RADICAN’S ROH “10th ANNIVERSARY SHOW” iPPV REPORT
MARCH 4, 2012
MANHATTAN, N.Y.
AIRED LIVE ON GFL.TV

The show began with the standard opening from the TV show. Nigel McGuinness and Kevin Kelly were shown standing in the ring. Both men got chants from what appears to be a packed Hammerstein Ballroom. The crowd then chanted for Cary Silkin, who was standing outside the ring. They are also using the graphics from the TV show. Kelly and McGuinness previewed the show and mentioned the main event. McGuinness said 10 years ago it looked like sports entertainment had won the war, but a company came along and showed professional wrestling wasn’t dead. McGuinness said pro wrestling is alive and kicking.

They went to comments from Rhett Titus & Kenny King, which aired on TV recently. It was hard to hear the comments with the crowd chanting over them.

ANX came out first to a big pop. Haas & Benjamin came out to a chorus of boos. Kelly ran down the Tale of the Tape prior to the opening bell.

1 - - ANX (Rhett Titus & Kenny King) vs. WGTT (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas)

Titus took a shot at Haas on the apron, which allowed Benjamin to get the upper hand. Titus fired back and tagged in King, who went to work on Benjamin. Benjamin hit a low blow on King, but the ref wasn’t paying attention. That just makes the ref look completely stupid, as it happened right in front of him. The fans chanted “F--- you, Charlie.” Haas fired back with a double bird to the fans. King fired back on Haas and tagged in King. ANX worked together and took down Haas with a combination of moves and Haas bailed to the outside. ANX then went to work on Benjamin with a combination of moves and he also bailed to the outside as the crowd popped. ANX then hit tandem dives to the outside to take out WGTT and the crowd popped huge.

Benjamin took out Titus’s knee from behind and Haas began to work it over. WGTT tagged in and out to work over Titus’s knee. Haas dragged Titus over to the ringpost and slammed his leg into it. King tried to go help Titus, which distracted the ref. Benjamin tied up Titus’s knees around the ringpost, but the ref saw Benjamin with a steel chair and stopped him. King attacked Haas, who dispatched him. King locked in a figure 4 around the ringpost on Titus, but the ref forced him to break it. The crowd booed as Haas played to them Titus got a surprise rollup on Benjamin for a nearfall. He tried to tag out, but Benjamin locked in a figure 4. The crowd tried to rally behind Titus, who managed to get another rollup on Benjamin, but once again he was prevented from tagging out.

King finally got the hot tag and ran wild. They botched a spot and the crowd got all over King, who locked Haas in a single leg crab. Benjamin broke up the submission, but King took him out with the double knees. Benjamin caught King in a small package for a nearfall. ANX double teamed King and nailed him with a series of kicks. Titus covered Benjamin, but Haas broke up the pin. Haas hit a German suplex on Titus, but he managed to tag in King. Haas and Benjamin quickly nailed him with a double team maneuver, but King got the ropes to break up the pin. The crowd fired up as Titus and Haas exchanged punches. Titus clotheslined Haas to the floor and went over the top with him. King countered Benjamin into a sunset bomb for a nearfall. Both men then exchanged pinning combinations, but King ended up leveraging his weight and got the pin on Benjamin.

Winners: Kenny King & Rhett Titus

Star rating: (***1/4) – This was a very good opener with some great exchanges between both teams. It was interesting to see ANX get the win here, as both teams are involved in separate feuds and both needed a win.

After the match, they aired some replays from the match, but cut back to live action with Benjamin and Haas getting their heat back by taking out ANX.

They previewed the next match, which will see Homicide take on Mike Bennett.

Kelly talked about the first ROH show drawing 250 fans. He said now that ROH was on TV , they were seen by over a million people every week.

Bennett came out with Maria and Brutal Bob. He got on the mic and ran down the crowd. The crowd chanted “C.M. Punk” at Bennett. Maria flipped off the crowd. Bennett said he’s the best in the world, not C.M. Punk. Maria posed for the crowd and Bennett called out Homicide.

Homicide came out and went right after Bennett. The crowd threw streamers for Homicide, who was wearing his old school gear. They quickly ran down the Tale of the Tape as the crowd popped huge.

2 - - HOMICIDE vs. MIKE BENNETT (w/Maria & Brutal Bob)

Bennett bailed to the outside as the crowd chanted for Homicide. Homicide went after Bennett on the outside and tossed him into the barrier. Homicide bit away at Bennett’s forehead as the crowd went crazy and chanted “F--- him up.” McGuinness said he was legitimately scared of Homicide. Bennett fired back, but Homicide ducked a charge in the corner and hit a suplex. Bennett rolled to the outside and went for a dive, but Bob dove in Homicide’s way to save Bennett. How is that not DQ? Bennett followed Homicide to the outside and tossed him into the barrier. Bennett tossed Homicide into the ring and nailed him with some punches.

