By Joe Mathieson

Ring of Honor Wrestling on HDNet
Taped in Philadelphia, Pa.

Kevin Steen and Steve Corino were in an alley outside the (ECW) Arena. Steen was playing with barbed wire. Corino said that this was the arena that made him a man. Steen said that the memory of this building that stands out the most to him was El Generico getting put through a table to lose "his" ROH Tag Team Championships. Steen grabbed the wire and started talking about how tonight he had a chance to make up for that moment, and that things would get crazy. He wondered if it would hurt if he dug the barbed wire into "his" face. Corino said it wouldn't hurt, but it might be orgasmic.

Joe's Judgment: Steen and Corino are the best thing going in ROH right now. They genuinely creep me out.

1. Up In Smoke (Cheech & Cloudy) defeated The Set (J-Sinn and Lance Lude) in 5:15. Cloudy and Lude (who looks to be about 5'0, 110) started the match. Cheech quickly tagged in and hit a senton for two. J-Sinn tagged in and The Set took over with some cool double teams. J-Sinn missed a top rope senton and Cloudy hit a swinging DDT for two.

Lude sent both members of UIS to the floor and was lifted over the top rope into a tope con hilo. Cheech hit a facebuster on J-Sinn, and UIS hit a crucifix flapjack or something on Lude, then Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Cheech for the pin.

Joe's Judgment: Fun little undercard tag match, even though the crowd was dead. UIS are really good despite their size, and The Set are fun jobbers.

A video package was shown recapping Rasche Brown squashing people, turning down the Prince Nana and Shane Hagadorn, then feuding with the Embassy.

Last week's show-closing angle with Kevin Steen package piledriving Tyler Black was shown.

2. Sara Del Rey (w/ the Kings of Wrestling and Shane Hagadorn) vs. Jamilia Craft. Del Rey hit a German suplex in the first few seconds and got two. Prazak said Del Rey had a size advantage, and Hogewood joked that he would like to see him say that to her face. Del Rey went after Craft's mask after hitting a suplex, then hit another kick. Del Rey quickly hit a piledriver for the three count.

Joe's Judgment: Squash. Del Rey looked strong though, and the long pants are a better look for her.

Kyle Durden was backstage with Truth Martini and Roderick Strong. Truth said that Roderick had found his "center of self", and was now the most self-centered person he'd ever met. Strong said that Daniels was just like the others, and next week he'd beat him. Strong delivered the "that, my friend, is the truth" line to close the promo. [C]

The brawl between the Briscoes and the Kings of Wrestling from two weeks ago was shown, and Kyle Durden was backstage with the KOW. Hero said that because the Briscoes had put their hands on Sara Del Rey, because they kept interfering in their matches, the Kings were declaring ROH a "hazardous work environment". Castagnoli said the Kings refused to be in the same building with the Briscoes, so we'd be seeing less of them, and more of the Kings, because kings reign supreme.

Joe's Judgment: I wish I could see more Kings and less Briscoes. If Steen and Corino are the best thing in ROH, then Hero is #1A, and Claudio's not far behind.

3. Rasche Brown defeated Erick Stevens by DQ in 3:22. The action started before the bell even rang. Brown took the action to the floor and rammed Stevens into the guardrail. They slugged it out in the middle of the ring, doing the "boo/yay" thing. Stevens went to the eyes, but Brown hit a discus clothesline.

Nana held Brown's foot in the corner, allowing Stevens to hit the Choo Choo. He went for it again, but Brown speared him. As he hit a chokeslam, Necro Butcher ran in and hit Stevens, causing the DQ. The rest of the Embassy entered the ring and started to beat on Brown, but the Dark City Fight Club ran out for the save.

Joe's Judgment: Short and mostly painless. The post match beatdowns in Embassy matches are getting really old though.

A video recapping the Steen/Corino vs. Generico/Cabana feud aired.

4. Kevin Steen and Steve Corino defeated Colt Cabana and El Generico in an Anything Goes match. My internet went out temporarily, and I had to go fix it. I came back just in time to see Steen give Generico a fisherman buster through a chair in the crowd. The action came back into the ringside area and Corino hit Generico in the stomach with a chair.

Steen and Corino doubleteamed Cabana in the ring. As Corino hit a low blow, Steen licked the camera lens. Yeah. Steen slid two tables into the ring and set them up vertically in the corners. Steen charged at Generico, but Generico lowbridged him. Corino tried to throw Generico through one of the tables, but Generico broke free and hit a half nelson suplex through one of the tables.

Steen threw a chair at Generico and set up two others in the ring facing each other. He went for the package piledriver, but Cabana elbowed him and Generico suplexed him onto the chairs. Cabana hit the Flying Asshole on Corino, who ducked to ringside. He slid a barricade in the ring as Steen set up a table on the top rope.

Steen set up two chairs facing the barricade and the table on the top rope, then changed it so that the barricade was resting on four chairs. Corino threw another chair at Generico as Steen climbed the turnbuckles. Cabana knocked Steen to the floor as Generico laid Corino on the barricade and went up top. Steen crotched him on the top rope and Corino suplexed Generico through the barricade resting on the chairs. Wow.

Cabana entered the ring and set up another table in the ring next to the one on the top rope. He and Corino went up top as Steen went to the floor and brawled with Generico. The crowd chanted "Please don't die". The table looked unsteady, but it held up as Corino hit a northern lights bomb through the table in the ring. Corino barely got an arm across Colt as the referee counted three.

Post match, Hogewood said he didn't see Steen or Generico. The camera cut to the parking lot, where Steen powerbombed Generico on to the hood of an SUV, then yelled at him. Suddenly, Tyler Black showed up and rammed Steen's head into the car door. A graphic reminded us that they are wrestling for the world title this Saturday in Chicago.

Joe's Judgment: Incredible match. One of the best hardcore matches of the year so far. Lots of sick spots, the best of which was the suplex onto the barricade. It was made better by the fact that neither side really went for pinfalls much before they had to. Absolutely great match, and if you didn't see it, go watch it when it's posted on YouTube.

Anything you want to say about tonight's show, or this review? Email me at jtmathieson88@gmail.com.

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