ROH: NIGHT OF THE GRUDGES
National Guard Amory
Cambridge, MA
June 14th, 2003
ROH World Champion: Samoa Joe (Since 3/22/2002 - 3 Defenses)
ROH Tag Team Champions: AJ Styles & Amazing Red (Since 3/15/2003 - 2 Defenses)
Backstage, Paul London cuts a pretape and talks about his amazing run lately and how the fans have been behind him. But with that great run has been some bad luck and while he’s won matches he can’t win the big one. Tonight he’s got AJ Styles for the #1 contenders trophy. Last time they faced off for this he came out on top in the three way with Low Ki. And he’s going to win tonight and then win the ROH Title.
Elsewhere, AJ Styles stands by with Alexis Laree. The camera zooms in on his waist revealing the NWA World Championship, a belt he just won 3 days prior on NWA:TNA. He puts over that belt and the ROH Tag Belt and wants to add to his trophy case by winning the contenders trophy then beating Joe for the ROH Title. He reminds Paul at the 3 way in New York, London beat Low Ki, not him, and he won’t beat him tonight either.
Match #1: Carnage Crew vs. Christopher Street Connection
This was awful. Incredibly offensive gimmick aside, the CSC guys are just straight up really bad wrestlers. Plus, this went almost TEN minutes. Absolutely no reason for that whatsoever. CSC are able to avoid the Carnage Driver but then Mace falls victim to DeVito’s moonsault. Crew win.
3/4*
Post-match, the Crew grab CSC’s new valet Ariel, AND THEY HIT HER WITH THE CARNAGE DRIVER! The crowd pops HUGE. They were already into them this whole match but this got a nuclear hot babyface pop. The crowd chants one more time and they set it up but then throw her down and flip the fans off to keep their heel heat. But I feel like a face turn is probably imminent.
Match #2: Matt Stryker vs. Chance Beckett
Beckett shone at the 2003 ECWA Supee 8 tourney, so I guess ROH is doing their due diligence and kicking the tires on him. Them kicking an actual tire may have been more entertaining. This is just two boring wannabe technicians having the most dull match possible as Gabe pounds off on commentary. Stryker wins with the Strykerlock. Who cares. Moving on.
*1/4
John Walters comes out for the next match. Soon after, Angel Dust comes out as the next entrant but his music stops, AND “SNAP YA FINGERS SNAP YA NECK” COMES ON AND JUSTIN CREDIBLE APPEARS TO SUPERKICK DUST’S HEAD OFF. Crowd is SUPER hot for Credible here. He cuts a promo and hits his catchphrases. He’s inserting himself into the next match.
Match #3: Homicide vs. Justin Credible vs. Chris Sabin vs. John Walters [Four Corner Survival Match]
I wrote on Twitter (@phillyleotard0) when this match came up, I was annoyed because sometimes in this ROH watch through, I’ll get a multi man match that is insane to think about in retrospect and it’ll end up whipping ass too. And then sometimes I get stinky smelly pieces of shit like I assumed this match was going to be. It has all the makings of being one: young and kinda green Sabin, boring ass Walters, Cide maybe phoning it in as an off night and Justin Credible probably putting in 100% but the output still being awful. Instead, Sabin and Walters genuinely surprised me, Homicide wrestled like he had a fucking point to prove after losing to Joe, and for Credible’s first non-WWE match in like 2.5 years, his 100% effort actually provided average output for the first time since 1997. Homicide/Walters is thee match up here and honestly I hope they have a singles match at some point. Good mat wrestling as Cide continues his quest to prove he’s more than just a hardcore guy. Sabin is more than fine too, not as green as I expected. Although he’s shaped very weird and looks shorter than usual. I don’t really know this Chris Sabin as I really didn’t even get into TNA until shortly before Christian jumped over. In the end, they avoid the huge mistake of a Credible win (even though the crowd remained super hot for him) but at the expense of having to sit through an elongated segment of just Credible & Walters. But they do the ROH dive sequence where everybody gets their shit in. It comes down to Walters breaking up Cide’s pin on Sabin and they go into one nice last sequence and Cide traps him in his Torture STF to win.
***
Post-match, Homicide talks shit to Joe through the camera. The camera follows Homicide through the curtain and Low Ki is there, again angry about Julius Smokes presence. Homicide says he needs back up, Corino and his people are everywhere and he’s got no one else since Ki’s been hurt. Homicide throws up gang signs and tells Ki he knows what this is. Smokes tells Ki again that he forgot where he came from. Ki says he’s had enough of this and leaves. Cide tries calling out to him but it doesn’t work. Smokes tells Cide they’ll go to the TITTY BAR and he’ll feel better.
