ROH On HDNet Recap 5/3/10

ROH On HDNet Recap 5/3/10
Roderick Strong, The Dark City Fight Club, Necro Butcher, Delirious and Austin Aries are all in action this week, and we get another major injury to an ROH veteran as Jerry Lynn can only look on.

What’s up ROH fans? I’m Matt Waters and I guess you can call me the new guy. I’ll be reviewing ROH for all of you every week and giving my opinion on not just match quality, but also the build and progression of feuds. So with that out of the way, let’s got on to the May 3^rd edition shall we?
– Pre-Show
The show begins with the usual Tyler/Roddy/Aries video package that has been airing in one form or another for a few weeks now. Some very nice super-slow-motion footage from The Big Bang thrown in as well. The focus is now of course on the upcoming Tyler Black vs. Roderick Strong championship match. This is only a good thing in my eyes, as we spent the better part of a year building the Aries/Black encounter and a new main feud needed to emerge, and we’re getting that in spades with Roddy. My one problem is that as the highlight package showed, Strong was the first eliminated from the triple threat title match. Sure, he kicked out of most of the other two’s combined offence, but when I watched it my first instinct was it made him look weaker than Aries, and if they were planning on moving the feud to a singles one with Strong and Black, they needed to make Roderick look… well… Strong-er. But I digress.
– Match 1 – Joey Ryan vs. Roderick Strong
Pre-Match Thoughts: Our opening contest is a rematch from the better part of a year ago where Joey got what I believe was his first win with the company after Nigel McGuinness distracted Roddy. In fact I’m racking my brain to try and think of some other Ryan wins in ROH and all I can think of are tag matches involving Erick Stevens and that Butcher’s Rules encounter with all the interference. Shame, I really like Joey, let’s see if he can make lightning strike twice here against the number one contender.
The Match: Not quite sure what Joey was giving out before the match but the fans weren’t very interested. Roddy seems to sporting some sort of groin or upper thigh injury. Ryan jumps Strong to start the match thanks to Nana drawing attention to himself. Mostly punches, stomps and foot chokes early on with the occasional weak chop in an attempt to fire back. Chin lock from Joey. Roddy fights out of it but eats a back elbow. More striking and choking now, with Nana adding a shot behind the referee’s back. Big body slam only gets a 2 count, and now we’re back to the chin lock. Ryan breaks it willingly and misses a charge to the corner and Strong gets his first offence with a back suplex. Clotheslines and a back body drop complete the standard face comeback. Flatjack gets two. Nana and Osiris both offer distractions and Joey rolls Roddy up and puts his feet on the ropes but gets caught. Stone Cold style backward kicking low blow and a Superkick still can’t put Strong away. He sets up for the Moustache Ride but Strong fights his way down and quickly locks on the Strong Hold for the submission victory.
Winner – Roderick Strong via Submission (Strong Hold)
Post-Match Thoughts: Well, lightning most certainly did not strike twice, but that was to be expected as Roddy is on a higher platform than he was before, and Nigel’s off being Desmond Wolfe for the foreseeable future. Not a long match and not a lot really happened in it as ROH or Joey Ryan himself seem determined to not let him do any moves outside of the state of California.
– We move to highlights of the TV Title Tournament finals and let me take this opportunity to say that I’m thrilled that Edwards got to be the first champion. He flew under the radar of most people thanks to Davey getting so much attention, but if you take a look back the best feud of 2009 you’ll see that Edwards was quietly one of the better workers in the company. Richards revealed in an interview not long ago that the entire point of the American Wolves was to get Eddie over, and I think that’s certainly been accomplished, with the title serving as the cherry on top. The match was very solid, with a great deal of selling, and the show of sportsmanship as Davey put the belt on his partner. We now get exclusive post-match interview footage and Eddie cuts a heel promo, confirming that the Wolves are still very much together. I genuinely think Edwards could get over as a face, as him being cheered in every match in this tournament showed, but I guess there’s a lot of mid-card faces they want him to feud with.
– Match 2 – Dark City Fight Club vs. Caleb Konley & Pee Wee
Pre-Match Thoughts: A nearly 200lb weight advantage and lack of an entrance for Konley and Pee Wee seems telling, but hey, let’s see what happens.
