Powell's 3/4 ROH Wrestling TV review: Former Tag Champions forced to break up, ROH Champion Kevin Steen vs. Grizzly Redwood, 11th Anniversary iPPV result discussed before the actual iPPV

By Jason Powell

ROH Wrestling on SBG television affiliates
Taped in Baltimore, Md. at Du Burns Arena

[Q1] The show opened with a video that focussed on the Adam Cole and Matt Hardy feud... The opening video aired... Kevin Kelly and Caleb Seltzer were on commentary...

1. Steve Corino and Rhino vs. The Flatliners (Asylum and Matt Burns). Corino declined to shake hands and shoved his opponent to start the match. Kelly put over the Flatliners, but noted that they were giving up a lot of experience to Corino and Rhino. The Flatliners hit a cool combo Codebreaker into a German suplex on Corino. A short time later, Rhino gored Asylum and Corino pinned him...

Steve Corino and Rhino beat The Flatliners in 4:35.

Powell's POV: A pretty straight forward match. The Flatliners have a decent look and it's cool to see an actual tag team rather than just Corino and Rhino plowing through a couple of singles enhancement workers.

Veda Scott hosted the backstage segment and hyped the replay of the 11th Anniversary event. She interviewed Charlie Haas and said it was a night he would never forget. Haas said it was a crock and a bunch of bullshit...

Powell's POV: Keep in mind that this was actually airing in my market during the iPPV. In fact, they were likely talking about the result of a match that had not even taken place yet as the show was airing.

Nigel McGuinness introduced Matt Hardy, who carried the ROH TV Title to the ring with him. Hardy had to duck out of the way of a roll of toilet paper that was thrown into the ring. Nigel said Hardy is a grown man who is acting like a child. Nigel said Hardy had to give him the belt back or he would have someone take it from him.

Hardy claimed that he should be champion because he beat Cole (in a non-title match). He said he took the title belt to defend himself from "that maniacal little prick." Hardy accused Nigel of not reprimanding Cole because he's one of his favorites. He said Nigel is jealous of him. Nigel said Hardy has had a fantastic career, but he also defended his career.

[Q2] Nigel announced that Hardy would have a one-on-one match with Adam Cole in two weeks on ROH television. "Outstanding," Hardy said. He handed Nigel the belt back and said that he would officially be the ROH TV Champion in two weeks. Nigel corrected him and said he would face Cole, but it wouldn't be a title match yet. He said Hardy has won three matches, but he has not won with honor.

Nigel announced that Hardy will face Michael Elgin, Roderick Strong, and Davey Richards in a four corner survival match. He said that if Hardy would prove that he can fight with honor then the ROH TV Title will be on the line when he faces Cole in two weeks. Hardy said he would prove that he can fight with honor and hopes that Nigel will be a man of his word...

Kelly hyped The Briscoes vs. Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas for later in the show... [C]

Powell's POV: A good verbal segment. The live crowd is just so unresponsive at times. I assume this was late in the taping because Hardy is doing good work as a heel and Nigel was good as the babyface matchmaker.

Grizzly Redwood vs. Vinny Marseglia never got started. Mike Mondo sat in on commentary. Just as the match was about to begin, Kevin Steen entered the ring with the ROH Title. Steen told Vinny to leave the ring, but he declined. Steen said he respects that he has guts and offered him a handshake. Steen pulled him in and put him down with a Package Piledriver.

Steen told Grizzly that opportunity presents itself and you have to take it. He said he was giving him a match on the spot. Grizzly said he was game...

2. ROH Champion Kevin Steen vs. Grizzly Redwood in a non-title match. Grizzly locked Steen in a sleeper, but Steen slammed backwards and crushed him. Mondo cheered on Grizzly from the announcers' table as Steen roughed him up. Redwood came back with punches, but Steen put him down with a clothesline. Steen went to the ropes, but Grizzly cut him off.

Grizzly went for a superplex, but Steen blocked it and then bit his forehead. Steen went to the top rope and flipped onto Redwood, who lifted up his knees. Redwood hit a tornado DDT on Steen, who rolled out of the ring. Grizzly hit a suicide dive and went for a cross body block off the ring apron, but Steen performed a fall away slam that sent Redwood into the barricade. Steen followed up with a powerbomb onto the ring apron and then performed an F5 inside the ring for the win. Steen helped Redwood to his feet after the match...

Kevin Steen defeated Grizzly Redwood in a non-title match in 4:05.

Powell's POV: Mondo does a really good job of building up Redwood while cheering along for the undersized underdog. I'm not really sure why or where it's going, but he was the most energetic guy in the building. Redwood takes a heel of a beating. It brings back memories of Spike Dudley taking a beating from Mike Awesome in ECW.

[Q3] Kevin Kelly hosted the Inside ROH segment. It focussed on Matt Taven winning the Top Prospect Tournament and joining forces with Truth Martini. Backstage, Martini cut a promo about he and Taven are "a match made in heaven...or hell." He talked about having his book in his hand and his (stress) balls in the other. Taven said everyone should sit back, relax, and take their pants off "because it is time to get off"...

Kelly hyped the tag team main event and noted that it could be the last time Haas and Benjamin team together in ROH due to the match stipulations. Footage aired of Nigel and Haas setting up the stipulation on a past show. Back in the studio, Kelly set up a Briscoes promo. Mark and Jay Briscoe spoke about their history with Haas and Benjamin and hyped the main event...

Kelly said next week's Inside ROH segment would focus on Supercard of Honor and National Wrestling Day... The Veda Scott hype for the 11th Anniversary iPPV replay with the Charlie Haas interview was replayed... Entrances and introductions for the main event took place...

3. The Brisoces vs. Shelton Benjamina and Charlie Haas for the ROH Tag Titles. Haas and Benjamin will not team in ROH again if they lose. Kelly spoke about the history of Haas and Benjamin and how badly they wanted to win to keep their team together.

[Q4] The teams brawled at ringside and then back into the ring. However, the referee took a chair from Jay Briscoe before he could use it as a weapon. [C] Haas grabbed Rendel, the ringside attendant he previously roughed up, and threw him into the guardrail.

Later, Benjamin leapt to the top rope and slammed Mark Briscoe tot he mat. Mark came back went to the top rope, but Haas cut him off. Mark went for a springboard move, but Benjamin superkicked him and covered him for a good near fall. Haas and Benjamin performed a double powerbomb on Mark, but Jay pulled the referee out of the ring, just as Benjamin had done earlier in the match.

The Briscoes set up Benjamin for the Doomsday Device, but he slipped out and hit Paydirt on Jay Briscoe. However, Haas hit the Olympic Slam on his own partner. "What the hell was that?" Kelly asked. Mark hit a top rope elbow drop on Benjamin and pinned him.

The Briscoes defeated Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin to retain the ROH Tag Titles and force Haas and Benjamin to break up.

After the match, Haas tore up his World's Greatest Tag Team t-shirt.

Powell's POV: It's a shame they didn't do more to build up this match as a major happening. The angle to set it up with Haas and Nigel was solid, but the hype for the match took a backseat to hyping the iPPV in recent weeks. The outcome isn't a big surprise considering Haas has been establishing a singles act and Benjamin was expected to depart. Kelly did a good job of building it up as a major happening during the match, but the promotion for the television main event left a lot to be desired.

Overall, this was a better show than I expected considering it aired in many markets during or after the iPPV. It was odd to hear Veda Scott and Charlie Haas discussing the result of his iPPV match before it took place, but I'm okay with that since it was not a high profile match and it made the television show feel current in markets where it aired after the iPPV. It had to be odd for those who saw the show in markets where the iPPV had not aired yet.