Roh On Hdnet Report: 22nd June 2009
Okay, on to this week’s episode: we open with a tribute to Mitsuharu Misawa, as this week’s episode of ROH On HDNet will be dedicated to the Japanese legend. From there, we go to the studio with Mike and Dave, as they break the news that Austin Aries won the ROH World Title last weekend in New York City.
We take a look back at last week as Necro Butcher saved Grizzly Redwood from an attack by Jimmy Rave and the Embassy.
Match Number One: Claudio Castagnoli vs Necro Butcher
Claudio and Necro follow the Code of Honor and the bell rings. Claudio takes Necro down off a tie up with a waistlock takedown. Claudio breaks and they go to another tie up, but this time Necro sits out and turns in and paintbrushes the back of Claudio’s head. Claudio sneaks in with a cheap kick to the gut and tries a cross corner whip, but Necro reverses and gets a monkey flip. Claudio begs off, but Necro kicks him anyway and goes to work in the corner, then follows up with a backdrop and a clothesline over the top sends Claudio to the floor. These two make an interesting matchup. Necro goes for a dive off the apron, but Claudio runs away, but Necro jumps to the floor and starts beating Claudio up anyway. Claudio rolls into the ring and tries to suplex Necro in but Necro reverses and goes for an inverted sunset flip, but Claudio escapes that and hits a bicycle kick for 2. Claudio with an elbowdrop for 2. I just realized how much Claudio looks like a Mike Tyson’s Punch Out villain. Claudio goes to work with a couple of European uppercuts, a full bodyslam, and another elbowdrop for 2. Necro tries to fight his way out and gets the inverted sunset flip for 2, then a right cross and a big kick to the face sends Claudio down. Necro goes to work in the corner and gets the running bulldog for 2. Necro goes for a chokeslam, but Claudio fights his way out and goes up top, but Necro catches him with a top rope Frankensteiner. Jimmy Rave runs out to ringside and distracts the ref, allowing Claudio to get a low kick for the win.
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli
Rave and Claudio attack Necro after the bell, and Brent Albright runs out with a chair to make the save.
We got back to last week when Austin Aries knocked Jerry Lynn out with the ROH World Title belt.
Backstage, Nevaeh says she has the chance of a lifetime against the SHIMMER Champion MsChif. I hope they did some serious editing on this match, because it came off really bad in person.
Match Number Two: SHIMMER Champion MsChif vs Nevaeh
I like how MsChif does the crazy scream on the way to the ring, but then she starts nonchalantly strolling to the ring like she’s thinking “AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!! Doo dee doo, okay going to go wrestle now. La dee da.” It would help if she were more uniformly crazy, but that’s really my only criticism of her. Nevaeh gets a side headlock takeover to start, but MsChif fires her off into the ropes and tries a hiptoss, but Nevaeh flips through and goes back to the headlock. Nevaeh whips her across the ring, then gets a snapmare and potatoes her with a misplaced clothesline to the face. MsChif ducks a clothesline and gets a backfist before pounding away on Nevaeh in the corner as Jimmy Jacobs casually watches on. MsChif takes her head off with a lariat and Nevaeh gets a really bad small package for 2. MsChif immediately recovers and puts Nevaeh in a really nasty stretch that Nevaeh totally fails to sell, so MsChif takes her down and goes for a Lionsault, but Nevaeh moves and starts the Babyface Comeback!!! Nevaeh with a neckbreaker for 2, then reverses a Desecrator attempt to a German Suplex for 2. Jacobs distracts the ref, allowing MsChif to spray the green mist in Nevaeh’s face and hit the Desecrator for the win. This was like the fourth or fifth Nevaeh match I’ve seen and I’m sure she’s a very nice girl, but I’m sorry to say I’m not impressed.
Winner: MsChif
Colt Cabana debuts his new segment, The Art Of Pro Wrestling, as he and Brent Albright are at the merchandise stand and pimping the latest PPV DVD releases, Rising Above and Caged Collision.
We go back to what I guess turned out not to be a dark segment, as we get Ric Flair’s hollow goodbye as he decided to leave ROH hanging and go back to WWE. Ask me how I really feel.
Match Number Three: Kenny King vs Kenny Omega
King is accompanied to the ring by Rhett Titus and a couple of local…ah…dancers, and Prazak cracks me up by telling Hogewood to slap the porpoise. Omega takes a wristlock to start, but King reverses to a pair of armdrags into an armbar, and Omega reverses that to an armbar of his own. King reverses to a headscissors and then a headlock, and they trade Irish Whip attempts until Omega gets a spinning back kick to send King to the floor. King moves out of the way of a baseball slide and gets double teamed by King and Titus, but miscommunication leads to King nailing Titus and then both men fall victim to a big dive by Omega. Omega tosses King back in the ring and hits a running elbow in the corner, followed by a flying mare and a dropkick to the back of King’s head for 2. King goes to the eyes and goes for the cartwheel kick, but Omega blocks and hits a spinkick of his own. Titus grabs the ankle from the outside and King nails Omega for 2. Titus continues liberally interfering from outside as King goes to work inside the ring. Omega tries fighting back but gets hung up on the ropes on a corner charge and King gets a nice spinkick. King puts Omega up on the top rope and goes for a superplex, Omega pushes him off, but King backflips and lands on his feet, and then Omega gets a flying bodypress. Really nice sequence. Omega ducks a clothesline and goes to work with Canadian Hammers, then ducks a clothesline and gets a really nice dropkick to the knee and a Canucker Dropper for 2. Omega with a spinning back kick and a Rude Awakening gets 2. King no-sells STOP and gets the cartwheel kick, then the running double knees sends Omega flying into the corner, but Omega somersaults out of the charge and goes up top. Titus grabs Omega’s ankle and allows King to get another spinkick and then the Coronation, but only gets 2. Omega reverses a Burning Hammer to a rollup for 2, King reverses that to a rollup of his own for 2, Omega gets the STOP again and this time gets another spinkick out of it. He tries a Dragon Suplex but King escapes. Titus tries to interfere, but King accidentally nails him, allowing Omega to hit the inverted Frankenstenier and the Electric German Suplex for the win.
