http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:47:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-61715/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-61715/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2015 18:43:28 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Reviews ACH BJ Whitmer Cedric Alexander Colby Corino Hiroshi Tanahashi Jay Briscoe Jay Lethal Matt Sydal Moose NJPW Ring of Honor ROH Steve Corino Tanahashi Tetsuya Naito TNA War Machine World Champion WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12476 Welcome back to another edition of "Honorable Mention," the once-weekly Ring of Honor report exclusively available at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I am pleased as punch to be here just two days shy of Ring of Honor "Best in the World" live on pay-per-view. This was an excellent hour of professional […]

Welcome back to another edition of "Honorable Mention," the once-weekly Ring of Honor report exclusively available at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I am pleased as punch to be here just two days shy of Ring of Honor "Best in the World" live on pay-per-view. This was an excellent hour of professional wrestling and finally hit the crescendo that we ROH fans have been anticipating for three weeks.

This week's show comes to us from the Tedreeve Arena in Toronto, Canada with Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino calling the action. There's another Corino in the arena! It's Steve's son Colby, who accompanies the Decade's BJ Whitmer and Adam Page to the ring for their match against War Machine. Colby fell victim to the menacing Moose just a few weeks ago, but has returned to the ring where he'll fulfill the necessary "Young Boy" duties bestowed upon him by BJ. Whitmer gets the microphone and tells the angry fans that a live mic is "way louder than they are." The fans try hard to bury BJ's voice, but it's no use: "Two weeks ago Colby, you came out here and you showed the world how much of a man you are, and you came within an inch of beating that big goofy bastard Moose. But I don't think your father gets it. I don't think he understands. And I think he needs to see it— AGAIN !" BJ tells Colby Corino to "step up and take his place in the match." Colby immediately takes a roll of white tape and begins to wrap it around his wrists. As soon as the bell sounds, Adam Page tags Colby into action against Raymond Rowe, who doesn't want to wrestle Corino. "You're not ready Colby," yelled Rowe, as he begged the Young Boy to listen to his father. Colby slapped Rowe across the face, causing King Corino to stand and scream: "Who taught you this?" Rowe tags out, fearful of what he might do to Steve Corino's son. According to Kevin Kelly, Ray Rowe has known Colby ever since he was ten years old, and opts to allow "Warbeard" to handle the light work. Hanson slams Colby, and tags Rowe back in, but Rowe continues to ignore the challenge, ordering the other members of the Decade to tag into the match. Rowe is forced to attack Colby Corino with a vicious backbreaker-gutbuster-powerbomb combo. Adam Page refused to tag in, and War Machine picked up the victory mere seconds later. BJ Whitmer continued to rile King Corino at ringside, to the point where the former world champion broadcaster tossed down his headset and prepared to fight. Before anything could happen however, Kevin Kelly threw the show to a break, in an attempt to restore order.

"Around this time last year, I was considered THE breakout star in Ring of Honor," Cedric Alexander is in the center of the ring, telling the fans how he is no longer the breakout star he once was. "Right now for Cedric Alexander it's do-or-die. I need to start picking up WINS ! I need to start picking up wins to prove to my family that this dream of being a professional wrestler isn't a waste of time." Cedric Alexander is ready to challenge anyone in the locker room, and decides to call out the undefeated Moose! Moose comes to the ring per usual alongside Stokley Hathaway and Veda Scott, prepared to meet whatever challenge awaits him. Cedric keeps up with the big man, evading every one of his drop kicks, and landing a sizzling sidekick to the back of Moose's head. The action spills to the outside, and Cedric is still in control over the burly Moose, but not for long! Once they return to the ring, Moose hits Cedric with a successful drop kick, sending Cedric Alexander back to the outside. We head into a commercial—for Ring of Honor Best in the World—and once we return, Moose and Cedric are still going back and forth. Cedric is very good at reversing the rookie Moose's moves, but has a tough time building any sort of discernible offense that might win him the match. The announcers make frequent mention of how Moose is friends with the majority of men and women in the back, including his manager Stokley Hathaway, as well as his opponent Cedric Alexander. Veda Scott however, has other plans for the future of Moose, and would rather see him turn a blind eye to the rest of the Ring of Honor roster. This match is heating up and Moose scores a near fall following a decapitating lariat. The fans battle chant-for-chant: "Let's go Moose" versus "Let's go Cedric," until this match devolves into a series of forearm strikes. Moose heads to the top rope, but Cedric catches him and prepares to end the undefeated streak of his friend following a litany of high impact drop kicks to the head. "Moose's eyes are dimming," says Kevin Kelly! Just before Cedric can deliver his final kick, Moose summons the strength to employ his somersault Spear. Both men are down and at the mercy of the referee's count. Veda yells at Stokley to distract the referee, and she hands a wrench to Moose. Moose refuses to use the tool to gain the victory, but Cedric Alexander has no problem earning a win that way! Cedric uses Moose's confusion against him and seizes the wrench, smacks him across the skull with it, and hands Moose the very first loss in his wrestling career.

Mandy Leone is backstage giving us a history lesson on what went down between reDRagon and the Addiction when the latter team stole the coveted tag titles from the former. Adam Cole interrupts Mandy, and cuts a promo on his return to pay-per-view this Friday night alongside Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. They'll be heading into six-man-competition this weekend against the Bullet Club's AJ Styles and The Young Bucks.

The main event tonight is—well, it's a contract signing. BUT the main event match this evening is a tag team contest. ACH and Matt Sydal will head into battle against the record-setting seven-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and the former NEVER Openweight Champion Tetsuya Naito. The NJPW team refuses to adhere to the code of honor, despite Sydal and ACH's insistence. Things kick off with Tanahashi against Matt Sydal, as both men decide take things to the mat. Naito taunts Sydal from the apron, and soon ACH is part of this match. Things wage forward with both teams earning the upper hand, and the NJPW team playing a bit of a heel role. While that might seem odd to NJPW fans familiar with Tanahashi and Naito, it makes perfect sense across the Pacific Ocean where ACH and Matt Sydal are far more popular. Tanahashi scurries back to his corner like a cowardly heel, and things speed up when ACH and Naito take control of the contest. Naito's eyeball gimmick is sort of strange, and even odder when mocked by the inordinately agile ACH. Tanahashi takes ACH to the outside and tosses him into the barricade behind referee Todd Sinclair's back; the New Japan team is most certainly the more dastardly of the two this evening. We head into a commercial break and when we return, ACH has fallen victim to both of his opponents, as Sydal struggles to get back into the action. Naito attempts a Superplex but is sent spiraling down to the canvas. ACH takes advantage of Naito's slip up and applies a double foot stomp to the back of his opponents shoulders. He tags Sydal into the match, and the former Evan Bourne gets to work in settling the score against these two international stars. The waning moments of the match are exciting and unpredictable—both Sydal and Tanahashi battle for dominance before ACH returns for a final go at the former IWGP champion. ACH hits Tanahashi with more than a dozen standing sidekicks for a near fall, and follows up with a German Suplex with a bridge for a 2 and 9/10ths count. ACH mocks Tanahashi to his face, and is awarded a Texas Cloverleaf for his efforts. Before he can reach the bottom rope, Sydal returns with a jumping knee to the face of Hiroshi Tanahashi. The match ends with a frog splash by Tanahashi on ACH for the 1-2-3, and a definitive end to an extraordinary match.

The final segment tonight, and dare I say the main event, is a contract signing between the ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe, and the ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal. They're set to meet this Friday night at Terminal One in New York City, where both of their belts will be on the line. Lethal hits the ring first, dressed like Lou Bega (Mambo Number 5) and flanked by Truth Martini. Jay Briscoe is accompanied by his brother Mark, who will be in action on Friday against another member of the House of Truth, in Donavan Dijak. Things are tense between the champions; Jay Lethal has said on multiple occasions that his TV title is far more prestigious than the World Championship held by Briscoe. Former World Champion and current ROH matchmaker Nigel McGuinness is presiding over the precedings, and explains the rules and time limit. Nigel says that this will be the biggest match in Ring of Honor history, and asks both men for their final words going into the fight. Lethal says that the only reason he doesn't flip the table over and "beat [Briscoe] where he stands" is because he "needs him at his best." Lethal says that after June 19 ^th —after Best in the World—Jay Briscoe will no business in Ring of Honor anymore. Jay Briscoe responds in kind, angered by Lethal's overconfident demeanor: "June 19 ^th , when I get done whoopin' yo ass, when I get done with you boy , you gonna have to go back to being the �Black Machismo' man!" Take that TNA! Lethal flips the table and both men remove their shirts, and hold their belts side by side as they continue to talk smack while the camera's fade out. Great show.

Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook , and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-52315/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-52315/#comments Wed, 27 May 2015 19:06:59 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Reviews Bobby Fish Caprice Coleman Destination America Jay Briscoe Jay Lethal Kevin Kelly Kyle O'Reilly Michael Elgin reDRagon Ring of Honor ROH Steve Corino TNA Todd Sinclair wrestling http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11999 Welcome back to another edition of "Honorable Mention," the once-weekly Ring of Honor report exclusively available at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and in addition to my production credits at the "B+ Players Podcast," I'm the resident ROH reviewer at Cheap-Heat. It's tough being a Ring of Honor fan in Southern California as […]

Welcome back to another edition of "Honorable Mention," the once-weekly Ring of Honor report exclusively available at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and in addition to my production credits at the "B+ Players Podcast," I'm the resident ROH reviewer at Cheap-Heat. It's tough being a Ring of Honor fan in Southern California as I've mentioned in the past; Sinclair Broadcasting, ROH's parent company, doesn't currently distribute their programming in Los Angeles, making it increasingly difficult to get my weekly fix without forking over a couple of dollars. But as JR likes to say: "That will not be my hill to die on." I appreciate and value the ROH product, and I recognize the strides they've made in recent years, so I can get over the lack of syndication in SoCal. For now. As a matter of fact, I finally forked over the $7.99 to subscribe to the official website, and I have to say I'm very satisfied with what Ring of Honor has to offer.

EDIT: DESTINATION AMERICA just announced Ring of Honor will debut on their network this Wednesday before a brand new episode of TNA Impact.

This week's episode of Ring of Honor TV comes to us from the Eisenhower Community Center in Hopkins, Minnesota and kicks off with none other than "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin. Does Elgin remind anybody else of the "Taskmaster" Kevin Sullivan? Not only does he dress like the former leader of the Dungeon of Doom, but he's also fucking crazy. Elgin is one of my favorite performers in Ring of Honor; I wasn't sold on him during his time as champion because I didn't buy him as a babyface title holder. Tonight Elgin is going one on one with Caprice Coleman, who has been conspicuous by his absence in recent months, aside from his role on commentary during the "Top Prospect Tournament." Coleman is looking to shut Elgin up once and for all, and arrives to an extraordinary ovation and a sea of streamers. According to the Tale of the Tape, Caprice Coleman has been lacing up his boots since 1998, and has no problem adhering to the "Code of Conduct." Despite his wily ways, Elgin is also receptive to the initial handshake, and then immediately takes the fight to Caprice. After a successful headlock takeover, shades of the great Brad Armstrong, Caprice was rushed to the outside of the ring by an imposing Elgin, who was unwilling to waiver at such an early stage in the match. We head into a quick commercial—even on the official website that I PAY for—and when we return, Caprice is on the offensive and putting the former world champion through his paces. Caprice hit Michael Elgin with his signature "Sky-Splitter" leg drop from the top rope, but achieved only a two count before Elgin responded. Once on his feet again, Elgin proceeded to dominate Coleman with a series of turnbuckle and spinning powerbombs for the 1-2-3.

