By Nathan Neumann (Twitter @Headliner5)
Hello everyone and fellow ringers, Nathan back again this week this time with my traditional ROH TV review. Last week, I reviewed the ROH House Show/TV taping (not sure what it actually was) that I attended this week and didn’t provide an ROH TV review. This week we are back to the regular schedule of ROH TV reviews. This show only featured two matches which is something I like and have stated before in previous reviews. One of those matches was Tommaso Ciampa’s final match (for now, at least in Ring Of Honor). But, without any further ado lets get down to talking about what took place during the hour.
The show opened up with the ROH intro video. From there, we head inside of the arena (located in San Antonio, Texas) and join Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino at ringside as they will bring us all of the action of the night. They intro the show and then send it down to ringside for the first match.
Match One: Davey Boy Smith, Junior and Lance Archer (with Michael Elgin) vs.Hanson and Raymond Rowe
Thoughts: Smith and Archer jump Hanson and Rowe before the bell rings and Smith hits knees to Rowe and follows it up with a European uppercut while Archer hits Hanson with a flurry of forearms. Rowe gets thrown out to the floor and Smith and Archer hit Hanson with some punches but Hanson gets back into the ring and joins Rowe as they hit the KES with closelines and Rowe hits some knees to Smith. Archer whips Hanson into the corner to hit his own partner (Rowe) but Rowe moves out of the way and Hanson splashes Smith Jr. Archer tries a splash of his own and misses but hits Smith in the corner. Rowe hits a running drop kick that sends Archer into Smith in the corner and Hanson follows both men and hits a seated splash on Smith.
Archer rolls out to the floor to make the match one on one for the first time, Rowe sends Smith to Hanson so Hanson can hit a knee. Rowe hits a knee and Hanson hits a closeline to the back of the head. Archer goes to attack Hanson but Hanson counters it with an elbow. Smith kicks Hanson into the corner. Smith and Archer then concentrate on Hanson connecting with a double shoulder tackle and Smith follows it up with a leg drop while Archer hits a splash which allows Smith to get a near fall.
Smith throws Hanson into Archers boot in the corner and we get a tag. Archer hits Hanson with a forearm and a chop. Hanson punches Archer but Archer hits a knee to the midsection and follows it up with a slam. Archer waits for Hanson to get up and hits a running shoulder tackle that sends Hanson to the mat. Smith gets the tag into the match and snatches Hanson by the beard and follows it up with a series of knees. Smith hits a gut wrench suplex for a near fall and then goes for a cross arm breaker.
Hanson manages to put his foot on the rope, which causes Smith to have to release the hold. Smith acts like he’s going to hit Hanson in the grain but instead hits the abdomen. Smith locks in a rear chin lock but Hanson punches him in the face. Smith lands knee and follows it up with some kicks to Hanson. Archer comes into the match after a tag and hits a few forearms in the corner. Smith capitalizes on his advantage by choking Hanson and Archer hits a splash as we go to a commercial.
Aack from a commercial and Hanson hits a punch and a back first but Archer runs Hanson into the corner and hits him with forearms. Smith receives a tag into the match and Archer with an Irish whip and then both men hit splashes in the corner. Archer takes out Rowe and Smith hits a powerslam and Archer comes off of the second rope with a splash. Smith picks up a near fall, Smith hits a surfboard and Hanson reverses it but Archer tags in and connects with a few forearms to the back of the head.
Archer locks in an Armbar on Hanson and Rowe shows frustration that he hasn’t been able to get into the match since the bell rang. Archer sends Hanson to the mat and then whips Hanson, Archer follows it in for a splash but misses. Hanson punches Smith when Smith tries to interfere. Archer knocks Rowe off of the apron and tags Smith back in. Smith lands multiple kicks to the chest of Hanson.
Smith goes for a piledriver but Hanson blocks the attempt, Smith hits some knees and kicks but Hanson puts the match in his favor by hitting a side slam causing both men to be down on the mat. Rowe gets the tag and closeslines Archer, Archer with an Irish whip but he misses the follow up splash. Rowe grabs Archer by the waist but Archer escapes and lands some kicks. Rowe lands a forearm but Archer comes back with one of his own. Rowe hits another forearm, Archer goes for a closeline but misses, which allows Rowe to hit a German Suplex. Smith tries to interfere, Smith and Rowe both try for German suplexes, Hanson hits a closeline and Rowe hits a closeline on Smith as they roll out to the floor.
Archer sets both Hanson and Rowe up for a double chokeslam but they stop him and hit a double chokeslam of their own on Archer. They hit Fallout and Elgin pulls the referee out of the ring. Hanson hits a suicide dive and takes out Elgin and the referee doesn’t know what to do. Smith comes in and kicks Rowe and connects with knees. Smith hits some kicks to the chest and then kicks Hanson off of the apron. Smith and Archer hit a heart attack for a near fall.
