ROH – Black Friday Fallout DVD Review

ROH – Black Friday Fallout – Lake Grove, New York – November 24, 2006

Introduction

BG says: Bobby Cruise is all ready to be the host of the first of two video wires that preceded this show but Homicide, Julius Smokes and Konnan toss him out and take over. Now that Steve Corino and Jim Cornette are out of the way it’s time for Homicide to focus on the ROH World Championship. They show clips of Cornette being dragged out of the building in Philadelphia. Jimmy Bower explains that he was removed from power and has parted ways with ROH. The newswire explained the Konnan convinced the powers that be in ROH to do so after Cornette exposed himself as power mad when he tried to stack the deck too heavily against Homicide. You can watch Bryan Danielson take on Sal Rinauro by watching this video wire on ROHVideos.com or by ordering Suffocation, but it is not available on this DVD. Needless to say Rave beat up Sal after the match got ready for his own match against Shingo.

The second video wire is hosted by Roderick Strong. It’s as bad as you’d imagine. Before Strong gets to talk we pick up where we left off, with clips of Rave taking on and losing to Shingo. Strong wants to get his hands on Shingo after being put through a table by the Dragon Gate wrestler in Chicago. Coincidentally he just won the FIP Heavyweight title and he’s bringing it to ROH. He buries the belt a bit before saying he’s going to raise the prestige of the belt. Since anything goes he makes the belt the exact same as the Pure title, just without the rope breaks. Clips are shown of a match he’s very proud of, him and Austin Aries against KENTA and Davey Richards. He comes back for just a second to announce that he’s defending the FIP belt against Shingo. Back to the action as Pelle Primeau wins his second big match at The Bitter End and celebrates once again by crowd surfing. A lot of the match between Christopher Daniels and Matt Cross is shown. After the match the Kings of Wrestling beat Daniels down and Chris Hero punches Allison Danger in the face. Matt Sydal, Austin Aries & Strong make the save after all the damage is done and get a small taste of revenge on the tag team champions.

The Kings of Wrestling kick off the show with a press conference. The media in attendance are apparently not fans of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. They tell us to get used to them saying whatever they want, whenever they want as often as they want because they’re the tag champions. Roderick Strong, Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal are very over with those in attendance. Those two teams will be getting title shots, and so will the Briscoe Brothers. Tonight it’ll be a No DQ match against the former champions.

Brent Albright cuts another generic promo, praising ROH and giving his goals for tonight. He wants to make money and beat people up. Tonight he’ll do it to five others in a gauntlet match.

JZ says: The Kings of Wrestling are opening the show with what looks like a press conference of some kind. The camera flashes and crowd reactions are actually pretty funny. They run down the other tag teams in ROH and say that they are going to stay ROH World Tag Team Champions for a long time. Claudio sounded uncharacteristically awkward there.

His name … is BRENT … ALBRIGHT. Tonight he’s here to make money and beat people up. He’ll get the chance to beat five people up in a gauntlet match. He closes with his terrible horrible no good very bad catch phrase. I really wish this guy would stop cutting promos.

MATCH #1: Four Corner Survival – Daizee Haze vs. Lacey vs. Allison Danger vs. Nikki Roxx

BG says: Danger is sporting her Dangerous Angels gear here. Lacey slaps Haze instead of shaking her hand. She ducks a slap but Haze catches her with a dropkick. Danger tags Haze out and pins Lacey for 2. They trade forearms and Dangers tags Roxx. Danger puts Lacey in the Tree of Woe and Roxx hits her with a dropkick. She tags to Haze who hits her with the Daizee Cutter. Lacey tags to Danger who hangs Haze up on the top rope. Haze comes back with a modified STF but Lacey breaks it up. Roxx tags in and stomps Danger down for 2. She puts on a standing submission but Danger comes back with a roll up for 2. Lacey tags in as Jimmy Bower makes a great comment about the women’s elimination match from Survivor Series ‘87. Danger hits a chinbreaker and goes for the Stretch Plum on Lacey but Haze breaks it up. Haze and Roxx tag in and Roxx hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. She hits a clothesline and a butterfly suplex for 2. Danger hits a facebuster on Roxx but she comes back with the Barbie Crusher. Haze catches Roxx with a sunset flip for 2. She hits the heart punch but Lacey tags her out and hits the implant DDT for the win. There was a lot of inaction in this as well as spots that saw the wrestlers try too hard to be cute and creative. Roxx relatively impressive in her debut here however.
Rating: *¾

JZ says: Roxx is making her ROH debut I believe, and her entrance song is really cool. I don’t understand Lacey’s theme music, or why she would come out looking like she just got out of the shower. I’m also not sure why Danger has the Maple Leaf on her butt, is she Canadian? So much I don’t understand and the match hasn’t even started yet. Haze and Lacey start it off, and they’re in the beginning stages of a feud. Danger tags Haze out and she and Lacey exchange strikes. Dave Prazak and Jimmy Bower are calling the action tonight; apparently Jared David had some kind of allergic reaction. Everyone starts hitting moves on everyone. Danger and Haze are left in the ring. Lacey avoids Haze and then Danger and Roxx take their turn. Lacey tags in as long as Haze is not in the ring. Then they all do some stuff that I’m not really into. Haze hits her finisher on Roxx, but Lacey makes the blind tag and makes the pin for herself at 8:28. That was a curious choice for an opener, as maybe it should have been the prematch show, or right after intermission.
Rating: *¼

The #1 Contender

BG says: Homicide and J-Train rub in their victory over Steve Corino and Jim Cornette. The Briscoe Brothers are next when ROH runs through New Jersey. Then he’s going to take care of Adam Pearce in a strap match. He’s not worried at all about Jimmy Rave tonight given how much of a joke he’s become.

JZ says: Homicide and Julius Smokes are backstage to talk about how the Steve Corino and Jim Cornette are gone, and the Briscoe Brothers are next. He also accepts Adam Pearce’s challenge for a strap match. He then promises to beat Jimmy Rave tonight.

MATCH #2: Gauntlet Series – Featuring Brent Albright, Nigel McGuinness, Pelle Primeau, Jason Blade, BJ Whitmer, and Jimmy Jacobs

Round I – Brent Albright vs. Pelle Primeau

BG says: Albright overpowers Primeau to start. He gets a single leg takedown and then hits a butterfly suplex for 2. He puts on an armbar but Primeau fights out. Primeau hits a hurricanrana but runs into a German suplex. Albright hits a half nelson suplex and finishes him off with the Crowbar. Total squash but it made Albright look like a killer.
Rating: *

JZ says: Albright was over before he even wrestled, and Primeau has gotten himself over so this should be a fun little match. Albright tosses Primeau around and works on the arm. He gets tired of messing around and hits a few suplexes and locks on the crowbar and Primeau taps at 2:05. HE then shakes Primeau’s hand and tosses him outside the ring as the crowd chants his name.
Rating: *

Round II – Brent Albright vs. Jason Blade

BG says: Blade has cool entrance music, music much more appropriate for someone more important than Blade. The crowd is all the way behind Albright after his domination in the last round. He hits a stiff kick to Blade’s back. He puts on a headlock but runs into an armdrag. Blade hits a dropkick so Albright gives him some props. Albright baits him into a head-and-arm suplex. He hits a dropkick for 2. He hits a clothesline for 2. Blade gets a roll up for 2. He gets a drop toehold and another roll up for 2. Albright hits a back elbow but Blade comes back with an ugly roll up for 2. He goes for a backslide but Albright counters to his top rope hanging move. He follows up with a German suplex, a half nelson suplex and the Crowbar for the win. A longer version of the Primeau match, but it did add to the Albright mystique.
Rating: *½

JZ says: Blade tries using some of his high flying stuff but it only seems to stun Albright rather than actually hurt him. He comes back with a big suplex. He continues to abuse Blade. The same finishing sequence finishes Blade at 4:24. The crowd is getting behind Albright here, but I’m still on the fence.
Rating: ¾*

Round III – Brent Albright vs. BJ Whitmer

BG says: They lock up but neither man can get the advantage. THEY’RE SO SIMILAR! They lock up but it leads to another stalemate. Albright slams Whitmer to the mat but fails to capitalize with his amateur wrestling tactics. Whitmer slams Albright to the mat and puts on a front facelock. Albright counters to the Crowbar but Whitmer quickly gets to the ropes. Whitmer grabs a wristlock but Albright slips out. They lock up again and then trade strikes. Whitmer wins the exchange and hits a back elbow. Albright hits an overhead suplex but Whitmer comes back with an exploder. Albright bails and rams Whitmer’s leg on the apron. He slams it against the post and punts Whitmer’s ribs back in the ring. He keeps pressure on Whitmer’s leg with an ankle lock. He pulls Whitmer to the floor and slams the leg against the barricade. Back in the ring he hits a chop block and then rams the leg against the apron again. He puts on a half crab but Whitmer gets to the ropes. Whitmer hits a desperation exploder and a back bodydrop. He hits a clothesline and a vertical suplex for 2. Albright stomps the foot but runs into a spinebuster. It gets 2 for Whitmer. Albright gets a single leg takedown and puts on an anklelock. Whitmer gets to the ropes. Albright hits the German suplex but Whitmer avoids the half nelson suplex and hits a German suplex of his own. Albright hits another German suplex but still can’t hit the half nelson. Whitmer hits another German suplex and rolls through for a second for the win. This turned into a total war of attrition and I loved it.
Rating: **¾