The Saints make their entrance to Copa Cabana. Once in the ring, Punk forces Cabana to sit in a chair and stay. Punk grabs a mic and addresses the crowd. He says that what he’s about to say doesn’t really apply to any of the people out there sitting on their hands instead of throwing up the X, and he wants to talk to HIS people right now, his soldiers who have the balls to be drug free and alcohol free. He lets Boston know that those people throwing up the X’s are BETTER THAN YOU! He addresses the camera and tells the audience at home to put your hand on the screen right now, because he's speaking from his heart. He knows about being outcast and shunned from an early age, he’s just like Martin Luther King Jr and Malcom X and everyone else they want to get rid of and can't, he'll take the minority on his back. Interesting to note Punk was getting booed the whole time until this Boston sports crowd heard MLK and Malcolm X and then they booed louder. Hmm. Anyway, Punk says that he is a thorn in the side of a poisoned America (🎶I’m not a part of the redneck agenda🎶.) Punk urges all of his soldiers to be proud. Because just like last time they were in Boston, he will destroy the icon that started a revolution 10 years ago. The difference being that today, this is CM PUNK’s revolution and his revolution will destroy that of Raven's!
Raven comes out with a mic and he says last time he was here, he was happy, he was even jovial. But now, he's miserable and he's brought all his hate & loathing with him here tonight. He stands up out of the corner and a crowd member/Punk supporter yells "FUCK YOU RAVEN!" which then causes a LOUD Raven chant that pisses Punk off, and he sells it like a million bucks, like a territory heel.
Cool shot. Raven welcomes Punk to Raven's Clockwork Orange House of Fun. Quoth the Raven, nevermore.
Match #4: Second City Saints vs. Raven/BJ Whitmer [No DQ Match]
This was really good. My main issue with it is either these four kept forgetting it was No DQ, or it was just booked to be that oblivious, I’m not sure. The match starts as a normal tag before they go to the floor and into the crowd. Raven bloodies Punk up good. But then suddenly they’re back to running tag spots in the ring and a really long control segment on Whitmer with Raven just waiting on the apron. Why? It’s no DQ! The story of this is good. Colt is basically a big dumb brute who fucks up occasionally and he’s under Punk’s control. One awesome moment comes where Punk hits a Running Face Wash. Cabana points to himself, indicating he wants to do it, but then he changes his mind when Punk goes to whip him and Cabana ends up whipping an unprepared Punk WHO DOES A HAMRICK BUMP THROUGH THE MIDDLE AND BOTTOM ROPE. CLEAN AS FUCK.
This allows Whitmer to make a brief comeback and get the hot tag to Raven. Raven beats the fuck out of Colt, Punk is back up and Raven FINALLY makes Punk eat an Evenflow and he has it win but Cabana breaks it up at the last possible second. BJ then hits Colt with the Exploder and has it won but there’s a ref bump and Punk is able TO HIT A CHAIR ASSISTED SHINING WIZARD ON BJ! He drags Cabana on top of BJ, but there’s no ref still. Raven was working on reviving the ref and the ref climbs in to count and it almost backfired on Raven as he realized what was going on in the ring so he breaks up the pin. Punk goes after Raven again and Cabana hits Whitmer with the Colt 45 to get the big win.
***1/2
Post-match, the Saints aren’t done and they double team Raven following a cheap shot from behind by Punker. Cabana sets up a table and puts Raven on it. Punk goes up top, and Whitmer starts crawling to the corner but he’s too beat up to stop Punk in time. Scarily, Punk slips as he dives and instead of hitting a diving leg drop he essentially does Kevin Sullivan’s double stomp directly through the table. Like he missed it bad enough that the camera even catches Raven rolling over and checking on Punk before Punk gives the all good. Anyway, Cabana helps Punk up and a fired up Punk shoves Cabana in a joyous manner, saying he told him they were better than them. Raven is convulsing on the floor randomly. Cabana scratches his head and seems to be perplexed but then agrees with Punk and they head to the back.
At intermission, GMC is backstage with Matt Stryker, whom he calls bro but then laughs and corrects it to brow. LAUGH. Again, I ask, is GMC supposed to have been a heel this whole time? Stryker laughs it off and wonders if the power of the brow is helping him win. He then talks about his string of wins and blah blah blah. He leaves but then Prince Nana walks in! GMC is surprised and Nana laughs saying his return was inevitable. He drones on for a bit too and unfortunately we have to see him wrestle. Just get to the Embassy already.
Match #5: Prince Nana vs. Diablo Santiago
Total squash. Nana was built like a fucking tank, like a 1980’s Crockett low carder who was a brute. But he also wears really high up tights and he’s basically Rikishi’ing it up. Anyway, this is more words than this needed. Nana is not a good wrestler. But he wins.
1/2*
Post-match, Tortuga gets in to check on his partner and Nana beats him down and hits a running back senton on him.
