SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
McNEILL’s RING OF HONOR PAY-PER-VIEW REPORT
March 10, 2017
ROH 15th ANNIVERSARY SHOW.
Live From Las Vegas, NV
Announcers: Ian Riccaboni, Kevin Kelly, and Colt Cabana
NOTE: We will be providing live coverage of this show beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern time. Greg Parks and I will be recording a VIP Audio review of the pay-per-view following the show.
The show opens with a video package summarizing the first fifteen years of Ring of Honor, with shots of Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness, Samoa Joe and Kevin Steen, followed by the main event promos that aired on the trailer.
We open with Ian Riccaboni seated between New Japan World announcer Kevin Kelly & Colt Cabana. It looks like the 800 seat venue is mostly full. We open with The Rebellion’s ring entrance. It is an unannounced bonus match.
(1) JAY WHITE vs. KENNY KING (w/ Caprice Coleman)
Cabana says likes the idea of White, but not the person. The Code of Honor is followed. Colt is also critical of King for showboating instead of following up on an advantage. White does the Honma falling headbutt for a big pop. King hits a corkscrew plancha, which Coleman celebrates by doing a touchdown dance. King showboats again, then misses a springboard legdrop. WHite knocks King to the floor. Jay goes for a suicide dive, but Coleman pushes King out of the way and takes the bullet. Top rope crossbody by White for a near fall. Shotgun knees by King and a T-Bone suplex for a near fall.
If you’re watching at home, Jay’s the one in the white boots.
Jay goes for another crossbody. King rolls through and hoists Jay for the F5. White escapes and catches King with the inside cradle for the pinfall, to the shock of Caprice Coleman.
WINNER: Jay White by pinfall in 9:58. Good solid opener.
The six-man Mayhem match is next. We get a video package of Frankie Kazarian turning on Christoper Daniels and joining The Bullet Club. There’s a pretaped interview with Kazarian & Hangman Page, with the Young Bucks welcoming Kazarian to Bullet Club.
(2) CHRIS SABIN vs. FRANKIE KAZARIAN vs. DAMIAN MARTINEZ vs. HANGMAN PAGE vs. CHEESEBURGER vs. SILAS YOUNG
Kazarian and Page share an entrance. Cheeseburger comes out wearing a Hayabusa mask for a big pop. Young gets the coveted final entrance. Sabin and Kazarian start with chain wrestling. Whole lotta suicide dives going on, ending with a springboard plancha by Martinez. Martinez brings Sabin in and goes for the pin, but Kazarian makes the save. Kazarian and Page hit a double team DDT on Martinez. Cheeseburger goes after both Bullets, and takes each down. Silas hits Cheeseburger from behind. Martinez comes back in and cleans house. The announcers compete over who can make the worst Cheeseburger pun. Riccaboni wins.
Page blocks Sabin’s tornado DDT, but can’t block it a second time. Page sets up Cheeseburger for the Rite of Passage, but Martinez hits Page with a chokeslam on the apron. Sabin catches Kazarian with a dragon suplex from the top rope. Young catches Sabin with Misery, but Cheeseburger makes the save. Cheeseburger eventually hits to Shotai, but Kazarian catches Cheeseburger with the Ace of Spades for the win.
WINNER: Kazarian pins Cheeseburger in 10:16. All action with a few ugly looking spots.
Jay Lethal vs. Bobby Fish is next.
(3) JAY LETHAL vs. BOBBY FISH
Lethal and Fish follow the Code of Honor. The winner is in line for a shot on the ROH World Title. Colt remembers that Fish’s original ROH gimmick was Jerk Jackson. This three man booth is going to be an adjustment for all of us. Fish kicks Lethal and knocks him through the ropes. Lethal wins a crisscross and sends Fish rolling to the floor. Lethal gets Fish to the floor, but Fish sidesteps the suicide dive and Lethal sells a sternum injury. The slow motion replay shows that Lethal’s sternum hit the guardrail.
The announcers plug that Lethal will face Cody on April 1st in Lakeland. Fish hits a series of Muay Thai kicks to the chest. Fish goes for a moonsault but Lethal moves. Lethal rallies with multiple chops, a superkick, and a suicide dive that hits. The referee starts counting. Both men return to the ring at eleven.
Both men trade strikes in the middle of the ring. Fish hit a Saito suplex and Lethal lands on his head. That’s not the finish. Anklelock by Fish but Lethal makes the ropes. The ref forces a break, allowing Jay to hit a Lethal Cutter From Out Of Nowhere.Hail To The King, but Fish catches the elbow and reverses Jay into a heel hook. Lethal barely makes the ropes. Lethal Combination and Hail To The King. Enziguiri and sspringboard Ace Crusher by Lethal. Fish dodges the second Crusher, but not the Lethal Injection. That’s it.
