ROH – Dethroned DVD Review

ROH – Dethroned – Edison, New Jersey – November 25, 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 show begins with a promo from Samoa Joe and Homicide. First J-Train rambles on so much that Joe and Homicide have a tough time keeping a straight face. Homicide doesn’t seem to be too upset that he lost to Jimmy Rave last night.

JZ says: Julius Smokes is the most irritating person on the ROH roster by far. I’ve never really understood his appeal. But anyway, Joe, Homicide, and Smokes say some mean things about the Briscoes and Smokes continues to irritate me.

MATCH #1: Brent Albright vs. El Generico

BG says: They lock up and Albright easily overpowers Generico. They knuckle up and Albright wins a test of strength. Generico tries very dramatically to power up but wise chooses to put on a headlock instead. Albright shrugs him off and hits a shoulder tackle. Generico gets the headlock back on and then hits a series of armdrags and a leg lariat. Albright offers his hand to bait Generico into a head-and-arm suplex. He hits a European uppercut and a gutwrench suplex for 2. He drop toeholds Generico onto the second rope and hits a swinging knee, which I will from now on call the 918 (area code in Tulsa) because of its slight resemblance to the 619. Anyway, it gets 2. He puts on a cravat but Generico gets to the corner. Generico hits a double jump crossbody for 2. Albright stops him with a back elbow for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Generico gets to the ropes. Generico blocks a blind charge and hits a swinging DDT. He hits a big boot in the corner and rolls Albright up for 2. Moments later Albright catches Generico with the German suplex, half nelson suplex and the Crowbar for the win. Total squash here, not much of a return for Generico but it kept Albright as strong as last night’s gauntlet made him.
Rating: *¼

JZ says: This is Generico’s first match in ROH since a loss to Homicide in August 2005 at Dragon Gate Invasion. Dave Prazak and Jimmy Bower are the hosts. Albright overpowers Generico to start. Generico takes him down and Albright feigns being impressed so that he can suplex him and take control of the match. Albright hits a cool swinging knee to the face, kind of like a 619 but not exactly. Generico hits a move or two but gets knocked right back down. Albright hits his German Suplex / Half Nelson Suplex / Crowbar finishing sequence to get the win at 6:40. That was a decent opener, but I am still waiting to be sold on Brent Albright.
Rating: **

MATCH #2: Top of the Class Trophy – Shane Hagadorn vs. Bobby Dempsey

BG says: Hagadorn pinned Dempsey in seconds the last time they met so Dempsey attacks Hagadorn before the bell. He levels him with forearms and hits a head-and-arm suplex. Hagadorn bails but Dempsey brings him back in. Hagadorn blocks a blind charge and boots Dempsey in the face. He hits the climbing stomp for 2. He chokes Hagadorn with his ring robe until the referee makes him let go. Dempsey hits a cannonball in the corner for 2. Hagadorn tries to slug Dempsey with brass knuckles but the referee takes them away. Dempsey tries to get them from the referee, giving Hagadorn enough time to get his spare pair out and level Dempsey with it for the win. I liked their first match better.
Rating: DUD

JZ says: I think my feelings on the fat Dempsey are very well known. If not, let me elaborate. I think he’s a colossal waste of space that curses every other word out of his mouth because he can’t come up with anything else and has no way of being convincing at all. Jimmy Bower hyping this match up is pretty funny, I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not. Hagadorn has held the trophy since 6.3.06, and this is his eighth defense (many of which haven’t made DVD). What happened to Derrick Dempsey, I liked him. Dempsey goes after Hagadorn because he’s mad about their last match and he hits a cannonball in the corner. For some reason the crowd chants for him. Hagadorn goes into his tights and tries for the brass knuckles but the referee sees it and stops him. When his back is turned Hagadorn produces another pair and levels Dempsey with them to get the pin at 2:15.
Rating: DUD

