Welcome back loyal readers to this week’s episode of ROH on HDNet. Last week’s show was a little weak so hopefully this week’s episode will be better. Let’s go down to ringside and find out.
Kevin Steen vs. Bobby Shields
This match is a first for me. Steve Corino accompanies Steen to the ring with a microphone to do the color commentary himself. But not to be outdone, Steen wrestles the match with a microphone also and provides his own play by play. Shields only manages one or two shots to Steen, which causes Kevin to respond, “Hey, that hurt you a**hole”. Steen locks in the cross face and Shields submits, which causes Corino to exclaim, “Slap the porcupine!!!” Really funny stuff.
Necro Butcher Update
[adinserter block=”1″]Kyle Durden gives us an update on the Necro Butcher, who was power slammed by Erick Stevens onto a chair and injured his neck. Doctors were reluctant to clear Necro to wrestle but he has promised that tonight, the Embassy and the world will see a side of him they’ve never seen before. Necro in a suit? Necro clean shaven? Necro reciting poetry? Because if it’s Necro smashing people with chairs and junk, I’ve seen that before.
Erick Stevens vs. Necro Butcher
Necro comes out in street clothes and announces that he is in no condition to wrestle tonight. So this is the quitting side of the Necro Butcher??? Anyway, Necro says that someone backstage will come out to take his place, “SkullKrusher” Rasche Brown perhaps? Uuummm, no.
Erick Stevens vs. Grizzly Redwood
The Littlest Lumberjack has answered the challenge. Stevens is twice the size of Redwood and completely dominates the match. At one point Redwood tries a cross body outside the ring and Stevens catches him, and then THROWS him into the ring post. Stevens has several chances to win the match but wants to keep dishing out punishment instead. But he lets Redwood up once too often and Grizzly surprises him with the rollup for the shocking upset win. That was unexpected! Of course the Embassy goes off on Redwood and it’s up to Rasche Brown to come out to make the save. But the Embassy gets the better of him too and they immobilize him in the corner. Prince Nana announces the newest member of the Embassy, and it is…the Necro Butcher. IN A SUIT!!!! Holy crap I cannot believe I called that one. Necro smashes a piece of freaking plywood over Brown’s head. That looked painful!
Death Before Dishonor VIII
Next we see highlights from Ring of Honor’s most recent pay-per-view. One observation, during the El Generico and Kevin Steen match, Generico is shown choking Steen with a cable. I wonder if he will be fired for that?
Josh Raymond & Christian Able vs. Up In Smoke
I can’t decide if having two jobber teams fight each other shows how competitive the tag division is, or how weak it has become. Either way, this should be interesting to watch. There are some nice sequences but most of the match is sloppy and slow. I guess putting two bad teams together doesn’t work after all. The crowd is totally dead the entire time. That is until both teams decide to let it all hang out. The last part of the match is nothing but top rope flips, and moonsaults to the floor, and high impact slams that accordion the wrestlers necks. That finally wakes up the crowd. Straight up wrestling from nobodies equals no reaction. Almost paralyzing yourself equals cheers. Raymond and Able eventually get the win, with what else, a double team maneuver off the top rope.
Dark City Fight Club Promo
The DCFC talk about their approach to wrestling. Basically they just try to beat the hell out of their opponents. Unfortunately that hasn’t worked too well for them since they have never been tag team champs and seem to lose every big match the have ever had. Next week they get a big opportunity against the ROH World Tag Team Champions, the Kings of Wrestling
ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. El Generico
[adinserter block=”2″]Here is the main event of the evening. El Generico finally is healthy again and seems to be in a good mental state as well. He should be able to give the champ a good match tonight. The first part of the match is pretty even as both men show off their martial arts skills, trading kicks and chops. Generico sends Black outside the ring and executes a nice running somersault out of the ring onto him. Black gets Generico hung upside down in the corner and then climbs the ropes above him and hits him with a double stomp to the face. Generico executes a Van Terminator (with a flip) for only a two count. This has turned into a great match. Unfortunately, Kevin Steen interferes and we get the DQ finish. Afterwards, Black delivers a spot on super kick to Steen’s chin and sends him flying out of the ring.
This was an entertaining episode this week. The Steen and Corino segment was funny. The Necro Butcher heel turn was shocking, if a little unrealistic. And the main event was a perfect blending of styles that had loads of back and forth action throughout.
Vince DeHoratus lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two kids. He has been a life long wrestling fan and he has passed that love onto his son. Though not quite yet “middle aged and crazy”, he is fast approaching it.
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