Papa Pillman
I've got more Ho's than Jim Duggan
Last night was ROH's 11th Anniversary Show from Chicago Ridge, Illinois. The potential wrestling action looked great on paper and they teased a big storyline progression, and the show delivered on both parts...
First off, it was a great quality product from ROH, the stream worked really well, especially after they worked the kinks out through the first match, they started on time, the show didn't drag out, Intermission didn't drag on, sound quality was good, the visual production was up to quality of the recent TV broadcasts, just a quality professional product across the board. Very good sign for ROH.
As for the matches...
6-Man Mayhem - ACH v. QT Marshall v. TD Thomas v. Mike Sydal v. Silas Young v. Adam Page
This was a glorified showcase for all of the ROH newcomers, and it quickly broke down into an abbrevaited spot-fest. But it worked and provided a fun opener to get the crowd going. ACH got the win, pinning Young after a Cradle-DDT. ACH is the newest contract signee for the company and was the star of the match. He and Thomas also worked together with a few nice spots, teasing some possible tag action between the two. 2.75 Stars
Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander v. S.C.U.M.(Corino and Jacobs)
This was the kickstart for what was an incredible night of tag team action. C&C looked great and were in a serious groove, including landing a really cool double Northern Lights suplex at one point. Caprice has an it-factor both in the ring and on the mic, and Cedric continued to show why he is a future huge star in the business. Jacobs also looked good and continued the roll he's been on in the early year from a match-quality perspective. SCUM got the win with a Spike-Piledriver. 3 Stars
BJ Whitmer v. Charlie Haas - No Holds Barred
This was your typical "everything but the kitchen sink" street fight scenario. Lots of stiff weapon shots, a sick belly-to-belly overhead over the ropes through a table by Haas on Whitmer, and a couple crazy superplex spots through ladders and tables before Whitmer got the win via-stoppage due to repeated knees to Haas's head while he was unable to defend. I would've loved to see a few more non-weapon related sequences, but this was par for the course, and provided some brutal fun. 3.25 Stars
American Wolves v. Forever Hooligans
This is what you would hope to get from these four. Stiff striking, impressive technical execution, some quality double-team scenarios, alot of entertaining interplay between former teammates Romero and Richards, and everybody getting their shit in. The Hooligans played great heels during the match, and then played to an appreciative, embracing crowd afterwords. The hug between Rocky and Davey post-match was a nice touch. Wolves got the win via a powerbomb to back-stabber combo. 3.75 Stars
Michael Elgin v. Roderick Strong - 2/3 Falls
Not quite the epic that could've been expected, but Roddy and Elgin each did there thing none-the-less. Elgin got the first fall quickly via the buckle-bomb to Elgin-bomb sequence, Roddy got the second fall, which was the longest of the three, with his vertical suplex converted into back-breaker, and Elgin took the third with the crossface, finally getting the better of Roddy for the first time since this fued really took legs. I expected this match to be the prolonged epic encounter that we have been patiently waiting for from these two, but each fall just left a small amount to be desired and overall this felt rushed. Three to Five more minutes could've yielded something very special. 3.5 Stars
TV Champion Adam Cole defending against Matt Taven w/ Truth Martini
First... What the Hell was Truth wearing?!? The match delivered the night's first shocker of a finish, as ROH took a play from it's glory days playbook and let a very talented newcomer, Taven, who had won the TPT to earn his shot, get the glory and steal the title after some aid from Truth. He hit a modified front-DDT after a shot to cole with the "Book of Truth" and stole the television title. Very interesting outcome, but it is good for Truth to get a champ back on his side, it will help elevate Taven, and Cole didn't need this belt anyway. The match was even better than anticipated, as Cole did what you'd expect(worked his ass off) while Taven just raised his stock dramatically with a stellar outing. The chemistry was there, the ending was not predictable, just great storytelling and a fine technical display from the two young stars. 3.5 Stars
