Report by Dave Musgrave and F4WOnline.com …
Ring Of Honor T.V. Report 3/17/2012
The show opens with footage of Adam Cole and Eddie Edwards vs Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly.
Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness introduce the show from the announcing booth before Adam Cole comes to the ring. An interview is shown in which Cole says that the main event in New York was the biggest night of his life. He talks about O’Reilly refusing to shake his hand and says that some time soon he will O’Reilly respect him. Cole’s opponent Chris Silvio then comes to the ring. Silvio goes for a handshake but mocks Cole. They tie up and Cole works over Silvio’s arm as O’Reilly joins Kelly and McGuinness on commentary. Cole slaps Silvio in the face, dropkicks him out of the ring and then hits him with a dive. O’Reilly is playing heel on commentary saying he doesn’t respect Cole or Edwards. Kelly notes that O’Reilly will be facing Jay Lethal for the T.V. on March 30 at the Showdown in the Sun. Silvio takes over on offence briefly and misses an elbowdrop before taking Cole back down in a submission move. Cole fights back out into a fireman’s carry and drops Silvio. Cole gets to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick. He puts Silvio on his shoulders and then brings Silvio’s back and neck down across his neck. Silvio comes back and knocks Cole down but starts to dance. Cole manages to get the advantage and hits his Florida Key cross-arm belly-to-back suplex for the victory. O’Reilly gets on the microphone and notes that Cole seems to be on a win streak but that if Cole wants to earn his respect all he has to do is beat him on March 31 at Showdown in the Sun. Cole gets a microphone and says that they’ve been friends for a long time but this PMS cycle O’Reilly is on has gone on too long. Cole accepts the challenge. O’Reilly says that on 3/31 he will show Cole who the backbone of Future Shock really was.
Kevin Kelly promotes the 5/12 show from the Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto in a show that is being called “Border Wars”, noting that the response to ROH TV in Toronto and Buffalo areas has been overwhelming. Kelly notes that no matches have been announced but he brings out ROH World Champion Davey Richards who talks about feeling the cross-hairs of people wanting his title.
After a commercial break, tonight’s main event of Jay Lethal vs Roderick Strong is hyped as part of a tournament in which the winner will get $24,000. Highlights are then shown of Kevin Steen vs Jimmy Jacobs from the 10th Anniversary Show in New York on 2/26. Steen then comes to the ring on this week’s show to be interviewed by Kevin Kelly who notes that Steen’s entrance music seems to have been re-mixed to be about Davey Richards. Steen says that his tennis racket with Richards’ picture on it is what Jim Cornette’s tennis racket would look like if he carried one today. Steen talks about Blind Justice in Florida saying that he thinks Cornette is blind to allow him to wrestle Edwards on 3/31 because it puts him one step closer to being ROH Champion which is his destiny. Steen says that he is going to win the ROH title and hold the company hostage and will make Cornette kiss his feet, kiss his ass which is worse, and then kiss his b… but he is interrupted by Cornette. Cornette says that Steen now has an opponent on 3/30 the night before his match with Edwards. Cornette says that he got an e-mail from someone he hasn’t seen or heard from in a long time. Cornette says that Steen is Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare but he is going to face the man who is his worst nightmare, El Generico. Cornette notes that Steen used a package piledriver but the piledriver is now banned and if Steen uses it he will be suspended and won’t make it to 3/31 to face Edwards. Steen says that he will take out Generico and that from now on anyone who stands in the way of him and the ROH title will be taken out and that includes Cornette. Steen hits Cornette in the stomach with his tennis racket while saying this and then leaves the ring.
On “Inside Ring Of Honor” Lance Storm is interviewed regarding his match with Mike Bennett in Florida. Storm says that he got Bennett’s attention which was the point. Storm says that being old and being washed-up are not the same thing. Storm says that he has been a competitive athlete and training hard since before Bennett was born. Storm says that he sees the same passion in everyone in ROH except Bennett. Storm says that it’s about more than having a hot girlfriend. Storm says that he will face Bennett in two weeks and if Bennett thinks he is facing a washed-up old fart he’d better think again.
