The Kings of Wrestling offer the Dark City Fight Club a chance to earn a title shot, all they have to do is beat them in a non-title match. Could the Fight Club rise to the occasion? Meanwhile Eddie Edwards defends the ROH World Television Title against the Necro Butcher, Homicide makes his first HDNet appearance, and the tag team debut of Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole this week on ROH On HDNet!
Opening Segment
A recap of last week’s main event, a steel cage tag team match featuring El Generico & Colt Cabana taking on Steve Corino & Kevin Steen. I maintain this match existed only for the above shot, Steen laughing as Generico is helpless. You’ll see it in a video package chronicling the history of their feud and it will look awesome. Oh! And I’m not sure how long they’ve been here, but there are new opening titles. Same music and style, but different footage, and it ends with the current champ holding the belt a-la Raw. Nice touch.
Segment 1 – ROH TV Title Match
Eddie Edwards vs. Necro Butcher
Recap: Eddie Edwards retains the TV Title in a back and forth affair, reversing the Tiger Driver into an inside cradle. This marked the third unsuccessful title challenge against Edwards by Embassy members in the last few weeks.
Review: There was nothing flashy about this match, but for me, it really worked. These two just clicked. Necro works far better as a heel, and Edwards is a natural babyface, it just took impressive heel work for the fans to care about him. The match proved Necro can be effective without weapons, though I wonder when Jim Cornette rescinded his ruling about every Necro match being under Butcher’s Rules… or maybe that’s only for non-title matches.
– As good as Edwards looks on HDNet, I have to ask: Why the hell does he continue to do suicide dives? Two injuries not enough? Ah well, I respect his bravery I guess.
– I liked that they displayed the time limit in the top right every so often. It’s taken a very long time, but the TV Title has taken the shape I think most of us imagined it would, namely being defended regularly ON TELEVISION, in short competitive matches against mid-level talent.
– Finally, given Edwards has beaten all three of the regular Embassy members in title matches and they’ve since been put on hiatus, I’m beginning the campaign of Eddie ‘Embassy Killer’ Edwards.
Segment 2
Kings of Wrestling Backstage Promo
Recap: Shane Hagadorn informs us that Mike ‘Papa’ Briscoe has been banned from every building ROH runs in due to his assault on him two weeks ago. I have a feeling that ruling will be lifted for one night only ;). Meanwhile, Chris Hero runs down the tag team division, reminding us they’ve beaten the Briscoes (three times), the World’s Greatest Tag Team, and everyone in between, and that the American Wolves are too focused on singles gold. He also throws in a subtle dig at Christian Abel for his cross-dressing ways.
Segment 3
The Bravado Brothers vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly
Recap: In a battle of up and coming tag teams, Cole & O’Reilly prevailed despite the resilience of the Bravados, with Kyle O’Reilly finishing off Harlem Bravado (I think) with a Tornado DDT rolled through into a front guillotine choke for the tap out win.
Review: This was a very solid match, well wrestled by all four men. The Bravados looked the best I’ve ever seen them, and if they could pull off this kind of performance every time they might find themselves a regular home contending in the tag team division, rather than just jobbing. Still, in this match they were nothing more than the first test for ROH’s golden children, Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole, whom they cunningly signed to contracts under the noses of CZW and Evolve. In lieu of a proper tag team name, I think I may start referring to the pair as the Golden Boys. Speaking of which, an on-air explanation of why they’re a team might be nice. Most fans know they’re up and coming indie solo stars, so having them cut a Generation Next style promo about being rookies taking their opportunities by force might be nice, especially as they don’t dress alike.
– Either way, they’re going to get over pretty quickly given their sheer athleticism. Cole is going to be the high-spot man, and O’Reilly will pace them with his punctuated offense and keen submission skills. His training from Davey Richards positively leaps out at you, especially if you compare his work now to a year or so ago. At one point he hit a dragon screw on both Bravados and it looked awesome. The guillotine choke is a logical finisher, especially given his move of choice would be a Brainbuster in a company that employs El Generico and just finished with Austin Aries.
– ROH have a real opportunity to make these guys stars this weekend at Survival of the Fittest. If both of them somehow make it to the finals and work together against main event talent, they could be made in one night. I think it would be a mistake to not put one of them into the finals, and given their opponents, Cole has a better shot. Regardless, the future is bright for the Golden Boys.
Segment 4
Mike Bennet Vignette
Review: All it did was define the word Prodigy and state The Prodigy is coming to ROH soon. Silhouetted behind this graphic were Mike Bennett and Brutal Bob Evans. It’s very simple, but it’s also very effective. Say what you want, but ROH have always been good at intrigue, and I’d imagine those who have no clue who The Prodigy is are excited to find out, and those who do know approve of how he’s being built.
Segment 5
Christopher Daniels Promo & Confrontation with Homicide
Recap: Christopher Daniels talked about Roderick Strong was a liar and he’d defeat him for the ROH World Title this Saturday night in Toronto. This brought out the re-debuting Homicide who complained about his lack of a title shot whilst Daniels and Davey Richards had received them. He blamed this sleight on Jim Cornette and said sooner or later he’d get what he wants.
Review: ROH shouldn’t be afraid to do these falsely timed promo spots. Everybody in the arena knew Daniels vs Strong wasn’t happening “this Saturday night”, and almost everybody not in the arena reads spoilers, but it just makes the on-air programming far more compelling when they have these kind of moments. I’d rather see Daniels lie about the date while building for the match than have it built solely through the website, Prazak’s after-the-fact commentary, and vignettes.
