ROH: Defy Or Deny Review

March 18th, 2011 in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Current Champions
ROH World Champion: Roderick Strong (since 9/11/10)
ROH World Tag Team Champions: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) (since 4/3/10)
ROH World Television Champion: Christopher Daniels (since 12/10/10)

Mike Bennett and Brutal Bob come to the ring to start the show. He guarantees a title victory tonight and says that he’s bringing the belt back to Boston. The crowd cheers but Bennett clarifies that he hates Plymouth. Bennett also warns Steve Corino to stay out of his way. Corino’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring. Corino defends Christopher Daniels’ success and says that Bennett is overconfident. They go back and forth talking about their match tomorrow night. Corino eventually punches Brutal Bob and starts brawling with Bennett. Corino stands tall in the ring while Bennett and Brutal Bob retreat.

Opening Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle O’Reilly
They trade control early on and find themselves at a stalemate. Mark connects with a spin kick and hits a suplex. He adds a belly to belly suplex and chops O’Reilly at ringside. O’Reilly hits rolling butterfly suplexes but Mark answers with rolling northern lights suplexes. O’Reilly tries a cross armbreaker but Mark escapes and connects with a clothesline. Mark hits a finlay roll but misses a flipping senton. O’Reilly lays in a flurry of strikes and kicks Mark off the apron. O’Reilly connects with a missile dropkick from the apron and follows with another missile dropkick in the ring. They trade strikes and Mark hits an exploder. He connects with an enzuigiri. O’Reilly escapes the Cutthroat Driver and applies a crossface. Mark is able to reach the bottom rope. They exchange strikes yet again and Mark hits a powerbomb. Mark follows with his frog splash elbow drop for the win at 11:10. Not the most creative booking, as O’Reilly faced Jay Briscoe in the opener at World’s Greatest. While this was an effective opener for the live crowd, I find Mark very repetitious and bland as a singles wrestler. The action didn’t have much holding it together except for the crowd’s energy and a few notable exchanges. **¼

Match #2: Steve Corino and Grizzly Redwood vs. Kenny King and Rhett Titus
Corino thinks twice about a clean break early on but decides to play by the rules. Titus chooses differently and sneaks in a cheap shot. Corino begrudgingly participates in some double teaming and connects with a dropkick on Titus. Grizzly snaps off a hurricanrana on Titus but runs into a clothesline. King connects with shotgun knees on Corino and the All Night Express isolate him. He hits a DDT-flatliner combination and makes the tag. Grizzly connects with a double missile dropkick and hits a bulldog on King. He hurricanranas Titus into the middle turnbuckle and hits a tornado DDT on King. Corino applies an abdominal stretch on Titus but King breaks it up before he can use his thumb. King blockbusters Grizzly across Titus’ knees for a nearfall. Corino accidentally takes out Grizzly with the Eternal Dream. The All Night Express hit a backbreaker-flying knee drop combination on Grizzly for the victory at 13:41. I would normally question how a team like Corino and Grizzly could last fourteen minutes against a prominent team such as the All Night Express. However, they were never really in a position to lose this match aside from a fluke rollup. The action was enjoyable throughout, with King and Titus being on point. Corino also continues to carry out his characterization well but I just wish that some progress would be made with his road to recovery. **½

Match #3: Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa
It’s interesting that Mia Yim is in Ciampa’s corner, as she is Cole’s manager in CZW. They trade forearms and fall to the floor while in a lockup. Ciampa connects with a dropkick and Prince Nana comically yells “we have a winner.” Cole hits a northern lights suplex. The action goes to the floor where Cole whips Ciampa into the barricade. Ciampa clotheslines Cole on the apron and takes over. Cole misses a crossbody and falls to the floor where Yim nails him with a spin kick. Ciampa rams him into the ringpost and maintains control in the ring. Cole comes off the middle rope with a leg lariat and connects with an enzuigiri, sending Ciampa to the outside. Cole follows out with a plancha but takes out Ernesto instead. Ciampa misses a baseball slide and Cole impressively wheelbarrow suplexes him onto the apron. In the ring, Ciampa hits a modified gourdbuster for a nearfall. Cole hurricanranas out of a powerbomb. They exchange pin attempts to no avail. Ciampa hits a german suplex but eats a superkick. Cole responds with a german suplex of his own for a two count. He follows with a wheelbarrow backcracker. Nana provides a distraction, allowing Ciampa to sneak in a low blow behind the referee’s back. Ciampa hits Project Ciampa for the win at 14:05. I was pleasantly surprised with how much time this match received and how much offense Cole got in. Instead of an extended squash, this was an impressive showcase for both men. Ciampa made a statement and will be a welcome addition to the roster while Cole looked great here, even in defeat. ***

In the back, the Bravado Brothers sarcastically console Cole and O’Reilly about their losses tonight.

