Cook’s ROH TV Review 4.15.22

Hey kids! This seems to be the last ROH television episode Sinclair will air on their networks. Don’t ask me why Tony Khan would let it be so, as I have no idea. It does seem like a fitting ending for me, as it’s the 100th episode of ROH TV I’ve reviewed. 100 is a nice number to end on, right?

Cook’s ROH TV Review 4.15.22

ROH World Championship Match: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Eddie Edwards (Manhattan Mayhem IV, 3/19/11): Code of Honor is adhered to. Edwards & Strong exchange some shots after some mat rasslin. Edwards gets a 2 count with a gut buster. He kicks Roddy down, fast forward and Eddie misses a kick. Edwards gets tossed aside. Roddy slams Eddie into the ring frame. Fast forward & Eddie kicks Roddy on the top turnbuckle. Backpack Stunner by Eddie is reversed into the Boston crab by Roddy. Eddie finds the ropes. Eddie ranas Strong onto the floor. Eddie dives onto Roddy as we go to commercial.

We return, and Eddie is working on Roddy from behind. Eddie has the double chicken wing in. Roddy stomps out. Roddy hits a side suplex for two. Clip to a strike exchange. Eddie with a bunch of Kobashi chops, then Roddy hits a flying knee. Edwards takes Strong down with a clothesline. Roddy hits a knee, then runs into a clothesline. Clip, and they’re up on the turnbuckle, Eddie hits a double stomp onto Roddy on the apron. Double stomp onto the back, then a running kick. Powerbomb gets 2, then the Achilles lock from Eddie. Truth Martini hits the apron, and he gets a kick from Eddie. Roddy rolls Eddie up and that gets two. Superkick into a gutbuster from Roddy, then the Sick Kick gets 2! Clip, then a vertical suplex into a backbreaker by Roddy. Cover gets 2, then Roddy locks in the Stronghold. Eddie reverses into the Achilles lock & Roddy kicks out of it. Eddie reverses into another cradle attempt and that gets the three count!

Winner: Eddie Edwards (25:35 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/2

Less than half of the match aired. Eddie Edwards winning the ROH World Championship was pretty huge at that time. Davey Richards was widely expected to be the man to get the title from Strong, but it ended up being his tag team partner instead.

ROH World & Television Championship Unification Match: World Champion Jay Briscoe vs. Television Champion Jay Lethal (Best in the World 2015, 6/19/15): Fans are hyped! Code of Honor is adhered to. Todd Sinclair ejects Donovan Dijak from ringside. Truth Martini remains by Jay’s side. Lethal goes outside to talk to Truth. Some stalling here. Briscoe hits Lethal with a shoulder block. They’re working similarly. Briscoe with the armbar. Lethal reversing as we go to commercial.

Lethal goes for the Injection, and Briscoe hits the full nelson slam. It gets two. Lethal finds the ropes as we see his dad slapping the barricade. Lethal Combination gets two. JL with a slam, then he goes up top. Briscoe follows him up top. Superplex! Elbow drop gets two. Lethal gets Jay into the Koji Clutch, Jay finds the ropes. Lethal goes for the vertical suplex. Todd Sinclair doesn’t see a low blow from Lethal since Martini is distracting him. Nigel is mad at Truth Martini. He throws Truth out. Then Jay hits a Jaydriller through the timekeeper’s table as we head to commercial.

Back in the ring, Briscoe fires away on Lethal. Lethal hits a superkick, goes for the Injection, Briscoe blocks, hits a couple of clotheslines that both get two counts. Lethal’s parents cheer him on at ringside. Briscoe’s parents seem a bit more subdued. Lethal hits the springboard cutter, then the Injection gets two. Nigel using every possible cliche on commentary. Lethal sets up the Jaydriller, but Briscoe blocks. Lethal eventually hits it, then the Injection, and gets the three count!

Winner: Jay Lethal (27:13 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***1/4

Kinda shocking Briscoe would do the job partially off of his own finisher. About two-thirds of this aired.

ROH Pure Championship Match: Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Dak Draper (19th Anniversary Show, 3/26/21): Draper has quite the size advantage here. He uses that early on Gresham, who has difficulty taking him down. He grinds his wrist against Gresham’s face. Gresham’s headlock doesn’t have much effect until he starts grinding his wrist against Draper’s face. Kicks by Gresham, shoulder block from Draper. Another one, another one. Gresham with the headlock takeover. Draper is back on his feet. Gresham ends up going to the ropes to avoid a suplex attempt. Gresham’s kicks to Draper’s leg are having an effect though. Draper with the reverse bearhug on the mat. He keeps it applied for a while, Gresham tries to roll out, and finally gets to his feet but gets taken down. Gresham with more kicks to the leg, Draper squeezes him with another reverse bearhug, this time standing. Gresham goes after Draper’s fingers, but Draper takes him down to the mat. Gresham has to use his second rope break to finally get out.

As we return from the commercial, Gresham has used his third and final rope break. He goes back to Draper’s leg. Draper forearms him down a couple of times, but Gresham knocks Draper to a knee and forearms him down. Draper uses the ropes to kick out. Draper has to use another rope break to kick out. Ankle lock by Gresham, and Draper uses his three rope breaks in about a minute. Draper keeps going to Gresham’s throat, then lands a punch. He gets warned by Todd Sinclair. Gresham is down & possibly out. He rolls onto the apron, which Todd uses as an excuse to re-start the count. Draper drags Gresham into the center of the ring and covers for two. Draper superplexes Gresham, then hits a Doctor Bomb for two. Big stomp to Gresham’s chest. Draper picks Gresham up, Gresham reverses, goes back to Draper’s leg. Draper hits a boot, Gresham reverses out of the Magnum KO but gets booted again. Gresham gets slung into the corner. Draper hits a sit-out powerbomb off the middle turnbuckle for two. Draper stomps away on Gresham, applies the Mile High Muffler for a second but his knee buckles. Gresham with the springboard moonsault, then a tope suicida into a sleeper on the floor. Draper tries to break it on the barricade, but Gresham keeps it locked in while Draper gets into the ring. Draper can’t break it with the ropes, and he passes out.

Winner: Jonathan Gresham (20:29 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***

We missed a couple of minutes due to the commercial. Interesting story told here of the giant eventually being broken down.

6.5

The final score: review Average

The 411

I didn't feel this one as much as the previous two episodes, which is in line with how my feelings towards ROH went through the years. Loved it early on, liked it ok in the middle, but the middle to end stretch got a little rough. If this is the end of ROH on Sinclair, it was an interesting run. Hopefully we'll hear more about ROH plans in the future right here on this very website.