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TALES FROM THE PULPIT 9/23: Kevin Steen & El Generico produce rare genuine moment at ROH PPV taping in Boston Sep 23, 2008 - 2:12:19 PM
It's a very rare occasion when I witness a moment as genuine as I did this past Friday when I attended ROH's ninth PPV taping in Boston, Mass. I've been to a lot of live wrestling events and seen my fair share of fantastic matches live, but I think I'll always remember being there in person when Kevin Steen & El Generico finally captured the ROH World Tag Team Titles by beating Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black in an excellent MOTYC.
Steen & Generico's win was the culmination of over a year of frustration for the duo, who have some so close, so many times against a number of ROH World Tag Team Champions. First it was the Briscoes in 2007. Steen & Generico just couldn't beat them for the titles and their frustration grew. For a few months after their feud with the Briscoes concluded, the duo didn't accomplish month and were stagnant. Then they got back to what they do best and that was winning over the crowd with their charisma and ability.
They were the stars of WrestleMania weekend when ROH ran two shows in Orlando. In June, they made a dramatic run to the finals of the ROH World Tag Team Titles tournament, despite Kevin Steen being injured at the hands of Nigel McGuinness. I was there live that night as well and the crowd was so deflated when Jacobs & Black got the cheap win with a rollup out of nowhere that they threw trash at the ring.
Kevin Steen had promised to capture ROH gold in 2008 and when Steen & Generico were granted a title shot at the PPV taping in Boston, I thought it had the potential to be a special night, but I had no idea what I was in for. The match started off with Aries & Black getting the heat on Generico for a long period of time. Eventually the fans got on their feet and began rooting for El Generico. It was easy to see that Steen & Generico's quest to win the tag titles felt real to just about everyone in the building. The fans even starting singing Generico's theme song and when he finally tagged in Steen, everyone in attendance shouted "Ole!"
The heat was incredible for the duration of the match, which took many twists and turns. The crowd was deflated at certain points when Steen & Generico were seemingly on the verge of victory and something went wrong and either Black or Jacobs managed to escape doom. When Steen & Generico finally cleared the ring of Black and nailed Jacobs with their brainbuster/package piledriver finishing combination, the entire arena shook once the ref's hand touched the mat for the third and final count.
After the match, it felt like Steen & Generico had won a sporting championship of some sort. The fans jumped up and down and celebrated as the floor in the arena continued to shake. Steen and Generico went into the crowd with their titles and celebrated. It was clear nobody wanted to leave and the celebration lasted for several minutes.
I strongly urge people that haven't given ROH a chance in this past to order the PPV taped in Boston this past Friday when it airs in November. It's very rare when you see a moment as genuine as what I experienced in Boston this past weekend. It was also a fantastic example of one of the things ROH gets right so often and that is telling stories that people can believe in.
Sean Radican and Derek Burgan deliver state-of-the-art wrestling audio each and every weekend exclusively at PWTorch.com/members. When not writing his obnoxiously successful “Tales from the Pulpit,” Sean collects matches to help Derek burn bridges. Contact him at PWTorchSean@gmail.com.
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