Bennett sent Homicide into the ropes and hit a nice dropkick as the crowd booed. Bennett played to the crowd before going back on the attack. Homicide fired back with a kick, but Bennett caught him with a big spinebuster moments later. Bennett ripped Homicide’s Yankee shirt and wiped himself with it. Homicide fired back and hit an ace crusher that left both men down on the mat. Both men got up and exchanged punches. Homicide signaled for the cop killa, but ended up hitting a powerbomb. Homicide locked in the STF, but Bennett fought free. Homicide went up top, but Bennett cut him off. They battled up top, but Homicide hit several headbutts on Bennett. Homicide signaled for a top rope cop killa and the crowd cheered. Bennett ended up hitting a backdrop off the top. Homicide caught Bennett with a neckbreaker and the crowd applauded. Homicide made the go to sleep signal and the crowd cheered.

Maria got up on the apron. Homicide went after her and Bennett charged at him, but Homicide got out of the way. Bennett avoided Maria and Homicide hit the go to sleep. The crowd roared, but Bennett managed to recover and rolled up Homicide from behind for the win.

After the match, Homicide laid out Bennett. He then went after Bob. Maria ended up alone in the ring with Homicide. Maria tried to run away, but Homicide got her legs. Bennett and Bob eventually managed to drag Maria away from Homicide.

Homicide got on the mic, but they began airing replays. Homicide started a Yankees chant for the crowd for Bennett and Bob, who are from the Boston area. Homicide said it was a pleasure to be here and wished ROH a happy birthday. Homicide then started an “ROH chant.

Winner: Mike Bennett

Star rating: (***) – This was a fun match. Homicide looks like he’s recovered from his injuries. Bennett got a ton of heat here and got a cheap win, but Homicide sent the crowd home happy in the end.

Eddie Kingston came out. He’s the CHIKARA Grand Champion. Kelly said ROH would be working with CHIKARA and plugged the upcoming “Synergy” event in Chicago in April. Kingston said it was great to be in ROH again. Kingston said he wanted to speak to Davey Richards. Richards’s music played, but it turned into Kevin Steen’s theme music. Steen came out wearing a suit and tie shirt. He ate a banana and held a racket with Davey Richards’s picture on it. Steen got a huge pop once he got into the ring. He took a streamer and hit it back into the crowd with his racket.

Steen said it was great to see Kingston. He asked him what happened. He asked Kingston when he became such a bitch. Steen asked to clarify what he had meant. One fan chanted for Steen to “show his t---,” but Steen said he didn’t have enough money for him to do that. Steen said he would come out and show the fan his genitals. Steen said Kingston wasn’t happy just being here. Steen told Kingston they are cut from the same cloth. Steen said a lot of people would love to see them tear the business to the ground together. Steen said together they could take on CHIKARA and ROH and rebuild both the way they should be.

Kingston said CHIKARA is his home. He then said he also didn’t want to destroy ROH. Kingston said teaming with him would be cool, but he’s not about destroying anybody. Steen told Kingston that CHIKARA is a Mickey Mouse promotion. He told Kingston he would soon be the ROH World Champion. Kingston told Kelly to leave. Kingston told Steen not to make him beat him up. Kingston said he lost everything for CHIKARA. He told Steen to watch his f----- mouth. Steen turned his back to Kingston and the crowd chanted for Steen. Steen said he’s not one to start trouble and the crowd laughed. Steen tried to sneak a punch in, but Kingston caught it. They began exchanging blows before several people ran in to stop them. Steen ended up alone in the ring with the CHIKARA Grand Championship. He was about to urinate on it until Fire Ant, Green Ant, and Jigsaw ran into the ring. Everyone was brawling on the outside and Fire Ant hit a huge springboard flip dive to wipe out the entire pile. The crowd went nuts and chanted “holy s---.”

Steen was the first one back to his feet and he grabbed his racket and went after the CHIKARA wrestlers. They all ended up brawling to the back.

House of Truth was out first to face Red & Perkins. Martini is wearing a ridiculous outfit tonight. Perkins came out first. He stopped and new music played. Amazing Red came out to a big reaction. McGuinness mentioned he was in the first ROH match ever against Jay Briscoe. The Tale of the Tape came up as Red made his entrance.

