RADICAN’S ROH TV REPORT
AIRED NOV. 26, 2011
TAPED AT THE DAVIS ARENA
LOUSIVILLE, KY

The show started with a recap of the Richards-O’Reilly contest from last week.

Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness introduced the show from ringside. Kelly ran down the lineup for the show tonight and hyped the Lethal-Generico main event.

The Briscoes cut a promo backstage. They focused on their shot at the Tag Team titles against Haas & Benjamin at “Final Battle 2011.” Jay said they kept coming, despite Cornette trying to get in the way. Mark said it wasn’t personal, but Jay said it was against Coleman & Alexander. Jay promised to beat them quicker than Haas & Benjamin did.

Coleman & Alexander were then shown backstage. Coleman said they respected the Briscoes. He said the Briscoes should come at them the way they want to, but they’re setting up a mainstream rebellion.

Radican’s thoughts: It seems the Briscoes aren’t going to be positioned like the heels they are portrayed to be given the style of their promos, which are more entertaining than anyone else’s promos on ROH TV. Coleman’s promo style just doesn’t do much for me. He speaks in clichés and doesn’t directly address the situation he’s being put in very well. I don’t know if it’s just me, but setting up this match based around whether or not the Briscoes can beat Coleman & Alexander faster than Haas & Benjamin did doesn’t seem very exciting.

The tale of the tape showed the Briscoes with a size and experience advantage over Coleman & Alexander.

2 - - CAPRICE COLEMAN & CEDRIC ALEXANDER vs. THE BRISCOES (Jay & Mark Briscoe)

Kelly said ROH’s social media sites were blowing up. Coleman and Alexander quickly sent the Briscoes to the outside where Alexander nailed them with a springboard splash. Coleman and Alexander continued to dominate the action working over Mark with a series of double team maneuvers. Jay kicked Alexander off the apron and that gave Mark time to take down Coleman. The crowd was firmly behind the Briscoes as they began to work over Coleman in their own corner. The action broke down and Haas & Benjamin ran into the ring with chairs. The Briscoes bailed to the outside and the bell rung.

Winners: No contest - The action was fine while it lasted, but the match ended rather quickly when Haas & Benjamin ran in with chairs and chased the Briscoes out of the arena.

Kelly pitched to a commercial break with Cornette hyping “Final Battle 2011.” Cornette brought in Richards to discuss “Final Battle 2011.”

They came back from break. Kelly said Haas & Benjamin had chased the Briscoes out of the arena. They showed some very dark footage outside the venue of officials breaking them apart, but I couldn’t see anything.

2 - - MICHAEL ELGIN (w/Truth Martini) vs. SEAN CASEY & RAPHAEL CONSTANTINE – Handicap match

Martini came into the commentary booth and lost his voice before regaining his gravelly tone. Truth was mad that Richards didn’t want to join him. Casey & Constantine tried to double team Elgin, but he countered them with a double suplex. Elgin hoisted up Casey in the suplex position before tossing him down to the mat. Casey and Constantine fired back and nailed Elgin with a series of kicks and they both covered him at the same time for a 2 count. Elgin lifted up Casey and hit a fall away slam. Constantine dove off the top, but Elgin caught him. Casey came off the top and nailed Elgin with a dropkick, but he rolled through holding Constantine and tossed him at Casey. That was impressive. Casey managed to escape Elgin and tagged in Constantine, but he ate a big slam from Elgin. Casey tried to interfere, but Elgin caught him. Elgin then picked up both of his opponents and hit a double Alabama slam for the pin.

Winner: Michael Elgin – That’s how you do a squash. Elgin looked really impressive here dominating two men with various power moves.

Cornette issued a statement backstage in response to Steen’s litigation. Cornette said he had an offer to Steen to make this all go away. Cornette said that next week, he wanted Steen and his attorneys to meet Cornette, Corino, and Jacobs in the ring next week. Cornette said he would make his offer to Steen next week and the rest would be up to Steen.

A commercial aired for ROHWrestling.com.

