From The Shelf – ROH Dragon’s Reign (5.13.13)

ROH Dragon’s Reign
5-13-13
Belle Vernon, PA

Your hosts are Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino.

QT Marshall and RD Evans vs. American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards)
Davey and Marshall start. Dropkick by Davey and he gets an inside cradle for 2. Davey begins to work the arm of Marshall and Edwards tags in. Double back drop to Marshall gets 2. Hurricanran by Edwards and Marshall bails. PK kick from the apron by Davey to Marshall and Edwards hits the suicide dive onto Evans!!! Back in, Davey goes up and hits a missile dropkick on Marshall. Powerslam by Edwards and Davey goes up. Diving head butt by Davey gets 2. Davey looks to charge at Marshall in the corner but Evans blocks the way. Marshall catches Davey with a back suplex and Evans tags in. He stomps away on Davey in the corner and they hit a back breaker/inverted swinging neck breaker combo for 2. Marshall and Evans work over Davey in the corner and Evans grabs a neck crank on Davey. Davey fights out and catches Evans with a spinning heel kick. Tag to Marshall and Davey fires away. Back elbow by Marshall ends the momentum and he covers Davey for 2. Tag to Evans and he hits a leg lariat for 2. Tag to Marshall and Davey catches him with an enzuigiri. Tag to Edwards and he fires away with chops on Evans. He throws rapid chops at Marshall and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Release back suplex to Evans. Double clothesline by Marshall and Evans blind tags in. Edwards presses Evans into the Alarm Clock and they hit the superkick/German suplex combo on Evans for 2 as Marshall saves. Marshall distracts Davey, allowing Evans to roll him up for 2. Release back suplex by Marshall to Davey gets 2. Backslide by Davey to Marshall gets 2. High kick by Davey and the Wolves charge at Marshall and Evans in the corner. The Wolves go up and Edwards hits a double stomp off the top to the back of Marshall. Double stomp off the top by Davey gets 2 and he grabs the Ankle Lock. Edwards grabs the Achilles Lock on Evans and both tap!!!
Winners- American Wolves **1/2 (Solid start to the show. RD Evans never fails to entertain and his interactions with the Wolves was great. This probably went a bit too long for what it was supposed to be, but it was solid none the less.)

Vinny Marseglia vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Basement dropkick by Ciampa and he begins to work the arm of Marseglia. Japanese Strangle Hold by Ciampa but Marseglia fights out. Basement dropkick by Marseglia and they botch a leapfrog spot. Ciampa clotheslines Marseglia to the floor and he drives Marseglia into the barricade. Gordbuster onto the barricade by Ciampa and he hits a knee lift to Marseglia. Ciampa exposes the floor and he suplexes Marseglia onto the concrete. Back in, Ciampa covers for 2. Ciampa ties Marseglia in the ropes and dropkicks him for 2. Marseglia fights back but Ciampa catches him with a corner forearm. Basement Blockbuster by Ciampa gets 2. Ciampa tries to pull Marseglia to the floor but he pushes Ciampa into the barricade to block. Knee strike by Ciampa and back in, Marseglia catches him with the enzuigiri. Marseglia charges at Ciampa in the corner and hits a clothesline. Swinging DDT by Marseglia and he hits a tilt-a-whirl side Russian leg sweep for 2. Knee strike by Ciampa and he gets the O’Connor roll for 2, with the kick out sending him to the floor. Suicide dive by Marseglia and back in, Marseglia goes up. Missile dropkick by Marseglia gets 2. They trade blows and Ciampa fires away on Marseglia in the corner. Marseglia returns the favor and Ciampa comes back with some running kicks to the back. Ciampa carries Marseglia on top with him and he hits the second rope Air Raid Crash for 3.
Winner- Tommaso Ciampa **1/4 (This was a really long squash, going almost eleven minutes. I appreciate ROH giving these matches time but this probably been better served having Ciampa deliver an ass kick to keep the momentum up since his return. He looked good, but this was too long for what it wanted to accomplish.)

