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Ring of Honor Retribution: Round Robin Challenge II April 26th, 2003

April 26, 2003

From the Allegheny County Community College in West Mifflin, PA

Your hosts are Ray Murrow and Chris Levy




The Prophecy are backstage as Daniels says that tonight is their right of retribution. Donovan Morgan is finally back and says it is not his fault he has a job in Japan and blames RoH for punishing them because they are successful. Allison Danger makes fun of Corino for being a bed-wetter at age fourteen as Daniels brings out the former Mafia as their enforcer who will now go by Danny Maff, who comes out and cuts a promo about the Code of Honor getting him straight to the midcard but with the Prophecy, he will make his name.


Round Robin Match
Amazing Red vs. "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels w/ Allison Danger & Danny Maff

We learn here that the Round Robin Challenge will consist of Daniels, Red, and Paul London. The match starts off with Daniels overpowering Red. Daniels gets a bit cocky then Red comes back with an armdrag and a headscissor takeover. Daniels ducks outside for a breather then Red slingshots out and takes Daniels down with a hurricarana. Red roughs up Daniels then the action heads back into the ring where Red runs into a clothesline. Daniels hits a move similar to the Eye of the Hurricane that gets two then he continues to target the neck. Standing dropkick gets two. Red is able to land on his feet after a German Suplex attempt and dropkicks Daniels in the leg. He gets a nearfall with a La Magistral cradle and a botched rana. Red hits a springboard swinging STO for two but in another sloppy sequence Daniels blocks a rana attempt and takes Red down with an enziguiri then works a neck vise. He catches Red with a sleeper but is able to eventually break it up with a jawbreaker. He then hits Daniels with a float over inverted DDT as both men are down. Red hits the 718 then gets two with a springboard rana. Red connects with a few different kicks but gets caught with an STO. Daniels drags Red a bit closer then hits the Best Moonsault Ever but that only gets two. Red cuts off Daniels from the top and takes him down with a rana that gets two. Code Red gets two as these two are not on the same page tonight. Red heads up top but Daniels pushes the ref into the ropes and Red falls down, allowing Daniels to hit him with the Last Rites for the win (11:08) **1/4.

Thoughts: Really disappointing as these two did not appear on the same page and Red was really sloppy tonight.


Da Hit Squad w/ Allison Danger vs. Colt Cabana & Ace Steel

Cabana acts all goofy then hits Mack with a few forearms while asking if that was "stiff" then gets knocked down and sells it in an over exaggerated manner. Cabana is what I call a "rec center guy," meaning he should only be wrestling in rec centers in front of 350 fans at most. Mack roughs up Cabana, who is doing a lot of awful comedy here. Maff tags and catches Steel with a leg lariat then orders Mack on the apron as he chops Steel. He misses a senton as Steel fires back. Maff catches him and hits a Dragon Suplex before tagging Mack as they hit a double press slam then they use quick tags to neutralize Steel. Maff and Steel trade slaps and chops for a while as Maff wins that then attacks Steel in the corner. Steel ducks a big boot as Maff's foot is caught on the ropes and tags Cabana as they hit repeated charging attacks. Maff is able to make the tag as Mack catches Cabana with a powerslam and an Orange Crush that gets two. He hits Steel with a neckbreaker then kills him with a lariat. Steel is down in the corner and they set up for the cannonball but Steel moved out of the way and Steel catches Maff with a tornado DDT then Cabana and Mack fight on the top and he and Steel end up hitting him with a Colt 45 for the win (8:13) *3/4. After the match, Maff is pissed but Danger is able to talk him down and remind him about how he is in the Prophecy.

Thoughts: The comedy stuff with Cabana at the beginning was garbage but this got better towards the end. This was Mack's last match for RoH as Maff stayed on for a few years. When Da Hit Squad first started, they were tough to tell apart but as the year went on, Maff got himself into better shape while Mack got even fatter. Cabana's comedy stuff was terrible and Steel is one of my least favorite wrestlers.


Before the show, Dunn & Marcos cut a promo then the Outkast Killaz want to but the camera man says he doesn't have the time so Diablo said that they have a catchphrase and first copy the "Rock You Like a Hurricane" phrase then Oman Tortuga gets serious and calls out the other teams. Seems like the Outkast Killaz will be getting involved with something soon.