JZ says: This one should last a little longer. They wrestle on the mat in the beginning and Albright goes after the arm right away. Whitmer is able to hold his own with Albright, frustrating him. They trade strikes and then up the ante and trade suplexes and Albright powders. Back in the ring he starts going after Whitmer’s leg. They go outside the ring and Albright continues to work on the leg, ramming it into the guardrail. The crowd is not getting into this at all. Whitmer starts to make a comeback but Albright cuts him off. Albright locks on an ankle lock but Whitmer won’t tap. He reaches for the ropes and gets them and the crowd actually boos. They throw some more suplexes around. A regular release German suplex is enough for Whitmer to get the pin at 13:20. That was insanely dull and the finish came out of nowhere.
Rating: **

Round IV – BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs

BG says: Jacobs runs into the ring and hits a low blow for the win in a matter of seconds. That sneaky little bastard. This crowd loves the heel tactics as shown in the way they cheer Jacobs wildly.
Rating: DUD

JZ says: Jacobs runs into the ring and hits a low blow and gets a rollup to pin Whitmer at 0:05. Obviously that was barely a match, but to advance their feud it’s pretty awesome. The crowd agrees, since they’re chanting “Jimmy Jacobs.” That brings out the last man in the gauntlet.
Rating: DUD

Round V – Jimmy Jacobs vs. Nigel McGuinness

BG says: These two had a really good match at Generation Next but now the heel/face rolls have been reversed. Nigel shoves Jacobs into the corner to start. He slaps Jacobs and puts on a wristlock. Jacobs kicks Nigel off but Nigel comes back with an armbreaker. Nigel hits an armdrag and puts on a hammerlock. Jacobs hits the soaring head scissors and goes for a headlock. Nigel hits a back suplex but Jacobs holds on. Nigel gets a wristlock takedown but Jacobs comes back with a neckbreaker. Nigel dodges a spear and Jacobs hits the post. Nigel hits a knucklelock suplex for 2. He puts on a very unique and painful looking double arm submission to get the crowd behind him. He hits a short-arm clothesline for 2. He sets Jacobs up top but Jacobs fights him off and goes for the diving headbutt. Things go awry and the crowd gets on their case. Jacobs dodges a dropkick and hits a double jump double stomp. He dropkicks Nigel’s head against the post and hits a JYD headbutt. Nigel fires up and they trade strikes. Nigel hits a lariat for 2. He hits a running European uppercut and the corner combo for 2. Jacobs dumps Nigel to the floor by his tights and follows him out with a suicide dive. Back in the ring Nigel snaps the top rope into Jacobs’s eyes. He crotches Jacobs on the top rope but misses the second rope lariat. He quickly recovers by hitting the Tower of London for 2. He hangs Jacobs on the top turnbuckle. Jacobs blocks the Tower of London and comes down with a senton for 2. Jacobs blocks the rebound lariat with a spear for 2. He goes for the Contra Code but Nigel counters by crotching him on the top rope and hitting the second rope lariat for the win. A couple awkward spots hurt this a bit but it was quite enjoyable overall.
Rating: ***

