Ring of Honor TV Report
May 10, 2010
Taped Mar. 6 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Episode #57 - Second episode of Series 10
Report by Mike DeRosenroll, Torch ROH specialist

STRENGTHS

- This was an entertaining and newsworthy show. ROH began setting up the June Internet pay-per-view by having the Briscoes win an entertaining #1 contender's match for the tag titles and Shawn Daivari joining the Embassy was a major storyline development that was well done. Austin Aries's promo setting up the main event Battle Royal was fun as well.

- The show was well structured. Both matches on the show were preceded by promos and segments making them seem important, and Shawn Daivari's showcase in-ring promo was also given context with a video package, so someone who never watched ROH before would have been able to follow everything on this show.

- Good follow-up on last week. The show closing injury angle arising from Aries's attack on Delirious was talked about repeatedly, and the hype for last weekend's ROH World Title match at a live event in New York City was acknowledged with a graphic directing viewers to the ROH Facebook page for results and photos. With all the focus on the New York event last week, it would have been ideal to have more on-air follow-up than just a graphic, but, given how many weeks ago this show was taped, the low amount of follow-up is understandable. The last live event that ROH hyped on television, the Chicago event a few weeks ago, was not even acknowledged the next week so this week was an improvement that deserves credit.

WEAKNESSES

- None. For the first time ever, I have no criticisms of the show. ROH is really producing entertaining TV lately, and they are doing it without giving away pay-per-view main event level matches every week.

DETAILED RECAP

- The show opened cold with Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak in the studio. Hogewood recapped last week's show closing angle in which Austin Aries and Kenny King deliberately injured Delirious's throat in a scene reminiscent of Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat in the mid-'80s WWF. Hogewood did a good job of showing outrage. A video package recapped what happened.

[Opening Credits]

- Backstage, Jim Cornette announced that the Briscoes would face the Dark City Fight Club on tonight's show and the winners would get to face the Kings of Wrestling for the ROH World Tag Team Titles at the next Internet pay-per-view on June 19 from Toronto.

- Prazak hyped the replay of the last Internet pay-per-view, which is still available online, by talking about how great the tag team title match between the Briscoes and the Kings of Wrestling was. Slow motion replays and still shots from that match aired as Prazak talked.

1 - THE BRISCOES (JAY & MARK) vs. THE DARK CITY FIGHT CLUB (KORY CHAVIS & JON DAVIS) -- #1 contender match

Jay and Chavis started the match with a slugfest in the ring, but Mark and Davis quickly got involved and all four men brawled to the outside. At 1:30, Mark landed an impressive flip dive from the ringside barricade onto Davis, drawing a huge cheer from the crowd. The Briscoes took command of the ringside brawl and Jay brought the action back inside, where the Briscoes spent a couple of minutes working over Chavis with their signature offense. ... On the screen, a graphic notified fans that results and photos from last weekend's live show are available on the ROH Facebook page.

The DCFC turned the tide a 3:30 when Davis grabbed Jay's ankle and yanked Jay out of the ring. Mark tried to dive from the ring apron onto to Davis, but Davis caught him and slammed Mark into the ringside barrier. The DCFC quickly took the fight back inside to double team Jay, then began tagging in and out and working Jay over. At 7:00, Jay made a comeback by leg sweeping Chavis face first into the turnbuckle and then made it to Mark for the hot tag. Mark cleaned house, clotheslined both Chavis and Davis over the top to the outside, then went to the top rope and hit an impressive moonsault press onto both opponents on floor at 8:00. Mark then rolled Davis back into the ring to continue the beating, but Chavis and Jay entered the ring and all four men begin exchanging high spots. The crowd was really into this and chanted "Man up!" for the Briscoes. Chavis and Davis tried to set up Mark for their Project Mayhem double team finisher, but Jay was able to roll up Davis from behind for the quick pin.

WINNERS: Briscoes in 9:30. Good match.

- Hogewood hyped that a Six-man Battle Royal to fill the Pick 6 spot vacated by Claudio Castagnoli was coming up. A graphic on the screen showed that the competitors would be Austin Aries, "Skullkrusher" Rasche Brown, Eddie Kingston, Jerry Lynn, Joey Ryan, and Rhett Titus.

