Powell's 7/29 ROH Wrestling TV review: Team ROH vs. SCUM in a steel cage warfare match with the losing team leaving the company, The American Wolves vs. The Party Boys

We are playing catch up on our ROH TV coverage today. Check back on Wednesday for Jason Powell's review of the latest ROH television show.

By Jason Powell

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

[Q1] The show opened with footage of SCUM leaving Jay and Mark Briscoe lying at the conclusion of last week's show... The opening montage aired.. Kevin Kelly opened the show and hyped steel cage warfare as the main event. He noted that Steve Corino would not be on commentary and said he was thankful for that...

1. Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards vs. Mike Sydal and Ziziou Middoux. Sydal and Middoux were billed as The Party Boys. Middioux did a couple of cartwheels once they entered the ring before the match. Richards, who suffered a bloody lip during the match, performed a double stomp off the top rope onto Middoux to get the win for his team. The Party Boys blew off the Wolves attempt to shake hands afterward... [C]

The American Wolves beat The Party Boys.

Powell's POV: The Party Boys got more offense than I expected. Kelly put over their performance and compared it favorably to some of the other newcomers they've had on the show recently. They lost the match, yet received plenty of offense and had the memorable blowoff of the Code of Honor afterward.

A video package focussed on Team ROH vs. SCUM.

[Q2] The lengthy video package continued... An ROH live event was plugged by Adam Cole... [C]

The steel cage was set up and the referee was in the ring waiting. Steve Corino joined Kevin Kelly on commentary. Kelly noted that Kevin Steen didn't come out to help the Briscoes last week. Corino said he didn't flatten Steen's tires. Kelly asked Corino how he knew that Steen had flat tires. Corino stammered...

Ring introductions for the steel cage warfare match took place. It was noted that the match would be fought under elimination rules (and would feature War Games-like rules) with two men starting the match and a a new wrestler entering every two minutes following the five-minute opening series. The ring announcer noted that SCUM won a pre-match coin flip (just as heel teams win War Games coin tosses)...

1. SCUM - Jimmy Jacobs, Cliff Compton, Rhett Titus, vs. Team ROH - Kevin Steen, Michael Elgin, B.J. Whitmer, Jay Lethal, and in a Steel Cage Warfare elimination match. Jacobs and Whitmer started the match. Corino taunted Whitmer about his past drinking problems and referred to him as the Andre the Giant of drinking. He also spoke about how ROH needs to die and said it was destiny that SCUM would win this all or nothing match.

[Q3] After getting the better of the first five minutes, Whitmer was shorthanded as the second entrant in the match was Rhett Titus. Despite being outnumbered, Whitmer had the offensive advantage heading into the break. [C]

Kevin Steen was featured in a spot for a live event...

After the break, Michael Elgin entered the match for Team ROH. Two minutes later, Cliff Compton was the next man out for SCUM. He immediately threw powder into the face of Elgin, then the SCUM members tied Elgin to the cage and went three-on-one against Whitmer. They performed a spike piledriver on Whitmer and eliminated him.

BJ Whitmer was the first man eliminated when he was pinned by Rhett Titus.

The next entrant was Jay Lethal, who ran out carrying a chair.

Powell's POV: I would have brought a scissors to cut Elgin free, but that's just me.

Lethal performed the Lethal Combination on Jacobs onto the chair, but only got a two count. Lethal managed to free Elgin heading into the break. [C] The ROH text message plug aired a couple times.

Powell's POV: Hey, no scissors needed. Hey, that sounds like a bad gimmick name - Jay "No Scissors Needed" Lethal.

After the break, Rhino entered for SCUM. Corino gushed over Rhino by referring to him as the cleanup hitter. Rhino gored Elgin, but then Lethal avoided a gore that connected with Titus instead. Lethal performed the Lethal Injection (back flip into a Stunner) and pinned Rhino. Corino said that wasn't part of his plan.

Rhino was eliminated from the match by Jay Lethal.

[Q4] The final entrant for ROH was Kevin Steen, who was jumped at ringside by Matt Hardy. With the door open for Steen, all of the wrestlers who were in the ring fought their way to ringside for a brawl. A table was set up in the corner of the ring. Titus tried to put Lethal through it, but Lethal slipped away and superkicked him, then hit his Lethal Injection on him for the win.

Rhett Titus was eliminated by Jay Lethal.

ROH had the man advantage, but Hardy was still at ringside and the cage door was still open. Steen fought with Hardy on the floor and whipped him into the guardrail, then hit him with a crutch. Inside the ring, Jacobs gored Lethal through the table in the corner. Compton covered Lethal and pinned him. [C]

Jay Lethal was eliminated by Cliff Compton.

After the break, Elgin powerbombed Compton off the top rope and pinned him.

Cliff Compton was eliminated by Michael Elgin.

Steve Corino entered the ring. Elgin grabbed Corino, but Corino threw a fireball at him. Jacobs immediately pinned Elgin.

Michael Elgin was eliminated by Jimmy Jacobs.

With only Steen remaining for the ROH side, Corino, Jacobs, and Hardy were in the ring for SCUM with Jacobs the only man in the match. Corino poured lighter fluid onto Steen. Nigel McGuinness ran out and took his jacket off. Nigel eventually threw a clothesline at Corino and knocked him down. Steen performed a package piledriver on Hardy, then did the same to Jacobs and pinned him to win the match for Team ROH.

Team ROH defeated SCUM in a Steel Cage Warfare match when Kevin Steen was the last man standing.

After the match, streamers were thrown into the ring. Adam Cole walked to ringside. Kelly questioned what Cole was up to, then went back to celebrating the death of SCUM. Meanwhile, Steen and Nigel shook hands. Steen banged his head on the cage as the show concluded...

Powell's POV: A wild brawl and a War Games-esque match. ROH has such a great, tall cage. I don't like the way everyone brawled to ringside and so many people were able to get involved, but I guess it's become the norm in cage matches these days. Furthermore, they did have an explanation for why it happened, though you'd think ROH wrestlers from backstage would have run out to save the day since apparently the company was on the line.

Speaking of that stipulation, it was so hard to take seriously because they never really got into what would happen if SCUM won. I like Kevin Kelly's work, but he didn't convince me that his company and thus his livelihood was on the line in this match. It certainly wasn't all his fault, as the stipulation just never clicked with me. I hope this doesn't mean Corino is finished as the color commentator because he is a blast.