ROH Weekly Roundup: 8/11/2018
NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis crashes ROH TV.
For those of you who follow me or read my tweets, you know that I have a big project in the works. It occurred to me when I was typing up one of my ROH articles that due to Ring of Honor’s niche status, a lot of readers will have little to no knowledge of the company. It is all well and good for me to write up my thoughts for you to read, but without a grounded contextual knowledge, a lot of what I am saying will most certainly be lost in translation.
That is why I have decided to begin researching, compiling and drafting up a series of articles called “A Beginners Guide to Ring of Honor.” In this series, I am going to try and cover all the key moments, performers, and events you need to know to better understand ROH.
But I do not want this to be a project solely driven by me. My aim is for The Wrestling Estate readers to actively engage with this project, and tell me what you want to learn about the company. I hope that working this way, it will help make Ring of Honor more approachable to new fans, and in the process, allow me to share my love for the company more effectively with you all in the future.
So so sad to hear #JimNeidhart #TheAnvil has passed away 😥💔
As part of the #HartFoundation with @BretHart he redefined tag-team wrestling in the #WWF
My thoughts, prayers & condolences go out to his fans, friends & family pic.twitter.com/OUSGtiaIyD— Steven Jackson (@SteJay215) August 13, 2018
Finally, it was announced this week, that Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart had sadly passed away. Reading of Neidhart’s death really shocked and upset me. Before I became a ROH fan, my main exposure to pro wrestling was through WWE, and although Hulk Hogan was the star of the promotion in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I never gravitated towards him.
Instead, I leaned toward the technical wrestlers who put on finely crafted matches, and Neidhart was one of those guys. Along with Bret Hart as a member of the Hart Foundation, their matches were always (and still are) a pleasure to watch. They never age, no matter how many times you watch them, and their innovative offense was way ahead of its time.
Man, imagine how good the Hart Foundation would have been in ROH. They would have fit perfectly and could have wrestled even more instant classics with the likes of The Briscoes, Steen and Generico, the Kings of Wrestling, and even The Young Bucks.
Neidhart had a fantastic career and his work was the inspiration for many of the pro wrestlers we see today. He was immortalized as a member of one of the greatest tag teams (later stables) in pro wrestling history, and with his trademark cackle and pointed beard, he will always be etched in the hearts of everyone. Thank you, Jim Neidhart, and may you rest in peace.
Venue – Eagle Bank Arena – Fairfax, VA.
Commentary Team – Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana
The Bouncers [Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas] vs. The Briscoes
This match was non-title and Ian commented that The Bouncers are possibly the heaviest team in Ring of Honor history. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of anyone heavier than them as according to ROH announcer Bobby Cruise, The Bouncers weigh over 800 pounds!
The Briscoes got a huge ovation, and “Man Up” chants echoed throughout the arena. The Code of Honor was not followed, and from the opening bell, this match was a slugfest. There were very few pro wrestling holds, and instead we got an array of boots, punches, shoulder blocks and violent dives to the outside. There was also a crazy looking take on the “Demolition Decapitation” from the Bouncers to Mark Briscoe for a close two-count.
After a slobberknocker between these two teams, Mark Briscoe was able to take out Brian Milonas on the outside with a running neckbreaker off the apron, which meant Jay was able to concentrate on Beer City Bruiser in the ring. After Jay took him down with a neckbreaker, Mark hit BCB with his patented “Froggybow” for the win.
Winners: The Briscoes
After the match, Jay got on the mic and said that nobody is taking the titles from them, especially SoCal Uncensored. These comments prompted SCU to make their way down the ramp, with Scorpio Sky telling the Briscoes that they can expect to face them, right there, right now!
Upon these comments, Daniels and Kazarian ran into the ring, and began pounding on the Briscoes, with security and backstage staff coming out to break it up, much to the frustration of the crowd who started a loud “Let Them Fight!” chant.
Four Corner Survival No.1 Contenders Match for the WOH Title: Karen Q vs. Madison Rayne vs. Kelly Klein vs. Tenille Dashwood
During the entrances for this match, each of the competitors had a brief inset promo. Out of all the promos shown, once again, Kelly Klein’s was just a cut above her rivals and most of the ROH roster. I’m a big fan of Kelly Klein’s work, and I know it will only be a matter of time before she is signed to WWE.
