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ROH TV REPORT
OCTOBER 7, 2018
PHILADELPHIA, PA AT 2300 ARENA
AIRED ON SINCLAIR AFFILIATES & ROHWRESTLING.COM
REPORT BY HARLEY R. PAGEOT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni, BJ Whitmer
Opening theme.
-In the arena we opened with The Kingdom’s music. TK O’Ryan carried his baseball bat and Vinny Marseglia had a clown mask, a bouquet of red balloons, and his ax. Matt Taven was not with them. Their opponents were making their first appearance in almost five months with Shaheem Ali returning to action following an injury when he was the victim of a car accident.
(1) COAST 2 COAST (Shaheem Ali & LSG) vs. THE KINGDOM (Vinny Marseglia & TK O’Ryan)
LSG and Marseglia started. Ali tagged in one minute in and they hit a double-team maneuver on Marseglia. LSG hit a neckbreaker on Marseglia, which led to the first two-count of the match. Marseglia took control going into the break. [C]
The Kingdom targeted Ali’s neck (the main cause of his time off). Marseglia popped a balloon in his ear. O’Ryan hit a spinebuster and Marseglia followed with a diving headbutt. Marseglia wore him down with a chinlock but Ali hit a jawbreaker. Hot tag to LSG. He took out both men with a pop-up double clothesline. Springboard crossbody took down Marseglia for two. O’Ryan yanked LSG off the apron and took him out with a suicide dive. Ali flipped himself over onto O’Ryan and Marseglia then flipped onto all three men. LSG escaped from the group and went up top so that he could flip onto all three men. What is this, a Bullet Club match? Ali and O’Ryan wound up in the ring. Ali escaped a pumphandle slam and rolled up O’Ryan for the win.
WINNERS: Coast 2 Coast in 12:06.
-The Kingdom argued with the ref, claiming that Marseglia was the legal man. They slammed referee Paul Turner to the mat and kicked him out of the ring. Six or seven security guards ran out and took one punch each, which was apparently enough to incapacitate them.
(Pageot’s Perspective: Even getting an hour-long spotlight on last week’s Art Of Wrestling podcast couldn’t make me care about O’Ryan and Marseglia. I just find them terribly bland and unmemorable in the ring outside of Marseglia’s various props. At this point “The Kingdom conspiracy” doesn’t appear to be actually going anywhere either. The commentators discussed the wrong man being pinned in the six-man title match where The Kingdom lost their titles but that was a month and a half ago and there’s been absolutely no follow-up since then. It’s great to have C2C back but this was a weak victory and hardly sends them back into the fray with a hot start. It would have been nice to hear from them too. Why not have Ali address his accident and what it means for him to be back in the ring? That’s how you get babyfaces over.)
-Video recap of the first match between Marty Scurll and Hurrican Helms on August 5 TV. Scurll won that one thanks to a kick below the belt behind the ref’s back. [C]
-Shane Helms entered first with his cape and mask on to “Hurricane” chants and a slew of streamers. Marty Scurll wore sunglasses and jacket, carrying his folded-up umbrella. They got a loud “this is awesome” chant before the bell. Scurll quieted the crowd down and extended the code of honor. Helms looked to the crowd for what to do. “Shake his hand” chant. They shook, Scurll looked for a cheap kick, but Helms caught his foot.
(2) “THE VILLAIN” MARTY SCURLL vs. SHANE “HURRICANE” HELMS
Scurll with an eyepoke. Helms with a suplex. Uppercut and tornado DDT from Scurll. Helms no-sold it. Scurll avoided the chokeslam and hit a lungblower. Helms hulked up and did the “you!” finger point. Scurll kicked out his knee. Helms returned the favor. Russian leg sweep from Helms and he set up for The People’s Elbow. Scurll caught him two uppercuts that sent Helms to the floor. Suicide dive from Scurll. [C]
Scurll with a brainbuster. He chopped Helms but Helms no-sold again. Scurll with a pumphandle Ghostbuster. Scurll looked for another tornado DDT on the floor but Helms countered into a northern lights suplex. Helms hit a flatliner and Eye Of The Hurricane in the ring for a two-count. Scurll hit a Rainmaker for two. He called for the chicken-wing so Helms of course heard him and avoided it. Helms wound up crotched on the top turnbuckle. Superplex. Scurll with a superkick to the seated Helms. Helms avoided the chicken-wing again. Scurll low blowed Helms again and hit Eye Of The Hurricane on Helms. Helms kicked out of his own move. Scurll looked for the Hurrichokeslam but Helms countered and hit his own. Scurll looked for a crucifix pin but Helms caught him and pinned him first.