They came back from commercial break with Kelly previewing Inside ROH. Kelly said Richards vs. Edwards would be the biggest match in ROH history. Kelly then went to footage of Dan Severn training with Eddie Edwards. Kelly ran down Severn’s credentials in amateur wrestling and MMA. Kelly mentioned Severn’s induction into UFC’s Hall of Fame. Kelly said Richards originally wanted to train with Severn. Kelly went to Edwards, who said they had a different view. Edwards said Richards had to cancel because he went to Japan, so Edwards went to train with Severn. Severn said it was his idea for Edwards to come train because Richards knew too much about Edwards. Edwards said O’Reilly was getting in Richards’s head and that’s where their misunderstanding is coming from.

Severn said he was going to add new elements to Edwards’s training. Severn said when titles and money are on the line, the friendship has to be put to the side. Edwards said Richards told him at “Best in the World” Richards told him they would always be brothers and then he kicked him in the head. Edwards said at “Final Battle,” he’d be able to return the favor to Edwards. Edwards said if Richards was vulnerable, he would strike unlike at “Best in the World” when he hesitated.

Kelly then transitioned to Roderick Strong. He said Strong feels left out. They showed Strong having some drinks with a couple of women. Strong said he had heard about Richards and Edwards were training. Edwards got a drink from another woman and he said training was hard and he was tired. Strong invited the women to drink with him. Strong said he was training in Tampa. Strong discussed his Strong Invitational Challenge. Strong promised to steal the show at “Final Battle.” Strong said ROH had brought him a bunch of losers to face him. Strong said the main event better be as good as its hyped to be. Kelly wondered if Strong was just looking for an excuse to be at “Final Battle.”

Radican’s thoughts: This was a really strong segment to get across Edwards’s point of view heading into “Final Battle.” They did a good job establishing Severn’s credentials and showing footage of Edwards training with him. It was a really good segment all-around that added a new dimension to their upcoming match.

On the other hand, Strong’s segment was funny where he was shown partying with some girls at a bar. The aspect I don’t like is that Strong is saying his match will be better than Edwards vs. Richards. It shouldn’t be a contest to see who has the best match, as that’s something that should be discussed outside the realm of the ROH universe and not within the context of a storyline.

A commercial aired for ROHWrestling.com.

Kelly hyped the upcoming ROH World TV Championship match between Lethal and Generico. McGuinness said he has a lot of respect for limit and mentioned that Generico had taken him to the limit. Lethal came out and Kelly said Lethal has become a sensation.

Bobby Cruise did the formal introductions for the main event. Generico got a nice response from the crowd. Lethal also got a good response from the crowd, although they sound muted. Mike Bennett and Bob Evans began walking down to ringside before Kelly pitched to commercial break.

A commercial for “Final Battle” aired with Jim Cornett. He ran down the big matches and brought in the Briscoes for a promo.

Kelly went to the tale of the tape before the start of the match. He mentioned both men follow the code of honor.

3 - - ROH TV Champion JAY LETHAL vs. EL GENERICO

Bob and Bennett were shown at ringside eating some food. Lethal kicked over their nachos and the crowd popped. The action picked up with both men going for pins, but they came to a stalemate. The crowd clapped as both men circled each other. They had another fast-paced exchange and came to another stalemate and the crowd applauded. Generico hit a series of arm drags that grounded Lethal and the crowd applauded. Kelly focused on O’Reilly revealing to Richards that Edwards was training with Severn. McGuinness and Kelly discussed the tension that could be felt now between both men and with the ROH World Title on the line; it’s a different ball game. Generico followed up with a big chop that grounded Lethal. Kelly mentioned that Bennett and Bob had been a non-factor thus far.

Lethal fired up as Kelly ran down some upcoming live events. Generico fired back and sent Lethal down with a big chop. The crowd tried to rally behind Lethal as Generico hit a backbreaker. Generico hit a nice split-legged moonsault for a 2 count. Lethal fired back and caught Generico with a kick on the apron. Generico spilled to the outside and collided with Bennett and Bob. Kelly pitched to the last commercial break.

They came back from commercial with Lethal hitting a leg lariat on Generico for a 2 count. They showed footage of the action from the break where Generico missed a springboard moonsault on the outside and Lethal nailed him with a superkick. Lethal locked in a leg submission on the mat and then lifted Generico up using his legs. Generico escaped and Lethal covered him for a 2 count. Lethal nailed Generico with a couple of big chops in the corner. Generico fired back with a clothesline out of the corner. He hit another big clothesline on Lethal and the crowd applauded. Generico ducked a kick from Lethal and hit a blue thunder powerbomb for a nearfall.