Archer with a full nelson and Smith sets up for a double team move but Hanson is able to stop it from happening. Hanson slams smith but Archer hits a slam of his own on Hanson. Rowe hits a suplex on Archer and Smith lands a kick and an exploder to Rowe. Smith hits a beautiful Tiger Suplex for a near fall on Hanson. Rowe hits a Superman Punch on Smith, he then goes to do it to Archer, Archer lands a punch of his own. They trade blows and Archer hits a chokeslam on Rowe.
From here, the referee loses complete control of the match and calls for the bell.
Match Result: No Contest via Referee stoppage
Match Rating: **1/4
Hanson hits a cartwheel closeline to Archer following the ringing of the bell. Elgin attacks Hanson while streamers come flying into the ring, Hanson and Elgin get into it while Smith and Rowe are off doing battle themselves. Security comes out and can’t contain the anarchy as Archer, Elgin, Hanson, and Rowe all brawl.
From there we go to a commercial, ending the segment.
Not a bad match at all, Hanson and Rowe have really gelled together even more since Rowe came back from injury. It was great to see the Killer Elite Squad (Archer and Smith) in Ring Of Honor and I hope this is a recurring thing for them and not a one-time deal. We will see but I have a feeling that this was done to hype up the upcoming ROH/NJPW joint shows in Canada and New York City, which if it was they did a great job of hyping the events and generating more interest in them.
We come back from commercial and see the crowning of the new Tag Team Champions from last week’s episode. The reveal is then shown once again as we found out last week that Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian and the debuting Chris Sabin were the KRD (Knights Of The Rising Dawn). We head back into the arena and match number two which also happened to be the main event of the evening
Match Two: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jay Lethal (with Truth Martini and Donovan Dijak) {C}
ROH World Television Championship Match
Thoughts: This was Ciampa’s last match in Ring Of Honor (for now) and the crowd is split right down the middle as far as supporting both the challenger Ciampa and the champion Lethal. These two have had a storied history so this one should be a good one.Lethal hits a kick and follows it up with a suplex but Ciampa pops up unbeknownst to Lethal.
Ciampa plays possum as Lethal gloats over the suplex and it’s impact while Martini warns Lethal, however it’s too late and Lethal walks in and Ciampa rolls him up with an inside cradle for a near fall. Ciampa hits a chop and some forearms and follows it up with a hard Irish whip. Ciampa punches Lethal but Lethal kicks Ciampa into the corner. Lethal pulls down his kneepad to mock Ciampa and the running knee but Ciampa reverses it with a knee of his own. Ciampa pulls down his kneepad and chops Lethal but Lethal goes to the floor in order to avoid the running knee.
Lethal takes his time out on the floor as he recuperates, he gets back into the ring and locks up with Ciampa, Ciampa backs Lethal into the corner where he connects with a thumb to the eyes and sends Lethal into the turnbuckle. Ciampa goes over to where Lethal is and climbs the turnbuckle and punches and bites Lethal in the forehead.
Truth pulls the rope down and Ciampa goes over the top rope but he lands on his feet. Ciampa takes off Martini’s bandana and uses it as a handkerchief. Meanwhile Lethal who’s still in the ring hits a suicide dive on Ciampa. From there Lethal hits a second one followed by a third one where Ciampa flies over the guardrail and into the front row at ringside.
Lethal slams Ciampa’s head into the apron, they make their way back into the ring where Lethal gets a near fall. Lethal starts punching Ciampa as we go to commercial.We come back from commercial where Lethal gets a near fall. Lethal sends Ciampa into the turnbuckle where he chops him. Ciampa pushes Lethal away but Lethal lands some kicks to Ciampa and chokes him in the corner. Lethal uses the ropes to choke Ciampa while the referee warns him.
Lethal hits a snapmare and locks on a reverse chin lock. Lethal then lands a boot to the head before talking about how great he is before blowing snot onto Ciampa and dropping an elbow for a near fall. From here, Lethal locks in a sleeper on Ciampa, who recovers and hits some elbows on Lethal followed by a chop and a forearm. Lethal whips Ciampa and Ciampa misses a clothesline, Lethal manages to hit an Elbow drop as we go to another commercial break.
Back from commercial and Lethal locks in a chin lock, Ciampa recovers and punches Lethal. Lethal hits a knee and follows it up with an Irish whip but Ciampa lands a boot and a closeline. Ciampa grabs Lethal by the waist and hits Lethal with elbows. Ciampa hits a German suplex and then hits a running knee, which sends Lethal out to the floor.
Ciampa looks to hit a suicide dive but Martini stops it by getting on the apron, Ciampa slides through Martini’s legs and connects with a forearm that sends Lethal into the ringside barricade.
Ciampa sends Lethal into the corner of the barricade, Ciampa hits a running knee to Lethal’s head, Ciampa whips Lethal to the other corner of the guardrail and sets up for another running knee, which he connects with and lands in the crowd. He then takes a photo with a fan at ringside while Lethal is busy trying to find his nose and everything else that’s supposed to be on his face.Ciampa throws Lethal back into the ring and goes to the top rope but Lethal counters with a punch to the head.