The Match: Things get started with a nice dropkick by Konley but he soon falls victim to the standard double team work of DCFC, including a a pendulum backbreaker/jumping leg drop combo. Pee Wee breaks up a pin attempt, so Kory Chavis invites him to tag in and receive some punishment himself, mostly striking, with a modified blue thunder bomb thrown in for good measure. Konley finds himself knocked off the apron as Pee Wee leaps at Jon Davis but gets caught in mid-air, and powerbombed Jericho style, with the second powerbomb being one half of Project Mayhem for the quick and expected win.
Winners: Dark City Fight Club via Pinfall (Project Mayhem)
Post-Match Thoughts: Standard squash affair. Afterward Kyle Durden essentially asks why the Fight Club haven’t won the tag team titles yet after dominating jobbers for nearly a year now. Chavis says that whoever the champions are, they’ll beat them. Davis then flies in and hits Konley with a Pounce that knocks him out of the ring. Awesome spot. Dark City look strong against these jobbers, but they just don’t have chemistry with the Briscoes and it’s translated into two disappointing matches. Maybe they can work something better with the Kings of Wrestling, though I personally doubt it.
– Speaking of the champions, we go to a backstage promo with the pair declaring that the Briscoes are at the back of the queue for title shots. Meanwhile Jim Cornette is trying to appease Dem Damn Briscoes as they demand said rematch.
– Next we get footage of Necro punching out Giuseppe Di Lorento a few weeks ago, hype for the main event, and then a pre-taped Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana. It was the same one that was up on YouTube like a fortnight ago with Sonjay Dutt teaching him swagger. It’s no funnier now than it was then in case you wondered.
– Cornette sits down with Necro Butcher and tries to appeal to the Dylan Summers in him, pleading with him to keep his unstoppable rampage of violence in the ring and not involve any fans or crew. If he can do that, he can have Butcher’s Rules every single match. Well… this’ll be fun.
– Now another pre-taped sit-down interview with Austin Aries with that giant peacock feather in his jacket pocket. He claims credit for the improved production values of ROH On HDNet and amusingly hypes up a specific camera and his personal camera-man, Mario, who needed 6 weeks to get used to his nuances. A lot funnier than it sounds. Aries asks what there is left for him to do after his two world title reigns and “easy” defeat of Jushin Liger. He claims he is no longer interested in the World Title for the time being but he will find other ways to make an impact. Ya know what? I believe him too.
– Match 3 – Necro Butcher vs. Robbie Wolf
Pre-Match Thoughts: Necro has been “suspended” for over a month and now has permission to use weapons on a jobber. Autopsy to follow.
The Match: Butcher’s Rules indeed as Necro hurls a chair at his opponent to start the match, tosses him over the guard-rail, rips up the protective mats at ringside and hits a chair-slam on the concrete. Necro puts a chair around the kid’s neck and tosses him into the post. Back in the ring now and those signature weak chops and punches in the corner are followed by a running bulldog onto a chair. Necro’s setting up chairs next to each other in the ring, which never ends well, and then demands the section D sign from the crowd and introduces Wolf to it. Necro starts a USA chant for no apparent reason (maybe Wolf is foreign?) and then hits a backbreaker onto the upright chairs for the pin.
Winner: Necro Butcher via Pinfall (Backbreaker on Two Chairs)
Post-Match Thoughts: I don’t really care for Necro, but I prefer him kept to short hardcore matches than trying to work a ten-minute singles match without using any weapons. It’s abundantly obvious he isn’t a good wrestler, so let him do what he is good at. While I don’t wish to see this too regularly, it was better than his feud with the Embassy has been.
– Tyler says Roderick used to be his friend but he’s going to defeat him in New York. Keeps the champ on TV every week I suppose.
– Main Event – Austin Aries vs. Delirious
Pre-Match Thoughts: I was personally very much looking forward to this match as these two are as old-school ROH as it gets this side of the Briscoes, and among the first wrestlers that got me hooked on Ring of Honor to begin with. Delirious got lost a little in the shuffle last year, so I’m hoping for a big return to form here against a guy he has chemistry with.
