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

1. Necro Butcher and Grizzly Redwood defeated The Embassy (Jimmy Rave and Ernie Osiris w/ Prince Nana) in 7:00. The Embassy was greeted with the usual toilet paper. Early in the match, Osiris tried to hit Necro with a chair on the outside, but Necro caught it, scooped up Osiris, and hit him with a chair slam.

Rave tagged in and beat up Redwood, then tagged in Osiris, who hit a neckbreaker and then tagged Rave back in. Nana told us that this is what it's all about. A loud chant of "Die, Jimmy, Die" broke out and died quickly, but not before Dave Prazak expressed outrage. Osiris tagged in and hit a bronco buster, then tagged Rave right back in. The Embassy continued to tag each other quickly, until Redwood ducked a clothesline and tagged in Necro.

Rave begged off and tagged in Osiris. Necro chokeslammed him, and then hit a Tiger Driver, but Rave broke up the pin. Necro punched Rave, who then left with Nana, allowing Osiris to get hit with a 619 and Tornado DDT from Redwood, who followed it up with a pin.

Joe's Judgment: Boring, formulaic tag. Rave is so much better than this, I don't want to see him facing/teaming with students and the Necro Butcher.

Kyle Durden was backstage with Austin Aries. He asked him for his prediction for tonight's Tyler Black-Bryan Danielson match. Aries took objection to this, and told him to go away. He said that if people were asking for his predictions, he would give them some: he would hold the world title until he died, like everybody else, on December 12, 2012, and he would continue to be the MV3 of ROH, and a couple others that I didn't catch.

2. MsChif and Sara Del Rey defeated Nevaeh and Daizee Haze in 3:45. Haze and MsChif exchanged wristlocks and arm bars. Del Rey tagged in, and hit several slams. She basically dominated the match, and ended it with the Royal Butterfly.

Joe's Judgment: Extended squash. Nothing else really to say.

Kyle Durden was backstage with Nigel McGuinness. He asked for Nigel's prediction for Danielson-Black III. Nigel didn't answer the question, but hyped the match while putting himself over. Strange interview...

"The Art of Pro Wrestling" with Colt Cabana and Brent Albright aired. Cabana said he was going to show us the art of pimping, namely how to score with the merch girl. He sent Albright over to pick him up some DVDs and a t-shirt at "the other merch table", then said it was that easy. Funny. He told the merch girl that he was going to take her to the Olive Garden, but Prince Nana and the Embassy showed up. Ernie Osiris stole some DVDs as the rest of the Embassy stood around and looked threatening. Albright returned and ran them off, but not before Osiris grabbed two stacks of DVDs. [C]

Kyle Durden was backstage, and introduced the "16-time world champ...", but Eddie Kingston interrupted him. He said he was trying to fight Chris Hero, but Hero wouldn't fight him, so he was going to find Hero and fight him. He took the camera man with him, and punched Bobby Dempsey before going into Hero's locker room and slamming him into the wall. Why Dempsey, who should hate Hero based on their history, was just hanging out outside of Hero's locker room is beyond me. Hero ran away from Kingston, who punched Sal Rinauro while following him.

They brawled out into the crowd, and then into the ring. Security and ROH students pulled them apart, and Hero ran away. Sal Rinauro stayed behind to talk to Kingston, and got punched in the face for his trouble.

Joe's Judgment: Good brawl, and very unexpected, which is something the show has been lacking. The Hero-Kingston feud has been largely ignored on DVD, but I like the attention they've been giving it on the TV show.

3. Tyler Black defeated Bryan Danielson in 21:30. Danielson got the first takedown of the match, and worked on Black's knee. Black got out, and they exchanged strikes. A "Best in the World" chant broke out. The two got hammerlocks on each other, then Black got an armbar. They shoved each other and stared each other down. Black hit a clothesline and quebrada for a nearfall.

Danielson worked over Black's back and neck, and then got a sleeper in the center of the ring. He turned it into a neck wrench, and when Black reversed it, shot him into the ropes. Black came out with a sleeper of his own, but Danielson reversed it into another sleeper. Black broke free, and then hit several strikes, finishing it with a springboard lariat, then getting several slaps in in the corner. Black hit a fireman's carry and went for a superkick on a kneeling Dragon, who caught it.

Danielson rolled to ringside, where Black hit a flip dive. That never ceases to impress me. Black tried the springboard lariat back in the ring, but Danielson caught him and hit a German suplex, but Black landed on his feet. Danielson hit another suplex, this time connecting and rolling through into a rollup. Black kicked out at 2.999999, and Danielson flipped out as Prazak said it looked like three to him. It did to me as well.

They went up top, and Danielson tried a superplex, but couldn't get Black up. Black hit a top rope huracanrana, and rolled through into a pin, but Danielson kicked out. Black hit the buckle bomb/superkick combo. He couldn't cover right away, though, and Danielson kicked out. Black went up top for the Phoenix Splash, but Danielson pushed him into the crowd, where he hit a springboard dive onto him.

Black tried to get in the ring, but Dragon grabbed his leg and threw him into the barricade. Black finally made it into the ring at 19, and Dragon kicked him a couple times and went back to the sleeper. Black broke free, and kicked him in the head. Dragon responded with a kick of his own. Dragon signaled that he was going to finish it, but Black superkicked him, then superkicked him again and hit God's Last Gift for the pin. He celebrated to close the show, as the announcers discussed whether he could be the next world champ.

Joe's Judgment: Awesome, awesome, awesome match. As good as the four-way and the tag team tables match were, as good as the first two matches between these two were, this was the best HDnet match so far. To anyone who says Smackdown is the best wrestling show on TV, I submit this match for your consideration. Simply an outstanding match, and one that everyone should watch. Danielson was great as always, and Black did his usual thing, only better than usual. A great match to cap off a great series between two great wrestlers.

You can reach Joe Mathieson at aik27joema@yahoo.com with any thoughts or comments on this show.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: