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Cook’s ROH TV Review 8.8.20

August 8, 2020 | Posted by Steve Cook
ROH logo, Jay Lethal, ROH Week By Week Gabe Sapolsky, Kevin Eck Image Credit: ROH
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Cook’s ROH TV Review 8.8.20  

Hey kids! This week, Ring of Honor television takes a look at the man that dominated the Television Championship scene in 2019, Shane Taylor. I’m somewhat familiar with Taylor’s work, but I must say that I might be inclined to be biased against him.

Why?

Because he’s from Cleveland! Come on now, what good has ever come out of Cleveland?

Cook’s ROH TV Review 8.8.20

– We start with a video package celebrating Shane Taylor as the baddest champion we’ve ever seen. He was supposed to be a statistic, only reach a certain level of the platform. He’s outgrown that platform. He elevates everybody he works with and everywhere he works. Shane Taylor is money.

– The VP & Chief of Operations of Shane Taylor Promotions, Ron Hunt, is here with us to host the show. They’ve dominated since they entered ROH. What Shane has done in the last four years has been unheard of, what he did last year was unprecedented. He proved it to all the haters, and it all started with his first TV title defense against Bandido.

ROH Best in the World 2019: ROH World Television Championship Match: Shane Taylor (c) vs. Bandido: Chuck does not follow the Code of Honor. He talks some smack, and Bandido smacks him. Taylor can outsmack him though. Leapfrogs, roll throughs, Shane Taylor wanting to do some lucha here! Spit! Handspring, springboard, pump knee, flying headscissors by Bandido! Taylor catches the rana attempt and powerbombs him on the apron. I think that might be one of the hardest spots of the ring, not sure. Big ol chop to the chest. Talking some smack to the crowd. Taylor dominates in the ring as we go to commercial. We come back and Bandido trying to take him down with clotheslines. Doesn’t work, but the corkscrew splash off the top does! Facebuster, and Taylor heads outside. Fosbury Flop! Back in the ring, West Coast Pop gets a two count. Taylor comes back though. Clothesline darn near takes Bandido’s head off, but only good for two. Big moonsault by Bandido, but he tries to splash Taylor in the corner, gets STOed for his trouble. Big Boy Splash off the second rope gets two! He yells out Welcome to the Land, but that telegraphs the move. Bandido with a big kick, then goes for the 21plex…no, Taylor blocks that, headbutts Bandido down. Powerbomb, big knee, package piledriver! 2.7 count! Taylor goes back to the corner, tries a crossbody, Bandido catches him, big powerslam gets two! Bandido heads up top…nearly falls, but hits the shooting star press for 2 & 7/8! Bandido gets caught, Taylor hits the Welcome to the Land, and that is that.

Winner: Shane Taylor (12:45 via pin)
Larry’s Star Rating: ***3/4

– Bandido had previously defeated Taylor, so this was a big win to get the TV title reign off to a good start. Good little match, though that was the first time I saw Bandido nearly slip on something.

– People still doubted Shane Taylor after that match. As Shane Taylor Promotions does, they put something together. They scoured the world to find one of the youngest, fiercest competitors they could find. That person was right under their nose in Eli Ison. Homegrown in ROH. There was noone more desireable for a TV title opportunity than one of the young lions, and a future champion in ROH.

ROH Mass Hysteria: ROH World Television Championship Match: Shane Taylor (c) vs. Eli Isom: Shane spits at that handshake. Exchange of strikes to begin. Taylor gets the advantage when he shoulderblocks Isom into the lights. Isom kicks Taylor outside, tries a plancha, but that doesn’t work. Taylor gets sent into the ringpost though, baseball slide then a tope suicida by Isom! Taylor trips him up, hits a draping DDT from the apron to the floor! Sends Isom into the barricade and dominates the poor kid on the outside as we head to commercial. We come back to a facewashing by Taylor for a two count. Taylor setting up a package piledriver on the apron, but nah Isom ain’t taking that. He will take a hip toss from the apron to the floor though. Misses that Big Boy Splash! Isom with some strikes, spinning enziguri! Up & over in the corner, Taylor somersaults over Isom to the outside, and Isom hits the springboard moonsault! Back in the ring, 180 frog splash gets two! DDT by Isom gets another near-fall! Isom lifts Taylor up, hits the Kryptonite Krunch and gets two! Isom curses in anger! Taylor with a hard strike, but Isom fires back! Another strike from Taylor, and here Isom comes again! Headbutt, big powerbomb from Taylor. Knee, package piledriver! Only 2! Big shot by Taylor, Welcome to the Land! 3 count.

Winner: Shane Taylor (13:05 via pin)
Larry’s Star Rating: ***1/4

– Isom sure hung in there, gotta give the kid credit.

– 4 is apparently Shane Taylor Promotions’ lucky number, which is what led to a Four-Way in Las Vegas at Death Before Dishonor.

ROH Death Before Dishonor 2019: ROH World Championship Four-Way: Shane Taylor (c) vs. Tracy William vs. Flip Gordon vs. Dragon Lee: I feel like we’ve seen almost every match on this event by this point. PJ Black joins ian & Caprice for commentary on this one. Apparently Dragon Lee was a surprise entrant to this match. Flip & Tracy had a feud going here, so they go right after each other. Lee & Taylor face off in the ring while that’s going on. Taylor’s strikes seem a bit heavier, but Lee with a rana that sends Taylor outside. Flip comes in, rana sends him outside. Will Williams fare better? Nope. Lee teases a dive, hits the Tranquiillo pose, but Flip breaks that up with a dropkick. Flip & Tracy back in the ring. Tracy with the stretch plum, but Taylor breaks that up. Tracy with some big strikes. Taylor out, Lee in. Tracy dodges in the corner, but Lee up top, misses, series of missed moves & a standoff. Gordon trips Williams and takes him back outside, but Lee topes onto them bothj! What’s Taylor doing? CANNONBALL to the floor onto all three as we head to commercial! We’re back, and Flip hits a tornado DDT on Taylor. Kicks him out of the ring, so here’s Tracy. DDT onto the turnbuckle! Clothesline gets a nearfall, with a cute Dragon Lee kick after he stops the count! BRAINBUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAA by Lee on Williams gets two. Taylor back in with Lee, catches the rana, powerbomb blocked, knee by Lee, boot gets blocked and Taylor knees Lee out of the ring. Flip comes in, gets clotheslined in the corner, but superkicks Taylor. Rakes the eye, Flip goes out of the ring and gets a chair. Tracy takes it away & gets blindsided while the ref’s back is turned. Shane Taylor is here to take advantage of this nonsense, hits Welcome to the Land on Gordon for the three count!

Winner: Shane Taylor (7:55 via pin)
Larry’s Star Rating: **3/4

– Lee & Taylor face off afterward.

– Shane Taylor would rather die like a man than live like a coward. Stand for something, bow to no one, change the game!

7.0
The final score: review Good
The 411
OK, so Shane Taylor might be from Cleveland, and he may not have attained the fame of his former tag team partner Keith Lee just yet, but the guy ain't bad. Some solid action this week against a variety of opponents. I would have liked to see him face somebody closer to his size for even more variety, but ROH doesn't have that many of them.
legend

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ROH TV, Steve Cook