SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
ROH TV REPORT
JULY 14, 2019
PHILADELPHIA, PA AT 2300 ARENA
AIRED ON FITE.TV
REPORT BY HARLEY R. PAGEOT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana
We opened with clips from Best In The World of Dalton Castle defeating Dragon Lee, Kenny King defeating Jay Lethal, Flip Gordon turning heel to join Villain Enterprises, Mandy Leon hitting Kelly Klein with a shoe, Maria Manic debuting and beating up security guards, and Matt Taven pinning Jeff Cobb clean.
-Opening theme.
-In the arena we were greeted with the smooth jazz of fitness idol Rhett Titus. The commentators checked in. A video recap showed Taylor pinning Bandido to retain his title at Best In The World. Kenny King sat in on commentary.
(1) ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION SHANE TAYLOR vs. RHETT TITUS – PROVING GROUND MATCH
If Titus could win or survive to a ten-minute time limit he would earn a future TV title match. [C]
Titus did leg raises while hanging from the ropes. His former tag partner tore him apart for it on commentary. Taylor hit a guillotine leg drop on Titus hanging off the apron. Titus got a jab in and a stinger splash followed by three running boots in the corner. He hoisted Taylor up for a Samoan drop. High knee from Taylor. Headbutt.
WINNER: Shane Taylor in 6:28.
-King headed down the aisle, passing his former Rebellion stable mate Taylor, and patted him on the shoulder. King took a mic and addressed his former All-Night Express partner Titus. He asked what happened to him. King said management put them together but they fought and scrapped and went on to beat the Briscoes, the Young Bucks, Roderick Strong, Seth Rollins… everybody. Titus has the body of a god but no fight. If he was Joe Koff he’d tear up Titus’ contract for embarrassing his pregnant wife (who was shown in the crowd). King said Titus’ son knows his father’s a coward. Titus got fired up but quickly backed down. King begged him to punch him but a humbled Titus quietly left. King called him a punk ass bitch.
(Pageot’s Perspective: Opening a TV taping with a heel vs. heel match is a bold choice. At least Taylor continues to be booked strongly. He’s one of the few acts that has truly benefited this year and grown. Titus holds the worst record in ROH this year at 0-9 now so the post-match was fairly intriguing. King’s on a roll coming out of G1 Supercard and Best In The World and has a world title match in his pocket but seems hesitant to cash it in. Perhaps a revitalized Titus and an ANX reunion is the stepping stone between here and future world champion King. The tag team division would definitely benefit as well.)
-Women Of Honor World Champion Kelly Klein was backstage. She said WOH has some of the best women’s wrestling around. (LOL!) She addressed Maria Manic, Tasha Steelz, Jenny Rose, and The Allure and said she’d taken on all challengers and defend her championship. [C]
-Clips aired from June 29 in Philadelphia with a promo confrontation between Jay Lethal and ROH World Champion Matt Taven regarding Lethal’s upcoming title challenge. Alex Shelley showed up in a suit. He said he never actually “retired” in his last appearance. He’s competed for 17 years and was playing his veteran’s card to challenge the winner of Taven-Lethal for the ROH world title.
Back in the present Riccaboni confirmed Shelley will get that title match at Summer Supercard on August 9 in Toronto.
(Pageot’s Perspective: I… What? Alex Shelley seemingly retired on the August 19 episode of ROH television last year and has stayed completely away in the eleven months since then. He returns, announces he isn’t retired, and that he’s going after the ROH world title… and it gets the clip show treatment?? This was framed as if it was a recap of a previously-aired segment but we’ve never seen this before. What a bizarre decision. The framing of this makes me think it’s just a one-off payday for Shelley and he’ll go back into “retirement” after putting Taven over on August 9.)
-The Allure entered as a trio (plus Mandy Leon carrying a dog) for a four-way to crown the WOH #1 contender. Klein was already sitting in on commentary. Tasha Steelz was out next, then Stella Grey, and Jenny Rose. Velvet Sky said Rose and Grey don’t belong there and she didn’t even know who Steelz was. She said Love already proved herself #1 contender by pinning Klein at Best In The World (after Leon hit Klein with a shoe).
