Ring of Honor TV Recap: 6/15/18
It’s international warfare as Los Ingobernables de Japon takes on The Bullet Club.
Before I recap the latest episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling, I wanted to talk about two things which happened this week.
Ring of Honor speculatively announced that they were in talks of possibly running a show at Madison Square Garden. Naturally, this information got me very excited and although the pessimistic side of me suspects ROH would never sell out MSG, it is still a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, nearly as soon as the story had broken, the idea was shot down vehemently with reports suggesting that thanks to a deal with WWE (Good old Vince…God don’t we all love him) and MSG, an ROH show will most certainly not be taking place any time soon. Being such an ROH fan, this news frustrated me greatly, so much so that I am looking at writing an article about this topic in the coming weeks.
Secondly, I was deeply saddened to learn that Leon White, aka Big Van Vader, had passed away. Throughout the time I have been a fan of ROH, I have always wondered which wrestlers would have fitted perfectly on the ROH roster and Vader was always one of the wrestlers who would have thrived in its strong-style environment. He was truly unique; intimidating, violent and scary, but it was counteracted with him being exciting, surprising and charismatic. If ROH had been around when Vader was in his prime (WCW and his matches in Japan), I can only dream how much of an impact he would have made. Vader was definitely one of a kind and arguably, the most impressive big man to step foot inside the squared circle. I send out my sincerest condolences to his fans, friends and family.
Last of all, I want to say thank you to all the people who, so far, have read my ROH-related articles on the website. I am looking at writing a lot of ROH content over the next few months, but if there is anything you would like me to write about, please tweet me (@stejay215) or provide comments at the end of my articles through the website, and I will see what I can do!
And with that let’s get on with the show!
Venue – Odeum Expo Center – Chicago Il.
Commentary Team – Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana (1st and 2nd matches) and Dalton Castle (Main Event)
Preluding the opening title this week was a backstage promo from the Bullet Club, plugging “All In” and letting LIJ know that they did not stand a chance of winning while also mocking what the “J” meant in LIJ. The Young Bucks and Marty Scurll did the majority of the talking and it was a fun way to start the show.
Chuckie T. vs. Kenny King (Referee = Paul Turner)
I have never been a huge fan of Chuckie T. as I find his style can get tiresome, and Kenny King has tons of potential, but is just missing something to put him over the top. I can safely say though that my preconceptions were wrong, as this match was a great showcase for both men and, to my knowledge, this is the first time these two have ever wrestled, which always makes for an interesting match. Before the bout began, there was a brief clip of the main event two weeks before, in which Kenny King was attacked by Austin Aries, after Aries lost to then ROH TV Champion Silas Young (Punishment Martinez won the ROH TV Title this week in Texas so congratulations to him!).
The Code of Honor is adhered to by both men, which was followed by some great chain wrestling, leading into a “Hug of Honor.” From there, the match contained some great fast-paced action which also included a funny segment with a fan at ringside trying to take a selfie. There was an awesome Arn Anderson-eqsue spinebuster from King onto Chuckie T., as well as a brutal looking snap-piledriver from Chuckie T. onto Kenny King. After some great counters, King was able to get the victory with his “Royal Flush”. This was a funny and solid start to the show.
Winner = Kenny King
After a quick ad break, a throwback video package was shown highlighting the Briscoes vs. Young Bucks feud leading into their match at “Best in the World 2018”. This was followed by a great intense promo by the Briscoes on their Sandy Fork Ranch which I urge you all to watch. It was short, intense and fantastic!
Up next was a video montage of Shane Taylor’s path of destruction across the ROH roster, which lead back into the arena where Taylor was in the ring with a mic in hand. He put down Josh Woods and King Mo after their match at “Bound by Honor” (which Woods won) and said that Chicago had nothing to fear as he would take Woods out. This was a good heel promo from Taylor who is really getting a strong push in ROH. Josh Woods then came out and according to Colt and Ian on commentary this was an impromptu match, but there was nothing to suggest this?
Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods (Referee = Mike Posey)
The Code of Honor was not adhered to by either man. Woods tried to get the better of Taylor with his amateur wrestling background, but Taylor’s strength and brawling got the better of Woods. Move-wise, there was a vicious cannonball on the outside by Taylor onto Woods, and there was a couple of awesome German suplexes by Woods onto Taylor, which got the crowd really excited. The finish was interesting, but slightly confusing, as Woods backed Taylor into the turnbuckle to attack him, but referee Mike Posey held Woods back.
This then allowed Taylor to grab an unknown foreign object and place it in his glove so that it was loaded. Taylor then landed a stiff-looking left hand onto Woods, knocking him down and allowing Taylor to pick up the victory. This was a really fun match. Both men have potential, and although the work was basic, it was exciting and the crowd responded accordingly. I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing more of their matches in the future.
Winner = Shane Taylor
Prior to the main event, Dalton Castle (with his boys in tow) joined Ian and Colt on commentary.
Main Event: Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Bullet Club [10-Man Tag Team Match] (Referee = Todd Sinclair)
To say this match was stacked with talent is an understatement. LIJ’s team contained Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI. Bullet Club’s team contained Cody (with Bernard the Business Bear), Hangman Page, the Young Bucks and Marty Scurll. LIJ came out first and the crowd went nuts for their entrances. Then the Bullet Club came out, and the crowd also went nuts for their entrances. Some highlights from the entrances included; people singing along to Marty Scurll’s theme, the crowd chanting “All In” at the Young Bucks and my personal favorite … the front row high-fiving Daryl the cat!
If you read my first ROH article for the website, you will see that my wrestling fandom began around 1999 with WCW. I was (and still am) captivated by WCW cruiserweight matches whether they be singles, tags or multi-man tags. This match was (as with many NJPW and ROH multi-man tag matches) a reminder as to why I love these matches so much. The action here was off the charts and hearing the crowd so energized was marvelous. The Bullet Club and LIJ always deliver (for my sins I am unsure how many matches they have had together) and because this match was so good, I cannot do it justice in words. I will tell you though that about a third of the way through the match, Punishment Martinez appeared in the aisleway provoking Hangman Page to attack him and they brawled to the back. What you need to do is just watch this match for yourselves and see 10 of the best wrestlers in the world battle it out!
Winners = Bullet Club
After the main-event, Ian plugs the card for “Best in the World” and the show came to a close.
Conclusion
This was another great episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling, which featured an intense Briscoes promo and a brilliant main event that has to be seen to be believed. I urge you all that if you watch one pro wrestling match from this week, make sure it is the main event of this show!
You can watch the latest episode for free on:
ROH’s Official Website – www.rohwrestling.com/current-tv-episode
Fite TV – www.fite.tv/watch/roh-352/2o6dy/
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