Csonka’s ROH TV Review 5.23.18

Csonka’s ROH TV Review 5.23.18

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Jay Lethal defeated Punishment Martinez @ 16:45 via pin [***]
– Shane Taylor vs. Joey Daddiego went to a no contest @ 4:45 [NR]
– Bullet Club defeated SoCal Uncensored @ 15:00 via pin [***¼]
– @ via []

---

– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– Read my ROH Honor United: Edinburgh preview at this link. You’ll have to as ROH gave the UK shows no hype here.

Jay Lethal vs. Punishment Martinez: Martinez tries to attack, but Jay dumps him right away. He follows with seven suicide dives, just fucking running wild. He follows with one more, taking the big man down. Back in and Jay starts breaking Martinez down with leg kicks and now works the leg. Martinez fires up with a lariat and takes Jay down. Post break, and Jay is back to working the leg, trying to break the big man down. Martinez fights off the figure four, lays in strikes and the side slam follows for 2. Martinez hits a spin kick, but can’t follow up as he’s still hobbled. Martinez slowly heads up top, but Jay cuts him off, attacking the knee. He follows him up, but Martinez fights him off and hits the top rope spin kick for 2. Jay looks for a suplex, they fight over it, and Jay finally hits it. Post break, and Jay has the figure four applied. Martinez fights and reaches the ropes. Jay goes for the lethal injection, but Martinez counters and hits a curb stomp for 2. Martinez takes him up top, and follows him up. Jay attacks the knee, but Martinez keeps fighting for the chokeslam. Jay knocks him to the mat and the elbow drop connects for 2. Jay lays the boots to him, Martinez cuts him off and looks for a psycho driver, Jay escapes, Martinez is hobbled and the lethal injection connects for the win. Jay Lethal defeated Punishment Martinez @ 16:45 via pin [***] Lethal’s current angle is that he’s on a quest to defeat everyone who defeated him in the recent year or so to get back to the ROH World Title, his road to glory. This was a good match, with a good attack from Lethal, and really great selling by Martinez.

– We get a video, hyping Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose for the Women Of Honor Championship next week.

– Joey Daddiego arrives for the first time since last June; he wasn’t missed. He calls out Shane Taylor. Joey Daddiego was 39 (seriously).

Shane Taylor vs. Joey Daddiego: Daddiego attacks at the bell but quickly gets cut off. Taylor hits the tree slam and splash for 2. Taylor is pissed, and then misses the cannonball. Daddiego fires away with strikes and rocks Taylor. The Daddiego valley driver connects for 2. They brawl to the floor, and Taylor repeatedly slams Daddiego to the barricades. Taylor lays in forearms and lays him on open chairs and hits an apron splash, effectively ending Daddiego’s life. Taylor then chokeslams a ref on the floor. He chases another in the ring and they takes out security goofs with ease. This is a no contest. Shane Taylor vs. Joey Daddiego went to a no contest @ 4:45 [NR] Two weeks ago, Taylor was killing a fool in 15 seconds, and now this. For some reason they gave Daddiego , a guy who hasn’t been on ROH TV for almost a year, some run against Taylor instead of just having Taylor win. ROH still really has no direction for him, and him destroying people is just par for the course. But I expect no less from lizardman.

– Cody & Brandi are backstage, and Cody reveals that he’s getting his rematch for the ROH World Championship at Best In The World against Dalton Castle. Marty Scurll is still out there with a defy or deny and could easily be added to the match.

– We get video of Bully Ray beating up Eli Isom, Façade, and Cheeseburger last week and then announcing he’s coming out of retirement.

– We get footage of the Briscoes beating down Bullet Club with chairs on last week’s show.

SoCal Uncensored (Daniels, Kaz, & Sky) vs. Bullet Club (Cody, Page, & Marty): Burnard the Business Bear is out with Cody. Sky and Cody begin. They lock up and Sky makes the ropes for a break. Sky now attacks, taking control for a bit until Cody cuts him off with a stalling suplex. Post break, and Marty & Daniels are in. Marty frustrates Daniels, and plays to the crowd. Page tags in and Kaz now tags back in as they renew their rivalry. They work into some back and forth and then into a stand off. They fire up and trade strikes, Page hits a rolling elbow and follows with the dropsault for 2. Cody tags in and hits a missile dropkick. Kaz cuts him off and Cody then hits Marty with the disaster kick by accident. That allows Daniels and Kaz to cut off Cody. SoCal takes the heat, working quick tags and isolating Cody. They now triple team Cody, and Sky hits a RANA for 2. Post break as Cody fights for a tag, but Daniels cuts him off. Cody hits a clothesline and we get wholesale changes to Marty & Sky. Marty works him over, laying the boots to Sky in the corner. Kaz in, but Marty hits the superkick and Sky cuts him off. Cody in and he and Marty work double teams on Sky. Marty follows with an apron superkick, but Daniels hits the Arabian press to the floor. Cody follows with the run up high cross and Kaz then hits a slingshot RANA. Page takes him out with the shooting star from the apron while Sky finishes it with a tope. Cody cuts off Daniels up top and superplexes him onto the pile on the floor. They work a countout tease, and all make it back in. Marty & Daniels trade strikes, but Daniels cuts him off with an STO. Page hits Daniels with a powerbomb, and Kaz takes him out with a slingshot cutter. Cody hits him with the snap slam and it continues to break down. Marty hits the ghostbuster on Sky, and calls for the chicken wing. Sky fights him off, Page tags in and he takes out Daniels and Kaz with the buckshot lariat; Cody hits Din’s Fire on Sky and Page finishes him with the Rite Of Passage. Bullet Club defeated SoCal Uncensored @ 15:00 via pin [***¼] Cody & Page remain on the same page, while Cody & Marty are still having issues, which plays well into the world title situation. This was a good main event, a lot of fun with good moving parts and a really receptive crowd. I also enjoyed the continued work on the Cody/Marty dynamic.

– Post match, SoCal attacks Cody, Marty makes the save and accidentally lays out Cody with an umbrella shot to close the show.

– Next week…

* Sumie Sakai vs. Jenny Rose for the Women Of Honor Championship

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.5

The final score: review Average

The 411

This was an overall solid episode of ROH TV. We got two good matches, but absolutely NO hype for this week’s ROH Honor United events, only one match announced for next week, and poor and unfocused angle for Shane Taylor. This company had so much momentum heading into Supercard of Honor, but that feels like years ago at this point…