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ROH TV 12-22-12 (Best of 2012)



I was expecting these Best of 2012 specials to be nothing but clips, but they’re actually showing complete matches and it’s stuff I haven’t covered before. So let’s get to it.


Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards (aired 6-9-12): So they’re going to show this, instead of the incredible Young Bucks/Coleman & Alexander match from August? Ugh… I don’t think I saw this match when it originally aired, though given how little I care about either of these guys it’s possible that I did see it and just forgot about it 2 minutes later. Richards is the heel here, for reasons I don’t remember or particularly give a rat’s ass about. Steve Corino is on commentary, but he’s just putting over Kevin Steen instead of trying to be funny and isn’t as entertaining as he usually is. Long chain wrestling sequence, and the crowd basically no-sells it, even throwing in some boos instead of popping. Both guys end up on the outside and Edwards chops away. Back in Edwards runs into a boot on a blind charge, Richards goes up top but gets caught with a jumping enziguri, Edwards hits the chin-checker but Richards locks in an armbar. Edwards makes the ropes, a fight on the apron leads to Richards doing a cool looking move where he twists Edwards’ arm and drops him shoulder-first on the edge of the ring as we go to break.

Back from commercial and Richards is working the arm. That goes on for a while, Edwards hits a missile dropkick for 2 and chops away. Richards comes back with some kicks to the injured shoulder. Tiger suplex by Edwards for 2, and that should have been the finish, but it keeps going. He goes up top, Richards catches him and hooks a kimura while Edwards is on the top rope, which makes absolutely no sense at all. Some crappy looking headbutts lead to a superplex rolled into an armbar, Edwards reverses that into the Achilles lock. He can’t really crank it because of the bad arm, and Richards reverses that into the anklelock. Edwards gets free, both guys hit simultaneous boots to the face and Richards goes back to the armbar. Long pinfall reversal sequence ends with Richards no-selling a superkick and hitting Edwards with a clothesline (with the full 360 sell by Edwards). Richards runs into a boot, Edwards gets caught going up top again but reverses the superplex into what I think was supposed to be a top rope double-knee gutbuster but looked more like an X-Factor. Richards is on his knees and Edwards just chops him right in the face for 2. Double stomp from the top misses and Richards goes back to the anklelock. Uh, Davey, you’ve been working the ARM the entire match, remember? Edwards gets free but gets kicked in the face, and here’s Jimmy Jacobs to distract Richards, and Edwards hits a missile dropkick and a rollup for the win at 15:39 shown. **, others will probably give this a higher rating but I was just bored out of my damned mind watching this, and it had the usual issues that plague Richards' matches. It also went on too long, especially with that cheap finish. This, BTW, was not even CLOSE to one of the best ROH TV matches this year.

Clips of a Briscoes vs. Steen and Jacobs match from a house show earlier this year. Pretty funny to see that the ramp leading to the back is clearly one of those ramps from a U-Haul truck. Match ends with Mark diving about 40 feet from a balcony to splash Steen trough a table. This looked fucking insane, why couldn’t they have showed it in full? Better question: why are they wasting crazy shit like that on house shows instead of doing it on TV or PPV?

Mike Bennett (w/Maria & Brutal Bob) vs. Lance Storm (aired 8-3-12): I don’t remember this either. Unfortunately it’s clipped to shreds. Last 5 minutes or so are shown, match ends when Maria hops up on the apron to distract the ref and Bennett TKOs Storm on a chair that Brutal Bob slides in. Looked about ***ish at least, and again I would have much rather seen this match than Richards/Edwards.

Quick overview of the title changes that happened though out the year.

ROH TV Title: Adam Cole vs. Roderick Strong (w/Truth Martini) (c) (aired 7-28-12): This one I definitely did see when it first aired. Cole gets baited into shaking hands with Martini during the Code of Honor and gets nailed from behind by Strong. That’s just inexperience right there. Strong dumps him to the floor and pounds away, then drops him back-first on the edge of the ring. Back in Strong continues to beat Cole’s ass with a little help from Truth when the ref’s not looking. Cole tries to come back but eats a stun gun and a backbreaker gets 2. More punchy-kicky stuff from Strong but it’s pretty stiff so I don’t mind it. He dumps Cole again, Irish whip into the barricade by Strong is reversed but he comes right back with a superkick and just launches Cole right into the ringpost. That looked REALLY painful. Strong rolls in to break the count and heads back out to continue the beating. This kid is just getting the shit kicked out of him. Suplex on the floor gets 2 back in the ring, Strong grabs a headlock as we cut to commercial.

Cole is throwing forearms as we return but Strong stops the comeback with a dropkick to the knee. He goes for the jumping double-knee backbreaker but Cole reverses it into a crucifix for 2, then hits a backslide for 2. He tries a vertical suplex but his back is shot from the beating he’s taken and Strong gets the Liontamer, Cole makes the ropes. Jumping enziguri by Cole but he’s too worn out to take advantage and we have a double-KO. Both guys are back up and Cole fires away with forearms and clotheslines Strong to the floor, then hits the Bret Hart dive through the ropes. He tosses Strong back in and hits a crossbody from the top for 2, but runs into a boot on a blind charge and is nailed with a jumping knee. Cole back with a dropkick to the knee of his own, and a Shining Wizards gets 2. He tries for the Florida Key but ends up getting put on the top rope and hit with the turnbuckle backbreaker for 2. That still looks stupid, especially with the ROH turnbuckle covers being so big that they look like pillows. Double-knee gutbuster and Cole just barely kicks out. Strong tries for the Gibson driver but Cole reverses into a rana and hits the slingshot DDT onto the apron for 2. He heads towards the ropes and Truth hops up on the apron and tries to nail him with the book, Cole ducks and sends Truth right over the turnbuckles and to the floor. Strong nails Cole from behind and goes for the double-knee backbreaker but can’t land it and Cole tries the figure 4, Strong gets a small package off it for 2. Superkick and a shoulderbreaker get 2 for Cole and he gets the figure 4 this time as Michael Elgin makes his way to ringside. He just stands there, another superkick from Cole and the Florida Key finishes it and Cole is your NEW ROH TV champ at 12:06 shown. Kelly seems really excited about it for some reason. ***1/2, good stiff match with a hot crowd behind it. Random fun fact: Cole is actually a product of the CZW school, which means that either that camp is a lot better than we give it credit for or he really is that talented to overcome training that crappy. Probably a combination of the 2…

Next week they’re showing the ROH MOTY, if they show it in full I’ll review it, if not I’ll find something else to do next weekend. Until then, have a Merry Christmas. 

Comments

  1. I vaguely remember that Young Bucks/Iesha and Shaniqua match, and I'd rather watch Davey/Eddie part 6476, boring pile of shit it was. ** seems a little high.

    And does Cole have another finish? The Florida Key is a little too "why is your opponent helping you with your move?" for my tastes. (And this is from someone who liked the Canadian Destroyer.)

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  2. Figured the people reading this review might be interested in the PWG DDT4 card. It looks stellar. The Ricochet & Swann vs. Young Bucks should be completely out of control. Wish they ran iPPV. There's just something special about watching it happen live rather than 3 months later when the DVD comes out.

    http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com/tickets/

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  3. The figure 4 is his submission finish

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  4. yeah, 2 stats is low...I give it 3 and Kevin Kelly mentioned that Richards Edwards 4 was one of the highest rated shows all year, thus it's inclusion

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  5. He uses the figure 4, but I've never seen him win a match with it, it's more of a signature wear-down hold. I don't really care for the German as a finisher either, just because it's such a common move. A Dragon or Tiger suplex? Now we're getting somewhere.

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  6. I see why people like it, but about 5 minutes in I was just hoping it would end already. And I'm just beyond sick of Richards in general.

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  7. I find it hilarious that Steen and Generico are teaming there. I wish PWG would do shows in NY.

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  8. Oh Richards is annoying, but objectively he had a good match here (Don't remember the last time Edwards had a bad match...just saying) and I find it interesting that this match did a high viewership rating--in ROH land Vanilla midgets DO draw...now for drawing in the people not within ROH land

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  9. He beat O'Reilly with it in his break out match at BitW, as well as Brutal Bob at Boiling Point and I think some geeks at the live events

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  10. Umm, Am I missing something? Generio isn't listed as Steen's partner

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  11. I swear I thought I saw he was, maybe they changed it. Or maybe I was just high.

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  12. I thought it was boring as hell, but from a purely technical perspective it was fine. Edwards I don't have a problem with (no mic skills, but that's the last thing I care about when it comes to wrestlers and people don't watch ROH for the promos anyway) but I'm convinced that Richards is good as a tag guy but totally sucks as a singles wrestler. I'd much rather see him as Edwards' partner than his opponent.

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  13. Cole IS teaming with O'Reilly at the PWG show, that I'm sure of.