MATCH #3: Delirious vs. Jason Blade

BG says: You can watch this match for free on ROHVideos.com. Blade grabs a wristlock to start. He hits a fireman’s carry into an armbar. Delirious comes back with a headlock takedown. Blade hits a Japanese armdrag and a dropkick. He hits an armdrag into an armbar but Delirious hits a pig belly to escape. Blade goes back to the armbar but Delirious bits his arm to escape. Delirious puts on a camel clutch and flushes the toilet for 2. Blade hits another dropkick for 2. He hits a T-bone suplex for 2. He hits a side slam for 2. He goes to the floor so Delirious dives onto him with a suicide dive. Back in the ring he gets 2. He slams Blade to the mat and hits a soccer kick for 2. Blade sends Delirious to the floor and dives out onto him. Back in the ring Blade hits a kneelift. He hits a reverse powerslam for 2. He goes for a springboard crossbody but Delirious blocks it with a dropkick, in theory. Delirious hits a hanging neckbreaker for 2. He climbs the ropes but misses Shadows Over Hell. Blade hits a pair of back suplexes and a superkick for 2. Delirious rolls him over into the Cobra Stretch for the win. Blade’s offense looks nice but he needs to display more personality if he ever wants to get over. As for the match with the exception of the botched springboard move it was really solid for a ROHVideos.com match.
Rating: **¼

JZ says: What happened to Kid Mikaze? Blade avoids the crazy masked lizard faced man to begin with, but then goes right after the arm. Delirious breaks that up and Blade looks a little intimidated. Blade proves me wrong by hitting a flurry of moves and coming up with an armbar. Delirious comes back and puts on a camel clutch of sorts. Blade makes a comeback and hits a nice dropkick. A suplex gets two as Bower alludes to Blade’s past successes in ROH. I must have missed those. Blade tosses Delirious to the floor and hits a nice looking dive on him. Back in the ring Blade tries a springboard move and Delirious intends to dropkick him but Blade kinda slipped on the ropes. Delirious hits the top-rope assisted neckbreaker for two. Delirious then locks on the Cobra Stretch to get the win at 9:25. That was decent enough.
Rating: **¼

Davey Richards

BG says: Davey Richards talks about the tests he’s been given in ROH. At Fight of the Century he fought KENTA, his Japanese mentor. He’s running through his lines like he’s nervous here. Anyhow, he lost to KENTA but proved that he deserved to be his American protégé. But at every turn he’s lost to Austin Aries, so tonight he needs to get over that obstacle. I wish they wouldn’t let Richards cut these close up promos.

JZ says: Davey Richards talks a lot about Tests, which gets me all excited for when Test debuts in Ring of Honor (not really). He also says the words “American protégé” a lot. He’s wrestling Austin Aries again tonight, and he says he will finally beat him. That was better than most Richards promos, he just needs to stop saying the same words over and over, kind of like how Edge used to repeat himself a lot.

MATCH #4: Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer

BG says: Jacobs and Whitmer brawl during Whitmer’s entrance and take out the referee before he has a chance to call for the opening bell. They trade strikes until Jacobs sends Whitmer to the floor. Jacobs goes for a dive but Whitmer catches him. Jacobs escapes Whitmer’s clutches and throws Whitmer into the barricade. Whitmer returns the favor and Jacobs eats barricade. Jacobs jumps off the barricade to hit a hurricanrana on the floor. Awesome. He takes a shot at the referee and then beats Whitmer up the ramp. Whitmer catches Jacobs with an exploder on the ramp. He powerbombs Jacobs onto the barricade and tosses him back into the ring. He goes for a chair shot but Jacobs stops it with a spear. Jacobs pulls a spike out of his boot and jabs Whitmer with it. He jams it into Whitmer’s forehead and then takes the referee out with it. He uses Whitmer’s blood as eyeliner but Whitmer catches him with a German suplex. The referee is bleeding too. Whitmer grabs the spike and jabs Jacobs down with it. He busts Jacobs open with the spike and hits the referee with it when he tries to stop him. Lacey gets up on the apron so Whitmer goes after her. Jacobs catches Whitmer with a dropkick and hits a neckbreaker. He hits a reverse hurricanrana but Whitmer rebounds with a lariat. They trade strikes until neither can get off the mat. Lacey gets in the ring and screams at Jacobs to get up. She punts Whitmer’s ribs and slaps him across the face. Daizee Haze runs out and it turns into a CATFIGHT! Lacey runs to the back and Haze screams for help. A few students run out and the brawl appears to be over. Well, it was fun while it lasted. No match = no rating.