JZ says: Nigel slaps Jacobs to start and it looks like he’s taking him lightly. Nigel then grabs the arm but Jacobs escapes. They do some more mat wrestling, and this is SO different from their match back in May 2004 at Generation Next. Jacobs executes the satellite headscissors but Nigel soon recovers and regains control. Jacobs goes back to the headlock but Nigel goes after the arm. Nigel wants to know what I say, yeah! Nigel puts a fairly painful looking submission on but he doesn’t hold it and the crowd likes it. Nigel hits a short clothesline for a near fall. Nigel tries to hit the Tower of London but Jacobs blocks it and tries the missile headbutt but kinda slips and doesn’t really hit it. He does hit a knee to the face though and a dropkick into the ringpost on the outside. Back in the ring Jacobs is on offense but soon Nigel gets angry and fights back. Big lariat by Nigel gets two. Jacobs regains control but wastes time by blowing kisses and the crowd appropriately boos. Jacobs attempts the Contra Code on the ring apron but Nigel blocks it. That leads to the Tower of London from the middle of the ropes but Jacobs is able to kick out. Nigel tries a regular Tower of London but Jacobs blocks it and hits the senton for two. They trade some strikes and Nigel goes for the rebound clothesline but Jacobs hits a spear for two. Back up to the ropes Jacobs goes and he blows more kisses so Nigel tries the Tower of London again but Jacobs blocks it. Nigel eventually hits the clothesline off the ropes and that’ll do it at 14:27. I actually watched their earlier match last night with my roommate and this was a great illustration of how far both guys have come since 2004.
Rating: ***½

Man Up

BG says: Jay Briscoe remembers when Samoa Joe made him bleed buckets in a cage a couple years back because he has a scar from the match. Tonight he’s going to get his revenge. Mark has trouble pronouncing the name of his opponent Shingo, but he’s going to make him man up!

JZ says: The Briscoe Brothers are here to talk about their opponents for tonight, Samoa Joe, and someone who’s name they can’t pronounce (it’s Shingo, for the record). These guys are great.

MATCH #3: ROH World Tag Team Title Match – Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong

BG says: Strong and Aries run into the crowd to attack the Kings during their entrance. Strong chokes Hero with a small broom but Hero grabs it and jabs Strong with it. Back at ringside Aries atomic drops Claudio into a chair and tries to climb the ropes. Claudio cuts him off so he settles for a double axe handle off the apron. Aries dumps Claudio into the crowd and jabs Hero in the eyes. He hits a crossbody onto Claudio in the crowd by diving over the barricade. Claudio comes back by dropping Aries ribs-first onto the barricade. Back in the ring Hero accidentally hits a springboard axe handle on Claudio. The challengers double-team Claudio in the corner. They try to do the same to Hero but he dodges a dropkick from Aries and dumps Strong to the floor. Claudio duct tapes Aries’s legs around the post, effectively trapping him. Claudio hits Strong with a vertical suplex for 2. The Kings take turn hitting big boots and then hit a double big boot for 2. Hero hits a baseball slide on Aries and the Kings put a double submission on Strong. Claudio hits a legdrop on Strong for 2. The Kings stretch out Strong’s thighs. Hero drops Strong on the top rope and brings in a chair. Claudio brings in a part of the barricade. The Kings set up the barricade on two chairs and then set Strong on top of the barricade. Hero climbs the ropes but Aries gets free and tosses him off the top onto the barricade. Aries bulldogs Claudio onto the barricade and then he and Strong hit a double uranage on Claudio onto the barricade. Aries hits a brainbuster for 2 when Hero pulls the referee out of the ring. Aries hits Hero with the Heat Seeking Missile. Strong hits the tiger driver on Claudio for 2. He puts a table in the ring and sets it in the corner. Claudio comes back with the Match Killer. He tries to ram Aries into the table but Aries avoids it. Claudio pins Aries for 2 with his feet on the table for leverage. Aries intercepts the briefcase but misses a swing on Hero and gets rolled up for 2. Aries kicks the briefcase into Claudio’s face for 2. Strong hits the gutbuster on Hero and follows with the Sick Kick for 2. The table gets set up in the middle of the ring. The challengers go for the dropkick/powerbomb combo through the table but Shingo runs in and powerbombs Strong through the table. The Kings pick up the pieces of Strong and hit the Heroes Welcome: Kings of Wrestling Edition for the win. For a match with no tags they sure found a creative way to get Aries the “hot tag.” For that matter they set up very creative spots involving all the plunder. The finish felt like a cop out but that’s kind of what the Kings are all about and it did add some heat to the Shingo/Strong FIP Championship match the next night.
Rating: ***½

