{"id":96889,"date":"2020-05-02T20:49:59","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T01:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=96889"},"modified":"2020-05-02T20:49:59","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T01:49:59","slug":"4-24-roh-tv-report-flip-gordon-special-matt-sydal-vs-flip-gordon-bully-ray-vs-flip-gordon-gordon-talks-about-his-backstory-being-raised-with-single-mom-why-he-keeps-a-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/05\/02\/4-24-roh-tv-report-flip-gordon-special-matt-sydal-vs-flip-gordon-bully-ray-vs-flip-gordon-gordon-talks-about-his-backstory-being-raised-with-single-mom-why-he-keeps-a-schedule\/","title":{"rendered":"4\/24 ROH TV REPORT: Flip Gordon Special &#8211; Matt Sydal vs. Flip Gordon, Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon, Gordon talks about his backstory being raised with single mom, why he keeps a schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-505653817\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>ROH TV REPORT (ep.449)<br \/>\nAPRIL 24, 2020<br \/>\nAIRED ON SINCLAIR SYNDICATED TV &amp; ROHWRESTLING.COM<br \/>\nREPORT BY RYAN SULLIVAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p><em>Host: No Host This Week<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-The opening theme aired.<\/p>\n<p>-The show starts with footage of Flip Gordon\u2019s hometown, and we quickly see a sign that says no dogs allowed off-leash.\u00a0 Flip notes the sign, but says his dog Mante is special.<\/p>\n<p>-Gordon is now inside his home, and talks about his childhood in Montana.\u00a0 He is the son of a single mother, who had four children with four different fathers.\u00a0 Flip discussed his difficult childhood, including spending time in mental hospitals and attending an alternative school.\u00a0 A few years later, he was introduced to professional wrestling, and it completely changed his life.\u00a0 He now wanted to avoid trouble, so he could achieve his future goal.<\/p>\n<p>-Next, Flip talked about being an amateur wrestler in high school, and eventually, graduating to doing some MMA fights.\u00a0 He went to college and soon became the mascot.\u00a0 Flip said he spent a lot of time with the cheerleaders, who taught him how to tumble and control his body.\u00a0 He said he would not be a professional wrestler today without learning these lessons in college.<\/p>\n<p>-Then, Flip is in his living room and talking about having two separate planners, one for the day and one for the month.\u00a0 He likes having a schedule due to his time in the military.\u00a0 Eventually, his life in the military grew stale, so he uprooted his life to Boston, Massachusetts, and began training to be a wrestler.\u00a0 Flip talked about getting goosebumps the first time he stepped into a ring, and how he felt at home right from the start. [c]<\/p>\n<p><em>(Ryan\u2019s Reaction: This was terrific, and it could have been several minutes longer than it was.\u00a0 Also, with his difficult upbringing and impressive story, how can ROH push him as a heel?\u00a0 Flip is the most natural babyface on the roster, and should be working as one.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(1) MATT SYDAL vs. FLIP GORDON<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-654841821\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>This was Flip\u2019s first Ring of Honor match on television.\u00a0 We begin in the ring, and both men adhering to the Code of Honor.\u00a0 The match began rather slowly, with Sydal using his experience advantage to go on the offensive, but Flip consistently used his incredible athleticism to escape Sydal.\u00a0 Gordon\u2019s flips (pun intended) quickly gained favor with the crowd, and fans begin chanting for Flip.<\/p>\n<p>Sydal hit a devastating standing back kick to Gordon\u2019s head, and followed it with a standing moonsault for a near fall.\u00a0 Not a minute later, Flip delivered a springboard top-rope sidekick on Sydal, leading to a long two-count.\u00a0 Soon thereafter, the finish occurred when Sydal delivered a crescent kick, into a top-rope shooting star press for the 1-2-3.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Matt Sydal at 5:47 [c]<\/p>\n<p><em>(Ryan\u2019s Reaction:\u00a0 This match was about as good as two men can have in less than six minutes.\u00a0 It told a quality story of the wily veteran against the talented rookie, and experience trumping raw ability.