WINNER: Jay Lethal with the pin in 15:12. Very good match. Not crazy about the lack of transitions, but that’s the style.
After a long staredown, Lethal and Fish shake hands. The crowd cheers. Up next, the ROH Six Man Midcard Comedy Title Match.
(4) THE KINGDOM (Matt Taven & T.K. O’Ryan & Vinnie Marseglia) vs. DALTON CASTLE & THE BOYS for the ROH Six Man Titles.
The Boys are introduced with a chorus line of men dressed as Dalton Castle’s Boys. Very Vegas. Colt threatens to go after Castle. Kevin explains if Colt interferes, he loses his commentary job. The Kingdom does their 80’s metal Spinal Tap entrance, complete with Jerry Lawler crowns for each member.
The opening bell never rang. Castle and The Boys clean house. Kelly explains that the Boy with the Bun is Boy #1, and the one with the pigtails is Boy #2. Marseglia destroys Boy 1 by suplexing him on the ring apron. Castle distracts the ref while the Boys switch places. The Boy surprises O’Ryan for a near fall.
Boy 2 brawls with Marseglia on the floor, and O’Ryan wipes both of them out with an Asai moonsault that puts all three into the guardrail. O’Ryan is down and his leg might be broken. Taven & Marseglia hit Rockstar Supernova on Boy 1. Dalton Castle halfheartedly tries to make the save.
WINNERS: The Kingdom, as Taven pins Boy Number 1 in 7:55. This was fun until it wasn’t. A small army comes out to carry O’Ryan to the back.
TV Title match is next. Marty Scurll’s promo could be described as similar to Matt Hardy’s, except the real thing is here tonight.
(5) MARTY SCURLL vs. LIO RUSH for the ROH World Television Title
Scurll is a pure heel and the crowd loves him. Rush is dressed in all white. These two work at a fast pace. Rush hits a rana from the apron to the floor that wakes up the crowd. Scurll traps Rush in the ring apron and kicks Lio in the head, then stomps the left hand. Same crowd reaction for a lot less work. Scurll works the arm and shoulder some more, then takes a bow. Rush counters back slapping Scurll in the face.
Rush comes back with a flurry of offense. Scurll throws Rush into the buckle and goes back to the arm. Rush uses the ropes to escape, then catches Scurll with a running double stomp from the apron. A top rope double stomp gets a near fall. Marty works the arm again. Soccer kick to the arm and a brainbuster, but Rush kicks out.
More chain wrestling. Scurll hits a clothesline, and both men are down. The champ gets up first and works the arm. Multiple kicks by Scurll. Three kicks to the head by Scurll. Rush makes a Fighting Spirit comeback. Dragons Claw but Scurll gets his knees up. Scurll hits a piledriver for a very near fall. Lio hits the Rush Hour for a near fall. Rush is bleeding from the mouth. Rush takes the belt from the ringside table and teases using it on Scurll. Referee Paul Turner persuades Rush to toss the belt out of the ring. Dragons Claw by Rush, but Scurll kicks out.
Rush leaves the ring and sets up two chairs on the floor. He sets Scurll up on the top turnbuckle and teases a Rush Hour to the floor. Scurll counters with Tower of London for a near fall. Scurll maneuvers Rush into the middle of the ring, applies the chicken wing and rips the tape off of Rush’s shoulder. Rush eventually taps out.
WINNER: Scurll by submission in 18:37. Wow. That was great.
Kevin Kelly shows off the ROH article in USA Today. Cabana takes credit for it. We get footage of Bully Ray debuting and putting Adam Cole through a table on Saturday in Manhattan.
(6) BULLY RAY & THE BRISCOE BROTHERS vs. DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. & WAR MACHINE
Ian and Kevin mention that the match was changed due to Lance Archer’s injury, and that War Machine and DBS don’t like each other. Bully Ray doesn’t look as cut as he did in TNA, but he doesn’t look bad. Bully Ray takes the mic and says they will kick their opponents’ ass. We have a brawl which ends with Bully and Smith in the ring. Bully chops Smith and tags Mark. The Briscoes go for a double team, but Smith suplexes both Briscoes. The BRiscoes rally and hit Smith with the Wassup Drop. Bully tells the Briscoes to get the tables, but War Machine breaks it up.
The announcers talk about Bully as if he’s a special attraction. Mark Briscoe takes the heat. Davey with the stalling suplex and a Boston crab. Jay makes the save. Jay takes the heat. War Machine sets up for their finish, but Davey takes himself in. The dissension allows Jay to escape and make the hot tag. Pier Six brawl. Jay Briscoe catches Hanson with a suicide dive. The Briscoes set their opponents up in the middle of the ring. Bully Ray hits a top rope crossbody onto War Machine & Smith. Then the Briscoes assist Bully in hitting the 3-D on Ray Rowe.
