Ring of Honor house show report
December 5, 2009
Chicago, Ill.
Report by Rob Kol, Torch reader

(1) Skullcrusher Rasche Brown defeated Sami Calihan, Shane Hollister, and Joey Ryan in a four-corner survival match. We walked into the building right as Brown picked up the win, so I didn't see the match or how the ending transpired. All I saw was Brown's hand being raised in victory by the referee.

(2) Claudio Castagnoli defeated Kevin Steen via submission when Steen tapped out to the sharpshooter. After that match, Steen got on the microphone and thanked the Chicago fans for their passion. He said it was his 2-year-old son's birthday, and normally he would take the night off, but he felt like he owed it to the Chicago fans to come out and participate after the response they've given him over the years.

(3) The House of Truth defeated the Young Bucks with a rollup after the Bucks were distracted by the House of Truth's manager. The crowd was all over the HOT in this match. A lot of funny comments from the crown about the HOT's ring attire. One fan asked them if they were the "wannabe rockers," and another accused them of wearing streamers from their tights.

(4) Roderick Strong defeated Kenny Omega with a double arm powerbomb. Great back-and-forth action in this matchup with a lot of nearfalls and false finishes.

(5) The Necro Butcher defeated Erick Stevens via DQ after Stevens delivered a stiff chair shot to Butcher. A brawl ensued after the match, and several officials and ring crew came to break up the fight. During the post-match melee, the Butcher jumped out to ringside and asked the guy in front of me for his hard hat (yes, the guy in front of me was wearing a hard hat). Butcher took the hard hat and cleared the ring, hitting his opponent, and everyone else in sight that had came out from the back to clear out the after match brawl. The crowd was very hot for the Necro Butcher, and he got a great reaction from the fans.

(6) Tyler Black defeated Kenny King via pinfall after he hit a fishermen's suplex into a cradle. Great long match with a lot of nearfalls.

(7) The Briscoes defeated the Dark City Fight Club via pinfall. Towards the end of the match, one of the DCFC members charged one of the Briscoes in the corner and missed, ramming his shoulder into the ringpost. The Briscoes capitalized on this with a rollup for the 1-2-3. Great match.

(8) ROH champion Austin Aries defeated Colt Cabana in a cage match to retain the ROH World Title. Some pretty good spots in this match, and both men were a "bloody mess" at the end. The match ended when Cabana charged Aries (who was pinned between the cage and the ropes) to deliver a "butt bump" and drove Aries through the cage wall to the floor. The referee ruled that Aries hit the floor and therefore, was the first to "escape the cage," and get the win. The crowd was chanting bulls---, and Jim Cornette came out and said there was nothing he could do, that the decision would stand. He also said that he doesn't want to send the ROH fans away chanting bulls--- because there is too much of that going on in other wrestling companies. He promised the fans that Cabana would get back into the Pick 6 and eventually get a title shot down the road in another city. He also promised Cabana that should he someday win the ROH Title, his first defense would be in his hometown of Chicago.

This was my first ROH show, and I had a blast. It is a much different atmosphere than a WWE show. I really felt like I was part of the action, and there was a lot of great wrestling. The show started at 7:30 and ended around 11 p.m. There were two intermissions. Definitely worth the $25 I paid to sit in the second row. Also, I can't say enough about how friendly Jim Cornette was to the fans. He had a booth set up before the show and during the intermissions. Seemed like a real class act, and he was very friendly to everyone who stopped by that I saw.

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