World Tag Champs The Briscoes defending against reDRagon(Fish and O'Reilly)
This was the capper to a spectacualr night of tag-team action. Mark Briscoe looked better than I've seen him in months, and reDRagon continues to get better as a team with every match. This went beyond formula-tag action, and ventured toward something special. These guys worked so well against each other that I would pay to watch this match-up several more times. After they had hit each other with every double-team move in their trick bags, including Cole recieving a Doomsday Device on the outside and Am-fishin' hitting a doomsday device of their own, things finally concluded with a sick overhead suplex from the apron to the floor by Fish to Mark, and reDRagon's "Chasing the Dragon" finisher(a Headkick-to-Brainbuster combo) for Cole and O'Reilly to capture their first ROH gold. This was the match of the night to this point. 4 Stars
World Champion Kevin Steen defending against Jay Lethal
Just wow. This match had everything. Great storytelling, believable near-falls, a F-Cinque through a ringside table, an overall epic feel, and a ref-bump with a pre-requisite run-in from SCUM that progressed the story but happened with enough action remaining that it didn't negatively effect the match's ending. The ending came as part of a full-circle moment, as Steen, who couldn't put Lethal away with his usual arsenal including a near-fall on a package piledriver, finally concludes the action by dipping into Generico's bag of tricks with a top turnbuckle Brainbuster. This was arguably Lethal's best singles match in his ROH career edging the match he had with Davey at GBH XI, and it added another chapter to Steen's stellar title run. This match more than delivered on the hype and build. 4.25 Stars
Post match is when things really got interesting as Corino's ominous threat of a growing SCUM collective came to fruition, and provided the single largest-scale storyline-progressing moment ROH has seen since maybe it's pre-Cornette days, likening itself back to the CZW invasion and the Age of the Fall debut.
Jacobs, who had been scolded at ringside by Steen, is joined by Rhino who Gores Lethal and commences a beatdown. The Briscoes lead-off an army of babyfaces only to be confronted by the product of Corino's prophecy. A returning Jimmy Rave and a debuting Cliff Compton enter the action in SCUM shirts and join the beatdown. More ROH faces follow and begin to be systematically taken out and incapacitated(including Jay Briscoe being zip-tied to the corner ropes) as BJ and Rhett Titus enter the action, Titus pulls the swerve and dropkicks BJ then reveals a SCUM shirt of his own. ROH representatives like the Wolves and C&C's addition to the fray left me with that "will they or won't they?" feeling, yet none pulled the shock turn. Matt Hardy became the final man to reveal himself as a new recruit to SCUM, as the heels layed waste to the roster. As this happens Steen looks on with a very ambiguous attitude, never helping the other SCUM members. Corino finally grasps the mic and puts over SCUM, its new ranks, and its motives to kill ROH. He even gives a sickeningly over-the-top verbal knob-slobbing to Matt Hardy. Steen doesn't appear to know what to make of the scene as his SCUM "brothers" stand seven strong and symbolically destroy an ROH flag with Jacob's trusty spike.
The crowd ate the ending up, reacting like a late 90s WCW crowd feeding the action by throwing trash and booing wildly. While many have already declared the new SCUM collective as Immortal 2.0(understandable comparison), the moment felt big and came together as well as could've been hoped and definitely gave off an undeniable NWO vibe that elicited the desired crowd response. Adding Hardy, while sure to be heavily criticized, gauranteed the group would get the needed heel reaction. This sets up SCUM as a group with enough numbers(and enough guys with legitimate beef with the company) to try to bring down ROH. And could set up a very interesting faction war that will probably see Steen jump ship and lead the ROH charge. This is something that hasn't been done in ROH for a long enough time to give a chance to feel fresh. And TNA should take notes, this is how you take a stable of mid-carders and make them feel like a threat and a big deal. Hopefully this angle doesn't fizzle under SCUM's lack of starpower once Steen inevitably switches sides. I have faith that Delirius and company(undoubtedly with Corino's aid) know what they're doing and will book this angle in a way that will work.
