Ring of Honor TV Report
Episode #393
Aired on Fite 4/1/19
VIDEO PACKAGE: The Kingdom / Villain Enterprises
We get a package hyping the history of the feud and tonight’s 6-Man Tag Title match, with The Kingdom defending against VE. Did its job.
Ian Riccobani, Caprice Coleman and Dalton Castle on commentary.
MARK HASKINS vs RUSH
Haskins offers the hand but Rush kicks it away. Good crowd support for Rush. Lock up goes into the ropes and Rush backs off. They trade wasitlocks and go to the mat, nice technical work by both and tensions flare as they stand off again. Shots traded, Rush talks shit and Haskins hits big chops. Rush absorbs them and puts Haskins down with one chop, but Haskins is right back up. “Toro Blanco” chants. Haskins fires off shots again with fast strikes, but Rush lands a forearm, Haskins bails but Rush follows and the brawl continues, and Rush tosses Haskins into the barricade as we go to BREAK.
We’re back as Rush crushes Haskins in the corner and follows with a nice seated dropkick and shows off to the crowd’s chants for him. Rush toys with Haskins before landing thudding kicks, Haskins catches one and lays in strikes and kicks, and Rush goes to a knee. Superkick by Rush connects but Haskins hits a jumping heel kick, Rush bails, Haskins looks to dive, Rush moves but Haskins redirects and hits the suicide dive. Rush back in, Haskins hits a nice kick to put Rush down and follows with a great diving double stomp, then picks Rush up but the Pumphandle Driver gets botched as Ian tries to cover for it for a nearfall. More strikes from Haskins on Rush in the ropes but Rush gets a snap German suplex and a pop-up TKO, covers but only gets 2.
The crowd chants for Rush and Rush eggs them on, then steps on Haskins seated in the corner, does the fake-out kick to the face and goes Tranquilo but Haskins rolls to him and snags the bridging Fujiwara armbar! Rush counters it into the crossface, Haskins rolls through and looks for a triangle instead but Rush hoists him and hits the buckle bomb, covers but only gets 2 as Haskins hits a SHARP PK, then rolls Rush up and plants him with Made in England, covers but only 2! Haskins eats a boot from Rush but lands one of his own, Rush follows with a sunset bomb/destroyer and Haskins comes right back from that with an around-the-world tornado DDT! They both hit kicks and both are down. Great sequence. The ref starts the count and Rush stirs first. Theyre both up at 9 and Haskins fires up, rushes Rush but eats a boot and gets thrown into the corner hard, Rush gets the distance and hits the Bull’s Horns! Cover, the 3 count and the WIN for Rush.
Rush defeats Mark Haskins by pinfall after the Bull’s Horns
JAY’S RATING: 3.25 out of 5
This was a fun match by two people who just bring pure fire. It shared a lot in common with the energy, aggression and intensity of this past weekend’s match between Rush and Tracy Williams, and its really smart booking as Rush is looking GREAT building up to Dalton Castle at MSG, but Haskins and Williams come off looking fierce as well and everyone wins. Well done, looking forward to Castle/Rush this weekend.
VIDEO PACKAGE: Title vs Title 4-Way at MSG
We get a package hyping the 4-Way Tag Title match at MSG, with Villain Enterprises defending the ROH titles and LIJ defending the IWGP titles against Guerrillas of Destiny and The Briscoes. Did its job well enough, but who cares because this match doesnt need any hype as far as I’m concerned. It is hype. This has the potential to Blow. The. Roof. Off. And I sincerely hope it does.
VIDEO PACKAGE: Triple Threat Ladder Match for the ROH Title
We see how the triple threat ladder match between Jay Lethal, Matt Taven and Marty Scurll came to be. There’s also a great moment when Jay says he wants to find out who the best of them is, and the crowd immediately chants for “Marty”. Love it. This was less a package as much a recap, which was fine cuz all of these guys are great on the mic, with Jay playing the anchor of the segment to perfection. I WANT SO MUCH FOR THIS MATCH. Kill it guys. You deserve to change the game in that main event, and I’m rooting for you.
BACKSTAGE: ROH TV vs NEVER Openweight Challenge
We get a backstage promo about how Cobb is angry that since arriving in ROH, the only person to pin him was Ospreay in a tag match. He makes the title for title challenge. Another potential barnburner of a match. UGH I cant wait for this card.
VIDEO PACKAGE: WOH Title
We get a flashback of Mayu Iwatani getting the rollup victory on Kelly Klein, and we get a video package and promo. The promo is interspersed with clips of action and their past matches with each other. This is BY FAR the most confident and comfortable I’ve seen Klein be in a promo situation yet. Maybe its that its front of a camera in a room instead of in front of the crowd, which is a muscle that can be developed. But its GREAT to see this side of Klein – it feels HONEST, and it genuinely got me that much more hyped for this match. I read this as Klein realizing that this is her moment to level up her game at the most famous arena in the world, and I am very excited by what that could mean for this match.
