Ring of Honor Wrestling on HDnet
Taped 3/1/09 in Philadelphia, Pa.

[Q1] The usual opening, with the recap of last week's show, aired, followed by Hogewood and Prazak plugging the main event of Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson...

1. The Dark City Fight Club (Kory Chavis and Jon Davis) defeated Grizzly Redwood and Andy "Right Leg" Ridge in 4:00. The faces got very little offense. DCFC finished them off with the powerbomb/neckbreaker combo after a double chokeslam on Grizzly.

Joe's Judgment: Grizzly Redwood is pretty much the perfect jobber. His offense is completely weak, but he is likeable, and you don't want to see him get hurt. He should never win a match, but that doesn't stop you from hoping it'll happen. DCFC still look very impressive. This was my first time seeing pre-show staple Ridge, and he was nothing really special. He knows how to get squashed.

Kyle Durden talked to Bryan Danielson about his match with Tyler Black...

2. Nigel McGuinness defeated Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne in 4:00. Pre-match, Nigel called the fans "disease-ridden Muppets." Which makes no sense, but is still awesome. Sugarfoot actually got the first cover of the matchup. Nigel hit his trademark moves; the hammerlock Divorce Court, the headstand mule kick, and the kick/clothesline combo. Sugarfoot gets another cover with a rollup, but Nigel hits the Tower of London for the pin.

Joe's Judgment: Speaking of people who know how to get squashed...

Kyle Durden talks to Tyler Black, who still cannot seem to consistently cut a good promo...

3. Jay Briscoe and Kevin Steen defeated Eddie Edwards and Chris Hero (w/ Larry Sweeney) in 10:00. They played up the history between Steen and Generico and the Briscoes early on. The face tandem controlled the early going, working over Edwards with their typical array of strikes. Jay gets two after a dropkick, but Sweeney interferes to allow the Sweet 'n Sour team to go on offense. Mark Briscoe came out to back up Jay when Edwards was beating him up on the floor.

The heel team worked over Jay, who made the hot tag to Steen. Steen got two with a cannonball and moonsault. He went for the package piledriver but Hero fought out and got two with an elbow strike. Edwards tags in and gets another two thanks to another elbow from Hero. They go for a double team, but Jay lowbridges Hero, and Steen gets the Sharpshooter on Edwards. Sweeney breaks it up, but Steen hits the package piledriver for the pin.

Joe's Judgment: I don't know what it is, but Edwards is suddenly no longer terrible. Maybe it's from teaming with Davey Richards. Hero was his usual greatness, and the tension between Steen and the Briscoes was well played upon.

4. Tyler Black fought Bryan Danielson to a time limit draw in 20:00. Lots of back and forth technical wrestling in the early going. First cover of the matchup came after a hurricanrana from Black. Black maintained control for several minutes before Danielson breaks free. He hits his European uppercuts, and then gets the surfboard. Black gets out, but Danielson retains control of the matchup.

At 10:00, Black got two with an O'Connor Roll. Dragon clotheslines him to the floor, and hits a suicide dive to a great reaction from the crowd. Black hit a leaping kick and then a top rope hurricanrana for a great nearfall. They exchange kick attempts, Black hits a dive to the floor on Dragon, and then gets a nearfall with a slingshot clothesline. Black went for God's Last Gift, which was reversed into a German, which was reversed into a leaping kick, which was reversed into an ankle lock. Wow. Tyler got to the ropes, and Danielson went for a German and then got a nearfall with a rollup. He reversed a superkick attempt into another ankle lock, but Black got to the ropes. Tyler hit a top rope crossbody, exchanged strikes with Danielson, and then got two with the Paroxysm. He went for the Phoenix Splash but missed, Danielson got the Triangle choke, and Black lifted him up into a turnbuckle powerbomb as time ran out.

Joe's Judgment: Great match. Best on ROH TV thus far. Black and Danielson can both work with the best of them, which is exactly what they just did. Overall this show was pretty good, some solid in-ring action and a bit more storyline-based stuff than there had been previously. Good to see them rebound after two subpar weeks.

Joe Mathieson can be reached at aik27joema@yahoo.com. He would love to talk about wrestling with you, but he would not like to be informed that he has won the lottery in a country in which he does not reside. He would also like to know if you have any questions or comments about this review that he should be made aware of. So, please email him.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: