By Paul Fontaine, for WrestlingObserver.com
The Big Takeaway – Maybe the best one hour wrestling show on North American TV of the year with two big title matches that set things up for All-Star Extravaganza on Sept 18th.
Cold open with a promo from Jay Lethal and Truth Martini to kick off this Championship Edition of ROH TV. Lethal says that this is the last shot that Roderick Strong will ever get. Cheeseburger deserves a shot more than he does and he’d probably do a better job. Strong gets to respond, saying that this time there will be a winner and his name with be “Mr ROH” Roderick Strong.
ROH World Tag Team Title Match – ROH World Tag Team Champions of the World The Addiction (“Almighty” Christopher Daniels/Frankie Kazarian) w/Chris Sabin vs The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson)
During the champions’ ring entrance, they air clips of their attack on the Bucks three weeks ago, including a Triple Team Indie Taker on Nick. Bucks are not their usual jovial self during their intro. If you’re a big fan of the Bucks, be sure to check out their interview this week with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez on Observer Radio.
Superkicks #1 and #2 come before the bell and Nick and Matt lay out Kazarian as soon as Bobby Cruise is done with his intro. Bucks have early control and it quickly goes outside the ring as Chris Sabin gets involved. Superkick #3 is Sabin on Kazarian as he was holding Matt, who ducked out of the way and Sabin hit his own teammate. That involvement was enough to convince the ref to send Sabin to the back.
THIS IS AWESOME chants from the crowd for that. Sabin tries to come back and Superkicks #4 and #5 are both Bucks on Sabin to lay him out. Fans chanting YOUNG BUCKS as they have Daniels isolated in the ring. Kazarian tries to get in to stop it and Superkick #6 is Nick on Kazarian to knock him out of the ring. That brings on a TOO SWEET chant from the crowd. Superkick #7 is Matt on Daniels. Nick goes to the top rope and Kazarian shoves him off. Matt follows to the outside and Daniels hits the BME on both of them outside the ring.
As we go to break, the champs are in control with Kazarian beating on Matt. After the break, it’s Daniels in and the champs have cut off the ring, making quick tags. Daniels does some old school heel stuff by putting on a body lock and using the ropes for leverage outside of the ref’s view. Fans are way into this, booing like crazy whenever he does it.
Matt gets the hot tag to Nick who’s a house of fire. Despite Dave Meltzer saying that the Bucks remind him of the Midnight Express, they’re totally the Rock and Roll Express in this match, while the Addiction is playing Tully and Arn. Senton on Kazarian by Nick, while Matt has him draped on the ropes only get a two and then Daniels comes in to break things up and turn it around for the champs again.
.Superkick #8 is Matt on Kazarian. He tries one on Daniels but he ducks out and hits a Urinage on Matt. Daniels misses a BME and then Matt hits Superkick #9 on Kazarian who tries to enter the action. All 4 guys are down and the fans erupt and we get a THIS IS WRESTLING chant.
Champs are first up and in control. Kazarian has Matt in a whacky but the Kingdom (Taven, Bennett and Maria) are out and attack Daniels outside the ring. This causes Frankie to break the hold and stare them down. Matt tries to take advantage of the distraction with another superkick but Kazarian sweeps the legs and goes for a pin. Matt bridges out when Kazarian gets to his feet, Nick hits Superkick #10 on him. Matt picks him up and hits a BuckleBomb and then that sets up an Indie Taker. Instead, Nick takes out the Kingdom with an Asai moonsault to the outside and then goes to the ropes again and they nail the Indie Taker. Ref about to count 3 but Daniels pulls the ref out of the ring before he can make the three.
The Bucks have Kazarian in the ring while the ref is arguing with everyone outside. Daniels grabs one of the tag belts and goes into the ring. He nails Nick with a belt shot but Matt hits Superkick #11 on Daniels and then drops Daniels with a belt shot. Bennett to the apron and Matt drops him with a belt shot. He’s about to hit Kazarian but Maria grabs the belt from his hands.
Matt glares at Maria as the fans chant SUPERKICK. He sets up to do it but Kazarian rolls him up from behind and grabs the tights for leverage to get the three count.