Scramble Match
Dunn & Marcos vs. Hydro & Brian XL vs. EZ Money & Sterling James Keenan vs. SAT's

Keenan is the current Corey Graves, who dresses like he is part of MNM here. To his credit, Graves had the look before they came around. He is quite skinny here too. The match starts with Money and Dunn going at it until Money sends Dunn into the ropes with a monkey flip. Marcos comes in as Money roughs him up but he spills outside and Hydro flies out with a tope. The action is too fast for play-by-play and Joel and Brian work a terrible sequence, which is sadly expected. The match breaks down as Brian ends up in the front row with a tope. Back in the ring, there are all sorts of dives with nothing standing out until the crowd cheers for a move where Money picked up Brian XL on his shoulders from the tope, who had Jose Maximo in a bodyslam position, then flips them off of his shoulders. Angel Dust comes off of the top behind the ref's back and hits a blockbuster on Money. Everyone else trades all sorts of high impact moves with other Special K guys interfering until EZ dives to the floor instead of taking care of Marcos then the SAT's climb up and hit the SAT on Marcos for the win (9:11) *1/2. After the match, Slugger beats up the SAT's then the other huge, unidentified black man goes after Hydro but Slugger steps in between and stares him down and as the guy fends off one attack, Angel  Dust kicks him low and Slugger slams him down.

Thoughts: No one stood out and the novelty of these scramble matches were really wearing thin. The fact they all seemed to involve the same people was not helping matters either.


CM Punk heads to the ring as some jabroni is sitting in the corner acting like Raven. The guy gets into Punk's face until Daffney of WCW fame runs in and takes him down. Punk then introduces her as "Lucy" before telling the crowd he is better than them.


#1 Contender's Trophy Match
CM Punk w/ Lucy vs. Homicide w/ Julius Smokes

Homicide tries to slap on the STF at the start but Punk is able to reach the ropes. Homicide gets the best of Punk then they trade all sorts of moves at a rapid pace that ends in a stand off. Homicide takes control as he boots Punk in the face. Punk takes control with a shining wizard then flies out to take Homicide down with a tope. Back inside, Punk catches Homicide with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker then Lucy interferes and screams a lot while cheering for Punk. Pumphandle backbreaker gets two. Homicide regains control and starts kicking away before putting Punk in a surfboard. Punk escapes and is able to put Homicide in a STF. After a few reversals, Punk hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Homicide kicks Punk out of the ring then takes Punk out with a tope con hilo that pinned him against the guardrail. They go back and forth outside until Punk catches Homicide with an overhead suplex. Smokes tries to fire up Homicide as he rolls back into the ring. Homicide catches Punk with a low blow then drops him on his head with a German Suplex for two. They head up top as Homicide gets two with a hurricarana. Punk dodges a charge then takes Homicide off of the top rope with a Pepsi Plunge but Homicide is able to kick out as the fans go crazy with Punk completely shocked. Homicide then catches Punk with an Ace Crusher then gets two with a lariat. So much for selling the move. He then drops Punk on his head then tries for the Cop Killer but Punk flips out of the move and after a few revesals, Punk hits a Death Valley Driver but that only gets two as Homicide got his foot on the ropes. He hits an enziguiri but Homicide then reverses a move and locks on an STF as Punk taps (15:29) **1/2.

Thoughts: First, the crowd reaction for this match was awesome. The story of Homicide trying to win the belt to provide for his family because its all he has and he does not want to go back to his violent past was great. The announcers sold it well on commentary too. Punk was a great heel here too and the fans hated him. However, the match itself was pretty bad. There was no selling and just a bunch of moves without purpose. The fact that Homicide kicked out of the Super Pepsi Plunge and went right on offense was just ridiculous. If the storytelling in the match that even close to compelling as Homicide's angle, this could have been a classic.



No Disqualification Match
Carnage Crew & Masada vs. Hotstuff Hernandez & Fast Eddie & Don Juan w/ Rudy Boy Gonzalez

Before the match, the Carnage Crew run down Rudy Boy. The Crew bring weapons into the ring but the Texas Academy guys use them to their advantage then the match breaks down. Masada takes an unprotected chair shot from Juan then smashes his head off of the chair in a nasty spot that busts open the bavk of his head. Eddie flies across the ring with a somersault Van Terminator. In the ring, Hernandez no sells some of DeVito's offense and outside of it, the camera shows the back of Loc's head which is soaked in blood. Jesus Christ. Hernandez tosses DeVito across the ring as the announcers talking about actually being able to soak up the blood. Just about everyone is bleeding as they brawl all over the place as Masada takes Juan off of the top with a Death Valley Driver. He heads back up top but Eddie cuts him off and takes him off with a hurricarana that sends Masada through a pair of chairs on the floor. Hernandez then picks up Eddie and tosses him over the top as he takes out the Carnage Crew. Loc's neck is completely covered in blood. DeVito then whacks Hernandez with a chair on a tope attempt. In the ring, the Carnage Crew hit Eddie with the Carnageplex then after Loc wipes his blood on Eddie, they hit him with the Super Spiked Piledriver for the win (9:13) **3/4. After the match, the Carnage Crew beat the shit out of Scott from Tough Enough 3 until they get run off by Rudy Boy.

