ROH Weekly Roundup: 8/3/2018
Stand back…there’s a Hurricane coming through!
August 10, 2018, will be a date all ROH and NJPW fans remember forever. It was the date when the unthinkable happened. The date when the dream became a reality. It was the date Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling sold out Madison Square Garden!
Just typing up that phrase is surreal, let alone for those people who will be attending the event. Unfortunately, I was not quick enough to buy tickets for the show. But, let’s look at it this way, if the “G1 Supercard” is a resounding success, then I am sure there will be more MSG shows in the future. There has to be, right?
Let’s put this into perspective: In the history of pro wrestling, the last time a non-WWE/Vince McMahon promoted pro wrestling card took place in MSG was on November 14, 1960 (with thanks to WrestlingInc.) Just think about that for a second. 1960. For nearly 60 years, no other company has held an event in Madison Square Garden. An even scarier fact is that Vince McMahon Jr. was only 15 years old when that show took place.
The arena the WWE would call home from that moment forward is not their home anymore. It is going to be rented by new tenants, who go by the names Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. And they’re moving in on April 6, 2019, at G1 Supercard!
That was not the only news surrounding Ring of Honor this week. On social media, it was announced that the “HonorClub” streaming service will be presenting “All In” on September 1. Not only that, but it was confirmed that Jay Lethal will be defending his ROH World Championship against the winner of the “Over-Budget” pre-show battle royale.
While some people have said a lot of “All In” has been backed by ROH, making it less of an independent show than it is made out to be, I disagree. “All In” was already shaping up to be a great showcase for independent wrestling, but having these extra announcements thrown in makes it even more exciting, and the perfect way to show the world what Ring of Honor is all about.
Venue – Eagle Bank Arena – Fairfax, VA.
Commentary Team – Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana and Alex Shelley (1st Match)
Silas Young vs. Chris Sabin [No.1 Contenders Match – ROH World TV Title]
Chris Sabin was accompanied by his partner Alex Shelley, who then joined Ian and Colt on commentary. Shelley noted that Young and Sabin had wrestled many times over the past decade. But, from doing research for this roundup, I was unable to find any details of previous singles matches between them – only one tag team match between the two, which Sabin and Shelley won.
The Code of Honor was not adhered to, and what followed was your classic ROH mid-card singles match. While it was a No.1 contenders match for the TV Title, there did not feel to be a lot of urgency in either man’s performance. I am big fan of both of these men, and there were some good moments, but it just felt flat. I did like Young’s boots and lariats, and Sabin did hit a nice springboard DDT, but it felt they were going through the motions. In the end, Sabin got the advantage and nailed Young with his signature “Cradle Shock” to become No.1 contender for the TV Title.
Winner: Chris Sabin
Marty Scurll vs. Shane “Hurricane” Helms
Over the past few weeks, Marty Scurll and Shane “Hurricane” Helms have been engaging in a war of words, as well as fists, over recent events surrounding “Best in the World.” The backstage attacks and social media call outs were bound to result in a match, and this was it.
Marty Scurll came out first, wearing a dark, villainous jacket and mask combo. He got a huge pop from the crowd, and once he took his mask off, he had painted his face in the style of Alice Cooper, which really suits Scurll’s persona. “Hurricane” Helms got a good reaction (it was his ROH TV debut), and is still in great shape, but there was just something missing compared with Scurll. This was most evident when an audience member proceeded to shout “Stand back…There’s a Villain comin’ through!”
Like the first match, the Code of Honor was not followed, and we got another standard ROH house show undercard match. Nothing was bad, but it was a slow, theatrical match, which did not reinvent the wheel. I did like one moment though, which was when Helms hit Scurll with a fabulous top rope neckbreaker for a near-fall.
In the end, Scurll used his dastardly ways to push Helms into referee Paul Turner, who was then distracted, and land a lowblow on Helms followed by a roll up for the win.
Winner: Marty Scurll
Before the main event we got a brief video package about Jay Lethal where he claimed now that he is the world champion, everyone can try to come and get it. It was nicely edited and helped to reinforce Lethal’s second title reign.
Main Event: SoCal Uncensored vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. The Hung Bucks
The main event was another multi-team six-man tag-team affair, featuring nine of the top talents in the industry today.
Out of all the entrances, LIJ’s was definitely the most exciting, with all members wearing individual gothic masks. Again, the Code of Honor was not followed, and we were all treated to a 10-minute adrenaline-filled sprint full of high-dives, chain-wrestling and tag team combinations.
Some of my favourite moments were SCU and the Hung Bucks having a standoff after a diving elbow and dropkick sequence, the Hung Bucks nailing a wheelbarrow cutter to Scorpio Sky, and the Hung Bucks delivering a nasty triple Meltzer Driver to SANADA. There was also a really creative moment I liked a lot.
BUSHI of LIJ intended to spray his mist into the face of SCU. But, SCU ducked and Todd Sinclair got mist right in his face (which he sold brilliantly). Then SCU attacked BUSHI and went for the pin, but because Sinclair was still blinded, Kazarian pounded Sinclair’s hand to the mat for him. It looked like it was all over, but BUSHI somehow kicked out at two!
After that piece of creative genius, we got an uncreative and disappointing finish. After Daniels hit a devastating Blue Thunder Driver to BUSHI, he attempted the Angel’s Wings. But, unbeknownst to Daniels (and replacement referee Paul Turner), the Briscoes ran down to ringside and distracted Turner long enough so Jay could hit Daniels in the back with a steel chair. This revenge attack allowed BUSHI to regain his composure and hit his tried-and-tested “Codebreaker” for the win.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon
Conclusion
As you can see from this roundup, this was a very match-heavy episode with no promos to break up the matches. Possibly, because of this, I felt the show dragged quite a bit and this was also not helped by the crowd, who, after being so vocal and raucous the previous weeks, seemed disinterested. However, if I had to recommend one match, it would have to be the main event as it was another stellar performance by everyone involved. One final little tidbit, I think this is the first episode I have recapped where the “Code of Honor” was not followed by anyone!
You can watch the episode for free on:
Fite TV – www.fite.tv/watch/roh-359/2o8t9/
As always, any feedback or suggestions are welcome via the website or my Twitter account (@SteJay215).
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