411’s RoH on HDNet Report 01.17.11

Ring of Honor Wrestling on HDNet recapped by Michael Ornelas.
Episode 91: A King vs. An Angel

Sorry for missing last week, and thanks for nothing to Aaron Hubbard who abused his power with the dragon rating system as he filled in for me. He was way too stingy. Dragons are supposed to put the Ring of Honor viewer in a happy place! Whatever…I’m back this week and starting next week, I should be able to recap RoH on HDNet during its air time until it ends since I’ll be back at my apartment instead of home since the winter break is over.

Tonight’s show includes:

* Jay and Mark Briscoe in action
* Jim Cornette interviews Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin
* Daizee Haze vs. MsChif
* Chris Hero vs. Christopher Daniels

We open with a recap of the Kings/ANX segment from last week before cutting to the opening package.

Match #1: The Briscoe Bros. vs. The Elite

Never heard of the Elite, but they are Ted McNaler & Adam Revolver. Match opens with “Man up” chants and the Code of Honor is followed. The bald one starts with the bald Briscoe Jay who dominates for a little bit before tagging in Mark. Double shoulder tackle. 2 count. The Elite member gets control as they come to their feet and tags in the other one (ughh…I wish one of the announcers would actually say one of their names to distinguish one from the other! Hold on, I’ll look this up…). Okay, McNaler is the smaller, more athletic-looking one with hair that’s in the ring now against Mark. They hit a double team combo and he whips Mark into the ropes. Blind tag and and he eats a big boot from Jay. McNaler whips Jay into Adam which gives them the momentum again. Tag to Adam. Body slam/Neckbreaker combo. Tag back to Ted. He runs into a boot in the corner. Double stomp from the top rope dodged by Ted. He runs to Jay, but gets faceplanted into the middle turnbuckle. They both tag their partners. RED NECK KUNG-FU FROM MARK! Mark’s taking Adam apart and and knocks Ted down a few times. Tag to Jay. DVD to Adam while Mark climbs up top. Frog elbow drop! Jay goes for the pin! 1….2….McNaler breaks it up! McNaler sent outside again. Doomsday Device on Revolver and Jay pins him for 3.

Result: The Briscoes via pinfall @ 3:55.
Rating: *1/2
My thoughts: This was okay I guess, but it was a total SQUASH! It bugged me that the announcers never really distinguished between the Elite members, but that isn’t something that can take away from the wrestler’s efforts. The Elite didn’t really impress me too much, but I didn’t hate them.

They recap Jim Cornette’s battle against Homicide in 2006 and next week, Homicide will confront Corny.

Match #2: Daizee Haze vs. MsChif

Hooray! A MsChif match! Code of Honor is NOT followed. MsChif just roars. Daizee gets a waistlock take down and they do some chain wrestling on the ground. They work up and Haze powers (lol, never thought I’d say that) MsChif into the corner. Big chop. They trade waistlocks and Chif elbows out. Shoulder block. MsChif bridges under a clothesline and gets a drop toehold. Side headlock follows. Haze to her feet but Chif still has the headlock. Chif still has the head and takes Haze’s leg and brings it to the BACK OF DAIZEE’S HEAD! Ouch! She slams her down from that onto her knee. Haze back to her feet and rolls Chif up for 2. They exchange locks on the ground, ending with Daizee getting a leg lock before MsChif gets the ropes. Daizee hits a bunch of double stomps to the back of MsChif and gets a 2 count. Daizee puts MsChif in the corner and hits some forearms. Raises her up and she goes for a top rope Hurracanrana. MsChif holds on and Daizee just falls. “You fucked up” chants are inaccurate, but okay. Running knee to the corner from MsChif. Double stomps off the middle rope to Daizee’s back draped over the bottom turnbuckle. 2 count for MsChif. Back up and Daizee gets some forearms in the corner. Irish whip reversed and Chif in control in the corner. Lifts Daizee up and now Daizee fights off MsChif. Missile Dropkick on MsChif. 1….2….MsChif gets her shoulder up! Haze goes for the German suplex but Chif spins out and gets a knee. She goes for the Desecrator! Daizee gets out of that but MsChif holds on and looks to be going for a reverse DDT. Daizee flips over and has MsChif set up for the reverse DDT now, but MsChif gets out with a modified Snapmare. Daizee gets a roll up on the approaching MsChif and she kicks out at 2. Daizee gets the German suplex! 1….2…no! Daizee wraps the arm of MsChif up and goes for the Heart Punch, but MsChif gets a spinning back elbow! Desecrator plants Daizee right on the top of her head! 1….2….3!

Result: MsChif via pinfall @ 7:12.
Rating: ***
My thoughts: Looks like Daizee got the competition she’s been wanting for the past few months. That was a really fun match and I hope there’s more MsChif in Ring of Honor. Love the Desecrator.

After the match, Haze extended the hand, but MsChif just walks away. Haze follows her out and grabs her from behind, but MsChif spins around and spits the Poison Mist. Daizee sells it like her face is on fire. She shrieks about needing water and it burning.

Cut to the announcers and Hog says that was despicable.

