The latest episode of Ring of Honor (ROH) TV is in the books and Cageside has a breakdown of all the action for your reading pleasure. Due to a technical snafu on ROH's end, the recap comes a couple of days later than usual but better late than never, I always say. Oh, how I wish Sinclair owned CW33 in Dallas...
Anyway, in this week's episode, we get a great tag match between two young teams in The Bravado Brothers and The Young Bucks. The two were part of a three-way tag team match -- also including Future Shock -- at Death Before Dishonor IX and had great chemistry. And they have a humdinger of a match here.
In the main event, House of Truth (HOT) members Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin takes on the American Wolves -- ROH World Champion Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards -- who are teaming up one more time to take out Truth Martini's subjects.
Plus Inside ROH also takes a look at the controversy surrounding Kevin Steen and his ploy to get reinstated as a member of the company's roster.
But enough talk, it's time for wrestling!
We open up with highlights from last week's main event -- the "Proving Ground" contest between The World's Greatest Tag Team and the duo of Cedric Alexander and Caprice Coleman.And of course, ROH would be remiss not to include post-match footage of The Briscoe Brothers coming out and jawing with the champs.
We're back in Louisville, KY at the Davis Arena. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness welcome us to the show and Kelly calls The Bravado Brothers one of the most controversial tag teams in wrestling. I don't think that word means to same to Kelly that it does to everyone else.
The Bravado Brothers vs. The Young Bucks.
Oh, yes, this ought to be good.
The Bravados offer their hands and the Bucks fake them out and end up shaking each other's hands. Nice. Harlem Bravado with a quick takedown on Nick of the Bucks and follows up with some more offense. Hard right by Harlem who then tags out to partner and brother Lancelot. The Bravados nails a double snapmare.
Lancelot in control until a jaw breaker by Nick staggers him. Matt Jackson gets the tags and the Bravados hit a double arm drag, backflip over, and nail a sitting Lance with a double dropkick. Those Young Bucks sure are agile!
They're doing a good job of cutting off the ring and making quick tags. Nick back in only to secure an arm wrench before tagging Matt who comes off the top with a double axe handle. Lance fights back but is driven back in the corner. Nick gets the tag and hope to the top while Matt drapes Lance on the middle rope. Double stomp! Pin attempt is broken up by Harlem.
Finally, Lance is able to flip out of a back body drop and Harlem gets tagged in. He clears house and ends with a spinning sitdown powerbomb for two. The Bucks are sent to the outside by Harlem who nails an insane flipping plancha and lands on his feet! He rolls Matt back in for a two count. A double team move gets another two count.
A quick exchange sees a stunner attempt from Matt Jackson get countered and he tries to deliver a boot but it's caught. One half of the Bravados spins the Bucks around, passing the leg to his partner before coming back around and nailing an enziguri.
Harlem gets sent to the outside and a springboard plancha by Nick takes him out of the equation while Matt and Lancelot battle inside. Matt gets the upper hand and Nick hops back up on the apron just in time to set up "More Bang For Your Buck." Lance gets dropped on the mat and eats a pair of top rope splashes for the three count.
Winner: The Young Bucks
Backstage, Kelly looks entirely uncomfortable having to interview The Briscoes. Like he legitimately fears for his life or something. I can understand that.
Back inside the ring, The World's Greatest Tag Team (WGTT) are with ROH's only employee it seems, Kevin Kelly. Haas talks about how the Briscoes jumped them like yellow cowards and beat them up with steel chairs.
All Night Express (ANX) is out! Kenny King doesn't appreciate being overlooked and wants his shot. He calls WGTT "Donald" and "Daffy" since, as long as they're not facing ANX, there's a couple of ducks. Rhett Titus says that they may have lost to the Briscoes but they also beat them a few times as well.
Inside ROH is up next and spotlights Kevin Steen. They travel back in time all the way to Final Battle 2009 where Steen turned on partner El Generico. They waged war for the entirety of 2010 finally culminating at Final Battle 2010 where Generico beat Steen in a Mask vs. Career match.