3 - - HOUSE of TRUTH (Michael Elgin & Roderick Strong w/Truth Marini) vs. T.J. PERKINS & AMAZING RED

Strong and Perkins started things off to the ring and came to a stalemate. Red and Elgin then tagged into the match. Red offered a handshake to Elgin, who just glared at him. Elgin tossed Red into the corner. Red hit a basement dropkick and then followed up with a series of dropkicks to Elgin’s head. Strong ran into the ring, but Red took him down with a hurricanrana. Red and Perkins hit springboards on opposite sides of the rings, but the camera shot missed it. Perkins and Elgin went at it. Perkins fought off Strong on the apron and went for a springboard, but Elgin caught him with a powerslam for a 2 count.

Strong tagged in and went to work on Perkins with some big chops in the corner. Perkins went for a tornado DDT, but Elgin cut him off and hit a backbreaker for a 2 count. Elgin and Strong hit a combination of moves on Perkins capped with a backbreaker for a 2 count. Perkins tried to fire back, but Strong caught him with a nice dropkick. Elgin wiped out Red on the apron. Perkins countered a double team maneuver and drove Elgin into Strong in the corner. Perkins fended off Strong and made the hot tag to Red, who took out Elgin and Strong with a missile dropkick. Red hit an awesome rolling kick off Elgin’s back on Strong. He then hit a spinning DDT on Elgin for a nearfall.

The action broke down. Red hit a leaping leg lariat off Perkins’s back to send Elgin flying to the outside. Red and Perkins then wiped out Martini and Strong with stereo dives. Red hit a big missile dropkick on Elgin, but he wouldn’t go down. Red hit code red on Elgin, but Strong broke up the pin. Strong and Perkins went at it, but Strong eventually caught him with a jumping knee to the jaw. Red took out Strong with a series of kicks. Strong rolled out of a code red and hit a gut buster. Elgin then hit a spear, but Ref kicked out at the last second. Strong and Elgin set up Ref for a double team, but Perkins broke it up. Red tried to come off the top, but Elgin caught him and catapulted him into a double team gut buster for the pin.

Winners: Roderick Strong & Truth Martini

Star rating: (***1/2) – This match was fantastic from bell-to-bell. Red & Perkins make one heck of a tag team and they had me on the edge of my seat with a variety of double team moves on HOT. Elgin was really good here showing his power.

After the match, the crowd chanted “please come back” at Red.

They pitched to a video package from TV with Ciampa cutting a promo on Jay Lethal. They really need to mute the crowd during the video packages. They showed the wrong graphic when Ciampa came out, as it said Lethal’s name. Lethal came out next to a big pop. Cruise did the formal ring introductions. Ciampa drew some boos. Lethal got a decent ovation. Ciampa got in Lethal’s face when he was introduced. Kelly ran down the Tale of the Tape. Lethal offered a handshake, but Ciampa slapped his hand away. McGuinness talked about how when he first started in ROH, not shaking a hand was a big deal. McGuinness referred to Christopher Daniels not shaking hands.

4 - - ROH TV Champion JAY LETHAL vs. TOMASSO CIAMPA (w/The Embassy)

Kelly mentioned this match has a 15 minute time limit. Lethal countered Ciampa and nailed him with a big chop. Ciampa gathered himself and glared at Lethal from his knees. Ciampa really has his character right now and is doing all of the little things right when he’s in the ring. Lethal went for a move on Ciampa, but he bailed to the outside and glared at a fan. Ciampa locked hands with Lethal, but he ended up driving his knee into Lethal’s gut. Lethal fired back and hit a dropkick out of an arm drag. Ciampa rolled to the apron. Lethal sprung off the turnbuckles and sent Ciampa off the guardrail and into the apron with a kick. Lethal went for a dive through the ropes, but took out R.D. Evans instead of Ciampa. Ciampa immediately took down Lethal with a big clothesline on the outside.

Ciampa continued to work over Lethal on the outside while the ref counted. Ciampa broke the count and whipped Lethal back and forth between the guardrails in the entranceway. Ciampa then whipped Lethal into the ring apron and made the Embassy signal with his hands. The crowd really hasn’t been into the action so far. Lethal attempted a springboard, but Ciampa cut him off and got a 2 count. Tomasso methodically stalked Lethal as McGuinness mentioned that time was ticking away. Kelly confirmed there was 8 minutes remaining in the match. Ciampa tried to talk trash to Lethal. Lethal fired up and nailed Ciampa with a blow. They began exchanging big punches. Ciampa nailed Lethal with a big dropkick in the corner. He then took down his knee pad and nailed him with a running knee. Ciampa followed up with another running knee. Lethal fired up and nailed Ciampa with a superkick that left both men down on the mat.