The next match is for the world television title; Jay Lethal has been champion for over 400 days, and is the only man to wear the coveted TV belt on two separate occasions. His opponent and challenger is the former ROH world tag team champion, and one half of reDRagon, Kyle O'Reilly. Jay Lethal has become accustomed to calling himself the "Ring of Honor Champion," and has customized his television title by removing the "TV" and superimposing a golden globe. Kyle O'Reilly is only one of a handful of wrestlers on the ROH roster who actually poses a threat to the longevity of Lethal's title reign, and wastes little time in showing the "Greatest First Generation Wrestler" why he is a world-renowned professional athlete. O'Reilly is currently competing in Japan as part of the "Best of the Super Juniors" tournament along with his longtime partner Bobby Fish, but tonight O'Reilly's eyes are on the prize. He keeps Lethal grounded with an onslaught of educated feet, and an impressive precision-based mat style that would make Drew Gulak dizzy. Lethal hits Kyle with a belly-to-back suplex, but the Irish-American O'Reilly is unwilling to relent on the vice-like headlock.

After another commercial break—this time an advertisement reminding us to WATCH Ring of Honor—we head back to the ring where O'Reilly is continuing to prove himself to the current title holder. Lethal is finally coming around by now, and returns the offense with a drop kick to Kyle's jaw and a number of knees to the midsection. The TV champion Irish-whipped O'Reilly across the squared circle into the opposing corner for a near fall, and then applied an incredibly innovative submission to the technically-sound Kyle O'Reilly. This match continued back and forth with both men gaining the advantage. Truth Martini tried to council his charge, but was unable to save him from the brutality of the former ROH world tag team champion. O'Reilly locked Lethal in a submission hold around the top rope, but was blindsided by the "Book of Truth," wielded by the veteran manager Martini. Lethal took advantage by slamming O'Reilly directly into the Canadian flag adorning the ringside barricade. He then wrapped the red and white maple leaf around O'Reilly's neck and choked him until referee Todd Sinclair ordered him to cease. The action returned to the ring before the 20-count and Lethal attempted to end things quickly; he climbed the ropes, "Hailed the King" and hit a double axe handle across the skull of O'Reilly. Back and forth, kick for kick and shot for shot, both men fought valiantly for the right to be champion. There aren't many men who can go toe-to-toe with O'Reilly in terms of kicks, but Lethal is eager to try his luck at matching his opponent's veteran BJJ-skills.

Kyle O'Reilly landed a strong knee to the jaw of Jay Lethal, nearly knocking the champion unconscious in the process. He applied the "Guillotine" submission hold, which caused Lethal to fade ever so slowly, until he summoned the strength for a LETHAL COMBINATION! Jay covered Kyle for a two count, and this contest continued to a chorus of "This is Wrestling," from an army of anti-establishment former �Federation fans. O'Reilly attempted to finish the job with what could have been a Superplex, but ultimately became a full-fledged "Hail to the King" elbow drop by Lethal. Lethal tried for a Superplex of his own, but was countered into "Arm-ageddon" in the center of the ring. Lethal jockeyed for the ropes and both men went flying to the outside, where Truth Martini checked on the welfare of his champion as Todd Sinclair counted higher and higher toward twenty. Jay Lethal returned to the ring at thirteen, and O'Reilly made it just after nineteen, thanks to some fans at ringside who helped him to his feet! The two men met in the ring and stared each other down before engaging in what would be the final moments of this incredible contest.

O'Reilly almost fell from the ring but returned in much the same way as Terry Funk, or Dean Ambrose, and hit the champion with a massive lariat for this trouble. He hit Lethal with a brainbuster, and once again, locked him in the lethal—no pun intended—"Arm-ageddon" cross arm bar. Both men refused to lose as Lethal made it to the ropes and both wrestlers staggered to regain their composure. Kevin Kelly reminds the audience at home that we are less than three minutes removed from the time limit, a concept that this wrestling fan completely forgot about! Lethal went for the "Lethal Injection," but O'Reilly caught him in his patented arm-bar. The bell sounded; the time limit was up! The fans chanted "Five More Minutes," and O'Reilly led them in their cry. Lethal was given the microphone and it was on the champion to decide whether or not he would continue.

The fans chanted "Man Up"—the popular catchphrase belonging to world champion Jay Briscoe—and Lethal informed everyone that he was GOING to accept the challenge, but the fans ruined it. He left the arena just as the world champion was making his way down to ringside. "Jay Lethal stay in the back, boy," Jay Briscoe began, "Let a real fighting champion show you how it's done." Briscoe told O'Reilly that he just went to war: "To hell with five more minutes, I don't care if this takes all night!" Jay Briscoe was ready to give Kyle O'Reilly a world title match, but once the bell rang, Lethal returned to cause the disqualification.

All in all, a much better program than last week's show that never really delivered. I've said on recent episodes of "The Outsiders' Edge" that I would rather three or four two-star matches to one or two four-stars. Yes, I love to watch wrestling, but weekly broadcasts are meant to introduce the fan base to the entire roster, and that's hard to do when you're limited to just one or two matches within an hour long show. The big breaking news as of this writing is that Destination America—the current home to TNA Impact—will begin to feature Ring of Honor as early as this Wednesday, June the 3 ^rd . Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-21415/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-21415/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2015 17:34:10 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews ACH AJ Styles Alberto El Patron Bullet Club Cedric Alexander Christopher Daniels Hanson IWGP Jay Briscoe Jimmy Jacobs Kevin Kelly Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Michael Elgin Moose Nick Jackson R.D. Evans Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Steve Corino The Romantic Touch The Young Bucks Tommaso Ciampa Veda Scott http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9815 Honorable Mention ROH TV 2/14/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Love is in the air, everywhere you look around! It's Valentine's Day at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and Ring of Honor is back in action with another star-studded hour of power, just two weeks away from the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. I'll […]

Honorable Mention
ROH TV 2/14/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Love is in the air, everywhere you look around! It's Valentine's Day at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and Ring of Honor is back in action with another star-studded hour of power, just two weeks away from the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. I'll be heading out to Sin City, as it's just a quick car ride out of Southern California, and I'll be looking forward to shooting some dice with the Young Bucks and perhaps having an appletini or two if Chris Daniels is around. This week's episode of ROH TV helped further establish the rivalries going into their biggest show of the year so far. What was the match of the night and what could we have done without seeing? Let's waste no time and get right into the thick of things with our commentators Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino, and very special guest ROH world heavyweight champion Jay Briscoe.

The show begins as Ring of Honor world champion Jay Briscoe makes his way to ringside, getting set to join the usual duo of Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino on commentary. Tonight's episode of Ring of Honor TV will include four bouts, three of which feature participants in the upcoming four-way championship match in Las Vegas. Jimmy Jacobs is set to go one-on-one with the "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa. Jacobs has been making waves in recent weeks, scouting the Top Prospect Tournament in search of the Decade's newest "young boy." The match is off to a rough start for the "Zombie Princess," as Ciampa quickly resorts to his signature blend of striking offense. Announcers at ringside made mention that Jacobs has just as much fight as anyone, despite weighing-in at just 185 pounds. The onslaught of lariats and running knee-strikes took its toll on both Jacobs and the Philadelphia audience; the fans inside the 2300 Arena were silent during the unnecessary roughness of Ciampa, except for one man who yelled, "What a maneuver!" Ciampa obliterated Jimmy Jacobs in less than five minutes, leaving the Decade member broken on the outside of the ring. The official opted to forgo a count, and declared Ciampa the winner. This breathtaking display by the �Psychopath left the champion speechless. He stood to face Ciampa, sizing up what could be his most violent competition at the Anniversary Show in two weeks.

Before ROH hit the air I knew we'd be getting a dose of The Romantic Touch—it is Valentine's Day, after all! �Touch enters the arena with a heart-shaped box of chocolates and two beautiful ladies hanging on each of his arms. As he struts to the ring, Kelly and Corino question whether the champ has enough time for romance when preparing to defend his title in two weeks. Jay Briscoe says, "Well, we've been married for seven years…" Steve Corino immediately cuts him off, "Oh don't tell me the romance is all gone!" But Jay was quick on his feet, joking back, "Oh shoot no, I'm just tryin' not to have another kid!" The Romantic Touch has a prerecorded promo wherein he warns viewers at home to treat their ladies well, otherwise he's prepared to do so. His opponent tonight however, is a little less loving than �Touch might have hoped. This is the second exhibition featuring the three number one contenders to Jay Briscoe's world title, and this time it's "Warbeard" Hanson. The impressive Hanson stands at 6'2" and weighs in at 275 pounds—not a massive individual by "New York" standards, but a menacing force inside the Ring of Honor locker room. The Romantic Touch and "Warbeard" Hanson meet to engage in the "Code of Conduct," where �Touch offers Hanson a chocolate. Hanson responds with a disastrous kick, dubbed the "Spin Kick of Doom." Hanson defeated the Romantic Touch in less than thirty seconds, and even ate one of the chocolates when he was through. After the match, Hanson met eye-to-eye with Briscoe, just the same as Ciampa before him. Hanson shouted, "Look what I did," in reference to laying out his opponent. Jay responded in kind, letting Hanson know that he "ain't no Romantic Touch."

The third and final bout featuring challengers for Jay Briscoes coveted belt pits the undefeated Moose against the former Ring of Honor world heavyweight champion Michael Elgin. Moose is escorted to the ring, per usual, by Veda Scott and Stokley Hathaway. Since defeating R.D. Evans at Final Battle in December, Moose has established the "New Streak" in Ring of Honor, and will put it on the line tonight in his greatest test to-date. Elgin enters to a chorus of boos, but doesn't allow the Philadelphia fans to breach his skin as he prepares to dismantle Moose. Both men adhere to the code of conduct before quickly engaging in battle. Elgin takes advantage of the former Atlanta Falcon within the opening seconds, lifting him into a brain buster position, and holding him there for over 10-seconds before driving him into the mat. But Moose was back up just as quick as Elgin, ready to continue with a dropkick, sending the former champion barreling to the outside. This match is already more competitive than both previous bouts on the card, which makes sense; aside from Jay Briscoe, Michael Elgin is certainly the odds-on-favorite heading into Las Vegas. Michael Elgin returns to the ring and dodges a clothesline, returning with a big boot of his own. Elgin pumped his arm, mocking the choreographed way in which Moose and his entourage enter the arena. The former champion climbed the ropes, but was distracted by Veda Scott. Elgin fought her away and cartwheeled off the turnbuckle and away from and imposing Moose. He proceeded to deliver a devastating powerbomb, and then lifted the 300 pound athlete from the canvas, into the air, for another grueling power bomb. A near-three count and the contest continues with both men reeling against the ropes. Moose then shoved Elgin through the ropes and to the outside where he was face-to-face with Jay Briscoe. Just the same as Ciampa and Hanson, Elgin stared into the eyes of the champion, but unlike the �Psychopath and "Warbeard, Michael Elgin pushed Jay Briscoe back and over his chair. Briscoe wasn't going to stand for such disrespect and immediately charged the ring where he was caught in the line of fire between Elgin and a Spear by Moose. The referee called for the bell and before long all four combatants in the Thirteenth Anniversary main event were warring inside the squared-circle, with a great deal of focus placed on the reigning world champion. Luckily Jay Briscoe was saved by his brother Mark who engaged all-comers before being put down by Moose's spine-shattering Spear.

It's time for the main event at the 2300 Arena—a trios match with Ring of Honor babyfaces squaring off against Bullet Club villains. ACH, Matt Sydal and Cedric Alexander are the first team introduced, and although all three men are among the most-over in ROH, their popularity pales in comparison to their opponents. The Bullet Club coming to America and performing on Ring of Honor TV is akin to British rock bands touring America or the Harlem Globe Trotters playing in North Korea. The Young Bucks enter first wearing black pants with fringe complete with a Bullet Club logo on the side. Just before they make it to the ringside area, the lights go down and the music slowly begins. It's as if a spiritual leader of some sort has just entered this holiest of hallowed halls; the audience is almost completely silent until AJ Styles makes his dramatic appearance. They chant, "AJ, AJ, AJ," as both Styles and the Bucks cruise into the ring amidst a sea of colored streamers. All six wrestlers shake hands before returning to their respective corners and this match is underway. It's interesting to note, as this was filmed several weeks ago, AJ is without the IWGP championship title belt. AJ, of course, won the IWGP world heavyweight championship from Hiroshi Tanahashi just this past week in Japan. The �Bucks begin by each taking turns on Matt Sydal who soon trades out to his former tag team partner ACH. The Bucks work like a well-oiled machine, working their opponents down to the mat in whatever way possible. When AJ tags into the contest he is met with immediate praise from the live audience, and sets to work attacking ACH just the same as his fellow Bullet Club members. The show goes to a commercial and when we return ACH and AJ Styles are standing in the center of the ring trading knife-edge chops with deadly precision. Nick Jackson tagged back in, hitting ACH with his patented blend of Young Bucks chicanery, poking the decorated superstar in the eyes and "too sweeting" his tag team partners in the corner.

The action heats up with all six combatants seeking to get involved at the same time. Sydal finds himself alone inside the ring with the Bullet Club, who triple team the former WWE tag team champion, before Matt Jackson takes the lead, continuing to take the fight to "Reborn" Matt Sydal. The quick tags from the Bullet Club work to their advantage as one-by-one AJ and the Bucks trade shots on their opponent, isolating him from his partners. After managing to reach his corner, the contest works toward the favor of the ROH wrestlers. Cedric Alexander takes to the skies, performing an exhilarating splash, followed by "two-out-of-three Amigos." Nick Jackson countered and proceeded to superkick ACH, who was standing on the outside, from the apron. He spring-boarded into the ring where he face-busted Cedric Alexander, only to slide back out of the ring and hit ACH once more, this time with a Tornado-DDT. Not to be outdone by his brother, Matt Jackson joined the action with a misguided Swanton bomb, crash-landing on the knees of Cedric Alexander. Cedric lifted Matt Jackson up into a powerbomb predicament, complimented by a jumping knee smash courtesy of Matt Sydal. Sydal then went toe-to-toe with AJ Styles in a battle of rights-and-lefts until he was taken off his feet by a superkick from Matt Jackson. Nick and Matt Jackson were ready to deliver superkicks to whomever may ask for one, but were caught off guard with the equally-quick superkick-game of ACH. AJ attempted a 450-splash but to no avail, once again countered by the educated knees of Cedric Alexander. This time ACH would be the one going for a 450, landing expertly on Styles. Matt Sydal would hope to follow-up with his own high-risk maneuver, the Shooting Star Press. As Sydal leapt from the top turnbuckle, he was forced to make an emergency landing on his feet, met almost immediately by duel superkicks. Nick and Matt then proceeded to superkick ACH and Cedric Alexander out of contention. The end would come for Matt Sydal as the trio put him through a combination of the "Meltzer-Driver," a hanging upside down double superkick, followed by a "Styles Clash" for the 1-2-3. Your winners are the Bullet Club.

This was an excellent edition of ROH TV, which believe it or not, I'm almost getting sick of saying each week! Ring of Honor delivers at least three—in some cases FOUR highly athletic wrestling contests every time it airs. In addition, ROH isn't bogged down by heavily scripted talking segments, instead allowing for the story to be told inside the squared-circle. That might sound like a cliché, but that's only because I've said it before. Just two more episodes of ROH TV to go until Sunday March 1st and the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. Next week will feature two main-event caliber bouts—Alberto El Patron will go head-to-head with ACH, and the world television champion Jay Lethal will battle Roderick Strong. Until then, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been "Honorable Mention."

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-11715/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-11715/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2015 05:58:08 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews 13th Anniversary Adam Cole Alberto Del Rio Alberto El Patron Ashley Sixx BJ Whitmer Bruiser Brody Caprice Coleman Cedric Alexander Christopher Daniels Dalton Castle Donovan Dijak Frankie Kazarian Hanson Jake Dirden Jay Briscoe Jay Lethal Kazarian Kevin Kelly Maria Kanellis Matt Morgan Matt Taven Michael Bennett Michael Elgin Nigel McGuinness Ring of Honor ROH Steve Corino The Addiction The Briscoes The Kingdom Todd Sinclair Tommaso Ciampa Top Prospect Tournament Truth Martini WWE X-Division http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9165 Honorable Mention ROH TV 1/17/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty It's that time of the week once more when I return to discuss the most recent events from Ring of Honor TV. With the Thirteenth Anniversary show just over one month away, what is matchmaker Nigel McGuinness prepared to do regarding the number one contender […]

Honorable Mention
ROH TV 1/17/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

It's that time of the week once more when I return to discuss the most recent events from Ring of Honor TV. With the Thirteenth Anniversary show just over one month away, what is matchmaker Nigel McGuinness prepared to do regarding the number one contender situation? Last week's episode ended as "Warbeard" Hanson, Tommaso Ciampa and Michael Elgin's three way dance imploded and devolved into an all-out street fight with referee Todd Sinclair caught in the crossfire. This week the ROH World Title is on the line with Jay Briscoe defending against an unnamed member of the Kingdom. In addition, Alberto El Patron is set to make his Ring of Honor debut. What does the former WWE Champion have to say about the no compete clause he was issued just four months ago? Ladies and gentlemen my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this is "Honorable Mention," the once-weekly critique of what's been called by many "the best hour of wrestling on television"—Ring of Honor TV.

ROH is off and running with a pre-recorded promo per Jay Briscoe, speculating on the fate of his championship come the end of tonight's mystery main event against the Kingdom. Briscoe's original title belt was stolen and revamped, currently clad in pink fur by Maria, dubbed her "Title of Love." Jay says that if he's willing to put his title on the line, they should be willing to do the same. Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino welcome fans back to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in beautiful Nashville, where they can now confirm tonight's main event will in fact be a world title match. The opening contest of the show features the 17-year veteran Frankie Kazarian as he gets set to square off against the incomparable Cedric Alexander. Kazarian comes to the ring accompanied by his tag team partner, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, who makes residence alongside Kelly and Corino at the broadcast position. The match is an evenly-paced back-and-forth contest between two individuals with a ton of respect for one another. The last time these wrestlers stood inside the same squared circle was at Final Battle when they stood on the same side in a six man tag match. Kelly and Corino ask Christopher Daniels how someone who's use to tag team competition might fare in a singles match, implying that "The Addiction" might work better together than apart. I suppose the announcers forgot both workers and their stellar singles careers including multiple X-Division titles between the two of them. Daniels is obviously insulted, although keeps his cool and insists that Kazarian will be just fine. The experience gap is uncanny as Frankie Kazarian made his professional debut in 1998, eleven years before Cedric hit the ring in 2009. Both men are tremendous wrestlers, but Kazarian puts his wealth of knowledge on display by systematically picking Cedric apart, concentrating on specific body parts and targeting them until Alexander has no choice but to give in. Back on the outside, Kelly asks Christopher Daniels about his match next week against former WWE champion Alberto El Patron. Daniels appears to have great respect for "Dos Caras," but insists that he will defeat Patron next week, serving him his first loss in his debut match. As Alexander's high-risk offense started to hinder the mat-based-game of Frankie Kazarian, the tag team competitor decided to take it upstairs as well. In an attempted powerbomb from the top rope, Kazarian tossed Alexander into the air, a move that Cedric skillfully reversed by landing clean on his feet. Cedric kicked Kaz in the side of his head, followed by another impactful boot to the other side. Things looked to be going in Cedric's favor until an ill-fated top-rope move was caught in a cutter by Kazarian—I guess the "RKO" really can come outta nowhere, even in a Ring of Honor Ring! Staggered, Cedric stepped directly into the sights of Frankie Kazarian who sealed the deal, delivering a Tomikaze inverted double underhook facebuster.

With the main event looming, the Kingdom decides it's time to announce who Jay Briscoe will be defending his ROH World Title against in less than one hour. Matt Taven appears backstage, and says he always thought Jay was the smarter of the Briscoe brothers, but he must have been wrong if Jay Briscoe is willing to put the belt on the line—against him. Taven warns Briscoe and fans around the world, that he's going to beat Jay Briscoe and become the new ROH World Champion. Back at ringside, Caprice Coleman is back to assist Kevin and Steve in covering the upcoming first round match in the Top Prospects Tournament. This week the rookies featured are Jake Dirden and Donovan Dijak. Kevin Kelly is floored at the sheer size of these individuals, each standing at around 6'7" and weighing 275 pounds; what's considered average in the WWE is gargantuan in other promotions. Dirden reminds me Luke Harper, Bruiser Brody, or any number of crazy-haired unkempt brawlers, set to take on a 2-sport college athlete in Donovan Dijak. Once things get underway we're privy to a one-sided battle with Dijack taking the lead. From bell to bell, Dirden has his patches of considerable offense, but this match served as the "Coming Out Party" for Donovan Dijak. After a few moments of wrestling a very spirited contest, the Decade appears in the entry way. BJ Whitmer leads the trio and says, "Continue! Continue! Impress us!" The Decade is obviously on hand looking to scout the next potential diamond in the rough from this Top Prospect Tournament. Graduating from UMass after four years of basketball and football, Dijak has the power and unpredictable force of a super heavyweight, with the agility of a luchador. He reminds me of Matt Morgan—just an all-around impressive talent with a plethora of positive qualities just one year into his wrestling career. Once he was finished promoting his bottomless well of power-based offense, Dijak opted to showcase his aerial abilities by performing a beautifully executed swan dive over the top rope to the outside. It was at this point that Jake Dirden began his comeback, beginning with clasping his fingers around the throat of Dijak and choke slamming him into a 2-count. Dirden made quick work of evening the odds, and was soon ready to pin the dynamic Donovan Dijak. But rather than covering his opponent to advance in the tournament, Dirden instead chose to finish things with the crippling, "Asiatic Spike," a thumb strike similar to the move Umaga used in the WWE. After pacing around the ring waiting for an opportune occasion, Dirden was blindsided by the former football player. Dijak lifted the humungous Dirden onto his shoulders in a "Torture Rack," and finished with a variation of the GTS called "Feast Your Eyes." Dijak advances in the tournament and will wrestle the winner of Ashley Sixx and Dalton Castle in the second round.

Backstage once more and a mysterious figure is sitting in front of a television monitor, currently tuned to Ring of Honor programming. The figure was completely unrecognizable due to the shadow effect and the way in which their voice as disguised. The only words we're given from this masked vigilante are, "We are coming. And we are bringing change with us." So maybe it's Barack Obama? With his tenure as president nearing an end, would working a wrestling program really be such a dramatic downgrade? Back at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Kevin Kelly is on hand awaiting the arrival of Alberto El Patron. The crowd give the former-Del Rio a huge ovation and chant, "Si! Si! Si," before Patron can even say a word. Once inside the ring alongside Kevin Kelly, Alberto has quite a bit to get off his chest relating to his "no compete clause" and his unnamed former employers. "Four months ago," he began, "Somebody said I was not going to be able to wrestle in the United States—for one year!" The live audience is loving the anti-WWE shoot, and get even further behind the second-generation athlete when he went on to say, "I said Wrestlers, because that's what we are! I am not a �sports entertainer,' I am a WRESTLER!" Alberto says that the real reason he's in ROH is to compete with the best, and issues a challenge to ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe in the process. Instead of "Reach for the Sky," we hear the demonic laughter of Truth Martini, who escorted the record-setting TV champion to the ring. Truth begins by saying, "I don't care about anything you've done in your career. When you said you wanted to face the best, you failed to mention this guy." Truth pointed at Lethal, who was now in possession of the microphone. "Do your homework before you come to class! The number one man around here is not Jay Briscoe." Both Lethal and Truth argue the merits of the television championship, even calling it "the greatest title in the world." Jay Lethal demands an apology from Patron, a request that Alberto initially obliges, until disrespect makes room for stupidity. "Let's dance," El Patron exclaimed, shredding his t-shirt! Jay Lethal too began preparing for war until Truth Martini interrupted, saying that Patron hasn't yet earned the right to wrestle Lethal. I really like this rivalry as a way to incorporate Patron into the TV title picture; with so many viable world title contenders, I was worried ROH would immediately strap the belt around Patron's waist. But instead it appears as though Patron might be the one to take Lethal's TV title, just short of 300 days since winning it last year.

The events of last week's three way dance are explained, and the announcers at ringside begin to speculate as to who the number one contender is. Before they can come up with any names, former ROH champion and matchmaker Nigel McGuinness appeared presumably to address the situation head on. Nigel says he wants Jay Briscoe to come down the aisle so that he may give the champion the news to his face. Briscoe walks down the entry way and already has his own ideas for the Thirteenth Anniversary: "Vegas is a gamblin' city, and I'm a gamblin' man. Let's just make all three of them [the number one contender]!" Briscoe pitches a simple 4-way match under the banner, "High Stakes Four Corners Survival Match"—perhaps meaning that this will be an elimination style contest? Briscoe continues his walk to the ring, where he patiently awaits the Kingdom and Matt Taven. Alongside the challenger is Michael Bennett and Maria Kanellis, stacking the deck even higher against the self-confessed "gamblin' man." Jay Briscoe did more than give Matt Taven a schooling in ringwork, he proceeded to squash the former TV champion in order to send a message to Adam Cole. Bennett makes his presence known throughout the match, getting involved several time including landing an exceptionally executed superkick to the side of Briscoe's head. Maria puts herself in the match as well, tripping Briscoe into a near-fall attempted victory for Taven—but Briscoe powers out just before three. Briscoe fights the junior heavyweight competitor into the corner where he delivers nine solid punches as the audience in Nashville counts along. Before the final tenth punch however, Taven slid out of harm's way and was once again on the offense. Taven attempted a top rope hurricanrana, and got nearly 75% of it until Briscoe reversed the maneuver in md-air. The wind was knocked out of Taven, allowing him zero chance of kicking out. Your winner and still ROH World Champion: Jay Briscoe. After his successful title defense however, Bennett and Maria hit the ring to obliterate the world champion. Maria is one of the best female promos in professional wrestling today, and the finale of ROH TV was no different. Maria told Jay, who was now in the clutches of Bennett and Taven, that he didn't have the BALLS to fight her. This was all the finest practitioner of redneck kung-fu needed to storm the squared circle and save his brother. Mark Briscoe says that this feud has gone on long enough, and next week he wants Taven and Bennett against the Briscoes in the opening match!

Another incredible hour of professional wrestling courtesy of the promotion who does it better than anyone this side of the Pacific Ocean. Next week's episode will of course continue the "Top Prospect Tournament," as well feature the tag team bout between the Kingdom and the Briscoes. Perhaps most important-of-all, next week's episode of ROH TV will include the in-ring debut of the man once known as "Alberto Del Rio," Alberto El Patron. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and until next time, thanks for joining me for this installment of, "Honorable Mention."

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-1315-review/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-1315-review/#comments Sat, 10 Jan 2015 04:52:40 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Adam Cole AJ Styles Bobby Fish Bullet Club Chris Adams Doc Gallows Impact IWGP Jerry Lawler Karl Anderson Kevin Steen Kyle O'Reilly Matt Jackson New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW NWA NXT Randy Orton reDRagon Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Steve Corino TNA Wrestle Kingdom 9 Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8717 Honorable Mention ROH TV 1/3/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Everyone will always remember 2014 as the year ROH stepped onto the "Sports Entertainment" battlefield with huge successes including their first-and-second classic pay-per-view events, the return of many former ROH stars, but most importantly for me? The ACTION FIGURES! Ring of Honor signed a merchandising […]

Honorable Mention
ROH TV 1/3/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Everyone will always remember 2014 as the year ROH stepped onto the "Sports Entertainment" battlefield with huge successes including their first-and-second classic pay-per-view events, the return of many former ROH stars, but most importantly for me? The ACTION FIGURES! Ring of Honor signed a merchandising deal this year that includes a variety of Ring of Honor Action Figures! How cool is that? Yes 2014 was a cataclysmic year for professional wrestling which is why I decided to write about this week's episode of ROH TV, even though it was nothing more than a "Best of 2014" clip show. We're going to cover an array of bouts from earlier in the year, including the Ring of Honor Match of the Year. If you would instead prefer to read more recent match reviews then I suggest you check out my extensive reaction to Wrestling Kingdom 9 or the reboot of TNA Impact, also available here at Cheap-Heat, otherwise let's get right to business.

The first match that Ring of Honor would like you to remember this year was the duel between former Ring of Honor World Champion Roderick Strong and then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles. While the fundamentals were sound enough and the bell-to-bell was without flaw, I still found it awfully peculiar that ROH would want to highlight this match above any else. But more on that when we come to it. I enjoy Roderick Strong despite the mixed-to-negative reaction he seems to elicit from the majority of wrestling fans. I think that has a lot to do with how he's been booked and how quickly he was pushed in relation to his post-championship career. I think it's similar to several other wrestlers and superstars, I've even referred to him once-before as the "Randy Orton of Ring of Honor." I think he's got all of the necessary tools needed to build an outstanding career, but at the end of the day he lacks originality and the charisma needed to carry him beyond his current surroundings. Styles on the other hand is a man who made the most for himself in 2014. He abandoned what appeared to be a sinking ship in favor of uncertain waters, but has been met with unprecedented success by becoming the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a title which I consider the most prestigious honor in the world of wrestling. From the moment the bell sounded it appeared as though AJ might have underestimated Strong who had no trouble in putting AJ through his paces. The war between aerial and ground based maneuvers is an ever-present backdrop in Ring of Honor, brought to the foreground in this contest. I wonder—is New Japan's most decorated champion allowed to lose a match in America? In the old days of the NWA, promotors would book accordingly so as to protect the champion without damaging the territorial stars. I'm curious if Ring of Honor's Roderick Strong ever stood a chance of winning, or if the politics of professional wrestling protected AJ clear through the summer. That leads me to the final moment of the match, and the reason I'm surprised ROH would want the fans to remember this contest. Twenty-fourteen was the year AJ Styles came under fire for continuing to use a supposed dangerous finishing maneuver—"The Styles Clash." More than one worker came forward including Roddy Strong claiming the move is not only unsafe but goes against the core instincts developed by professional wrestlers. As AJ lifted Roderick Strong into position to perform the �Clash, you could clearly see Strong tuck his head at the last moment—a reflex that's almost impossible for any wrestler to ignore. By the end, the match belonged to Styles, although I debate whether or not this was his best showing in Ring of Honor all year. Maybe his best SINGLES match, or his best match against ROH talent. Three stars, although I don't generally award star ratings in my ROH reviews. But I figured this edition was a special occasion.

Up next is one of my favorite matches from 2014, the heartfelt farewell bout between Steve Corino and "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen. On the one hand you have a much-despised villainous wrestler and heel commentator combination in Steve Corino who, on the flip-side, is the close friend and mentor to one of the most visible professional wrestlers in the world, Kevin Steen. For those who have followed Ring of Honor for the past few years, I don't need to define the depth of the relationship between Corino and Steen. Former tag partners but more often-than-not opponents, Kevin Steen was given the chance to wrestle anyone he wanted in his last match and he chose the semi-retired Jerry Lawler of ROH Steve Corino. The first thing you'll notice about Corino is his ridiculous wardrobe, as well as his uncanny ease of movement despite having succumbed somewhat to middle-age. One of the most amazing parts of Ring of Honor is the "Code of Honor" and the inherent personal accountability that appears to come with it. I know from speaking to several �Universe Residents,' they don't like the handshake because it doesn't make for a provocative storyline. "Why are they fighting if they like each other? It doesn't make sense" Why are football teams playing one another? Why do karate students kick their friends in the face? Tennis players don't HATE other tennis players, do they? Ring of Honor is about competition and not comedy; for fans of professional wrestling and not soap operas. I was entirely too emotionally invested in this match due to the way in which both Corino and Steen interacted. You could tell that both were taking great care not to injure the other all while at the same time trying to give the fans a match of the year contender. Part of the story of course were the words not being mentioned: what of the relationship outside of this ring when all is said and done? Would it be too far to venture a guess that some little part of Steve Corino might be jealous that Steen's been called up? Or does he view Kevin more through the eyes of a big brother, simply proud of the man that this kid has become? None of these question-marks found sentences as we were riddled with a machine-gun fire of exclamation points. Stiff chops made way for harsher clotheslines and even package pile-drivers. When Kevin Steen got the pin and had his hand raised, the local fans were in tears as they chanted, "Thanks, Steen, Thanks," while wearing t-shirts adorned with the same sentiment. Ring of Honor is known for borrowing the streamer aspect of their presentation from Japan; as Steen stood in the squared-circle, the audience proceeded to decorate the former champion and future NXT Superstar, tossing what must have been miles of colored paper into the ring. If you're looking for another Star Rating, I'd have to think about that. On the one hand you have one of the most emotional match-ups of the year fought between two industry legends. On the other the contest was kind of hindered by neither man wanting to hurt the other, a result of Steen moving to Florida maybe? Regardless I'd be willing to meet halfway and then-some so I'll award this match: Three and a Half Stars.