JZ says: They brawl right away and dispatch the referee. Therefore there’s no opening bell so the commentators are confused as to when to start calling it. Lacey screeches on the outside as the two men brawl. Whitmer suplexes Jacobs on the entrance ramp, and that looked pretty painful. He then delivers a powerbomb onto the steel barricade. They get back in the ring and Jacobs busts out the spike and Whitmer is bleeding. The referee tries to break it up and Jacobs spikes the referee too and the crowd pops. Jacobs uses blood as eyeliner and then Whitmer hits a sick German suplex. Even Paul Turner is busted open! Whitmer goes after Jacobs with the spike, and when Turner tries to break that up he gets spiked by Whitmer too! Jacobs is bleeding. Lacey distracts Whitmer and he chases her. Back in the ring Jacobs hits a reverse rana on Whitmer, who does the annoying Puro-sell and hits a lariat. They fight some more, and then Lacey gets in the ring and even she beats Whitmer up too. Daizee Haze comes out and tries to fight Lacey and then stumbles around screaming awkwardly. A bunch of guys come out from the back to break it up as the crowd chants “Let Them Fight!” That was a super hot brawl even with Haze’s weirdness at the end. I can’t really rate this, but for what it was trying to accomplish it gets an A+.

MATCH #5: FIP Heavyweight Title Match – VS.

BG says: Because of Shingo’s attacks on Strong in their previous match and during Strong’s tag title match Strong makes tables and chairs legal here. Strong laid out the rest of the new FIP Heavyweight Championship match rules in the Video Wire above. He hits Shingo over the head with a microphone to start. He hits a dropkick and Shingo bails. Strong follows him out and rams him into the barricade. Shingo rams Strong into the post and then drops him on the barricade. He jabs Strong with a chair and rolls back into the ring. Strong hits a falcon arrow for 2. Shingo puts on a chinlock and hits a giant swing for 2. He puts the chinlock back on and then drops Strong on the top rope. He hits a gutbuster and a low blow. He goes low again and the STO. He puts on the Joejigatame but Strong gets to the ropes. Shingo grabs a chair and hits Strong across the back with it. He sets it in the corner and rams Strong into it. He goes for the DDT through a table that he hit in their last match but Strong blocks it and suplexes Shingo onto the apron. He dives off the apron with a forearm and opens up with chops. He crotches Shingo on the barricade and clotheslines back to ringside. Back in the ring Strong gets 2. Shingo gets a roll up for 2 and then powerbombs Strong into the turnbuckle. He hits an inverted implant DDT for 2. He climbs the ropes but Strong cuts him off and hits a superplex. Shingo fires up and hits a clothesline. Strong cuts off his momentum with a backbreaker for 2. He puts on a Boston crab but Shingo gets to the ropes. Shingo hits a lariat and a gutwrench powerbomb for 2. He hits a hanging DDT onto a set up chair for 2 when Strong grabs the bottom rope. Strong ducks a chair shot and hits the gutbuster. He throws the chair at Shingo’s face and hits the Sick Kick. He hits the tiger driver on the chair for the win. Tables never came into play after they made a big deal out of it, which I found disappointing. Their first match had more fire and flowed much better than this, but they put on a decent show regardless.
Rating: ***

