Ring of Honor - Black Friday Fallout
November 26, 2006
by SamoaRowe
-From Lake Grove, NY. Our hosts are Dave Prazak and Jimmy Bauer (Gabe Sapolsky).
-Backstage interview with ROH Tag Team Champions Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. They are staging a phony press conference. Since they are the champs, they feel they can say whatever they want, whenever they want. They dismiss the other teams chasing after them. Tonight, they defend their newly won titles in a “No DQ” match against Austin Aries and Roderick Strong.
-Brent Albright introduces himself to the ROH audience. He’s coming off a lackluster run on Smackdown. Albright is here to make money and beat people up. Tonight, he gets the opportunity to beat five people up in the gauntlet match.
Four Corner Survival:
Daizee Haze vs. Nikki Roxx vs. Lacey vs. Allison Danger
That’s right, they’re opening with a women’s match, what are you going to do about it? Hot start with participants tagging themselves in, as everyone hates Lacey. Danger turns up the aggression, attacking Lacey with hard strikes. Roxx assists Danger in a double team against Lacey. Haze tags in and puts Roxx down with a Tornado Daizee Cutter. Allison misses a curb kick and Haze locks on an STF. Danger looks for a tag but Lacey refuses. Roxx tags and works over poor Allison. Lacey tags herself in and blindsides Danger. Allison makes a comeback but Haze sneak attacks with a drop-kick. Roxx and Haze gets tags and Roxx gains the upper hand with a tirt-a-whirl backbreaker. Barbie Crusher on Danger by Roxx! Daizee jumps Nikki and nails a Hart Punch. Lacey shoves off Daizee and puts Roxx down with an Implant DDT. Lacey gains the victory at 8:27. Solid match that really gave Lacey a chance to get over, **½.Winner: Lacey
-Daizee is pissed and warns the camera that this is the last time Lacey will ever fuck with her.
-Homicide is hanging out with Julius Smokes. Homicide is flying high after driving Jim Cornette out of ROH. He lists off his list of enemies, including the Briscoes and Adam Pearce. Smokes reminds Homicide that he’s got Jimmy Rave in the ring tonight, which seems to amuse him more than anything. With Prince Nana gone from ROH, Rave is a joke. Smokes barks at the camera and that’s a wrap.
Gauntlet Series:
Brent Albright vs. Pelle Primeau
This isn’t going to end well for the tiny student, Primeau. Albright easily shoves Pelle down in the early going. Albright delivers a suplex and stretches the arm. Pelle sneaks back with a head scissors takedown but Albright answers with Rolling German suplexes. Pelle taps to the Crowbar at 2:06. Albright teases a handshakes, but instead tosses Primeau over the ropes. Squash, ¼*.Winner: Brent Albright
Gauntlet Series: Brent Albright vs. Jason Blade
Albright shakes Blade’s hand, which I find to be somewhat surprising. Snapmare by Albright and a kick to the back. Blade shakes it off but walks into a side headlock. Blade rebounds with some jobber offense (arm drags, drop-kicks, you know the usual stuff). Albright lures Blade into a suplex. Because this is ROH, the jobber gets some near falls. Albright dumps Blade on the ropes and nails his suplex combo. The crowbar finishes Blade at 4:25. This was about two minutes too long, ½*.Winner: Brent Albright
Gauntlet Series: Brent Albright vs. BJ Whitmer
This should be a more even contest. Slow start as they size each other up. Neither man can gain the advantage during a mat wrestling contest. Albright no-sells some chops and fires back with some uppercuts. Whitmer runs into an overhead release suplex! Exploder suplex by Whitmer sends Albright to ringside for a breather. Albright begins targeting the leg, smashing it into the ring post. Albright pulls Whitmer to ringside by the leg and drives it into the barricade. Whitmer limps back to the ring but Albright continues to wear him down. Whitmer nails a desperate exploder suplex and can’t follow up due to his injured ankle. Whitmer builds some momentum with a series of strikes and a vertical suplex. Albright runs into a spinebuster for 2. Albright applies an ankle lock but Whitmer somehow survives. They trade German suplexes, but Albright wins the exchange. Whitmer blocks a half nelson suplex and delivers another pair of suplexes for the win at 13:27! Didn’t see that finish coming. The crowd is displeased with this outcome. I get the story they were trying to tell, but this was more dull than anything, *½.Winner: BJ Whitmer
Gauntlet Series: BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Jacobs zooms in, delivers a blind low blow, and pins Whitmer immediately. Good.Winner: Jimmy Jacobs
Gauntlet Series: Jimmy Jacobs (with Lacey) vs. Nigel McGuinness
I’m relieved to have a fresh paring here. The ongoing story here is that Jacobs is in love with Lacey and she’s using that to her advantage. Nigel outwrestles Jacobs in the early going. Jacobs surprises with a spinning head scissors. Back suplex by Nigel, but Jacobs holds on to a side headlock. Nigel attacks the arm, but Jacobs retains control. McGuinness tosses Jimmy by the arm but can’t get a pinfall. Nigel asks the crowd if they’ve “ever seen this on Smackdown” as he stretches the arms in creative fashion. We get our first hard lariat from Nigel, but Jacobs kicks out. Jacobs botches a flying head butt, and Nigel joins the crowd in the “You fucked up” chant. Jacobs stomps the chest and drop-kicks the head to retake control. McGuinness finds his second wind and delivers a stiff lariat. Nigel eats Jacobs’ lunch, nailing a series of stiff shots. Jacobs tosses Nigel to ringside and delivers a suicide dive. Nigel snaps the ropes into Jimmy’s eyes crotches him on the ropes. Jacobs ducks a lariat but suffers the Tower of London! Jacobs blocks a second Tower and nails a flying back senton. Spear by Jacobs gets 2! Nigel blocks the Contra Code and lariats Jacobs off the ropes! Nigel pins Jimmy at 14:30. Jacobs was a bit off tonight, but Nigel was in rare form, ***.Winner: Nigel McGuinness
-The Briscoes have some fighting words for Samoa Joe.
ROH Tag Team Championship “No DQ” match:
Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli © vs. Austin Aries and Roderick Strong
The Kings of Wrestling make their entrance by the merch stand and GenNext jump them before they can get to the ring. Claudio flees the scene, clutching his brief case. Hero is a bit more brave and brawls with Strong. The brawl spills into the ringside area. Aries back drops Castagnoli over the guard rail and dives onto him. Claudio drops Aries rib-first onto the barricade, meanwhile Hero attempts to drive Strong’s eye into a rail leg. The fight finally makes it to the ring, with the KOW suffering a miscue on a double team. Strong and Aries gleefully double team Hero. Unfortunately, Claudio duck tapes Aries’ legs around the ring post, allowing for a 2 on 1 situation. The Kings haul a piece of barricade to the ring and set it up between two standing chairs. Claudio holds Strong on the barricade as Hero climbs the turnbuckles, but Aries frees himself and throws Hero onto the metal structure! Aries bulldogs Claudio onto the barricade! GenNext drive Claudio onto the chairs and deliver a Brainbuster. Hero pulls the referee out of the ring and Aries takes him down with a sick suicide dive. Gibson Driver on Castagnoli by Strong only gets 2. Strong sets up a table in the corner but Claudio plants him. Aries and Claudio duke it out on the table. Aries intercepts the brief case and cleans house. Aries kicks the case into Castagnoli’s head and gets a painfully close near fall. Hero suffers some finishers and GenNext gets the table ready for him. Claudio makes the save and Shingo runs in and puts Strong through the table (seems random, but Shingo is next in line for a shot at Strong’s FIP Championship). The KOW hit a double Hero’s Welcome on Strong for the win around the 20 minute mark. Things really heated up towards the end, good outing here, ***½.Winners and still ROH Tag Team Champions: Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli
-Gary Michael Cappeta interviews the Top of the Class trophy holder, Shane Hagadorn. They discuss Homicide’s challenge to Adam Pearce for a strap match. Hagadorn says he and Pearce are mourning the loss of their leader, Jim Cornette, and that’s going to drive Pearce into punishing Homicide in their upcoming match. Homicide has no idea what he’s in for.
Shingo vs. Mark Briscoe
Mark gets an arm takedown but Shingo reverses into a head scissors (complete with some push-ups). Things speed up and Mark gets the upper hand. Double stomp by Mark sends Shingo to ringside for a time out. Back to the ring, Mark retains control with a belly to belly suplex. Briscoe moves a twisting leg drop, giving Shingo the opening he needs to apply a spinning sleeper slam. Shingo tosses Mark to ringside and risks a DQ by using a chair. Back to the ring, Shingo continues to wear down his opponent. Briscoe rebounds with a Northern Lights suplex but a blind low blow gives the advantage back to Shingo. Mark delivers a flying cross body and dives to the floor to gain some momentum. Back to the ring, they trade suplexes. Shingo sneaks in another low blow and suplexes Mark out of the turnbuckle. Springboard ace crusher by Mark only gets 2. Gut wrench suplex by Shingo isn’t enough. Mark blocks a torture rack but eats a clothesline. Shingo nails the Blood Driver to finish it at 12:23. Decent match, but one you’ve seen a thousand times before, **¼.Winner: Shingo
-Roderick Strong attacks Shingo after the match, looking for some revenge after what happened earlier.