The House of Truth say TD Thomas is not in Matt Taven’s league. Taven says history will repeat itself and he’ll beat TD Thomas once again.

Proving Ground Match- Tadarius Thomas vs. Matt Taven w/House of Truth
They grapple to start and Thomas snap mares Taven into a kick to the back. Thomas works the arm of Taven and he hits a dropkick for 2. Springboard moonsault by Taven misses and Thomas throws a kick to the chest. Thomas blocks the headlock driver and hits an exploder suplex for 2. Martini tries to attack Thomas while he is on the apron and Taven hits a springboard dropkick knocking him to the floor. Taven rams Thomas into the apron and he drops Thomas onto the apron. Back in, Taven covers for 2. Thomas starts to fight back so Taven catches him with a suplex. Springboard corkscrew senton misses and Taven catches Thomas with a spin kick for 2. Slam by Taven and he hits the springboard corkscrew moonsault for 2. They trade blows and Thomas comes back with a cartwheel kick. Enzuigiri by Taven gets 2. Taven chokes Thomas in the ropes and Martini gets some choking in as well. One of the girls trip up Thomas but the ref catches them and the House of Truth are thrown out!!! Thomas rolls Taven up for 2 and he throws some rapid kicks to the chest of Taven in the corner. Slingblade by Thomas gets 2. Half nelson suplex by Thomas gets 2. Taven puts Thomas on top and hits a dropkick. Taven hits a hanging swinging neck breaker for 2. Taven goes up for the Frog Splash but it eats knees. Taven blocks a Dragon Suplex and he hits the Headlock Driver for 3.
Winner- Matt Taven **1/2 (The match was pretty dull and uninspiring up until the House of Truth was thrown out then they kicked things up a little bit. I’m surprised Taven got the clean win, as you would think the House of Truth getting ejected would like to a Thomas victory. This was neither guys best effort and Thomas did not come out of this match looking all that great.)

ACH vs. Michael Elgin
Elgin overpowers ACH to start but ACH comes back with a springboard tilt-a-whirl head scissors. Elgin blocks the second rope hurricanrana and ACH hits a basement dropkick for 2. ACH low bridges Elgin to the floor and ACH hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors on the floor onto Elgin. ACH goes for a suicide dive but ELGIN CATCHES HIM AND HITS AN OVERHEAD BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX ON THE FLOOR!!!! Elgin sends ACH into the barricade and he hits a big boot knocking ACH into the front row. Back in, Elgin stomps away on ACH and hits a delayed suplex onto ACH for 2. Forearms by ACH and Elgin catches him with a back elbow for 2. ACH blocks a deadlift suplex and reverses into a suplex of his own. Clotheslines by ACH have no effect so he throws some chops. Dropkick to the back by ACH and he hits an enzuigiri from the floor onto Elgin. Scissors kick in the ropes by ACH and he hits the springboard corkscrew plancha to the floor!!!! Back in, ACH goes up for a crossbody but Elgin catches him. ACH catches Elgin with Roll of the Dice for 2. Black Hole Slam by Elgin gets 2. ACH counters a German suplex with a wheelbarrow roll-up for 2. DVD into the corner by Elgin gets 2 as ACH gets into the ropes to break. Elgin throws some lariats and ACH comes back with a spin kick. Rolling elbow by Elgin and ACH comes back with the enzuigiri. Bicycle kick by Elgin and they have an awkward ace crusher spot. ACH goes up but Elgin stops him and throws some chops. Elgin follows up and ACH tries the sunset flip bomb but Elgin blocks. Elgin dropkicks ACH as he tried to springboard in and he hits a delayed Falcon Arrow for 2!!! Jackknife roll-up by ACH gets 2. Urinage by Elgin and he goes up. Corkscrew senton off the top misses and ACH throws some kicks. Snap back suplex by ACH gets 2!!! ACH goes up for the 450 splash but misses and Elgin throws a back fist. Buckle Bomb by Elgin and ACH comes back with the reverse hurricanrana. ACH goes up and hits the 450 splash for 2!!!! Elgin pummels the back of ACH and he hits a rolling elbow to the back of the head. Deadlift German suplex by Elgin and he hits a back fist. Buckle Bomb by Elgin and he hits the Revolution Bomb for 3!!!
Winner- Michael Elgin ***3/4 (Excellent match. It was a great battle of Elgin’s freakish power and strength vs. the athleticism and quickness of ACH and ACH made for a great base for Elgin’s move set. This had a ton of time to develop and in the final few minutes everyone was going nuts for ACH thinking he could pull off the upset. Just a great, well worked match and is the best match of the show so far. )

