Ring of Honor Final Battle 2011 LD

[The Bearded One]

It's because the main event scene is about martial arts and kickboxing instead of wrestling.

Richards has actually been using wrestling more than strikes and has been doing some damage to Edwards' legs to set up the ankle lock. I'm as shocked as you are.

I have a sinking feeling this is going an hour.

 

[klunderbunker]

Any psychology from Richards is more than he usually has. I mean there is NO reason for him to use an ankle lock other than Angle uses one.

 

[The Man They Call WMD]

How did Maria look?

 

[The Bearded One]

Nevermind. This match has turned into everything I hate about Davey Richards. You know all that damage Edwards did to Richards so far? Richards sure doesn't.

 

[The Bearded One]

How did Maria look?

So unbelievably sexy. She looked as good, if not better, than she always has. Almost non-existent skirts probably had something to do with it as well.

 

[The Bearded One]

Fourth strike exchange of the match already.

 

[klunderbunker]

Fourth strike exchange of the match already.

They've been going about 20 minutes and that's all they've done so far? They're way behind.

 

[The Bearded One]

Roderick Strong came to ringside and started beating up Team Richards. Severn beats the shit out of him. Severn carries Martini to the back.

 

[The Bearded One]

They've been going about 20 minutes and that's all they've done so far? They're way behind.

Fifth time trading forearms.

 

[klunderbunker]

Those exchanges drive me crazy. If they would just fall backwards a little bit I'd be much more ok with them.

 

[The Bearded One]

Or not overuse them I'd be fine. But they're having a nice little bit of wrestling now. If they minimize the striking this match would be so much better. Oh, and selling moves would help a lot, too.

 

[klunderbunker]

Once Richards retains, logical booking would say build to Steen vs. Richards as Steen runs through Team Richards in quick order, probably leaving O'Reilly a bloody mess and saying that this is what'll happen to your world champion.

ROH logic says it'll be Hero or Strong to challenge next though.

 

[The Bearded One]

I'm pretty sure Elgin and Lethal will be the next two challengers since they've both won future ROH World Title matches. I agree though, Steen needs to be the next person to have a feud for the belt and he needs to win the title.

 

[The Bearded One]

After about 10000 kicks to Edwards' head, Richards retains the ROH World Title. I didn't like the match at all.

The undercard was really good. The two title matches were disappointing, though.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm pretty sure Elgin and Lethal will be the next two challengers since they've both won future ROH World Title matches. I agree though, Steen needs to be the next person to have a feud for the belt and he needs to win the title.

Lethal does nothing for me. He's the guy that used to work for TNA and now he works for ROH and he has some Randy Savage mannerisms left. Elgin is fine for a quick challenge. The idea to build Steen us as is this: Richards trains by studying his opponents and learning every single thing he can about them, but Steen isn't like anything he's ever seen because he's crazy and violent. He takes away everything that Richards can study and takes him out of his comfort zone. Build it up that way and have Steen win definitively, beating Richards down and having him pinned multiple times then beating him even more before he pins him with a foot on his chest to win the title. Do that and I might watch again.

 

[The Bearded One]

Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenz!

 

[klunderbunker]

What happened?

 

[The Bearded One]

Lethal does nothing for me. He's the guy that used to work for TNA and now he works for ROH and he has some Randy Savage mannerisms left. Elgin is fine for a quick challenge. The idea to build Steen us as is this: Richards trains by studying his opponents and learning every single thing he can about them, but Steen isn't like anything he's ever seen because he's crazy and violent. He takes away everything that Richards can study and takes him out of his comfort zone. Build it up that way and have Steen win definitively, beating Richards down and having him pinned multiple times then beating him even more before he pins him with a foot on his chest to win the title. Do that and I might watch again.

I would love that so so much. I'm not a Davey Richards fan at all. I'm not sure if they would end the match like that, but I really think Steen is the next world champ.

I like Lethal. I'm not a huge fan, but he can put on some entertaining matches. And I love me some Michael Elgin. He's been getting built up throughout 2011 and a competitive match against Richards would solidify him at the top of the card.

At the end of the show Steen came out and talked shit about Richards and Team Richards. He said he's going to win the title in 2012 and hold ROH hostage. I hope that happens sooner than later.

EDIT: He said that in a much cooler and more psychopathic way than that. Steen is the best thing going in independent wrestling.

 

[klunderbunker]

I do too. Face champions tend to be boring unless they're something exceptional, which Richards isn't.

 

[The Bearded One]

It's not that he's boring. It's just I don't really care for him at all. Back when I first started watching ROH, he and Edwards had just formed the American Wolves and I always like Edwards more. I'm just not a fan of Richards at all. Richards' title reign has been pretty bad so far. Steen needs to win the title and have a reign of terror over ROH until someone like Hero (if he sticks around) takes the title off him.

 

[Harthan]

ROH blew it on Richards. Should have beaten Black. Like Black should have beaten Nigel. Haven't booked a successful face champion since Joe.

 

[klunderbunker]

To me, he's very boring. He's too good. The guy is basically unbeatable because he kicks out of so many finishers that it's impossible to actually pin him. That gets old fast. With Hogan, it was a gimmick and he had so much charisma that it worked. Richards is completely absurd with all of the kicks and kicking out of EVERYTHING.

 

[The Bearded One]

That's exactly it. He's Super Cena, but worse. I don't think Richards would sell a shotgun blast to the face.

Overall, I really liked Final Battle no matter how badly the last two matches tried to ruin it for me.

 

[klunderbunker]

That's true. The match a few years ago with Black vs. Richards drove me crazy. The one where the fans chanted You Can't Beat HIm and then Black pinned him is the epitome of everythign I hate about ROH: the last 15 minutes is nothing but kicking out of finishers. I've seen Richards no sell A KICK TO THE FREAKING HEAD. That doesn't work, at all. Cena and Austin lost once in awhile and Hogan would get counted out or DQed every now and then. Also he wouldn't Hulk Up until the end. Until then he'd look like he was dead.

 

[The Bearded One]

I didn't mind that match. I'm also a complete Tyler Black mark and won't criticize anything he takes part in, so that might have something to do with it.