McGuinness said time was ticking away as the crowd chanted for Lethal. McGuinness said there were only 4 minutes left in the time limit. Lethal hit a handspring elbow, but only got a 2 count. Lethal went up top, but Ciampa cut him off. Both men battled for position on the top. Lethal sent Ciampa to the mat with 3 minutes remaining in the match. Lethal hit a top rope elbow drop, but Ciampa kicked out at the last second. Both men battled on the apron, but Ciampa lifted up Lethal and nailed him with the air raid crash on the apron. McGuinness and Kelly called for a replay with both men down. Cruise announced that only 2 minutes remained in the match. They tried to show a replay and several odd camera shots were displayed on the screen. The ref counted from inside the ring, but both men beat the count.

Cruise announced one minute remaining in the time limit. Lethal hit the Lethal combination and took out the various members of the Embassy, who tried to interfere. Lethal nailed Ciampa with several blows as the time limit was set to expire. Both men exchanged blows as the time limit expired.

Bobby Cruise announced a time limit draw. Lethal grabbed the mic, but Ciampa attacked him from behind. Ciampa hit project Ciampa on Lethal. Ciampa held up the TV Title as the crowd booed. Ciampa walked to the back with the title.

Winner: No winner due to a Time Limit Draw

Star rating: (***) – The match started slow, but the final minutes were intense and the crowd really got hot. I really liked the finish, as it reminded me of a UFC fight with Lethal trying to make Ciampa tap out to blows in the corner.

Kelly said they were going to intermission now. He said during intermission, they would play some of the top moments from ROH’s history.

Back from intermission, Kelly pitched to backstage comments that aired on ROH TV from the Briscoes and the Young Bucks. The Young Bucks came out to a chorus of boos. The Briscoes got a big pop coming out. Bobby Cruise did the formal ring introductions. The Young Bucks were booed. The Briscoes didn’t get a chance to get a response because the Young Bucks jumped them from behind.

5 - - ROH World Tag Team Champions THE BRISCOES (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS (Matt & Nick Jackson)

The Young Bucks played to the crowd, which gave the Briscoes a chance to jump them from behind. The Briscoes tossed Nick over the top and sent him flying into Matt, which the crowd went nuts for. Mark suplexed Matt on the apron. The Briscoes ran wild on the outside and Kelly clarified that this was an official match. The Briscoes went to work on Matt and nailed him with a combination kick in the corner. Nick tripped Jay and dragged him to the outside. The Young Bucks then sent him flying off the apron with a headscissors/kick combination. There’s not much heat for this match since the hot start. The crowd did wake up, as Mark made a blind tag and nailed Nick with a kick from behind.

The Young Bucks fired back and sent both Briscoes to the outside. Nick went for a dive, but Mark cut him off with an elbow just as he came through the ropes. Mark then went after Nick inside the ring with karate. Nick caught Mark with a superkick and took Jay out with a dive. Matt then covered Mark for a nearfall. The crowd got into the action and tried to rally behind Mark. The Young Bucks continued to work over Mark, who finally made the hot tag to Jay. The crowd didn’t react to the hot tag, as Mark and Jay ran wild on Matt with kicks in the corner. Nick tried a springboard, but ate a suplex from Mark. Jay then nailed him with a flat liner right into Matt’s crotch.

Kevin Kelly read some fan tweets as Briscoes hit a combination ace crusher on Matt for a 2 count. Nick dragged Mark to the outside and nailed him with a superkick. The camera missed a shot, but Matt ended up rolling up Jay for a 2 count. Jay fired back and drove Matt into the corner. The Young Bucks then caught Jay with a tandem kick in the corner. Matt then held Jay up against the ropes and Nick came off the top with a springboard 450 for a nearfall. Jay tried to fight back and sent a kick from Nick right into Matt’s face. The Young Bucks fired back with a tandem superkick on Jay, but Mark made the save. The Young Bucks set up Jay for their finish, but Jay got his knees up. Mark sent Matt flying off the top to the outside. The Briscoes then hit the doomsday device for the pin.

Winners: The Briscoes to retain the ROH World Tag Team Titles

Star rating: (**3/4) – This seemed like a collection of spots as opposed to a full-fledged match. The crowd really wasn’t into this one at times. The Young Bucks didn’t really get much heat on the Briscoes either during their beat down segments.