JZ says: I hate it when wrestlers tell fans to get into the ring. Strong is pissed about going through a table last night, so Strong makes this match anything goes, since that’s exactly the rule in FIP. Strong has been the champion since 11.10.06, and this is his first defense. They brawl outside the ring for a few minutes, and then bring it back inside the ring where Shingo is able to take control. The way Shingo delivers two straight low blows is awesome. He continues to control the FIP Champion. Strong sets up a chair in the corner and tries to whip Shingo in but it gets reversed and Strong eats the chair. They fight on the ring apron and Strong hits a back suplex and a flying forearm. Back in the ring Strong hits a backbreaker and tries the Stronghold but Shingo reaches the ropes. They fight for another minute or so and then Strong hits the Tiger Driver on the chair to get the pin at a brief 10:45. They packed a lot into that short amount of time and it was a great deal of fun. A rematch would be swank.
Rating: ***

MATCH #6: ROH World Tag Team Title Match – Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels

BG says: Daniels & Sydal beat Davey Richards & Delirious the night before to earn this title shot. Hero and Daniels start. Hero taunts Daniels and the crowd to start. They lock up and Daniels hits a pair of armdrags. He hits one on Claudio and taunts the Kings. Daniels and Hero trade holds until Hero slaps Daniels across the face and bails. Back in the ring he goes for another slap but Daniels ducks, slaps him back and dumps him to the floor. Sydal hits a hurricanrana and a leg lariat on Claudio. Claudio and Sydal tag in legally. Jimmy Bower just takes shot after shot at Chris Hero. Read whatever you want into that. Claudio takes advantage and tags to Hero. Sydal makes Claudio backdrop Hero and hits an armdrag on Claudio. He makes Claudio elbowdrop Hero and Daniels armdrags Claudio after tagging in. He comes off the top rope with a hurricanrana on Hero and dumps Claudio onto Hero on the floor. He tosses Sydal onto both opponents on the floor and hits a leg lariat on Hero back in the ring for 2. Sydal tags in and they hit an elbowdrop/back suplex combo for 2. Sydal hits a cannonball legdrop for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Hero gets to the ropes. Daniels tags in and they hit a double vertical suplex for 2. Daniels hits a traditional suplex for 2. Claudio tags in and hits a European uppercut. Hero hits a back suplex getting 2 for Claudio. Hero tags in and chokes Daniels for 2. Claudio tags in and hits a backbreaker for 2. He hits a bodyslam and tags to Hero. Hero hits a splash for 2. He puts on an armbar and tags to Claudio. Claudio hits an elbowdrop and a seated European uppercut for 2. Hero tags in and the Kings hit a double big boot for 2. Hero puts on a chinlock but Daniels fights out. Claudio tags in and gets 2 after Hero hits a gutbuster. Hero and Claudio make frequent tags to keep Daniels out of his corner. They double-team Daniels with kicks for 2. Daniels hits the STO on Claudio and makes the tag.

Sydal hits a dropkick and a hurricanrana on Hero. He hits Déjà Vu on Claudio. He leaps off Claudio’s shoulders before coming down with a DDT for 2. The crowd finally wakes up as Hero hits a release vertical suplex on Sydal for 2. Claudio tags in and holds Sydal on his shoulder for a big boot from Hero. It gets 2. Daniels tags in and comes off the top with a double clothesline. He sets Claudio up top and hits the Iconoclasm. He hits the uranage and the triple jump moonsault on Hero but Hero’s not legal. Sydal takes Claudio to the floor and Daniels hits Claudio with the Arabian press. Hero dives out onto Daniels and Claudio but mostly hits Claudio. Sydal dives out onto everyone with a moonsault from the top. Back in the ring Claudio hits a European uppercut on Daniels. Sydal hits an enziguiri on Claudio but Hero hits a big boot on Sydal. Daniels hits the flatliner on Hero and everyone is down. Daniels gets a victory roll on Hero to dodges a Doomsday European uppercut. The Kings hit the Hero’s Welcome: Kings of Wrestling Edition on Daniels for 2 when Sydal saves. Sydal knocks Hero into Claudio and rolls Hero up for 2. He hits the Slice on Hero and climbs the ropes but Claudio blocks the shooting star press. The Kings go for KRS-1 on Sydal but Daniels spears Hero away and Sydal hits a hurricanrana on Claudio for the win and the titles. Daniels and Sydal pulled out a lot of new offense to win the titles, but the match took forever to pick up any steam. The last five or six minutes flew by at full speed but it took fifteen minutes to get there. It was a good match, but it would have been better had they skipped the first five minutes entirely.
Rating: ***½