JZ says: Hero and Castagnoli have been champions since 9.16.06 and this is their third defense. This is a no-disqualification match, so it starts out on the floor since Aries and Strong are so intense! This is the last shot Aries and Strong will get at the titles. They brawl outside the ring for a while, with Aries and Castagnoli pairing off and Hero and Strong doing battle. They spend a little time back in the ring and the champions are in control. They duct tape Aries to the ringpost so that Strong is fighting solo. The champions bring the steel barricade into the ring and set it up on two chairs. Aries finally gets free and slams Hero off the top rope onto the guardrail. He goes nuts on Castagnoli too, and Strong makes an amazing recovery and everyone is beating on everyone again. Shingo comes into the ring and powerbombs Strong through a table, and since it’s no-DQ referee Todd Sinclair can’t do anything about it. A double team Hero’s Welcome follows and the champions retain at 16:39. That was an okay garbage brawl, but I’m starting to get tired of how Strong barely sells and both Aries and Strong recover from beatings way too fast.
Rating: **¾

INTERMISSION

BG says: The Scoopster interviews the Top of the Class Trophy holder at intermission. Hagadorn admits that he and Adam Pearce are close. Pearce is still mourning the loss of Jim Cornette and that is what is drove him to challenge Homicide to a strap match. I think the innuendo was supposed to be that Hagadorn has experience taking a whipping from Pearce but it got lost somewhere in the delivery.

JZ says: Gary Michael Capetta and Shane Hagadorn make vaguely gay comments about Adam Pearce. GMC wants to know what Pearce is thinking, and I’m not sure why he doesn’t just ask Pearce. He will wrestle Homicide in a strap match in Chicago coming up. Hagadorn needs mic work.

MATCH #4: Shingo vs. Mark Briscoe

BG says: This match would indirectly lead to Shingo’s biggest win in ROH a few months later. Mark starts things off with a wristlock but Shingo comes back with the head scissors. Mark grabs a headlock but runs into a back elbow. Mark hits a leg lariat and a bodyslam. He hits a flapjack and a running knee on the apron. He hits a slingshot double stomp and Shingo bails. Back in the ring Mark hits a belly-to-belly suplex for 2. He puts on a chinlock and then hits a bodyslam. He goes for a double jump twisting senton but Shingo dodges it. Shingo hits the cobra clutch giant swing for 2. He dumps Mark to the floor and follows him out to ram him into the barricade. Back in the ring Shingo hits a fistdrop and a clothesline in the corner. He stands on Mark’s throat and pokes his eyes. He puts on a chinlock but Mark fights out and hits a northern lights suplex for 2. Shingo goes low and then hits a headbutt to the groin. He hits a back suplex for 2. He hits the STO and puts on the Joejigatame. Mark gets to the ropes. Shingo sets Mark up top but Mark fights him off and hits a double jump crossbody. Shingo falls to the floor so Mark dives out onto him. Back in the ring Mark gets 2. He hits a pair of head-and-arm suplexes for 2. Shingo catches Mark in the corner and hits the Shattered Dreams and a hanging DDT for 2. He climbs the ropes but Mark cuts him off and hits a springboard Ace Crusher for 2. He goes for the Cutthroat Driver but Shingo blocks it and hits a gutwrench whirlybird for 2. He hits a lariat and the Blood Fall for the win. There was a little too much chinlockery for my liking and the big moves at the end felt pretty disjointed but aside from that these guys displayed their usual high quality stuff. After the match Strong runs out and brawls with Shingo the back.
Rating: **¾

JZ says: Shingo controls the early portions of the match, probably angry that the Briscoes refused to pronounce his name right earlier in the show. He spends a lot of time choking Mark in various ways, all of them illegal, since choking is in fact illegal. I’m surprised at how much Shingo has dominated so far. Mark comes back with a Northern Lights suplex and a series of switches leads to Shingo kicking Mark square in the nuts, Ric Flair style. Mark finally takes over and throws Shingo to the floor and hits a big dive. The crowd is sort of starting to get into it. Mark hits a springboard Ace Crusher for two. They each try their finishers but neither one can connect. Shingo then gets the Blood Fall out of nowhere to get the surprising pin at 12:22. That match had two guys I really liked but they never really clicked. After the match Roderick Strong comes out to exact some revenge and they brawl to the back.
Rating: **½

