Ring of Honor on HDNet
Taped Feb. 28 in Philadelphia, Pa.

[Q1] An opening montage opened the show... In the studio, Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak introduced the show and discussed the Code of Honor. They also hyped Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tyler Black main event... A brief Delirious mumbo jumbo promo aired... A "1-2-3" box featured notes regarding Delirious. A "Smack Talk" box featured a brief Jerry Lynn promo...

1. Jerry Lynn beat Delirious in 5:40. Delirious did his usual kneel in the corner bit and then flipped when the bell rang. Hogewood questioned if that's why he's called Delirious. Lynn used a spinning, inverted version of the Gory special. Well, at least that's how Prazak described it (makes sense to me). In the end, Lynn used the Cradle Piledriver and scored the clean pin.

Powell's POV: The match was fine, but nothing special or memorable. That said, it will be the answer to a trivia question for years to come. Hogewood has an old school charm. It would be great if he was knowledgeable about the product and I'm sure he'll be heavily criticized, but I like the throwback feel he brings to the show.

Backstage interviewer Kyle Durden interviewed Tyler Black, who hyped the main event by talking about his history with Jimmy Jacobs. He said their revolution wasn't about changing people, it was about hope...

The "Smack Talk" box graphic appeared on the screen and Sami Callihan cut a short promo about his match... Kenny King cut a promo about being back in the spotlight where he belongs...

Powell's POV: King's promo stood out as the best of the show so far. It was short like the other promos, but he showed good charisma.

[Q2] 2. Kenny King beat Sami Callihan in 5:45. Callihan caught King's leg, which led to a nice kick from King. He hit a spinebuster for a near fall. A "F--- 'em up, Kenny" chant was audible. Later, Callihan caught King in his submission finisher, but King reached the ropes with his foot to break the hold. Later, Callihan was kneeling in the corner when King ran across the ring and drove his knees into his back and sent him crashing face-first into the turnbuckle. King followed up with The Coronation for the win...

Powell's POV: The live crowd is weak. They showed some signs of life when prompted, but it's not the party-like atmosphere I expected for ROH's first HDNet television taping. King stands out as one of the most charismatic performers in the company.

Backstage, Durden interviewed Jacobs, who said he was going to break Black in the main event. He said the war is no longer waiting, the war is now... A graphic hyped the main event... The announcers also previewed the Rhett Titus vs. Brent Albright match for after the break... [C]

A video recapped some of ROH's history and featured footage of various stars, including Ric Flair, who have worked for the company...

Powell's POV: Nice video. I would have actually led off the show with that video package to give the impression that you never know who might show up in ROH.

A Rhett Titus promo aired. His graphic read, "Hated by men, loved by women"... An Albright video aired. He said his opponents can either get out or tap out...

Powell's POV: The "1-2-3" graphics are being shown for each wrestler. They feature a few factoids about each wrestler and are similar to graphics ROH has used on pay-per-views in the past.

3. Brent Albright beat Rhett Titus in 6:40. Albright hit Splash Mountain less than two minutes in. He went for the cover, but Titus got his foot on the ropes.

[Q3] Albright sent Titus to ringside and then hit a plancha that showed off his agility. Later, Titus hit a dropkick for a near fall. He went for a followup move, but Albright hit a half-nelson suplex and locked on a crowbar armlock for the submission win.

Powell's POV: This match went way longer than it needed to. The pacing of the show is slow and the atmosphere is really weak. There's nothing about the show that makes it feel like a "can't miss" broadcast.

The announcers hyped the main event and narrated footage of their breakup at the Rising Above pay-per-view... A tale of the tape graphic aired on Jacobs and Black...

4. Tyler Black defeated Jimmy Jacobs in 13:55. The announcers noted that both wrestlers blew off the Code of Honor by not shaking hands. There was a cool spot early where Black caught Jacobs in the corner and grabbed him by his legs. He looked to the crowd and then Jacobs turned it into a huracanrana. Later, Black went to the top rope, but Jacobs knocked him down to the floor.

[Q4] Jacobs took control of the offense and scored a couple of ordinary near falls. Later, Jacobs locked in End Time. Black rammed him into the corner twice, but he still didn't break the hold. Black broke the hold, but Jacobs locked it in again. Black eventually flipped over, bridged, and scored the pin...

A brief video hyped ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness's debut for next week in a match against Jay Briscoe... An ROH pay-per-view commercial hyped Caged Collision for Apr. 17...

Powell's POV: A very bland debut for Ring of Honor. There's something to be said for the old school feel that they generated with Hogewood's commentary and the overall look of the show, but I felt like I was watching my dad's pro wrestling show rather than a hip, cutting edge show from the hot indy group.

I can't get over how uninspired the live crowd was. If I didn't know better, I would assume that this was the final show of a marathon taping and not the first taping for ROH's debut show. Hogewood's play-by-play was nothing special. Prazak was fine, but I think the company would be better off with an established personality in his role, preferably a heel color commentator who could bring some life to the broadcast.

Overall, this was a disappointing debut. It wasn't a horrible show and the main event match was entertaining, but there was very little about the show that made me feel like ROH is a hot promotion. Aside from the plug for Nigel at the end of the show, they didn't give a hook for next week's show.

What's your take on the show? Your feedback on the first ROH on HDNet show is welcome for a possible Mailbag article at dotnetjason@gmail.com.

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