Thoughts: An entertaining garbage match. Tons of blood in this one so you "juice freaks" out there would enjoy this a lot.


Round Robin Challenge Match
Paul London (0-0) vs. Amazing Red (0-1)

The announcers bring up how London was pissed at Red for taking his spot when he was hurt as AJ Styles' teammate. The match starts on the mat with neither guy gaining an advantage. They trade counters then Red hits London with a tornado DDT. London fights back and hits Red with a top rope knee smash that gets two. He hits a spinning heel kick then gets two with a dropsault. Powerbomb gets two. London is acting heelish here tonight as he is a lot more aggressive than usual. Red fights back with a few kicks as London ducks outside. Red and London try to outsmart each other but London catches Red off of the apron and drops him on the guardrail. London then mentions how he is bleeding as he rolls Red back inside then gets two with a slingshot senton. He hits rolling double underhook suplexes then turns it into a submission hold. He boots Red in the face and tries a delayed vertical suplex but Red turns that into a small package for a nearfall. They trade punches and Red ends up getting two with a German Suplex that dropped London on his head. Red tries to slingshot in with a sunset flip but London turns that into a Northern Lights Suplex for two. London mocks AJ Styles but misses a corner attack then Red ends up hitting a Super Code Red for two. Red fires away then gets two with the Red Star Press. He tries a springboard rana but London catches him with a powerbomb then picks him up and hits the Styles Clash for the win (10:11) ***. They shake hands after the match.

Thoughts: Much better than the first Round Robin match but it was clear that Red was not in the same class as London and Daniels. London was the heel here too and did a good job as they are continuing his story with AJ Styles when he was pissed that Red replaced him as his partner when London was in the hospital.


Backstage, Gary Michael Cappetta is with Matt Stryker. He asks Stryker about his four way match tonight against Chad Collyer, BJ Whitmer, and Donovan Morgan. Stryker cuts a dull face promo until Collyer interrupts and talks about how he will make him tap for the third time. Stryker cuts an even worse promo in response to that. Cappetta leaves then runs into Michael Shane and Simply Luscious. Shane says that he will get camera tonight as he does not have a match but promise they will be in the ring tonight. Shane's stock has dipped a lot in RoH.


Persephone vs. Alexis Laree

I have no idea who Persephone is but she is noticeably bigger than Laree. They take it to the mat and Laree gains the advantage. She hits a basement dropkick then gets a rollup for two. They have an exchange of chops until Persephone hits a neckbreaker. Laree fights out of a chinlock but Persephone yanks her down by the hair. Persephone stays on the attack as she targets the back and neck. Laree fights back after kicking Persephone in the face after she ducked her head. Missile dropkick gets two. Persephone works over Laree in the corner and tries a DDT but Laree escapes and ends up hitting an inverted DDT for the win (5:23) *1/4. After the match, Shane and Luscious run in as Luscious hits both girls with Death Valley Drivers. Shane sits in a chair in the ring as Cappetta runs in and gets run off.

Thoughts: Better than any other women's match in RoH to date but still not that good. Laree became a much better worker later on and Persephone seemed okay. Without an official women's division, these matches were meaningless.


The Second City Saints backstage. Punk talks about being discriminated against at an early age for not using drugs and alcohol and says that his life was a war. He then runs down Raven before bringing out Lucy. The promo wraps, and Punk was great, then when it ends, the others are fucking around as Punk is frustrated. Too often here the leader of the stable is serious while the rest are just fucking around. Makes them seem all weak and that was what made the Prophecy look pathetic at the beginning.


