ROH TV Report
March 8, 2014
Taped in Pennsylvania, Pa.
Report by Mike Metzger, PWTorch VIP Member

The ROH TV opening aired.

Silas Young walked out to the ring with a leather strap, as the announcers introduced the show. Inside the ring, former House of Truth valet Scarlett Bordeaux made the ring introductions.

1 - SILAS YOUNG vs. MATT TAVEN

This was not a strap match - Silas brought the strap to the ring as a memento of beating Mark Briscoe at Final Battle 2013. Both men shook hands to start. Young talked some trash before both men locked up in the center of the ring. They traded some blows and Silas came out on top. Young applied a few holds, but Taven came back with an armdrag and a dropkick. Taven hit a huracanrana, rolled through, and then kicked Silas right in the face.

Taven hit a standing moonsault, but was distracted as Truth Martini walked down to the ring at the 2:00 mark. Silas threw Taven to the ring apron, but Taven was able to reverse with a sunset flip. Young countered with a stomp to the chest as ROH went to commercial at 3:00.

[Commercial Break]

Back at 5:30: Young had a chinlock on Taven. Taven broke free, but Young maintained control. Taven jumped to the top rope, but Young was able to crotch him and then kick him to the outside. Young dragged him back in but could only get a two count. On commentary, Truth Martini proclaimed that Taven was nothing without him.

Young whipped Taven into the corner, but Taven was able to roll out and hit Silas with an enziguri! Taven delivered some kicks and then went for a second-rope moonsault. Silas moved, but Taven was able to land on his feet. Taven tried again and hit the moonsault this time, but could only get a nearfall.

Silas hit a backbreaker, but Taven fought right back. He went for Angels Wings, but Young countered with a stiff clothesline for a two count. Silas did a handstand on the top rope and then went for a flip move, but Taven got out of the way and hit him a spinkick. The former TV champ finished off Silas with a frogsplash from the top rope for the pinfall victory!

Both men shook hands after the match. The mutual respect was short-lived, however, as Silas nailed Taven with a cheap shot. Truth Martini, decked out in a red suit, came in and cheered on Young. Kevin Kelly speculated the Young had “made a deal with the devil” and joined Martini. Martini went to shake Young’s hand, but Silas walked right past him.

WINNER: Matt Taven via pinfall at 9:20. (**1/4)

ANALYSIS: About average for an ROH match. My guess is that they are positioning Taven for a brief run against Adam Cole, as he holds a victory over him from last year. I’m glad Silas did not go with Martini, as it would appear to be a step down for him at this point. We’ll see where they go from here, though...

[Commercial Break]

They recapped Hanson’s Top Prospect tournament victory over Raymond Rowe last month.

2 - ROH TV champion TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. HANSON - ROH Television Title match

If you have not been following ROH, Hanson is a Mike Knox-esque big man, beard and all. The bell rang and both men immediately started exchanging blows. Hanson came out on top at first. Ciampa fought back, though, and batted Hanson into the corner with punches and stomps. Ciampa went for a running knee, but Hanson jumped up and out of the way. Hanson went for his Spinkick of Doom, but Ciampa ducked and then backdropped the big man out of the ring. Tommaso followed up with an ugly-looking dive onto his opponent on the outside.

Ciampa recovered and threw Hanson into the hockey boards. Ciampa nailed his running knee and then celebrated in the crowd! Back in the ring, Hanson hit a big powerslam out of nowhere, but could only get a two count. Both men criss-crossed the ropes until Ciampa was able to lift up Hanson and deliver the Kryptonite Crunch! Ciampa went for the pin, but Hanson kicked out.

Both men started exchanging blows in the center of the ring. Ciampa went for a dropkick, but Hanson cartwheeled out of the way and then nailed Ciampa with a vicious-looking clothesline. Definitely the spot of the match so far. Ciampa battled back and hit Hanson in the face with a running knee. Hanson battled Ciampa back into the corner and then nailed him with a Bronco Buster. The big man then hit a huge moonsault, but could only get a two count!

Ciampa immediately locked Hanson into the Sicilian Stretch, but Hanson was able to power out and lift up Ciampa. Tommaso broke free, but Hanson was then able to hit him with the Spinkick of Doom! Hanson fought Ciampa into the corner. Hanson looked to be going for a powerbomb off the top rope, but Ciampa reversed and hit Project CIampa out of nowhere for the pinfall victory!

WINNER: Tommaso Ciampa via pinfall in 6:40 to retain the ROH TV Title. (***)

ANALYSIS: Great match. It’s usually hard to give three stars to a match that lasts less than seven minutes, but this definitely deserved it. Hanson is not your typical WWE-style big man - he can definitely hang with the ROH wrestlers, but most of his matches have been kept pretty short thus far. It will be interesting to see what ROH does long-term with Hanson.