Lethal sets up for a suplex but before he can hit it, Ciampa rolls him up for an inside cradle for a near fall. Ciampa hits a closeline, Lethal goes for a super kick but it’s blocked, Ciampa goes for a kick on Lethal but doesn’t connect. Lethal lands an elbow to the back of Ciampa’s head, Ciampa shakes it off and hits a jumping knee, he tries for a discus clothseline but Lethal manages to block it. Ciampa blocks a superkick attempt and connects with a jumping knee. Before Lethal goes down he connects with an Enzuiguri, which sends both men down to the mat.
Both men get up to their knees and exchange punches, Martini slides the book of truth into the ring, Lethal goes to grab it but Ciampa stomps on it. Ciampa hits a flatliner and gets a near fall. Ciampa picks Lethal up and sets up for Project Ciampa but Lethal reverses it by running Ciampa into the turnbuckles and hits a chop.
Ciampa hits a running forearm in the corner, Ciampa catches Lethal and goes for an Air Raid Crash but Lethal makes it to his feet. Lethal hits a belly to back into a neck breaker for a near fall. Lethal makes his way out to the apron and goes to the top but Ciampa gets to his feet when Lethal took too long. Lethal leaps over Ciampa and Ciampa goes for a discus closeline. Lethal ducks the attempt and hits the Lethal Combination.Ciampa counters a Koji Clutch and locks in a cross face, he then turns it into the Sicilian Stretch. Lethal manages to get his foot on the ropes and Martini calls the ref’s attention to it. Lethal rolls out onto the apron to try and recover as we go to a commercial break.
Back from commercial and Ciampa fish hooks Lethal on the apron and goes for a suplex into the ring. He gets Lethal up and Martini grabs Ciampa’s leg and holds on but Ciampa is still able to kick out. Ciampa rolls out to the floor causing Martini to fall to the ground due to being scared. Dijak stands in front of Marini to protect his boss, however Ciampa pushes his way past Dijak as Marini attempts to escape. Ciampa smacks Dijak and Lethal sets up for a suicide dive. However Ciampa manages to stay on his feet and hit an Air Raid Crash on the floor.
Ciampa rolls Lethal back into the ring and picks up a near fall, Ciampa puts Lethal on the turnbuckle and sets up for a second rope Air Raid Crash which he is successful at hitting. The referee gets pulled out of the ring and Dijak hits a discus boot on Ciampa however the referee didn’t see it as he was too busy dealing with Truth Martini. Lethal puts his arm on Ciampa for a desperation cover but Ciampa kicks out.
Lethal punches Ciampa but Ciampa comes back with an Irish whip. Ciampa is sent out to the apron, Ciampa hits a cannonball onto Dijak who is on the floor. Ciampa makes his way back into the ring but is met with a super kick from Lethal.
Lethal sets up for the Lethal Injection but Ciampa recovers, Ciampa goes for a maneuver of his own but gets caught up in the ropes. This allows Lethal to hit a drop kick to Ciampa’s head, Ciampa comes back with a discus closeline for a near fall.Ciampa makes his way to the top rope and hits his own version of Jay Lethal’s “Hail To The King” because of course he does.
Ciampa sets up for Project Ciampa but Dijak makes his way into the ring to stop it from happening. Dijak gets dumped to the floor which prompts referee Todd Sinclair to send both Dijak and Martini to the back. Lethal hits a low blow on Ciampa with the referee distracted. The referee turns around just in time to count the deciding three count after Jay Lethal hits the Lethal Injection.
Match Result: Winner and Still ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal via pinfall after the Lethal Injection
Match Rating: ***
After the match, the referee checks on Ciampa as Lethal celebrates his victory over Ciampa. Ciampa stands up and the crowd applauds Ciampa’s efforts as streamers are thrown. Ciampa extends his hand to the referee but kicks him low and hits Todd Sinclair with multiple running knees to the head as the other officials storm the ring to make sure that Todd Sinclair is still breathing. Ciampa throws the streamers on the mat and then makes streamer angels, from there Ciampa leaves the ring as the show draws to a close for the week.
And that’ll do it for me and another one of my ROH reviews for the site. This show was really good in my opinion, we only had two matches and both matches were given adequate time to be good and tell a proper story. This is the format that I like and I hope it continues.
However that’ll do it for me and another Ring Of Honor television review for EyesOnTheRing.com. I hope you enjoyed reading this review as well as my other reviews that I write not only for Ring Of Honor but for NXT or whatever it is that I decide to review.Make sure to follow me on twitter @Headliner5 and also make sure to follow Eyes On The Ring @EyesOnTheRing. Check out EyesOnTheRing.com for more of these reviews from myself as well as everything else from the entire Eyes On The Ring team.
Finally make sure to check out Eyes On The Ring radio this week and every other week as we come to you Sunday’s at 11:00pm EST. We will bring you the entire week in wrestling as it happened as well as other news and reactions from all of us. Last but certainly not least head on over to Facebook.com/EyesOnTheRing and like us. For now I am Nathan saying so long and for now and until next week ringers, keep your Eyes On The Ring.
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