Kelly pitched to a video package for the Steen-Jacobs match. Steen and Jacobs came out. Corino got on the mic and said he wanted to explain what had happened. He said this has gone on way too long. Steen mocked Corino when he called him a monster. Corino told Steen to look at him. Corino told Steen he had gone too far. Corino said he hasn’t wrestled since Final Battle. Corino said he wasn’t going to let him wrestle Jacobs. He told Steen it was time to move on. The crowd is doing Bryan Danielson’s “Yes, Yes, Yes” in the background. They’ve been doing it for most of the show. Corino told the fans that cheering for Steen would only take the company down. Corino said there wasn’t going to be a No DQ match tonight. Steen got on the mic and said he had dressed for the occasion. Steen addressed Corino and Jacobs jumped him from behind. Jacobs was wearing his white coat from Age of the Fall that was covered in Jay Briscoe’s blood.

6 - - KEVIN STEEN vs. JIMMY JACOBS (w/Steve Corino) – No DQ

McGuinness said we are watching the insane Jimmy Jacobs. Corino got on the mic and said Jimmy had told him he wanted out of this. Jacobs nailed Steen with a chairshot to the back. Jacobs sent a bunch of chairs into the ring as Steen’s entrance bracket was displayed. Jacobs set up Steen on a chair on the outside and nailed him with a tope. The crowd chanted “little Jimmy” at Jacobs. Steen blocked a chairshot and turned it into a code breaker on the chair. He went for a cannonball in the corner, but Jacobs got out of the way. Jacobs went after Steen on the outside again. Steen caught Jacobs and tossed him over his head and into the guardrail. McGuinness said this was eating up Corino inside. Steen tossed Jacobs into the guardrail on the outside and the crowd started their “Yes” chant again.

Steen continued to dominate the action on the outside. He took some candy from a fan and ate it. Steen went to leap off the barricade, but Jacobs cut him off and slammed him onto the entrance ramp. Steen fired back on Jacobs a short time later and drove him into the ringpost. Steen nailed Jacobs with a chairshot across the back. Steen tossed down a section of the barricade and slammed Jacobs onto it. Steen took another section of the barricade down and slammed Jacobs onto it. Steen asked if the crowd wanted another barricade slam and they responded with their Daniel Bryan chant. Steen set up another barricade, but Jacobs countered him. He then hit a tornado DDT on the barricade. A portion of the crowd chanted a complaint about not being able to see, but cheered when Jacobs tossed Steen back into the ring.

Jacobs drove Steen’s face into a chair and went to the outside to get a table. Corino tried to talk to Jacobs, but he ignored him. Jacobs set up the table on the outside and went for a suplex on Steen off the apron. Steen countered and went for a powerbomb, but Jacobs slipped out. Kelly said even though this is a No DQ match, Steen can’t use the piledriver. They ended up back on the outside and Steen powerbombed Jacobs onto the apron. Steen set up Jacobs again and hit him with another powerbomb on the apron. McGuinness said this could be the end of both men’s careers. The crowd chanted “Yes” as Steen set Jacobs up for a powerbomb through the table. Jacobs countered and ended up getting a running start before spearing Steen through the ropes, which sent both men through the table. The crowd popped for the spot.

Jacobs set up some chairs in the ring and went for the Contra code, but Steen countered it and slammed him through both chairs for a nearfall. McGuinness sold the dangers of participating in this king of match big time. Steen went up top and went for a senton, but Jacobs got his knees up. Jacobs got up selling his knee. Jacobs grabbed a spike out of his boot and went after Steen, but Steen got out of the way hit the F6 a short time later. Steen decided not to cover Jacobs and a small chant for Steen started. McGuinness called Steen mentally ill as he set up several chairs in the ring. The crowd chanted “Yes” again. Jacobs countered Steen and took the spike out of the turnbuckle. Jacobs stabbed Steen in the head with the spike and started at it manically. Steen sold pain and came up bleeding. Jacobs dropped the spike and looked upset. Steen crawled over to the spike and was absolutely gushing blood. Steen smiled at Jacobs and drove the spike into Jacobs’s mid-section. Steen then hit the F6 on two chairs back to back. Steen then covered Jacobs for the pin.

Winner: Kevin Steen

Star rating: (***1/2) – A little bit slow in spots, but they really played up the dynamic between Steen’s maniacal character and Jacobs’s inner conflict. The finish was fascinating to see Jacobs drive his spike into Steen’s head. Steen then came up bleeding while Jacobs dropped the spike and sold shock at what he had just done to Steen. The finish looked brutal with Jacobs taking Steen’s F6 finish on two chairs set up back to back.

Kelly and McGuinness began discussing the combustible elements taking place between Richards, O’Reilly, Cole, and Edwards. McGuinness said when he was champion; he had a target on his back. McGuinness and Kelly then took a moment to reflect on the past and future of ROH. McGuinness said the main event would showcase the future of ROH. Kelly pitched to a package for the Richards & O’Reilly vs. Edwards & Cole main event.

