Ring of Honor on HDNet TV Report
November 2, 2009
Taped September 10, 2009
Report by Mike DeRosenroll, Torch ROH specialist

Overview

- On paper, a show featuring the Briscoes vs. the Young Bucks and Colt Cabana vs. Nigel McGuinness should have been a blow-away show. Unfortunately, neither match lived up to its potential. Both matches were solid, but the tag match was cut short by outside interference and Cabana-McGuinness did not quite live up to what these two have done together in the past.

- The show furthered the Jerry Lynn injury angle with a strong Kenny King promo and a good backstage segment involving McGuinness and Tyler Black.

Detailed Recap

- The show opened with Mike Hogwood and Dave Prazak in the studio. Hogwood plugged the upcoming Colt Cabana-Nigel McGuinness main event. Prazak referred to rumors on the "interweb" about McGuinness's future.

1 - THE BRISCOES (JAY BRISCOE & MARK BRISCOE) vs THE YOUNG BUCKS (MATT JACKSON & NICK JACKSON)

Jay and Matt began the match with an even-steven lucha-style exchange, before tagging in Mark and Nick respectively. Then Mark and Nick had a fast paced exchange. The two teams exchanged the advantage back and forth for a few minutes, with each getting a chance to showcase some of their trademark offence. The Briscoes finally managed to get a sustained advantage at 5:30 after Jay entered the ring illegally to hit a spinebuster on Matt. The Briscoes worked over Matt for a couple of minutes until Matt countered a double-arm underhook by Mark into a neckbreaker and reached Nick for the hot tag at 8:00.

Following the hot tag, the Young Bucks unleashed a flurry of high-flying moves leading to a pin attempt on Jay that Mark broke up at 8:30. Mark regained the advantage for his team with a lariat on Nick and an exploder on Matt at 9:00. The Briscoes tried to set up Nick for a doomsday device at 9:30, but Matt intervened and knocked Mark from the top rope to the floor. This gave the Bucks a two-on-one advantage on Jay. Just as they got Jay in position for their More Bang for Your Buck finisher, the Dark City Fight Club hit the ring and attacked the Matt and Nick.

RESULT: No contest in 10:00 due to outside interference by the Dark City Fight Club. A solid tag team match with good work and athleticism from both teams. The match was only just getting into top gear when the outside interference brought it to an end. These teams are capable of much more, but the non-finish is understandable since this was a non-advertised TV opening match.

- After the match, the Briscoes and the Young Bucks joined forces to clear the Dark City Fight Club from the ring.

- Hogwood plugged next week's main event tag match between the ROH World Tag Team Champion American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson & Roderick Strong.

- Hogwood introduced number four on Danielson's countdown of his top five memories in ROH. It was Danielson's pay-per-view main event match against Nigel McGuinness at Domination 2007. Highlights of the match aired while Danielson talked about it. He said he ended up having to go to the hospital because of the cut to his forehead, and going to the hospital with Jimmy Rave was every bit as memorable to him as the match itself.

- Backstage, Kyle Durden interviewed The American Wolves. He asked them how it felt to be the second-to-last stop on Danielson's Final Countdown Tour. Richards cut a good promo saying that ROH was now all about The American Wolves and that they would put an end to Danielson's countdown tonight. Durden did a nice job of looking intimidated while Edwards fixed him with a nasty stare. This was a good promo except for the continuity error of referring to the match being "tonight" when, in fact, it will air next week. This is the first time I can remember ROH making an error like this on TV, and hopefully it will be the last.

2 - "SUGARFOOT" ALEX PAYNE vs RHETT TITUS

After a back-and-forth start, Titus took control at 1:30 thanks to a nice standing drop kick that caught Payne as he was trying a springboard over the top rope from the apron into the ring. Titus worked over Payne heel-style, frequently playing to the crowd. Payne made a babyface comeback at 3:00 and got a couple of near falls from some leverage pin attempts. A small section of the Philadelphia crowd seems to enjoy booing any time Payne gets any offence. Out of nowhere, Titus hit a schoolboy and pulled Payne's tights for the pin.

WINNER: Titus in 4:00. Just an okay match. I'm not sure what purpose it served for Titus to need to pull the tights to get a win over an enhancement talent like Payne.

