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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Kings of Wrestling – Kings Reign Supreme – Disc 1

February 3, 2015 | Posted by TJ Hawke

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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Kings of Wrestling – Kings Reign Supreme – Disc 1

Final Battle
New York City, New York
December 19, 2009

We see footage of the Kings reforming in 2009. They attack the Briscoes after their ROH World Tag Team Championship win at the show. This was a very smart thing to do at the time (and this set will show how well it paid off).

The Big Bang!
Charlotte, North Carolina
April 3, 2010

The Briscoes(c) (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. The Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero) (w/ Shane Hagadorn) [ROH World Tag Team Championships]

I recall liking this one at the time, but I also remember it being very long. That makes me anxious to revisit it.

The Briscoes ran through the challengers for a while. The Kings finally cut off Jay and then worked him over. That did not last forever, and Mark ended up in there soon enough. Mark then got cut off and worked over. This went on for a LONG time. Mark finally escaped, and Jay made the hot tag. The Kings were building momentum again. The teams started going back and forth when Mark recovered. This also went on for a while. Claudio had a great counter for the Doomsday Device. Mark kicked out of the KRS-1. Hagadorn crotched Mark. That confusion allowed Hero to get the loaded elbow pad, and he nailed Jay with it: 1…2…3

Jay vomited after the match.

This match commits one of the biggest sins a match can do in my eyes: go for a very long time for no other reason than to be a very long match. That being said, I thought they worked a really impressive pace for such a long match, and they never lost me (or the crowd). The actual work they did was very impressive, but I would have preferred it in a tighter package.

Match Rating: ***1/2

Supercard of Honor
New York City, New York
May 8, 2010

Kings of Wrestling(c) (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (w/ Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) [ROH World Tag Team Championships]

I’m trying to mentally prepare myself to not be annoyed by the finish of this match.

The Guns were basically in complete control for a solid amount of time. The Kings eventually cut off Shelley though and then worked him over. Sabin made a very good hot tag. Shelley got back involved, and the teams eventually started going back and forth. Goddamn, Sabin may have taken the pop-up lifter better than anyone ever. Even better Grizzly Redwood. These two teams had incredible chemistry, and everything they did was entertaining. The teams were dropping bombs, but they couldn’t put the other team away. Hero eventually resorted to taking out the loaded elbow pad. Right on cue, The Briscoes ran out to attack the Kings. The Kings won via DQ.

After the match, the Briscoes tried to give Death Rey the Doomsday Device. The Kings tried to save her, but they failed. Jay gave her a Jay Driller.

The commentators desperately trying to justify the actions of the Briscoes while the crowd showers them with boos is unintentionally hilarious. This would be the last time the Motor City Machine Guns (as a team) ever worked a match in Ring of Honor.

In terms of pure, in-ring tag team wrestling, I’m not sure what more you could want from pro wrestling. When you watch this match, you feel like you are watching the two very best tag teams in the world go at it, and that they could do this match a million times before it got boring. If this match had more context or a decisive finishing stretch, it could have been perfect. All of that of course is what makes the finish so damn annoying.

I know that ROH had to deal with unforeseen political issues when deciding on a finish to this match, but they still managed to execute it poorly with that even in mind. Why they would possibly want to put the Briscoes in a situation like this is completely baffling to me. They had to know that this would backfire with the crowd. Also, why would you want any babyface tag team to end an awesome match like that before the heels even have a chance to cheat? It just doesn’t make sense on any level even if you accept the fact that the Kings could pin the Guns and that the Guns could not win the titles.

Match Rating: ****1/4

ROH on HDNet #61
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli are on the floor and taunting Papa Briscoe. Papa jumped the rail and struck Hero. Hero took him down with an elbow. The Briscoes ran out and chased the Kings to the back. Then they checked on their papa.

Death Before Dishonor
Toronto, Ontario
June 18, 2010

The Kings of Wrestling(c) (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (w/ Shane Hagadorn) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) [No DQ Match for the ROH World Tag Team Championships]

I haven’t re-watched the four main matches from this show since I saw the show live. I should get on that.

They did an angle at the show where they pretended that The Briscoes were held up at the border. I remember being very excited for this show at the time and panicked about any kind of border issues screwing it up.

The Briscoes showed up though, and the match turned into a wild brawl. Jay hit a Deadman Suicida. Wow, they actually used tags early on. That’s a major storytelling flub that I completely forgot about. Claudio was busted open. I cannot think of that ever happening before. The Kings came back, and Mark got busted open. WHY ARE THERE TAGS???? WHAT IS GOING ON???? The Kings worked over Mark…and Jay just stood on the apron like a jackass…in a No DQ match. Jay made the hot tag. Hero was now busted open. Jay gave Hagadorn a yakuza. Hagadorn threw a chair at Jay’s head. Shane and Hero tied Jay to a ringpost by the neck. Everyone is officially bleeding. The Kings then destroyed Mark for a while. Jay managed to get free, and he sprayed the Kings with a fire extinguisher. The Briscoes brought a table into the ring, and then they made a big comeback. Claudio ate a double shoulder tackle through the table. Hagadorn took the Doomsday Device. Hero hit Jay with the loaded elbow: 1…2…NO! Jay escaped the UFO but then ate a big lifter. Kings then hit Jay with the Big Swing/dropkick with a loaded elbow pad: 1…2…3!

This went from very stupid to very awesome. Once they stopped OBEYING THE RULES THAT DID NOT EXIST, they worked a great brawl featuring all sorts of hot violence and destruction. I love that the Kings essentially went over clean here (you can’t really cheat in a No DQ match), but that they still left enough on the table for future rematches. The Kings came across as a very dominant team that were just flat-out better than the Briscoes. I am perfectly fine with that considering the Briscoes were so clearly establish by that point.

The final 8-10 minutes of this match might be the best thing that ever happened in the Adam Pearce era of Ring of Honor.
Match Rating: ****

Hate: Chapter II
Collinsville, Illinois
July 23, 2010

The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) & Sara Del Rey (w/ Shane Hagadorn) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) & The Amazing Kong

This is apparently the first time that a woman has worked a main event in ROH. ROH could have turned Del Rey into a singles main eventer, but they are narrow minded.

The match quickly devolved into a brawl on the floor. Claudio used a tie as a weapon as an ode to Daniel Bryan. Coincidentally, this was the very same weekend that Ring of Honor declined to bring him back. Things eventually settled down, and Hero is YOUR heel in peril. The Kings and Queen eventually cut off Mark and worked him over. This went on for a very long time. Mark finally escaped the beatdown, and Jay made the hot tag. The teams started going back and forth. There were a few believable nearfalls, but they did not get over all that much. Kong teased a dive, but she ended up only do it off the apron. The Briscoes avoided a KRS-One, and Jay caught Hero with a victory roll: 1…2…3

This was solid but way too long. This was a rather unimportant match in the grand scheme of things but they put it together like it was somewhat epic dream match.

Match Rating: **3/4

Salvation
Chicago Ridge, Illinois
July 24, 2010

The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (w/ Sara Del Rey & Shane Hagadorn) vs. GenerationMe (Max & Jeremy Buck)

The Bucks were in TNA at the time, which is why they’re billed as “GenerationMe.” Both teams were heels, and the crowd didn’t seem to be instantly willing to cheer either team. After a lot of back and forth action, Matt was eventually cut off when Hero gave him a hangman’s suplex onto Claudio’s knees. Matt was worked over for a while. Matt finally tagged out to Nick, and he made a slick comeback. Claudio managed to cut off Nick. Hero tagged in and worked Nick over. Nick avoided a Liger Bomb and tagged out to Matt. The teams started going back and forth. Hero got a nearfall on Matt with a rolling elbow. Claudio avoided a superkick from Nick and hit the UFO. The Bucks got a nearfall on Hero after a 450 from Nick. Hero blocked the More Bang For Buck. Claudio gave Matt a pop-up European, and the Kings then gave him the KRS1 Bomb: 1…2…3

This was a surprisingly flat match. These are two fantastic tag teams, and they showed off their in-ring skills here. However, the crowd just seemingly gave zero fucks about this, which is really unfortunate. When there’s nothing on the line, a bad atmosphere can really bring down a “dream” match.

