Ring of Honor Wrestling on HDnet
Taped in Philadelphia, PA

A Danielson-Aries hype video aired, leading into the regular intro (which still features a guy who left the company four months ago, Jimmy Jacobs), and Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak hyping the main event.

1. Kenny King defeated Jerry Lynn in 6:30. In case you didn't know, Kenny King is a former D1 football player. King missed a plancha early, and Lynn capitalized with a senton to the outside. King looked into the camera and told Hogewood (who used to cover him as an ACC football announcer) that it was easy money.

King held the advantage for the better part of the first five minutes. Lynn hit a guillotine legdrop though, and then got a nearfall with a second rope sunset bomb. Lynn went for the cradle piledriver, but King countered, then hit a black hole slam. He tried the Coronation, but Lynn landed on his feet. He tried the cradle piledriver again, but Rhett Titus interfered, allowing King to break free and sit down on a sunset flip attempt for the pin.

As King and Titus were celebrating, Lynn attacked Titus. King broke it up, and tried to get Lynn up for a spike piledriver, but couldn't, so Titus jumped down and they hit a sort of wheelbarrow package piledriver. Lynn looked really hurt, and we went to commercial. [C]

Back from commercial and Lynn was still in the ring. Kyle Durden asked Tyler Black if he knew what was going on. Tyler didn't. Out in the ring, Lynn was able to sit up and be helped to the back.

Joe's Judgment: Yes, Lynn was legitimately injured (though it was probably planned as an injury angle anyway). That doesn't change the fact that this was played extremely well by ROH with the commercial break, and Hogewood in particular. His football background had to help here.

Bryan Danielson talked about the main event of the night. He said that while Aries could beat him three or four ways, Danielson could beat him in twenty...

2. Nigel McGuinness defeated Sal Rinauro in 2:20. Pre-match, Nigel said that he wasn't planning to hurt Sal, and just wanted a standard wrestling match with wristlocks, hammerlocks, etc. So of course there was plenty of that to start, along with a few elbows from Nigel. In the middle of the match, Sal rolled to the floor and said that that wasn't what they agreed on. He jumped back in the ring and got a forearm, but Nigel beat him up. He teased first a regular Tower of London, then a Tower of London to the floor, but ended up just getting Sal to tap out to the London Dungeon.

Joe's Judgment: This was the chain wrestling version of a squash. Sal is still awesome. Nothing else really to report.

Austin Aries talked about the main event and why being the greatest man that ever lived is better than being the best in the world...

Kyle Durden was backstage with news about Jerry Lynn, but before he could tell us what it was, Kenny King interrupted. He said that like Michael Jordan, Brett Favre, and Roy Jones, Jr., Jerry Lynn held on past his prime, so King had to end his career for him. Hogewood was mad and said that was not the Kenny King he remembered.

3. Colt Cabana defeated Claudio Castagnoli in 7:33. Colt held a headlock for a long time. Some comedy with Colt tousling Claudio's bald head. Nothing of note happened for the next five minutes. At the 7:00 mark, Colt got a nearfall with a crossbody, then a nearfall exchange started that ended with Colt holding a bridge with Claudio rolled up.

Joe's Judgment: It wasn't necessarily bad, just nothing at all happened and it ended with a rollup. Okay, so maybe it was bad.

4. Austin Aries defeated Bryan Danielson to retain the ROH World Championship in 16:40. Headlocks and that sort of stuff to start things off, but because it was Danielson vs. Aries, the headlocks and stuff somehow seemed more meaningful than they did in the previous match. Hogewood still didn't have an update on Jerry Lynn's condition.

Aries targeted Danielson's neck with kicks and punches, then locked in a nerve hold. Danielson got a sleeper and then as Aries went up the turnbuckles to counter, suplexed him. Danielson forearmed Aries a couple times, then floored him with a kick. Danielson went to the floor and Aries tried the Heat Seeking Missile, but ran into an elbow.

Danielson knocked Aries down again with a missile dropkick, then kipped up and got a nearfall with a German suplex. Danielson tried a belly to back superplex, but Aries threw him to the floor and hit the Heat Seeking Missile this time. Back in the ring and Aries hit a dropkick and kip up of his own.

Danielson somehow locked in the triangle choke, but Aries got out and suplexed him. Danielson got the triangle again, but again Aries broke free. This time, Danielson got an anke lock, and Aries, after an extended "TAP" chant, got out with kicks to the head. Aries locked in the Last Chancery, and Danielson sold it beautifully before getting to the ropes.

Aries untied the turnbuckle pad and tried twice to throw Danielson into it, unsuccessfully both times. Referee Todd Sinclair brought them out. Aries tried a running dropkick in the corner, but Danielson caught him with another ankle lock. Aries kicked him into the exposed turnbuckle, and then dropkicked his head into the turnbuckle and covered for the pin. Hogewood still didn't have an update on Lynn, but told us to go to rohwrestling.com to find out.

Joe's Judgment: Wow. I think that was the first time since I was like ten that I believed a nerve hold. I don't think Aries vs. Danielson can possibly get old. This wasn't the best match the two have ever had, but it told a good story, had plenty of action, and was fun to watch. Great main event. Overall a good show, bookended by a fantastically done injury angle and a great main event. Even if the two matches in the middle were forgettable, I enjoyed watching this show.

Any questions, comments, or whatever on this show? Email me at jtmathieson88@gmail.com.

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