They should focus more on the issue between these two teams rather than the emphasis on this being a showcase of talent. Edwards & Cole came out to a mild reaction. Richards & O’Reilly came out next to a decent reaction. It’s hard to tell with the music playing, but the fans are throwing streamers at them. Adam Cole got a small pop. Edwards then got a slightly bigger pop and some streamers from the fans. O’Reilly drew some boos from the fans. Richards was introduced last and he got a mixed reaction and some streamers. Kelly ran down the Tale of the Tape. He noted both were new teams. The crowd started a chant for Cole as both teams shook hands.

7 - - EDDIE EDWARDS & ADAM COLE vs. ROH World Hvt. Champion DAVEY RICHARDS & KYLE O’REILLY

Cole and O’Reilly started the match. Kelly said Cole was an innocent bystander. O’Reilly tagged out quickly before doing anything with Cole. What’s up with Cole’s tights? Trees? Cole tagged out, but then blind-tagged himself back into the ring. Richards backed Cole into the corner and offered a clean break. A small boring chant broke out as Richards and Cole exchanged arm submissions. After a quick exchange, Richards and Cole came to a stalemate. Kelly highlighted Cole’s new variation of the German suplex. Kelly said it is called the Florida Keys. Both me exchanged pinning combinations. Cole went for a superkick, but Richards fell back and avoided it. A small “this is wrestling” chant broke out. McGuinness and Kelly highlighted the quality of wrestling in ROH.

Richards took Cole down to the mat and worked a headscissors. Cole tried to slip out but Richards applied the hold again. Edwards and O’Reilly tagged into the ring. A small amount of fans exchanged dueling chants for both men. Edwards and O’Reilly locked arms and jockeyed for position. Both men went back and forth. They then began exchanging headbutts. Edwards finally tossed O’Reilly to the ground and tried to leverage his arms down to the mat for a pin. O’Reilly bridged up on his neck. Edwards tried to drive him down, but O’Reilly flipped him over. They went back and forth. O’Reilly went for a kimura, but Edwards slipped out and got an STF. O’Reilly quickly escaped and they came to a stalemate. The crowd started a small “this is wrestling” chant.

Richards and Cole tagged in and went at it. Richards ended up taking down Cole with a nice dropkick. He then drove Cole into O’Reilly’s boot as Kelly put over the quality of wrestlers on the roster. Cole fired back on O’Reilly, but O’Reilly lifted him and nailed a side suplex. Richards tagged in and went after Cole’s leg with a submission. A small chant for Cole broke out. He struggled but got the ropes. Cole cut off Richards with a kick and covered him for a 2 count. Edwards tag in and went after Richards. They began exchanging forearms in the middle of the ring. Edwards won the exchange and covered Richards for a 2 count. Cole tagged back in and continued the work on Edwards. Cole hit a running knee on Richards and covered him for no reaction.

Richards fired back and the crowd woke up. He took out Cole and then Edwards with a backdrop driver. Richards tagged in O’Reilly, who ran wild. Richards took out Cole with a dive through the ropes. O’Reilly set up Edwards on the top rope and nailed him with a belly to back superplex for a 2 count. O’Reilly immediately applied a cross arm breaker when Edwards kicked out. Edwards clasped his hands and broke free. Edwards applied the Achilles lock, but O’Reilly countered it into the cross face. The fans chanted “Yes, Yes, Yes” as Edwards struggled, but escaped. Both men began exchanging big strikes in the middle of the ring. The crowd did not react much to this exchange. O’Reilly hit a Regal suplex out of nowhere for a 2 count. O’Reilly bounced off the ropes, but Edwards hit a nasty clothesline that left both men down.

Edwards tagged in Cole. Cole hit a clothesline on O’Reilly for a 2 count. Cole then lifted O’Reilly and drove him head-first down onto his knee for a 2 count. The crowd woke up and began clapping half-heartedly. Both men exchanged blows in the middle of the ring. O’Reilly got the better of the exchanged and Richards blind-tagged himself into the match and hit a running kick on O’Reilly for a nearfall. Richards locked in a leg submission on Cole to every little reaction. O’Reilly ran in and added leverage to the submission, but the ref forced him to break it. Richards and Cole began exchanging strikes in the middle of the ring. Richards took down Cole with a kick to the stomach and tagged in O’Reilly. O’Reilly went to work on Cole’s arm. O’Reilly hit a series of butterfly suplexes and locked in an arm bar, but Cole leveraged it into a pinfall for a nearfall. Richards ran right by Cole covering O’Reilly to hold back Edwards. That was funny.

