Ring of Honor's (ROH) latest TV offering has aired and as usual, Cageside Seats has you covered.
We're less than a month away from Final Battle 2011 on Dec. 23 which means besides the two house shows planned for this weekend, we've only got four more episodes of ROH TV left.
In this episode we'll see six-time ROH tag team champs The Briscoe Brothers in action against the team of Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander. The new tandem took World's Greatest Tag Team (WGTT) to the limit a few weeks back and "Dem Boys" look to make a statement by knocking them off in much more decisive fashion.
Survival of the Fittest 2011 winner Michael Elgin also steps into the ring in a handicap match and the main event is a rematch from the debut episode of ROH TV that see World Television Champion Jay Lethal defending the strap against the man he beat for it, El Generico.
But enough talk, it's time for wrestling! Check it out for yourself, homie!
The show opens up with a video package of last week's main event between ROH World Champion Davey Richards and his "Team Richards" stablemate Kyle O'Reilly.
Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness welcome us back to the Davis Arena in Louisville, KY and begin to hype up the card headlined by the World TV title match.
Then we're treated to a video of The Briscoe Brothers hyping up their Final Battle 2011 tag team title match about World's Greatest Tag Team by talking about how they're going to make mincemeat out of Cedric Alexander and Caprice Coleman. Coleman responds in kind but the biggest pop from me comes from Alexander wearing a Job for a Cowboy t-shirt. Kudos, C-Al, kudos.
Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander vs. The Briscoe Brothers
Apparently Alexander is in his early 20s and Coleman is over a decade older than him! Coleman doesn't look over 25! Man, it's true what they say: that black don't crack.
Jay and Alexander start us off and the Briscoe gains the early advantage before making a quick tag. The former champs whip Alexander to the ropes but he ducks under a double clothesline and tags in his partner. Alexander charges Mark and dropkicks him out of the ring while Jay attempts to attack Coleman before he makes his way inside the ring.
Coleman boots his opponent and then nails him with a springboard dropkick, spilling Jay to the outside. The Briscoe Brothers try to get their wits about them on the outside but a springboard plancha from Coleman flattens them out.
The new tag team doubles up on Mark, nailing him with legdrops, suplexes, and rolling sentons. Coleman goes for a cover but it's broken up by Jay. Coleman can really move inside the ring. Apparently he's an OMEGA alumni. That organization had everything from future drug addicts to future pastors! Nuts!
Jay then knocks Alexander off the apron allowing Mark the take control thanks to a distracted Coleman. Mark whips his opponent to the ropes and he's nailed with a forearm to the back by Jay. Mark covers for two and then "Dem Boys" begin to work Coleman over in their corner.
Jay tags in and he nails a big suplex causing Coleman to roll to the outside. Mark attacks Alexander, snapmaring him into the ring. The referee tries to stop the attack on the non-legal man and is shoved for his troubles. Just then, WGTT show up with chairs and chase their Final Battle 2011 opponents all the way to the parking lot! The bell rings, it looks like that's all she wrote!
Result: No Contest
Handicap match: Sean Casey and Raphael Constantine vs. Michael Elgin
So Casey comes out and my first thought is, "That guy looks like a dude stripper." And it turns out he is. I don't know if I should be proud or not that I called that one correctly.
Constantine starts off but is thrown to the mat rather easily by Elgin and tucks tail and tags out. Casey is thrown down as well but uses some speed to even the odds. Elgin catches up with him and drops him a second time.
That's when the two start playing for keeps. They double team "Unbreakable" but he still manages to overpower them. A stalling release suplex on Constantine leads to Elgin paintbrushing the back of his head. I always thought that was an awesome thing a rulebreaker could do.
Elgin sets his opponent on his shoulder but Casey runs in to prevent any further damage. Constantine sneaks behind Elgin and Casey nails him with a dropkick, forcing the big man off his feet. A two count is followed by a kick out -- WITH AUTHORITY~! -- and Constantine flies halfway across the ring. Love that.
Pump handle fallaway slam on Casey but the smaller wrestler manages to get a boot up in the corner when Elgin comes charging in. A top rope splash from Constantine in the opposite corner ends with him getting caught but Casey hits a missile dropkick.
Elgin rolls through it, picking Constantine in his grasp the entire time, and then just chunks him at Casey for a two count. A couple of punches from Casey don't even phase Elgin but his strikes land like gunshots. Casey again uses his speed to gain the advantage and tags out.