(2) JENNY ROSE vs. STELLA GREY vs. TASHA STEELZ vs. ANGELINA LOVE (w/Velvet Sky & Mandy Leon) – WOH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER MATCH
Love and Leon fought to ringside. Steelz and Grey traded arm drags. Steelz and Love had a stare-down to near-silence. Love with a sidewalk slam. Leon tripped Steelz as she ran the ropes. Referee Brian Hebner tossed Leon, Sky, and their little dog too from ringside. [C]
All four women traded roll-ups. Steelz with a slingshot splash over the ropes onto the babyfaces. Love hit Sumie Sakai’s high crossbody onto all three opponents. She stood on the middle turnbuckle and jawed at Klein. The champ put down her headset and started down the aisle. Rose and Grey pulled Love off the ropes into a powerbomb. Steelz clotheslined both of them. Klein headed back to the booth, content with her distraction costing Love. Love with the Botox Injection (a pump-kick) to Rose but Grey broke up the pin. A second Botox Injection to Grey. Steelz tossed Love and hit a cutter on Grey for the pin.
WINNER: Tasha Steelz in 9:05.
-Steelz and Love argued and the lights went out. Kharma’s Maria Manic’s Barbie doll video played. The maneater appeared in the ring. Love bailed again. Steelz went nose to nose with Manic until some male security guards showed up. Steelz left and Manic beat up the men again. [C]
(Pageot’s Perspective: It took two and a half months but we finally got a women’s match on ROH television again. Steelz will now challenge Klein for the title at Summer Supercard. Hopefully we find out more about her before then. She debuted for ROH last September in a three-minute loss to Sumie Sakai, then returned in March to team with Kris Stadtlander in a win over Sakai & Rose. This was her third appearance. Both previous times she was slated as a heel but played face against Love here. It’s refreshing that Love didn’t win but that’s likely just because they’re waiting until they’re back on pay-per-view to give her the title match.)
-Rush was backstage. He addressed Dalton Castle and said he’s sick and tired of him. He beat Castle in sixteen seconds last time and… <<finished his promo in Spanish.>>
-The Bouncers entered for the main event trios tag. Jay Lethal came out next. He stopped by the timekeeper’s table to ask Amy Rose to head backstage due to her involvement costing Lethal his match against Kenny King at Best In The World.
Footage aired of O’Ryan & Marseglia ending The Bouncers’ television winning streak last week as The Kingdom made their entrance. [C]
(3) THE KINGDOM (ROH World Champion Matt Taven, Vinny Marseglia, & TK O’Ryan) vs. JAY LETHAL & THE BOUNCERS (Jay Lethal, Beer City Bruiser, & Brawler Milonas)
Lethal and Marseglia started. Lethal got the best of it. Tags to Milonas and O’Ryan. Milonas tossed O’Ryan around so he requested Lethal instead. Lethal got the best of him too. Tags to Bruiser and Taven. Taven requested Lethal too. The Kingdom lured him to the floor and triple-teamed behind the ref’s back. Cabana put over the teamwork and unity of The Kingdom. [C]
Lethal remained isolated in the heel corner. Hot tag to Bruiser at 6:55. He took out both henchmen. Milonas got sick of the Kingdom’s double-teaming and jumped into the fray. Milonas with a Samoan drop + fallaway slam combo to Taven and O’Ryan. Lethal with a big suicide dive to Marseglia. And one for O’Ryan. And a third to Taven. Blind tag from O’Ryan while The Bouncers took out Marseglia. It didn’t matter, though, because O’Ryan got bounced anyway. Closing Time!
WINNERS: Lethal & The Bouncers in 10:04.
-The Bouncers offered the toast of honor to Lethal but Taven grabbed him from behind and hit the Climax on the floor. The heels scurried off up the ramp.
(Pageot’s Perspective: A bit briefer than we tend to expect from our main events but still a lot of fun. I’ll concede it makes up a bit for the Bouncers’ loss last week and it’s nice to see them putting some fuel back onto the Taven-Lethal fire. That title match happens in three weeks on TV so we’ll see what else they can do between now and then to make us believe Lethal might become a three-time world champion.)
-Next week: it’s Sumie Sakai vs. Karissa Rivera.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.