Match Rating: ***

Watch this match here.

Tag Wars
Charlotte, North Carolina
August 28, 2010

The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli)(c) (w/ Shane Hagadorn) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. The Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis & Kory Chavis) vs. The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) [ROH World Tag Team Championships]

I actually have the DVD of this show. I should take a second look at it soon.

Each fall has its own rules. The first fall requires tags. The second fall will be contested under Texas Tornado rules. The final fall will be tag team scrambles. I’m not sure if there’s a difference between the second and third falls.

The first fall was notable for one of the dumbest moments in ROH history. Jay and Mark somehow became the two legal men at one point, and they had to fight it out. They eventually smartened up and made the Kings the legal men. I obviously am a big fan of goofiness in wrestling, but that sequence really doesn’t work within the context of ROH. The first fall just kept going and going and going…There was some decent action and sequences of course, but it just didn’t feel important. ANX and DCFC went at it for a while. ANX eventually pinned Davis to eliminate the DCFC.

The match immediately picked up under Texas Tornado rules. Jay got busted open. ANX and the Kings eventually started working together to isolate each of the Briscoes from each other. Jay was a bloody mess. The Kings were throwing bombs at Mark, but he kept kicking out. ANX got tired of helping the Kings and then attacked them. The Briscoes and ANX went at it, and they eventually finished Titus with a Doomsday Device.

The third fall started with Hero immediately knocking out Jay with a loaded, rolling elbow.

The first fall was boring, the second fall had more good than bad, and the final fall was entirely comprised of a what was rapidly becoming a tired finish. Unfortunately, I think this match clearly had more bad than good in it. Instead of ending in a four-way, the three challengers should have done an elimination match in the opener and then the winner could get a shot at the titles later in the show. On a slightly related note, Jon Davis looked good in the first fall. ROH should really consider bringing him in for a singles run now (2015).

Match Rating: **1/4

Glory By Honor
New York City, New York
September 11, 2010

The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (w/ Shane Hagadorn) vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas)

This match happened in simpler times. You know, back when Shelton was still good. The match felt like a big deal right away. The teams did a really creative sequence to tease their finishers. The Kings eventually cut off Haas and then worked him over. It looked like Shelton had made a hot tag, but Hero immediately low-bridged him. Shelton then got worked over. Shelton eventually hit the Kings with a double neckbreaker, and Haas then made the real hot tag. The Kings eventually fought back though, and the back and forth action commenced. Haas eventually had Claudio tapping out while in the Haas of Pain, but Hagadorn had the referee distracted. Hero then did a diving elbow with the loaded elbow pad: 1…2…3

Haas and Shelton got revenge on all three of them after the match. They took off Hagadorn’s pants and whipped him with a belt. This was a laughable post-match segment.

When this match happened, nobody really knew what to expect from Shelton and Haas. Would they fit in with ROH? Would the fans accept them? Based on this match, you would think they were ideally suited for ROH and destined to do lots of great things in the promotion. Haas and Shelton would continue to be very good until May-June 2011. Then they would go on to drag down show after show for ROH until they were finally gone in 2013.

The match itself was very good and possibly even great. Looking back, it seems clear that the Kings’ greatness and WGTT’s willingness to work hard in their first shot with the company were the reasons WGTT looked like a world-class tag team at this point.

Match Rating: ***3/4

Watch free matches involving the Kings of Wrestling:

The Kings of Wrestling vs. The Young Bucks

The Kings of Wrestling & Shane Hagadorn vs. The Briscoes

Chris Hero vs. CM Punk

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sara Del Rey

Chris Hero vs. El Generico

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kevin Steen

Chris Hero vs. Chris Masters

Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger

Chris Hero vs. Bobby Fish

Antonio Cesaro vs. Tyson Kidd