After an array of vignettes highlighting some of the more impactful programs from the previous year, we're back to the action and this time it is the 2014 Ring of Honor Match of the Year featuring reDragon taking on the Young Bucks for the ROH World Tag Team Titles. The Ring of Honor tag teams are in many ways an extension of NJPW's vibrant junior-tag division. Both the Bucks and reDragon have held both sets of titles, in fact both teams have held both sets of titles simultaneously! If it's Ring of Honor or NJPW, you've got about four or five teams you can always count on to provide an engaging show. At the top of the mountain however has to sit the best team in the world, and this match proved worthy of declaring the kings of tag team wrestling. The Young Bucks are always being discussed in some capacity or another; traditionalists mock their flamboyant attitude while we—the hipsters of wrestling—consider their antics an homage to the wrestling that we grew up with. Too sweet me! The "Superkick Parties" as they've been nicknamed are only abhorrent if you consider the super kick a viable finishing move—which I do not. I really love how Nick and Matt Jackson have been able to modernize a move made popular by Chris Adams in the 1980's so that it works in a variety of settings. The Young Bucks are way beyond super kicking chins, but more on that in a moment. Across the ring are the challengers, the equally talented and highly decorated duo of Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. O'Reilly has been named one of the best wrestlers on the planet but I think Fish does more than his fair share to ensure reDragon is a team name that strikes fear in the hearts of their opponents. Much the way The Young Bucks do inside the squared circle, reDragon has been able to evolve outside of the ring by taking their promos and interviews to a whole new level. When not competing you might catch Fish and O'Reilly sporting sweater vests and spectacles, but once the bell sounds it's all about business—it's MOUTH GUARD TIME! Now that I'm done selling you on both teams and what they're doing to further the industry as a whole, let's discuss what made this The Ring of Honor Match of the Year.

This contest of course went down at ROH's joint-venture with NJPW in New York City, War of the Worlds. Going in I think the crowd was split regardless of who may be pegged a heel and who's the babyface, because like most of ROH's big money matches, this was about respect. As soon as the bell sounds we're hit with the flagrant disregard of authority that is The Young Bucks. The match seems to go off the rails rather early as tagging one's opponent quickly loses all merit. The Bucks appeared to gain the offensive from the onset even delivering a yet-to-be-named Meltzer driver to a member of reDragon in the early going. It seems like Kyle O'Reilly is always bleeding from his mouth, which I guess is why he should keep that mouth guard in! There were some incredible spots scattered throughout this match, the first that really caught my eye featured the Bucks once again on offense stacking O'Reilly and Fish in "Tombstone Pile driver" formation, and then super kicking Fishes knees, thus drilling his partner in the process. This wasn't enough to stop reDragon however, and O'Reilly took the lead as Fish provided support; it seemed as though Kyle O'Reilly was insistent on winning the match and the titles by making the Jackson's submit. His hubris almost got the better of him toward the finale, when Nick Jackson proceeded to drop a 450 springboard splash on O'Reilly who had his brother on the verge of tapping out. Once the move was hit and the pin was attempted, the audience in NYC and around the world got to see what was perhaps the nearest fall in history—close but no cigar for the ROH Tag Champs the Young Bucks. That's when Fish found his way back into the action to help O'Reilly fend off the tireless Jackson brothers. Once again, O'Reilly set out to make the squirrely Bullet Clubbers tap. After all of the insane acrobatics and innovation that this match has become known for, the decision was eventually decided by a crippling Fujiwara Armbar—performed by Kyle O'Reilly! Your new tag team champions and still champions to this day are Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish of reDragon! Was this the Ring of Honor Match of the Year? Without going back and digging too deep I'd say it's a number one contender, for sure. I'm happy to give this remarkable altercation for the coveted ROH tag titles a near perfect: Four and a Half Stars.

I don't generally waste my keystrokes on clip shows but in the case of this 2014 Ring of Honor Retrospective, I was happy to make an exception. From Michael Elgin's Cinderella-story victory over Adam Cole to Kevin Steen's final match with his friend and mentor Steve Corino, this was the first year in some time that Ring of Honor felt in any way relevant. Join me next week for the January 10th edition of Ring of Honor TV where I'll be dissecting and discussing every aspect of the fastest growing promotion on the planet. Until then my name is Mark Haggerty reminding you to be safe and make this week count for something other than a paycheck because life is too short not to have fun.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-122714/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-122714/#comments Sun, 04 Jan 2015 04:16:27 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs ACH Adam Cole AJ Styles Bobby Fish Brian Kendrick Bryan Danielson Cedric Alexander Christopher Daniels CM Punk Corey Graves Daniel Bryan Drew Gulak Frankie Kazarian GFW Global Force Wrestling Jay Briscoe Jay Letal JBL Jerry Lawler Kevin Kelly Kyle O'Reilly Mark Briscoe Matt Sydal Michael Cole Minoru Suzuki New Japan Pro Wrestling Nigel McGuinness NJPW reDRagon Ring of Honor ROH Silas Young Steve Corino Tag Wars The Addiction The Briscoes TNA WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8478 Honorable Mention ROH TV 12/27/14 By Mark Adam Haggerty Everybody needs somebody sometime and for me it's the internet wrestling community, because as annoying as I may find you on a daily basis I cannot imagine life without you! I apologize for my week-long absence as I was visiting family for the holidays in my […]

Honorable Mention
ROH TV 12/27/14
By Mark Adam Haggerty

Everybody needs somebody sometime and for me it's the internet wrestling community, because as annoying as I may find you on a daily basis I cannot imagine life without you! I apologize for my week-long absence as I was visiting family for the holidays in my home state of New Jersey. Since touching back down in Southern California however I've felt the journalistic itch and here I am scratching away per usual! While most televised promotions have already cut production weeks back in an effort to capitalize on maximum viewership going into the New Year, ROH is delivering another flawless program complete with not one but two main event caliber contests.

The entire show had a hint of seasonal celebration, and not just for the generic holidays as most ROH talent made no bones about explicitly saying, "Christmas" rather than one of the more politically correct alternatives. Not that I care—this is "Cheap-Heat" not NPR, and nobody loves a good unsecular slip up more than this guy, I just thought it was peculiar as Ring of Honor is the property of the multi-media juggernaut known as Sinclair Broadcasting. The warm wishes from ROH alum were surprisingly heartfelt and included The Briscoes talking gibberish or whatever it is that they do; Jay Lethal's especially jolly disposition claiming that he would be the TV champion forever; but Adam Cole clearly won the Battle of the One-Liners when he said, “More and more women are ending up on the Naughty List this year because they want some �Cole' in their stocking.” Missed opportunity, Michael Cole. A tragically missed opportunity.

Kevin Kelly is always so excited as soon as the cameras start rolling and the crane cam comes swooping in toward both he and his broadcast colleague. If I was looking as festively plump as Mr. Kelly this holiday season, I would cherish the moments that I wasn't paraded around in front of a national television audience, but that's just me—self-conscious as always, I suppose. Steve Corino on the other hand may in fact be one of the best competitors-turned-commentators in the sport today, although who else even falls into that category anymore? Jerry Lawler, JBL, and Corey Graves? The man is far more entertaining and unquestionably more knowledgeable than any of the aforementioned WWE personalities, not to mention he's far more likeable by comparison. Although I'm not sure whether I should attribute the endearing facets of Steve Corino to his personality or what appears to be either a lazy eye or some insanely strong spectacles. In any case and regardless of the fun I may poke at both ROH desk jockeys, Kelly and Corino are perhaps the best pair of wrestling announcers working today and I salute them for an incredible year calling some amazing action.

Whenever I have a friend who's eager to learn more about ROH but I know they're more commonly caught up on the WWE product, I generally preface their viewing pleasure by asking that they give the lesser-known talents the same chance they afford workers whom they already know. Everybody's excited to see Matt Sydal and Jay Lethal square off, and who isn't all about AJ Styles whenever he makes a rare ROH appearance courtesy of his contract with NJPW? But it's important not to ignore the Cedric Alexanders and Silas Youngs of the world who've yet to make their mark as action figures or on Slurpee Cups. More often than not when I attempt to sell an independent or international event to a friend their first question is, "Who's going to be there?" Meaning: "Who from the WWE or TNA is going to be wrestling? Because I don't care about Drew Gulak or Minoru Suzuki." I try and compromise with the "McMahonequins" of the world by stressing the importance of witnessing a rising star before it bursts high above for the world to see; if you watch Ring of Honor, you might see the next CM Punk or Bryan Danielson before they even become a blip on WWE's radar.

Sort of a strangely placed spot for a pro-indie wrestling rant, but that's how I'm going to segue into my thoughts on a somewhat unknown talent to the casual cable wrestling fan—Adam Cole, bay bay! I have quite a bit to say both about Cole, as well as his hotly-contested throw-down with former WWE World Championship contender Brian Kendrick. First of all, I think it's fairly clear that Adam Cole could be the next gem plucked by Connecticut Talent Scouts from ROH's highly lucrative diamond mine. Standing at what easily passes for six feet tall on television, Cole seems to possess the charismatic nuances that the big leagues value, as well as the same athletic edge that makes most former ROH World Champions such extremely hot commodities. Unlike a majority of his peers on the independent circuit who rely more on cultivating their mat-based ability than perfecting their theatrical presentation, Cole is able to develop a consistent character that translates to any audience, whether he's performing in front of hundreds or thousands, in Kentucky or at Korakuen Hall. When a cliché is warranted, I'm happy to dust it off and toss it in with the rest of my writing—Adam Cole has, "IT" plain and simple.

I was among the many viewers who welcomed Brian Kendrick back with open arms and justified jubilation, as it's almost flattering whenever a big name returns to perform for a smaller yet in some ways more appreciative fan base. Kendrick wasted little time in reconnecting with those who may have forgotten what an incredibly talented worker he truly is. From the get-go I was happy to witness a handshake, even if it was quickly thwarted by Kendrick's impeccably educated feet, appearing to be a reaction to Cole's unequivocal arrogance. I found Steve Corino's shallow attempt at putting Kendrick over to be comical yet questionable as relates to the matter at hand; Corino went into expressed detail about how he and Kendrick have known one another for thirteen years and even have the same birthday, when all I wanted was clarification as to why Kendrick stood any chance of beating the former world champion. I understand that Brian Kendrick is just as talented and has several years' worth of experience on the far younger Adam Cole, but Kayfabe will undoubtedly die when we continuously choose to ignore it. What an incredible match when you take into account the number of eyeballs on any given episode of Ring of Honor Television—I'm not even sure that's the official name of the show, I've just fallen into the habit of calling it ROH TV. You hear a lot of old timer's try to remain relevant nowadays, giving the younger generation condescending advice as it relates to not bumping the same for a house show as they might for pay-per-view events. And while that makes all the sense in the world, there's still a lot to be said for the ROH talent who give 110% of themselves on a weekly basis despite knowing nobody's watching except for a handful of die-hard fans like you and me.

While Cole maintained the edge for the majority of the match, the superstar formerly known as, "Spanky" was not without formidable offense of his own. As the momentum waned and reversal attempts begot near-falls, a Super Kick battle broke out featuring two of the best in the business. If you need help putting Cole's ring presence into perspective, search no further than the almost archaic way in which he employs several all-but-extinct heel tendencies—pacing back and forth around Kendrick attempting to belittle the underdog at every turn. Corino continues putting over the colorful career of Brian Kendrick, this time adding to the match by making mention that Brian's toured Japan over forty times. Although the internet fans were more than likely able to predict Cole's success in this seemingly meaningless exhibition, Kendrick did all he could to convince even the smartest of marks that this contest could go any way at any time. Perhaps the most pivotal point occurred when Cole went for another kick to the jaw and instead caught Kendrick in the leg. It was only a matter of time before Cole was hip to Kendrick's assault pattern and was thus able to ward off even the most innovative pin-fall attempts. Adam Cole had victory in his sights, securing such by first properly placing another Super Kick, catching the now-desperate Kendrick in midair coming out of some sort of springboard attempt. The 1-2-3 was finally earned following Cole's cunning and colloquially named "Florida Keys"—a cross arm variation on the German Suplex, referred to by some as, "The Straight Jacket Suplex." A two and a half star match with plenty to get excited about from beginning to end.

The main event and last match for ROH in 2014 is ever-so-fittingly the finale of Tag Wars 2014. It's almost a daily basis by this point that I'll hear how the tag team scene is dead and needs to be resurrected, to which I say, "Get out from of the bubble in which you're living because tag team wrestling is alive and well." You also don't need to take a thirteen hour flight to Tokyo to catch some of the best and brightest talents to currently call themselves tag team wrestlers. This match was spectacular on a variety of levels, and if I don't first mention the championship stakes I'd of course be ignoring the most important part. The bizarre thing about ROH in contrast to much of their competition is that their championship titles actually carry with them a fair amount of prestige. ReDragon is arguably the best tag team in the world, and they've got the dual hardware draped across their shoulders to prove it. I've said it before, but as the world gets higher on the enormously talented Kyle O'Reilly I hold my ground that Bobby Fish is one of the best wrestlers in the world and the standout star of the two. While TNA might deliver a four-way comprised of eight mismatched wrestlers and WWE just calls the first four teams that aren't already booked, the Ring of Honor tag titles are being defended in a dramatic contest by the best team in the world against two of the other best teams in the world—plus ACH and Matt Sydal.

Nigel McGuinness finds his way to ringside as he regularly does during main event matches, and much to my delight as I love everything about Nigel. Seriously, if you haven't been reading my Top Podcast Countdown each week, you'd be interested to know that Nigel is among the many reasons I'm always so happy with Nerdist's Wrestling Compadres Slamcast. He's an incredibly intelligent man with lofty goals inside the industry that only someone of his character could ever hope to accomplish. As for his abilities as a broadcaster, Nigel never claimed to be the second coming of Gordon Solie and for what he provides I'm generally very pleased. Matt Sydal and ACH as I just mentioned are the wild card pairing standing toe to toe with three of the best tag teams of the last ten years. I have to say, Matt Sydal is a lot cooler than Evan Bourne; the hair, the jacket, the music all come together to generate a wrestling superstar the likes of which we've never seen before. And ACH? If a new age talent like Sydal was going to pick anyone to tag with, who better than the pride of Ring of Honor, the thrill-seeking, record setting ACH?

I find the blind tag nature of the match very enticing as I grew up during the Attitude Era where multi-team tag matches were the norm and elimination rules were all but the name of the game. Everybody knows that I have some political opposition to the Briscoe Brothers outside the squared circle, but Geeze Louise, I can't deny what Dem Boys are capable of when the bell sounds. Jay Briscoe never has any trouble proving why he is the deserving and more importantly defending ROH World Champion, and his brother Mark always has a habit of earning my admiration within the first few minutes of any match. When the Briscoes were the first team to be eliminated, all three men at ringside appeared utterly flabbergasted, which I thought was an awfully strange reaction. Once again, conserving Kayfabe is always on the tip-top of my list of priorities, but given your target audience I'm willing to bet the majority of viewers weren't shocked when the WORLD CHAMPION didn't win the Tag Titles, especially not on a taped program, and ESPECIALLY not mere days before reDragon's set to appear in Japan for Wrestle Kingdom 9. But still, the always elated Kevin Kelly just couldn't wrap his head around how the "clear favorites" were eliminated.

I have to admit that by this point in the match my interest in ACH and Sydal had gone the way of the dinosaurs and I was anxious to see the match break down into a two-on-two featuring The Addiction and reDragon. In fact at one point as the two presumably more formidable teams battled inside the ring, I couldn't spot ACH and Sydal anywhere and even thought out loud, "Were they eliminated and I missed it?" But man I must like the taste of leather because I keep putting my foot in my mouth; once my curiosity peaked I was privy to an onslaught of aerial assaults courtesy of the high flying duo who nobody thought could compete. As Kazarian made the ill-fated attempt for the Flux Capacitor, the gruesome twosome of Sydal and ACH managed to flip the script and catch The Addiction in the crosshairs of their most vicious combination yet. Following the elimination of The Addiction, it became clear that Fish and O'Reilly would retain their titles, but the questions became how would it happen and how long would it take? The answer to both would be one word: fast. ReDragon is a fundamentally fluid tag team who makes the most elegant of situations appear almost mundane; the pair uses more than just a variety of double-team maneuvers, but are instead able to turn the most regular of rest-holds into individually choreographed works of art. Despite a short lived upheaval by their last remaining challengers, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish were able to come out on top, not only in this championship contest but as the champions of Tag Wars 2014.

I thought this was an incredible hour of professional wrestling and I hope other promotions can borrow a cue from the ladies and gentlemen that work to make every episode of Ring of Honor as wonderful as it is. The lesson learned for larger companies is that less is more, why do in three hours what can be accomplished in one? I'm impressed with the detail and dedication that went into this December 27th edition of TV; when most of the competition has taken official breaks in programming, it would have been especially easy for ROH to take it slow themselves. I'm optimistic about what 2015 holds for Ring of Honor as 2014 was a monumental year in itself, the only thing for ROH to do now is move forward and continue to grow. Hopefully as GFW and NJPW work to draw more eyes to a non-WWE product, so too will ROH have a spike in popularity. Until next time, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty thanking you your loyalty and promising to be back each and every week delivering you "The Honorable Mention."

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-ring-of-honor-roh-tv-122814-baltimore-md/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-ring-of-honor-roh-tv-122814-baltimore-md/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2014 17:18:23 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha ACH Adam Cole BJ Whitmer Bobby Fish Brian Kendrick Christopher Daniels Frankie Kazarian Jay Briscoe Jay Lethal Kevin Kelly Kyle O'Reilly Mark Briscoe Matt Sydal Nigel McGuinness reDRagon Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Steve Corino Tag Wars 2014 The Addiction The Briscoes http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8347 We start off the show with The Briscoes, Jay Lethal, and Adam Cole wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. We are in Baltimore, Maryland and your announcers are Steve Corino and Kevin Kelly. Before the match starts, we get comments from Adam Cole in the Cabana Corner and he says that for the first time he […]

We start off the show with The Briscoes, Jay Lethal, and Adam Cole wishing everyone a Merry Christmas .

We are in Baltimore, Maryland and your announcers are Steve Corino and Kevin Kelly.

Before the match starts, we get comments from Adam Cole in the Cabana Corner and he says that for the first time he faces Brian Kendrick. He says Brian is a talented wrestler. He wants Brian to look in the mirror and ask himself if he can beat Adam Cole. If he says no, he has already lost. If he says yes, then he is a fool. He says that he will prove to Brian what he has proven to everyone in Ring of Honor, his face is Ring of Honor.

Match Number One: Brian Kendrick versus Adam Cole

Kendrick with a boot to the head before the bell ring and Cole goes to the floor. Kendrick goes for a suicide dive but Cole with an enzuigiri. Cole sends Kendrick to the apron and Kendrick flips over Cole as Cole goes to the floor. Kendrick with a suicide dive onto Cole. Kendrick goes up top and he hits a cross body but he runs into a knee. Cole sends Kendrick into the turnbuckles and then he kicks Kendrick. The referee warns Cole as he continues to kick Kendrick in the corner.

Cole with an Irish whip and Kendrick floats over. Kendrick lands on his feet when Cole tries to flip him and Kendrick with a victory roll for a near fall. Kendrick with a side head lock take down. Cole gets to his feet and he backs Kendrick into the corner. Kendrick avoids a punch from Cole and he connects with forearms. Cole gets Kendrick on his shoulders as Kendrick tries to float over. Kendrick gets back to his feet. Cole tries for a German suplex but Kendrick lands on his feet and Kendrick with a super kick and then he tries for Sliced Bread #2 but Cole is able to send Kendrick to the floor.

We go to commercial and we get Christmas wishes from Roderick Strong.

We are back and Cole kicks Kendrick in the head as he shows him no respect. Kendrick with a shoulder and forearms. Cole with a kick and then he get Kendrick on his shoulder when Kendrick tries for a leap frog and Cole hits a Death Valley Neck Breaker for a near fall. Cole sends Kendrick into the turnbuckles and Cole with a forearm followed by a hard Irish whip.

Cole with a back breaker to Kendrick and he gets a near fall. Cole with a reverse chin lock. Kendrick with elbows but Cole with a sleeper. Kendrick with elbows but Cole tries for another sleeper but Kendrick drops down and gets a victory roll for a near fall. Kendrick with a backslide for another near fall. Cole with a bicycle kick to Kendrick. Cole runs into an elbow and then Kendrick with a boot. Kendrick with another kick and then Cole is sent into the apron.

Kendrick with a full nelson but Cole escapes and hits an enzuigiri followed by a Shining Wizard for a near fall. Cole pulls down his knee pad and he sets for another Shining Wizard but Kendrick ducks and Kendrick with a rollup for a near fall. Kendrick charges into the corner while Cole sets for a super kick so Kendrick stops short and covers his face. That forces Cole to hit a super kick to the knees and then Cole goes to the turnbuckles. Kendrick stops Cole with forearms. Kendrick tries for a superplex but Cole with punches to the midsection and then Cole with a sunset flip power bomb followed by a Shining Wizard for a near fall.

Cole tries for a suplex but Kendrick lands on his feet and hits a drop kick followed by a Burning Hammer for a near fall. Kendrick with a full nelson but Cole with an elbow to escape the hold. Cole misses an enzuigiri but Kendrick does not miss with a running back senton. Kendrick tries for Sliced Bread #2 but this time he is crotched on the top turnbuckle by Cole. Cole climbs the turnbuckles for German superplex but Kendrick lands on his feet and Cole is stuck in the Tree of Woe. Kendrick with a drop kick.

Kendrick with a Dragon suplex for a near fall. Kendrick goes to the apron and when he goes for a springboard move, Cole with a super kick followed by a brainbuster shoulder breaker and Florida Key for the three count.

Winner: Adam Cole

We go to commercial with the Briscoes talking about how they will become the tag team champions tonight when they win Tag Wars. Mark says tonight is the night they will finally slay the dragons.

We are back and Nigel McGuinness joins Steve and Kevin at the announce table .

We see how the three challengers made their way to the finals of Tag Wars.

Before our main event starts, we go to the Cabana Corner for comments from the tag team champions with Kyle dressed in a very appropriate Christmas themed sweater . Bobby tells Kyle it is that time of year. Bobby says that all he wants for Christmas is to be the best team on God's green. Kyle says that he loves Christmas, but there is one thing he loves more . . . gold.

Match Number Two: ACH and Matt Sydal versus Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe versus Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian versus Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly for the Ring of Honor Tag Team Titles in the finals of Tag Wars 2014

ACH and Kazarian start things off. They lock up and Kazarian with a waist lock and drop toe hold into a side head lock. ACH with a top wrist lock and take down but Kazarian with a front face lock. ACH counters into a side head lock. Kazarian with a forearm to the ribs and Daniels tags in and he clotheslines ACH. Daniels sends Kazarian onto ACH with a belly-to-back drop. Daniels with a quebrada for a near fall.

