Ring of Honor TV Report
July 18, 2009
Week 17 on HDNet (second episode of Set Six)
Taped in Philadelphia, Pa.
Report by James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Announcers: Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak plugged the six-man tag main event of KENTA & El Generico & Steen vs. Hero & ROH tag champs American Wolves later tonight.

In-ring: Bobby Fish and Silas Young came to the ring to play an enhancement role. Nick & Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks tag team then came out to face their larger tag team opposition.

1 -- YOUNG BUCKS (NICK & MATT JACKSON) vs. SILAS YOUNG & BOBBY FISH

Back and forth action early on as Silas played to the crowd. Matt then made a comeback, but walked into a spinning backbreaker for a two count. Fish tagged in. He reminds me of Buck Quartermaine. (Any FSN Impact fans still out there?) Young and Fish tagged in and out working over Matt, who fought off pin attempts before finally tagging in Nick at 5:00. Nick blasted Silas with a roundhouse kick before hitting a turnaround splash off the second rope. Suddenly, Matt speared Silas center-ring before taking a legal tag. Young Bucks hit a double superkick on Silas, then the action broke down. Silas wanted a springboard moonsault press, but Matt avoided and rolled up Silas with a quick pin for the win.

WINNERS: Young Bucks in 7:00. Interesting showcase of the Young Bucks, who were put on an even steven level with Silas and Fish. Match was more of a test to see if they could work a standard tag match, as they didn't incorporate their trademark high-flying moves into the match. I had different expectations going in, but the match was still good. (*1/2)

Next week: Danielson vs. Black III.

Backstage: Chris Hero and the American Wolves were interviewed by Durden. Hero said he's going to take chops and kicks from KENTA, but it won't affect him. He said he's going to knock him out and eat him raw. Edwards said they took the tag titles from Steen and Generico last time they were in the ring together. Richards summed it up: knocked out or tapped out.

Three weeks ago video recap: Delirious destroyed Jimmy Jacobs, who seemed defeated and unsure of himself. So, what's next for Jacobs?

Backstage promo: Jacobs talked dejectedly that everything is his fault. He dropped the ball. He's not here to make threats, but a concession. Jacobs said he lost his friends and his sense of reality trying to fight for his cause. Jacobs said two years in the Age of the Fall has left him defeated. Jacobs said there is no small victory in this loss. He quietly said he's packing up and going home.

In-ring: Jacobs's former running-mate, Brodie Lee, came to the ring and started throwing people down ringside. Delirious came out as the opposition.

2 -- DELIRIOUS vs. BRODIE LEE

Brodie manhandled Delirious early on. Referee audibly reprimanded Brodie for grabbing Delirious's mask. Why is Paul Turner always mic'ed eight times louder than the other refs? Brodie became frustrated with the ref and his inability to put away Delirious. Delirious with a very nice counter of a sidewalk slam into a head scissors. Delirious then tried a corner splash, but Lee caught him out of the corner with a Black Hole Slam. Lee then nailed a big boot to the face, but Delirious kicked out again. Delirious apparently the toughest man alive. Delirious then came back with the Shadows over Hell top rope splash for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Delirious in 5:00. Nice match, although Delirious should be the ROH champ if he's going to be booked to keep kicking out of pin attempts from a man twice his size. Other than focus on SuperDelirious, I'll remember most from this match Turner shouting "Off the mask!" over and over.

Backstage: Durden brought in ROH champ Austin Aries. He asked Aries about Nigel McGuinness's recent comments about the title. Aries said he understands Nigel needs to keep himself relevant by referencing the champ. Aries said all that matters is he's the ROH champ and he's the straw that stirs the drink. Durden wanted to know if he could hang out with him. Aries was offended, then walked off.

Paid for by the Embassy: Before they cut to a break, a Message from the Embassy aired. They showed a dirty alleyway to set the stage. Prince Nana said in his country, they take care of their property. Nana said poo-poo on the ground reminds him of boo-boo Colt Cabana. Jimmy Rave and Claudio Castagnoli cut promos with Claudio saying it's Very European to speak more than one language unlike lazy Americans like Brent Albright. Claudo then sent the cameraman packing to close the segment.