Jimmy Rave vs. Homicide (with Julius Smokes)
I’m dreading this one, as my memory recalls this being a long, boring-ass clunker of a match. They trade arm work as Gabe tries to justify this match up by recalling the last time ROH was in Long Island, they were opponents in a tag match that went to a draw. So, a match that about two people on Earth cared about really needs a proper resolution. Rave stalls and teases bring in a weapon. The match restarts and they trade more arm work. I hate this match already. We get a break when Homicide stomps Rave’s hand. The fight turns dirty, with the fight spilling into the ringside area. Homicide takes control, tossing Rave around for a while. Homicide, the baby face, utilizes a vice grip. Homicide misses a baseball slide, allowing Rave to spear him into the barricade. Rave bites the forehead and goes to work on wearing down our plucky hero, Homicide. Rave misses a running knee, leaving himself vulnerable to a dive from Homicide. This leads to a comeback by Homicide, but he just can’t score the pinfall. Rave takes some high impact moves but blocks a top rope move. Homicide counters with a DDT off the ropes. Three Amigos by Homicide but the diving head butt misses. Rave nails the Gonorrhea, but only gets 2. Top rope hurricanrana by Homicide but Rave counters the lariat with a spear. Pedigree by Rave, but still no pinfall. Inside cradle finishes Homicide at 18:08. Really? Wow. Anyways, the match was uninspired, cookie-cutter, and poorly booked. There was no reason for Homicide to job here as he was heading into a big title match. *.Winner: Jimmy Rave
-The Briscoes run in and attack Homicide. Luckily, Samoa Joe makes the save, leading us into…
Jay Briscoe vs. Samoa Joe
We get a hot start with Samoa Joe aggressively taking the fight to Jay. Joe swings Jay off the apron into the barricade. Joe entertains with the Ole kicks, destroying a piece of barricade in the process. Back to the ring, Joe pummels Jay into the corner. Joe continues to unload his bag of tricks until Jay counters a charge. Jay begins targeting the head and throws some chops in there. Joe nails a chop but Briscoe suplexes his way back into control. The match comes to a screeching halt as Jay wears Joe down in a plodding fashion. Joe counters a leap frog with a sloppy face plant. Joe forges a comeback but he can’t score the pinfall. The crowd chants “Fuck Kurt Angle” as Joe locks on the STF (this was around the time Angle handed Joe his first loss in TNA). Jay forces Joe into taking a Death Valley Driver. Frog splash by Jay connects! Joe nails the enziguri but Jay blocks the Muscle Buster. Joe blocks the J-Driller but Jay delivers a suplex instead. Jay springboards into a hard kick. Joe nails the Muscle Buster for the win at 11:56. Good enough, **¼.Winner: Samoa Joe
-Hey, kids, check out Full Impact Pro! They pimp FIP’s Second Anniversary Show, which appears to feature loads of ROH talent performing in front of about fifty people.
Delirious and Davey Richards vs. Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal (with Allison Danger)
Just in the off-hand chance you don’t know, Matt Sydal is WWE’s Evan Bourne. Sydal and Daniels are chasing the Kings of Wrestling, so they could really use the win tonight. Sydal and Delirious also had a long-running Indy rivalry, which is worth noting. As per usual, Delirious goes nuts when the bell rings. We kicks things off with Daniels and Richards squaring off. Richards has enough of mat wrestling and lights Daniels up with some stiff kicks. Delirious tags and works the arm. Sydal tags and trades holds against his arch nemesis. They roll through some pinning predicaments. Delirious head butts and Sydal fires back with a monkey flip. Daniels tags and takes control. Richards tags and takes the fight to Daniels, firing away with stiff offense. Daniels tosses Richards to ringside, allowing Sydal to score with a dive. Richards finds himself isolated as Sydal and Daniels cut the ring in half. Richards plants Sydal on the ropes and makes the hot tag to Delirious. Richards sets Sydal up for a Delirious drop-kick for 2. Delirious is unable to put Sydal away so he works a Cobra Clutch. Richards and Delirious isolate Sydal and wear him down. Sydal counters Richards’ handspring and Daniels gets a hot tag. Daniels drives Delirious onto Richards while cleaning house. Daniels has to fight off both opponents. Sydal makes a blind tag but Delirious still scores with a suicide flip onto Daniels at ringside. Sydal unloads on Richards, including a standing moonsault. Richards plants Sydal with a falcon arrow. The DR Driver is blocked but Richards counters with an inverted cloverleaf. All four men are in the ring with Sydal and Daniels simultaneously applying submission holds. Sydal blocks a double team move but suffers a DDT from Delirious. Daniels puts Richards down with an Arabian press at ringside. Meanwhile, Delirious delivers Panic Attack on Sydal. Sydal blocks Shadows Over Hell but Richards returns in time for a release German superplex! Shadows Over Hell by Delirious but Daniels makes the save. Richards nails a suicide dive on Daniels. Sydal and Delirious square off again, with Sydal suffering a neck breaker off the ropes. Daniels plants Delirious and hits the Best Moonsault Ever. Sydal’s Shooting Star Press puts Delirious away at 26:50. The match could have stood to lose ten minutes, as the first half really wasn’t all that interesting. The spotty final sprint was fun though, ***¼.Winners: Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal
Final Thoughts: Not much to see here. We got a couple of decent-good matches but there was a lot of filler and some downright bad matches. This really was Black Friday as ROH delivered a flat, meaningless show. Thumbs down.
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