ROH Redemption (12th August 2005)
James Gibson introduces us as he tells us he has been offered three chances at the world title belt and that he will overcome the stacked odds tonight to finally capture what he treasures the most.
Austin Aries, Roderick Strong & Matt Sydal tell us they will defeat The Embassy through athleticism and not chicanery. Thanks guys for clearing that up.
Match 1) Matt Stryker vs. Ace Steel vs. Delirious vs. Sterling Keenan (Four Corner Survival)
Thoughts: We kick off the show with a match full of blown spots, tired routines and general awfulness. We get treated to the comedy spots along with everyone in the ring at once for the entire duration with no tags leading to the whole thing being a mess. Gabe Sapolsky booked a four way match as the opener and the final match. Why the fuck would you do that? Why would you put on a total throw away match that could potentially steal spots and heat from the main event? We had the exact same issue last show so should I really be that surprised?
Grade: E, Get off my TV.
Christopher Daniels will stop CM Punk and nothing will stop his destiny at being the next ROH world champion.
Match 2) Spanky vs. Colt Cabana
Thoughts: We begin with the comedy routine and it just never goes away, which while cute isn’t really for me. Also this match is also known for Colt working over Spanky’s ass for the entire duration of the match including chops to the ass, atomic drops, kicks and groping. On paper this looked like a match where you would have expected something competitive along with a technical edge but it was just silly stuff and ultimately a waste of time. Neither guy seemed willing to do anything more than play it safe and simply go for the chuckles.
Grade: D, Underwhelming.
Punk comes out and Spanky asks for a title match while he is there and Punk laughs him off. CM Punk proclaims himself as ROH’s only true superstar and how ROH is losing more with CM Punk leaving than if anyone else left. I would have expected Samoa Joe to appear and cut him off but nothing happens.
Match 3) BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness & Chad Collyer (ROH Tag Team Title Match)
Thoughts: Nigel and Jacobs lock up and Nigel starts ragdolling Jacobs around and to Nigel’s surprise Jacobs stands his ground. Jacob’s is the plucky underdog especially with the size difference. Neither team holds their advantage for long but McGuinness and Collyer do find their target in wearing down Jacobs albeit for about a minute. Some unusual double team spots with Collyer and McGuinness repeatedly throwing Jacob’s into Whitmer and then it all breaks down allowing a role reversal where Whitmer now launching Jacob’s into their opponents. At this point there are no tags it is just four guys in the ring, gigantic german suplex by Collyer on Whitmer looking to have injured his neck, Tower of London by McGuinness on Jacobs. Collyer goes for the cover and Jacob’s tries to get his feet on the ropes but is too short so they end up making a hash of that spot. The tag champs instantly find their composure and hit their super contra code finish for the win. What an awkward match that was. We had messy spots, errors and just stuff for stuff sake yet to a degree they did try so well done for that.
Grade: D, Underwhelming.
3 matches in and this ROH show is leaving a lot to be desired. It has this aura of the wrestlers not caring or more so just holding back especially as it’s the first show of a double shot weekend, something that held true for a very long time. If there are two shows on a weekend the first show is generally the weaker of the two.
Next is the badass Samoa Joe telling us how CM Punk disrespects everything Joe stands for and that he will end Punk’s title reign.
Match 4) Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley & Abyss vs. Austin Aries, Roderick Strong & Matt Sydal
Thoughts: I could be wrong but I believe this is the start of the faction warfare direction, which would be a big part of the ROH landscape for 2 years. Strong and Rave start us off and it isn’t long before Strong hits a chop leading to the tag into Shelley. Aries in for team Generation Next and he really is a star with such well rounded ability and has great presence. Generation Next continue their dominance by bringing in Sydal who isn’t able to do enough to stop Shelley bringing in Abyss. I loved Abyss in ROH as he was a giant that offset all the high flyers while still being able to hold his own though once he left ROH the Embassy team forever lacked that big dominant force it needed. Sydal charges Abyss who just LAUNCHES him skyhigh and the crowd lose their minds. That was one hell of a visual. Sydal side steps a corner charge and income his team mates to hit corner move after corner move on Abyss working together as a team against this gigantic monster. And guess what? It aint enough leading to Abyss pressing Aries onto Sydal. This dynamic of a big guy working against others is something ROH never managed to recapture even with Takeshi Morishima eventually being an ROH mainstay down the road. Rave in then Shelley as they work over Sydal but only for a moment as Sydal gets in arms reach of Aries who cleans house until of course Aybss stops him dead in his tracks. Aries is getting dominated by all three members of The Embassy, the crowd is pumped and this match is doing plenty to be keep me entertained so far. Prince Nana even gets involved by using a Ghana flag to choke Aries, and we get heel shenanigans with invisible tags as Aries is held in a bear hug for quite a while, hot tag to Strong who levels Rave and Shelley with chops and backbreakers. In storms Abyss and Strong attempts a backbreaker but Abyss is just too big so Abyss hurls Strong to the other side of the ring with a release german suplex. Sydal and Aries charge but get caught by the throats, Strong is already back up to his feet (!!!) and waist locks Abyss. Sydal and Aries hit standing dropicks as Strong powers Abyss over for a german suplex of his own sending him out of the ring. Aries delivers a missile dive on to Shelley keeping him out of the contest and an awesome moonsault by Sydal to Abyss on the outside to keep him down and out too. Leaving just Rave and Strong in the ring, a quick series of reversals, roll up by Strong gets a 2 count, backbreaker then a tag to Aries letting him level Rave with his 450 splash for the win. Abyss isn’t content with his team losing so drops Strong with a massive backbreaker of his own, a gigantic side walk slam for both Aries and Sydal. The Embassy may have lost but they are still standing strong, The Embassy lives forever!
Holy crap was that a lot of fun and everyone worked both smartly and hard with nonstop action but still kept it grounded by the rules and traditional tag team ways. It’s the type of match you can show someone as to why you enjoy ROH and Abyss, my god was Abyss awesome. The impact alone of what he contributed to the match just made for a contest where you really could get invested in the matches momentum.
Grade: Grade: A, Exciting.
Dave Prazak talks saying what a great first half the show was and how great the second will be. Also there are ROH students standing by looking all weak and feeble.
Match 5) Low Ki vs. Jay Lethal
Thoughts: I’ve covered both my thoughts on Low Ki and this feud in my previous ROH in 2005 reviews. There is story context for the match happening, which is something I can totally get behind even if it just is Lethal got hurt and wants revenge on those who hurt him. Last time Homicide got the better of Lethal in their singles match so it’s not as if I have much hope for Lethal picking up the win here either.
Fisticuffs to start and big strikes with Lethal surprisingly getting the upper hand and attempts to hit his dragon suplex on Ki, but Ki powers out and runs away. Lethal goes for a dive but Low Ki simply cuts him off giving Ki his opening but it only lasts a moment and another dive attempt finally hits. Lethal gains more momentum but Low Ki pulls the ref in to the path of Lethal allowing him a chance to knock Lethal down. Low Ki starts to annihilate Lethal with a myriad of slams and chops, momentary opening for Lethal allowing him to roll up Ki who goes for a devasting looking stomp to counter so Lethal just sidesteps it and school boy’s Ki. That was great. Low Ki is a mean hard hitting guy who genuinely blurs that line between looking like he really wants to kill you with his strikes. Lethal is being dominated something fierce yet the crowd seem unwilling to get behind him and are instead more into Low Ki’s offense. Intense chop exchange sees Lethal finally getting a chance to deliver some moves of his own, Lethal locks in a full nelson and just yanks Ki from side to side softening him up for the dragon suplex but that sly Low Ki holds on to the refs shirt to help muster an escape. Tree of woe into a massive double foot stomp by Low Ki but Lethal is too close to the ropes. Ki goes up again so this time Lethal turns on the dirty tactics and pushes the ref into the ropes causing Low Ki to inevitably fall off. Dragon suplex attempt but Low Ki shrugs Lethal off who falls through the ropes and slumps on to the timekeepers table. Low Ki seizes the opportunity and leaps off the ring apron with a double stomp looking to destroy his opponent only for Lethal to roll off the table and let Low Ki plummet through the table alone. Lethal sends Low Ki into the crowd to brawl amongst the fans, chairs and bleachers yet its Low Ki who comes out on top with blistering chops and then just pushes the ref down and we get the bell for the DQ finish. Crowd shit all over that finish and outcomes Homicide looking to make the most of the situation and join in on the Jay Lethal punch bag followed by Matt Hardy to make the save, setting up our next match of the night.
That was a very intense fight made to keep Lethal strong without taking a loss but the fans didn’t seem to care as they totally enjoyed everything Ki dished out. Story here is that Lethal didn’t get to hit the dragon suplex and if he had done so would the match outcome be different? I would give an A for effort, B for execution. I enjoyed what they offered and it tried to have a purpose even if it didn’t quite work as expected.
Grade: B, Enjoyable.
Match 6) Matt Hardy vs. Homicide
Thoughts: Crowd boo Matt Hardy who is supposed to be the good guy and cheer the bad guy in Homicide. So Homicide tells the crowd to go fuck themselves. Ha. Crowd are now split with the expected duelling chants.
They edited the match after the first lock up. Holy shit. There is a not so subtle cut and the crowd now yelling “you can’t wrestle”. Did they fuck up a lock up? We have Homicide asking the crowd what the hell is being chanted now as I’m not sure which direction this match is heading in. Crowd now turn to yelling “shut the fuck up” to a subsection of the crowd, which Matt Hardy joins in with while flipping them off.