Cole went at it alone against Richards and O’Reilly. Richards accidentally kicked O’Reilly. Cole then spun Richards into O’Reilly and hit a neckbreaker/DDT combination. That moves stretched the realm of believability. Edwards got the hot tag to very little reaction, but ran wild nonetheless. Richards and O’Reilly got sent to the outside. Edwards then elevated Cole over the top onto Richards and O’Reilly. The crowd woke up a little. Edwards followed up with a springboard moonsault to the outside. The crowd applauded with all four men down on the outside.

Edwards hit a kick on Richards and hit the backpack chinbreaker. Cole then came off the top with a splash and Edwards covered Richards for a nearfall. Is Nigel hearing a different crowd? Edwards went for a superkick on Richards with Cole holding him, but Richards blocked it. Richards countered an attempted German and grabbed an ankle lock on Cole. Edwards tried to break it up, but Richards wouldn’t let go. O’Reilly then caught Edwards in a guillotine. Cole finally fought free, but Richards applied a single leg crab. Edwards and Richards went face-to-face holding submissions. They let go of the submissions and began exchanging blows. O’Reilly took out Edwards. Cole and O’Reilly ended up going at it alone in the ring. They exchanged blows to very little reactions. Kelly called it a hockey fight. Cole ended up clotheslining himself and O’Reilly to the outside to very little reaction.

Richards and Edwards went at it and Richards took down Edwards with a suplex and both men were down. Cole and O’Reilly ended up alone in the ring. They kicked each other at the same time. They went face-to-face to no reaction. Edwards and O’Reilly ended up suplexing each other to the outside. Richards and Edwards did the same thing on the other side and a small “ROH, ROH” chant broke out. All four men crawled back into the ring. Richards squared off with Cole on one side and O’Reilly squared off with Edwards on the other side. Richards and Edwards glared at each other. Edwards hit a chop on O’Reilly. Richards then hit a kick on Cole. Edwards and Richards glared at each other as they continued to assault their man in the corner. They then went face-to-face, but it got very little reaction. Richards and Edwards began exchanging kicks and punches. Why is Kelly apologizing for the language of the fans when the wrestlers swear on the mic?

Richards and Edwards ended up down on the mat after their exchange. Cole and O’Reilly went face-to-face to no reaction. O’Reilly hit a German. Cole got up and hit a German on O’Reilly. O’Reilly got right up and exchanged forearms with Cole. O’Reilly hit a bunch of slaps on Cole. Cole fired back with a superkick as McGuinness screamed, but Cole only got a nearfall. Cole and O’Reilly went at it again. Cole lifted O’Reilly, but he slipped out and cut off Edwards up top. O’Reilly sent Cole to the mat and went up top. Edwards cut him off and slammed him down to the mat. Edwards and Cole hit a series of kicks on O’Reilly, but Richards broke up the pin.

O’Reilly backdropped Edwards to the outside. Richards went up top and hit a doublestomp on Cole. Richards went up top with Edwards removed from the equation. Richards hit a double stomp on Cole, but he kicked out. Richards hit a thousand kicks of doom on Cole. He then hit a German with a bridge, but Edwards made the save. The fans fired up as Cole blocked a kick from Richards. Cole told Richards to bring it. Cole hit an enzuguri, but Richards fired right back with the alarm clock. Richards got the ankle lock on Richards, but he fought out and sent Richards right into a kick form Edwards on the apron. Edwards hit a double stomp off the top and locked in the Achilles lock on Richards. Richards fought free, but Edwards tossed him right into a superkick from Edwards. Cole followed up with a German with a bridge and Edwards covered him, but Richards kicked out to a small reaction. A handful of fans started a “This is awesome” chant.

Edwards and Richards battled up top. Edwards got tossed to the floor, but he caught Richards with a jumping knee. Edwards took him down to the mat with a hurricanrana. Richards and Cole hit a powerbomb/double knees combination on Richards, but Cole didn’t get it all. O’Reilly came in to break up the pin. He went at it alone with Cole and Edwards. O’Reilly DDT’d Cole through a table off the top. The crowd popped for the spot. Richards caught Edwards with a cradle for a 2 count. Richards ended up getting the ankle lock again, but Edwards countered into a rollup for a nearfall. Edwards went for a code breaker off the second rope, but Richards countered it into the ankle lock. Cole ran back into the ring and nailed Richards with a splash off the top for the pin.

