By Chris Shore

ROH Boiling Point
From the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, R.I.
Aired live on iPPV via ROHWrestling.com

Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuiness checked in at the top of the show from ringside. I had the quality set too high for my bandwidth so I missed most of what they said. When my stream settled, Roderick Strong and Truth Martini were in the ring. Mike Mondo was out next...

1. Roderick Strong (w/Truth Martini) vs. Mike Mondo. For those at home saying, "Hey, I know that Mondo guy," he is Mikey from the Spirit Squad of WWE and DX whipping boy fame. Roddy beat the crap out of Mondo with champs, but Mondo came right back with a leg lock into a headstand that looked an awful lot like a headbutt from another former Spirit Squad member.

The fight spilled to the floor and Strong slammed Mondo into the railing. Mondo hit a stiff headbutt and busted Strong open on the bridge of the nose. Strong paid him a receipt for some time, hitting stiff kicks and hit a standing suplex on the floor. Mondo hit a knee lift out of nowhere to start an offensive run. He hit a top rope standing moonsault for two.

Strong fled to the floor and Mondo followed. Mondo hit a head scissor to toss Strong into the railing. Mondo backed up the ramp to the entry curtain and charged all the way around the ring to crash into Strong and the railing. Mondo sold it the most and had to fight his way into the ring to beat the count. The referee threatened to stop the match but Mondo begged him off. Strong attacked and hit a string of moves for a nearfall that should have been the finish. Instead, Mondo kicked out only to have Strong pin him three minutes later...

Roderick Strong defeated Mike Mondo at 12:35.

Shore's Slant: Good opener that went to long. This really should have ended with the threatened stoppage. That nearfall only works if the babyface wins. Mondo would have looked sympathetic here with the injury. Lasting three more minutes doesn't invoke sympathy, it invokes pity.

The PWF promoter joined the announce team and he put over the four talents in the survival match...

2. Matt Taven vs. Q.T. Marshall vs. Antonio Thomas vs. Vinny Marsegilia in a four corners survival match with the winner getting a ROH contract. Taven is rumored to have been signed by WWE. The match broke down about two minutes in and guys spilled to the floor. Taven did a huge dive over the top rope and landed hard on the barricade.

Shore's Slant: If he has been offered, somebody in WWE just crapped themselves. Also, I'm having bandwidth issues at times so if I seem disjointed its because I'm getting a disjointed feed. This is my ISPs fault, not ROH.

Thomas and Marshall argued after having an alliance early. Marsegilia hit a brdiging suplex on Thomas while having Marshall's leg wrenched back. The ref counted two and Taven hit a splash on all three from the top in a crazy looking spot. Marshall won after hitting a running reverse Ace crusher on Taven...

QT Marshall won a ROH contract at 11:04.

Shore's Slant: The fans died toward the end of this match. They didn't seem to care about them, which is odd considering this was basically a hometown crowd. Marshall was the obvious choice with the suspected Taven signing.

A video recapped the last Adam Cole vs. Brutal Bob match. Bob made his entrance and cut a promo where he called Cole a "sweet little boy" with a mouth that was "good for pounding." I shit you not...

3. Brutal Bob Evans vs. Adam Cole. The pre-show advertising had this as a proving ground match, but Kelly said this had nothing to do with the title. So I have no idea what this match means. Evans capitalized on a Cole mistake and elbowed him in the back of the head. He worked heel ground and pound moves and talked smack until Cole fought back and hit an enziguri that got no reaction from the crowd.

Cole missed a crossbody from the top and Evans hit a shoulder tackle for two. Cole came right back with a superkick that Brutal Bob the manager kicked out of. Cole feinted another superkick and Evans ducked. Cole superkicked the knee and locked in the figure four. Bob fought for a while, but he finally tapped out...

Adam Cole needed 10:04 to defeat Bob Evans.