Homicide leads with stomps and eye pokes and then into a head scissors. A second head scissors is reversed into a side slam giving Matt his opening who now brings the chokes and punches. They make a mess of a spot so Homicide grabs a leg and they fumble about with Matt taking a spill to the outside. Tope con hilo by Homicide onto Matt both then brawl on floor and Homicide makes sure to crotch Matt as he re-enters the ring. Neckbreaker into a rear chin lock by Homicide, Matt attempts an escape but Homicide keeps Matt grounded. Chokes and punches, and more punches by both until Homicide changes the pace with a tornado DDT. A superplex and bulldog by Matt, Matt then locks on his indy finishing move of choice which is a front choke with the arms underhooked yet Homicide is too close to the ropes. Yodelling leg drop gets a 2 count as Matt calls for the Twist of Fate but Homicide is having none of that and reverses it into a northern lights suplex for a super close 2 count. Nice. Lariat gets another close 2 count for Homicide, Cop Killah attempt reversed into a Twist of Fate but again Homicide says nope and pushes Matt off and hits an epic sized Ace Crusher that almost gets him the victory. These near falls are really cool and the crowd are buying into them whole heartedly. Homicide runs up the ropes though Matt manages to stop him and levels him with a Black Tiger bomb for a 2 count and out runs Low Ki who distracts Matt. Homicide fires of an exploder as Jay Lethal runs out to curb Low Ki’s interference allowing Matt to catch Homicide off guard with a school boy roll up for the win, making for another finish the crowd shit all over.
The match was strange as it was very dull at the start and Matt barely did anything yet by the end the crowd were invested as the big moves and near falls had the impact they needed. If you can get past the slow dull portions, which make up two thirds of the match it does pay off as something completely okay and not the awfulness it was possibly heading towards.
Grade:C, Passable.
Match 7) CM Punk (c) vs. Christopher Daniels vs. James Gibson vs. Samoa Joe (ROH World Title Elimination Match)
Thoughts: Main event time and we are treated to a promo package showing all the challengers are ready to be the next world champion. Christopher Daniels is out first to a monstrous pop and ovation, James Gibson next with his racist attire and southern flag who only gets a timid response and then its everyone’s favourite in Samoa Joe. There is a huge main event feel here with separate introductions and the match essentially being built over a month making it so everyone is unsure what the outcome will be thusly giving the crowd a reason to care.
Joe, Gibson and Daniels “discuss” who will be starting in the ring first as CM Punk revels in the fact his opponents are fighting between themselves already. Starting in the ring first will be Samoa Joe and CM Punk and Punk instantly tags in Gibson. We are then joined by the worst commentator ROH used at this point with Gabe Sapolsky, sorry I mean “Jimmy Bower” who likes to play the Michael Cole role of talking shit and shilling other matches and past DVDs rather than calling the match.
Punk tags himself back in making sure that Joe is the one on the outside, as Punk feels he would rather go against Gibson than Joe. Obviously. Punk and Gibson exchange holds on the mat...
Mini rant:
Spoiler: show
Methodical pace with Daniel’s suplexing Punk and beginning a barrage of strikes followed up by a neck snap. Punk is whipped into Joe’s corner so Punk tags himself out but not with a conventional tag of course but a slap across the face. Joe hits a corner knee strike and face wash boot on Daniels, Daniels attempts a comeback but gets a slap for his troubles and Punk tags himself back in leaving us with a very worn down Daniels against CM Punk. Punk applies a chin lock on Daniels as the crowd try to muster the energy for a chant it’s not until Joe rushes the ring to dropkick a busy Punk do they begin to liven up. The crowd are quite focused on the match so them being quiet isn’t them being bored more just intently watching the match unfold. Daniels slowly crawls to Joe’s corner but Punk stops him and ties him up in a bow and arrow as Punk seems quite keen on running down the clock. Punk applies another hold this time with the boston crab and Gibson storms in to the ring and punches Punk in the face and instead of the joyous eruption we got when Joe ran in, this time we get a handful of boos. This gives Daniels a chance to hit a few punches but that again that is cut instantly short. This isn’t the most thrilling match so far but it clearly has a focus so this slower pace may pay off.
Punk hits a split legged moonsault off the top but is greeted by Daniels’ knees and a follow up STO. Daniels finally gets the “hot tag” to Gibson and the crowd are lethargic and seemingly are uninterested by that choice. We see a flurry of offense including a manhattan drop by Gibson and a top rope leg drop followed by a blind charge at Punk who moves out of the way resulting in Gibson hitting Joe. Regardless Punk leaves the ring and Gibson dives after him and then Daniels wants in on the action and moonsaults out on top of them, not to be outdone by Samoa Joe who hits a suicide dive.