The 11th Anniversary will be a show that is remembered when the book on ROH is written. Great wrestling action and a big time finishing moment that probably sets the stage for what will be 2013's dominant story angle make this a show that needs to be seen by even casual fans of the company.
First off, it was a great quality product from ROH, the stream worked really well, especially after they worked the kinks out through the first match, they started on time, the show didn't drag out, Intermission didn't drag on, sound quality was good, the visual production was up to quality of the recent TV broadcasts, just a quality professional product across the board. Very good sign for ROH.
As for the matches...
6-Man Mayhem - ACH v. QT Marshall v. TD Thomas v. Mike Sydal v. Silas Young v. Adam Page
This was a glorified showcase for all of the ROH newcomers, and it quickly broke down into an abbrevaited spot-fest. But it worked and provided a fun opener to get the crowd going. ACH got the win, pinning Young after a Cradle-DDT. ACH is the newest contract signee for the company and was the star of the match. He and Thomas also worked together with a few nice spots, teasing some possible tag action between the two. 2.75 Stars
Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander v. S.C.U.M.(Corino and Jacobs)
This was the kickstart for what was an incredible night of tag team action. C&C looked great and were in a serious groove, including landing a really cool double Northern Lights suplex at one point. Caprice has an it-factor both in the ring and on the mic, and Cedric continued to show why he is a future huge star in the business. Jacobs also looked good and continued the roll he's been on in the early year from a match-quality perspective. SCUM got the win with a Spike-Piledriver. 3 Stars
BJ Whitmer v. Charlie Haas - No Holds Barred
This was your typical "everything but the kitchen sink" street fight scenario. Lots of stiff weapon shots, a sick belly-to-belly overhead over the ropes through a table by Haas on Whitmer, and a couple crazy superplex spots through ladders and tables before Whitmer got the win via-stoppage due to repeated knees to Haas's head while he was unable to defend. I would've loved to see a few more non-weapon related sequences, but this was par for the course, and provided some brutal fun. 3.25 Stars
American Wolves v. Forever Hooligans
This is what you would hope to get from these four. Stiff striking, impressive technical execution, some quality double-team scenarios, alot of entertaining interplay between former teammates Romero and Richards, and everybody getting their shit in. The Hooligans played great heels during the match, and then played to an appreciative, embracing crowd afterwords. The hug between Rocky and Davey post-match was a nice touch. Wolves got the win via a powerbomb to back-stabber combo. 3.75 Stars
Michael Elgin v. Roderick Strong - 2/3 Falls
Not quite the epic that could've been expected, but Roddy and Elgin each did there thing none-the-less. Elgin got the first fall quickly via the buckle-bomb to Elgin-bomb sequence, Roddy got the second fall, which was the longest of the three, with his vertical suplex converted into back-breaker, and Elgin took the third with the crossface, finally getting the better of Roddy for the first time since this fued really took legs. I expected this match to be the prolonged epic encounter that we have been patiently waiting for from these two, but each fall just left a small amount to be desired and overall this felt rushed. Three to Five more minutes could've yielded something very special. 3.5 Stars
TV Champion Adam Cole defending against Matt Taven w/ Truth Martini
First... What the Hell was Truth wearing?!? The match delivered the night's first shocker of a finish, as ROH took a play from it's glory days playbook and let a very talented newcomer, Taven, who had won the TPT to earn his shot, get the glory and steal the title after some aid from Truth. He hit a modified front-DDT after a shot to cole with the "Book of Truth" and stole the television title. Very interesting outcome, but it is good for Truth to get a champ back on his side, it will help elevate Taven, and Cole didn't need this belt anyway. The match was even better than anticipated, as Cole did what you'd expect(worked his ass off) while Taven just raised his stock dramatically with a stellar outing. The chemistry was there, the ending was not predictable, just great storytelling and a fine technical display from the two young stars. 3.5 Stars
World Tag Champs The Briscoes defending against reDRagon(Fish and O'Reilly)