[Commercial Break]

Backstage promo: Black and Danielson had a face-to-face stare down as Durden set the stage. Next week, the third match on ROH TV. Black said when Danielson smacked him in the face, it woke him up. They can't be partners or friends. Danielson said Black needed that slap in the face. Nigel then stepped in and said these girls have a failure to communicate. Nigel said he's looking at the next ROH World champ right now. He slapped them on the shoulders and wished them good luck.

3 -- KENTA & KEVIN STEEN & EL GENERICO vs. CHRIS HERO (w/Sara Del Rey) & ROH tag team champions AMERICAN WOLVES (EDDIE EDWARDS & DAVEY RICHARDS w/Shane Hagadorn) -- six-man tag match

Opening minute built to a NOAH match-up between Hero and KENTA. Hero pie-faced KENTA, who came back with a dropkick off the ropes. KENTA and Richards then picked up their teacher vs. student program from a few years ago with KENTA no-selling Richards's offense and slapping the crap out of him. Generico tagged in and blasted Edwards with strikes in the corner. Steen then joined in the beating on poor Richards. Ref Turner again super mic'ed up shouting at the babyfaces to stop hurting Richards. Shane even took Steen's wrath with a snot blow on his shiny ring jacket. Hero then blind-sided Steen to begin a heel attack on Steen. Turner sounded like a PE teacher unable to control second-graders during a kickball game. "You have to get a tag! You can't come in without a tag! Get off him, Davey! Stop it! Enough of that!" Richards blasted Steen with a kick strike to the chest, then Hero and Edwards kept Steen subdued with tags in and out. Steen eventually ran out of the ring (why hasn't anyone done that before?) and ran back into the ring to make a tag to his corner. KENTA landed a nice springboard double dragon dropkick on the tag champs before giving Edwards a flying basement kick to the head. KENTA followed with a sit-out powerbomb for a two count.

Action then broke down at 12:00 with bodies flying everywhere. Generico wanted a top rope dive to the floor and he connected with a cannonball dive onto Richards and Hero. Back in the ring, KENTA smashed Edwards with a knee strike for a two count. KENTA wanted the G2S, but Edwards countered with a running knee. HDNet kept having to turn down Turner's mic and kill the audio as he gave the wrestlers time cues on his super mic. Hero back in the ring where KENTA teased the G2S, but Hero landed an elbow, only to take a powerslam. Generico tagged in and sold a knee injury after landing offense on Hero. Hero then nailed a rolling elbow, but Steen tagged in. Davey came in illegally and was quickly knocked out of the ring. Turner losing control of the match as more bodies started flying. KENTA then no-sold a superkick from Edwards and blasted him with a lariat. Everyone KO'ed in the ring, on the outside, and in the stands.

At 17:00, KENTA and Davey blocked each other's Chono boot attempts. They had a sweet mid-ring exchange before KENTA nailed a Tiger Suplex with a bridge for a two count. They kicked each other in the head on the next exchange, then Generico tagged in with his bum knee. Action broke down again after a few moments. And then it really broke down after KENTA hit a top rope splash as Turner went "Kentaaaaaaaaaaa" trying to reprimand him for getting involved without a tag. Eventually, Genrico's knee became the Wolves's target. Steen and KENTA were out of the picture and Richards slapped on a Texas Cloverleaf in center ring. Generico was forced to tap out.

Post-match: Steen vowed to get the Wolves after they took out Generico. Davey wanted to get another piece of Steen despite the win, but Hero held him back. Steen and KENTA checked on Generico as the announcers talked about Generico's career in jeopardy to eventually set up a comeback.

WINNERS: Hero & Wolves in 20:00. Very physical, fast-paced match. Paul Turner's super-mic was a huge distraction during the match, but the in-ring action was stellar. ROH should just change their tag match rules to Texas Tornado style because tag matches inevitably break down into everyone-in-the-ring-at-the-same-time anyways with the ref unable to restore control with no penalty to enforce if a wrestler becomes involved without a tag. I'm somewhat facetious, but the audience is trained just to sit back and wait for the action to break down before investing emotionally in the match. Match overall was still worth watching and a very good TV contest. (***1/2)

Next week: Danielson vs. Black III.

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