Constantine charges but Elgin lifts him straight up before dropping him down and he lands awkwardly. The House of Truth member gets both men on his back soon after and hits a double Alabama Slam and picks up the win.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Jim Cornette is backstage and has the official word from ROH regarding Kevin Steen. He says that Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs helped him come up this idea. Cornette wants those two men as well as Steen and Steen's attorney to join him in the ring next week to hear what his offer to "Mr. Wrestling" is.
Inside ROH is next and we get training footage of former UFC and NWA champion Dan Severn who will be cornering "Die Hard" Eddie Edwards at Final Battle. The two sit down and say that Richards should stop whining about their training arrangement and Severn claims that Richards won at Best in the World because he knows Edwards too well. He aims to change that.
Inside ROH also talks to former champ Roderick Strong who is hanging out with a gaggle of hotties who he calls "Team Strong." He's sick of hearing about Richards and lays out a challenge for the company to find him the best -- well, second best -- wrestler in the world to take on at Final Battle 2011. I like Strong, he seems nice and all but he is a stinker on the mic. Isn't this why they hooked him up with Truth Martini? So he wouldn't have to talk?
ROH World Television Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. El Generico
Before the match gets started, "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett makes his way to the ringside area with "Brutal" Bob Evans tagging along. They have some nachos and Lethal kicks them into their laps! Rude!
El Generico with a wristlock and gets the champ to the mat. Lethal kips up and reverses, leading to a quick grappling exchange that sees the luchador come out on top. Lethal collects himself and then lock up.
Generico goes for a hotshot but Lethal counters with a headscissors. The challenger staggers to the corner and Lethal executes a monkey flip but Generico cartwheels out of it and nails one of his own, which the champ flips out of as well. Pretty evenly matched so far.
Headlock from the champ and is whipped to the ropes. Shoulder block puts Generico on his back but he answers back with a trio of armdrags that has Lethal reeling. A pin attempt from the former champ gets two and he lays in HARD with a couple of knife edge chops.
One thing that bugs is me when fans "WOO!" for overhand chops. But I digress.
A backbreaker from Generico gets him another two count. Another chop in the corner and Lethal begins to man up. He chops back but the challenger answers back and gets him in the corner. A split-legged moonsault gets a two count for Generico before whipping Lethal to the opposite corner. Generico charges in but his lifted up and over the onto the apron before eating a boot to the face and spilling out onto the floor.
Back from a commercial break and the champ gets a two count off a leg lariat. During the break, Lethal nailed his opponent with a superkick. Inside the ring, the champ slaps on a modified surfboard before releasing the hold and nailing his opponent with an armdrag/dropkick combination for two.
Three chops in the corner by Lethal is followed by an irish whip to the opposite side but Generico answers back with a hard clothesline. A second clothesline hits and Lethal avoids getting sent to the ropes with a reversal but ducks down and eats a boot and a third clothesline.
Blue Thunder attempt is countered by elbows to the head from Lethal but the champ misses with a big kick and ends up taking the slam anyway. He kicks out at two but the momentum is shifting in Generico's favor as the crowd begins an "olé" chant.
Another slam from Generico puts Lethal on his back for two. The champ is in the corner and Generico attempts a Yakuza kick but it's caught and the luchador is nailed with a big neckbreaker as a timer indication less than three minutes left in the match appears.
Outside the ring, Bennett has the TV title and Evans begins to secure it around "The Prodigy's" waist. Meanwhile, Lethal hits an awesome Muta back handspring elbow but substitutes the final part with a cutter and gets a two count. Generico back to his feet and lands two punches but a kick puts him the corner.
A flying forearm from Lethal lands and he runs back to the opposite corner for possibly a second but he's followed closely by Generico who kills him with a Yakuza kick and then a suplex. But the champ pops right back up and lays Generico out with a superkick and both man collapse to the mat with only a minute remaining.
The champ rolls to the outside and Bennett begins to jaw at him, taunting him while wearing the belt. Lethal smacks him upside the head and makes his way to the apron where he floats over out of a brainbuster attempt with a pin attempt. The Lethal Combination -- STO backbreaker/reverse STO combo -- puts the challenger on his back and the champs hits an elbow drop -- which apparently is the Lethal Injection now -- as time runs out. But Bennett hops on the apron to distract the referee. Time expires!
The champ attacks Bennett and they brawl around the ring until Generico hits a plancha onto both men!
Perhaps we'll see a three-way dance for the TV strap at Final Battle?
That's all I got today, Cagesiders! See ya next week!
Until then, here's a preview for this weekend's show!