Glory By Honor XI in Mississauga, Ontario
Opening Match: Lance and Harlem Bravado vs. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander
This is a rematch from their very good bout at Caged Hostility. Alexander snaps off a headscissors on Harlem and Coleman adds a slingshot senton. A distraction by Lance allows Harlem to yank Alexander off the middle rope and to the canvas. The Bravados isolate him until he takes advantage of some miscommunication and makes the tag. Coleman hits rolling northern lights suplexes on Harlem. He finishes with a northern lights suplex on both Bravados. Alexander lands a dive to the floor onto Lance. Harlem catches Alexander with a moonsault. Coleman adds a plancha and all four men are down on the floor. In the ring, Harlem hits an inverted DDT on Coleman. Lance hits a torture rack neckbreaker on Coleman and follows with a lariat for a nearfall. Alexander comes off the middle rope with a gamengiri on Lance. Coleman lays out Lance with a death valley driver onto Alexander’s knees for a two count. The Bravados fire back with a double team senton on Alexander. Harlem bicycle kicks Alexander and the Bravados hit the Gentleman’s Approach for a nearfall. Alexander low bridges Lance to the floor and takes out Harlem with kicks. Coleman hurricanranas Lance into a frog splash from Alexander for the win at 12:15. It’s very apparent that these two teams have excellent chemistry together and they were given enough time to deliver a solid opener. Coleman and Alexander seem to be receiving a bit more attention, but the Bravados certainly deserve the same moving forward. ***
Match #2: Mike Mondo vs. Mike Bennett
Mondo thesz presses Bennett and reigns down punches. The action goes to the floor where Bennett gets pounced into the barricade. Mondo dives off the apron but Bennett catches him with a powerslam on the floor. Bennett sends Mondo legs-first into the barricade and starts targeting the right leg. Bennett prevents a comeback by hitting a spinebuster into the apron. They collide on crossbody attempts and both men are down. They exchange punches up the entrance-way. Mondo back drops Bennett onto the floor and throws him into the barricade. Mondo climbs to the top of the entrance staging and lands a dive…with a bad leg. In the ring, Maria provides a distraction, allowing Bennett to hit a TKO for the victory at 10:52. For the most part, this was a good brawl that sufficiently showcased their hatred for each other. I thought the stage dive from Mondo felt out of place, especially because Bennett finished him soon after with a TKO. I hope Mondo’s injury doesn’t make him lose too much momentum with the ROH fans, as he’s been consistently entertaining as of late. **¾
Match #3: Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas vs. Rhett Titus and BJ Whitmer
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team attack Titus and Whitmer during their entrance. Shelton slams Whitmer onto the entrance ramp while Haas throws Titus into the barricade. In the ring, Shelton superkicks Whitmer after an atomic drop from Haas. Titus saves his partner from a double team powerbomb. Whitmer takes out Haas with a dive. Titus hits a bulldog on Shelton. Haas sends Titus into the top turnbuckle, where Shelton connects with a superkick. WGTT isolate him until he lands a flying crossbody on Shelton and makes the tag. Whitmer hits a northern lights suplex on Shelton and an exploder on Haas. Whitmer and Haas have an exchange full of boots and expletives. They trade german suplexes and Haas hits an olympic slam for a nearfall. Titus gets crotched on the top rope and WGTT hit a double team powerbomb on Whitmer for the win at 12:06. I liked the story they told from the onset of Titus and Whitmer constantly fighting from behind since before the opening bell. It didn’t necessarily make for the most exciting match, but this set the stage nicely for a blow-off possibly at Final Battle. **½
Match #4: Jay Lethal vs. Davey Richards
Lethal cuts a promo before the match about everything that happened at Killer Instinct. When he mentions putting Jim Cornette in the hospital, the crowd chants “thank you Lethal.” He tells Kevin Steen and ROH to kiss his ass. Lethal shoves Richards and connects with a punch. They exchange control of a surfboard and find themselves at a stalemate. Richards lays in a kick to the midsection. Lethal hip tosses him and cartwheels into a basement dropkick. Richards ties up Lethal’s legs and leans back on his arm, paying tribute to Nigel McGuinness. Lethal connects with an enzuigiri. Richards dropkicks him to the floor and punts him from the apron. Richards follows with a running yakuza kick at ringside. He connects with a missile dropkick in the ring and takes over. Lethal finds an opening to land a dive to the floor. They battle on the apron and Lethal hits an ace crusher. Back in, they exchange punches. Alarm Clock. Superkick