The crowd popped for the finish. Cole sold shock at pinning Edwards with a splash off the top. The crowd chanted for Cole. Kelly noticed the match ended at 39:33. The crowd didn’t really take to the chant for Cole that Edwards wanted. Richards got in Edwards’s face. He then grabbed a mic as some fans chanted for Cole. Richards got on the mic congratulated Cole. He extended his hand and shook hands with Cole. Richards also shook hands with Edwards. O’Reilly glared at Cole from the corner of the ring.

O’Reilly got on the mic. Richards encouraged him to shake hands. O’Reilly said he doesn’t shake hands with people he doesn’t respect. O’Reilly said he doesn’t respect Edwards or Cole. Richards got on the mic, but Steen’s voice interrupted him from the balcony. Steen said he doesn’t respect any of the people in the ring. He said he wouldn’t let the show end with them showing respect in the ring. The crowd chanted for Steen. Steen said he wished he had a gun to shoot Richards. He said Young Wolves Rising is the worst thing he’s ever heard in his life. He said this should have been called Steen Steals the Show.

Steen said Cole and O’Reilly were cute, but they weren’t the future of the company. Steen said he is the future. Steen said he should have been facing Richards for the ROH World Title tonight. The crowd cheered Steen. Steen said Richards isn’t scared, but Cornette is terrified of him. Steen told Richards he could change Cornette’s mind. A “F--- Cornette” chant started. Steen said until the match happens, he would be Richards’s personal nightmare. Steen wished Richards a happy anniversary and also wished the same to Richards’s Jiu Jitsu Jackoff. Steen’s new remixed music played. O’Reilly got out of the ring as Richards glared at the balcony. The show closed with Richards looking upset on the apron.

Winners: Davey Richards & Adam Cole

Star rating: (***) – The match just dragged throughout. Sure, all four guys busted their a—es, but this was hard to sit through for nearly 40 minutes with the crowd not into the match until the very end. Cole getting the win with a top rope splash of all things on Richards was a big surprise, but I don’t think he or O’Reilly ended up elevated after this match. The whole thing seemed to be undercut, as whatever happened in the match was forgotten quickly once Steen hit the scene and got the crowd’s attention by challenging Richards.

Overall thoughts: (7.5) – There wasn’t a bad match on the show, but this certainly didn’t live up to the standards you would expect from an Anniversary Show from ROH. The undercard got the NYC crowd going, as returnees like Homicide and Amazing Red put on very good performances in the ring.

Briscoes-Young Bucks was a disappointment, as their match never built and seemed to be a collection of moves rather than a match that told a story with the ROH World Tag Team Titles at stake. Steen-Jacobs had some real drama and I really enjoyed Jacobs selling shock after he stabbed Steen with the spike. The finish was brutal and I’d rather never see a guy take that bump ever again.

The main event tried to tell a good story and build up to moments between Richards and Edwards and Cole and O’Reilly at separate times. The crowd was just dead for it and it goes to show that what transpired on TV didn’t translate in the ring. To be fair, the Manhattan market doesn’t get in the ring, but even when watching ROH television, the dynamic between all four men just wasn’t translating into something that would likely result in a special match. Steen running down Richards and Cornette overshadowed what appeared to be an O’Reilly heel turn and Cole’s win. It wasn’t like the crowd was going crazy for Cole. I think O’Reilly has been the only one to sell any kind of emotion that’s credible on television and I’m hoping a heel turn does something for him in terms of being elevated.

The show didn’t reach four hours in length, which is a big plus. The production seems to be a mess in terms of when graphics and replays are displayed. ROH wants to do the right things, but whoever is doing their production just doesn’t seem capable of airing replays and match graphics at the correct time. The replays worked this time around and I liked how they tried to make this iPPV blend in with the graphics and replays that fans are familiar with from the television show, but the producer has to do better than that.

Overall, there’s more than enough on the card to enjoy, especially the undercard with a lot of good matches and the Steen-Kingston confrontation that resulted in the CHIKARA wrestlers coming out for a big brawl. The pieces were in place here and there for a blow away show, but this never reached that level.

Please click HERE and click “like” to join the Radican’s Wrestling Community Facebook fan page.

Follow Sean on Twitter at Twitter.com/SeanRadican

Contact Sean at PWTorchSean@gmail.com

We suggest these recent related articles...

CALDWELL'S ROH ASE PPV REPORT 9/18: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of All-Star Extravaganza - Jay Lethal defends two titles, ANX, more

RADICAN'S "EVOLVE 47" iPPV REPORT 8/15 - Tremendous all-around show, Bailey vs. Chris Hero, Thatcher-Sabre for EVOLVE Title, more

RADICAN'S NJPW "G1 Climax Finals" PPV Report 8/16: ReDRagon-Young Bucks, KUSHIDA-Ricochet, Tanahashi-Nakamura match for the ages in final