Steve Corino -- who was responsible for Steen's rulebreaker turn -- felt remorseful and spent the first half of 2011 trying to make amends for what he had done. He tried to bring Steen back at Best in the World but the banished wrestler attacked him and had to be carried off.
Then, of course, the actions at Death Before Dishonor IX helped bring this entire situation to a head. As seen last week, Steen is suing ROH to be allowed back in the company and next week, we'll get Jim Cornette's response.
Jay Lethal and Mike Bennett jaw back and forth. They don't like each other. Lethal says that if Bennett wants a rematch, he can have it. But yeah right, Bennett thinks he's the true champ and doesn't accept Lethal's offer because he offers one himself. Well played.
Back in the booth and Kelly starts to talk up the feud between The House of Truth and the American Wolves when he's interrupted by Steve Corino. "My name is Steve Corino and I'm an evil person." He says there's a monster in ROH but he knows how to solve the problem but Cornette won't answer his emails or calls. He pleads for five minutes of Cornette's time and then the camera cuts to some of the ugliest people I've ever seen in my life. Um, okay.
Quick video from Roderick Strong's match with Kyle O'Reilly and the ensuing fracas. Fracas is a fun word.
The House of Truth w/ Truth Martini vs. The American Wolves
Elgin has got a Muta-type entrance attire thing going on. I dig it.
All four men start brawling to start off us but Elgin is quick to throw Richards out. He and Strong corner Edwards and "Unbreakable" does some good ol' fashioned mudhole stomping. HOT whips Edwards to the corner but he turns the tables by delivering some elbows to Strong and a big boot to Elgin.
Richards slides back in the ring and charges his partner who lifts him up and over the ropes. He lands on the apron and delivers a big kick straight to Strong's jaw. Back inside the ring, Edwards slides under a charging Elgin, counters a clothesline and picks the big man up before flapjacking him down onto the mat.
Elgin manages to get to his knees before eating a missile dropkick from the ROH World Champion. Edwards covers for two. Edwards tags out to Richards and they trade strikes on Elgin before flattening him with a double back elbow which also gets a two count.
The HOT member is backed into the corner and is eating a ton of strikes from Richards. Edwards back in and Elgin is able to get back into the match-up. He delivers some hard chops to the former tag team champion and tags in his partner. "The Messiah of the Backbreaker" delivers some hard punches to Edwards in the corner before tagging Elgin back in.
Elgin nails Edwards with a stiff forearm and takes the action to the center of the ring where he tries to execute a suplex. "Die Hard" fights it tooth and nail and manages to get himself back to his corner where Richards tags in. A series of kick has Elgin seemingly dazed and Edwards attempts an irish whip.
It's reversed but Richards busts out the Great Muta handspring elbow -- SECOND MUTA REFERENCE~! --as he bounces off the ropes. In an absolutely awesome spot, Elgin catches Richards as he flies backwards and has him in a Torture Rack position before dropping straight down and getting a two count.
A tag out to Strong sees Richards eating a couple of forearms and chops before the champ "Hulks" up. A stiff dropkick puts a stop to that pretty quickly, however. The HOT tags out again and is doing a great job of cutting off the ring and keeping a fresh man inside the ring. Stiff shots from Elgin garner another near fall.
Edwards is finally able to get a blind tag as the HOT members look to double clothesline Richards over the top rope. The champ ducks down and pulls the ropes with him and Truth Martini's crew spill out onto the apron where they both eat a shin to the back. Double suicide dives from the Wolves is the cherry on top.
Edwards and Strong back inside the ring. Edwards firmly in control and just chopping the living hell out of his opponent. He whips Strong across the ring but eats a boot on his way in. Strong hops up to the top rope but "Die Hard" is able to recover quickly and nail Strong with a boot of his own. He sets up the backpack chinbreaker and executes perfectly for a two before transitioning right into the Achilles lock.
