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ROH Death Before Dishonor IX
Aired live on pay-per-view
New York, NY at The Manhattan Center
Preview Show
1. Andy "Right Leg" Ridge defeated Grizzly Redwood to qualify for Survival of the Fittest. I only caught the last couple of minutes, but I was not impressed with what I saw.
The show opened without audio, but they got it fixed pretty quick. Dave Prazack and Kevin Kelly checked in on commentary…
1. Tomasso Ciampa and Rhino (w/The Embassy) defeated Homicide and Jay Lethal at 10:13. Lethal was introduced as TV Champion. Lethal and Ciampa started. They chained wrestled and Lethal hit a low dropkick after a hip toss. Lethal dodged Rhino's power and hit a handspring elbow. He tagged Homicide, but Rhino pulled away. Rhino powered Homicide around, but Homicide came back with a neckbreaker.
There was the chaotic ROH back and forth for a moment, complete with tags. Ciampa hit a dropkick from a kneeling position that was amazing. Lethal sold to both heels, and then hit a super kick on Rhino. Both men made tags, and all hell broke loose. Homicide traded selling and beating both guys. Lethal ended up knocking Rhino to the floor, and Ciampa reversed the Gringo Killa into Project Ciampa (powerbomb into backbreaker on knees) for the win. Post-match, The Embassy went after Homicide, and Lethal had to use his title belt to chase them off…
Shore's Slant: A good opener, but Homicide puts me to sleep. He's so bad when it comes to selling as a whole. He can sell an individual move well, but he never looks beat up. Just fatigued. Ciampa has all the upside in the world, and is the guy to watch.
2. Shelton Benjamin defeated Mike Bennett (w/Brutal Bob) at 10:27. A loud and vulgar crowd tonight. Bennett went to the ropes and the floor early to get his heat, which worked. Benjamin followed, and Bob distracted him so Bennett could kick Benjamin into the new ROH railings. Bennett went on the attack and worked his offense against the wall of "You can't wrestle" chants.
They traded the "boo/yeah" punches and Benjamin hit a big back drop. He scored several near falls with power moves, and stalked for Pay Dirt. He went for it, but Bennett caught him and hit a backbreaker for two. Bennett hit a missile dropkick for two. Benjamin hit a great release German suplex and covered, but Bob put a foot on the rope.
Benjamin chased Bob into the ring and went to kick him. Bob caught his leg, and spun Benjamin around. Benjamin hit his heel kick on Bennett instead, and then a superkick on Bob. He followed with pay dirt on Bennett for the win…
Shore's Slant: Very good match. People who say Bennett can't wrestle just don't understand how this business works at all. This card is mostly comprised of matches outside of a storyline, like this one. So don't expect a lot of analysis outside of the match itself.
3. The Young Bucks defeated The Bravados and Future Shock in a Triple Threat elimination match at 10:49. This match started impossible to cover, and stayed that way for most of the first six minutes. Future Shock hit a high-low combo that eliminated the Bravados. The Bravados were eliminated at 6:41.
All four men battled after the Bravados left and Future Shock each locked in submission holds, and the Bucks slammed into each other to break the holds. All four men hit a series of superkicks and clotheslines to leave everyone laid out, and the crowd super-hot. The Bucks hit "More Bang for your Buck" for the pinfall victory. Post-match, the fans chanted "Shake their hands," but The Bucks would not…
Shore's Slant: If you're pissed about me not being more descriptive, go back and watch this match and tell me you could have done better. The offense was wide open from the start, and I had a hard time just keeping up, let alone trying to type that fast. Interesting idea for the Bucks to play on the "no handshake" controversies. Very interesting.
4. El Generico fought Jimmy Jacobs to an apparent no contest in about 10:00. Jacobs observed the Code of Honor, and teased being bad a few times. He managed to stop every time. They trade moves for some time, neither man getting the advantage. Generico went for the Akuza kick and Jacobs popped out of the corner with a guillotine.
Generico got a rope break and hit a surprise Akuza kick. He set up Jacobs for the top rope brainbuster, but Jacobs shoved him to the apron, and hit a spear on the apron for two. Jacobs went back to the top, and again Generico caught him and climbed up. Jacobs reversed into a top rope tornado DDT, which both men sold.
