Colling’s ROH TV Review 1.10.18

ROH has a new ROH World Champion and he has several new opponents already lined up after tonight! Who wants a piece of the Peacock? We find out tonight! Plus, ROH Television Champion Silas Young defends against Simon Grimm. Flip Gordon battles Marty Scurll in the main event. All this and more on ROH TV!

ROH TV
Date: 1/10/2018
From: Philadelphia, PA

We get highlights from Final Battle 2017. Silas Young won the ROH Television Championship, Briscoe Brothers won the hardcore war and Dalton Castle won the ROH World Championship from Cody.

The NEW ROH World Champion Dalton Castle makes his way down to the ring alongside the Boys. The fans welcome Dalton with a “you deserve it” chant and they chant for the Boys. Dalton is very happy to be out here as the champion. Dalton says he’s made a lot of mistakes, including investing all his money in sparkling water. However, joining Ring of Honor was never a mistake. He had been told he’d never be a champion. Dalton talks about what Cody did to him at Final Battle, but he survived and won the championship. As long as he’s champion the world is going to know he’s not small fish in a big pond, but a shark swimming in the damn ocean.

Jay Lethal makes his way out to confront Castle. Castle is surprised to see Lethal out in the ring. Castle says that Lethal has never come out while he’s been talking to talk to him. Hell, Lethal has never even sent him a friend request on Facebook. “Be his friend” chant directed towards Lethal. Castle wants to know what is on Lethal’s mind. Castle sarcastically says he’s puzzled as to what Lethal could possibly want from him. Lethal gives props to Castle for winning the ROH World Championship. Lethal does say that Castle is a strange dude and notes that Castle is the best wrestler in the world now that he’s got the gold. Lethal wants his title shot. Castle acts like he’s caught off guard and decides to sit down on one of the Boys. Castle offers Lethal to take a seat and the other Boys kneels down! Castle wants to discuss this like grown men. Lethal accepts the seat on the Boy, but then pops up because it’s just too weird for him. Castle proceeds to use the Boy as a foot rest. Lethal tells Castle that he’s going to have wrestlers coming after him. Lethal wants to make sure his name is at the top of Castle’s list. Castle complies and Lethal walks off.

Punishment Martinez comes out and lays out Castle with a chokeslam! Martinez holds up the ROH World Championship and drops the belt next to Castle. Looks like we may have a challenger for Dalton’s gold.

Backstage, Matt Taven and the Kingdom cuts a promo. Taven talks about having beaten all the favorites in. The Kingdom is coming for the six man tag titles and ROH can’t hold them back any more. They are going to end the conspiracy against them.

Opening Contest: ROH Television Champion Silas Young vs. Simon Grimm: Beer City Bruiser comes to the ring with Young. They trade wrist locks until Young gets Grimm on the mat for a moment. Grimm quickly gets up and controls the left wrist of the champion. Young pops up and controls Grimm briefly. They proceed to exchange pin attempts until Young kicks Grimm in the midsection. Grimm rolls through a crucifix but Young is able to counter a power bomb attempt with a hurricanrana. Young kicks Grimm on the apron and hits a springboard clothesline to knock Grimm off the apron and to the floor as the show goes to a commercial.

Young sends Grimm into the corner and connects with a clothesline. Grimm stops Young taking him down to the mat with a twisting arm bar. Young gets out and delivers a knee lift to Grimm’s face for a two count. Grimm tries to fight back with forearm shots but Young battles back with right hands as well. Grimm delivers a few uppercuts to get some momentum. Grim comes off the ropes with a clothesline and has the crowd behind him. Grimm takes Young over with a bridging overhead suplex for a two count. Young double stomps Grimm but gets stopped with a kick. Young drops Grimm over his knee and hits the TKO for the win. (**1/2. A perfectly solid TV match and it was an entertaining competitive match. There’s no denying that Grimm is far more enjoyable in ROH than he ever was at Simon Gotch in WWE.)

Kenny King comes out and confronts Silas Young calling him a pile of dung. King thinks the fans can see right through Silas and Silas proved that he isn’t a real man. Kenny has an issue with Silas hitting him with a beer bottle to win the championship. Silas isn’t bothered by morons agreeing with Kenny. Silas thinks that Kenny is stupid for being a college educated person. Kenny tells Silas he’s going to get a rematch because he’s filed the right paperwork. Kenny says he’s had like eight beers and is ready for a fight. Kenny threatens Bruiser, too. Silas tells Bruiser he has this under control and beer gets spat in his face. Kenny gets in the ring but they are stopped by officials.