Ring of Honor World 6-Man Tag Team Championship
VILLAIN ENTERPRISES vs THE KINGDOM (c)
Everyone goes nose to nose and things break down right away with everyone brawling everyone. Taven and Marty are in the ring as everyone else takes the fight outside, though Taven and Marty follow shortly and its all out chaos. VE gets the advantage, Brody heads into the ring and hits a tope con giro wiping out The Kingdom AND LANDS ON HIS FEET! That was Awesome. Marty sends Taven inside but Taven counter and looks for Climax, but Marty blocks it and stomps the hand, looks to break the fingers but The Kingdom breaks it up as Taven grabs Marty’s leg and tags in TK, who stays on Marty. Tag to Vinny and Marty fights back but Vinny hits a boot and a nice butterfly backbreaker, covers but only gets 2.
Tag to Taven who lays in shots, and he then goads VE which distacts the ref so TK and Vinny can wear down Marty. Taven keeps Marty grounded, hits a nice vertical suplex and covers but only gets 1. Tag to Vinny who keeps on Marty. Kingdom is in control, Taven tags back in and toys with Marty who fires back, they trade shots, Marty looks for a sunset flip but Taven rolls through but Marty ducks Just The Tip of the Knee and hits a basement enziguri and both are down as Marty needs to make a tag. Tag to PCO and Vinny but TK comes in too BUT IT DOESNT MATTER BECUASE PCO RUNS THROUGH EVERYBODY! Pop up powerbomb to TK, package piledriver to Taven, Vinny lays in chops and stays on PCO enough to snag a Dudley Dog, Vinny climbs but PCO evades Redrum as we go to BREAK.
We’re back as VE gets a double team on Vinny, and follow up with a sunset German suplex which is a GREAT move, and Brody then cannonballs Taven at ringside as Marty covers Vinny for 2. Chants for Marty. Marty calls for Chickenwing, Vinny hears it and counters, TK gets the blind tag and is able to hit a spinebuster, Vinny hits a middle rope headbutt and Taven hits a great frog splash as TK covers for 2. Brody gets dumped aand PCO gets flapjacked as The Kingdom is in firm control now, with all 3 stomping Marty. Marty counters and dumps Vinny and Taven and boots TK, PCO comes back in and hits the ropes and Marty elevates him up and over onto Taven and Vinny! HE’S NOT HUMAN! TK gets draped and they hit a 619/cannonball combo, cover by Marty but still only 2! GREAT move.
TK is lined up and PCO climbs for the moonsault but Vinny dumps him on the apron and Taven and Vinny break it up. Brody fires back with big chops, but Vinny with the tilt-a-whirl legsweep and Taven lands Just The Tip, and they call for Rockstar Supernova and they plant Brody with it! But Marty is the legal man! They triple team Marty again as PCO is kept at bay and they look for Rockstar Supernova again. PCO keeps trying to cut it off, so TK looks for a suicide dive but PCO throttles him and drives him into the apron! Vinny dives next but gets the same! Taven is finally able to drop PCO with a no touch dive, he puts PCO inside but PCO hits the ropes and lands a suicide cannonball as we got to BREAK!
We’re back and PCO sends TK back inside with Marty but Vinny hits a SICK powerbomb on PCO onto the metal entrance ramp! TK tries to take advantage but Marty rolls him up for 2, TK accidentally wipes out Vinny as Marty grabs the Chickenwing Crossface on TK! Taven tries to intervene but Brody keeps him away as TK taps and Marty gets the WIN! We have new champs!
Villain Enterprises defeats The Kingdom by submission with the Chickenwing Crossface
JAY’S RATING: 4 out of 5
That was an entertaining as hell 6-man tag, which is the absolute best kind of 6-man tag – fast paced, chaotic, spot-y and urgent. Everyone delivered the goods here, Brody and PCO are fucking nuts, The Kingdom is so into their gimmick, and Marty and Taven came off extremely well going into MSG. Marty getting the win in advance of that main event plays well, especially with TK and not Taven taking the fall. It also raises the stakes hugely for Taven, now that The Kingdom is going in beltless while Jay has one and Marty has one. Taven is utterly shocked – that face is amazing. I love all of these performers and this match is a great example of why. Great work.
VIDEO PACKAGES: MSG Hype
We get a couple of packages from NJPW and ROH about MSG, including interviews from the ROH roster. Decent package.
JAY’S THOUGHTS
This was a solid episode of TV, that would have been even more impressive if it wasnt the go-home TV episode leading to MSG. Its not that it was bad, the promo packages ended up working just fine (shout out to Klein, who if she can channel that impactful honesty when she’s in front of the crowd could really start skyrocketing). I just wish the action had more story-stakes toward MSG. Rush/Castle and the main event absolutely got hype from this, dont get me wrong… but no live promo with Jay before the biggest event of the year? No in-ring thing with Joe Koff? Something? Something live and/or action-oriented to really drive it home? A title change is amazing, but we end the episode with VE standing tall in context of the 6-man, and we dont necessarily get much story between Taven and Marty toward their main event this weekend at least in the final TV image. Look, I am splitting hairs here, because I love good storytelling and this could be tweaked and improved upon. But nonetheless both matches were strong, with the main event really rising to the occasion for me, and the video packages did their jobs well. At the end of the day, I’m stoked for MSG and hope that ROH and NJPW further contribute to the ever-changing landscape this industry is experiencing right now.