After the match Daniels gets on the microphone and taunts the former champions. He is happy that the belts are back in the hands of people who respect ROH. He knows they’ll only be as good as the challengers they beat so he lays down an open challenge to anyone at anytime.

JZ says: The crowd is excited to see new tag team champions. Hero and Castagnoli have been champions since 9.16.06, and this is their fourth defense. Daniels and Sydal earned this title shot last night by defeating Davey Richards & Delirious. The commentators keep trying to put over the handshake storyline between Daniels and Castagnoli, but I find it unnecessary and kind of lame. Daniels controls the early part of the match with arm drags and armbars. Hero tries to frustrate Daniels by being a smarmy heel. Daniels overcomes him and they tag out to their partners. Sydal outsmarts the Kings and tags back to Daniels and he dumps both champions outside the ring. Daniels military presses Sydal and tosses him onto the champions. Back in the ring Sydal goes to work on Hero, and the champions have gotten almost no offense in this match. As I say that they take over and go to work on Daniels. Sydal is getting frustrated in the corner as Daniels continues to be worked over. Sydal gets the tag and goes crazy, hitting an awesome DDT from Castagnoli’s shoulders. It’s not long before the champions take over on Sydal too. Daniels comes back in and hits the Best Moonsault Ever on Hero but he’s not the legal man so Sinclair won’t count. He follows that with an Arabian Press to the floor. Everybody starts hitting moves on everybody and it’s a big brawl. The champs hit the double-team Hero’s Welcome on Daniels but Sydal breaks it up. He tries the Shooting Star Press but eats a forearm instead. They go for the KRS-One but Daniels breaks it up and Sydal hits an awesome hurricanrana on Castagnoli and that’s enough to get the pin at 22:45. That was a little long but it was solid and the finish was Awesome. The crowd pops huge and chants “Don’t Come Back!” Daniels gets on the mic to declare that he sand Sydal are the champions. He reiterates he and Sydal being the Lords of the Ring, but I think Brad already covered how silly that is.
Rating: ***¼

INTERMISSION

BG says: The Scoopster is backstage with the Briscoe Brothers at intermission. Jay tells the new champs that they’re targets now, but Mark reminds him that tonight they’re going after Homicide and Samoa Joe. Those guys have obviously already manned up tonight!

JZ says: GMC (I wonder what the G really stands for) is backstage and is super excited about the new ROH World Tag Team Champions. He’s with the Briscoe Brothers. Jay congratulates Sydal and Daniels but says they’re targets now. Mark then challenges them to knock more teeth out of his head. This was one of the best promos I’ve seen in months because unlike some people, when the Briscoes talk I believe that that is exactly how they talk in real life.