The Code of Honor was adhered to by all the competitors apart from Klein, leading into a fun Four Corner Survival match. Ian mentioned the interlinking history between all the competitors, with each holding equal wins and losses against their opponents. Several of the matches are available through the Women of Honor playlist on Youtube, which I highly recommend you all check out.
There were some nice moments in this match including a homage to Yoshihiro Tajiri’s tarantula by Tenille Dashwood on Karen Q. Kelly Klein also delivered an awesome double Samoan drop/fallaway slam combo to Karen Q and Tenille Dashwood, which looked devastating. After a great back-and-forth contest, Madison Rayne found an opening and hit Karen Q with her “Rayne Drop” finisher to gain No.1 contendership for the Women of Honor Title.
Winner: Madison Rayne
Then, Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai stood on the stage staring down Madison Rayne in a preview to their upcoming championship battle.
Preceding the main event, Cody and Brandi Rhodes came out. Cody explained how he had been unlucky these past few months, but none of his World Title defeats had come from one-on-one matches. But that trend was soon to change when they got down to business, implying “Bernard the Business Bear” was going to join them. But it wasn’t Bernard who appeared on the stage…it was NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis!
As confirmed by Colt Cabana, the last time the NWA World Heavyweight Title appeared in Ring of Honor was via Adam Pearce (this was during the 2012 “Showdown in the Sun” weekend). Nick said that although he was putting his NWA World Heavyweight Title on the line at “All In” against Cody, there was no upside for him. Cody then said that having the NWA World Heavyweight Title defended in front of over 10,000 people was Nick’s upside, but until then, Cody handed over his “Ring of Honor”, and Nick should consider it as “collateral.”
Upon leaving the ring, Cody then began disrespecting Nick’s NWA World Championship victory against the “53-year-old history teacher”, provoking Nick to return to the ring and extend his fist in Cody’s direction. Just as the two men were about to come to blows, the Bullet Club came out and defused the situation before it got started to close the segment.
This was a really surprising segment, and I liked the interaction between Cody and Nick. Both guys are great talkers, and it helped hype their match at “All In” just that little bit more. Plus, Marty Scurll and Nick Aldis’ shared history was intriguing and I am interested to see if it plays any part in the NWA World Heavyweight Title match at “All In”.
Main Event: Cheeseburger, Josh Woods and Flip Gordon vs. Bully Ray, Shane Taylor and Punishment Martinez
If you have been reading my ROH articles since I began them, you will know my thoughts on Bully Ray.
As you will see, I put a strike through Flip Gordon’s name in the header for this match. This is because Flip was attacked during his entrance by Bully Ray, and had to be helped to the back by the ringside crew. Upon Flip being taken out, the crowd erupted in a large “Colt Cabana” chant, but Colt was not able to join the team as he was commentating and not dressed to wrestle. As no one came to the aid of Cheeseburger and Josh Woods, the main event became a 3-on-2 handicap match.
The match was your typical heels vs. babyfaces handicap match (the Code of Honor was not followed), but with a twist. After Cheeseburger nailed Shane Taylor with a picture-perfect tornado DDT, he was looking to tag in Josh Woods. Unfortunately, Woods was out on the floor, and after being encouraged by Cheeseburger’s plight, Cabana ran down to the ring and got the hot tag!
The crowd (and me at home) went insane for Cabana’s contributions, and he still proves to be one of the best wrestlers in the world today. Cabana hit a beautiful lionsault to take out Punishment Martinez, which allowed Cheeseburger to hit Bully Ray with a great double-stomp from the top turnbuckle.
Unfortunately, just as it looked like Cheeseburger was going to get the win, Shane Taylor ran in and nailed him with a massive lariat and got the victory for his team.
Winners: Bully Ray, Shane Taylor and Punishment Martinez
After this, all three heels attacked Cabana, Woods and Cheeseburger, until Flip Gordon ran out from the back with a steel chair clearing the ring to close the show.
Conclusion
This was an average episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling. While nothing was bad, nothing really stood out either, apart from Cabana’s run-in for the main event. Recommendation-wise, I say check out the Women of Honor four-way, and the Cody/Nick Aldis face-off before “All In”. One last note, I have never seen so many variations of 6-man tag team matches in all my life after the past few weeks of ROH Wrestling!
You can watch the episode for free on:
Fite TV – www.fite.tv/watch/roh-360/2o92x/
As always, any feedback or suggestions are welcome via the website or my Twitter account (@SteJay215).
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