Ring of Honor TV Report
March 8, 2010
Taped Feb. 5 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Episode #50 - First episode of Series 9
Report by Mike DeRosenroll, Torch ROH specialist

STRENGTHS

- This week’s show was well focused on building up the main event for the Big Bang Internet pay-per-view on April 3. Between opening the show with context setting highlights and promos from the 8th Anniversary Show, teasing Jim Cornette’s announcement of the Big Bang main event, embedding an angle in the announcement itself that furthered the Tyler Black-Roderick Strong rivalry, then revisiting the angle later in the show, there is not much more you can do in one hour to put the focus on an upcoming pay-per-view main event.

- ROH continues to do a good job giving storyline consequences to past events, which sends viewers the message that they will be rewarded with a payoff if they emotionally invest in the storylines. This week, they revisited the American Wolves’s recent losing streak to keep it top of mind and set up singles matches for each of the members of the American Wolves next week. They also furthered the Necro Butcher-Embassy feud by announcing that Necro is suspended from television for his actions in a brawl with Erick Stevens two weeks ago. They also still found time for promos to move along the “Who Will Manage Rasche Brown?” storyline and the Kevin Steen-Steve Corino vs. El Generico-Colt Cabana slow simmering feud.

- Having a model carry around the new TV Title belt and have her and the belt present during the TV Title Tournament matches was a nice little touch to make the tournament seem a bit more important.

WEAKNESSES

- Although the show was well-structured to shine a spotlight on the Big Bang main event, Jim Cornette’s promo announcing the main event detracted from the build. His explanation that he was making the ROH World Title match a three-way between Black, Strong, and Austin Aries because that is what would sell the most tickets and pay-per-views smacks of Vinco Russo booking, where Russo always has the main characters on TV act obsessed with ratings rather than wins and losses. It’s a lazy explanation for the ROH creative team to justify a three-way, and flies in the face of the way ROH has so often tried to make in-ring wrestling important and set itself apart from WWE and TNA by emphasizing that wins and losses matter in ROH.

- The wrestling on this week’s show was not up to ROH’s usual high standards. The Steen-Rhett Titus tournament match was hurt by having two heels face each other and Titus shoehorned into a babyface role that didn’t fit him. The Generico-Kenny King main event was good, but a notch below the better TV main events ROH puts out there.

DETAILED RECAP

- The show opened with a highlight package from Tyler Black’s ROH World Title victory at the 8th Anniversary Show in February, as well as his subsequent celebration. As Black celebrated in the locker room with most of the ROH babyfaces, Jim Cornette barged in angry about Black having superkicked him during the match. Black said he superkicked Cornette because Cornette was on the apron and Black did not know what he was going to do. Cornette said that he wanted to make Black "the franchise," but from now on he will be putting what is best for ROH ahead of what is best for Black.

- Still backstage after the 8th Anniversary show, Kenny King ushered a camera into Austin Aries’ locker room, where Aries was sitting with Rhett Titus. Aries cut an angry promo demanding a rematch with Black for the title.

- Still backstage after the 8th Anniversary show, an angry Roderick Strong went up to ROH owner Carey Silkin and demanded a shot at Black for the title. Silkin told Strong to talk to Cornette and walked off. Strong was upset that Silkin walked away from him after everything Strong has done for ROH.

- Jim Cornette cut a studio promo announcing ROH’s next Internet pay-per-view will be The Big Bang, on April 3rd from Charlotte, North Carolina. He announced that Tyler Black will defend the ROH World Title in the main event, and that he will announce Black’s opponent later in the show.

[Opening Theme]

- A model carried the new TV Title belt down to the ring, then the tournament brackets appeared on screen. Mike Hogewood predicted that Colt Cabana will win the tournament, while Dave Prazak predicted it will be Kenny King.

1 – KEVIN STEEN (w/Steve Corino) vs. RHETT TITUS -- ROH TV Title Tournament First Round match

After a back-and-forth opening exchange, Steen took control of the match at 1:30 by throwing Titus shoulder-first between the turnbuckles into the ring post. Titus fell to the outside. Steen followed him to the floor and again drove Titus’ shoulder into the ring post. Back inside, Steen worked over Titus’ injured shoulder heel style. Titus mounted a comeback at 4:30 by reversing an Irish whip and sending Steen front first into the turnbuckle, stunning Steen for a moment. This gave Titus the chance to hit a series of running strikes, culminating in a flip neckbreaker for a near fall at 5:30.