WINNER: The Hurricane in 12:27. [C]
(Pageot’s Perspective: Scurll went from main eventing pay-per-views and people thinking he was going to be the next world champion to losing clean to a comedy figure on a throwaway episode of television. lol I mean Helms looked far better here than you’d expect and wrestled a lot harder than Bully Ray does these days but he shouldn’t be picking up wins over anyone in ROH save for the lowest of midcarders. And there’s a strong sense that the only reason he won here was so that they could do a rubber match this Friday at Glory By Honor, not because this is part of a big story of growth or development for Scurll.)
-Video package on the Cheeseburger-Will Ferrara feud. One year ago they had a tag title match against the Young Bucks but lost when Burger accidentally shoteid Ferrara. Ferrara subsequently turned heel on Burger and they’ve feuded off and on ever since.
-Burger was backstage for a promo. Ferrara used to be his brother, his partner, his friend. He’d wanted to share opportunities with Ferrara, not compete against him for them. He wondered if it was jealousy that Jushin Thunder Liger took an interest in him and not Ferrara. He said he’s gong to enjoy hurting Ferrara.
-The Dawgs made their entrance but Ferrara sent Rhett Titus to the back. Little Willy was shirtless, wearing cargo shorts, kneepads, and black boots. Burger wore white pants, a sleeveless white “shotei” shirt, and warpaint on his face. [C]
(3) CHEESEBURGER vs. WILL FERRARA – FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR
Ferrara drove him into the corner. Burger with a takedown and right hands. Ferrara bailed to the floor to avoid a shotei so Burger catapulted over the ropes onto him. Burger beat him around the ring. Ferrara threw the ref in between them and took over with an eyerake. He stood on Burger’s head and took his belt off. Ferrara whipped Burger across the back. Ferrara choked Burger with the belt but Burger came back with a back body drop. Burger got hold of the belt and whipped Ferrara like a scalded dawg. Burger choked Ferrara with the belt across the top rope but Burger hurt his right hand when Ferrara jumped off the apron. [C]
Ferrara fetched a steel chair and brought it into the ring. He swung at Burger’s hurt hand on the mat but Burger moved. However he accidentally shoteid the chair a moment later. Ferrara cracked him across the back with the chair for a two-count. Burger superkicked the chair into Ferrara’s face and they were both down. Running dropkick sent Ferrara into the corner and Burger stomped away on him. Burger with a DDT onto the chair for two. Burger went under the ring and found a table. As he was trying to set it up, though, Titus ran down to ringside and jumped him from behind. Titus set up the table. He looked to powerbomb Burger off the apron through the table but Burger slipped out. Titus then looked for a suplex but Eli Isom and Ryan Nova ran down to help their friend. They each grabbed a leg and Burger superkicked Titus into a double powerbomb through the table. In the ring Ferrara had a chain wrapped around his fist but Burger hit him with the chair first. Burger wrapped the chain around his own hand. Shotei!
WINNER: Cheeseburger in 10:33.
-Isom and Nova celebrated with Burger in the ring.
(Pageot’s Perspective: The last grudge match we’ve had on this scale was the Kelly Klein-Deonna Purrazzo blow-off before Purrazzo left for NXT. Like this one, they also wrestled in more street clothes-like attire than their usual wrestling gear, a touch that I really love. I also strongly appreciate that Cheeseburger (ROH’s Bayley) was actually allowed to get angry and put up a fight. The match itself ended up being a lot of fun, though it could have used another five minutes. Main eventing an episode of television in a gimmick match is a huge step in itself for both Burger and Ferrara and I’m sure is inspirational for guys like Isom and Nova. The question now is whether or not this momentum will be capitalized on. ROH’s biggest shortcoming with their booking in 2018 would have to be the fact that big moments and story developments are often not followed-up on until weeks or months later (if at all). A match like this marks a perfect launching pad to send Burger up the hierarchary and into a feud with someone like Beer City Bruiser or Shane Taylor but I fear we won’t see him again until late November and he’ll be back to being enhancement talent then.)
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