Lethal tried to fire back, but Generico caught him with a Michinoku driver coming off the ropes for another nearfall. The crowd applauded and Generico fired up. Kelly said Young Bucks would face Future Shock next week. Lethal fired back with a neckbreaker with three minutes remaining in the time limit. On the outside, Kelly said that Bennett had taken possession of the ROH TV Title. Bob put the title around his waist as Lethal caught Generico with a handspring ace crusher for a 2 count. The crowd applauded as both men were slow to get to their feet. Generico caught Lethal with a yokuza kick followed by a suplex, but Lethal got right up and hit a superkick that left both men down on the mat. Lethal rolled out to the floor with less than a minute left. Bennett taunted Lethal, but Lethal punched him in the face. Lethal went up top with 15 seconds left in the match. Lethal hit a top rope elbow, but Bennett distracted the ref and the time limit expired.

Winner: Time limit draw

Star rating: (**3/4) – This was a good television main event. I like how they are building the storyline with Bennett, Lethal, and now Generico is added into the mix. The match was slow in spots, but it built to a nice finish and furthered the ongoing storyline in the TV Title picture.

Lethal and Bennett brawled on the outside after the match ended. Generico then took out Bennett and Lethal with a big dive over the top and the crowd popped big. Generico indicated he wanted more time. Kelly said the ROH TV Title picture was now a three horse race.

Overall thoughts: (6.5) – This was a solid, but unspectacular show. They are doing a good job of building up individual wrestlers and feuds heading into “Final Battle,” as the TV, Tag Team, and World Title feuds were all focused upon during the show.

The beginning of the show with the Briscoes-Coleman & Alexander match that was just set up to further the Briscoes feud with Haas & Benjamin wasn’t very compelling because it was hard to see anything that went on once Haas & Benjamin chased the Briscoes outside with chairs in hand. If anything, the build for their match has been hurt by the inability of the Briscoes to get over as heels. It’s getting to the point where both teams are going to have to turn before or at “Final Battle.”

I don’t think Dan Severn is a buzz-worthy name to add to the Richards vs. Edwards feud, but his segment with Edwards was well-done and drove the point home of why there’s tension between Edwards and Richards. I also liked how Edwards talked about why he lost to Richards at “Best in the World” and how Severn is going to help him turn the corner at “Final Battle.”

I thought Strong’s vignette was weak. They’re doing a good job of keeping him in the ROH World Title picture, but it should be about more than whether or not he can outperform Richards in terms of match quality at “Final Battle.”

Michael Elgin looked like a beast squashing two jobbers in a handicap match. I like how they’re building up Elgin as a monster and I’m looking forward to seeing him progress in ROH. He’s a talented big man, but he needs to develop his persona more to connect with ROH fans.

The main event featuring Jay Lethal defending the ROH TV Title against El Generico featured some good action and storytelling. I’m baffled as to why the company hasn’t pushed Generico more, as he’s one of their more marketable characters and he’s over huge with their established fan base. The match itself was slow in spots, but built to a nice finish using the time limit counting down to add some tension leading to the finish. Bennett costing Lethal the win furthers their ongoing feud, but I’d like to see Bennett and Bob get an overhaul for their gimmick. They just don’t fit together with the way Bob dresses.

ROH didn’t do a lot to build up the show next week. They mentioned a Young Bucks vs. Future Shock match and Cornette will meet with Kevin Steen in the ring to hash out their situation, but I’d like to see more of a focus on the stars in the promotion and building up Richards every week leading into “Final Battle.”

Contact Sean at PWTorchSean@gmail.com

We suggest these recent related articles...

METZGER'S ROH TV REPORT 9/27 & 9/30: NJPW vs. ROH Series continues - Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Adam Cole, Sydal vs. KUSHIDA, more

METZGER'S ROH TV REPORT 9/20 & 9/23: New Japan's top champions Okada & Goto in tag main event, ROH/NJPW announcement, more; Reax to post-PPV episode

METZGER'S ROH TV REPORT 9/13 & 9/16: The Kingdom vs. War Machine main event, ReDragon vs. House of Truth, final build-up to "All-Star Extravaganza" PPV, more; Reax