- Backstage, Kyle Durden interviewed Austin Aries. He asked Aries if he was proud of his attack last week on Delirious. Aries said of course he was proud, then changed the subject to the upcoming Battle Royal. He said he has studied tapes on great Battle Royal battlers like Haystacks Calhoun, Andre the Giant and Big John Studd and would implement their techniques to eliminate the nineteen other men and win. Durden pointed out there were only six people in the Battle Royal. Aries grinned and said it was going to be a piece of cake then. Another entertaining promo from Aries.

- A montage of clips from earlier interviews with Nana, Erick Stevens of the Embassy and Necro Butcher, interspersed with incidents from the Necro-Embassy feud, recapped the motivations of all three. Nana had a hilarious comment about sending Necro home to feed his family with the free cheese and whip he gets from the US government. The video package ended with Jim Cornette reinstating Necro and making all his future matches Butcher's Rules matches as long as he promised to keep the matches inside the barricades and keep the crew and fans out of it. Necro broke both of these conditions in the first thirty seconds of his terrible Butcher's Rules squash match last week.

- Back in the ring, Prince Nana, accompanied by Mister Ernesto Osiris, was hilariously running down the fans for looking terrible and having no class. Nana thanked Allan Greenspan and the U.S. Federal Reserve for doing him a big favor and allowing him to bring in the newest member of the Embassy. Nana then introduced Shawn Daivari.

Daivari made his ring entrance wearing a suit. He took the mic from Nana and cut a promo. Daivari said that Nana used his words to get him to join him, rather than bomb his home and family. Daivari said he paid Erick Stevens' fines for his brawl with Necro and paid to send Stevens on vacation while Daivari personally attends to the Necro Butcher. Daivari said he hates Necro because he is so unrefined and yet the fans love him, so destroying Necro will break the spirit for the fans. Good logical promo from Daivari to explain joining the Embassy and set him up in opposition to Necro.

- Hogewood hyped that next week Kevin Steen will face Roderick Strong for a spot in the Pick 6.

- Backstage, Durden interviewed Eddie Kingston about the upcoming Battle Royal. Kingston said the ROH World Title is the most important title in the wrestling industry, so he intends to fight hard for the Pick 6 spot and go on to win the title. Nice basic promo.

- Colt Cabana came on for another "The Art of Wrestling" segment. His guest was ROH ring announcer Bobby Cruise to talk about the art of talking. Cruise tried to talk but Cabana kept interrupting him until Cruise gave up and walked off. Decent quick segment to lighten the tone of the show.

[Commercial Break]

- Hogewood introduced a video package recapping Eddie Edwards's run through the TV Title tournament to become the first ever ROH TV Champion.

2 - AUSTIN ARIES vs. "SKULLKRUSHER" RASCHE BROWN vs. EDDIE KINGSTON vs. JERRY LYNN vs. JOEY RYAN (w/Prince Nana and Mr. Ernesto Osiris) vs. RHETT TITUS - Pick 6 Contender Series Over-the-Top-Rope Battle Royal

Lynn went after Aries as the opening bell rang but Titus came to Aries' aid and Lynn got mixed up with Titus instead. Heels Aries and Ryan spent a lot of time in the opening minutes running away from Brown and Kingston and taking cheap shots when their opponents took their eyes off them. Kingston made the first elimination at 3:30 by knocking Ryan over the top rope with lariat, but Kingston's momentum carried him over the top as well both were eliminated. The two kept brawling on the outside and fought their way to the back. Brown then took over the match and looked dominant by cleaning house on the other three survivors.

At 6:30, Brown was about to eliminate Lynn when Aries and Titus came up behind and threw him out. Lynn landed on the apron and rolled back into the ring. Brown was enraged at being eliminated, so he came back in the ring and laid out all three survivors with big moves before finally leaving. Aries, Lynn and Titus all sold Brown's beating for a while before staggering to their feet. The crowd was solidly behind Lynn, who was now in the ring with two heel. Aries and Titus teamed up on Lynn but Lynn held his own and knocked Aries through ropes to the outside at 8:00. With Aries out of the picture, Lynn made short work of Titus and quickly eliminated him. However, Aries re-entered the ring from the other side and eliminated Lynn with dropkick from behind.

WINNER: Aries in 8:30. Okay for a Battle Royal.

- The show went off the air with another video package recapping Aries's post-match attack on Delirious's throat.

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