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  14. Damn, the subbed Willie Mack for Generico. That's a shame. Nothing against Willie Mack, but Steenerico is one of my favorites.

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  15. OK, so I wasn't the only one that saw Generico was teaming with Steen. Thought I was getting senile or something.

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  16. THIS IS THE BEST OF 2012 ROH!?!


    WHERES FAT STEEN?
    Wheres Son of Steen the ***** kid Michael Elgin?
    Wheres Jay Lethal at?


    Terrible.

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  17. Yeah, Cole is heel down there, seemed odd to I've seen seems fine

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  18. Yeah, I wasn't bored when that aired live, My TV Buffulo cut the show off before it ended that week and I screamed at my TV because I was invested in the match and wanted to know who won so bad

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  19. I don't follow PWG closely, but I know Generico and Steen were murderizing each other there too-did they make up or something (only on the west coast of course)

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  20. Either Steen or Elgin is in the Match of the year broadcast next week-I'm hoping both, Elgin and Steen tore the roof down at GBH XI

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  21. I'm pretty sure he's a heel everywhere but ROH. That's how you know he's going to be a star, kid is only 3 years IN THIS BUSINESS but is already equally adept at playing heel and face. There's lots of guys that have been around 15+ years that can't say that.

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  22. If that's next weeks match I'm just going to skip it and review something else because I've already covered it. My guess is that it will be Elgin/Richards though, which is good because I haven't seen it, but bad because Davey Richards is in it and I have a feeling that I'll just shit all over it. If it's the ROH TV MOTY than I have no idea what they'll show. It should be Young Bucks/C+C, but I doubt they'll want to feature someone who's not with the company anymore.

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  23. They joined forces to help a referee (Rick Knox) beat the hell out of the Young Bucks. One of those we hate each other, but not as much as we both hate those guys deals. The Young Bucks vs Rick Knox angle is one of the few long running angles PWG has ever done really well in my opinion. The Bucks are such awesome bad guys.

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  24. So it's not some bizarre thing were they hate each other enough for LADDER WAR on one coast but hug it out Team friendship style on the west

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  25. Cole is awesome, no argument from me

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  26. Elgin vs Richards will win only because of the publicity Meltzer gave it, Nothing more to it. Try to keep an open mind despite your loathing for Richards, Scott liked it to so we know this isn't JUST Meltzer being, well, Meltzer

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  27. I wouldn't say I loathe Richards, in fact I've really liked some of his matches, particularly the one at Final Battle, and his match with Lethal at Glory by Honor was good too. I'm just thinking I won't like Richards/Elgin because I hated the one from ROH TV a few weeks ago. It doesn't help that imitation (or even real) fighting spirit style isn't my kind of wrestling to begin with.

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  28. see I enjoy all that fighting spirit nonsense, the problemIs that if you don't buy completely into it it doesn't work

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  29. Shame he's smaller than Bryan.

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  30. He's listed at 199, so yeah, he's not very big. But he's still young, and while there's obviously nothing that can be done about his height I think he could put on 15-20 pounds of muscle without steroids.

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  31. Yeah, but WWE is looking towards smaller wrestlers anyway. I'd give him 2-3 years max in RoH before he's drafted.

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  32. I'd give him 3-6 months. That match with Hardy, I think, will get the attention of Vince and HHH more than any of his matches where he looked like a star. Why? Because Fatt Hardy was acting like a Paul Roma-type unprofessional fuckhead with his total lack of effort, constant playing to the crowd while Cole just had to lay there, and not selling anything Cole did besides the German on the floor. Cole's response to all this? He didn't lose his cool, he didn't say "fuck this shit" and start shooting on Hardy like I would have. No, he stuck to the script and ate the job like a man, and looked like a million bucks in the process. Sure, Vince likes big hosses, but the one thing he likes more is workers that will do what they're told to do no questions asked, and if Cole is willing to do that in ROH when he can clearly get bookings in every other indy promotion than he'll have no problem doing it for the biggest wrestling company the world has ever seen. PWG doesn't have their head up their ass, they just put their world title on him. Vince needs to sign him NOW, before TNA comes calling. If he's not with WWE before Summerslam I'll be shocked.


    BTW, and while I hate to say this, I don't think ROH will be around in 2-3 years, unless they have a complete overhaul. They remind me of ECW, and not the good 94-95 ECW, but the bad 99-2000 ECW. This company just has that stink of death on it, and if they don't fix it really soon it's gonna be too late.

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