Dalton Castle vs. Jimmy Nutts
Nutts takes control in the early going and Castle fires back in the corner. Exploder suplex by Castle gets 2. Chin lock by Castle and he works over Nutt in the corner where he tries to fight out. Release Northern lights suplex by Castle and Nutts throws some uppercuts. Rhett Titus comes out and choke slams Nutts. Impaler DDT to Castle by Titus and the match is thrown out. Kevin Steen runs out and attacks Titus, setting up the next match.
Match ends in a No-Contest 1/4* (The match was basically set up for the Titus beat down so it didn’t amount to match but neither Castle or Nutts looked impressive in the few minutes they had.)

Rhett Titus vs. Kevin Steen
Steen dumps Titus to the floor to start and he works over Titus on the floor. Steen tosses Titus int the barricade and he hits a Cannonball against the barricade. Corino distracts Steen, allowing Titus to attack from behind. Titus tosses Steen into the barricade but Steen crotches Titus against the post to come back. He does it a second time and goes for the Apron Bomb but Titus rams him into the barricade to block. Titus slams Steen’s head off the barricades a few times and they finally head back in. Titus sends Steen hard into the corner but Steen comes back with a back drop. Back senton by Steen and he misses the Cannonball in the corner. Titus kicks Steen’s head against the post for 2. Titus continues to work over Steen and he grabs the surfboard. Steen fights back but Titus ends that with a dropkick for 2. Steen fights back again but again, Titus ends the momentum by hitting a back elbow knocking Steen to the floor. Steen catches Titus with an F-Cinq onto the apron!!! Back in, Steen goes up and hits the Swanton Bomb for 2. Leapfrog Bulldog by Titus gets 2. Titus goes up but Steen stops him and follows up. Titus fights him off and hits a Frog Splash to the back of Steen for 2. Steen presses Titus into the powerbomb for 2. Titus goes low on Steen and rolls him up for 2. Titus charges in the corner but misses and Steen crotches Titus in the ropes. Steen goes low on Titus again and he hits the Package Piledriver for 3!!! Steen delivers two more Package Piledriver after the match to send a message.
Winner- Kevin Steen *** (I really enjoyed the brawling portions of the match which reflected the hatred Steen has for the members of SCUM. Titus’ heat segment was dull though and I think had they stuck to the intense brawling the whole way through this could have been really good.)