Titus could not sustain the advantage because Steen managed to grab his arm in an arm bar, re-aggravating Titus’ injured shoulder. Steen followed up the arm bar with a powerbomb for a near fall at 6:00. Steen went to the top rope to try for a high-flying move, but Titus got to his feet and went up after him. They exchanged strikes until Steen finally managed to crotch Titus on the top turnbuckle, then hang Titus upside down in the Tree of Woe. Steen then landed a running cannonball on the helpless Titus and finished him off with a crippler crossface putting pressure on Titus’ injured shoulder.

WINNER: Steen in 7:00. Just an okay match. It was competently executed and told a logical story, but the crowd was dead and Steen’s heel attack on Titus’ shoulder generated very little crowd heat since this was a heel vs. heel match-up, so the crowd had no sympathy for Titus. I did like that Steen working over Titus’ arm made a simple arm bar later in the match into a highly effective move for Steen, and led directly to the submission finish, but this structure of match needs a babyface for the crowd to get behind.

- In the studio, Hogewood and Prazak talked about the Big Bang Internet pay-per-view coming up on April 3rd. They threw to Jim Cornette’s announcement of the main event.

- Jim Cornette, Tyler Black, Austin Aries, and Roderick Strong were all sitting in chairs in a studio setting. Cornette said that although Black had made his feelings clear that Strong should get the first shot at his title, Cornette was tired of doing things for other people. Cornette said he was going to decide based on what was best for ROH, which he said was the match that would sell the most tickets and pay-per-views.

Cornette then announced that the main event of the Big Bang would be a triple threat match between Black, Aries, and Strong. Strong flipped out and accused ROH of trying to screw him once again by putting him in a position of having to beat two men to win the title. Cornette said Strong sounded like Bret Hart complaining saying “I got screwed! I got screwed!” Strong walked off the set. Aries turned to Black and proposed that they take care of Strong first, then finish the match one on one. Black told Aries to (bleep) off (he was literally bleeped). Cornette’s facial expression when Black swore was pricelessly funny. Black said he is going to take Aries out, then kick some sense into Strong. Strong barged back onto the set and attacked Black, but Cornette and a crowd of stagehands rushed in and quickly broke them up.

- Hogewood and Prazak closed the segment by hyping the announced triple threat main event. Prazak complained that Aries deserved a one-on-one shot at Black.

2 – THE KINGS OF WRESTLING (CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI & CHRIS HERO w/Shane Hagadorn and Sara Del Rey) vs. THE BRAVADO BROTHERS (HARLEM BRAVADO & LANCE BRAVADO)

During the Kings’s ring entrance, Hagadorn and Del Rey were carrying large plaques. Hogewood and Prazak said that the Kings have just returned from a tour of Japan, where they won the plaques. Prazak announced that the Kings of Wrestling are signed to challenge the Briscoe Brothers for the ROH World Tag Team titles at the Big Bang on April 3rd.

The Kings took the early advantage by kicking the Bravados in their guts during the opening handshakes. I continued to maintain that one of the stupidest things in wrestling is when heels attack before the opening bell and the referee simply calls for the bell, giving the heels an unfair advantage at the start of the match. Referees should force the wrestlers to separate before calling for the opening bell. Hero threw Harlem out of the ring and the Kings cut the ring in half and began methodically working over Lance with stiff strikes and quick tags. Lance managed to tag out at 2:30 when Hero Irish whipped him into the ropes and Lance ducked Hero’s follow-up kick attempt, allowing Harlem to reach him for the tag. Harlem got a brief flurry of offence, but the Kings cut him off with a nice double team in which Hero threw Harlem over his head and Castagnoli caught him with a backbreaker. Lance tried to come to Harlem’s aid, but Castagnoli caught him and the Kings quickly landed a Hart Attack running elbow. They delivered another double team to Lance, a Big Swing-basement drop kick combination, then turned their attention back to Harlem and finished him off with their finisher, the KRS ONE (a double team overhead slam).

WINNERS: The Kings of Wrestling in 4:00. Okay squash match, but just once I’d like to see a tag team squash match end with one member of the losing team never getting to tag in at all. Hot tags are completely meaningless and totally predictable whenever jobber teams get them.

- After the match, the Kings of Wrestling cut a promo on the Briscoes. Hero said that they are going to take the titles, which he said are rightfully theirs, from the Briscoes at The Big Bang. Castagnoli then cut a promo in German. Hero’s promo was a good basic promo. I don’t know about Castagnoli’s because I don’t speak German.

- Back in the studio, Hogewood and Prazak announced that, as a result of the brawl two weeks ago between Necro Butcher and Erick Stevens, Stevens has been fined and Necro has been suspended from television. They said that Necro’s suspension was for hitting the ROH timekeeper, Giuseppe DiLorento. Bravo to ROH for putting consequences on this sort of thing. Doing this consistently over time will make these sorts of brawls mean something again.