Kevin Steen jumped the railing at about the 10:00 mark. He grabbed a mic and told Generico he was here to stay, and told Jacobs to tell Steve Corino he was a "f---ing pussy." They cut his mic, but he kept talking. I couldn't make much of it out. A bunch of security and bottom card guys ran out and tried to convince Steen to leave.
Jacobs suddenly came to the floor and attacked. Steen got the better and hit a sick powerbomb on the ring apron on Jacobs. Generico dove on everyone, but Steen escaped into the ring. Cary Silken jumped in the ring and tried to calm Steen down. They shook hands for a moment, but Steen kicked him and grabbed for the package piledriver. Guys rna in and attacked Steen and drove him into the corner. Cornette ran out and jumped in the ring. Steen spit at him and flipped him the birds, and Cornette attacked Steen! They finally broke everything up and dragged Steen out through the crowd…
Shore's Slant: No offense to CM Punk and WWE, but that's how you do an outsider angle. Could you imagine if WWE had done this with Punk. The crowd would have exploded just like this one did. Spectacular match before it too. I must say, I'm very intrigued by how much latitude these guys are being given. This is TV-MA, not TV-14. I hope this is the plan. And if it is, I'm curious beyond words to see how it is accepted.
***Intermission***
While it's at intermission, head on over to my souvenir table and pick up your copy of The Following Contest is a Dark Match. It's available for only 99 cents here.
Back from Intermission, Cornette said there would be an announcement later about the Steen situation…
5. Charlie Haas defeated Michael Elgin (w/Truth Martini) at 12:39. Haas took early control, but Truth grabbed Haas's leg, and Elgin drove him to the floor. They battled there. Elgin drove Haas into the railing, and Haas hit a back suplex on the rail. They rolled back in the ring, and Elgin hit an enziguri for two.
Elgin climbed to the top, but Haas ran up and hit a release German superplex that flipped Elgin all the way over. Haas hit several clotheslines for the victory…
Shore's Slant: Forgettable match that exposed Haas as a weak in-ring storyteller. Phenomenal skills, but no charisma at all. I found myself distracted several times during this match. Fine technical skills, but I just didn't care.
Bobby Cruise ran through the rules for the Ringmaster Challenge. The match is a two out of three falls match, with the first fall pinfall only, the second submission only, and the third, if necessary, would be a 15 minute iron man match…
6. Eddie Edwards defeated Roderick Strong (w/Truth Martini) in a Ringmaster Challenge at 6:41. We lost the announce team about two minutes in, just after a couple of very impressive chain series. Roddy got the first big near fall at 5:00 with a Superkick on a kneeling Edwards.
The fight spilled to the floor. Both men traded chops, but Roddy ended up hitting several kicks and forearm shots to keep control. They rolled in the ring and traded brutal forearms shots and kicks. Edwards hit a sick looking release back suplex and both men sold being exhausted already. And we got audio back at 10:30.
Edwards battled and went for the chin checker. He stopped running and let Roddy go in an awkward moment. Roddy hit a slam for two. Edwards hit a top rope codebreaker, but Roddy reversed the next suplex attempt into his backbreaker finisher to win the first fall. Roderick Strong wins the first fall at11:59. Strong leads 1-0.
A 30 second rest period had Eddie laid out, and Truth giving Roddy water like a corner man. Roddy attacked at the second bell. Roddy went for an early pin, but referee Todd Sinclair didn't bite. Roddy worked a Rings of Saturn type hold until Eddie made the ropes, and Eddie followed with a STF until Strong made the ropes.
They battled to the floor again and Strong hit a hard knee strike on Edwards. He followed that with a back suplex on a chair. He rolled Eddie into the ring and hooked on the Stronghold. Eddie made the ropes. Strong came back with a Boston Crab. Eddie again made the ropes. Eddie rolled through a rollup attempt and hooked the Achilles lock to win the second fall. Eddie Edwards won the second fall at 7:45. The match is tied 1-1.
As soon as the bell rang, Eddie dove onto Strong, who had rolled to the floor to be with Martini. Roddy used a female photographer as a shield, but Eddie got him and rolled him in the ring. Eddie scored several near falls, and then Truth distracted him, allowing Strong to score several near falls.
The five minute mark was announced, and Roddy was in control. He dumped Edwards to the floor, and whipped him into the barricade. He dragged Edwards to the entrance ramp, and hit a Gibson driver on the ramp. Edwards barely made the 20 count to prevent a fall.
