Ring of Honor TV
Date: 1/21/2012
From: Baltimore, MD
The program starts off with a video highlighting what happened at Final Battle between Eddie Edwards and ROH World Champion Davey Richards. Richards retained the championship after kicking Edwards in the head. After the match, Kevin Steen proclaimed that he was back in ROH and gunning for the ROH World Championship. “My name is Kevin Steen and I’m the Antichrist of Professional Wrestling.”
Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuiness are standing in the ring. They talk about the change in the tag team division at Final Battle. Rhett Titus has an injury and is out for several weeks. Kenny King will square off against Matt Jackson in singles action.
We hear from Mike Mondo who says that he wants to take advantage of a vulnerable Eddie Edwards tonight. Mondo is going to show what he is all about. He is going to make an example out of Edwards tonight. Eddie Edwards shares his thoughts saying he isn’t going to make excuses for what happened at Final Battle. Edwards tells Mondo he is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Opening Contest: Mike Mondo vs. Eddie Edwards
Mondo has half of his head dyed blonde. Edwards is knocked down to the mat early with a shoulder block but battles back with an arm drag. Mondo is placed in the tree of woe and Edwards hits a dropkick which gets him a near fall. Mondo pokes Edwards in the eyes and delivers a shoulder breaker to gain the advantage. Mondo is working on the arm that has screws in it. Edwards delivers a leaping knee strike but can’t put Mondo away. Mondo hits a single arm Code Breaker but Edwards powers out at two. Edwards hits a top rope double stomp and follows up with the Die Hard for the win.
Your Winner: Eddie Edwards
Match Rating: ***
Footage from the tag match between the Briscoe Brothers and Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team is shown. It looks like Haas and Benjamin have turned heel after they beat down the Briscoe Brothers with a chair. The Briscoe Brothers were able to win the match and thus became the ROH World Tag Team Champions.
We hear comments from Haas and Benjamin. Haas feels like they made a rookie mistake by allowing the fans to get to them. Haas says not acting like the best tag team cost them the titles. Benjamin says that the New York fans aren’t smart because they fall for the Briscoe’s act. They find it insulting that the fans turned on them after they came to Ring of Honor. Haas says everyone can go straight to hell. Jim Cornette chimes in saying that the fans are entitled to cheer for whomever they wish to cheer for. He says that people are fined $5,000 for using a chair over their opponents head.
Jim Cornette is in the ring to introduce the new ROH World Tag Team Champions Mark and Jay Briscoe! Jay Briscoe wants to know who gets the money that Cornette fined Haas and Benjamin. They feel like they should get the money. Jay says that if they get the money they would let everyone in the locker room come down to the ring and hit them with chairs! Jay tells Jim that they can’t help who the fans cheer for. They don’t care who challengers for the championships. Bring on the competition. They want the tag teams to MAN UP!
Second Contest: Ricky Reyes vs. Roderick Strong
Reyes works on Strong with an exploder suplex for a two count in the opening moments of the contest. Strong fights back with a series of chops but Reyes nails him with a leaping forearm in the corner. Reyes misses a splash in the corner and Strong hits a Back Stabber in the corner. Reyes is able to easily kick out of the cover, though. Strong connects with a gut wrench suplex for a two count. Reyes gets a near fall following a swinging neck breaker. The fans aren’t making any noise for Reyes. Reyes plants Strong with a DDT but can’t get a three count. Strong kicks Reyes in the head and manages to reverse a roll up for the win with a handful of tights.
Your Winner: Roderick Strong
Match Rating: *1/4
We hear comments from Kevin Steen backstage. Steen talks about how a lot of people at Final Battle got hurt. Steve Corino, Jimmy Jacobs and El Generico all got hurt thanks to Kevin Steen. Steen is wearing his old shirt with Generico to show support for him. Steen says he will be on Ring of Honor television in two weeks. He will show and tell everyone why he belongs in ROH. He is going to take ROH hostage until he gets what he wants. I find it funny that ROH is claiming to have a live television show.
Prince Nana and the Embassy share some comments. Nana puts over how the Embassy is the greatest stable to ever exist. Barrister RD Evans says they have a lot invested in Tommaso Ciampa.
Backstage, Veda Scott interviews ROH World Champion Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly. Richards talks about not doing tag team matches a lot because he is the champion but he is ready to put up a shot. O’Reilly says Adam Cole is cool with them tagging and suggests they could be the new American Wolves. The microphone for that promo appeared to be messed up for this.
Main Event: Kenny King vs. Matt Jackson
King backs Jackson into a corner and pie faces him. Jackson shoulder blocks King and taunts the fans. King drop toe holds Jackson for the upper hand. King hits a snap suplex and hammers away on Jackson. King arm drags Jackson several times back in the ring and continues to punch Jackson. King takes Nick out with a dive on the floor but Matt is up and delivers a baseball slide to gain control as we go to commercial.
Jackson misses a yakuza kick and King tosses him across the ring with an exploder suplex. Jackson misses a splash in the corner and King drops him with several clotheslines. King over shot Jackson on a standing moonsault for a two count. King kicks Jackson in the side of the head and hits a spine buster for a near fall. King walks into a super kick and Jackson hits a flipping ace crusher from the middle rope. Jackson springboards off the middle rope and somehow plants King with a DDT on the apron! That was a really nice move. King kicks out at two on the cover attempt. King blocks a 450 splash with his knees and hits a swinging side slam. On the floor, Nick Jackson has grabbed one of Rhett Titus’s crutches. King drops Matt throat first across the top rope. Nick whacks King over the back with a crutch and Matt is able to pin King.
After the match, security comes out to break up a brawl that takes place.
Your Winner: Matt Jackson via pin fall
Match Rating: **3/4
Final Thoughts:
Compared to all the other shows that ROH has put on thus far, this was a below average one. There were a few decent matches, but they aren’t must see or anything like that. It’s good to see Kevin Steen back on television as he will instantly give ROH an entertaining character. I’m looking forward to a possible Richards/Steen feud and an O’Reilly/Edwards feud as I think the promo by O’Reilly could easily make that a possibility. It wasn’t a bad show. There just wasn’t anything worth remembering.
Thanks for reading.