Report comes from Dave Musgrave and F4WOnline.com …
The show opens with footage of last week’s match between Jay and Mark Briscoe and Cedric Alexander and Caprice Coleman.
This week opens with Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness introducing the show from the Du Burns Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Tomasso Ciampa is immediately shown coming to the ring along with R.D. Evans, Prince Nana and Ernesto Osiris. His opponent Matt Taven then comes to the ring. Taven skins the cat to get in the ring and Ciampa immediately grabs him from behind with a full-nelson suplex. Taven is in the corner and Ciampa runs in for a kick but Taven gets in the way. Taven kicks Ciampa out of the ring and then flies over the top rope for a five onto Ciampa. Jay Lethal is then shown at ringside. Ciampa hits a Kryptonite Crunch on Taven and stares off with Lethal. Ciampa pulls back the ringside mat to suplex Taven on the concrete but Taven blocks him and hits his own suplex and both men are down on the floor. They eventually get back in the ring and are both on their knees exchanging a series of punches and continuing to do so as they get to their feet. Taven hits an enzuiguri followed shortly by a leaping kick. Ciampa is on his knees taking kicks from Taven but he manages to get out and take Taven down. Ciampa fights back briefly but Taven takes over and drapes Ciampa on the ropes for a rolling neckbreaker. Taven is going to the top rope but is distracted by Nana and gets attacked by Ciampa on the top rope. Taven still knocks Ciampa off and hits a frog-splash for a near-fall. Taven Back tot heir feet and Ciampa pulls Taven into a jumping knee in Taven’s face for a near-fall. Ciampa gets Taven in the Tree Of Woe and hits two running knee-strikes followed by Project Ciampa (powerbomb position brining his opponent down across his knees) from the top rope for the victory. Ciampa taunts Lethal after the match and Kelly and McGuinness talks about Lethal and Ciampa facing off at Border Wars in Toronto.
After a commercial break TJ Perkins is interviewed by Veda Scott regarding his match tonight with Mike Mondo saying that Mondo says that he can stop the lightning but technically he can`t. The Young Bucks come in making fun of Perkins for his clothes and his Emo look and tell Veda she should be interviewing the f’ìng rock stars. Perkins says interview is next for them to talk about their ponytails and they make fun of his bleach-spot in his hair. The Bucks say they flew in first class and that he flew in couch with everyone else. Perkins says that the next time they interrupt him in his interview or his match he will kick their teeth down their throats. Perkins shoves them and walks off.
“No Fear” Mike Mondo then comes to the ring followed by his opponent “Technical Lightning” TJ Perkins. They tie up and exchange wrist-locks and headlocks to start. Perkins ducks under and hits a neckbreaker. Perkins gets whipped into the corner where he hits a headstand in the corner and kicks Mondo. They go outside and chase each other and once back in the ring Mondo attacks Perkins. Mondo fish-hooks Perkins and drags him around the ring. Mondo takes Perkins outside and tries to jam his open mouth on the ring apron but Perkins fights out and tries to hit a running kick. Mondo moves and Perkins kicks the guardrail. Mondo whips Perkins into the guardrail and then brings him inside and grinds an elbow into his face. Mondo grinds Perkins` face into the matt. Perkins hits some kicks in the corner but Mondo maintains control and grinds Perkins` face into the corner. Mondo holds Perkins` eyelid open in the middle of the ring and then bites the eye area. Perkins freaks out and fights back with kicks, a bodypress off the second rope and punches. Perkins jumps off the top rope for a dropkick and goes for a pin attempt. The Young Bucks are seen coming to ringside. They grab Perkins foot from outside. Perkins comes out and gets rolled back inside by the Bucks. Perkins gets whipped into the ropes and catches himself. Mondo goes to the outside and Perkins hits a tope con giro onto he and the Bucks. The Bucks hold Perkins’ foot as he tries to enter the ring, allowing Mondo to hit the double-arm DDT for the pinfall and then he and the Bucks triple-team Perkins before Rhett Titus and Kenny King come to help Perkins fight off the Bucks and Mondo.
Kelly previews the main event of Kevin Steen vs Kyle O`Reilly and says that up next will be “Inside Ring Of Honor”. On “Inside Ring of Honor” Kelly previews “Border Wars” from Toronto on May 12. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin are interviewed regarding their ROH Tag Team Title match against champions Jay and Mark Briscoe in a “Fight Without Honor”. Haas says that the Briscoes complain about what Haas and Benjamin have done to them but notes that last June it was the Briscoes that jumped them and beat them up with chairs. He notes that they made a statement against the Briscoes in Florida and a clip is showed of them running Jay into the ringpost spread-eagle. Benjamin says the last thing they need is the belts. The Briscoes are interviewed and say that they did start it last June when they beat Haas and Benjamin with chairs but that Haas and Benjamin crossed a line in Florida when they tried to take Jay’s manhood. They say that in Canada they will cross a border and then they will cross a line and whoop their asses.