Match #6: The SAT vs. Special K (Dixie/Mikey Whipwreck)
This is the first time in ROH Mikey hasn’t had a hat or a wave cap on, and he looks really sweaty and out of shape. But like everything else with Special K, I’ll say it adds to the bit because this is exactly how an out of shape older man would look like trying to keep up with 18 year ecstasy dealers. Also HEY, WHEN ARE WE GONNA KNOCK THIS SAT SHIT OFF. This was ten of the longest minutes ever. It wasn’t BAD, but it was a mess and all over the place. Dixie gets concussed early on, Mikey is broken down and washed, and the SAT continue to be two of the worst wrestlers ever. They kill off the Whippersnapper as a finish with a lame kick out and SAT hit a Doomsday Device DDT on the still out of Dixie to win. Sloppy shop.
*1/4
Post-match, Special K all gang up on the SAT. Red is out injured and everyone else is gone (thank god) so they have no one. Surprisingly, the Carnage Crew make the save! The numbers are still in Special K’s favor, that is, UNTIL JUSTIN CREDIBLE RUNS OUT AND SUPERKICKS MIKEY AS A CALLBACK TO A VERY PAINFULLY AVERAGE FEUD THEY ONCE HAD. Credible helps the Crew clear house and DeVito gets on the mic and says the newest member of the Crew ISN’T JUST THE COOLEST, HE ISN’T JUST THE BEST…HE’S
Match #7: AJ Styles vs. Paul London [#1 Contd’rs Trophy]
AJ Styles was a natural from his very first ROH appearance. But watching Paul London’s evolution over roughly the last twelve months has been a treat. From being in the bottom half of the TWA group to surpassing everyone, including Danielson, in popularity is astounding. Not to mention, he just found a way to keep getting better in ring. He’s naturally talented but they’ve put him in there consistently with the right guys since the Shane feud. Walk with me here, friends: London got signed by WWE too soon. Their developmental stifled his development. If London has another year to really work his identity out on the independents, he walks into WWE a better wrestler and probably has a far more successful run. I’m not saying he’d have a Danielson or Punk run in the fed. But I don’t think it’s out of the realm of reason to see him get a longer test as a singles guy like Spanky got instead. Who knows.
But back to the match, it rocks. I’m not as high on it as other people, mostly because while I *get* the politics behind the result, it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Basically, AJ just won the NWA World Title three days prior. That title had been through hell the previous decade, and the last thing the NWA was gonna want as it was re-establishing credibility since the launch of TNA is their new champion to take a pinfall loss to an indie guy on a show with 600 people at it. Just wasn’t going to happen. So again, I get it. But it fucks with the result of the match. Now, there’s not a #1 contender, and instead of doing a three way dance or whatever, London just randomly gets the title match at DBD because he signs with WWE and it was his going away celebration. I don’t know if London was already signed by THIS show. If he was, then I really have to question the idea of making this for the #1 contenders trophy when it could’ve just been a grudge match since it had built to that, and London could’ve lost easily. Considering you give the title shot to Maff at the next show anyway, you could’ve had London then face someone else for the #1 contenders trophy at WrestleRave to earn the DBD shot, but whatever. This isn’t a fantasy booking blog no matter how much I want it to be.
Again, back to the match. So yeah, not a fan of the result, but the rest of the match was STELLAR. AJ does a great job at building the already growing tension between the two up with some of his incredible mat work, and frustration being shown by both men when they can’t get one up on the other. London heels it up a bit with a lot of teased handshakes, really getting into AJ’s head, and it allows him to sneak in a cheap shot at one point. London begins working like he really is superior to Styles, like he’s the fucking shit, and then he gets frustrated even more when Styles finally starts getting the upper hand on him. London does some awesome work on Styles knee, and Styles selling is admittedly spotty but not the most offensive case of bad selling in this ROH project, not even close. AJ has to start really digging deep into his arsenal of moves to stay alive in this match, and while it starts to do the trick on wearing London down, each big move fucks with his knee more and more. London keeps resorting back to the knee work, like a serial killer picking up a trait from one of his victims, ala Gus Fring and namely, Bryan Danielson. Again, I hate the result, but the finish to get there is at least creative. Styles is on the comeback trail and he hits a dragon suplex and bridges for the pin on a KO’d London, but as he bridges, the bad knee buckles. With a KO’d London on top of a very hurt Styles, both men’s shoulders are down and a double pin is counted. Nice.
***3/4
Post-match, the crowd chants for five more minutes but the request is not granted. London shakes AJ’s hand and raises his arm, a sign that the hatchet is buried. AJ then gets a much deserved standing ovation from the crowd as London walks to the back, dejected.
For the next match, Samoa Joe debuts (at least on ROH) the complete look he’d carry as he became a star in TNA. Black and red tights, necklace, high boots with kick pads and the towel. And it seems like the last of the blonde is out of his hair too. It’s like him finally saying the “I AM SAMOA JOE. AND I AM PRO WRESTLING” line last month was the trigger phrase for him to evolve into one of the GOATs.