Cornette is in the ring and brings out Haas and Benjamin. They’re happy to be back in Louisville. Haas is glad to be back in a professional wrestling company, not an entertainment company. He says they’re going to prove that they’re the World’s Greatest Tag Team by becoming the Ring of Honor Tag Team champions. The Kings may have one the first one, but the WAR (he says it like it rhymes with “far”)….war (said correctly) is far from over (the crowd starts saying “war” funny, hahaha). Cornette says to keep it up and they’ll be in line for the belts. The Briscoes make their way out. Jay Briscoe says here they hit a little bit harder. This isn’t the other Monday night wrestling show. They can’t leapfrog everyone and get the number one contendership. Cornette makes the match for the next iPPV between the two. The winners are the number one contenders. Benjamin has the mic and says they’ve gone through everyone. Jay says no one ain’t ever fought nobody like the Briscoes (triple negative?? I guess it works itself out). Pack a lunch boys because we gon’ dance. Delaware’s education system must be facepalming right now. Either way, good segment. I’m pumped to see the match, I know that much.

Recap of Davey Richards’ past few months in Ring of Honor. Making Tyler tap on HDNet, losing at Final Battle, the promos leading into Final Battle, and everything in between.

9th Anniversary show will have Haas & Benjamin vs. The Briscoes, The Kings of Wrestling defending against the All Night Express, and next week we’ll see the All Night Express take on the World’s Greatest Tag Team.

It’s time for the main event. Hero is out first with Hagadorn and Del Rey.

Match #3: Chris Hero vs. Christopher Daniels

The Code of Honor surprisingly is followed. The lock up and chain wrestle for a little bit. Hero ends with a cravat, but Daniels able to reverse out with a pair of armdrags. Dueling chants from the Louisville crowd. Snapmare from Hero, armdrag by Daniels and he wrenches the arm on the ground. Back up and Hero is controlling with strikes. Another cravat from Hero. Daniels goes to the apron with the cravat still on him, and sweeps the legs of Hero. Leg drop to the arm. Daniels is working the arm to take away the elbow strikes of Hero. Shoulder block from Daniels. He keeps weakening the elbow, throwing Hero shoulder first into the turnbuckles. Wrenches the arm more but Hero gets to the ropes. Daniels is rolled to the apron by Hero and Hagadorn distracts him. Daniels jumps down to follow him but gets nailed with a diving dropkick between the ropes by Hero. Hero rolls him back in and gets a 1 count. Hammerlock/cravat combo by Hero. The fans will Daniels to his feet. Daniels gets out and hits a German suplex. 2 count. Headbutts from Daniels, runs the ropes but Hero gets a big elbow strike knocking Daniels to the outside. “Shane’s a homo” chant. What a tolerant crowd. Hero and Daniels battle. Irish whip from Daniels but Hero jumps onto the barricade and ricochets with an elbow strike. Daniels makes it back into the ring at 19. Hero NAILS him with a sliding boot. 1…2…kickout! Hero has all the momentum. Chokes Daniels with his foot. More strikes and he has Daniels in the corner. He takes too long before charging and Daniels is able to move out of the way. He takes advantage and gets a jumping stomp on Hero’s arm. Back drop and wheel kick from Daniels. Drives Hero’s head into the middle turnbuckle and an STO gets 2. Enziguiri, body slam, and Arabian Press gets 2. Irish whip to the corner but Hero gets the knee up when he charges. Spinning big boot! Holy crap that was sick! Daniels is up in the corner and Hero hits a charging forearm and a running sitout powerbomb! 1…2….shoulder up from the Fallen Angel!

Hero goes for a back suplex when Daniels is up but Daniels elbows out. Hero manages to get Daniels up for a DVD type move but Daniels gets a Koji Clutch on the standing Hero!!! Hero drops down and Daniels still has the move. Hero gets the rope. Daniels goes for Angels Wings but Hero drops him, flips him over by the leg, and runs from behind to hit an elbow to the back of the head. Hero gets some back elbows and runs the ropes, but Daniels reverses with a belly to back suplex lift twisted into a modified side slam. He goes for the pin but Hagadorn distracts the ref. Daniels slaps the crap out of Hagadorn and charges Hero, but Hagadorn trips him. Rolling elbow!! 1…2….NO!!! Hero goes for another rolling elbow but Daniels strikes first. He runs the ropes but gets shoulder tackled. Another rolling elbow from Hero! 1…2….AGAIN he kicks out!! Del Rey distracts Sinclair while Hagadorn throws Hero his lucky elbow pad. Hero goes for the rolling elbow but Daniels gets a backslide!! 1…2…Hero’s out. Hero goes for the rolling elbow yet again, but Daniels gets a Urinage! Best Moonsault Ever!! 1….2….3!!

Result: Christopher Daniels via pinfall @ 15:53.
Rating: ***3/4
My thoughts: I have only one complaint here, and it’s that Hero didn’t sell the early arm work by Daniels. Other than that, it was a great, exciting match, and an early free TV MOTYC (although I doubt at 3.75 dragons, it will stay that way in 11 months from now). Both men brought this to a great match, and no one was carried, which is why I rated it so well. The right man won as Daniels looks strong as he is set to challenge Eddie Edwards for the RoH TV title in the next few weeks.

Closing thoughts: Good show this week. MsChif is always a treat to watch, they developed the WGTT characters, and the main event was a pleasure to watch. This week, Ring of Honor brought us some great in-ring action. Hopefully they land a new TV deal after their HDNet contract expires, and hopefully it’s on Versus, because I think I might have that channel. We’ll see. Anyways, the show tonight is recommended by me.
Show rating: ***1/4