MATCH #5: Homicide vs. Jimmy Rave

BG says: I think once the fans get used to Rave using House of the Rising Sun for his entrance music it’s going to help him get very over, a la James Gibson’s entrance music. Toilet paper has been banned so there’s no TP shower tonight. This match is happening because Rave and Alex Shelley went to a double DQ against Homicide and Ricky Reyes in a tag match back at How We Roll. They trade holds to a stalemate to start. Homicide gets a roll up for 2. Rave gets a takedown and puts on a leglock. Homicide comes back with a stiff kick to the back so Rave spits in his face. Homicide shoulder tackles him to the floor and rams him into the barricade. J-Train hits Rave with a clothesline in front of the referee but nothing happens. Back in the ring Homicide hits the running knee in the corner for 2. He hits a scary overhead suplex for 2. He hits a back elbow for 2. He puts on a nerve hold and clobbers Rave down. He dumps Rave to the floor but gets speared into the barricade when he goes out himself. Rave rams Homicide into the barricade and rolls him back into the ring. He hits a legsweep and works over the shoulder. He gets a crucifix pin for 2. He hits a vertical suplex for 2 and puts on a chinlock. He puts on an abdominal stretch and hits a back suplex for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Homicide fights out. Rave hits a clothesline for 2. He hits a swinging neckbreaker for 2. He misses a knee in the corner and falls to the floor. Homicide follows him out with the tope con hilo. Back in the ring Homicide hits a back bodydrop as the commentators talk about how everyone has been wondering since that tag match who is better between these two. Believe me, nobody wonders that. They also go on and on about how ROH ties up all loose ends but I can think of more than a few that never got resolved. Homicide hits a neckbreaker for 2. He hits the Ace Crusher for 2. He hits a tiger driver for 2. He climbs the ropes but Rave cuts him off. Homicide blocks a superplex and hits a second rope DDT for 2. He hits the Three Amigos but misses a diving headbutt. Rave hits Ghanarrhea for 2. Something confusing happens and then Rave hits the running knee for 2. He climbs the ropes but Homicide catches him with a hurricanrana. Rave ducks the lariat and hits a spear for 2. Homicide hits a flying knee for 2. Rave comes back with Greetings from Ghana for 2. Homicide hits a back heel kick but Rave rolls him up for the win. Some crowd heat probably would have helped this match. As it was it never got out of first gear.
Rating: **¾

After the match the Briscoes attack Homicide. J-Train tries to help but the Briscoes take him out too. Samoa Joe’s music hits and he runs down to start his match with Jay.

JZ says: I don’t understand why Rave is using “House of the Rising Sun” for entrance music. The song is an American folk classic, and no one knows exactly who wrote it, but it’s been recorded by The Animals (most famous version) and Bob Dylan amongst many others. There is a good deal of controversy about where Dylan got his version from (Dave Van Ronk, an influence of Dylan’s, says he stole the version from him), and whose version Eric Burdon (lead singer for The Animals) got it from. These are two guys I’m not really into right now, so if I drift away during this match I apologize. Bower and Prazak talk mostly about Homicide’s impending title shot. They fight for a few minutes and then Homicide whips Rave into a Julius Smokes clothesline outside the ring, right in front of the referee. That’s irritating. Homicide controls for a few minutes until the battle spills outside where Rave actually gains control, working on the shoulder. Rave maintains control back in the ring but Homicide won’t really sell for him. Rave locks on the Abdominal Stretch of Doom and the crowd is silent. Rave hits a nice neckbreaker for two. Homicide comes back and knocks Rave out of the ring and hits the Tope Con Hilo to the delight of Smokes. Back in the ring Homicide is back in control. Homicide hits a scary looking Pearl River Plunge for two. Seriously man, be safe. They trade some signature moves. Rave gets an inside cradle out of nowhere for the pin at 18:06. That was a decent match, but neither guy did anything particularly exciting and the crowd was dead. The Briscoe Brothers come out to attack Homicide, and I’m thinking that Joe will come out any second now.
Rating: **¾

MATCH #6: Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe

BG says: Joe knocks Jay to the floor to start but can’t dive out onto him. Jay keeps him on the floor with a dropkick so Joe pulls him out and swings him into the barricade. Joe hits the Ole Kick and rolls Jay back into the ring. He hits the Big Joe Combo for 2. He hits an enziguiri but Jay comes back with a Yakuza kick. Jay hits a vertical suplex and a legdrop for 2. He puts on a chinlock and hits a dropkick for 2. He chokes Joe in the corner and hits a leaping forearm for 2. They trade slaps and Jay goes to the eyes. Joe slams him to the mat and opens up with forearms. He hits a Manhattan drop and a big boot. He hits a senton for 2. He hits a powerbomb for 2 and puts on the STF. He switches to a crossface but Jay gets to the ropes. Jay hits the DVD for 2 and climbs the ropes. He hits a frog splash for 2. He climbs again but Joe catches him with an enziguiri. Jay counters the Muscle Buster to a sunset flip for 2. He goes for the Jay Driller but has to settle for a back suplex for 2. He springboards off the ropes into a kick and Joe hits the Muscle Buster for the win. This was a shadow of their matches from 2003 and 2004, but it wasn’t on the same place on the card and so probably shouldn’t have been as extraordinary as those matches. Still, good stuff from two guys with great chemistry.
Rating: ***

