November 18th, 2011 in Dayton, Ohio
Opening Match: Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. Harlem and Lance Bravado
Mark takes down Harlem with a clothesline and chops him in the corner. He catches Lance with a dropkick through the ropes as Jay tosses Harlem into the barricade. Harlem chop blocks Mark after a distraction from Lance and the Bravados isolate him. They work over his left leg. Mark connects with an enzuigiri on Harlem and makes the tag. Jay plants Harlem with a spinebuster and hits a falcon arrow on Lance. The Bravados recover with the Gentleman’s Approach on Jay. Mark connects with shotgun knees on Lance and the Briscoes follow with the doomsday device for the win at 6:13. The Briscoes might have more fan support than anyone else in Ring of Honor right now. They just beat up the Bravados for most of the contest and that’s pretty much what the crowd wanted to see out of this match. I need to stop trying to figure out what Ring of Honor wants to do with the Bravados as I’ll never make sense of it. **¼
Jay ensures everyone that one of the Briscoes will win Survival of the Fittest 2011. To show that they’ll do anything to win, the Briscoes headbutt each other a few times.
Match #2: Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Andy Ridge
They avoid each other’s kicks and find themselves at a stalemate. Ridge lays in a series of kicks but O’Reilly quickly returns the favor. O’Reilly hits a back suplex along with rolling butterfly suplexes. He starts working over Ridge’s left arm. They have a silly kick exchange and take a moment to regroup. Ridge connects with a flurry of kicks and hits a slingshot ace crusher. After yet another kick exchange, O’Reilly hits a shoulder-capture suplex. O’Reilly applies a guillotine for the victory at 7:09. There were a few moments of miscommunication that took me out of this match. Also, I don’t mind kick exchanges but these two provided enough of them to last the whole show. With that said, O’Reilly advancing makes sense and Ridge continued his streak of looking competitive. **
Match #3: Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Eddie Edwards vs. Mike Bennett
Edwards maintains control of a wristlock and connects with some chops. He follows with a hesitation dropkick and a running dropkick from the floor while Bennett is in a tree of woe. Bennett hits a fisherman buster and takes control. Edwards boots him off the apron and lands a dive to the floor. In the ring, Edwards hits a fisherman buster of his own and comes off the middle rope with a lungblower. He applies an STF but Bennett reaches the bottom rope. Bennett tries a pin attempt with his feet on the ropes to no avail. Edwards runs into a spinebuster but armdrags out of a uranagi attempt. Bennett catches him with a samoan drop. They battle up top and Bennett gets knocked down to the canvas. Edwards connects with a flying double stomp and hits a powerbomb. Edwards transitions into the achilles lock but Bennett is able to reach the bottom rope. There are three minutes left in the time limit. Edwards connects with a corner yakuza kick. Edwards flips out of a top rope Box Office Smash attempt and locks in a dragon sleeper for the win at 12:48. This was the Eddie Edwards’ show. He was in overdrive for the entirety of this contest and pulled out some moves that I had never seen out of him before. His escape of the top rope Box Office Smash attempt was incredible as well. Additionally, Edwards’ performance was so memorable that it allowed me to not talk about Bennett here. This match was effective in showcasing Edwards, whether or not that was the intended goal. **¾
Davey Richards finds Kyle O’Reilly in the locker room. He warns him about Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin in the main event tonight. Yes, this promo is shown BEFORE Elgin has even qualified. Richards questions Edwards’ mindset and is clearly rooting for O’Reilly in the main event.