[Commercial Break]

[ During the break, self-proclaimed ROH champion Jay Briscoe cut a backstage promo hyping his recent victory over Adam Cole in San Antonio, Tex. (available on ROHwrestling.com, by the way!). He excitedly proclaimed himself the true ROH champion, as his belt preserved the true lineage of the ROH Championship. Man’s got a point! ]

Back from break, they recapped ROH TV from a few weeks ago where Chris Hero pinned Adam Cole in a three-team elimination match to earn a future shot at the ROH World Title.

Both Chris Hero and Adam Cole made their entrances. Nigel McGuinness joined Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino for commentary. Scarlett made the ring introductions and it was time for a...

[Commercial Break]

[During the break, Jay Lethal hyped his match with Tommaso Ciampa for the ROH TV Title next week.]

3 - ROH World champion ADAM COLE vs. CHRIS HERO — ROH World Title match

The Code of Honor was adhered to and the fans chanted “This is awesome” before the match even started. Both men felt each other out for the first minute, until Cole rolled to the outside like a cowardly heel. Cole came back in and went for a kick to the gut of Hero, but Hero caught him and rolled him up for a two-count. At 2:00, both men locked up again. Cole knocked Hero down and then did his “Adam Cole, baby!” spot.

Hero shut Cole up with a dropkick. He followed up with a few nearfalls. Cole fought back and started stomping Hero in the corner. Hero fought out with some chops, but Cole rolled to the outside again! Cole taunted Hero from the outside. This prompted Hero to crawl to the outside and chase Cole around the ring. Cole tried to outsmart Hero by reversing direction, but was nailed by a kick from the challenger! Cole tried to get back in, but Hero kicked him to the outside. Hero went for a dive, but stopped himself when Cole moved. This opened Hero up for a kick to the head from Cole on the outside. Back in the ring, Cole could only get a two count.

Cole was in firm control at 6:00. Hero nailed Cole with a stiff chop, but could not take advantage as Cole countered with another kick. The champion applied a chinlock. Hero tried to battle out, but Cole was relentless. Cole then went for a suplex. Hero blocked and rolled up Cole for a nearfall. Cole fought right back with a dropkick to the face.

A strange noise came from the crowd and Cole was definitely distracted by it. The camera panned the crowd. Nothing seemed to be wrong. They panned back to Cole, who flipped off the crowd as the show went to commercial at 8:10 of the match.

[Commercial Break]

Back at 10:00: Both men were exchanging chops in the ring. Hero hit an odd-looking suplex on Cole, as the fans chanted “Hero! Hero!” The challenger nailed Cole with a dropkick and then a blockbuster. Hero then hit Cole with a dropkick that sent his opponent to the outside.

Back in the ring, Hero hit an elbow but could only get a two count. Hero went for an Electric Chair, but Cole fought out. He was rewarded with a dropkick to his face and another odd-looking suplex from Hero. The odd crowd noise seemed to be revealed: a few fans were literally just screeching at the top of their lungs. The camera panned to the crowd again.

Hero kicked Cole again in the corner. Cole fought back and both men battled between the ropes. Cole was able to somehow piledrive Hero into the ring, but could only get a two count. Cole was visibly frustrated. Cole started taunting Hero, as several fans started screeching. Cole raised his arms and yelled “Adam Cole, baby!” again, but this time Hero punched him right in the jaw!

Hero lifted Cole onto his shoulders, raised his arms, and said “Adam Cole...is dead!” Hero dropped Cole and then nailed him with the elbow to the back of the head, which knocked Cole to the outside. Hero struggled to get Cole back into the ring. He finally did, but Cole immediately rolled back out. Great heel work by Cole! Hero went to throw Cole back in the ring, but Cole reversed him and nailed his Florida Key finisher on the outside!

Cole rolled Hero in the ring and then hit a suplex into a neckbreaker, but could only get a nearfall. The crowd chanted “This is awesome!” as Cole plotted his next move. The champion went for the Florida Key, but the referee was inadvertently hit in the face. Hero hit a Cross Rhodes-like maneuver and then applied a submission. Cole tapped out, but the referee was still knocked out. Both men started exchanging blows in the center of the ring as the ref came to. Cole hit three consecutive Florida Keys and scored the pin.

Adam Cole celebrated his victory as the show ended.

WINNER: Adam Cole via pinfall at 19:10 to retain the ROH World Title. (***3/4)

ANALYSIS: This was easily the match of the night. I didn’t like the ref bump at the end, but ROH seems to be extending their “crowded ROH Title picture” storyline. I really enjoy Cole’s heel act. Some of the stuff early in the match was cheap, but it was absolutely maddening when he rolled out of the ring toward the end of the match.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Much better offering compared to last week’s show. If you're pressed for time and still haven't watched it, skip the 12th Anniversary iPPV and just watch this show.

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