JZ says: Joe does in fact come out and the crowd is finally excited to see someone. Joe whips Jay’s head into the barricade, powerbomb-style. This is the first time they’ve had a singles match since the awesome steel cage match back at the At Our Best show on 3.13.04. Joe hits the Ole Kick and the crowd is really behind Joe here. Back in the ring Joe continues the slaughter. Jay makes a brief comeback but Joe is having none of it. Jay comes back with a suplex and a legdrop for one. A nice dropkick by Jay gets two. Joe finally comes back with some strikes and a flapjack. Joe hits the Big Joe Combo #2 for a two count. Jay comes back and actually hits the Death Valley Driver and it looked great. That gets two. Jay tries something off the ropes but Joe hits an enziguiri and tries the Muscle Buster but Jay gets out of it and they do a neat sequence that ends in a backdrop suplex by Jay for a two-count. Joe then comes back and does hit the Muscle Buster to pin Jay at a brisk 11:58. That was a fun match and brought the crowd out of its slumber. I’d love to see them get 20 in a cage again.
Rating: ***¼

FIP

BG says: Next up is an advertisement for FIP Second Year Spectacular Night Two. You can check out my review of that show right here.

MATCH #7: Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards & Delirious

BG says: The winners of this match take on the Kings of Wrestling for the titles tomorrow night. Daniels and Richards start. They lock up and Daniels grabs a headlock. Richards comes back with a series of kicks. He hits a pair of armdrags and puts on an armbar. Delirious tags in and puts on a wristlock. Daniels counters to an armbar and tags to Sydal. Delirious puts on a headlock but Sydal reverses out. Sydal puts on a front facelock and gets a crucifix pin for 2. He gets another for 2. Delirious returns the favor for 2. Sydal hits the pop up hurricanrana and a monkey flip. Daniels tags in and hits a back bodydrop for 2. Delirious blocks a blind charge and tags to Richards. Richards hits a bodyslam and a legdrop for 2. He kicks the chest for 2. Daniels sends him to the floor and Sydal follows him out with a no hands plancha. Back in the ring Daniels hits a clothesline and tags to Sydal. Sydal hits a dropkick in the corner and a leaping clothesline. He hits the slingshot corner dropkick and tags to Daniels. Daniels and Sydal hit an elbowdrop/back suplex combo for 2. Daniels puts on a chinlock and hits a leg lariat for 2. Sydal tags in and hits a dropkick. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Richards gets to the ropes. Sydal hits a cannonball legdrop but Richards is in the ropes. Daniels tags in and hits a dropkick. Sydal tags in and hits an elevated legdrop for 2. Richards and Sydal trade forearms and Richards drops Sydal on the top rope. Delirious tags in and punts Sydal to the floor. He slams Daniels to the mat and hits a soccer kick. He hits a leaping clothesline and Daniels bails. Richards hits Sydal with a facebuster and holds him for a dropkick from Delirious. Delirious hits a back suplex for 2. He puts on a cobra clutch and flings Sydal across the ring. Richards tags in and hits a backbreaker for 2. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. Delirious tags in and kicks the back for 2. Richards tags in and kicks the back as well. He puts on a cravat and then hits a running kick to the chest for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Sydal blocks the handspring kick. Daniels tags in and cleans house.