This was the capper to a spectacualr night of tag-team action. Mark Briscoe looked better than I've seen him in months, and reDRagon continues to get better as a team with every match. This went beyond formula-tag action, and ventured toward something special. These guys worked so well against each other that I would pay to watch this match-up several more times. After they had hit each other with every double-team move in their trick bags, including Cole recieving a Doomsday Device on the outside and Am-fishin' hitting a doomsday device of their own, things finally concluded with a sick overhead suplex from the apron to the floor by Fish to Mark, and reDRagon's "Chasing the Dragon" finisher(a Headkick-to-Brainbuster combo) for Cole and O'Reilly to capture their first ROH gold. This was the match of the night to this point. 4 Stars
World Champion Kevin Steen defending against Jay Lethal
Just wow. This match had everything. Great storytelling, believable near-falls, a F-Cinque through a ringside table, an overall epic feel, and a ref-bump with a pre-requisite run-in from SCUM that progressed the story but happened with enough action remaining that it didn't negatively effect the match's ending. The ending came as part of a full-circle moment, as Steen, who couldn't put Lethal away with his usual arsenal including a near-fall on a package piledriver, finally concludes the action by dipping into Generico's bag of tricks with a top turnbuckle Brainbuster. This was arguably Lethal's best singles match in his ROH career edging the match he had with Davey at GBH XI, and it added another chapter to Steen's stellar title run. This match more than delivered on the hype and build. 4.25 Stars
Post match is when things really got interesting as Corino's ominous threat of a growing SCUM collective came to fruition, and provided the single largest-scale storyline-progressing moment ROH has seen since maybe it's pre-Cornette days, likening itself back to the CZW invasion and the Age of the Fall debut.
Jacobs, who had been scolded at ringside by Steen, is joined by Rhino who Gores Lethal and commences a beatdown. The Briscoes lead-off an army of babyfaces only to be confronted by the product of Corino's prophecy. A returning Jimmy Rave and a debuting Cliff Compton enter the action in SCUM shirts and join the beatdown. More ROH faces follow and begin to be systematically taken out and incapacitated(including Jay Briscoe being zip-tied to the corner ropes) as BJ and Rhett Titus enter the action, Titus pulls the swerve and dropkicks BJ then reveals a SCUM shirt of his own. ROH representatives like the Wolves and C&C's addition to the fray left me with that "will they or won't they?" feeling, yet none pulled the shock turn. Matt Hardy became the final man to reveal himself as a new recruit to SCUM, as the heels layed waste to the roster. As this happens Steen looks on with a very ambiguous attitude, never helping the other SCUM members. Corino finally grasps the mic and puts over SCUM, its new ranks, and its motives to kill ROH. He even gives a sickeningly over-the-top verbal knob-slobbing to Matt Hardy. Steen doesn't appear to know what to make of the scene as his SCUM "brothers" stand seven strong and symbolically destroy an ROH flag with Jacob's trusty spike.
The crowd ate the ending up, reacting like a late 90s WCW crowd feeding the action by throwing trash and booing wildly. While many have already declared the new SCUM collective as Immortal 2.0(understandable comparison), the moment felt big and came together as well as could've been hoped and definitely gave off an undeniable NWO vibe that elicited the desired crowd response. Adding Hardy, while sure to be heavily criticized, gauranteed the group would get the needed heel reaction. This sets up SCUM as a group with enough numbers(and enough guys with legitimate beef with the company) to try to bring down ROH. And could set up a very interesting faction war that will probably see Steen jump ship and lead the ROH charge. This is something that hasn't been done in ROH for a long enough time to give a chance to feel fresh. And TNA should take notes, this is how you take a stable of mid-carders and make them feel like a threat and a big deal. Hopefully this angle doesn't fizzle under SCUM's lack of starpower once Steen inevitably switches sides. I have faith that Delirius and company(undoubtedly with Corino's aid) know what they're doing and will book this angle in a way that will work.
The 11th Anniversary will be a show that is remembered when the book on ROH is written. Great wrestling action and a big time finishing moment that probably sets the stage for what will be 2013's dominant story angle make this a show that needs to be seen by even casual fans of the company.