- Backstage, Kyle Durden interviewed Prince Nana. Nana said it took three years to get the Kings of Wrestling back together but now they are coming for the Briscoes’s World Tag Team Titles. Durden brought up the subject of Necro Butcher’s suspension from television, and pointed out that Necro has a family to feed. Nana ranted about Necro Butcher, food stamps, the family of the guy Necro hit and concluded by pointing at the camera and telling Necro to stay out of his way. Lastly, Durden asked if Rasche Brown is with Nana. Nana said that all he sees is dollar signs in Brown and invited Brown to join the family. Nana was entertaining as always.

3 – “SKULLKRUSHER” RASCHE BROWN vs. CALEB KONLEY

The announcers talked about how intimidating and dominating Brown has been lately. They opened the match with a collar-and-elbow tie up. Brown backed Konley into the corner and gave Konley a clean break, but Konley stupidly used the opening to deliver a cheap shot to Brown. Brown came back with an angry flurry of strikes that laid Konley out. After briefly toying with Konley, Brown finished him off with a spear-torture rack-burning hammer combination.

WINNER: Brown in 1:30. Good, quick, dominant squash victory to continue building up Brown as a monster.

- Backstage, Durden interviewed Colt Cabana about the TV Title Tournament. Cabana said he is made for TV and would love to be champion of television. Durden asked Cabana how El Generico is doing since Kevin Steen turned on him. Steve Corino interrupted and told Cabana that he should worry about himself rather than Generico. He told Cabana to be careful who he stands up for, then walked off.

- Hogewood hyped that Generico would face Kenny King in a TV Title tournament match after the break.

[Commercial Break]

- A video package recapped Jim Cornette’s announcement earlier in the show that Tyler Black will defend the ROH World Title against Austin Aries and Roderick Strong in a triple threat match at The Big Bang, followed by Strong flipping out and attacking Black.

- Hogewood and Prazak hyped the two title matches scheduled for the Big Bang.

- Back in the studio, Hogewood and Prazak talked about the American Wolves’s recent losing streak. They threw to a highlight package showing their losses to the Young Bucks and the Dark City Fight Club over the past month.

- Hogewood announced that next week, both members of the American Wolves will wrestle in TV Title Tournament First Round matches: Eddie Edwards will face Colt Cabana while Davey Richards will face Delirious.

4 –EL GENERICO vs. KENNY KING -- ROH TV Title Tournament First Round match

They opened the match with a nice chain wrestling exchange. Generico eventually got the upper hand landed a series of his signature arm drags on King, prompting King to bail out to ringside for a breather at 2:30. Generico regained the advantage after King re-entered the ring and got another flurry of his signature offence. This time, King crawled to the ropes, prompting the referee to put himself between the wrestlers and force Generico to back off. Generico became distracted by the ref, enabling King kick him in the gut and immediately go to work heel style on Generico’s arm.

King spent the next several minutes working over Generico’s arm. During the beat down, Prazak compared becoming the first ever TV Title holder to Pat Patterson becoming the first ever Intercontinental Champion by winning “that tournament in Rio de Janiero.” Generico teased a few comebacks before finally making his real comeback at 8:30 when King got too cocky and spent too much time playing to the crowd. Generico dumped King over the top rope to the outside and followed up with an Arabian press to the floor.

Generico continued to sell his injured arm throughout his comeback, and King turned the tide back in his favor after Generico missed a running Yakuza kick attempt at 11:00. King hit a flurry of strikes and tried to set up Generico for the Coronation, but Generico slipped out of the move, dodged a shotgun knee strike from King, then countered with a release German suplex and a running Yakuza kick for a near fall at 12:00. Generico continued to press the advantage and landed a post-to-post diving boot from the top rope with King hanging in the Tree of Woe at 13:30, but King grabbed the ropes to avoid being pinned. Generico then went back to the top, but King was able to shove the referee into the ropes to knock Generico off-balance and crotch him on the top turnbuckle. The announcers argued over whether King did it deliberately. It certainly looked deliberate, but the referee did not disqualify King. King was therefore able to climb the ropes and land a Super Royal Flush on Generico for the pin.

WINNER: King in 14:30. A perfectly serviceable TV main event, but a notch below the high standard that ROH usually sets for its TV main events. The match told a logical story that was true to the characters, but the crowd was not that hot and the tainted finish brought it down a notch as well, since the referee was made to seem like an idiot for not disqualifying King.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for an "ROH TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on ROH, email to pwtorch@gmail.com using our feedback form.

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