The Match: Amazingly, A-Double follows up on the seemingly throw-away gag of having his own camera and we get pink-letterboxing to match his awesome pink coat. Wonderful stuff. Delirious out now with Daizee Haze and we get his standard ring-bell antics as he chases Aries out of the ring. When he arrives back in they battle for holds with Aries getting the better of it and trying to remove Delirious’ mask, but he gets his hand bitten for his troubles. Fair exchange in my eyes. Short strike exchange before Kenny King trips Delirious, giving the advantage to A-Double. Daizee does the same to Aries moments later and Delirious proceeds to give him the more literal and disgusting version of the face-wash. Aries retreats to the outside to regroup with King but Delirious follows them with a suicide dive and takes both out. Back in the ring now and Delirious hits a hip toss and then tries the good old ten-punch in the corner but of course gets tossed to the outside where he receives a mugging from Kenny King. Aries rams Delirious’ head into three turnbuckles but is met with an “AHHHH!!!” each time so hits a clothesline instead. Your rest hold of the match will be the seated surfboard. Delirious fights back but gets cut off with a knee to the gut. Nice little tope atomico from the apron to the ring from Aries for a two count. Sets up for a Brainbuster but ends up taking a lucha-body slam. Delirious tries for a senton but Aries gets his knees up and regains control of the match, slapping the masked man in the face a few times. Delirious fights back with an atomic drop and moments later gets his leaping lariat. Cobra Suplex gets only a two. Aries is dazed as Delirious puts the Cobra Clutch back in. Aries counters to a Brainbuster attempt, but Delirious counters back into a Bizarro Driver attempt. Aries reverses that and hits his shin-breaker/back suplex combo. Goes for the corner dropkick but gets a face full of foot. Delirious hits the Panic Attack but misses Shadows Over Hell. Aries hits his kick to the head but instead nails Delirious in the throat. Daizee gets in the ring and we get referees, Jim Cornette and a trainer in to attend to the injury. Aries goes to leave but then runs back in and clubs Daizee in the back before tossing Delirious to the outside as the match is ruled a no contest. King holds Delirious’ throat over the barricade and Aries hits the Randy Savage axe handle to drive him down onto the guard rail. The heels leave triumphantly but here comes Jerry Lynn with a chair to chase them off. We then of course get a plethora of replays to emphasise what a bad man Aries is before going off the air.
Post-Match Thoughts: What started as a good match ended abruptly with a nice injury angle, it’s been a while since we saw a throat injury keep someone out of action, it’s normally a neck, or a concussion, or a knee. The kick looked fairly stiff and the attack on Daizee to boot just reminds us why Aries is one of the top heels in the business, whilst setting us up for their upcoming match in New York. Interestingly, the injury caused by Aries made Delirious drop out of the Pick 6, and A-Double slid in to claim a spot, and so of course that same spot will be up for grabs when they face off again this weekend. I look for Delirious to come back strong and be a major player in the new regime. My one gripe is that ROH are acknowledging his tour of NOAH (which was phenomenally successful when you compare it to the likes of Hero, Davey and Edwards), so it detracts a little from the injury angle if we know he’s in fact perfectly fine and winning matches, especially as the focal point of the match will be Aries working over the throat. But these are the problems of having to deal with a smarter audience in the age of the internet.
– Overall: This was a decent episode of ROH, doing just enough to get by in my opinion. It never hit a high level, but it also didn’t sink to a low one either. In theory this was the go-home show before Manassas and New York, but I don’t think anyone truly knows how the TV show and live events are meant to correlate. They continued to build the Tyler/Roddy match, but to me it doesn’t feel quite big enough yet, so they might have wanted to tape some new promo material, rather than re-hashing what we’ve seen all year long. Roddy looked… Strong… as he got a victory seemingly out of nowhere, so that’s something. Dark City continue to try and find their position in the company, which would be nice as they’ve been flip-flopping between heel and face since they arrived. Necro will unfortunately continue to be a major part of ROH On HDNet, but at least he was better than he’s been lately. Finally, Aries shows us how he’ll make an impact without the ROH World Title and we get a reason for Delirious’ absence for the next few weeks. Lynn and King’s feud may not be finished thanks to his involvement at the end, and I for one would be interested in the Aries/Lynn match that we never got last year. More ROH next week!