WINNERS AND STILL ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS – THE ADDICTION
Nigel McGuiness is out and he’s having none of this. Fans chanting NIGEL. Nigel says that when Daniels started this company, it was built on two things – clean athletic competition and a clear winner and loser. He feels the Bucks still deserve a tag team title shot. He threatens to take away the Kingdom’s title shot at All-Star Extravaganza. Instead of doing that, he makes that match a Triple Threat.
Mandy Leon is up next with Inside ROH. This looks like her WWE audition tape as she’s dressed much more conservatively than usual. Today she looks at the Dalton Castle-Silas Young feud. Castle has beaten him twice with the help of “his boys”. Young challenged him to put up his boys in a match. Castle accepted with the stipulation that if he wins, Young becomes one of his boys. A “Young Boy” if you will. Castle promises that Young will make “a wonderful Ottoman”.
Young’s promo is something else and needs to be seen. “Those boys are going to learn to become real men. There’s gonna be no more “waving fans” and sprinkling themselves with Fairy Dust. They’re gonna learn to chop wood. They’re gonna learn how to change the oil on a car. They’re gonna learn how to put some molty broad in her place. You’re gonna look at these boys and say that they’ve become rude and mysoginistic but there’s gonna be no doubt that they’ve become men.”
Main Event for the ROH World Title – World Champion Jay Lethal w/Truth Martini, J Diesel and Donovan Dijak vs “Mr. ROH” Roderick Strong
Duelling LETS GO LETHAL/LETS GO RODDY chants after the ring intros continues for several minutes. They do adhere to the Code of Honor, unlike in our first match. Handshake even lasts almost a minute and they slug it out to start.
Lethal with the early advantage and gets Strong out of the ring and hits a crash and burn and is about to go for a second but Roddy comes back into the ring and hits a beautiful dropkick that takes Lethal out of the ring and may have knocked out a tooth. Fans chants HOLY $HIT as Lethal is knocked out of the ring and we go to break.
During the break, Cedrick Alexander and Veda Scott have a backstage promo hyping up a match with Moose at All-Star Extravaganza. Back from break and they’re outside the ring, with Strong still in control. Strong rolls him into the ring and covers but only gets a one. More duelling chants.
Lethal rolls out of the ring to take a powder. Strong follows him but he’s intercepted by Dijak and Diesel. The distraction allows Lethal to recover and he gets control. Lethal softens him up with chops and elbows and then rolls him into the ring for a cover but he only gets a one count as well.
Lethal in control and the chants are now just RODDY and Lethal looks at the crowd in disgust. Kevin Kelly informs us that New Japan and ROH officials are working on ROH World title defences in Japan in 2016. Strong is cut open and Lethal throws him out of the ring as we go to another break.
Back from break and they’re in the ring, with Strong chopping the hell out of Lethal. Strong follows up with five running elbows and a side slam for a near three-count. Lethal turns it around with a superkick, followed by the Lethal Combination but can only get a two-count off of that.
Lethal sets Strong up for a Superplex but Strong pushes him off the top and hits a Hail to the King flying elbow on Lethal but only gets a two. They do the YAY/BOO punch/chop spot from their knees. Lethal getting the better of it but Strong asks Lethal to hit him harder. To their feet and still slugging. Lethal with rapid elbows but Strong hits a jumping knee and then sets up the superplex again and hits it this time. Lethal with a small package through for a two.
Strong hits the jumping knee but Lethal responds with a Superkick. Lethal goes for the Lethal Injection but Strong hits the Sick Kick and Lethal kicks out right before the three. That leads into one more break as the fans are chanting THIS IS AWESOME.
Back from break and Lethal’s pulling out all stops as both the Book of Truth and the belt are in the ring. The ref takes to the Book but Lethal grabs the belt and swings it at Strong. Strong ducks and hits a flying knee and then hits Diesel and Dijak with running knees outside the ring and another flying knee for Lethal inside the ring for good measure.
Lethal recovers and hits two superkicks and then undoes the taps from his wrists and uses it to choke Strong. Ref stops that but the distraction allows Lethal to hit a belt shot on Strong. A Lethal Injection follows and every fan in the building thought that was it but Strong kicks out. Loud RODDY chants after that.
Lethal hits another superkick and another Lethal Injection and that finishes it.
WINNER AND STILL ROH WORLD CHAMPION – JAY LETHAL
Standing ovation following that and Corino calls the match an instant classic. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly are out to stare down the champion as he now has to defend both belts against the ReDRagon teammates at All-Star Extravaganza in two weeks.