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Back from commercial, Bully Ray is in the ring with a microphone in his hand, taunting Flip Gordon before their \u201cI Quit\u201d match at Final Battle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(2) BULLY RAY vs. FLIP GORDON &#8211; \u201cI QUIT\u201d MATCH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Flip makes his ring gear walking through the balcony at the Hammerstein Ballroom.\u00a0 Gordon is carrying a \u201cKendo stick\u201d American flag (not as tacky as described) and wearing full tactical gear.\u00a0 Flip starts off on fire, punishing Bully with punches and kicks.\u00a0 The men soon go outside, and Flip hits Bully with the old \u201cRVD chair throw into a spinning back kick\u201d move. The crowd cheers \u201cRVD, RVD\u201d!\u00a0 Flip gets distracted by the crowd and his adrenaline, allowing Bully Ray to go on offense, punishing Flip with a trash can. [c]<\/p>\n<p>Conveniently, Flip Gordon\u2019s girlfriend is sitting ringside, and the commentators draw attention to her.\u00a0 Seconds later, Bully lifts Flip\u2019s girlfriend from her seat and brings her over the barricade.\u00a0 Bully teases to powerbomb her through a table.\u00a0 But, while Flip begs Bully for mercy, company ambassador Cary Silkin hits Bully Ray with a \u201cKendo stick\u201d from behind.\u00a0 Bully no-sells the shot from Cary, and turns his attention toward Cary.\u00a0 This allows Flip\u2019s girlfriend to deliver a nasty \u201clow blow\u201d on Bully, and both her and Cary scurried to safety.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1899361071\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>The match moved back inside the ring, and soon, Silas Young runs to ringside to interfere.\u00a0 Silas delivers \u201cMisery\u201d to Flip.\u00a0 This gives Silas time to get lighter fluid and drench a table in the ring with it.\u00a0 Cheeseburger runs to the ring to even the odds, but Silas overwhelms him, delivers \u201cMisery\u201d to Cheeseburger, knocking \u2018Burger unconscious outside the ring.<\/p>\n<p>This is too much for Colt Cabana, who is on commentary with Ian Riccaboni.\u00a0 Colt leaves the commentary table and runs to the ring with a steel chair.\u00a0 Cabana hits Silas with a stiff chair shot, then repeatedly hits Bully with the chair.\u00a0 Silas recovers and delivers a \u201clow blow\u201d to Colt, and swiftly throws him out of the ring.\u00a0 Silas then teases lighting the table, covered in lighter fluid, on fire with his Bic lighter.\u00a0 The lights go black, and when they come back on, The Sandman is in the ring, holding his trusty \u201cKendo stick\u201d.\u00a0 Silas is cracked by a Sandman \u201cKendo stick\u201d shot, and then a \u201cKendo stick\u201d standoff occurs mid-ring between Bully and The Sandman.<\/p>\n<p>The finish occurs when The Sandman and Flip gang up on Bully, and Flip begins to punish Bully with shots from the \u201cKendo stick\u201d.\u00a0 Sandman hands Flip his \u201cKendo stick\u201d, and Flip began savagely beating Bully with two \u201cKendo sticks\u201d, forcing him to finally say \u201cI Quit\u201d!<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Flip Gordon at 11:14. [c]<\/p>\n<p><em>(Ryan\u2019s Reaction: Even for an \u201cI Quit\u201d match, this had far too many shenanigans for my taste.\u00a0 However, the match firmly got the crowd behind Gordon as a babyface with an edge to him.\u00a0 Again, why did the company turned him heel?\u00a0 Flip should have had a massive babyface run following this match.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Back \u201clive\u201d, Flip is talking into a camera, saying that he felt like at that point in his career, post Bully match, he felt like he was not taken seriously because of his age.\u00a0 He felt like he needed to change his image, and the Mercenary character made sense due to his military experience.\u00a0 He said he was ready to fight.<\/p>\n<p>This match occurred night one of the 2019 War of the Worlds tour, in Buffalo, New York.\u00a0 The Code of Honor was adhered to and the crowd was rather evenly split for both competitors.\u00a0 The match started rather methodically, with neither man appearing to want to make the first mistake.\u00a0 Soon, the pace quickened, with each man countering the other with their incredible speed and agility.