Match picks up but we already have non-legal man syndrome as its Joe and Gibson back in the ring and Joe sidesteps a shoulder block seeing Gibson dive shoulder first into the ring post. Daniels wants in so storms the ring and slams Joe and while the ref is getting Daniels out of the ring Punk blasts Gibson with the chair. Fantastic, if anyone is going to cheat to win it sure as hell should be Punk. Gibson is busted open and the referees take him to the back as that chair shot was clearly a shotgun blast in disguise?
Punk vs. Joe in the ring with a elbow strike exchange and then Punk tries to kick Joe with the lightest of kicks so Joe kicks the crap out of Punk in retaliation. Powerslam by Joe gets a 2 count and Punk instantly fires back with a clothesline then a moonsault and those get only a 2. Everyone is wrestling like they have zero energy as supposedly the building was exceptionally hot making a longer match quite a test of stamina. Daniels tags in and rolls up Punk for a long 2 count, Punk hits his own roll up for 2. Death Valley Driver by Daniels gets a 2. Punk rolls out of the way of the best moonsault ever, a second attempt gets a super tight near fall as the crowd really, really want Daniels to win this. Punk scrambles to Joe and tags out and Joe just levels Daniels with a running boot, then a powerbomb into the STF and wrenches back as far as he can it still isn’t enough as Daniels got the ropes. Kicks by Joe and Daniels lifts him up and drops him with a Samoan Drop delivers a springboard moonsault and tangles Joe up in the Koji Clutch. Crowd are on their feet. Joe finally gets to the ropes himself. Daniels is super determined here and goes for Angels Wings but Joe powers out and beats on Daniels who turns the tide in an instant with a roll up but Joe is having none of it and pops him out and latches on the rear naked choke. That was a fantastic series of moves again it brings the crowd alive who don’t want to see Daniels lose. Daniels reaches the ropes with his feet but Punk pushes them off as the ref is none the wiser as Daniels says he submits. Huge bullshit chants, third time tonight.
Slaps and forearms by Punk and Joe as they are truly on groggy legs at this point. Daniels is back on his feet and is super pissed off, he grabs Punk and goes for an enziguri only for Punk to duck and it instead hit Joe. Punk low blows Daniels and rolls up Samoa Joe for the win. Joe and Daniels exchange words and then strikes as they head to the back.
Having not actually been eliminated himself and Gabe proclaiming for the last 15 minutes that Gibson is at the hospital but who should appear? Gibson even gets ring music to welcome him back and the crowd having seen their favourite be eliminated have no reason not to cheer Gibson now so the match continues.
Diving cross body gets a 2 count for Gibson but Punk just picks him up and hits a TKO and then follows up with punches to Gibson’s head. The flippy floppy momentum shifts still continue as now Gibson gets the upper hand with a drop kick to Punk’s knee. But Punk just stands up and throws Gibson to the outside. Gibson gets back in charge and gets a chair himself and whacks Punk’s knee again. Yet still Punk just stands up and hits a move. What the fuck is this non selling bullshit? Punk now hits a top rope hurricanrana and Gibson rolls through and locks in the Texas Cloverleaf and the crowd erupt. Punk gets the ropes and within an instant then we go back to Punk being in control who hits a shining wizard and locks in the anaconda vice but again Gibson manages to find the ropes. Sudden pin attempt by Gibson via a crucifix holds sees a super close pinfall and Gibson carries his momentum and plants Punk with a Tiger Driver with a near fall so close the crowd lose their minds that Punk kicks out. The match has the crowd totally engrossed and it’s a magical thing to see.
They duke it out in the corner and Punk leads up Gibson and seems to be going for a Pepsi Plunge but Gibson unleashes a top rope Tiger Driver and that is all she wrote as Gibson gets the 3 count and the entire arena just explodes in euphoria. James Gibson is the new world champ!
That match was all about the slowest of burns, so slow that you really had to be patient and that’s not for everyone and I found it to be a little dull as it didn’t feature enough high action moments or hope spots but you can’t argue with the payoff. If the destination is as wondrous as that was maybe that overcomes any weakness of the journey?
Grade: A, Excellent.
Overall: I typed too much but who cares, it’s for my own enjoyment and only about 8 people will look at this anyway so if you stuck with it and read most of what I wrote, then thank you. As a show it started off poorly, exceptionally poorly infact but it found its groove with that great 6 man tag match that I totally feel should be seen just to enjoy Abyss and his interactions with the others. Ki/Lethal & ‘Cide/Hardy are fine and both have something worthwhile tied to them just keep your expectations in check. The main event is a great, if somewhat long match. It is a bit of a chore to get through but once it’s all said and done I did feel it was quite satisfying.
Reviewed by Recall on 11th June 2015
