We are getting closer and closer to Final Battle 2011 and in tonight’s main event The All Night Express will take on the World’s Greatest Tag Team in proving ground match but right now it’s time for the first match of the night so let’s get to the ring.
Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander VS. The Bravado Bros
Both teams enter the ring for the introductions and already the ROH fans are jumping all over Harlem Bravado with the chants of “Justin Bieber”!!!! No doubt referring to his hair. Bad choices in hairstyles notwithstanding the Bravados and definitely improved by leaps and bounds in the past year and 2012 could be the year that they start to get a legit push. We know the history of Coleman/Alexander and how just a few short weeks ago they took Haas & Benjamin to the limit for 13 minutes in the first proving ground match that was featured on ROH TV. The Bravados play the role perfectly of a team that just can’t seem to garner the respect of the ROH fans regardless of how much they improve in the ring. This match is definitely a change from the main event last week between Future Shock and The Young Bucks. These are two teams that are much more methodical and wrestle with a slower pace and they focus on cutting the ring in half.
Your Winners – Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander
The next match continued with ROH’s very refreshing tradition of introducing fresh young talent to the viewers. We go to pre-match promos from both wrestlers.
“The Psychedelic Superstar” Chris Silvio VS T.J. Perkins
Chris Silvio definitely is a throwback and looks like the lovechild of “Superstar” Billy Graham and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. I mean you have to see this guy to know what I mean. He is a former OVW Southern tag-team champion and is taking on California product T.J. Perkins. We have already seen Perkins on ROH TV once before, this is the debut of Silvio.
As expected Perkins is really quick in the ring and very fluid and doesn’t waste any motion. He used lots of chain wrestling to open the match. For someone who is so young he is definitely experienced in wrestling all over the world and really utilizes a style that represents an influence of European, Lucha, Japanese as well as American style!!!! Perkins uses a style similar to Nigel McGuiness so it was no shock to hear the former ROH world champ singing his praises from the broadcast table.
Silvio tried his best to ground Perkins for most of the match but really never could. He attempted to work on Perkins arm after he rammed it into the ring post. But once the action returned to the ring Perkins hit a nice springboard dropkick followed by his “detonation kick” finisher. Envision Silvio on Perkins should Ala Punk’s go to sleep finisher and then Perkins falls back and delivers a swift head kick all in one motion!!!!
Your Winner – T.J. Perkins
Inside ROH
For this week’s installment we get a continuation of the build up to the rubber match at Final Battle between Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards. This was just more promo work from Edwards and Severn.
Also a full recap was done to bring you up to speed on the developments in the TV title picture and why the TV title match at Final Battle is now a three way match pitting the champ Jay Lethal against El Generico and Mike Bennett.
It’s time for tonight’s main event.
Proving Ground Match
World’s Greatest Tag Team VS. The All Night Express
This match pitts the veteran team of Haas & Benjamin against the hungry young lions in Rhett Titus & Kenny King. Benjamin and King start off the match and right away are going toe to toe and move for move and Kevin Kelly makes light of the comparison of King to Benjamin that King first faced when he entered ROH. The ANE really are out to prove that they belong in the tag title hunt and that they success they have had as a team thus far is no fluke. WGTT immediately start to focus on the left arm of Rhett Titus and do so for a while before Titus is finally able to make the hot tag to King who begins to clean house. Benjamin does show that he is still a superior athlete and not ready to relinquish the throne to the younger Kenny King when he runs up the ropes like a cat and delivers a nasty hip toss back into the ring on King!! Of course as expected the action spills outside the ring where out of nowhere dem boys the Briscoes show up with…you guessed it chairs in hand and Jay holds Benjamin as Mark delivers a sickening chair shot the back of Benjamin.
All the while the referee is distracted and the ANE hit Haas with their finisher and have pinned the tag champs!!!!! After the match we return from a break and the officials are still tending to Benjamin who is having a hard time catching his breath and Haas is livid and cuts an emotionally charged promo saying that Benjamin is his brother and took the place of his late brother Russ when he died and that at Final Battle the Briscoes will have hell to pay!!!! We really got to see some true emotion from Haas!!!
Your Winners – The All Night Express
I was pleased to see another match featuring new young talent in Silvio and Perkins and look forward to being introduced to a new possible roster member each week. Conspicuous by his absence this week was the “messiah of the backbreaker” Roderick Strong. As you know by the ANE winning this proving ground match they are now promised a tag title shot in 2012 regardless of what happens at Final Battle on Dec. 23rd. Next week’s main event is yet another proving ground match as resident ROH powerhouse “Unbreakable Michael Elgin will face ROH world Champ Davey Richards less than a week away from his toughest test to date in facing Eddie Edwards.
Has Richards bite off a little more than he can chew this time???
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Eric G.
Eric is the owner and editor-in-chief of the Camel Clutch Blog. Eric has worked in the pro wrestling industry since 1995 as a ring announcer in ECW and a commentator/host on television, PPV, and home video. Eric also hosted Pro Wrestling Radio on terrestrial radio from 1998-2009. Check out some of Eric's work on his IMDB bio and Wikipedia. Eric has an MBA from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
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