from Lethal along with the Lethal Combination. He locks in a koji clutch but Richards reaches the bottom rope. Richards hits a german suplex and connects with a knockout kick. He hits another german suplex for a nearfall. Lethal responds with a nice sit-out gourdbuster. Richards hits a superplex. He hangs on but Lethal sneaks in a small package for a two count. Richards hits an ace crusher along with a brainbuster. He connects with a flying double stomp. Lethal fires back with two superkicks. He kicks Richards from the middle rope and through a table at ringside. Richards barely beats the twenty count. Lethal connects with Hail to the King for a nearfall. He hits a dragon suplex. Richards avoids the Lethal Injection and applies an ankle lock. Lethal escapes and hits the Lethal Injection for a two count. Lethal locks in a koji clutch for the victory at 23:31. It’s not like there was some super engaging story to this match or anything, but the fluidity and believability of the exchanges made me take notice. We saw how good of chemistry they have at Survival of the Fittest and this singles contest was very much an extension of that. Considering Lethal’s current storyline, Richards was a suitable opponent to bring out Lethal’s “killer instinct.” A lot of people think Lethal is next in line for the ROH World Title and I don’t think that would be the end of the world. ****
Match #5: Rhino vs. Tadarius Thomas
Thomas was supposed to wrestle Roderick Strong, but he quit the House of Truth and refused to wrestle. Thomas sweeps Rhino’s legs and cartwheels to his feet. Rhino regroups and hits a TKO. In a smart moment, Truth Martini brings out wrist tape for Rhino because, you know, he wasn’t supposed to wrestle tonight. Thomas connects with some of his unique kicks but walks into a belly to belly suplex. Thomas blocks the Gore with a kick and sneaks in a rollup for the win at 5:57. This is one of those matches I’ll forget about in two days. Thomas’ win felt like an afterthought in light of the House of Truth dissention, but it’s good that Ring of Honor is getting behind him for the time being. *½
Rhino military presses Martini from the ring onto the guardrail after the match. There’s a 100% chance of that hurting very badly.
Match #6: ROH World Television Title: Adam Cole © vs. Eddie Edwards
They exchange control on the mat but neither man can gain the advantage. They trade control of a wristlock. Cole sneaks in a rollup for a two count and they find themselves at a stalemate. They have a nice exchange out of a knucklelock and trade pin attempts to no avail. Cole reverses an early achilles lock into a small package for a two count. Edwards attempts a dive but gets caught by a gamengiri. He boots Cole off the apron and is able to land the dive on his second try. In the ring, Cole connects with a basement dropkick to the left leg. He follows with a nasty enzuigiri and hits a DDT on the apron. Cole lands a top-rope splash and hits a fireman’s carry neckbreaker. Edwards responds with a backpack chinbreaker and a dragon screw leg whip in the ropes. He connects with a flying double stomp and transitions into an achilles lock. Cole escapes the hold and applies a figure four. Edwards reaches the bottom rope. They battle on the top rope and crash to the floor. I don’t know if that was supposed to happen, but the crowd came alive for it. In the ring, Cole connects with a bicycle kick but runs into a superkick. He recovers with a brainbuster and a superkick to the back of the head for a nearfall. Cole hits the Florida Key to retain his title at 19:08. This was a terrific match and just what the card needed. There weren’t any extended heat segments or long periods of someone in control. These two battled for nineteen minutes with predominantly back and forth action, making this contest feel different from Richards/Lethal but nearly as good. Cole is quietly having a phenomenal run as World Television Champion. ***¾
Match #7: ROH World Tag Team Titles: Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs © vs. Jay and Mark Briscoe
The Briscoes attack before the opening bell. Mark lands a dive to the floor onto Corino and suplexes Jacobs onto the apron. Mark lands a senton off the apron onto Jacobs while Corino and Jay brawl up the entrance-way. Back in, the Briscoes double team Corino until he hits the Colby Shock on Mark. SCUM isolate Jay after Corino takes out Mark by hitting him with a roll of quarters. Jay avoids a back suplex from Corino and makes the tag. Mark hits a rolling death valley driver on Corino and showcases his karate offense against Jacobs. He hits an iconoclasm on Jacobs and the Briscoes follow with a flying leg drop-side slam combination. Jacobs fires back with a spear on Jay but Mark catches him with a springboard dropkick. All four men exchange strikes. Jacobs low-bridges Jay to the floor and hits a standing sliced bread on Mark. Corino adds the Eternal Dream for a nearfall. On the floor, Jay lays out Corino with a death valley driver onto a piece of the barricade. Ouch. Mark blocks a top-rope senton from Jacobs and connects with the frog splash elbow drop for a nearfall. The Briscoes setup Jacobs for the doomsday device. Corino crotches Mark on the top rope and low blows Jay. Jacobs victory rolls Jay and SCUM retain their titles at 13:58. This was an above average brawl helped by the fact that there was nothing else like it on the show thus far. Corino and Jacobs are working hard as champions but would benefit from fresh challengers (either team in the opener would work well). You’ve seen this all before, but I enjoyed the match for what it was. ***