Davey Richards is interviewed regarding his three-way match with Roderick Strong and Eddie Edwards in Florida. Richards says that Strong breaks people in the ring and Edwards never backs down. Richards says that if he gets through him he faces Michael Elgin the next night and if he comes through those two nights as champion he deserves it.
Jay and Mark Briscoe are interviewed regarding their Florida match with Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas. They say that Haas and Benjamin talk about how they were travelling around making millions but that they are just chicken farmers. They talk about Haas and Benjamin doing that stuff on Monday nights while they were in ROH becoming seven-time tag team champions. They talk about Haas and Benjamin hitting them with chairs.
Haas and Benjamin are interviewed and Haas asks how many times the Briscoes have gone back to their chicken farm and told their drunk father that they were beaten by Haas and Benjamin. Haas says it will happen one more time in this grudge match and then Benjamin says that they are wrestling’s greatest tag team.
After a commercial break more details are given on the March Mayhem tournament with invitations having been given to eight entrants including who have put up $1500 matched with $12,000 from ROH. The matches will be Strong vs Lethal, Elgin vs Cole, O’Reilly vs Tommasso Ciampa and Edwards vs Bennett. The winners of the four matches will face each other in a match for the $24,000. Highlights are shown of Lethal vs Bennett from the 10th Anniversary Show with Bennett stealing the belt after a time limit draw. Elgin vs Cole will be next week, O’Reilly vs Ciampa and Edwards vs Bennett will both be on in two weeks and the April 7 show will have the four-way finals.
Strong and Lethal are then shown coming to the ring. The match starts after a commercial break and Strong and Lethal shake hands. Strong gets a headlock to start and Lethal turns it into a headscissors. They get to their feet and trade wristlocks before Strong ties up Lethal’s leg. They get to their feet and criss-cross on the ropes with Lethal getting a flying headscissors and then a bodyslam. Lethal hits a float-over suplex and then punches Strong in the corner. Strong comes out wobbly and lethal pushes him down for a pin attempt. Strong recovers and starts hitting punches of his own. Strong is on the apron and attempts to run Lethal’s head into the corner but Lethal blocks it and hits a second rope dropkick followed by a dive. After a commercial break Strong is on offense and footage is shown from the break in which Truth Martini interfered and Strong knocked Lethal to the floor. In live action Strong has Lethal in somewhat of a Camel Clutch position. Strong whips Lethal into the ropes and hits a great dropkick. Strong is punching Lethal who starts his comeback and is trading punches and chops with Strong. Strong cuts it off briefly but Lethal again comes back with chops and lays out Strong with an enzuiguri. They both get to their feet and trade punches. Lethal hits a dropkick out of a cartwheel. Strong whips him into the ropes but Lethal gets his feet up and then hits a leg lariat. Lethal goes for an STO but gets blocked. Strong does a slingshot Falcon’s Arrow for a near-fall. Strong chops Lethal in the corner and hits forearms as well. Lethal fights out and hits a handspring elbow. Lethal is going for the top rope but Martini is on the ring apron. Strong charges Lethal who gets out of the way but Strong still gets behind him to roll him up with his feet on the ropes for a two-count. They get unto a chop exchange again and Strong hits a fireman’s carry into a gutbuster. Lethal hits his Lethal Combination and gets ready to go to the top rope. Martini distracts the referee while Michael Elgin comes out but Lethal blocks him and runs Strong into Elgin before rolling him up for the pinfall.
Kelly notes that next week Cole will face Elgin while Haas and Benjamin will face Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander.
This week continued the run of strong television from Ring Of Honor. I find the promotion for the Showdown In The Sun shows to be really strong, which is impressive considering they have two back-to-back shows to promote and just had a major show two weeks ago. I am really looking forward to Cole vs O’Reilly, O’Reilly vs Lethal and Steen vs Generico after this week’s show and the Blind Destiny promotion is good as well.