Michael Shane w/ Simply Luscious vs. Matt Stryker vs. Chad Collyer vs. Donovan Morgan vs. BJ Whitmer

Shane apparently booked himself into this match according to the announcers. Shane tags Whitmer instead of facing off against Morgan to keep the Prophecy vs. Corino stable feud going. Whitmer and Morgan go back and forth in a solid sequence. Shane tags Whitmer blindly as he thought Morgan was hurt but runs into a hiptoss. Shane scurries out after tagging Stryker then Morgan spits at him and runs out to attack Shane. He goes after Luscious when she interferes but Stryker attacks him from behind. In the ring, Collyer tags in and works an intense mat sequence with Stryker that ends in a standoff. Stryker takes control then tags Whitmer, who puts the boots to Collyer. Morgan tags and suplexes Whitmer around. Stryker tags back in and grounds Morgan with a headlock. Lots of quick tags follow until Shane tags himself in and unloads on Collyer in the corner. Shane really did throw a great worked punch. Collyer comes back with a few rollups but Shane chop blocks him then works the leg. The other guys all tag each other and work over the leg of Collyer with Shane tagging himself in and breaking up submission holds when needed. Shane misses a kneedrop then Collyer takes him down with an enziguiri before tagging Morgan, who goes right after Shane. He beats on him for a minute until Shane hits an enziguiri then tags Whitmer. Morgan hits Whitmer with the Sayonara after a reversal sequence but Shane breaks up the pin with a super kick. Collyer and Stryker are in the ring and go back and forth until Collyer puts him in the Texas Cloverleaf until Shane breaks it up with a super kick. The guys trade off moves until Stryker rolls through a rollup then locks on the Stryker Lock as Collyer eventually taps out as Stryker gets the win (19:11) ***1/4.

Thoughts: Solid match. Also, unlike the other random multi-person matches in RoH, this one actually had some storylines going on as you had Shane and Morgan feuding as part of two different stables to go along with the Collyer/Stryker feud as Stryker finally made Collyer tap.


Round Robin Challenge
"Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (1-0) w/ Simply Luscious vs. Paul London (1-0)

Daniels stalls to begin the match but London returns the favor as they are playing mind games with London basically copying Daniels and fucking around. They finally get to the action and trade arm wringers until London cradles him for a nearfall. Daniels ducks outside for a breather then grabs the mic and tells London he is going to kick his ass as he is mad at London for not taking the match seriously. London then slips outside and grabs the mic as he tells Daniels he should shake hands if he is serious about the match. In the ring, Daniels extends his hand but it was a trap as Daniels boots him down. An Irish whip sequence ends with Daniels trying to skin the cat but London kicks him to the floor then follows out with a pescado. Back inside, London gets two with the dropsault after that he runs into a knee. Daniels targets the ribs of London and gets two with a gutbuster. London tries to fight back but Daniels puts him an abdominal stretch for a while. Daniels then misses a charge and London hits an enziguiri but Daniels comes right back with a dropkick to the ribs. London manages a quick rollup but Daniels sends him down with a clothesline then stretches out London on the mat. Daniels then hits London with the Angels Wings but London is just able to kick out as Daniels is in disbelief. He goes back on offense but London fights back then knocks him down with a springboard forearm smash as both men are down. London is up first and fires away. He hits an enziguiri and that gets two as London is still selling the ribs. He misses a double jump moonsault then Daniels whips London into the turnbuckle then slams him off the top rope for two. He misses the Best Moonsault Ever but is able to block a sunset flip and that leads to a rollup reversal sequence. London knocks down Daniels and heads up top. Daniels cuts him off but gets knocked off then London takes him off with a gordbuster and follows with the Shooting Star Press. London goes to cover but Danger distracts the ref by jumping up on the apron. London grabs Danger then sends Daniels over the top rope and takes them both to the floor. London flies out and hits Daniels with a tope then in the ring he gets two with a DDT. He tries another SSP but Daniels got his knees up as London is in agony. Daniels hits a Flatliner then hits the BME for the win (24:53) ****.

Thoughts: The match itself was very good but it was odd to see London, who had been acting like a heel all night, play the face in this match. The London/Styles storyline itself made sense but I never got why RoH wanted to make London a heel. The fans loved the guy and never wanted to boo him. Even when mocking Styles they did not seem to care much at all.


RoH Championship Match
Doug Williams vs. Samoa Joe (Champion)