MATCH #7: Nigel McGuinness vs. Jimmy Rave

BG says: The crowd still sits silently through Rave’s new entrance music. Nigel powers Rave to the corner to start. He puts on a headlock but Rave comes back with a wristlock. Nigel puts on a cobra clutch and slams Rave to the mat. They trade holds on the mat a while longer with crisp reversals until Nigel hits a wristlock takedown. He slams Rave’s arm against the mat and suplexes him by the wrist for 2. He hits a hammerlock STO and keeps pressure on the arm. He puts on that unique version of the Rings of Saturn and the crowd comes alive. He goes for a lariat but Rave ducks it and hits a backbreaker. Rave puts both elbowpads on his injured arm in a touch that impresses the hell out of me. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special and slams Nigel’s face to the canvas for 2. He puts on a seated abdominal stretch and rolls Nigel up for 2. He puts on a standing abdominal stretch and hits a back suplex for 2. Nigel starts to fire up and hits a lariat for 2. He hits the corner combo for 2. That’s starting to look extremely contrived. He puts on a standing hammerlock guillotine but Rave gets to the ropes. Rave hits a high knee in the corner and follows with a neckbreaker for 2. He hits the running knee for 2. Nigel blocks a blind charge and hits the running European uppercut he’s been looking for. He snaps the top rope into Rave’s eyes but Rave catches him with the STO on the apron. He rams Nigel into the barricade but Nigel comes back with a lariat. Back in the ring Nigel hits another lariat for 2. He hits the Tower of London for 2. Rave ducks the second rope lariat and hits a swinging DDT. Nigel hits a superkick but Rave responds in kind. He counters the rebound lariat with a spear and hits the Pedigree for 2. He hits another spear but this time Nigel comes back with the rebound lariat for the win. Not a particularly exciting match and the finish felt flat but there were a few flashes of excellence strewn throughout.
Rating: **¾

After the match Nigel gets on the microphone and tells Rave that he respects him. He gave him a run for his money and now he wants to shake his hand. Rave shakes his hand and both men wave to the crowd. Nigel gets silly and throws a roll of toilet paper at him. Rave loses his temper and shoves Nigel around. The chatter between the two of them is exactly the kind of stuff you hear from people who are about to get into a real fight, which is another nice little touch. Christopher Daniels breaks it up for reasons I don’t understand. Rave gets his bags and leaves the building.

JZ says: The crowd is chanting for Nigel before his music even hits, so I think it’s safe to say he’s one of the most over guys on the roster. How this guy isn’t on TV is mind-boggling to me, but I’m happy to have him on these shows. These two had an altercation back in Philadelphia after their tag team match. They chain wrestle in the beginning as Bower reminds the fans viewing at home that toilet paper is banned now. Nigel goes to work on the arm and shoulder of Rave. Rave begs off and then comes back with a stomp to the face. Rave controls with his boring offense. Nigel fights back with a series of strikes and a big lariat for two. The battle spills to the floor where Rave is in control. Nigel hits the Tower of London and Rave kicks out. Wow, they are just all about killing Nigel’s finisher lately. Rave comes back with a swinging DDT and both men are down. Rave hits a spear and the pedigree but Nigel kicks out. Nigel hits the rebound clothesline (which took quite a while this time), and that’s enough for three at 19:28. This one never really seemed to get going, and I’m just not into Jimmy Rave right now. Nigel tries to shake Rave’s hand but he won’t do it. Nigel gets on the mic and says he respects Rave. Rave then shakes his hand but then Nigel grabs a roll of toilet paper and jokingly throws it at Rave. Rave rightfully gets angry and in Nigel’s face about it. For some reason, Christopher Daniels comes out to break them up. Rave grabs his stuff and leaves, with Nigel chasing him and Daniels and some other guy trying to hold Nigel back.
Rating: **½

