SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
ROH TV REPORT (ep. 435)
JANUARY 17, 2020
AIRED ON SINCLAIR SYNDICATED TV & ROHWRESTLING.COM
REPORT BY RYAN SULLIVAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Quinn McKay
-The opening theme aired.
-They opened with a video package of The Briscoes verses Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham from Final Battle.
-Ian and Quinn appear on-screen, with Ian mentioning this is a special tag-team edition of Ring of Honor Television.
-They go right to the ring for the opening contest.
(1) THE BOUNCERS (Brawler Milonas & Beer City Bruiser) vs. DALTON CASTLE & JOE HENDRY
On their way from the bar, The Bouncers cut a pre-taped promo shown on the split-screen, discussing being unified as a team and 2020 will be their year. Both Castle and Hendry get their full ring introductions, with Castle getting a surprisingly tepid crowd reaction. The Code of Honor was adhered to by all parties. (c)
The match begins with Castle trying to outmuscle Bruiser, to no avail. Bruiser does the “I can’t bite, I ain’t got no teeth” gimmick, and Castle soon responding with his signature peacock pose. The match was relatively slow at first, with The Bouncers controlling much of the offense, before Hendry hit an incredible fall-away slam on Bruiser mid-match.
The announcers made a point several times during the contest to mention Castle and Hendry were not on the “same page” as partners. The finish saw Brawler push Castle onto Hendry from the top rope, rendering Castle useless on the outside, and Milonas hit “Last Call” on Hendry for the 1-2-3! (c)
WINNERS: The Bouncers at 7:58
(Ryan’s Reaction: This match was pretty good, as all four men worked hard. The Bouncers get a quality victory, while the company continues to tease the eventual breakup and feud between Castle and Hendry.)
-We return from commercial with Ian and Quinn on-screen, pitching the new merchandise available from the ROH Pro Shop.
-Quinn then shifts the conversation to talking about Brian Johnson and P.J. Black’s relationship, along with the similarities and differences to Josh Woods and Silas Young.
(2) MASTER & MACHINE (Griff Garrison & Marcus Kross) vs. BRIAN JOHNSON & P.J. BLACK
Johnson tries to start the match, but Black quickly slaps his back to tag himself in; seconds later, Johnson does the same move back to Black. (c)
Back to “live” action, Black is dominating the action, and Johnson and he are showing some natural chemistry as a team. Johnson twice tries to use the ropes to gain an advantage, but both times Black kicks his legs to negate the cheating. Garrison got the hot tag about three minutes in, and displayed some impressive strength and athleticism for a bigger man. The finish saw Black hit a suplex on Garrison and give a nasty superkick to Kross, then the legal man Johnson hitting a fist-drop for the pin.
WINNERS: Brian Johnson and P.J. Black at 3:48
-Post-match, Johnson celebrated like he had just won the World Championship at Final Battle, while Black looked at him like a dopey younger brother type.
(Ryan’s Reaction: This match did a nice job furthering the Johnson and Black mentorship, but I would have liked to see Master and Machine see more offense in the contest. I think Garrison and Kross have more long-term potential than the Johnston & Black storyline, so having them look a bit stronger would have seemed the better play for the future.)
-Next Brian Zane appeared on-screen to rank his Top-5 Tag-Teams in the History of Ring of Honor, going from #5-#1
#5 Generation Next (Roderick Strong & Austin Aries)
#4 Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli)
#3 The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson)
#2 ReDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)
#1 The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) (c)
-Back “live”, it’s time for our main event
(3) TWO GUYS ONE TAG (Silas Young & Josh Woods) vs. THE BRISCOES (Jay & Mark Briscoe)
The Briscoes were WAY over with the Philadelphia crowd, as this match was taped at Final Battle Fallout. Woods and Silas played “Rock, Paper, Scissors” to decide who started the match, with Woods eventually winning. The Code of Honor was adhered to by all four men. Mark and Josh begin the match with some impressive mat wrestling, with Woods gaining the advantage. (c)
Silas quickly tags himself in the match, in disgust after Woods gave Mark a playful spank on the rear. More chain wrestling occurred before the Briscoes took the match outside, and gained the advantage. The Briscoes pound on Silas for several minutes before getting the hot tag to Woods, who quickly took control on Jay. Silas recovered and 2G1T took control into the next commercial break. (c)
Mark gets a tag from a weary Jay, and begins to pound on Woods. He goes for the “Froggy Bow”, but Woods counters into an ankle lock. Next the Briscoes hit a devastating “Red Neck Boogie” on Woods, getting a loooong 2 count.
The finish of the match saw the Briscoes setting up for their Doomsday Device Finisher, when Jay Lethal came out to distract referee Todd Sinclair. With this distraction, Jonathan Gresham shoved Mark off the top rope onto the floor, allowing Woods to get Jay Briscoe into a Wheelbarrow Suplex and bridge for the win.
WINNERS and NEW #1 Contenders: Two Guys One Tag at 13:16
(Ryan’s Reaction: This was a terrific television main event. All three men went out of their way to make Woods look like a star, and 2G1T leave the match looking like legitimate contenders for the tag championships. I highly recommend this match.)
-The commentators are actively questioning why Lethal and Gresham would interfere in the match. Lethal and Gresham have already defeated The Briscoes, so why do they seem to prefer to fight 2G1T?
-As we fade to black, the camera shows a happy Lethal and Gresham on the entrance ramp, congratulating Woods and Young on their win.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was another solid effort from Ring of Honor, who have now strung together three consecutive high-quality television shows to begin 2020. All three matches this week furthered storylines, and the opening match and main event are easily worthy of three-plus stars.
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