Match #4: Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Kenny King vs. Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin vs. Tommaso Ciampa
We all know who Davey Richards is rooting for here. King snaps off a few armdrags on Ciampa, who responds by connecting with a dropkick from his knees. Cole catches Elgin with a small package for a two count and snaps off a hurricanrana. Elgin plants Cole with a dead-lift german suplex. Ciampa and Elgin trade forearms until King attacks them. King slips on a springboard attempt and almost lands on his head. Elgin hits a samoan drop-fallaway slam combination on Cole and King. Ciampa and Elgin resume their strike exchange and Ciampa hits a belly to belly suplex. He follows with a facewash knee strike on Elgin and King. Cole superkicks Ciampa and takes him out with a dive to the floor. Cole blocks a dive from King and connects with a missile dropkick on Elgin. There’s some miscommunication on a double team maneuver by King and Ciampa but they’re able to pull it off somewhat successfully. All four men are down. King connects with a spin kick on Ciampa. Elgin blocks a tornado DDT attempt from King and hits a uranagi for a nearfall. Ciampa german suplexes King off the top rope. Cole connects with a knockout kick on Elgin but eats a spinning backfist. Elgin bucklebombs Cole into Ciampa and follows with a spinning powerbomb for the victory at 9:57. King seemed off his game and caused some awkward moments that quieted the crowd. Everyone else looked good and when this match found its rhythm in the last couple minutes, it was quite solid. However, considering the talent involved, this contest probably delivered under expectations for most people. **½
Match #5: Steve Corino vs. El Generico
Generico snaps off an armdrag but Corino wisely retreats to the corner. Corino snaps off an armdrag of his own and they reach a stalemate after both attempting dropkicks. They stare each other down and Corino resists a couple of opportunities to cheat. Generico hits a michinoku driver and a back suplex. They trade punches and Corino connects with a dropkick. He follows with an STO and the Colby Shock. Generico responds with a tornado DDT and a blue thunder bomb. Generico dares Corino to take a cheap shot but he refuses. Corino does connect with a lariat. Generico reverses the Eternal Dream into a crucifix for a nearfall. He yakuza kicks Corino off the apron. There are three minutes left in the time limit. Jimmy Jacobs wants Corino to stop the match but he reenters the ring. Generico hits a half nelson suplex followed by a brainbuster for a nearfall. Generico hits another brainbuster but Corino won’t stay down. Thirty seconds left. Generico connects with a corner yakuza kick. Jimmy Jacobs threatens to throw a towel into the ring. Corino hits a brainbuster but the time limit runs out at 15:00. The match is ruled a draw. I can kind of see what they were going for but things didn’t exactly work out as planned. The idea was that Corino wanted to prove to Generico that he hasn’t “gone soft.” However, you could tell that they were working towards a draw by the lumbering pace of the match and the whole notion of Jacobs wanting Corino to quit came off as forced. Honestly, for the type of grudge match that they wanted us to believe this match was, I don’t even think a fifteen-minute time limit makes sense. The action down the stretch salvaged things a bit but the booking was off-kilter here. **¼
Corino wants five more minutes but Jim Cornette and Jacobs talk some sense into him. Generico and Corino shake hands, burying their hatchet.
Match #6: Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Roderick Strong vs. Rhett Titus
These two wrestled in a Survival of the Fittest Qualifier in 2009, where Strong was able to pick up the victory pretty easily. Titus has come a long way since then, however. They trade control on the mat and Titus connects with a flying knee strike. The action goes to the floor where Strong drapes Titus across the apron. Back in, Strong takes control until Titus catches him with a dropkick. Titus hits a leaping bulldog but gets caught by an enzuigiri. There are three minutes left in the time limit. Strong hits a gutbuster and connects with a superkick. They battle up top and Titus is way off on a snake eyes attempt. However, it’s still effective as Strong falls to the canvas. Titus connects with a boot and a discus clothesline. He lands a frog splash. There is one minute remaining. Truth Martini distracts the referee, allowing Strong to connect with the Sick Kick for the win at 14:35. I thought this match was decent without being anything special. The finish bothered me as they didn’t try to play off of the threat of a time limit draw. Instead, when the one-minute announcement was made, we got the obligatory Truth Martini interference leading to the predictable finish. I was hoping for a lot more here, as this match looked like the most promising qualifier. Believe it or not, the best qualifier ended up involving Mike Bennett. Go figure. **½
Match #7: Davey Richards and Jay Lethal vs. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin
Richards and Shelton have a nice back and forth exchange to start the match. Lethal has a difficult time figuring out how to approach locking up with Haas and consults with Richards. As expected, Haas controls on the mat. Lethal catches him with a headscissors and connects with a dropkick. Shelton blind tags into the match and WGTT start working over Lethal. Richards tries to save his partner to no avail. Richards eventually tags into the match and connects with a missile dropkick on Shelton. He follows with a running knee strike and a superplex. Shelton powers out of an ankle lock from Richards, who punts Haas from the apron. Shelton blocks a dive from Richards but Lethal takes out WGTT with a dive of his own. In the ring, Lethal catches Shelton with a dropkick and Richards adds a flying double stomp. Richards reapplies an ankle lock while Lethal stops Haas from breaking up the hold. Richards transitions into a cloverleaf but Shelton is able to reach the bottom rope. Lethal and Richards isolate Shelton after finally deciding to target his injured