ROH 11/10/18 TV Review: Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham and Mystery Partner vs The Kingdom
10/13/18
2300 Arena
Philadelphia, PA
This week was the second episode from the set of tapings from Philadelphia, PA. Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana and Caprice Coleman were on commentary and welcomed everyone to show.
First Match: Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Taylor
These two really went all in from the get-go, showing off both their strength and agility through the match. Taylor climbed up in the corner and hesitated for a moment, allowing Cobb to hoist him up and delivered an impressive stalling suplex, following it up with a standing moonsault. Not to be outdone, Taylor hit an unbelievable hit a Cleveland Destroyer that rendered Cabana speechless on commentary. In the end Cobb hit Tour of the Islands to pick up the win via pinfall. Adam page came out and he and Cobb stared each other down as security took to the ring. Page and Cobb teamed to take down security before jawing a bit more. This was an amazing opener- Taylor and Cobb is the match I did not know I had to see and this really delivered here. The Post-match stuff between Cobb and Page was also well done and is a match that I’m excited to see.
Winner: Jeff Cobb
Second Match: The Bouncers vs. Cheeseburger & Eli Isom
We were privy to some backstage vignettes, first a promo and then some actions shots showed us that Bruiser was a bit off his game. Milonas was forced to find bruiser by the bar and convinced him to shake it off and get to the ring. The two made their way to the ring, not down the ramp, but from the bar, which seems to be a new normal for them. Isom and Cheeseburger fought valiantly, but it was all for naught, as Bruiser and Milonas put this one away rather quickly with the Last Call Superplex/Bull Frog Splash combination.
Winners: The Bouncers
Once the show came back on Socal Uncensored was in the ring and cut a promo about how Philadelphia is the Worst Town they have ever been in. After Sky finished his spiel Kazarian put the 2300 Arena over before Christopher Daniels brought the mood down and got a little serious for a moment. Daniels went on to talk about how Joe Koff wanted him and Kazarian out of the company, but that they are now changed men who should be kept around. He went on to say one chance the group has to stick around is by winning the titles next week when they square off with the Briscoes and The Young Bucks. As SCU left the ringside area the Briscoes ambushed them and beat the trio down, hitting a Jay Driller on Daniels on the ramp. This was good, however, it was a bit anti-climactic if you’ve been watching all things ROH and it’s been revealed that SCU has already won the titles.
Main Event: Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham and Mystery Partner vs The Kingdom
Dalton Castle came out, completing the trip as a surprise return here. Again, the “surprise” factor was mitigated by the fact that Castle has been on ROH before this aired, sadly an issue that arises due to taping schedules. This was fun nonetheless, featuring a perfect foil team in the Kingdom. The ending sequence was incredibly lively see Gresh hit a springboard moonsault on Marseglia before following it with a cannonball dive on the outside to take care of O’Ryan. Back inside he went for a Shooting Star Press but Marseglia got his knees up, sending Gresham outside. Lethal came in and hit a Lethal Injection on O’Ryan but Taven pulled O’Ryan outside. Castle then stormed the ring and as Marseglia held a chair, delivered a Bang-A-Rang, ultimately crashing Marseglia down face-first into the chair before picking up the win for his team via pinfall. Taven teased getting back in the ring with castle post-match but eventually thought better of it. Castle then gestured toward the title before shaking hands with Lethal as the show ended.
Winners: Lethal, Gresham & Castle
Final Reaction: C+/B-
This episode was enjoyable- however, the taping schedule and the live event schedule clashed here a bit- If you aren’t watching the ROH on tour shows, then this completely worked-with surprises like Castle coming out and the build to an important matchup featuring SCU, The Briscoes and the Young Bucks next week. Cobb and Taylor was excellent and needs to happen again on a bigger stage-Cobb will have his hands full with Page, but afterward and longer program with Taylor might be just what the doctor ordered. My biggest gripe would that some of what is going to happen in the future has been revealed on ROH Honor Club-that is to say that my complaint is that ROH is tying together everything and making every show matter-which is difficult to do with television tapings that span four weeks.