Cook’s ROH TV Review 6.6.20

Hey, kids! This week’s edition of ROH television showcases one Mr. Brody King. I’ve seen a little bit of him here & there but not very much, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he has to offer. We also get my first star rating of a match for this one, as they’re actually airing something Larry wasn’t available to review. I figured that wouldn’t happen until they started taping new shows again.

Cook’s ROH TV Review 6.6.20

– We open with a video package showcasing Brody King. King talks about how he’s keeping busy with his one-year old son and learning how to smoke meat. I mean on the grill, you pervs. Csonka definitely would have approved of this content. Brody’s playing a lot of video games, and they don’t calm him down. He’s doing yoga, spending quality time with the wife, and chilling.

– Brody describes his arrival in Ring of Honor as part of Villain Enterprises. The first match he wants to show us pits Villian Enterprises against the Mexa Squad. He lost, but it was still a really good match.

ROH Saturday Night at Center Stage 2020: ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Match: Marty Scrull, Brody King & Flip Gordon (c) vs. Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus: Flamita & Brody start, the test of strength doesn’t work for Flamita. Not much is, in fact. It’s all Brody King early. Finally Flamita hits some flips and a rana, but a clothesline by King turns Flamita inside out. Scrull & Bandito tag in, and I’m just sitting here watching the melding of British & Mexican style. It’s fun. Also noting the horns in the background making Center Stage sound like Arena Mexico. We return from commercial, Horus sends Flip Gordon down with a dropkick, near fall after a flying kick to a seated Gordon. Gordon can do some flipping of his own. He holds Horus on the floor so Scrull can kick him down. Horus takes a bit of a beating from Scrull for awhile. Gordon comes in to help double team, but that backfires & Bandido tags in. Pop up cutter, kick to Gordon. King comes in and eats a twisting splash. King gets pop up ranaed by Flamita. Three dives to the floor! Zip Code Explode is what Caprice Coleman calls it. 450 on Gordon gets to for Flamita. All three work over Gordon now as the referee looks less interested in keeping law & order than Bryce Remsberg during an AEW match. Back from commercial, King takes Horus’s head off with a clothesline but gets crucifix bombed. And now everybody’s in the ring and it’s move after move. Brody gets DDTed to hell to end the chain. Bandito & Marty go back & forth. Mex knee, a double team move gets two. Three on Marty now, double superkick and a moonsault slam gets two. King gets slapped really hard. Bandido throws some chops, doesn’t he? Made in Detroit on Bandido, another nearfall. Dives to the floor by Brody & Flip onto Bandido’s partners, bult it’s still just a two count. Marty looking for the chicken wing, but too much showboating leads to Bandido rolling Marty up for the three count & title change!

Winners: Flamita, Bandido & Rey Horus (16:30 via pin)
Larry’s Star Rating: ****

– Yeah, that play by play sucked but it was the best I could do. These men were going crazy and it felt like the crowd was going even crazier. You gotta love wrestling environments like that.

– Brody talks about his first singles match in ROH against Jeff Cobb in Las Vegas. It was his chance to prove he was more than a tag team wrestler.

ROH Death Before Dishonor 2019: Brody King vs. Jeff Cobb: Bit of a slow start here from the big bulls. They’re going shoulder to shoulder to try and knock each other down. Doesn’t work.King eventually gets an advantage and runs into Cobb in the corner, but Cobb catches him and suplexes him into a commercial break. They’re staring and cussing as we return. Trading shots. Variation of a Side Effect by Brody gets two. Brody chant! Brody goes up to the middle rope, Cobb dropkicks him and sets him up for a stalling superplex. Hope they re-inforced the ring! One count! Headbutt, headbutt, off the ropes, a rana by King! Tope suicida! Yes, by Brody King! Cobb leaning on the ropes, a cannonball by King gets a two count…pile driver gets two! Shoulda hooked the leg, maaaaaaannnn. Snap germans by both men and we’re not selling any of them. Tour of the Islands gets the three count!

Winner: Jeff Cobb (12:50 via pin)
Larry’s Star Rating: ***1/2

– Finish felt like it came out of nowhere, but it was a fun little opening match for a big ROH event. Wouldn’t mind seeing more of these guys together.

ROH Road to G1 Supercard: San Antonio: Tag Wars 2019 Finals: Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Brody King & PCO: Tenille Dashwood joins Ian & Colt on commentary. Sure wish she was around doing something somewhere right now. Brody & David start. King plays the power game early, Finlay uppercuts King into the corner, double suplex gets one. Brody tags PCO. We return and PCO & Juice are facing off. PCO eventually gets an advantage. PCO has Brody chop him, and apparently that gets PCO going. A Brody chop doesn’t get Finlay going. Finlay getting beat down by Villian Enterprises here. Big ol’ clothesline by Brody. Juice finally gets the hot tag, beats down Brody in the corner, declares his cannonball is better, but then gets overhead suplexed into the corner. Might want to time your trash talk better there, guy. PCO with a big slam, goes up to the high rent district and splashes the kind of raised knees of Juice. Finlay tags in, but PCO works both of them over. Double bulldog attempt blocked, PCO clotheslines them over the top rope. Tenille is as confused as we are. Dive by PCO! Sitout powerbomb by King gets two. Juice fights out of the double team, Juice right hands, then lefts, then PCO is not human. Neither was that forearm PCO hit the man with. Uh oh…yep, PCO never hits that swanton onto the apron, does he? Brody tosses Juice out, Finlay with a spear, lariat to the back of Brody’s head gets two. Suplex reversed, Brody yanks Finlay off the top rope, hits the Gonzo Bomb and that will be it.

<bWinners: Brody King & PCO (13:38 via pin)
Steve’s Star Rating: ***1/4

– When the show originally took place the stream died for part of the finish. From what I saw including commercials, it was perfectly solid in-ring action, but you could tell these guys had worked earlier and needed to take a little time to get things going again.

– Brody talks about when he & PCO took on the Briscoes. Crazy brawl, violent from beginning until end, and they were crowned ROH tag team champions. This felt like an intro segment but it’s the end of the show. Darn.

– They are excited to get back to work. Villain Enterprises will once again rule the wrestling world when the pandemic is over.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

I liked the variety this show provided. One match was a crazy lucha style multi-man spotfest. Another match featured a couple of big bulls going at it. The other had a traditional tag team style. A little something for everybody this week.