Mike Bennett and Maria hit the ring and Bennett attacked Cole. He beat him down and yelled at him, but Eddie Edwards and Sara Del Rey made the save, chasing away "Team Sexy..."

Shore's Slant: Holy cow. That could not have been more boring. I am genuinely shocked at how bad that sucked because I think Cole is a hell of a wrestler. Evans wasn't bad per se, but why did it take 10 minutes for the TV champion to beat a friggin manager? Cornette needs to give himself his own face.

The Housr of Truth made their entrance and Truth said Steen would leave with the title tonight because Rhyno would win it at the next iPPV and then they would go after the tag team gold. Elgin cut in and said he signed the papers and he would get his title shot in Toronto, which is two PPVs away. I think. This is a mess. Strong said he was promised Elgin's spot by Truth and was going on strike from the HOT until he got it. Elgin to stay on strike because he would win the title at Toronto. Roddy left the ring and Haas made his entrance...

4. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin (w/Truth Martini) vs. Charlie Haas. Elgin took an early lead, but Strong came out with a beer and distracted Elgin enough for Haas to attack from behind. Haas slammed the leg over and over against the railing and hurt the knee. Haas focused on the knee and slammed Elgin's leg into the post several times. Haas worked the leg on the ropes with kicks and running knee strikes as Strong mocked Elgin from the floor.

Haas slapped on an Indian death lock. Elgin chopped his way out, but Haas punched him in the ropes. Haas tried to jump on Elgin, but Elgin moved and R.I. woke up a little. Elgin hit a running knee for a nearfall. Elgin hit a running enziguri that Haas oversold to hit the floor. Elgin started to dive, but Roddy stood in the way cheering on Haas. Elgin yelled at Roddy and Haas swept the leg.

Strong offered Haas a beer and Haas opened it in Truth's face. Haas took the next one and drank it. Elgin speared Haas into Roddy and into the railing. Haas took two beers and drank one while pouring the other on Roddy. He rolled in the ring and went for the powerbomb, but Roddy spit beer in his face. Elgin went after Strong, and Haas rolled him up with a handful of tights for the win. Strong ran to the back and Truth and Elgin walked back a little later...

Charlie Haas defeated Michael Elgin at 14:41.

Shore's Slant: Here we go again with a match happening outside of any real storyline. Except they tried to shoe horn it into another storyline, and they managed to even confuse their announcers as by the end, Kelly was telling people to just go to the web site to figure out what is going on with the world title. This show is a disaster.

A video recapped Mark Briscoe being a complete moron and diving from the balcony onto Kevin Steen in the ring as a setup for the tag match. Both teams made their entrances...

5. The Briscoe Brothers vs. SCUM (Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs). The match quickly broke down and spilled to the floor. Mark hit a moonsault from the top to the floor on everyone. The Briscoes were mostly in control, but there were bodies flying everywhere. The Briscoes got everyone back in the ring and promptly lost control to the heels.

Later in the match, Corino went on a technical showcase and hit rapid moves in succession to Mark. Mark hit a chin buster and quick tagged Jay. Jay hit a DVD for two. Corino hit a back suplex and tagged Jacobs. Jacobs hit a spear for a nearfall and once again the match broke down. Mark dragged Corino to the floor and hit a side Russian leg sweep into the railing. Mark followed with a froggy bow to Jacobs for a nearfall that should have been the finish, but they had to hit the Doomsday Device 45 second later for the win...

The Briscoe Brothers defeated SCUM at 12:45.

Shore's Slant: Could these matches mean any less. It;s almost like they are running two different timelines. They keep talking about the Charlotte house show coming up where we will see this match again, but in a double cage (a la War Games) with Rhett Titus and Kevin Steen added to the mix. None of that has ANYTHING to do with what is on TV each week.