Roddy sat on the top, and Eddie hit three big kicks. Edwards hit the Chin Checker for a great near-fall. Eddie hit a bridging back suplex, but Roddy put his foot on the rope. The 10 minute mark was announced and both men sold.
Edwards hit a top rope superplex for two just as the 12 minute mark was announced. At the 13 minute mark, they worked a series of roll-up reversal. Roddy hooked a backslide, and Truth grabbed Edwards leg to cheat a pinfall. Roderick Strong scored a pinfall in13:20.
The 30 second rest period started, and Eddie attacked Truth and Strong with the Book of Truth. The bell rang, and Eddie hit a corkscrew fisherman suplex for a pinfall victory. Eddie Edwards scored a pinfall in 14:30.
The bell ran for the last few seconds, but neither man could stand. The bell rang, and the match was announced as a draw. Jim Cornette stormed out and ordered sudden death overtime. They started by trading forearms and then chops. Edwards won the battle and hit a double stomp on the apron. He followed with the same driver he used to win the second fall in the iron man section of the match for the win at 6:44 in overtime…
Shore's Slant: Great match, but such a weak ending. I hate these endings. All the drama that you built in the match just dies with that uninspiring finish. They setup that move as a finisher just fine, but it just felt flat. I'm frustrated for those guys more than anything else. It really is a match you should see, but the finish felt like a comma when I wanted an exclamation point.
7. All Night Express defeated The Briscoes in Ladder War III at 27:53. The Briscoes attacked immediately. They spilled to the floor, and Rhett Titus took the first chair shot, and Kenny King took the first table bump. King took a powder and Titus took a reverse STO into a chair set in the corner to get the first blood of the night.
The blood, of course, revved Titus up, and he release suplexed Mark Briscoe onto a ladder that was stretched between the ring and the rail. They put Jay in the corner and hit a dropkick on the ladder into Jay's nuts. King slammed him on the ladder, and then hit a leg drop on Jay just before Titus hit a splash on Jay. They put his head into the ladder and then drove him into the corner in a scary looking spot.
Mark held his own for a moment, and then Jay recovered all busted open. They battled all over the floor. Kenny hit a moonsault off the rail on Mark, Jay hit a suplex on the ramp on Titus. Mark ended up busted open in a spot I didn't see. The crowd chanted "Make Kenny bleed." NY is a tough ass crowd, yo.
Jay killed Titus with a senton on the ladder, and then he and Mark hit the double hip toss onto the ladder in the corner on Kenny. The crowd chanted, "You killed Kenny." Funny. The crowd chanted, "Bleed" over and over. Jay held the chair for Mark to dropkick in Kenny's face. They also threw the chair at his head a couple of times, which Kenny took unprotected. He finally made the crowd happy.
They setup for a spike Jay Driller, but Titus shoved Mark off the top onto a table. Kenny hit Jay with the chair, and Titus setup another table in the ring. They hit a powerbomb/springboard blockbuster spot through that table that set the crowd off big.
Everybody took some time to recover, and ANX brought a ladder into the ring. They battled over that one, and then Jay brought out a huge, heavy duty ladder. He set it up in the corner on the floor. The Briscoes put Titus on a table, and then Mark hit a splash from the top of the huge ladder.
Jay put the big ladder in the ring. Kenny climbed in the ring and hit a spinebuster. He went to the top, and hit a shooting star press in the middle of the ring. King setup the ladder and climbed for the contract. Jay started up the other side. They punched at the top, and Jay finally fell off. King grabbed the contract and collapsed off the ladder with the win. The show ended with ANX celebrating, and the Briscoes lying in pools of their own blood. Literally…
Shore's Slant: I want to like that match. I really do. There was a lot of good in it. But I can't. Some of the risks were just unnecessary. Completely uneccessary. The splash off the ladder, the unprotected chair shots (which could have been worse, admittedly), the head in the ladder spot with Jay, and there were others.
Overall a good show. I wasn't blown away by anything, but still good. Solid B+ if you will. I am excited to see how the new TV show looks next week. I'll have more to say in my hitlist and the member's only audio later tonight. Thanks for following along with me.
Questions? Comments? Anyone, anyone? Let me hear from you. Email me at css3238@gmail.com or tweet me @TheShoreSlant with whatever is on your mind.
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