ribs. He connects with a spin kick on Richards and makes the tag. Haas hits a belly to belly suplex on Lethal and a german suplex on Richards. He powerslams Lethal, who answers with a tornado DDT on Shelton. Lethal superkicks Haas and hits a handspring ace crusher. Richards and Shelton exchange forearms and kicks. Haas hits an olympic slam on Lethal and clotheslines Richards. All four men are down. Everyone starts trading strikes. Richards connects with the Alarm Clock on Haas and adds a knockout kick. Richards follows with a diving headbutt and Lethal adds a flying elbow drop for a nearfall. Lethal connects with a springboard dropkick on Haas while Richards and Shelton brawl on the outside. Lethal misses a second springboard dropkick and Haas applies the Haas of Pain. Richards goes up top to try something but Shelton throws him down to the canvas. Lethal taps out, giving WGTT the victory at 23:23. Everything came together perfectly and this was the best performance that I’ve seen from WGTT in quite some time. There were so many unique elements in this match that made it interesting to watch from start to finish. Richards and Lethal had an entertaining dynamic together, as sometimes their double team attempts would give them the advantage and other times they would backfire miserably. I also liked that WGTT gave up the advantage as soon as Richards and Lethal started targeting Shelton’s injured ribs. I wasn’t quite sure how this match would turn out, especially with my reservations about WGTT. However, all four men worked extremely hard to make this champions’ showcase mean something and I think they came through in a big way. ***¾
Match #8: Survival of the Fittest 2011 Finals: Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin vs. Roderick Strong
The Briscoes work together to maintain control over Edwards. Elgin overpowers Mark and showcases his teamwork with Strong. Elgin hits a delayed vertical suplex on O’Reilly and tags in Edwards. O’Reilly and Edwards shake hands and have a back and forth exchange that ends in a stalemate. They tag in the Briscoes, who tease a confrontation before attacking everybody else. They take out O’Reilly with some double teaming as the House of Truth attack Edwards on the floor. The Briscoes hit stereo shoulder tackles on O’Reilly and isolate him. He hits a double dragon screw leg whip and tags out. The House of Truth storm the ring and start attacking Edwards again. Mark elevates O’Reilly into a neckbreaker from Jay. The Briscoes and the House of Truth come to blows. They brawl until Edwards and O’Reilly intervene with missile dropkicks. Edwards and O’Reilly trade kicks. Edwards lands a plancha onto Strong. Jay takes out Elgin with a dive. O’Reilly follows with a dive of his own. Strong drops O’Reilly back-first across the apron. Elgin lands a moonsault off the top rope onto everybody on the floor. In the ring, Elgin hits a backbreaker on O’Reilly. Everybody starts hitting moves on each other. Edwards and O’Reilly plaster Jay with superkicks. Edwards hits a 2k1 bomb on Jay to eliminate him at 18:21. Edwards applies a dragon sleeper on Mark to eliminate him as well at 18:37. The House of Truth now isolate Edwards until he’s able to fight them off. Truth Martini tries to get involved but Edwards boots him off the apron. All of that caused O’Reilly to fall off the top rope and through a table at ringside. Edwards sneaks in a rollup on Strong to eliminate him at 20:41. Elgin takes out Edwards with a lariat to eliminate him at 20:58. We’re down to Elgin and O’Reilly. O’Reilly slowly makes his way back into the ring after falling through a table. He tries a quick crucifix to no avail. Elgin finds himself in a guillotine but is able to power out. O’Reilly hits a tornado DDT and goes back to the guillotine. Davey Richards is at ringside to cheer on his protégé. Elgin hits a high-angle uranagi for a nearfall. O’Reilly finds life with a reverse hurricanrana and attempts a sunset flip for a two count. Elgin shrugs off a few kicks and they stare each other down. They exchange forearms and slaps. Elgin connects with a big lariat and hits a tombstone for a nearfall. They battle on the apron where Elgin gets back suplexed to the floor. O’Reilly leaps off the apron and connects with a dropkick. In the ring, Elgin hits a bucklebomb and his spinning powerbomb to win Survival of the Fittest 2011 at 32:01. All of the action leading up to the first elimination was solid and highlighted the Briscoes and the House of Truth’s teamwork. However, I was getting concerned that there wasn’t an elimination. Unfortunately, four eliminations happened in the span of three minutes. When you have thirty-two minutes to work with, I see no reason why eliminations need to happen that quickly as it doesn’t allow each elimination to stand out. This match’s rating is due to the tremendous twelve minutes that Elgin and O’Reilly delivered to end this contest. O’Reilly had the support of the entire crowd and it was fun watching him try to take down the much more powerful Elgin. They really came through and both men’s stock went up considerably as a result of this match. In the end, I think Elgin was the right choice and while this doesn’t rank up there with the best Survival of the Fittest finals, it’s certainly a worthy entry. ***½
Overall: When you consider purchasing Survival of the Fittest 2011, you have to evaluate how much you want to see the final two matches. The first six matches were pretty forgettable and some were outright disappointing. However, I could see how the final two matches might sway some people to buy this show. The champions’ tag team match is an interesting concept and everyone involved made it work. The main event wasn’t necessarily mind-blowing but Elgin and O’Reilly looked like stars by the end of the match. Since the last two matches take up a good part of the show and have some importance associated with them, I could see how a purchase might be warranted. While I can’t give this show a recommendation, I’m sure others will feel differently.
Elgin is awesome, and I dig O’Reilly too. The Bravados won’t be seen for a bit; they’re touring with NOAH, getting their asses whipped by Jun Akiyama.