By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

So at only $15, I decided to buy the ROH iPPV this afternoon (it originally aired Friday night). The lineup looked good and I thought they did a nice job hyping most of the matches on television, which is one reason I decided to buy the show (I feel more comfortable plunking down the money when I'm actually able to follow what's going on). I was joined by Gonzo of "Gonzo & The Greg" - Kurt was originally scheduled but had to back out due to family commitments. As teachers, we both have this week off due to the holiday, and yes, this is how we've chosen to spend our time. That said, I thought it'd be fun to break from the usual format of only doing hangout reports for WWE shows and do one for ROH.

(1) Michael Elgin vs. TJ Perkins: Gonzo said he doesn't see Elgin as a future ROH World Champion. We'll have to revisit this blog post if that happens. The match was good, but I thought Elgin had to wait for TJ on too many moves/counters. Gonzo also compared the look of Truth Martini to an 80s cracked-out roadie. Gonzo gave it **1/2, while I had it at **3/4

(2) Jimmy Rave vs. Tomasso Ciampa: We have a running joke on "Gonzo & The Greg" that Tomasso Ciampa sounds like a dish you'd order at Olive Garden: "Yes, I'd like the Tomasso Ciampa, and can I get a side of breadsticks with that?" Gonzo was (sarcastically) mystified at how ROH could bring Rave back with so little hype. I thought it was weird to see Rave with little muscle definition in his abs or arms. I gotta say, I'm not a huge fan of the Embassy thus far. I did think they did a nice job mixing Rave's past with the Embassy into the story of the match. Gonzo: *3/4. Me: **

(3) Mike Bennett vs. Jay Lethal vs. El Generico: Had to laugh at the "CM Punk" chant directed at Maria and Bennett. I don't get why companies don't defend TV titles solely on television; to me, it's a way to be truer to the title and to make the TV show itself mean more. Generico's overselling here was annoying at times. It was nice to see him NOT kiss Maria when she was thrown into him on the outside, though. "He (Bennett) just strikes me as a WWE guy," said Gonzo. Generico's dive between the ropes and into a DDT was awesome, maybe the move of the night. Michael Cole would've been all over Kevin Kelly for cheering at the end. ***1/2 for Gonzo, ***1/4 for me.

(4) Steve Corino vs. Kevin Steen: Steen with the Sandman entrance! I love how Steen was actually gone for 53 weeks; had this been WWE, he would've been brought back a month later. I think they needed to emphasize Jimmy Jacobs' role a little more, even if it didn't come into play much. Gonzo thought no way was Steen 250 pounds as he was announced. He did like Corino throwing chairs into the ring - he said it made more sense than just slipping them into the ring when you can throw them in and hit your opponent. The suplex onto the barricade in the ring just seemed too dangerous. I did like that we didn't get the cliched screams of "stay down!" after every near-fall late. Gonzo on Corino's use of the roll of quarters: "That's ROH's gate tonight!" Post-match was good. *3/4 for both Gonzo and I.

(5) Tag Team Gauntlet Match: The Bravados vs. Coleman & Alexander was like a TNA tag match. Too many other parts of this match and the other tag match felt the same way. Gonzo thought this should've gone on earlier in the card, to separate it from the tag title match. The Young Bucks just looked better than most of the other teams, save for maybe ANX. I wonder if TNA wishes they still had the Bucks, considering the current state of their tag division. ***, Gonzo: **1/2

(6) Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero: Hero was a nice surprise and definitely felt like a worthy payoff. His roaring elbows were a thing of beauty. Strong winning was a bit of a surprise, given how these matches usually go. **1/2, but it was **1/4 'til the final few minutes.

(7) The Briscoes vs. Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team: The chairshots in this one were quite unsettling. I wondered why the ref started the match with Benjamin and Haas both still in the ring. Haas wishes he could've got the heat in WWE that he got here. This match was certainly not about workrate. **1/4

(8) Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards: I expected many counters in this one. If Edwards was truly being taught the intricacies of the Dragon Sleeper from Dan Severn, Richards should've brought Ultimo Dragon in to help him counter. Gonzo said Richards just doesn't have the look of a babyface. I agree as far as his facial expressions go. Gonzo also wanted to see Severn German suplex someone; he had to settle for some European uppercuts. The slap fights really did not look good in this one. The Nigel McGuinness "that's gotta be it!" count in this one: 38. Okay, maybe it just felt like that many. I did like the post-match. ***1/2

Four-plus hours is just too long to ask people to sit at their computers (or even TVs) for. I had high hopes for this show coming in, but for the most part, they were not met.

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