Kelly previews that all three members of The House Of Truth (Michael Elgin, Roderick Strong and Rhino) will wrestle in separate matches with Elgin vs Adam Cole, Rhino vs Eddie Edwards and Strong defending his ROH TV Title against Fit Finlay. An interview is shown with Strong, Elgin and Rhino and their manager Truth Martini who runs down their matches. Strong says he hears Finlay likes to fight and that he will be in for the biggest fight of his life. Elgin says that Cole is coming into Toronto in this dreamland of his but he will get a dose of reality on May 12 and realize the only breakout start of 2012 is Michael Elgin. Rhino says that Edwards is a former heavyweight champion and so is he. Rhino says that he gets paid to take people out and in Toronto he will tear him in half with his Gore. Edwards is interviewed and says that Rhino has said what he has to say and that he has also done his talking but in Toronto it is about what happens in the ring and who can get hit the hardest and still get up. Edwards says that Rhino can come to gore him but he will not stop him in going after the ROH World Title.
Kelly does a profile on Fit Finlay with pictures of him from early in his career and saying that he is one of the world’s best technical wrestlers and one of the best stars the United Kingdom has ever produced. Kelly also noted that Lance Storm will try to end his ROH career as a winner against Mike Bennett. An interview is shown with Bennett and Maria Kanellis saying it is sad that Storm didn’t get the picture in Fort Lauderdale and he went to ROH and begged for a rematch in his home country of Canada. Bennett says the fact he has to go there to beat him gives him chills and makes him want to come out of his clothes because it is disgusting. Bennett says “If I can be serious for a minute” Storm’s career almost came to an end in Fort Lauderdale and will come to a definite end in Toronto with Storm’s family and friends watching.
After a commercial break Veda Scott interviews Kyle O’Reilly regarding his match tonight with Steen. Kyle says that Steen talks a lot of trash about Team Ambition’s training regimen and that Steen throws stones at something he simply can’t understand, being an athlete. O’Reilly says that he is trying to grasp the concept of why some people like Steen as he is fat, stinky and is a disgusting slob. O’Reilly says that he is going to expose Steen for the fraud that he is and everybody is going to wake up from Wrestling’s Worst Day-Dream.
O’Reilly is shown coming to the ring followed by Steen accompanied by Jimmy Jacobs. The “Tale Of The Tape” shows that O’Reilly is 24 and Steen is 27. O’Reilly gets some boos during his ring introduction. Steve Corino joins the commentary team. Steen and O’Reilly start heating each other with punches and forearms. Steen lifts O’Reilly for a suplex but gets a knee in the head. O’Reilly sweeps Steen’s legs and Steen goes to the outside followed by O’Reilly who hits a number of kicks. Steen catches O’Reilly’s foot and throws it into the ringpost and then powerbombs O’Reilly onto the ring apron. Corino on commentary asks why he is always asked to talk about Steen and is told that he knows the most about him other than Jacobs. Corino says he doesn’t know Steen or Jacobs but thought he did. Corino talks about Jacobs having been his sponsor and then falling off the wagon. After a commercial break Steen is in control of O’Reilly and Irish Whips him but O’Reilly falls as he is limping. Steen charges him and hits the ringpost, knocking him to the outside. O’Reilly hits his running missile dropkick from the apron to the guardrail but is still limping afterward. O’Reilly hits another missile dropkick on the inside. He works over Steen by the ropes but Steen takes over, draping O’Reilly on the ropes for a DDT and then hitting a cannonball in the corner for a pin attempt. Steen attempts his F-5 but O’Reilly gets an armbar and takes Steen to the mat. Kelly notes that due to O’Reilly`s leg injury he can`t get enough pressure. O’Reilly hits kicks that seem lighter because of the injury. He runs off the ropes but is thrown up into a powerbomb. O’Reilly`s mouth-guard falls out and Steen puts it in his mouth and puts O’Reilly in an ankle lock. O’Reilly gets up and hi9ts an enzuiguri. O’Reilly gets the mouthpiece back and throws it on Jacobs but Steen hits O’Reilly and uses the F-5 for the pinfall and the victory. Steen and Jacobs beat up O’Reilly after the match and hit him with Steen’s tennis racket. Davey Richards comes to the ring and fights off both Steen and Jacobs and puts an ankle lock on Steen. This is broken up by a low blow from Jacobs. Referees and security come from the back and hold off Steen and Jacobs, including an attempt by Steen to put on the package piledriver. Kelly notes that the package piledriver is legal in the Steen vs Richards title match at Border Wars. Richards is trying to get out of the ring to get at Steen but gets hit with a tennis racket. After a commercial break highlights of the Steen vs O’Reilly match is shown. Richards gets on the microphone and says that one thing Steen will never do is take his ROH title. Richards says that noone only will he kick Steen’s ass in Toronto and bury him, he is going to “make you know what it’s like to be helpless, fat boy”. Richards says that Steen’s days of pretending to be an athlete and a wrestler are quickly coming to an end. Steen says that the “American Strong Style” is dead and next week the wolf will be back and he will be on the hunt.
As the show ends Kelly says that next week will see the ROH TV debut of Chikara and Davey Richards will face Rhino in a Proving Ground match.
The Taven vs Ciampa match was really good this week. It put over Taven well and was some of the better work I have seen from Ciampa. Perkins vs Mondo was good and I hope it leads to a six-man match with King, Titus and Perkins vs The Young Bucks and Mondo. The main event was good, although some people are going to be critical of O’Reilly hitting some of the moves he did while selling his leg. But it built well to the Richards vs Steen match which was the most important thing. The interviews during “Inside ROH” were all really strong this week as well.