Winner: Kenny Omega
Titus attacks after the bell, but Erick Stevens runs out to make the save.
Hype for next week’s World Tag Team Title Match between the American Wolves and Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black, and then we go back to four weeks ago when Eddie Kingston got disqualified against Chris Hero and knocked out the referee.
Match Number Four: Eddie Kingston vs Andy “Right Leg” Ridge
Interestingly, I thought this was a dark match at the taping because it was taped out of sequence, and went on before the taping “officially” began. Kingston takes Ridge to the corner, but breaks clean. To the corner again, but Ridge gets a kick instead of breaking clean, so Kingston with a left to the face, and then goes to work on Ridge with a series of chops before getting the double overhook suplex followed by a vertical suplex and a stiff cross corner whip. Kingston eats boot on a charge and Ridge tries a running knee, but Kingston no-sells and hits the spinning backfist for the easy win.
Winner: Eddie Kingston
We see some clips of Delirious and Jimmy Jacobs brawling to hype next week’s Fight Without Honor between the two, then we go backstage to Kyle Durden, who is with Jacobs. For the first time in a long time, Jacobs feels free because all his former cronies have taken turns beating him up. Okay. He mentions this weekend’s cage match in Detroit and next week’s match with Delirious and says that next week, the Age Of The Fall begins. I thought it began like two years ago?
Match Number Five: KENTA vs Roderick Strong
This is gonna be awesome. KENTA takes a waistlock, but Strong reverses out, and KENTA catches a headscissors on Strong, who handsprings out of the hold. Back to a tie up and Strong takes KENTA to the ropes, but KENTA ducks a chop. Another tie up and this time KENTA takes Strong to the ropes and Strong ducks a kick from KENTA. Finally they decide to stop screwing around and just take turns exchanging some of the stiffest kicks and chops ever before Strong kills him with a spinning heel kick. KENTA returns the favor with a series of kicks and European uppercuts, Strong goes for a sunset flip, but KENTA simply reaches down and smacks him in the face then gets a stiff running kick just to be a jerk. KENTA with a flying mare and goes to the chinlock, then takes Strong to the corner and unloads with kicks, but Strong fires back, but that just pisses off KENTA, who continues kicking away. Strong picks KENTA up and just tosses him across the ring and then hits a pair of chops that were so loud they sounded like a shotgun. Strong continues whaling away on KENTA, and this is turning very rough very quickly. Strong with a side backbreaker and then a fallaway slam for 2. Strong with a bearhug, but KENTA elbows his way out, comes off the ropes, and eats a stiff dropkick to get 2 for Strong. Strong with a stiff cross corner whip and KENTA just collapses in the corner, where Strong takes great pleasure in stomping away on him. Another cross corner whip reverse by KENTA, but Strong gets the boot up not once but twice, but then Strong tries a charge and walks right into a powerslam. KENTA with a series of clotheslines and a snap suplex, then he goes up top and nails a flying clothesline that was so stiff it makes Hawk’s top rope clothesline look like a Baba chop. KENTA with an STF, but Strong makes the ropes, then uses the tights to send KENTA to the apron. Strong with a slingshot Falcon Arrow suplex for 2. Strong with a pair of clotheslines in the corner and a cradle backbreaker for 2. Strong goes for the gutbuster, but KENTA slips out and hits a series of kicks and then a springboard dropkick, a really nasty Yakuza kick in the corner, and then when Strong collapses KENTA hits a diving dropkick and a sitout powerbomb for 2. Yikes. KENTA with a series of strikes and the running knee strike whose real name I can’t spell for 2. KENTA goes for Go To Sleep, Strong slips out, KENTA tries it again and Strong escapes again and gets an enziguiri, then puts KENTA up top and gets a top rope superplex for 2. I was right, this match is awesome. Strong goes for the Stronghold, but KENTA makes the ropes. Both men out to the apron and Strong goes for the apron backbreaker, but KENTA escapes and gets a hard kick to send Strong to the floor. KENTA follows him out and charges at him, but Strong scoops him up and slams him backfirst on the apron for 2. Strong with the gutbuster and a running kick for another 2. Tons of near falls in this one. Strong picks KENTA up and goes for the Gibson Driver, but KENTA reverses into Go To Sleep for the win.
Winner: KENTA