Things really start to pick up as Daniels hits a blue thunder bomb on Richards for 2. He hits a uranage on Delirious onto Richards for 2. He sets Richards on top and hits a palm strike. Delirious cuts off the Iconoclasm and Richards hits Daniels with a crossbody off the top for 2. Delirious hits a hurricanrana on Daniels. Sydal tags in as Delirious clotheslines Daniels to the floor. Sydal tosses Delirious off the top rope onto Daniels on the floor. Sydal hits the Slice on Richards for 2. He hits a standing moonsault for 2. He hits a clothesline in the corner but Richards hits him with a kick to the chest. Richards hits a falcon arrow for 2. Richards counters the pumphandle piledriver to an inverted cloverleaf but Daniels breaks it up. Richards hits a running forearm but Sydal catches him with a flatliner into the Koji Clutch. Daniels does the same do Delirious but Delirious manages to pull Sydal off Richards while in the hold. Delirious tags in hits a hanging DDT off of Richards’s shoulders for 2. That was amazing. Daniels sends Richards to the floor and follows him out with the Arabian press. Delirious hits a dropkick and the Panic Attack on Sydal. He climbs the ropes but Sydal cuts him off. Richards hits Sydal with a German suplex from the top and Delirious follows up with Shadows Over Hell for 2 when Daniels saves. Richards hits the handspring kick on Daniels and follows him to the floor with a suicide dive. Sydal hits an enziguiri on Delirious but Delirious comes back with a hanging neckbreaker for 2. He goes for the Cobra Stretch but Sydal fights him off. Daniels hits the uranage and the triple jump moonsault. Sydal immediately follows up with a shooting star press for the win.

From the blue thunder bomb on this was just innovative, balls to the wall action until the bell. None of these guys consistently put on four star matches on their own these days but they all brought their A-game and put on a fantastic main event to make up for the lack of a World Champion. Daniels & Sydal will fight the Kings of Wrestling for the World Tag Team Titles tomorrow night.
Rating: ****

JZ says: Richards and Delirious teamed on the last show in a losing effort against the Briscoes; Sydal and Daniels have been teaming for a while; the winners of this one will get a World Tag Team Title match tomorrow night; and Sydal and Delirious have a constant rivalry. I think that catches us up. Richards and Daniels start off with some feeling-out-type chain wrestling. Richards takes control of the arm and then tags out to Delirious. Daniels takes control and tags Sydal in. They do some back and forth mat wrestling, keeping it pretty even. Eventually everyone gets a shot at everyone and Richards gets knocked to the floor and Sydal executes a dive and appears to really hurt his leg. Daniels and Sydal eventually take over on Richards, and use their superior teamwork. Richards comes back and tags Delirious, and he’s a house-a-fire. Richards and Delirious then go to work on Sydal for a while. Daniels tags in and hits a few of his big moves on Richards. Sydal and Richards exchange some cool moves, and then Sydal and Daniels each lock in a submission on one of their opponents. Delirious hits Shadows over Hell on Sydal but Daniels makes the save. The do some more stuff and Daniels hits the Best Moonsault Ever on Delirious and Sydal follows it up with the Shooting Star Press to get the pin at 26:47. That ran a little bit long but the action was good and Daniels and Sydal are good together so I liked it.
Rating: ***½

Aftermath

BG says: In the back Lacey berates Jimmy Jacobs for losing to Nigel McGuinness in the gauntlet match. Lacey won her match and she’s not impressed that all Jacobs did was pin Whitmer and then lose to Nigel. She wanted him to cripple Whitmer and then win the whole match. She storms off before he whispers, “I love you.”

JZ says: Lacey is backstage yelling at Jimmy Jacobs. She’s really mad that she won and Jimmy lost. He still loves her though! Lacey needs some serious work, her promos haven’t gotten any better.

MVP

BG says: This time around it goes to Delirious for breaking out some new moves and hitting his entire usual repertoire with more precision than usual. All four guys in the main event went above and beyond however.

JZ says: Jimmy Jacobs, for outsmarting BJ Whitmer, having a really good match with Nigel McGuinness, and not letting his love waver in the face of screeching.

You can pick up this show, as well as all other ROH shows at ROH Wrestling Dot Com.

Coming soon will be our review of DETHRONED!

The 411: BG says: As with a lot of shows in which the World Champion does not appear this show lacked a sense of urgency, and the less than enthusiastic crowd is evidence of that. However, the gauntlet match was one of the better gauntlet matches I’ve seen, with a progressing story throughout. I was very impressed with it, and though no segment of the gauntlet got a rating this high if I were to rate the entire thing as one match I’d probably go ***½ because of how well it was all strung together. The main event also delivered. Jimmy Bower took Jared David’s place on commentary for the entire DVD and I didn’t want to gnaw my ears off, so that’s a big improvement for him. All that being said there are definitely more than a few reasons to pick up this sleeper DVD. JZ says: There’s some goodness here but very little greatness, so those who don’t buy every ROH show could probably get by with skipping this one; especially given that the World Champion does not appear. That’s not to say this is a bad show, because the gauntlet match brings the goods, and the main event was very solid. It just feels like everything is building towards Final Battle still, and the focus is on the future rather than the present.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]