WINNERS: Bully Ray & The Briscoes in 11:49 when Bully pins Rowe. War Machine and Smith fight after the bell until security pulls them apart. A perfectly acceptable showcase for Bully Ray.
The graphic for the tag title match comes up, and the Las Vegas crowd lets out a big pop. That’s next.
(7) MATT HARDY & JEFF HARDY vs. YOUNG BUCKS vs. ROPPONGI VICE – ROH Tag Team Title Match, Triple Threat Las Vegas Street Fight
Lights out for the Hardys entrance. When the lights come up, Matt & Jeff are in the ring. The Hardys and Bucks jaw at each other in the middle of the ring. RPG Vice break it up with metal garbage cans. The RPG work over Jeff with the garbage can. The Bucks take a double rana from Romero. Too much action to call. Hardys take over on the RPG’s with a double elbowdrop, double legdrop combo. Back to the Hardys and Bucks. Matt Jackson hits Baretta with a running Kellerbomb onto the entrance ramp.
The Hardys retrieve a ladder from under the ring. Romero fights Matt Hardy for the ladder, and Beretta rams the ladder into Matt. Running double knees into the ladder by Romero, but Rocky comes up holding his knee. Matt Hardy hits Matt Jackson with Splash Mountain, but walks into a Nick Jackson superkick. baretta goes up, but Matt Jackson knocks him off the top rope and onto the prone ladder.
All three teams brawl on the floor. Matt Jackson climbs the ladder to jump on them, but Trent tips over the ladder. The Bucks do a garbage can assisted 450 on Baretta but the Hardys make the save. Nick goes for the 450 on Rocky, but Romero gets the knees up. All three teams block each other’s finishers. Romero goes under the ring and retrieves the thumbtack sleeve. Never ending thumbtack clothelines by Rocky.
Strong Zero on Nick Jackson, but Matt makes the save. Trent with a bag of thumbtacks. Well, it is tacks season. Bucks take over and hit the top rope bulldog on Trent onto the tacks. Ouch. Face full of thumbtacks superkick on Trent. Observer Hall of Fame Driver onto tacks on Romero. The Hardys make the save. The crowd has gone insane.
The Hardys set up the ladder and a wobbly table. They put Baretta on the table. Swanton by Jeff off the ladder through the table. That’s it.
WINNERS: Matt & Jeff Hardy, with Jeff pinning Baretta in 17:17. The Hardys knock out the Bucks and leave with the Young Bucks’ Superkick Title belts. This is war. Insane spectacle of a match. No other way to describe it.
Time for the main event. Kelly points out that Daniels has yet to say a word about Kazarian’s betrayal. We play a Daniles promo that was recorded before Kazarian joined the Bullet Club. Daniels is in tears talking about how much this victory would mean to him. Cabana makes fun of the promo, saying there’s no crying in wrestling. Tell that to Ric Flair.
(8) ADAM COLE vs. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS – ROH World Heavyweight Title
Cabana says he’s known every ROH champion since Xavier, and Cole is the best. In-ring intros from Bobby Cruise. Dueling chants from the crowd. Cole has the slight edge in crowd support. Code of Honor is followed. Kelly points out that Cary Silkin has made his way to ringside, and that Daniels is 0-8-1 in ROH Title matches (the draw was against Bryan Danielson).
Cole pushes Daniels away, then thumbs his nose at the challenger. Really. Slaps to the head by Cole. Cole charges and Daniels backdrops him over the top rope. Arabian press by Daniels. Cole superkicks Daniels on the outside, and Daniels’ head hits the ringpost. Daniels blades and comes up bleeding over the right eye. Cole works on opening up the cut. Cole grabs a chinlock so we can get a good camera shot of Daniels bleeding.
Cabana points out that referee Todd Sinclair has officiated some of the bloodiest matches in ROH history, and won’t stop the match due to blood unless it’s absolutely necessary. Cole poses for the crowd when Daniels surprises Adam with the Koji clutch. Cole breaks the hold and hits a jumping front kick. Cole launches into a verbal tirade on the fallen Daniels, and tells him his wife married a loser. Daniels rallies and they trade punches.
Daniels hits a series of clotheslines and knees. STO by Daniels. Daniels kicks out of Angel’s Wings. Cole kicks out of the Last Shot. Daniels hits the Styles Clash. Cole kicks out.
Frankie Kazarian comes to the ring, removes his Bullet Club shirt to reveal a Christopher Daniels shirt. Daniels hit the Best Moonsault Ever multiple times, and Kazarian revived referee Todd Sinclair. Daniels scored the pin to win the ROH World Heavyweight Title. The other babyfaces came to the ring to celebrate with Daniels.
WINNER: Christopher Daniels. FITE TV stopped working about halfway through this match, so the finishing paragraphs are compiled from Greg Parks and other reviewers. I’m told this was a good match. I look forward to watching it someday. Good night.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.