Strong breaks the hold by getting to the ropes and rolling out onto the apron. Edwards tries to suplex him over but Strong fights it and manges to gets Edwards up and over. Edwards floats over and lands on the apron, delivering a back elbow to Elgin who was closing in. A boot from Strong gives him the window to nail a sick back drop suplex on the apron. Cheese and rice!
We get a commercial break and when he return, Elgin is nailing a stalling suplex on Edwards. A replay from the break shows Strong hitting a nice side slam backbreaker. "Die Hard" tries to fight back but eats a powerslam for his troubles. McGuinness calls Martini a "member of the Bee Gees on crack." HA!
Strong back inside the ring but before he double teams Edwards with his partner, he runs across and nails Richards for good measure. The HOT lift their opponent up but he flips out of it and staggers into the corner. Strong charges in, gets a boot. Elgin runs in and gets superkicked. Edwards hops up top and sails towards the two dazed men and drops with both with a pair of knee strikes.
Richards is tagged in and he immediately makes his way to the top for a double missile dropkick. Kicks to Elgin who responds in kind with a forearm. Richards tries to whip Elgin to corner but the big man from HOT reverses it. Unfortunately, in doing so, he allows the champ to nail Strong with a flying forearm. Richards turns his attention back to Elgin who he rolls up for a pin but he also manages to grab Strong in a northern lights suplex and nearly pinned both of them!
Richards with a waistlock on Elgin who reverses and throws the champ over. Richards lands on his feet and throws a kick that is caught but he uses it to get "Unbreakable" to the mat and slap on an ankle lock. The hold is broken and Elgin is whipped to the corner but Edwards is waiting to land a kick. The dazed Elgin staggers backwards into a bridging German suplex for two.
The American Wolves make their way to the top rope to make the most out of a prone opponent but Strong sneaks up behind Edwards and shoves him off and into the guard rail. Elgin throws Richards off on the other end but the champ rolls to his feet. He's immediately grabbed by "Unbreakable" and shoved into the corner where Strong hits a kick to the back and Elgin follows it up with a huge sidewalk slam.
Another stalling suplex nearly gets a three but Edwards is in to make the save. He and Strong head to the outside where "Die Hard" shoves his Death Before Dishonor IX opponent hard into the guard rail. Inside the ring, Elgin is brutalizing Richards in the corner and runs to the opposite corner to charge back in. He's met by an Edwards forearm who then himself is met with one from Strong.
All four men in each corner and Strong makes the first move but ends up getting nailed with a knee from Richards. The Wolves charges Elgin but he catches both of them -- one on his back and the other in his arms -- and hits a double fallaway slam. Absolutely nuts.
Each man is back to on their feet and they're all trading strikes. Strong spills to the outside and Edwards catches Elgin and lifts him up, allowing him to drop down into a patented Richards kick. The Wolves up in opposite corners ... double stomp from Edwards ... double stomp from Richards! As McGuinness aptly called it, a "quadruple stomp!" The pinfall is then interrupted by Strong.
Absolutely awesome moment with Richards nailing Elgin over and over with strikes and getting the big man to his knees. Elgin's response? He spits in the champ's face. Yes. Edwards hits Elgin with a superkick and Richards follows up with a standing enziguri for a two count. Richards takes the kick out straight into an ankle lock but Elgin is able to roll out of it.
Richards charges Elgin who absolutely kills him with a knee. A sitdown powerbomb from Elgin gets a two. He manages to nail Richards with something else but the camera's focus is set to the ringside area where the referee is arguing with Martini. Elgin seemingly has the match won but without a referee to count the pinfall, he's out of luck.
Edwards sneaks up behind him and sinks in a choke -- one that the commentary teams says he's never used and likely taught to him by his new, secret trainer -- that puts "Unbreakable" right to sleep. Edwards rolls out and Richards crawls over and makes the pin.
By the way, it's been announced since the show aired that none other than former NWA World Heavyweight and UFC champion Dan Severn is heading up Edwards' training camp leading up to Final Battle.
That's it for this week, folks. In the meantime, check out this promo for the next episode of ROH TV.
See ya next week!