- A highlight package aired from the recent New York City show, Glory By Honor VIII. It featured clips from the Ladder War between the American Wolves and Kevin Steen & El Generico, Jim Cornette's return, and the ring entrances of Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson. Packages like this are a good idea for ROH to draw DVD sales and ticket sales to future live events.

- Hogwood plugged the upcoming main event between McGuinness and Cabana, and announced that Rasche Brown will debut next week.

- Another "Skullcrusher" Rasche Brown vignette aired. He claimed to have been in a bar fight with seven men and plucked out thirteen eyeballs. He said he left the last eyeball because he is a considerate man. I like that ROH is using vignettes like this to introduce a new heel, but last week's was better than this week's.

[Commercial Break]

- Backstage, Kyle Durden interviewed Tyler Black and asked him for an update on Jerry Lynn's health. An inset box showed Kenny King and Rhett Titus injuring Lynn two weeks ago with a double-team spike piledriver. Black said that Lynn was recovering and it was hard to watch him in so much pain because the injury was not his fault. Nigel McGuinness interrupted and said that anyone who gets injured in the ring only has himself to blame. McGuinness said the ROH World Title belt was cursed and anyone who wins it will get injured. Black said that the belt is not a curse, it is his dream. This was a solid segment, and it was good that they gave the babyface Black the last word.

3 - CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI (w/Prince Nana and "Dirty" Ernie Osiris) vs GRIZZLY REDWOOD

Prince Nana distracted Redwood early in the match, allowing Castagnoli land a running boot and take control. Castagnoli worked over Redwood heel-style, using several big power moves. At 2:00, Castagnoli got Redwood in an airplane spin and did several revolutions with his hands on his hips, impressively balancing Redwood on his shoulders with no hands. Redwood teased a comeback, but Castagnoli cut him off with a Ricola Bomb for the pin.

WINNER: Castagnoli in 3:00. Good squash match. Redwood sold very well to make Castagnoli look like a monster.

- After the match, Nana held Redwood down while Osiris pulled out a pair of scissors and seemed about to cut Redwood's beard off. Necro Butcher hit the ring to save Redwood. Prazak mentioned that Redwood has been after a beard vs beard match with Osiris.

- A video package aired with Kenny King cutting a promo about what he did to Jerry Lynn while a clip of the incident aired. King said he had no remorse because wrestling is a young man's game and Lynn should not have been in there with him. Good promo from King.

4 - COLT "BOOM BOOM" CABANA vs NIGEL McGUINNESS

During McGuinness's ring entrance, the announcers again referred to rumors on the "interweb" about McGuinness planning the leave ROH. They said that McGuinness refuses to address these rumors. The fans chanted "Thank you, Nigel."

The match started with some chain wrestling exchanges and Cabana engaging in his trademark goofy antics to show up Nigel. At 2:30, McGuinness caught Cabana with a hard elbow strike against the ropes and grounded him, but Cabana used some nice mat wrestling to get out of the predicament. Cabana was outwrestling McGuinness until McGuinness managed to snap the ropes into Cabana's eyes at 4:00 and take control. McGuinness worked over Cabana's arm and shoulder with a series of strikes, a hammerlock divorce court, and an array of painful-looking mat holds.

Cabana teased a babyface comeback at 8:00 with a series of elbow strikes, but missed a flying butt-butt in the corner at 8:30, allowing McGuinness to regain control. At 10:30, McGuinness went for a Tower of London to the ring apron, but Cabana slipped out of the move and connected with the flying butt-butt to send McGuinness to the floor. Cabana followed this up with a dangerous-looking springboard backflip to the floor. Back inside, Cabana landed a splash off the top rope for a near fall at 11:00. McGuinness countered a boot attempt in the corner into a Tower of London for a near fall of his own at 11:30. McGuinness then attempted a lariat, but Cabana countered with a boot to the gut and landed the Colt 45 for the pinfall.

WINNER: Cabana in 12:00. A good match and a good display of European-style chain wrestling and mat wrestling, but it did not live up to some of McGuinness and Cabana's past matches of this style. Their timing was a little off in places and the finishing sequence seemed rushed.

- After the match, Hogwood announced that Jim Cornette would be interviewed on next week's show and once again plugged next week's main event tag match.

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