ACH escapes a suplex attempt and he sends Daniels into a boot from Sydal. Sydal tags in and he hits a running clothesline into the corner. ACH with a sliding clothesline to the floor. Sydal with a jumping leg lariat followed by a standing moonsault for a near fall. Sydal has a suplex blocked and then Daniels with a back body drop before he tags in Fish. Fish with a kick to the back of the leg. Sydal with a jumping back heel kick. Sydal tries for a springboard move but Jay makes the tag. Sydal doesn't know why that happened so Jay apologizes with a forearm to force Sydal to the floor.

Fish with a knee and he tags in O'Reilly. Jay with a European uppercut and then he sends Kyle into the corner and follows with a kick and he chokes Kyle. Mark tags in and he hits a running clothesline into the corner followed by a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Mark with an arm bar and modified camel clutch but Mark adds some cross faces to Fish. Mark with a belly-to-back into an uranage and then he tags in Jay who kicks Kyle.

Jay with head butts followed by a drop kick but Daniels tags in and Jay and Daniels argue. They shake hands and Jay goes to the corner but Kyle pushes Daniels into Jay and since Jay didn't see that Daniels was pushed into him (and Mark couldn't tell Jay what happened), Jay and Daniels exchange punches. That brings Mark and Kazarian into the ring to try to break things up. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, Fish and O'Reilly go after ACH and Sydal on the apron.

Fish and O'Reilly go to the apron where they celebrate what they just did while The Briscoes and Addiction fight in the ring by posing for the fans. Then they see Fish and O'Reilly on the apron so they have a Christmas Cease Fire to set their sights on Fish and O'Reilly. They bring Fish and O'Reilly into the ring and they pinball the champions before they fall to the floor.

Jay with a flying clothesline that sends Kazarian and himself to the floor. Mark with a kick to Daniels but Daniels with a back body drop and Mark lands on his feet. Daniels avoids an enzuigiri and Daniels hits an STO. Daniels sets for a dive to the floor but Jay intercepts and gets Daniels on his shoulders for a Death Valley Driver . Kazarian sends Jay to the apron and then Jay goes for a shoulder from the apron but Kazarian sees it coming and he avoids it and hits a leg drop that has Jay hanging on the middle rope. Kazarian with a plancha into a sunset flip power bomb that sends Jay to the floor.

Fish picks up Kazarian and runs him into the guardrails. Fish sets for the flying drop kick off the apron but Daniels clotheslines Kyle on the apron and he goes to the floor. ACH taps Daniels on the back and chops him. ACH ducks a clothesline from Daniels and hits a Fosbury Flop onto Fish and O'Reilly on the floor. Daniels tries for a hip toss to send Sydal over the top rope to the floor but Sydal stops himself on the top rope and he hits a double sledge onto Kazarian, Fish, O'Reilly, and his own tag team partner.

Daniels figures that so many people are stopping his runs to the floor that he goes for an Arabian press onto Sydal and ACH. Back in the ring, Mark Briscoe sees Daniels going after his brother on the floor for Angel's Wings so Mark goes up top but Kazarian with a boot to the head to knock Mark back into the ring.

Sydal is sent into the guardrails while Kazarian hits a belly-to-back onto Daniels' knees for a gutbuster to pin Mark.

Jay and Mark Briscoe Eliminated

Fish and O'Reilly go after Daniels and Kazarian in the ring and the send Kazarian to the floor. Fish and O'Reilly kick Daniels.

We go to commercial with Christmas wishes from ACH.

We are back and Kyle kicks Daniels and chokes him in the corner. Fish comes in and Daniels sends Kyle into Bobby and he tags in Kazarian. Daniels with an elbow and then he hits a curb stomp on Kyle followed by a forearm to Fish while Kazarian gets a near fall on Kyle. Kazarian with a gutwrench suplex for a near fall. Kazarian sends Kyle into Daniels' boot and he tags in. Daniels with a hard Irish whip followed by a suplex for a near fall.

Daniels with a forearm to Kyle. Kyle spits at Daniels and then he goes to the floor with Daniels following after him. Kyle stops Daniels in the ring and that allows Fish to kick Daniels in the back of the leg. Kyle with an arm wringer to take Daniels to the mat while Fish knocks Kazarian off the apron. Fish gets a near fall. Fish with a wrist lock and uppercut to the injured arm. Fish with a snap mare followed by a double jump slingshot senton for a near fall.

Kyle tags in and he hits a knee to the ribs while Fish keeps Daniels from getting to his corner. Kyle with a knee drop to the midsection for a near fall. Kyle with a rear chin lock into a quarter nelson and chin lock. Daniels with elbows to Kyle and he tries for a sunset flip but Kyle counters into a cross arm breaker. Fish keeps Daniels from getting to the ropes on one side but Daniels gets to the ropes to force Kyle to release the hold.

Fish tags back in and he kicks Daniels. Fish with a suplex and he gets a near fall. Fish mocks Kazarian but that allows Daniels to recover for a moment and he gets in a few punches. Fish with a kick and Kyle tags in and he connects with a running boot to Kazarian to knock him off the apron. Daniels with punches and chops to Kyle. Kyle with kicks but Daniels with an enzuigiri and both men are down.

Fish tags in and Daniels cannot tag in Kazarian because Fish hits a baseball slide on Kazarian. Daniels with an STO and Sydal tags in. Sydal with a head scissors and drop kick to Fish. Kyle comes in and he tries for a German suplex but Sydal blocks it. ACH comes in and he hits a drop kick on Kyle. Sydal with the step over leg lariat drop for a near fall. Sydal goes up top and Kyle pushes Fish out of the way so he can take the double knee drop from Sydal since he is not the legal man in the match.

ACH, who made the tag, hits a cross body on Fish for a near fall. ACH with a chop. Kyle with a knee to ACH's back and ACH knocks Kyle off the apron with a forearm. Fish tags Kazarian in and Frankie with a shoulder and a drop kick and back elbow. Kazarian with a float over into a swinging neck breaker on Sydal.

ACH with chops followed by an Irish whip and he tries to monkey flip Kazarian towards Sydal but Kazarian turns it into a modified spear that sends Sydal into the turnbuckles. Kazarian with a hip toss neck breaker and he tags in Daniels. Daniels ties up ACH for Kazarian to hit a springboard leg drop to the back of the neck and Daniels gets a near fall that is broken up by Sydal. Daniels punches Sydal but Sydal with a leaping knee to Daniels. Kazarian with a forearm to Sydal and then Sydal goes for a springboard move but Kazarian counters it into a cutter.

ACH misses two enzuigiris, but he does not miss the third and Kazarian goes down. ACH with chops and forearms Daniels. Both men go for cross bodies and they both go down.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Daniels with a running palm thrust to ACH. Daniels puts ACH on the turnbuckles and connects with another palm thrust. ACH pushes Daniels off the turnbuckles. Kazarian with a kick to ACH and he climbs the turnbuckles but Sydal stops Kazarian. They push Kazarian off the turnbuckles to the floor. Daniels climbs the turnbuckles and he goes for a superplex on Sydal but ACH holds on to Sydal. Sydal knocks Daniels off the turnbuckles. Sydal with a Shooting Star Press followed by a 450 splash to pin Daniels.

Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels eliminated

Kyle and Bobby attack ACH and Sydal now that we are down to two teams. Fish sends Sydal to the floor as they focus on the legal man. Fish with an elbow to ACH and he tags in Kyle. They set for Chasing the Dragon but ACH gets to his feet and he pushes Kyle into Bobby. Sydal with a leaping knee strike to the head of Fish. Kyle with a knee to ACH but Sydal with a leaping knee to Kyle.

Sydal with a body scissors to send Kyle to the floor and then Sydal sets for an Asai Moonsault onto Kyle, but Fish with a leg sweep that knocks Sydal off the apron and to the floor. ACH with the springboard flip dive onto Fish and O'Reilly on the floor. ACH sends Kyle into the ring and he goes up top for the 450 splash but Kyle moves and ACH hits the mat hard. Fish with a running knee into the corner followed by a running kick from Kyle.

Fish with a back breaker and Kyle comes off the turnbuckles with a knee to the head while ACH is on Fish's knee. Kyle gets a near fall but Sydal breaks it up. Fish with a forearm to Sydal but Sydal with chops and kicks to Fish and O'Reilly. Kyle blocks a kick form Sydal and Fish with a back heel kick to Sydal. Kyle with a kick and forearm to Sydal followed by a Saito suplex to Sydal that sends him to the floor.

Kyle with a forearm to ACH followed by a high low combination to ACH and Chasing the Dragon for the three count.

Winners: Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly

We go to credits with BJ Whitmer refusing to wish people a Merry Christmas.

Credit: PWInsider

http://www.cheap-heat.com/ring-warriors-announces-matsuda-tournament-retires-bahamas-heavyweight-championship/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/ring-warriors-announces-matsuda-tournament-retires-bahamas-heavyweight-championship/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:18:32 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Adam Pearce Alex Chamberlain Bruce Santee Cassidy Riley Chance Prophet Chase Stevens Chaz Hiro Matsuda J.D. Maverick Jessy Soresen Kahagas Larry Brannon Q.T. Marshall Ring Warriors Steve Corino The Almighty Sheik Tokyo Monster Tyson Tomko Yashuhiro Kojima http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=7810 Ring Warriors sent out the following: Ring Warriors announces tournament named after founder; Retires Bahamas heavyweight championship Fort Lauderdale, FL – Tomorrow, Thursday, November 27th, is not only Thanksgiving in the U.S., but it marks the 15th anniversary of the passing of Yasuhiro Kojima, better known to the wrestling community and its fans as Hiro […]

Ring Warriors sent out the following:

Ring Warriors announces tournament named after founder; Retires Bahamas heavyweight championship

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Tomorrow, Thursday, November 27th, is not only Thanksgiving in the U.S., but it marks the 15th anniversary of the passing of Yasuhiro Kojima, better known to the wrestling community and its fans as Hiro Matsuda, a former World Junior Heavyweight Champion and the founder of Ring Warriors.

To celebrate Matsuda's legacy, Ring Warriors Chief Operations Officer and Executive Producer Larry Brannon today announced that when Ring Warriors resumes television production after the first of the year, there will be a multi-week tournament that will play out on television called "The Matsuda Cup" to crown its first International Champion.

Along with the new title, Brannon announced that the Bahamas heavyweight championship, currently held by Alex Chamberlain, would be retired.

"Our footprint is rapidly expanding from being, primarily, a Florida and Bahamas based company to becoming a global brand thanks to the places where our television show has and will be seen," said Brannon. "Rather than just changing the name of the title, we thought it would be best to retire one and start fresh with another."

But what happens to reigning champ Chamberlain?

Brannon said to be fair, Chamberlain would receive the number one seed in the tournament. When asked who else would be participating, Brannon said he expects that former champion "The Dark Child" Chance Prophet would be seeded along with such challengers as the "Simply Tremendous Dude" Chaz, "The King of Old School" Steve Corino, "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce and others.