Roderick Strong vs. BJ Whitmer vs. Adam Cole
Triple test of strength to start and Strong ends up losing the battle. Roll-up by Strong on Whitmer gets 1. O’Connor roll by Cole to Strong gets 2 and all three men trade roll-ups for near falls. Leg lariat by Strong to Whitmer but he eats a dropkick from Cole. Back elbow by Cole gets 1. Suplex by Cole gets 2. Powerslam by Whitmer to Strong. Back suplex by Whitmer to Cole and he hits a corner knee strike. Exploder suplex to Strong sending him crashing into Cole in the corner!!! Jackknife roll-up by Strong gets 2 and he charges but misses and gets sent to the floor. Suicide dive by Whitmer and Cole follows up with one of his own!!! Cole goes up and leaps but Strong dropkicks him on the way down for 2. Corner knee strike by Strong and he hits the Olympic Slam for 2. Twisting neck breaker into a Fisherman’s suplex by Whitmer gets 2 as Cole saves. Enzuigiri by Cole to Whitmer and he hits Shining Wizard for 2. Back breaker by Strong gets 2 as Whitmer saves. Whitmer and Strong trade chops and Whitmer hits an exploder suplex for 2. Brainbuster over the knee by Cole to Whitmer but he eats a super kick from Strong for 2. Corner enzuigiri by Strong to Whitmer and he puts him on top. Strong follows with a superplex and Cole covers for 2 as Strong saves. Strong and Cole trade blows until Strong hits the gut buster. All three men trade strikes and Whitmer hits the wrist-clutch exploder suplex on Cole for 3!!!
Winner- BJ Whitmer ***1/4 (Super fun sprint with all three guys getting time to shine. They loaded the match with stiff suplex and hard, physical moves and Whitmer got to build momentum toward his upcoming title shot, so this was perfect for what it was meant to be.)

Jay Lethal says that every match between ROH and SCUM should have no rules because that’s how SCUM wants to play. He warns Jimmy Jacobs to be prepared for a fight.

Kevin Steen says he is not done with SCUM tonight, this is just the beginning.

No DQ- Jay Lethal vs. Jimmy Jacobs
They brawl on the floor to start and Lethal sends Jacobs into the barricade. Punches against the barricade by Lethal but Jacbos sweeps his legs, sending him face first into a chair. Lethal catapults Jacobs into the post and he suplexes Jacobs onto the floor. They brawl in the entrance way and they head back into the ring. Lethal drives a chair into the midsection of Jacobs and he sets the chair up. Drop toe hold into the chair by Lethal gets 2. Corner clothesline into a bulldog on the chair by Lethal gets 2 as Jacobs grabs the ropes to break. Lethal goes for the Lethal Injection but Jacobs blocks with the chair. He nails Lethal in the back with the chair for 2. Jacobs slams Lethal’s head off the chair and he chokes Lethal using the chair. Lethal bails but Jacobs catches him with an elbow drop from the apron. Back in, Jacobs stacks the chair in the corner and Lethal begins to fight back with chops. Jabs by Lethal but Jacobs dropkicks the leg of Lethal to end that. Jacobs pulls out the spike and he charges but misses and the spike is caught in the turnbuckle. Roll-up by Lethal gets 2 and Jacobs misses the Spear, sending him crashing into the chair in the corner!!! They trade blows and Lethal begins to clean house. Handspring back elbow by Lethal gets 2. Lethal brings a trash can into the ring and he super kicks Jacobs. He hits Jacobs in the head with the trash can for 2. Lethal puts Jacobs in the tree of woe and in the trash can. Basement dropkick into the trash can by Lethal gets 2. Springboard dropkick knocks Jacobs off the apron and Lethal hits the suicide dive onto Jacobs!!! Jacobs springboards off the barricade into an Ace Crusher on Lethal!!! Back in, Jacobs covers for 2. Jacobs goes up for the back senton but misses and crashes onto the trash can!!! Lethal covers for 2. Jacobs charges with the spike but Lethal blocks with the chair. Lethal Combination onto the chair by Lethal gets 2!!! Lethal grabs a table and he stacks it up in the corner. Super kick by Lethal and he goes to charge at Jacobs but Corino comes in and clotheslines Lethal. Kevin Steen comes out and goes for the Package Piledriver on Corino but Jacobs saves. Lethal goes for the super kick but misses Jacobs and nails Steen!!! Jacobs spears Lethal through the table for 3!!!
Winner- Jimmy Jacobs ***1/2 (This was tame for a Jacobs brawl but I loved that spent the match building up the weapons and found clever ways to use them rather than resort to crowd brawling like most ROH hardcore style matches. This was very physical and intense and was a good reflection of the ROH/SCUM wars.)