Match #4: Chris Hero vs. TJ Perkins
Hero appears to get the better of Perkins on the mat to start. Perkins finds an opening to connect with a dropkick followed by double knees. Hero creates some distance with a mafia kick and takes control. Perkins gets booted off the apron and collides with the barricade. Sara Del Rey kicks him behind the referee’s back. Hero connects with a roaring elbow and adds a flash kick in the ring. Perkins gets fired up but Hero quickly calms him down with an elbow. Perkins snaps off a hurricanrana and lands a dive to the outside. In the ring, Perkins connects with a knockout kick and locks in an octopus stretch. Hero reaches the middle rope. Perkins connects with a flurry of strikes but gets caught by an elbow. Hero finds himself in a modified cloverleaf but reaches the ropes once again. He connects with his stomp-roaring elbow combination and hits a liger bomb. Perkins blocks a roaring elbow with a knockout kick and delivers another kick to the head. Hero blocks a charge with a roaring elbow and connects with a roaring mafia kick for the victory at 15:28. I’ll repeat my sentiments and say that ROH would really benefit from using Perkins on a consistent basis. He put in another strong performance and worked well with Hero as expected. They wrestled a unique style of match but I felt that the crowd was a little too quiet for most of the action. The crowd reaction was a big reason why Perkins’ match against Davey Richards at SoCal Showdown II was so special. Nevertheless, these two delivered a worthwhile exhibition and I’m curious to see how Perkins progresses in ROH. ***¼

Match #5: Harlem and Lance Bravado vs. Matt Taven and Guy Alexander
Harlem says that although they weren’t booked tonight, they didn’t want to upset the Bravado Bandwagon. Taven and Alexander back body drop the Bravado Brothers. Taven lands a plancha to the floor. Back in, Taven and Alexander maintain control until Alexander finds himself in the wrong corner. The Bravados isolate him until he hits an overhead suplex on Harlem and makes the tag. Taven lands a springboard crossbody on Harlem. Harlem is able to roll through and pin Taven for the win at 4:22. Even at four minutes, this match had very little structure and wasn’t exactly the best showcase for the Bravado Brothers. *

Match #6: Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin
The idea here is that Roderick Strong wants Elgin to wear down Edwards before his title match tomorrow night. They trade strikes and Elgin finds success with a shoulder block. He hits a delayed vertical suplex but gets taken down by a hurricanrana. Edwards applies an STF but Elgin reaches the bottom rope. Edwards kicks Elgin off the apron and connects with a baseball slide. He throws Elgin into the barricade. In the ring, Elgin elevates Edwards into a samoan drop and takes control. Edwards fights back with a flying knee strike and a series of chops. Elgin responds with multiple lariats but Edwards goes back to the chops. Elgin hits two backbreakers and follows with a senton. Edwards dodges a kick and connects with a gamenguiri. He adds a missile dropkick and takes out Elgin with a sliding dropkick. Edwards hits a sit-out gourdbuster and hurricanranas Elgin to the outside. Edwards tries a moonsault off the apron, but Elgin catches him and hits a powerslam on the floor. In the ring, Elgin connects with a big lariat but finds himself in an achilles lock. Truth Martini runs into the ring and Edwards gets both of them in a half crab. Elgin is able to reach the bottom rope. Edwards connects with a superkick but Elgin answers with a swinging uranagi. Edwards back drops Elgin off the top rope and connects with a flying double stomp. Edwards follows with a 2k1 bomb for the victory at 18:05. Strong sending Elgin to weaken Edwards the night before his title match makes perfect sense. However, for everyone not to look stupid, Elgin actually has to give Edwards a run for his money. Fortunately, everything worked out here as Elgin took the fight to Edwards for eighteen minutes. They worked well together and Elgin keeps impressing with his unique offense. The crowd was really behind Edwards and hopefully that trend continues when he challenges for the title on the next show. ***¼

Match #7: ROH World Television Title: Christopher Daniels © vs. Mike Bennett
Very tentative start as the crowd chants “you can’t wrestle” at Bennett. Daniels clotheslines him to the outside and he regroups with Brutal Bob. Back in, they actually take turns targeting each other’s nose. Daniels grabs hold of a side headlock and connects with a few chops. The action goes to the floor where Daniels back drops Bennett. Brutal Bob interjects himself, allowing Bennett to take control in the ring. Daniels fights off corner punches and connects with a leg lariat. He stomps Bennett out of the corner but walks into a clothesline. Bennett tries to copy Last Rites, but it comes off awkward and no one notices except Dave Prazak. Daniels hits an STO but Bennett responds with a spinebuster. Brutal Bob provides a distraction and Daniels gives chase. Bennett and Daniels collide after both attempting crossbodies. Bennett tries to use the title as a weapon but Steve Corino stops him. Daniels hits a uranagi and lands the Best Moonsault Ever to retain his title at 16:44. Everyone can heave a collective sigh of relief that Bennett didn’t win the title. At the very least, he was serviceable in this match and the crowd wasn’t too hostile due to him being from the area. They probably could have trimmed a few minutes off this match when considering the eventual finish. **¼

Daniels sees Corino with his title and gets upset, not knowing what Corino did to help him. In the back, Corino tries to explain himself but Daniels says that he doesn’t need his help.