MATCH #8: Davey Richards vs. Austin Aries

BG says: They lock up and Richards gets a crucifix pin for 1. Aries takes him to the mat and they trade holds. Aries puts on a headlock but can’t hit his seated dropkick. Richards puts on a cravat but Aries gets to the corner and hits a cheap shot. Aries hits a handspring elbow and puts on a wristlock. Richards goes for the shoulder kick but Aries grabs it and kicks the chest. He blocks the handspring kick with a dropkick. Richards punts Aries’s ribs but Aries comes back with the Heat Seeking Missile. Back in the ring he hits a kneedrop for 2 and puts on a chinlock. He hits the STO but misses the powerdrive elbow. Richards opens up with kicks to the arm and hits a side suplex. He hits a bodyslam and an elbowdrop for 2. He drops a knee on Aries’s arm and kicks the chest for 2. He drops another knee on the arm and hits an armbreaker. He rams Aries’s shoulder into the turnbuckle for 2. Aries gets a backslide for 2. Richards counters a sunset flip to a cross armbreaker but Aries gets to the ropes. He dodges a dropkick and hits an overhead suplex for 2. Aries swats away a dropkick off the top and hits the Finlay roll. He climbs the ropes and hits a missile dropkick. He hits the corner dropkick for 2. Richards dumps him to the floor but Aries trips him and hits a slingshot splash for 2. He hits a springboard moonsault for 2. Richards hits the handspring kick for 2. He climbs the ropes and hits a tornado armbreaker. He rolls Aries up for 2. He unloads the kicks but Aries catches one and hits a shinbreaker. He hits a back suplex but Richards fires up. Aries hits the crucifix bomb for 2. He puts on the Rings of Saturn and rolls Richards up for 2. They block each other’s offense until Richards hits a hammerlock brainbuster for 2. Aries blocks the D.R. Driver and pins Richards for 2. He comes back with the kick to the soccer kick and the brainbuster for 2. He climbs the ropes but misses the 450 splash. Richards sends him into the post and hits a DDT into the 14:59 for the win. Like their last match this was hurt by a dead crowd. Both of these guys need a lot of heat to really turn up their game. This was an improvement over that match and the way they built off it was fun.
Rating: ***¼

JZ says: In case you didn’t know, this is a test for Richards, and he’s KENTA’s American Protégé. This should be a battle to see who will sell first. They do some chain/mat wrestling in the early going. Aries hits a handspring elbow out of nowhere, surprising Richards and then he goes to work on the arm. Aries is able to thwart Richards’s attacks and maintain control. Aries hits the heat seeking missile to the floor and stays on Richards back in the ring. He tries the Cheer For Me, Yeah elbow but misses. Richards then goes to work on the arm. Bower notes that Low Ki, Samoa Joe, and CM Punk are the only true ROH Legends, and that Austin Aries, Bryan Danielson, and Homicide will be one day. Richards tries a missile dropkick but gets swatted away. Aries hits a missile dropkick of his own and a dropkick in the corner for a near fall. Richards goes up top but Aries knocks him down. Richards hits a tornado Divorce Court and locks on an arm submission and gets a rollup out of that for two. Richards unloads with kicks but Aries decides not to sell them so Richards decides not to sell Aries’s back suplex. He does sell the crucifix bomb though, and Aries follows up with the Rings of Saturn. They do some more stuff and Aries hits the kick to the head and a brainbuster but Richards kicks out at two. He tries the 450 but Richards moves and Richards hits a DDT and locks on a painful looking arm submission and Aries taps out. That was solid enough, and I like that Richards actually worked on the arm earlier in the match and it actually paid off. Richards is starting to grow on me as a wrestler, but he needs new entrance music like now. Aries shakes his hand and then raises it, an act I could do without, but whatever.
Rating: ***¼

Lacey’s Angels Update

BG says: Lacey is disappointed in Jimmy Jacobs again. She doesn’t care that he’s in the hospital getting stitches. She’s going to need someone bigger, strong and smarter to get rid of Colt Cabana and BJ Whitmer. Daizee Haze is on her list now too. This girl looks like she’s in a middle school play when she cuts promos.

JZ says: Lacey cuts another ridiculous promo, the gist of which being that she still hates Jimmy Jacobs and needs someone better than him. She also threatens Colt Cabana and Daizee Haze. She needs to watch some old Sensational Sherri tapes, because if her angle with Jacobs wasn’t so awesome (due almost entirely to Jacobs), she would be completely useless.