ROH Tag Team Championships- reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) © vs. The Briscoes (Jay and Mark)
BJ Whitmer replaces Steve Corino on commentary and is scouting Jay Briscoe for his upcoming title shot. Mark and O’Reilly start. Mark goes to the arm to start and we reach a stalemate. Dropkick to the leg by O’Reilly but Mark blocks a kick to the chest so we reach another stalemate. Tag to Fish and Jay. They battle for control and Jay fires away with jabs into a big boot. Tag to Mark and Jay slams Fish into the Hilo from Mark. Suplex by Mark gets 2. Snap mare and Mark hits an elbow drop. Tag to Jay and the Briscoes hit a double shoulder tackle. Slam into a leg drop by Jay gets 2. Tag to Mark and he slams Fish. Fist drop by Mark and it’s time for REDNECK KUNG FU~!!!! Fish bails and he clips Mark from the floor to regain control. Back in, O’Reilly tags in and hits a back elbow for 2. Fish tags in and the champs charge at Mark in the corner. Tilt-a-whirl back breaker/second rope knee drop combo gets 1 as Jay saves. Suplex by Fish gets 2 and Mark escapes a second one, tagging Jay in. Jay cleans house and hits the flatliner into the corner on Fish. DVD by Jay and Mark goes up. Twisting splash off the top by Mark gets 2. Jay rolls Fish up for 2 as O’Reilly saves. Tag to O’Reilly and he sends Jay into the corner shoulder first a few times. Hammer lock by O’Reilly and Fish hits a diving head butt off the top onto the shoulder of Jay for 2. O’Reilly throws some strikes and Fish tags in. Hilo by Fish gets 2 and he hits a hammerlock back suplex. Tag to O’Reilly and he hits a hammerlock back breaker for 2 as Mark saves. Tag to Fish and he grabs the Fujiwara arm bar but again, Mark breaks it up. Back suplex by Fish gets 2. Tag to O’Reilly and the champs throw kicks at Jay. Penalty Kick by O’Reilly gets 2 as Mark saves. Butterfly suplex into the cross arm breaker by O’Reilly and he converts it into the Triangle Choke. Jay breaks the hold and Fish tags in. Spine buster by Jay and Mark tags in. REDNECK KUNG FU~!!!! Mark goes up and hits a Tomahawk chop off the top to O’Reilly. Tag to Fish and Mark hits the DVD. Mark goes up but O’Reilly stops him. Fish catches Jay in the cross arm breaker but Mark breaks it up with the Froggy Bow. Saito suplex by O’Reilly to Mark. O’Reilly snaps Jay’s arm off the ropes and he hits the shotgun dropkick off the apron and into the barricade on Jay!!! Fish throw some kicks at Mark but Mark fights back with palm strikes. O’Reilly nails Mark in the back with one of the belts, allowing Fish to hit a high kick for 3!!!
Winners and Still ROH Tag Team Champions- reDRagon ***1/2 (This was a fun main event, with some great arm work from reDRagon that played into eliminating the World Champion from the finish. The finish was cheap but on the whole this was a good main event to end a surprisingly solid show.)

After the match, the American Wolves toss the champs back into the ring and BJ Whitmer also enters the ring. The Wolves, Briscoes, reDRagon, and Whitmer all brawl while Michael Elgin watches from the outside to end the show.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

This was one of ROH's better "B" show efforts. It was a very productive show, with progression made in the ROH/Scum feud, the closing angle hyped up Jay Briscoe's upcoming title defenses, and ACH had a breakout performance that showed that he was going to be a big part of ROH's future. The first three matches on the show were average and gave this show the air of a typical house show but once Elgin and ACH tore the house down the show picked up with competitive contests that helped to set up future ROH shows. While there were no classic matches, the show was a breeze to watch and is a sleeper show in terms of importance to the company in 2013 and in terms of surprising match quality. This is a show worth checking out and you should definitely go out of your way to watch the Elgin/ACH match.