"This tournament will be open to just about anyone except for the current Ring Warriors Grand Champion �The Marquee' Bruce Santee," said Brannon. "Although we have yet to decide on the exact number of participants, I expect we'll see a number of returning stars like Tyson Tomko, Q.T. Marshall, Chase Stevens, Cassidy Riley, Jessy Sorensen and J.D. Maverick in there, along with some new faces for television like Wes Brisco and Luke Hawx. Could you imagine if we added former world champions The Almighty Sheik and Tokyo Monster Kahagas to that field along with the 7-foot 300-plus pound Giant Titan?"

Brannon said exact details of the tournament would be announced as soon as television taping dates are finalized.

For more information and to connect with Ring Warriors, visit them at facebook.com/ringwarriors

http://www.cheap-heat.com/main-event-match-reviews-ecws-anarchy-rulz-99/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/main-event-match-reviews-ecws-anarchy-rulz-99/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2014 06:53:42 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Reviews WWE Network Reviews Axel Rotten Balls Mahoney Bill Alfonso ECW Extreme Championship Wrestling Francine Impact Players Jack Victory Johnny Smith Judge Jeff Jones Justin Credible Lance Storm Masato Tanaka Mike Awesome Paul E. Dangerously Paul Heyman Raven Rhino Rob Van Dam RVD Steve Corino Taz Tommy Dreamer WWE WWF http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=6053 Welcome back to another installment of Cheap-Heat.com’s Main Even Match Reviews. В This time we take a look at ECW’s Anarchy Rulz ’99. ECW Anarchy Rulz 1999 PPV Commercial – Taz vs Masato Tanaka vs Mike Awesome – ECW World Heavyweight Title Match I remember this night like it was yesterday.. Rumors had been flying for […]

Welcome back to another installment of Cheap-Heat.com’s Main Even Match Reviews. В This time we take a look at ECW’s Anarchy Rulz ’99.

ECW Anarchy Rulz 1999 PPV Commercial

– Taz vs Masato Tanaka vs Mike Awesome – ECW World Heavyweight Title Match

I remember this night like it was yesterday.. Rumors had been flying for weeks leading up to this Pay Per View about Taz signing with the WWE. If I remember correctly, a few days before the PPV, maybe the Friday before, Taz the current ECW World Champion signed a deal to jump ship to the WWE. This of course made the originally scheduled match of Taz vs Masato Tanaka very interesting.

Enter Mike Awesome.

Awesome and Tanaka’s feud in Japan was growing to legendary status at the time. The two were still in the heat of this epic rivalry that had now carried over onto American soil. For weeks leading up to the event, ECW had run highlight packages for Masato Tanaka to hype his ECW Title match. Many of these highlights included Tanaka looking strong over Mike Awesome. Awesome took offense to this, and showed up at Anarchy Rulz. Let the ECW madness begin.

Tanaka and Taz were in the ring about to start the match, when Taz demanded the microphone. Taz grabbed the mic, and turns to the crowd off camera and begins to yell obcenities at someone amongst the fans. Taz threatens the man, and tells him if he wants some to come get some. The camera finally gets a shot of the person in the crowd, and we see that it is Mike Awesome and Judge Jeff Jones. Paul E. Dangerously, or as we know him today Paul Heyman, stands in between the guardrail where Awesome is and the ring where Taz is standing on the turnbuckle. Taz demands the match, Awesome is yelling for it as well. Paul E. gets on the mic and says that in ECW they have a little tradition called the THREE WAY DANCE! The crowd explodes at the sound of this, and Heyman motions for the match to happen. Awesome hops the the railing, takes off his shirt, and is ready to go.

Out of nowhere though comes Tanaka flying over the top rope with a cross body plancha taking Awesome hard to the floor and railing. Everyone gets back into the ring, and Awesome and Tanaka are going at it hard, as Taz watches on clapping and laughing. I loved the beginning of this match. It was classic ECW. You have your drama surrounding the match, you bring in the unexpected element, get the crowd involved… tease up the big pay off, then give them what they want. This was the reason that ECW was where they were at this point in 1999. You could feel that they were on the virge of something HUGE… something amazing. But we all know how that ended… but seriously go back and look at this crowd at the Odeum in Chicago, the largest that had ever seen an ECW event live. They were almost there. But damn man.. damn.

Okay I got distracted, I am not going to do Play by Play for the match, because I could never do it justice. But once Tanaka and Awesome realized that Taz was watching, they turn their collective attention towards the ECW Champion, and its on. Taz looks strong at first, as he does some nasty tazplexes all over the place on both men. Taz lands some STIFF clotheslines, but is nailed from behind by Awesome, and the match takes a turn. The squash is on from here. Tanaka and Awesome are all over Taz, they work well as a team and each shine individually as they hit their finishers on Taz. Awesome climbs to the top and leaps off with a HUGE frogsplash on Taz in the middle of the ring, and Tanaka and Awesome cover the champ for the 1….2…3! Taz is eliminated!

A new ECW Champion is guaranteed! Taz, rolls out of the ring as this was his ECW curtain call. The fans play it up and sing and jeer him, as the entire locker room is now out on the rampway to watch the match and to greet Taz on his way to the back. Taz turns and looks back to the ring and tells Awesome and Tanaka to go at it, as he continues to have the locker room show their appreciation.

Now the focus is back on the match, and holy shit do these two steal the show. I cannot begin to list all the highspots and crazy shit these two did to each other, but I will try. From Mike Awesome almost completely denting a chair in half over the head of Masato Tanaka… to the many high flying leaps from the ring to the floor, over the ropes and crashing to the concrete, sliding and slamming into the guard rail. It was brutal. Absolutely brutal.. oh, and did I mention when Mike Awesome power bombs Tanaka from the ring to the floor through a table? That happened. Or the big finish, where they set a table up in the ring, and Awesome counters a superplex attempt into a top rope powerbomb through the table for the pin? That happened too.

Seriously, enjoy the video I’m going to post, and watch this match. The crowd reminds me of the fans in Rocky IV… they turn mid way through the match from anti-Awesome, chanting his name and giving him a standing ovation after the match. Total Rocky moment that night.

I give this match a 4.2 out of 5.

Taz Vs. Masato Tanaka Vs. Mike Awesome

Not technically a beautiful match by any means, but holy shit was this match fun, and violent, and the story that was told can’t be touched today.

– Tommy Dreamer (w/Francine) & Raven vs Steve Corino & Rhino (w/Jack Victory) – ECW World Tag Team Title Match

Joel Gertner comes out and does his usual schtick, the crowd eats it up as always. He has an interview to conduct he says, and he calls out Tommy Dreamer. Music hits, and here comes “The Queen of Extreme” Francine and Tommy Dreamer. Gertner asks Tommy about his back, and his injury, and whether he will be able to defend the titles tonight. Tommy gets the mic and responds with some CHEAP-HEAT by mentioning in Chicago that he was at Wrigley Field the day before and saw Sammy Sosa hit home run #60 on the year. Now, does that make you feel old or what?! For those of you that actually remember that home run race, wow… I feel ancient. Anyway… Tommy does his baby face routine, saying how he is going to innovate some violence in Chicago, yatta yatta yatta… and out comes Steve Corino and company.

Corino mocks Dreamer and tells him he is going to make him bleed, so he tells Rhino to go get him. Rhino charges the ring, and Tommy Dreamer vs Rhino starts… Which this confuses me, as Joey Styles announces the match as officially beginning… So it’s not a tag match? I don’t understand. Wait, here comes Steve Corino to the apron and into his corner. So I guess it is a tag match? Fuck if I know, classic ECW confusion, to follow up classic ECW greatness.

This match is typical Tommy Dreamer. Not very pretty, lots of Dreamer shining, and then Dreamer being the huge victim and underdog. Francine gets inolved at some point, and Rhino slams the ever loving shit out of her in the ring. Dreamer is down I think at this point, and here comes Raven rushing the ring to make the save on his tag partner… but Raven botches the HELL out of this, as he gets caught on the middle rope trying to get into the ring and he falls and drops to the rampway. Crowd doesn’t miss it however, and a “YOU FUCKED UP” chant breaks out. Raven full of anger gets into the ring, and makes the save. Dreamer up of course now, and he and Raven do the tandum simultaneous DDT’s and make the cover for the 1…2…3. Champs retain. Now, I must point out that for some reason, Jack Victory was in the ring and took a DDT instead, and was covered for the pinfall. He wasn’t even part of the match, but was counted down for the finish. Okay, thats cool. Whatever. But damn man..

What a horrible match to have follow the brilliant ECW World Title match. Sigh.

I give this match a 2.4 out of 5.

ECW Anarchy Rulz 1999 – Rhino vs Tommy Dreamer

– Johnny Smith vs Rob Van Dam – ECW World Television Title Match

Axel Rotten comes out to the ring and calls out Mike Awesome. Here come the Impact Players, Lance Storm/Justin Credible/Johnny Smith … they talk shit to each other. Out comes Balls Mahoney to make the save for Axel who is now being beat down by the Impact Players. Balls lays out Johnny Smith with some nasty chair shots. Smith is out, and they take him to the back.

Axel says its not going down like this in Chicago, the fans are getting their moneys worth. They call out Rob Van Dam, saying he doesn’t have an opponent any more since they took care of Smith.

MATCH CHANGE

– Balls Mahoney vs Rob Van Dam – ECW World Television Title Match

Rob Van Dam and Bill Alfonso make their way to the ring to the delight of the crowd, and this match is official.

I will go out on a limb here and say that this is probably the best Balls Mahoney match you will ever see. Easily. But a lot can be said there to argue that is because of Rob Van Dam. RVD was probably at the pinnacle of his career here. He had held the ECW TV Title for over a year already I think, and was by far the most over talent in the company.

This was a total RVD spotfest match that you love and want to see every time out. I don’t think anyone in the business can sell a move like Van Dam either, I might add. Just watch this one, and enjoy it. They incorporate every style and aspect of the sport into the match. Balls shows off his excellant, and very underappreciated mat wrestling. Rob Van Dam shines with his ability to chain wrestle, and counter maneauvers from pretty much anywhere. You get to see Rob Van Dam fly off the top rope about 4 rows deep, roughly 15-20 feet into the crowd onto Balls at one point. And because you know it’s a Balls Mahoney match, that you can expect some chair play, and they deliver there as well. Lots of Van Daminator teases, and then Balls unloads and wraps the chair around the back of RVD’s head. You can literally see the chair dented in the shape of Van Dam’s head. Classic ECW match here really when you look back at it. The crowd wasn’t sold at first, and then became so invested in the match and the men involved that it became something special. The match took on a new life it seemed, and you could see it and feel it as RVD and Balls really went out and put on a fantastic main event. If you had advertised RVD and Balls Mahoney in the main event, people would have laughed and completely discredited the validity of the show. Nobody would have given those two a chance to close the show and deliver a main event calibur match. NOBODY… except Paul Heyman. The booking seemed so on the fly for this PPV, and out of control I can’t say how much of it was planned or not. The World title match was at the mid point of the PPV, and then the show built back up towards the TV Title main event. Only in ECW.

In the end Rob Van Dam showed why he is Mr. P-P-V…RVD.. and he retains his World Television Championship over Balls Mahoney. This match shows you that Balls Mahoney can go. I will say that Balls Mahoney is by far one of the most underrated and underappreciated wrestlers that has ever stepped into the ring. I will put him in my Big Man Top 10 somewhere, probably up towards the top 5… but I’ll leave that article for another day.

I give this match a 3.8 out of 5.

Rob Van Dam vs. Balls Mahoney-ECW TV Title