview & Predictions (20 min.)
11/20 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show: Listener Questions - How Vince McMahon was perceived before he took over, Outlaw Promotions stories, Sting Flips off Bruce, Albano Craziness (45 min.)
PWTorch Newsletter #1117/1118 (31 pages!): Raw at MSG, TNA Victory Road PPV Roundtable, Mitchell on Russo-Hogan, Keller on Dixie Speech, more
Torch Trivia
TORCH TRIVIA 2/28: Which wrestler backed out of a WWA PPV in February 2002?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/27: Who said this quote about Hulk Hogan's athleticism 11 years ago?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/25: What said this quote about WWE's mid-1990s drug testing policy?
Torch Instant Polls
SMACKDOWN POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/20 Smackdown if you saw the show?
TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/19 Impact if you saw the show?
ECW MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/17 ECW TV if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
11/4 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Format change to the show, new guest host, upcoming shows
FREE FOR ALL: 10/27 Bruce Mitchell Audio Special: Hogan-Bischoff-TNA story from all angles including Monday Night War II possibilities (32 min.)
6/23 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Former WCW rapmaster PN News joins Brian Hoops to preview upcoming Midwest shows (10 min.)
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart