ROH Stalemate: April 16, 2005 Dorchester, Massachusetts

ROH … Stalemate … April 16, 2005 … Dorchester, Massachusetts

Review by Brad Garoon and Jacob Ziegler

Top 5

After the monumental Best of American Super Juniors Tournament two weeks ago, at which four ROH matches were conducted, let’s see how much has changed in the top 5:

ROH WORLD CHAMPION: Austin Aries (since 12.26.04)
ROH PURE CHAMPION: Jay Lethal (since 03.05.05)
1) James Gibson
2) Homicide
3) Samoa Joe
4) Spanky
5) BJ Whitmer

Intro

BG says: Once again I’d like everyone to check out Ari Berenstein’s Column of Honor and please please please hit up My Side of things because I want to boost the hit count to inflate my ego. On to the show!

Colt Cabana talks about his double stakes four corner survival match and the possibility of him getting a Pure or World title match. He teases his three opponents and brings out recurring guest Bobby Heenan for Good Times Great Memories. Heenan thanks Cabana for helping him get rid of Jim Cornette. CM Punk interrupts and complains that Cabana has scheduled him for GTGM countless times but never actually had him on. Punk asks Heenan to counteract Price Nana’s interference in his match with Jimmy Rave tonight. Heenan agrees to do it as a favor to Cabana.

Homicide tells J-Train that he’s sure that the best of five series will end tonight in the lumberjack match. He’s mad that Danielson messed with Smokes during his ROH title match, so he’ll beat him down for sure.

JZ says: It’s time for Good Times, Great Memories! Colt Cabana is in line for a title shot at either the World or Pure Titles, if he can score a victory in the double-stakes four corner survival match. Bobby Heenan is the guest again tonight. Poor Punk has never actually gotten to be on GT, GM, but here he is now! Heenan agrees to be in Punk’s corner, setting the stage for the epic Heenan versus Nana managerial confrontation.

Homicide says he will slay the American Dragon tonight.

MATCH #1: Vordell Walker vs. Kevin Steen

BG says: They lock up to start. Steen grabs a headlock but Walker powers out. Walker stands strong as Steen shoulder blocks him. Something about Walker reminds me of Batista. He hits a big clothesline and a suplex for 2. He hits an STO for 2. Steen hits a superkick and stomps away. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. The crowd gets behind Walker but Steen hits him with an enziguiri. Walker hits a clothesline and both men are down. They get up and slug it out until Steen hits a flatliner for 2. He goes to the top but Walker theoretically catches him with an enziguiri. Steen fights him off and hits a crossbody for 2. He goes for a sunset flip but Walker reverses to a schoolboy for 2. He hits a dropkick and a German suplex for 2. Steen hits a tornado DDT for 2. He chokes Walker out in the corner and then screws up a sequence. Walker reverses the package piledriver to his spinning sidewalk slam for the win. Both guys looked nervous and the match got really sloppy.
Rating: *1/2

JZ says: Yes, Prazak and Punk on commentary! Punk starts picking on Steen right away, which is fine by me. He calls Steen’s nickname of “Mr. Wrestling” is “debatable.” Punk wants to know who the fans in Montreal have ever beat, and I say that’s a damn good question. Steen just looks like a slob, like he’s never spent a minute in a gym of any kind. Walker gets the pin at 8:03 with his spinning slam. Wow, that match really sucked. Better luck next time, eh?
Rating: *

The Embassy!

BG says: Prince Nana and the Embassy taunt Punk from backstage. Nana says he proved he’s smarter than Jim Cornette and he’s going to do the same against Bobby Heenan. Rave favors his shoulder after Nana taps it on the way out.

JZ says: Once again no Diablo Santiago. Nana claims he is the one who ran Cornette out of ROH, rather than Heenan.

MATCH #2: El Generico vs. Roderick Strong

BG says: Generico takes Strong to the mat with a headlock right off the bat. He dodges all of Strong’s offense and hits some chops and armdrags. Strong stops things dead with a chop. Generico dropkicks him out of the ring and hits a somersault dive to the floor. He goes to the apron and hits a double ax handle. He hits a drop toehold into the guardrail and rolls him back into the ring. Strong dodges a sunset flip and hits a backbreaker. That looked awesome. Strong stretches Generico out in the ropes. He dodges a dropkick and hits a senton for 2. He chops Generico down in the corner and chokes him out. He hits a butterfly suplex puts on a surfboard stretch. He gets a neat roll up for 2. He hits a full nelson backbreaker for 2. He kicks and chokes Generico out in the corner and they fight to the apron. Generico hits an apron DDT and a springboard crossbody. He hits a back bodydrop and a leg lariat. He botches a split legged moonsault but still gets 2. The fans chant “nice recovery” and endear themselves to me. Generico hits a Blue Thunder bomb for 2. Strong goes for his rib breaker but gets rolled up for 2. He blocks a big boot and hits a backbreaker for 2. He hits the rib breaker but gets rolled up for 2. He hits a big boot for 2. Generico comes back with a tornado DDT for 2. He reverses a backbreaker to a roll up for 2. He hits a big boot in the corner and a German suplex for 2. Strong hits a crazy flip suplex and puts on the Lion tamer for the win. It looked like it was going to be a squash early on but turned into a surprisingly good undercard match.
Rating: ***

JZ says: El Generico is kick-ass. They do a really neat sequence early on until Strong cuts it off with his brute strength. Generico gets some shots in, but Strong mostly dominates. Generico hits the DDT on the apron, one of my favorite moves. Generico then really makes a comeback and the crowd is digging it. Punk keeps putting over Roderick’s new submission move. The pace of this match is really fast, and I think it’s what causing them to miss a few spots, just barely. It’s still a fun and hot match though. Strong gets the win with his “new” submission hold that’s not new at all at 11:37.
Rating: **3/4

Nigel McGuinness!

BG says: Nigel McGuinness says that he doesn’t care about Cabana’s potshots at him because all he’s ever going to be is a comedy wrestler. Nigel is ready to take things seriously and he’s going to get a shot at either the Pure or World title tonight. He hopes Cabana can do the same, but isn’t counting on it. This is another little feud that’s been built nicely, with Nigel feeling simultaneously threatened by Cabana’s new European style and short-changed by his inability to stay focused.

JZ says: Nigel is just a bitter English man now. But I love this feud he and Cabana have developing here.

MATCH #3: Lacey’s Angels vs. Dixie & Azrieal

BG says: Izzy is MIA so Cheech gets a change to show his stuff. I continue to dig Lacey’s Angels and I’ve gotta say that Lacey really looks great in her new semiformal gear. Dixie and Azrieal FINALLY come out to music. Cheech and Dixie start. Dixie gets a headlock takeover and nuggies Cheech. He hits a back elbow for 2. Azrieal tags in and puts the headlock on. Cheech reverses to his own but gets face planted. He dodges the double stomp but gets dropkicked out of the ring. He goes to follow him out but Deranged runs in and low blows him. Deranged tags in as Punk, on commentary, gets into the deep and disturbing psychology behind Lacey playing dress up with the Angels and them not knowing any better. Deranged hits a back elbow and a low blow. He hits a spin kick and celebrates Kurt Angle style. He hits a handspring moonsault for 2. Cheech tags in and hits a spear in the corner. Deranged hits a climbing knee in the corner. The Angels hit a double low blow for 2. Cheech hits a bodyslam for a cocky 2. Azrieal starts to fight back but Cheech goes to the eyes and hits a jawbreaker. He hits a reverse curb stomp for 2. Deranged tags and hits a doomsday Ace Crusher for 2. Cheech tags in and gets hit by a blockbuster. Azrieal makes the tag, as does Cheech. Dixie cleans house, hitting Deranged with a back beaker and Cheech with a side slam. Azrieal tags in and hits an elevated legdrop. Deranged hits Dixie with the Code Red but gets immediately dropkicked by Azrieal for 2. Deranged hits the reverse hurricanrana piledriver for the win moments later. Cheech was impressive, but his style isn’t really the same as the rest of the former Special K guys.
Rating: **1/2

JZ says: I think this is the first Cheech match I have seen. Azrieal & Dixie also came out to music at the last show in Asbury Park. You might think this feud would have ended when Dixie and Azrieal won the Special K name at Back to Basics, but they’re trudging on here. It’s a pretty good little tag team match too, and it’s nice to see Cheech wrestle for a change, that livens things up a little bit. These four guys just do all kinds of crazy high flying stuff to each other until Deranged hits his sick piledriver for the win at 8:58. That was fun.
Rating: **3/4

MATCH #4: ROH Pure Title Match – Spanky vs. Pure Champion Jay Lethal

BG says: Spanky grabs a hammerlock to start. Lethal reverses to a headlock. Spanky takes him to the mat with a headlock but Lethal turns it around to a front facelock. He hits the chinlock but Spanky reverses to a leglock. Lethal reverses to a cross arm breaker which Spanky reverses to a headlock. They get off the mat where Lethal hits a shoulder block. Spanky takes it back to the mat with an armdrag. Lethal palm strikes out and grabs a headlock. Spanky slugs Lethal and gets a warning. Lethal hits a bodyslam for 2. Spanky drop toeholds Lethal onto the bottom rope. He kicks the arm but gets hit with a back suplex. He bails as Lethal tries to work the feeling back into his arm. Spanky catches him coming out with a suicide dive and tosses him into the guardrail. Lethal spears Spanky into the guardrail and then rolls him in the ring and gets 2. He hits a snap suplex for 2. He hits a side Russian legsweep and the reverse Mexican surfboard, forcing Spanky to use his first rope break. Spanky punches Lethal again and loses his second rope break. Lethal hits a backbreaker and gets 2. Spanky hits the flatliner into the corner and a tornado separation anxiety. He puts on an armbar and Lethal uses his first rope break. He stays on the arm with a pair of knee drops. Lethal hits a leg lariat and goes for the dragon suplex but Spanky reverses it to a superkick. Lethal reverses Sliced Bread #2 into a gut wrench suplex. That was cool. It gets 2. He pounds Spanky into the turnbuckle and hits a running suplex. He misses the diving headbutt and Spanky hits a flying elbow. He hits a vertical suplex and climbs the ropes. He hits the frog splash for 2. He puts the on cross arm breaker on the kickout, forcing Lethal to use his second rope break. He puts on a triangle choke but Lethal powers out. Lethal climbs the ropes and hits the diving headbutt to the back for 2. He hits a second rope leg lariat and a clothesline with the bad arm. He hits the dragon suplex but Spanky uses his last rope break to stop the count. Lethal goes for the dragon suplex again but Spanky reverses to a stunner. Lethal blocks Sliced Bread #2 but Spanky kicks him out of the ring. Spanky hits him with a plancha. They fight on the apron where Spanky attempts Sliced Bread #2. Lethal blocks it and puts on a Boston crab in the ropes for the win. Solid match, but it felt like they had something even better in them.
Rating: ***1/2

JZ says: Jimmy Bower takes over on Punk for commentary. This is actually Lethal’s second title defense, since he defended the belt against Kevin Dunn (of Dunn & Marcos) at an NWA Upstate Show the week prior to this. Spanky earned the title shot by beating Alex Shelley, CM Punk, Jimmy Jacobs, and Jack Evans since his return in 2005. They do some really neat wrestling and counter-wrestling, but the crowd doesn’t seem terribly into it. I’m enjoying it though, and that’s all that matters. Lethal successfully retains the title at 16:54 with a Boston crab in the ropes after Spanky had used all of his rope breaks. It was good, but like Brad said, I think they could do better.
Rating: ***1/2

MATCH #5: Jimmy Rave Mike Kruel, with The Embassy vs. CM Punk

BG says: The Embassy come to the ring for Jimmy Rave’s match with CM Punk. Nana threatens to sell Jade back to Sri Lanka if she doesn’t act as a footstool for Rave. Rave takes off his robe and reveals that his arm is in a sling. Nana says that Rave was injured in an elephant riding accident and tells Rave to take the night off. He assigns Mike Kruel to take Rave’s place in the match. Punk comes out and introduces Bobby Heenan, complete with Red Sox jersey. Punk starts running down the Embassy, and you can see Heenan shake his head when Punk swears.

Kruel pounds Punk to the mat and chokes him out. He hits a back elbow for 1. He hits a kneedrop and a series of shoulder blocks in the corner. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He chokes Punk in the ropes and hits a belly-to-belly overhead suplex for 2. He hits a clothesline in the corner for 2. Punk comes back with a back elbow and hits a Manhattan drop. He hits a leg lariat and goes for Welcome to Chicago. Nana gets on the apron but Heenan pulls him down. Punk gets a roll up for the win moments later. Not the greatest possible debut for Kruel, but I guess it got the job done.
Rating: *

Heenan grabs the microphone and puts over ROH. He predicts big things in Punk’s future and walks out. Well, his appearance on this show was pretty pointless. Jimmy Rave takes the opportunity to attack Punk from behind. They brawl into the crowd where Punk beats Rave with a chair. This just goes on forever. Back in the ring Punk goes for the Pepsi Plunge but the Embassy attacks. Punk fights them off for a while but the numbers eventually catch up to him. Rave wraps a chain around his neck and they hang him over the top rope. Cabana, Walker, Lethal, Davey Andrews, Dixie and Azrieal make the save. If this was any other company that would lead to a big multi-man match.

JZ says: Killer Kruel has his wrestling tights on. What could that mean? Oh, Rave injured his arm while elephant riding. What, it’s a common injury. Punk brings out Heenan, who looks like he couldn’t be bothered to care on this night. Kruel goes after Punk right away, being the aggressor. Nana tries to interfere and Heenan neutralizes him, allowing Punk to get an Ohkana roll for the win at 3:00 flat. That wasn’t too impressive; it was too much like a TNA Impact match.
Rating: 1/2*

Heenan cuts a pretty non-descript promo and leaves the promotion on a sour note. Jimmy Rave takes an opportunity to attack Punk, even with his elephant riding injury. They brawl on the ring for a very long time. Man, with all the time spent on this post-match brawl it really makes me wish they had just done a match with Rave instead of Kruel. I see how it gets Rave heel heat and it’s good, I just would have rather seen Rave in the match is all. The Embassy attacks Punk with a chain (to set up the dog collar match) and a bunch of babyfaces make the save. I bet that would make a great multi-man match. Punk cuts an awesome promo after the match, proving who the master is.

Intermission

BG says: Roderick Strong and Austin Aries are backstage. Aries talks about the many places he’s defended the ROH title. He calls them territories, but newsflash guys, the territories are dead. He warns the person who wins the ROH World title shot in the four-way tonight that Roderick Strong is a roadblock for anyone who would come for his title.

JZ says: Aries says he is a World Champion because he has traveled all over the world with it. Actually it’s a World Title because Samoa Joe took it all over the world, but did it in a much less annoying way. Roderick Strong still looks a little nervous during promos, especially when he’s not talking. But his ring work is improving pretty much exponentially.

MATCH #6: Double Stakes Four Corner Survival Match – Alex Shelley vs. Nigel McGuinness vs. Colt Cabana vs. Samoa Joe

BG says: There are two falls in this match. The winner of the first fall gets a Pure title shot. That person and the man he pins are then eliminated from the match. The remaining two men fight it out for an ROH title shot. Nigel and Cabana start. They wrestle with each other in manner similar to the way they wrestled in Dayton. Cabana dominates with chain wrestling. Nigel looks to tag out to Joe but he jumps to the floor. Cabana trips Nigel and gets 2. He gets a sunset flip for 2. Nigel bridges so Cabana kicks his head. Shelley tags Nigel out. He grabs a cravat but Cabana spins out. Cabana comes back with a leglock and kicks away at Shelley’s chest. Shelley puts on what looks like Punk’s old Devil lock but Cabana reverses to a leglock. Joe tags Cabana out and Shelley goes to work on his arm. He puts on a wristlock and hides from strikes behind Joe’s hand. Joe reverses and puts Shelley to the mat. He pounds away until Shelley gets to the ropes. Shelley tags Cabana. Joe grabs various wrist and hammerlocks but Cabana uses fake out tactics to escape. Joe hits a powerslam and tags to Nigel. Nigel goes for the headstand fake and gets a roll up for 2. He goes for it again but Joe runs in and kicks him down. He and Cabana shout at over how to handle the headstand fake and Joe hits an enziguiri. Shelley tags Cabana out and hits a neckbreaker. Joe and Cabana fight on the floor as Shelley hits the Golden Gate swing for 2. He hits a side suplex for 2 when Joe breaks it up with a senton. Joe tags Shelley out and stomps away. We now know that Joe wants the Pure title shot. He hits the Big Joe Combo for 2. He throws knees at Nigel’s head and puts on the choke. Cabana reluctantly makes the save, showing that he too wants the Pure title shot. Nigel tries to tag Shelley in, but he wants to fight Aries for the ROH title and refuses the tag. He does tag Joe out, so I guess really he just didn’t want to fight Joe. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. He puts on a sleeper but Nigel comes back with a big clothesline. Joe and Cabana tag in. Cabana hits a pair of dropkicks and a missile dropkick for 2. Cabana dodges the powerslam and Joe avoids an elbow drop. Joe hits the Honda slaps and a powerbomb for 2. He puts on the STF on the kickout. Nigel reluctantly makes the save. He hits a hammerlock DDT on Cabana but he’s not legal. Shelley dropkicks Nigel out of the ring and dives onto him on the floor. Joe puts the choke on Cabana and gets the first win when Shelley cuts Nigel off from making the save. Good thinking on Shelley’s part actually, as he showed fear for Joe earlier and then found an indirect way to get him out of the match.

So it’s down to Shelley and Nigel for an ROH title shot. Cabana distracts Nigel and Shelley takes control. They trade forearms and Shelley gets a dropkick to the head. He hits a neckbreaker and a back elbow. He hits another neckbreaker for 2. He puts on an abdominal stretch and turns it into an octopus stretch. They trade strikes. I hate it when a guy just stands there and waits to get hit. Shelley goes for a bunch of his signature moves but Nigel dodges them all and hits a superkick for 2. He goes for the hammerlock DDT but Shelley blocks. Nigel stays on the arm and hits separation anxiety. He puts on TAS but Shelley reverses to the Border City stretch. Nigel makes the ropes. He blocks a tornado DDT and goes back to work on the arm. He dropkicks the arm and hits a hammerlock DDT for 2. He hits a hanging neckbreaker. Shelley hits a tornado DDT with the bad arm and then hits the Shellshock for the win. Well, it was certainly very long. There was some neat storytelling around the stipulation of the match, and Shelley’s selling was really good for the most part.
Rating: ***

JZ says: It’s nice to see big stars and something on the line in four-ways again. (Upcoming ROH Events: 5.07.05 Manhattan, NY; 5.13.05 Dayton, OH; 5.14.05 Chicago Ridge, IL; rohwrestling.com or call 215.781.2500 for more info!) Lots of good match-up possibilities between these four. Joe and Shelley not tagging in during the early going is brilliant, by the way. Good job, Brad. The wrestling from everyone early on is fantastic, duh. Joe makes Cabana tap out around 17:49, thus both men are now eliminated from the match. Joe will face Jay Lethal at the very next show with a shot at the Pure Title on the line. It’s Shelley versus McGuinness now for the shot at Austin Aries. Well, this result is pretty obvious. Punk comes back for commentary, and his voice is much less forceful than on the promo he cut after his match. He challenges Rave and Bower comes back to commentary. Shelley and McGuinness wrestle for a while until Shelley hits the Shellshock for the win at 25:22. The last part of the match was pretty anticlimactic, but it was really fun throughout and had lots of neat stuff from everyone.
Rating: ***1/2

MATCH #7: ROH World Title Match – James Gibson vs. ROH World Champion Austin Aries

BG says: Aries’ entrance looks bootleg here due to lousy camera work. They lock up to start. Gibson shocks Aries with a strong chop. Aries gets aggressive but Gibson uses it against him and gets a front facelock. He hits a backdrop and puts on a wristlock. He gets a headlock and blocks Aries’ attempts to power out. Aries flips out and goes for his own headlock but Gibson puts on a legvice. Aries gets out with a dropkick to the face. Aries goes for explosive elbow #4 but Gibson catches him with a quick powerbomb for 2. Gibson dropkicks Aries to the floor and then hits a slingshot crossbody. He throws Aries into the guardrail but gets tossed into one as well. He rolls Gibson back into the ring but misses the slingshot senton. He hits a springboard elbow drop sending Gibson to the floor. He nails a suicide dive and both men are down on the floor. He rolls Gibson back in and hits the slingshot senton for 2. He hits a snap mare and a knee to the back for 1. Gibson hits a running knee but favors his back. Aries catches him with the snap side slam for 2. He hits a pair of bodyslams but gets rolled up for 2 on the third attempt. He comes back with a clothesline. He tosses Gibson back first into the turnbuckle. Gibson goes for a tornado DDT but Aries reverses to a backbreaker for 2. Aries hits a kneedrop to the back for 2. He puts on a torture rack and drops down with a backbreaker for 2. He puts on a cobra clutch into a backbreaker. He hits explosive elbow #2 for 2. He puts on a surfboard stretch but Gibson gets out with a back suplex. Aries grabs a sleeper but Gibson escapes with a jawbreaker. He hits a powerslam for 2. He hits a short-arm clothesline and climbs the ropes. He hits a second rope legdrop for 2. He goes for the tiger diver but Aries reverses to a Boston crab. Gibson reverses the hold to a roll up for 2. Aries gets a backslide but Gibson reverses to the Trailer Hitch. Aries lifts him up in that position and hits an atomic drop. Gibson tries to get it back on but Aries hits a side Russian legsweep. He puts on the fishhook and the referee calls for the break. Gibson reverses the brainbuster to a DDT. He puts on the Trailer Hitch but Aries sneaks near the ropes. Gibson releases and hits the tiger driver for 2. The crowd is now loudly cheering for Gibson. He puts on the Trailer Hitch in the ropes and the ref calls for the break. He gets a 2 count when Aries gets his foot on the ropes. He hits a rib breaker and climbs the ropes. Aries dodges the moonsault and hits the crucifix bomb for 2. He goes for the 450 splash but Gibson moves out of the way. They trade brainbusters in an awesome segment. Aries gets the last one and the ref counts them both down. They both kick out at two. Gibson goes for the tiger driver but Aries reverses to another brainbuster. Gibson grabs Aries’ leg and is declared the winner as the crowd goes insane. The referee then shows that it was in fact a double pin and a tie goes to the winner. The crowd actually boos the heel for once. This was an awesome and hard fought match that did a lot to make both guys look really good. It was cool to see Gibson go all out with moves that you don’t usually see him do in an attempt to win the title.
Rating: ****

The referee says that if both men agree to it he will restart the match. Gibson agrees. Aries starts to think about it but Alex Shelley attacks him from behind with the Shellshock. Well no self-respecting referee would restart the match now. Gibson is not surprisingly irate.

JZ says: Gibson earned this title shot by defeating Spanky, Puma, and Rocky Romero. Personally I think Spanky beat better talent, but then Gibson beat Spanky, so they both deserve it. But Gibson is getting it, and this match rules pretty much from the beginning. Gibson is busting ass and Aries is starting to come into his own as champion. Aries going after the back is a smart idea, since Roderick Strong injured Gibson’s back on the last show. Aries does the torture rack, which I’ve never seen him do before. The crowd is really getting into this, and for the right people for the right reasons, I love it. The crowd indeed goes ballistic when Gibson is declared the new champion after what looked like a double-pin at 22:37. I’m not a huge fan of the double-pin, but this sets up for a natural rematch, both guys looked strong, and the match was DAMN good, so I’m okay with it.
Rating: ****

Shelley completely screws Gibson over by hitting Aries with the shellshock after the match, making the possibility of restarting the match null and void.

Hometown Hero!

BG says: Pete Doherty, a supposed local legend, makes his way down to the ring. You know that you aren’t really a local legend when the ring announcer has to remind fans where they might have seen you. Homicide and J-Train start to beat up on Doherty but Bryan Danielson makes the save with a baseball bat. That was totally pointless. I mean honestly, who is going to buy this tape for a 30 second Pete Doherty appearance?

JZ says: I think Pete Doherty once wrestled on Saturday Night’s Main Event against Junkyard Dog. I think it was the first episode actually.

MATCH #8: Best of Five Series Match 4 / Lumberjack Match – Homicide vs. Bryan Danielson

BG says: Both guys get their full entrances here, despite the fact that they were in the ring in the last segment. Stupid Pete Doherty. The lumberjacks are a bunch of security guards, ROH school students and local wrestlers. Homicide takes Danielson down to the mat for a 1 count right away. He tosses him to the floor but the lumberjacks get intimidated. Homicide grabs a headlock back in the ring. Danielson spin kicks Homicide out of the ring but J-Train protects him with a baseball bat. So we’ve established right off the bat that the lumberjacks are useless. They lock up back in the ring but it’s so intense that they fall to the floor. Both guys brawl with the lumberjacks and get tossed back into the ring. Danielson hits a dropkick and puts on an armbar. Jimmy Bower tries to rationalize the Doherty appearance as Danielson grabs a hammerlock. He gets a Cow Killer roll up for 2. He hits a butterfly suplex for 2. He leg drops the knee and gets 2. He puts on a surfboard stretch and then hits a shoulder block for 2. Homicide hits a dropkick and Danielson rolls to the floor. Homicide rushes out with his tope. The lumberjacks lift them back into the ring. Homicide hits a vertical suplex for 2. He tosses Danielson to the floor but the lumberjacks just put him back in the ring. Homicide tells them that they should have roughed him up first. He hits a belly-to-belly overhead suplex for 2. He tosses Danielson to the floor and they toss him back in the ring. He hits a bodyslam but misses a second rope elbow drop. Danielson comes back with a series of arm breakers and forearm in the corner. He hits the diving headbutt for 2. He puts on the Mexican surfboard and pins Homicide for 2. Homicide hits a spinning neckbreaker and a piledriver for 2. He puts on the STF as J-Train slides a table into the ring. Danielson makes the ropes. Homicide sets up the table in the corner and pokes Danielson in the eye. Homicide blocks the roaring elbow and T-bone suplexes Danielson into the table for 2. He climbs to the top but Danielson cuts him off. They both fall off and Danielson hits a dropkick. He puts Homicide on the top and superplexes him onto the lumberjacks. Danielson puts the airplane spin on Homicide and uses him to get through the lumberjacks. Some of those lumberjacks looked a little scared to get near it. Danielson gets away from the lumberjacks and rams Homicide into the guardrail. The lumberjacks catch up to them and roll them back in the ring. One of the lumberjacks runs in the ring and hits Danielson with a cobra clutch slam. He takes off his sweater and reveals a Rottweiler shirt. J-Train chokes Danielson out with a bat until Lethal and Joe make the save. Joe hits Smokes with the ole kick for good measure. Back in the ring Danielson and Homicide collide with crossbody attempts. Homicide blocks a superplex and hits the super Ace Crusher for 2. He goes for the Cop Killer but Danielson reverses to the Regal-plex. Homicide hits the Clothesline from Hell and goes for the Cop Killer again. Danielson reverses to another Regal-plex for 2 and the Cow Killer roll up for 2. He puts on the Cow Killer and Homicide taps. Aside from the confused lumberjacks and the needless overbooking this was a solid match.
Rating: ***

JZ says: I think this Pete Doherty segment was from much earlier in the night, rather than just before the match. This is the first lumberjack match in ROH history, by the way. Homicide leads this best of five series 2-1. Danielson and Homicide beat up each other and all the lumberjacks. You know, they’re going out there and working hard, those Homicide and Danielson fellas, but I’m just not into it. The superplex onto the lumberjacks looked a little goofy, and there’s no real reason for it. Plus the fact that they had to repeat it makes it look extra contrived. Everyone walking into the airplane spin is pretty lame too. A member of Homicide’s gang attacks Danielson as does Smokes until Jay Lethal and Samoa Joe make the save. I can’t remember who that new gang member is. Homicide basically no-sells the Regal-plex, I don’t like that too much. Cattle mutilation gets the win for Danielson at 24:46. Well I appreciate the effort and the idea of trying to make every match different, but I’m just not that interested.
Rating: **3/4

Aftermath

BG says: A parental advisory precedes a curse laden James Gibson promo. Gibson, booger and all, was ready to be the champion of a company that respects him. He thinks Aries and Shelley are running a scam together. Spanky tries to calm him down after all the swears.

Alex Shelley thinks he’d do things differently if he could go back and redo the last four months. He says that what separates him from the animals is that he learns from his mistakes. Considering the fact that animals are capable of changing their habits through conditioning Shelley is a little off there. He’s ready to be the aggressor in his feud against Generation Next. Aries and Strong try a sneak attack, but Shelley fights them off and runs away.

Chris Candido gets a nice little memorial clip to end the show.

JZ says: The following segment contains language that is not suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised. Now that’s my kind of disclaimer, and James Gibson makes full use of it.

Remember that Simpsons episode where Lisa poses the question “is my brother dumber than a hamster?” Since Shelley has referenced Simpsons before I would think that he would understand the principles of conditioning, as Brad said.

Chris Candido: 1972-2005. Rest in peace.

MVP

BG says: James Gibson and Austin Aries both played their rolls to perfection in their match, but I’m going to give Gibson the edge because I liked the swears.

JZ says: Alex Shelley, for being awesome in the four corner match and cutting a pretty good promo at the end while simultaneously outsmarting Aries & Strong.

Check out our review of Manhattan Mayhem to prepare for our upcoming review of THE FINAL SHOWDOWN!
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E-mail Brad at [email protected]
E-mail Jacob at cefjiggz.aol.com

Visit ROHWrestling.com to pick up your copy of Stalemate, today!

The 411: BG says: I really liked the fact that a lot of new guys got a chance to shine in non-scramble type matches on this show. This show will feel very fresh for people who watch each show in order. However, those people will get this show regardless of what I say. For those of you who are selective however, any show with more matches above *** than below is an easy recommendation. JZ says: This show flows really well and features some new and established talent in interesting ways. After the first match I really liked everything, and the four-way and World Title matches are worth going out of your way to see.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]