MATCH #9: Falls Count Anywhere Elimination Street Fight – Samoa Joe & Homicide vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe

BG says: There are two referees for this match, one in the ring and one on the floor. Everyone brawls before the bell. The Briscoes bail so Joe and Homicide hit them with stereo suicide dives. They ram the Briscoes into the barricade. Back in the ring Homicide and Joe headbutt Mark down. Jay pulls Homicide to the floor and hits Joe with a big boot. Joe and Homicide end up on the floor so the Briscoes follow them out with stereo dives. Back in the ring the Briscoes wash Joe’s face. Homicide sends Jay to the floor and hits a big boot on Mark. Joe hits a senton and Homicide hits a dropkick. Joe and Mark fight into the crowd where Joe hits a giant swing through some chairs. Homicide bodyslams Jay on the floor and throws a chair at his face. Joe and Homicide hit a Con-Chair-To on Jay. Jay hits a backdrop on Homicide but Joe nails him with a clothesline. Joe puts on a hockey helmet and checks Jay into the glass with a hockey stick. Hilarious. He puts a chair on Jay’s stomach and hits it with the hockey stick. He hits the Ole Kick but Mark dives off of the entrance way onto him and Homicide. Crazy! Jay suplexes Homicide onto a pile of chairs. Mark sets a chair on Joe’s back and hits a standing moonsault. Back in the ring Homicide hits a second rope Ace Crusher for 2. He hits two vertical suplex but Jay stops a third with a falcon arrow for 2. Mark hits a guillotine kneedrop for 2. Joe decapitates Mark with a lariat and hits a powerbomb on Jay for 2. Homicide hits a vertical suplex on Mark but gets caught with a head-and-arm suplex. J-Train lights a cigar and gives it to Homicide. Homicide puts it out on Mark’s arm and hits him with the Cop Killer. Joe hits the Muscle Buster on Jay at the same time and both Briscoes get eliminated. Crazy brawl that used the little amount of time it had extremely well and was more innovative than pretty much anything I’ve seen in the last few months.
Rating: ***½

After the match Homicide talks about winning the ROH World Championship at Final Battle. Joe grabs the microphone and lets Homicide know that the title match will be against him.

JZ says: They’re not gonna wait to start this one, as Joe and Homicide toss the Briscoes to the floor and hit their dives. These guys have all fought each other about a million times, and it’s usually pretty good. The Briscoes come back and hit dives of their own. The brawl continues, with Joe and Homicide mostly in control. Jay has a bloody lip and Julius Smokes has an intense case of being useless and irritating. Joe gives Mark a giant swing out in the crowd, which is kinda cool. They continue to fight outside the ring, and Joe puts on a hockey helmet and abuses the Briscoes with a hockey stick. Mark climbs to the top of the entrance ramp and hits an insane Shooting Star Press onto both of his opponents. The Briscoes are in control now and they do all kinds of sick stuff. Joe fights back with a big lariat on Mark and a powerbomb on Jay. About a minute later Homicide hits the Cop Killa on one and Joe hits the Muscle Buster on the other and both Briscoes are eliminated at 12:43. That was a super fun brawl and made everybody look tough. Joe says that Homicide will be facing him for the ROH World Title on December 23.
Rating: ***½

MVP

BG says: I was sure throughout most of the DVD that I was going to give it to Matt Sydal for his performance and tag title win but I really have to give it to Mark Briscoe again for risking his neck with that shooting star press and then surviving a freaking cigar burn to the arm.

JZ says: I’ll give it to both Briscoe Brothers, because as great as they are individually, together they cut the best promos and have consistently good matches, and this show was a perfect illustration of that.

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 THE CHICAGO SPECTACULAR NIGHT ONE!

The 411: BG says: This is a show of hits and misses. The tag title match is very good, as is the main event brawl. Aries and Richards put on a decent but disappointing match as do Strong and Shingo. Rave vs. Nigel is also pretty dull but the brawl between Jacobs and Whitmer was excellent and if it had an opening bell and any kind of finish it would have gotten a good rating. The show does have a rare title change and some solid matches, so I’ll give it a mild recommendation based on that. JZ says: A title change is reason enough to recommend this DVD, and the match itself is pretty good too, so that’s a plus. There’s some other goodness scattered throughout this show, like the Jacobs/Whitmer brawl, the main event, Aries/Richards, and Strong/Shingo, so this one gets a little higher recommendation than Black Friday Fallout.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]