The first ever ROH Women’s Champion will be crowned in Nashville later this month. The title is named Women of Honor. They had eight women on the entrance way and didn’t introduce any of them instead just showing the championship.

Second Contest: the Briscoe Brothers vs. Eli Isom & Ryan Nova: As you’d probably expect, the Briscoe Brothers destroy their opponents with Mark winning the match following a top rope elbow drop on Eli. That went less than two minutes and the jobbers did nothing but get this butts kicked.

Briscoe Brothers cut a promo saying they are the baddest tag team on the planet. They take credit for ending the career of Bully Ray at Final Battle. Jay says their focus now is getting the ROH Tag Team Championships from the Motor City Machine Guns. He puts over Sabin and Shelley as being one of the best tag teams, but there isn’t a tag team on their level. Jay tells them to enjoy the titles while they can, because they are coming for them.

Backstage, ROH TV Champion Silas Young is pissed about Kenny King spitting beer into his face. Beer City Bruiser wants to go after tag team gold and tells Silas he has a man in mind. Silas is supportive of Bruiser’s quest to win tag gold.

Backstage, the Young Bucks and Adam Page are talking. Nick Jackson was mad about getting attacked by Christopher Daniels, Kazarian and Scorpio Sky at Final Battle. They are going by SoCal UnCensored. They will give them a championship match if they want one.

A pre-tape promo by Marty Scurll is aired before the main event and he says he’s proud of Jay Lethal for confronting Dalton Castle. He never knew it was so easy to get a title match. Scurll notes that he hasn’t ever had a ROH World Championship opportunity and thinks that ROH deserves him as a champion

Main Event: Flip Gordon vs. Marty Scurll: Gordon gets wrist control on Marty but that doesn’t last all that long. They counter each other quite a bit in the opening moments of the match. Marty arm drags Gordon, but Flip lands on his feet. Gordon does a handstand and then several kip ups, which confuse Marty. Gordon nails Marty with a boot to the face. That sequence would piss off Jim Cornette. Gordon kicks Marty off the apron with a boot. Gordon fakes out Marty flipping back into the ring and taunts Marty as the show goes to commercial.

Marty and Gordon are avoiding each other until Marty uppercuts Gordon and delivers a snap suplex into the corner for a one count. Marty works over Gordon with a chop in the corner followed by a backbreaker. Marty controls Gordon on the mat choking Flip with his own arms. Gordon wastes no time getting out of the hold. Marty counters and hits a backstabber for a near fall. Marty argues with Todd Sinclair prompting Todd to shove Marty to the mat. Gordon stops Marty with a jaw breaker. Gordon does a handstand and is met with a super kick giving Marty a near fall on the pin attempt. They begin to trade forearm strikes. Gordon nails Marty with a Pele Kick and both men are laid out in the middle of the ring. Gordon goes to the apron and hits a 619 around the ring post to hit Marty. Gordon hits a springboard clothesline as well. Gordon hits a springboard Sling Blade for a two count. Gordon misses a 450 splash but lands on his feet. Gordon hits a Samoan Pop and a standing shooting star press as we go to commercial. There was no lead into that commercial and it just went to commercial. I don’t know if that was a production mess up.

Marty knocks Gordon into the railing and delivers a kick on the apron. Marty quickly drops to the floor and clotheslines Gordon. Marty goes for the cover but Gordon kicks out at two. Marty waits for Gordon and signals for the chicken wing. Gordon misses a few kicks and is nearly pinned. They trade superkicks until Marty hits a clothesline and drops Gordon neck first over his knee for a two count. Marty chops Gordon to a corner but is sent to the apron. Gordon leg sweeps Marty off the apron to the floor and Gordon hit a suicide dive. Gordon also takes Marty out with a somersault dive to the floor. Gordon heads to the top and nails Marty with a 450 splash but Marty kicks out at two! Gordon chops Marty on the top rope and goes for a kick, but Marty counters with a chicken wing briefly. Gordon comes back with a kick off the top rope and a fisherman suplex slam for a near fall. Marty is able to finish off Gordon with the Ghostbuster. (***1/4. A really good main event and they both looked great in there. Gordon should be a guy to lookout for in ROH in 2018. He has star potential and I’m interested to see how well he does this year. This was the best main event of the week.)

Final Thoughts:
A very good episode for ROH TV to kickoff 2018. Dalton Castle has possibly four challengers based off this show at some point. Jay Lethal, Punishment Martinez, Marty Scurll, and Matt Taven made this intentions known. I like when there are many different routes in storylines. I don’t care much for the Briscoe Brothers in the tag title scene. That’s something that’s just been played out for many years now. This was a productive and entertaining hour of television.

Thanks for reading.

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