– Homicide’s interjection bordered on non-sensical as he didn’t really confront Daniels, but it was still good. I wonder how he’s retained the rights to his TNA music though… But I digress. I’m not sure how I feel about continuing Homicide’s feud with Cornette. Long time fans will appreciate the continuity, but newer fans won’t have a clue as they have only known Cornette as a good guy. It will all depend on how they move forward with it. I still think they need to run short Homicide vignettes with past-footage of his ROH exploits to give long-time fans a nostalgic feeling and fill in the new fans, and incorporating his feud with Corenette into these would make it all come together. One thing I will say however is that they’re in danger of repeating Roderick’s paranoia storyline as ‘Cide thinks the world is against him. Watch this space.
Main Event – Non-Title Match
The Kings of Wrestling vs The Dark City Fight Club
Recap: The Kings of Wrestling promised the Dark City Fight Club a title shot if they could defeat them in a non-title match here tonight. Unfortunately the DCFC couldn’t overcome the experience of the Kings, as Jon Davis fell victim to a Death Blow/European Uppercut combo while Kory Chavis inadvertently tied up the referee.
Review: Decent but unspectacular match here. Jon Davis carries his team and I’ll repeat my sentiments from past ROH recaps; bring him back on his own if you aren’t interested in both of them. The Pounce spot in this match was incredible as he wiped Hero out as he wound up for the Rolling Elbow on Chavis. He could make it as a solo star with his move-set, all he needs is a nickname… Dark City Nightmare? Something less terrible?
– The Kings continue to prove they’re the best tag team in the world (and I hope they win more matches in NOAH this time than they did in January). Everyone is sick of the loaded elbow spot so it was nice to see them win a match straight-up. You can tell me that double-teaming while the referee isn’t looking is illegal all you want, it’s a tag match, you come prepared for some double-team moves. If anything this was Chavis’ fault for distracting the ref, but I’d still be OK with it even if Hagadorn had done the distracting.
– The Kings’ promos may in fact hold some truth, who is there to challenge them? Win, lose or draw, their feud with the Briscoes is probably done at Final Battle, unless the Briscoes win and get ANOTHER title match at the next iPPV where they win the belts. Cole & O’Reilly will get eaten alive, the Bravados already have been, and WGTT aren’t likely to be regulars. Kenny King and Rhett Titus have been talking smack about the Kings of late, and they had some interesting interaction at Tag Wars 2010, so a match between those two is likely upcoming. Depending on who the new member of the House of Truth is, I’d guess they have a claim to a title shot, given Hero’s comments and the fact they’re no longer discriminating against heel teams.
– Speaking of which… could the Kings work as faces? They already get a lot of cheers from certain crowds and let’s face it, with their sheer size they’re capable of ridiculously flashy moves that would pop even their biggest haters. Just that pesky Shane Hagadorn in the way again, eh? Both men would also make apt main event challengers/champions, so they have several options here, but it seems the worst of them is to keep them as heel champs as they’re destroying the tag division. A one-off pairing of two main event stars might be called for, maybe Homicide & Daniels? How about Roderick Strong & Eddie Edwards? They could compare NOAH tag tournament success and it would be all four of the companies champions in one match. Yep, that’s the match I want. Book it. Book it now.
Closing Segment
Recap: The Briscoes will face Austin Aries & Rhett Titus, and Kevin Steen will make El Generico an offer to end their feud. Anyone else hoping the tag match gets ten minutes and they give Steen forty minutes to cut a promo? No matter how it’s done, I’m sure it will be awesome.
Overall Thoughts
– This episode flowed very well, with each segment holding its own unique allure. Eddie ‘Embassy Killer’ Edwards may be the brightest star of HDNet these days, and Necro made me want to see him return to ROH in 2011. The Embassy could quite easily be rectified if they let them actually win some matches and tear people apart. Stevens & Necro could be a legitimately scary duo, and Bison Smith is there for occasional fly-ins. Throw in a cocky young prospect and they’d be set.
– The Golden Boys looked pretty good against the Bravados, who proved to be no slouches themselves. Look for these two’s stock to rise through the roof in 2011. The promo segments were solidly executed, with the Kings reigning supreme on the mic as well as in the ring, Daniels giving us a traditional title match build, somewhat of a rarity in ROH, and Homicide putting the entire company on notice. Then there’s the mysterious Prodigy’s impending arrival.
– The show kind of hit a snag for me in the main event. It was a good match and the Kings looked great, but I just don’t care about the Dark City Fight Club anymore. They’re so mediocre it’s beginning to hurt, and I can’t take them in the main event. I just can’t. I’d still want this match to happen, just not in the main event.
– Finally, every I saw Kyle Durden this week, I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else thought it would have been nice to have a pay-off match between Kyle Durden and Austin Aries? A-Double humiliated Kyle every single time he interviewed him, far more-so than other heels, and I just imagined that some day Aries would give him a match, beat the hell out of him for ten minutes and then Durden would get the flash pin. It’s probably just me, but I always feel sorry when trained wrestlers are reduced to managerial or backstage roles. This is probably why I look forward to seeing Shane Hagadorn step in the ring at Final Battle.
– Anyway, great episode from ROH, and I’m always pumped for a fresh set of tapings, so I continue to be excited for ROH heading into the end of the year and beyond as they’re slowly moving the pieces they want into place for 2011.