***Intermission***

6. "The Sicilian Psychopath" Tomasso Ciampa (w/RD Evans) vs. Jay Lethal in a two out of three falls match. There will be a thirty second rest period between each fall. I will not stop my timer, but I will give you the second of the fall so you can figure it out if you really need to. Lethal went to shake hands but Ciampa fell down in the corner. Evans got in the ring and said he would shake Lethal's hand in Ciampa's place. Lethal slapped him. Ciampa attacked, but Lethal fought him off and slapped Evans again. Lethal hit the Lethal Injection at 1:23, but Ciampa kicked out. He hit the Lethal Combination for the first pinfall...

Jay Lethal won the first fall at 1:55. Lethal leads 1-0

After the rest period, Lethal continued on offense. He hit a suplex over the top rope, but Ciampa held on and they took a nasty spill to the floor. Nigel shared a horror story of getting 40 stitches and a concussion one night while wrestling. Thanks for that, Nigel. Ciampa slammed Lethal on the rail and pulled the pads up. He tried for a suplex, but Lethal reversed it and suplexed Ciampa on the exposed floor. He hit one on Evans on the floor for good measure.

Back in the ring, Ciampa went for Project Ciampa a number of times with Lethal slipping out. He finally hit a high knee and then Prjoect Ciampa for the second fall.

Ciampa won the second fall at 8:25. Falls are tied 1-1.

Ciampa covered again as soon as the bell rang. Lethal kicked out and went on a rampage, ending with the Lethal Combination into the buckle for two. Lethal hit a neckbreaker for two and then suddenly dove on Evans. He jumped to the top rope and hit Hail to the King for two and a near fall that the live crowd liked more than I did.

Ciampa rolled to the apron and Lethal followed. Ciampa hit a Kryptonite Krunch on the apron in a sick looking spot. Both men sold it and had to scramble to barely make the count. They stared at each other as the stood. Ciampa flipped Lethal off and they traded Yea/Boo punches in the middle of the ring.

Lethal hit a superkick for a nearfall that Kevin Kelly no sold. Evans distracted the ref and Ciampa hit a low blow. Prince Nana ran out and beat up Evans. Ciampa ran out and killed Nana. When Ciampa climbed back in the ring, Lethal kicked him in the nuts and hit a backflip ace crusher for the third fall and win. Post-match, trainers helped Ciampa from the ring...

Jay Lethal won the third and final fall at 16:27.

Shore's Slant: I never bought the injury angle, but it looks like it might have been legit. I just thought it was storyline stuff. If Ciampa toughed that match out with a knee injury I'm all kinds of impressed. That was a good match if it was all a work. Hurt? Unbelievable. That said, the wrong guy won. If this was a audible then so be it, but if the finish went off as planned, which is what it looks like, then this was a terrible idea. Ciampa is money. Lethal is not.

7. Mike Bennett and Maria vs. Eddie Edwards and Sara Del Rey in a mixed tag match. The women started, but Maria tagged out immediately. The men went back and forth for a minute, but Del Rey got the blind tag and she and Edwards beat up Bennett. Del Rey had Bennett on the ropes, so Bennett hit her and got heat. He tagged Maria and held Del Rey so Maria could kick her. Maria hit a couple of kicks and quickly tagged Bennett back in. Del Rey got the hot tag and Edwards ran his offense.

Bennett ended up on the floor and Edwards dove on him from the apron. Bennett caught him with a spear/spinebuster on the floor to take control. Bennett rolled Edwards in the ring and tagged Maria who got in two kicks again before tagging out. Edwards hit a superkick on Bennett. Bennett tagged Maria who covered Eddie for one. She tried to kick him and he grabbed her leg, shoved her down, and tagged Del Rey.

Del Rey hit three big boots and R.I. Didn't respond like I thought they would. Del Rey went for a rolling kick on Maria and Bennett shoved her out of the way, causing a tag in the process. Del Rey tagged Edwards, kicked Bennett, and then Edwards dove on Bennett in a nice spot. Edwards hooked on the Achilles lock. Maria slapped him to break it, but Eddie laughed at her. Del Rey ran in and hooked the ankle lock on Maria.