Match #8: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Davey Richards
Claudio asserts his power advantage early on. Richards is able to impressively hold Claudio’s weight on a bridge and snaps off a hurricanrana. Richards dropkicks Claudio to the floor and follows out with a dive. Shane Hagadorn grabs Richards’ boot, allowing Claudio to boot him off the apron. Claudio throws Richards into the barricade and takes over in the ring. Richards almost makes a comeback but Claudio stops him with a flying european uppercut. Richards elevates Claudio to the floor and punts Hagadorn from the apron. He leaps off the apron and plants Claudio with a tornado DDT. Back in, Richards connects with a missile dropkick. He tries for a superplex but they accidentally fall to the floor. Richards lands a flying crossbody but runs into a bicycle kick. Claudio hits a wheelbarrow german suplex along with a chokeslam. Richards escapes the Ricola Bomb and they trade strikes. Richards hits a saito suplex. Claudio counters a handspring enzuigiri into the UFO for a nearfall. Both men are down. Claudio powers out of a triangle choke and hits a fallaway slam from the middle rope. Richards counters the Ricola Bomb into a code red for a two count. He connects with a knockout kick followed by a flying double stomp. Richards lands a shooting star press for the win at 19:27. Richards came out of this contest looking great, as he had an answer for all of Claudio’s signature moves. Early on, Claudio was able to maintain control due to his power and interference from Shane Hagadorn and Sara Del Rey. Once Richards was able to neutralize his former managers, he was able to use his counters and pick up the win. While I’ve seen some of the exchanges before in various tag team matches involving both men, the crowd was extremely vocal for the entire duration. This was simply the great match that you would expect when Claudio and Richards are given nearly twenty minutes to showcase their abilities. ***¾

Match #9: Elimination: Roderick Strong vs. Jay Briscoe vs. El Generico vs. Homicide
If Strong wins, none of the other three participants can challenge for the ROH World Title as long as he is the champion. If Jay, Generico, or Homicide win, the winner will challenge for the ROH World Title at Honor Takes Center Stage: Chapter 2. Strong tries to form and alliance with Homicide due to their mutual love of the Yankees. We’ll see how that goes. Jay and Generico trade control and find themselves at a stalemate. Strong enters the match and exchanges strikes with Jay. Homicide actually cooperates with Strong early on. They work over Generico until he connects with a facewash kick on Homicide. The contest turns into a tag team match with Strong and Homicide now isolating Jay. Homicide finally decides to clothesline Strong out of nowhere and end their alliance. Generico lands a dive to the floor onto Strong and Homicide takes out Jay with a dive of his own. In the ring, Jay hits a spinebuster on Homicide and Generico overhead suplexes him into the turnbuckles. Homicide recovers with an ace crusher on Jay. He goes up top but Generico catches him with a yakuza kick. Jay hits the Jay Driller on Homicide to eliminate him. Generico pulls Strong to the floor and sends him into the barricade. Jay lands a dive to the outside onto both of his opponents. In the ring, Jay hits a blockbuster on Strong followed by a falcon arrow. Generico plants Strong with a tornado DDT but gets caught by a crossbody from Jay. Strong manages to suplex Generico and Jay at the same time. Jay flatlines him into the middle turnbuckle and superkicks Generico. Generico connects with a corner yakuza kick on Jay. Strong throws Generico out of the ring and hits a brainbuster on Jay to eliminate him. Strong slams Generico on the floor and hits a backbreaker in the ring. He takes control until Generico hits a blue thunder bomb. Generico follows with a michinoku driver but Strong responds with a gutbuster and a superkick. Strong synchs in the Stronghold but Generico turns it into a rollup for a nearfall. Strong connects with the Sick Kick for a two count. Generico hits a half nelson suplex and connects with a corner yakuza kick. Truth Martini distracts the referee, allowing Michael Elgin to powerbomb Generico. Strong connects with another Sick Kick for the victory at 31:57. To be honest, this was an incredibly frustrating main event. The first fifteen minutes of the match were extremely bland, with Strong and Homicide methodically working over their opponents. When Homicide broke the alliance with Strong, it came at a random point and didn’t even get much of a reaction. Once the match broke down, there were some nice exchanges but nothing in the way of storytelling. The finish also left a bad taste, as this match is a half hour time investment for an unsatisfying conclusion. Unfortunately, I cannot give this main event much praise. **½

After the match, the House of Truth attack Generico until Christopher Daniels and the American Wolves make the save.

Overall: With Manhattan Mayhem IV the next night, ROH could have delivered a dreaded “B show” the night before. However, simply by looking at the match times and match quality, it’s easy to see that Defy Or Deny is far from a “B show.” Claudio Castagnoli and Davey Richards deliver the match of the night and there are many other worthwhile contests in the undercard. I was also impressed with the amount of backstage interviews included. The only detractor would be the underwhelming main event, which started almost three hours into the show. However, I must applaud Ring of Honor’s effort and Defy Or Deny does enough to earn a recommendation.