\u00a0 Also, both did a bit of showboating for the crowd, which was eating up their impressive athletic abilities. [c]<\/p>\n<p>Back from commercial, Flip delivers a middle-rope Star Spangled Cutter, but only earned a two-count.\u00a0 Flip then delivered a top-rope springboard sidekick to Bandido, forcing him to the floor.\u00a0 Flip throws Bandido back into the ring, and the pace slows dramatically, with Gordon delivering mat-based punishment.\u00a0 Bandido soon changes the momentum, dishing out a shining wizard, then a diving plancha onto Gordon outside the ring. [c]<\/p>\n<p>Returning to action, Bandido is flashing his impressive raw power, military pressing Flip.\u00a0 Bandido dropkicked Gordon outside the ring, and went for another plancha onto Flip.\u00a0 This time, however, Flip sidestepped Bandido and threw him into the barricade.\u00a0 This was a nasty bump by Bandido.\u00a0 Both were able to return to the ring before referee Todd Sinclair\u2019s 20-count.<\/p>\n<p>Back in the ring, both men were delivering chops to the other.\u00a0 Next, Bandido hit a top-rope moonsault slam for a long, believable, two-count.\u00a0 The finish occurred soon afterward, when Flip delivered a devastating superkick, into another Star Spangled Cutter for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Flip Gordon at 19:46<\/p>\n<p><em>(Ryan\u2019s Reaction: This match was outstanding, and I must admit, I overlooked it when compiling my \u201cBest of ROH in 2019\u201d awards, as this should have earned consideration for match of the year.\u00a0 I hope ROH gives the fans a rematch sometime in the future.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Flip is shown back at his home, packing for (seemingly) yet another road trip for wrestling.\u00a0 Flip talked about living his dream, and how hard he worked to get a spot in Ring of Honor.\u00a0 He said he proves hard work pays off.\u00a0 A video highlight package is then shown of Flip Gordon\u2019s top moves and moments in ROH.\u00a0 Flip says he loves performing in front of the fans and putting a smile on their faces.\u00a0 He says everything has happened so quickly, and he has loved every minute of it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS:<\/strong>\u00a0 Besides the Briscoes, this was my favorite feature episode Ring of Honor has produced since this pandemic.\u00a0 Flip has a unique background, and I enjoyed learning more about the struggles he overcame as an adolescent.\u00a0 Both the first and last segments left me wanting to learn more about Flip, and his journey to ROH.\u00a0 I hope the company uses this episode to pivot his persona back to being a babyface, as he has a great future as a modern version of the 1980s G.I. Joe character.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>RECOMMENDED:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/04\/24\/4-17-roh-tv-report-matt-taven-special-including-taven-vs-mark-haskins-taven-vs-ultimo-guerrero-vincent-interrupted-taven-promo\/\">4\/17 ROH TV REPORT: Matt Taven special including Taven vs. Mark Haskins, Taven vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Vincent interrupted Taven promo<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-857802332\"><div id=\"pwtor-3677676374\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>ROH TV REPORT (ep.449) APRIL 24, 2020 AIRED ON SINCLAIR SYNDICATED TV &amp; ROHWRESTLING.COM REPORT BY RYAN SULLIVAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Host: No Host This Week -The opening theme aired. -The show starts with footage of <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/05\/02\/4-24-roh-tv-report-flip-gordon-special-matt-sydal-vs-flip-gordon-bully-ray-vs-flip-gordon-gordon-talks-about-his-backstory-being-raised-with-single-mom-why-he-keeps-a-schedule\/\" title=\"4\/24 ROH TV REPORT: Flip Gordon Special &#8211; Matt Sydal vs. Flip Gordon, Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon, Gordon talks about his backstory being raised with single mom, why he keeps a schedule\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tvshowsandevents","category-tv_rohreports"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/01\/ROH_Logo_2020_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96889"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96890,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96889\/revisions\/96890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}