The match starts with each guy going after the ankle. Williams works the arm for a bit then they use all sorts of counters and submission holds until they end in a stalemate. Joe takes the advantage with an enziguiri then chops away. Elbow drop gets two then Joe works the neck. Joe then face-washes Williams in the corner before getting two with a delayed brainbuster. Joe stays on the attack until Williams blocks a kick then takes him down with several knee smashes. Williams works the arm of Joe for a while as this match slows right down. Joe blocks a piledriver attempt but Williams turns it into an Octopus Hold until Joe reaches the ropes. Williams charges but Joe catches him with a Uranage then gets two with a German Suplex. Powerbomb gets two then Joe locks on the STF as the crowd rallies behind Williams. He breaks the hold then puts Joe in a cross armbreaker after ducking a clothesline. Williams targets the arm then heads up top and kneedrops the arm of Joe. Williams yells at the ref for breaking a submission hold then walks into an enziguiri. Joe gets two with a lariat then applies a chinlock. Williams escpaes and tries the Chaos Theory but Joe grabs Williams by the leg. Joe then knees Williams in the head repeatedly before putting him in the Coquina Clutch as Williams quickly taps out (11:46) **1/2. After the match, Morgan and Maff run in to attack Joe. Shane runs in and attacks Morgan but Daniels runs out and attacks him as the Prophecy has the 3-on-2 advantage. After laying them out, Daniels grabs the mic and says that the Prophecy made retribution tonight.

Thoughts: Disappointing match. It felt more like a midcard match instead of a title match and it lacked crowd heat. Plus, Williams' mat based offense it not exactly the most exciting thing to watch.


We get a pretaped promo from the Carnage Crew as they run down the Briscoes for being kids, Special K for living off of their parents then CM Punk for not understanding why the drink to deal with their shitty jobs, ugly wives, and nagging kids. This is to hype their match at "Do or Die." The Carnage Crew was a fine lower card tag gimmick for this company. Their promos were kinda funny too.


Backstage, the Prophecy are gloating  after laying out Shane and Joe. Daniels then puts himself over winning the Round Robin Challenge and being in the Top 5 rankings. He then tells Corino that he hope he is watching.


Joe shows off his broken nose and asks Daniels if he wants a war then tells Daniels that he will break him in half.



Final Thoughts: This was probably the most storyline driven RoH show to date. However, it lacked a big match and the Round Robin paled in comparison to last year. Also, the scramble tag matches are really getting tiresome to watch too. I'd recommend seeking out Daniels vs. London and that is all from this show as far as good matches are concerned. A lot of people love Punk/Homicide but I found that to be highly overrated for the reasons I explained above.



Here is my schedule for the next several days

Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/6/86
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/7/86
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Raven, Volume 1
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/13/86
Saturday: RoH Frontiers of Honor 5/17/03


Comments

  1. Cabana has gotten a lot better.

    A lot better.

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  2. He has gotten better but I have always viewed him as a "rec center" guy. Him and Hero are not meant to wrestle for major companies.

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  3. I'd concur but for different reasons.

    Cabana's act works best in <1000 crowds.

    Hero just isn't that good.

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  4. Hero really isnt that good. I am a bit shocked when people were surprised he got fired by the WWE after doing nothing at all on NXT for over a year

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  5. So Adam Cole won the SotF tourney. We might be getting Briscoe vs Cole AGAIN at Final Battle.

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  6. Cole will sign with the WWE in 2015. That is my prediction anyway.

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  7. Maybe. Ugh, then Jay could retain then.

    Eh, Styles is getting the title anyway at either the Atlanta show in February or their 13th Anniversary.

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  8. Styles winning in Atlanta wouldn't be the worst idea.

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  9. Especially since I might be there live, depending on my employment situation.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hopefully your employment situation is good.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks. It's not so much being unemployed but my career might take me out of Georgia by then.

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  12. Moving on up? If so, congrats

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  13. With the Second City Saints, their being a threat is less important. What's more important is establishing that they're friends, especially considering how different they all appear to be. That added element of realism would pay off big down the line, especially with Punk. It humanized him.

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  14. If I'm not mistaken, Persephone was a gimmick that was around in WEW at the same timeframe as this show, except WEW had at least three different women that played that gimmick, this particular woman who played Persephone was briefly under a WWE developmental deal in 2004.

    But I've seen one WEW show where the girl that played Persephone looked like a skinny crackhead (and given the show was in Philly she probably was) and she had a horrible match with (ironically enough) Alexis Laree. The match was so horrible that the usual ECW Arena regulars were chanting "Don't Come Back" at Persephone afterwards.

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  15. Good review as always.

    It's amazing how much Punk improved in the ring, but he was always one of the best on the mic almost right from the start. Samoa Joe, too, improved by leaps and bounds in a matter of a year or so.

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  16. Hero was a strange case where he was a solid wrestler on the independents and displayed good charisma as a cowardly heel, but most of that went out the window when he decided to alter his style to fit in with his 'Young Knockout Kid' gimmick. While his strikes do look impressive the fact that they replaced most of his offence was a bad decision as I can only suspend my disbelief so much and watching Hero hitting opponents with stiff-looking strikes only for them to constantly kick out ruined most of his matches for me.

    ReplyDelete

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