Match #8: The Prophecy (Christopher Daniels, Donovan Morgan & Dan Maff) vs. The Group (Samoa Joe, CW Anderson & Michael Shane) [Losing Team Must Disband]
Gabe makes a great, crucial point on commentary that the only man in this match whose job is 100% safe right now is Joe as the champ because the losing team does not only have to disband but they could very well lose their future ROH bookings. This feud ended up being such a disappointment, man. I get that Corino was starting to get much more important work over in Japan, but fuck. That happening does allow, however, Joe’s rise to happen and happen quick without having to play second to Corino. Every rose has its thorn I guess. Gross. This is also the end, from what I can see, for Donovan Morgan (YEAH!), CW Anderson (eh) and Michael Shane (that one’s a bit of a bummer, never thought I’d say that) and so rightfully so, the only people to really get any shine in this match at Daniels, Joe and Maff. The crowd is really continuing to get behind Daniels and will eventually turn him face. Daniels is great in here with all three Group members. Match slows to a crawl when Morgan has to face anyone but Joe. Maff continues to impress and get better, and has a REALLY fun segment with Joe here to keep that going. Maff gets isolated and his jaw gets worked over after it was “broken” by Joe last show. Daniels gets a hot tag and starts fucking WORKING, baby. Let’s go. Match breaks down and it eventually gets to Joe/Maff again. Joe is ABUSING the shit out of Maff with those slaps and knee strikes of his. BUT MAFF AVOIDS ONE KNEE, DOUBLE LEGS JOE AND FLOATS OVER WITH A JACKKNIFE PIN ON JOE, AND MAFF WINS. JOE LOSES TO A FLASH, FLUKE PIN FALL YET AGAIN, AND THE GROUP IS DEAD.
***1/4
Joe CANNOT believe it. I fucking love that finish. Makes Maff, keeps the story going of Joe only getting beat on flash pins, and the Prophecy kills off the Group. And it automatically gives us a de facto #1 contender in lieu of the draw of London/Styles.
For some reason, after this main event, we get clips of a showcase match from before the main card of new Special K member Lit against a big beefed up douche bag looking motherfucker named Jimmy Jack Cash. Cash wins the match. He’s got a huge HGH gut.
We then see clips of Special K (now with Becky Bayless!!!!!) going against Dunn & Marcos and their partner…Boston native and head of the Killer Kowalski gym, some dude named Slyk Wagner Brown? And he’s accompanied by…former nWo girl April Hunter? Wtf. Slyk is fucking OVER with the Bostonians though. He looks like Chilly Willy and 2009 Shelton Benjamin had a kid. Whatever. I don’t care about this. Special K win. And by getting the pin, Angel Dust advances to the four way later (the one Credible attacked him before and replaced him in lmao).
Now we go backstage in real time. Daniels puts over the Prophecy’s defining victory over the Group. He says he is still in the hunt for Joe and the belt but because Maff stepped up the very first time he was called upon, he should get a shot first at Joe. And if he wins the belt it’s a victory for all because the Prophecy will hold it again. And if somehow Joe escapes with the belt, then he has to answer to the Fallen Angel. The Prophecy get ready to leave but Raven comes in and asks Daniels to talk privately. Raven tells Daniels he’s a big fan of his work and he’s got a favor to ask. He needs someone as manipulative and diabolical as him to stand with him on the next show in two weeks against CM Punk and Colt Cabana. Daniels says it's an intriguing proposition and he thinks about it. He also compliments Raven’s work. An annoyed Raven says not to turn this into a mutual blowjob society, so is he in or out. Daniels says he's in!
Elsewhere, an angry Joe says he made the bet and he pays the price. Joe says the Prophecy thinks he won’t have the support to fight them off anymore. But they’re wrong. He tells Maff to sleep well with that jaw, and says who did that? He did. All by himself. He’s caught Joe’s attention, and he gets his title shot in two weeks. He hears Maff, and now, he will be silenced. HE IS SAMOA JOE. AND HE IS PRO WRESTLING.
And finally, Special K get Slugga to intimidate the sound guy so they can party and rave in the arena. They start raving to techno with the lights, and the Carnage Crew & Credible pop up and attack all of them with weapons. DeVito and Loc basically repeat their promo from earlier about Credible joining them. Credible says he’s here to work out his anger of 2 years of being tied up in WWE and 3 years of being held back in ECW (fucking WHAT? 3 years of WHAT in ECW? Did I hear that right you fucking peanut brain? Paul E literally sacrificed every major fucking star to you and you still couldn’t get over, you fucking ha—you know what. No.)
IN TWO WEEKS: COLLYER/STRYKER III; CREW/SPECIAL K; JOE/MAFF; SAINTS/RAVEN + DANIELS!
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