Match #8: ROH World Title: Kevin Steen © vs. Michael Elgin
Steen cuts a promo before the match. Jay Lethal’s parents aren’t allowed to attend ROH shows anymore and Lethal cannot wrestle Steen again. There’s also going to be a new ROH World Title belt. Finally, the package piledriver is legal. Roderick Strong is watching this match from the front row. They trade forearms and neither man can win a shoulder block battle. Elgin hits a swinging side slam. The action goes to the floor, where Steen gets sent into the barricade. He returns the favor to Elgin. Back in, Elgin hits a powerslam and a delayed vertical suplex. He comes off the middle rope with a shoulder tackle. Steen hits a DDT in the ropes and powerbombs Elgin onto the apron. Steen lands a frog splash from the apron to the floor. He takes control in the ring until Elgin connects with an enzuigiri. Elgin follows with a stunner out of the corner and an air raid crash. Steen just throws him back-first across his knee and hits a corner cannonball. They battle up top and Steen gets knocked down to the canvas. He blocks a corkscrew senton with knees. Elgin low-bridges Steen to the floor and follows out with a dive. Elgin hip tosses Strong over the barricade and sends him to the back. Elgin powerbombs Steen into the ringpost and lands a senton in the ring. Steen locks in a sharpshooter. Elgin counters into a crossface but Steen gets his foot across the bottom rope. They battle on the apron and both go crashing through the ringside table. Back in, Steen elevates Elgin into a sit-out powerbomb. Elgin reverses the F-Cinq into a crossface. Steen turns the hold into a rollup for a nearfall. Elgin hits a dead-lift german suplex. He lays in repeated knee strikes to the head. Steen hits a codebreaker but walks into a lariat. Elgin hits a bucklebomb but Steen fires back with a lariat of his own. Both men are down. Steen hits the F-Cinq for a two count. Elgin traps him in another crossface but he reaches the bottom rope. Steen hits a sleeper suplex and the package piledriver for a nearfall. Fans threw streamers into the ring because they thought the match was over. Now that’s a good nearfall. Elgin sneaks in a rollup to no avail. He counters a corner cannonball into a powerbomb, hits a bucklebomb, and finishes with a spinning powerbomb for a nearfall. They battle up top and Steen hits the package piledriver from the middle rope to retain his title at 31:28.
I see no reason why this match isn’t as good as people are saying. Elgin was faced with a very different opponent than we are used to seeing him against in Ring of Honor. Steen’s resiliency and sheer weight made Elgin incapable of making his offense last for thirty-one minutes. Elgin tried to compensate in various ways (relying on the crossface), but in the end, Steen was too much for him. I’d say this match was just as good as Elgin’s Showdown in the Sun bout against Davey Richards but they are two completely different contests. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that Steen is able to have a thirty-one minute classic on the first show after Jim Cornette’s increased involvement, but this match should be considered in any serious match of the year talk for 2012. ****½
Strong runs out and cheap shots Elgin after the match with a Sick Kick. Paul Turner delivers a box to Nigel McGuinness at ringside. Nigel gives the box to Steen, which contains EL GENERICO’S MASK!!! Steen’s facial expression is absolute gold. The crowd pops huge and that was a great way to end a fantastic show.
Overall: Glory By Honor XI could make a strong claim for the best ROH show of the year. Richards and Lethal tore the house down to end the first half of the show, Edwards and Cole delivered a very good match, and the main event is one of the best matches of the year (anywhere). This show also ended in an intriguing way with the knowledge that El Generico will be returning. Throw in some fun tag team matches throughout the card and you have a show that was successful for Ring of Honor on multiple levels. High recommendation.
You can purchase this DVD at Ring of Honor’s store right here.
Chat with Ryan on twitter by clicking the button below