Maria escaped under the ring and Del Rey gave chase. Bennett reversed the hold and hooked his own Achilles lock. Del Rey cameout with Maria's top and bottom in her hand. That distracted Bennett who took a kick from Edwards, and then Del Rey. Edwards hooked the Achilles lock again and Bennett tapped. Post-match, Bennett took Bobby Cruise's coat and covered Maria under the ring before helping her to the back. A "Thank you, Sara" chant accompanied her to the back...

Eddie Edwards and Sara Del Rey defeated Mike Bennett and Maria at 13:07.

Shore's Slant: That was a lot of fun. I didn't even want to like it, but they won me over. And what a nice way for Sara to go to WWE. This was classy if nothing else.

8. Eddie Kingston vs. Kevin Steen in an anything goes match for the ROH World Championship. Bobby Cruise announced this was now an anything goes match. The bell rang and Eddie Kingston slid to the floor and took out Corino. Steen went after him and Kingston kicked his ass all over the floor. Jacobs had to jump on his back to get him to break, but Kingston sliud in the ring and then dove on all three members of SCUM. Kingston grabbed Corino and Jacobs and dragged them back and through the curtain.

Kingston rolled Steen in the ring and pulled out a chair. Steen blocked the chair shot and hit a codebreaker through the chair, followed by a leg drop on the chair. Steen pulled one of the sheet metal barricade covers down and suplexed Kingston on it. He set a table up on the floor over the barricade and tried to whip Kingston into it, but Kingston reversed and hit a suplex on the table.

Kingston rolled Steen in the ring and got a table from under the ring. As he tried to put it in the ring, Steen hit a drop kick through the table, Steen set the table, legs side up, from the ring to the barricade. After jockeying with Kingston for position, Steen finally hit a powerbomb through the table. Kingston sold it for a long time. Steen played to the crowd in the ring while the ref checked on him.

A bunch of guys ran out and looked concerned. This seems fake. Steen took a mic and started cussing out fans. The guys put Kingston on a table and carried him from the ring. As he was about to go through the curtain, Steen said Kingston dedicated this match to Larry Sweeny and Sweeny thought Kingston was a pussy.

Kingston stormed back to the ring and attacked Steen. He pulled a chair from the ring, but Steen kicked him coning in the ring and hit a DDT on the chair. Steen got a table and took a month to set it up in the ring. Kingston recovered and hit a driver through the table for two. Kingston hit a back suplex on the chair and covered. The camera work was all screwed up, but I think Steve Corino pulled the ref away. At any rate, Corino was on the apron and Rhett Titus ran out to chase him off.

Jacobs attacked from behind, but Kingston knocked him out. Steen hit a low blow for a near fall, then the F6 for a nearfall. Steen set up two chairs. Kingston sat up on his knees and spit at Steen. Steen kissed him on the mouth and then hit the F6 on the chairs for the victory...

Kevin Steen defeated Eddie Kingston at 18:44.

Post-match, Kevin Steen was talking to fans in the front row when a fan appeared to spit on him. Kevin hit the guy in the face three times and then Jimmy Jacobs ran over to break it up. Steen left, but Jacobs stood and laughed at the guy, who security ended up chasing to close the show...

Shore's Slant: Well, at least we didn't get the post match sickening promo we almost always get with ROH PPVs. Steen and Kingston had the garbage match I expected. It wasn't bad, but you begin to see Steen as a one trick pony after a while. I liked the guy at first, but he's not done well with the title in this run. Of course Jim Cornette has no idea how to book a show any more so it's hard to point the finger at Steen.

At best this was a mediocre PPV, and I can't say I would even recommend the DVD. None of the matches were exceptional, and you'll get to see Sara Del Rey more in WWE, so why bother? It was rumored that ROH brass would be watching the PPV numbers for this show closely. If the number of buys is directly related to the creative quality of this show, the brass will not be happy. I'll have more to say tomorrow on the Hitlist. Thanks for watching 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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