Ring of Honor TV – February 24, 2016: Behold The Power Of New Japan
Ring of Honor
Date: February 24, 2016
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Attendance: 675
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness
We’re getting closer to the finals of the Top Prospect Tournament and hopefully we’ll get some build on the World Title feud this week. However, it’s also the start of a new taping cycle which means that this is the last week that will be taking place before the Anniversary Show airs on Friday. Therefore, the next few shows will be stand alone so enjoy the continuity while it lasts. Let’s get to it.
There’s a new set and the production values have gone way up.
TV Title: Roderick Strong vs. Jonathan Gresham
Strong is defending. Before the match, Veda Scott comes out to offer Gresham a lot of money in exchange for giving his shot to Cedric Alexander and then leaving Ring of Honor forever. The request is quickly denied and that’s all for that story at the moment. Gresham takes the champ down by the arm to start but has to flip out of the Stronghold to give us a standoff. They trade chops (because of course) with Strong getting the better of it because Gresham is no Sting.
Gresham heads to the apron for a flip in, only to land on Strong’s knee for a backbreaker. We take a break and come back with Strong chopping even more and dropkicking Gresham out of the air. A running boot in the corner misses and Jonathan bends Strong’s fingers to break up a backbreaker. Gresham loads up what looks like the same thing Pentagon Jr. uses to break arms in Lucha Underground but goes after the fingers again.
It’s off to some more standard arm work with an armdrag and Octopus Stretch followed by…..an ankle lock. Yes an ankle lock after working on the fingers and the arm because people like Gresham think that makes you look smart and/or cool. Thankfully he’s back to the arm a few seconds later (making the ankle lock stuff look even dumber), only to have Strong knee him in the head to retain at 8:45.
Rating: C-. The match was watchable if you can ignore the ankle lock nonsense in the middle. Gresham is fine but he’s another wrestler who has no real character and is just out there doing moves. That’s going to get you over in a place like Ring of Honor but when half the roster fits that description, it’s really starting to get lost in the shuffle. On top of that, none of this matters because New Japan wrestler Tomohiro Ishii won the title because HAHA NEW JAPAN ROCKS, basically throwing the whole story out and resetting things less than a week before a pay per view.
Post match Bobby Fish comes out to steal the title, triggering a brawl.
Bob Evans/Tim Hughes vs. War Machine
Non-title. Rowe and Hughes get things going and Tim is thrown into the corner for an early tag to Evans. Bob’s amateur wrestling attempts go just as badly and it’s back to Hughes. The champs keep having fun with an exploder suplex and it’s off to Hanson. Rowe cartwheels away from Evans and a reverse powerbomb followed by Hanson’s top rope splash is good for the pin on Bob at 2:56. Total squash.
Post match the All Night Express comes out with weapons to say time is running out on the title reign. All the other teams look at War Machine and see tattooed power. Kenny King looks at them and sees some bearded thugs. They aren’t here to fight tonight because they have plans for War Machine on Friday.
Silas Young is out of patience for the Boys and can’t wait to crush them next week.
The Young Bucks say wrestling is very dirty so they need to bring in the Cleaner Kenny Omega. This Friday will be the world’s biggest superkick party.
We look back at Adam Page attacking BJ Whitmer last week.
BJ Whitmer vs. Chase Brown
Brown is named Cauliflower and he brings some out with him. Whitmer knocks him into the corner to start and there’s the exploder suplex for the pin on Brown at 56 seconds.
Whitmer gives him another exploder but here’s Steve Corino before Whitmer can say anything else. Instead, BJ wants Adam Page out here so Page sneaks in through the crowd with a clothesline and right hands until we take a break.
Dalton Castle has the Boys ready for next week.
Here’s Adam Cole for some Story Time. He’s finally getting his shot at the World Title at the Anniversary Show and you’re going to see Jay Lethal and Kyle O’Reilly trying to keep up with him. Adam promises that Kyle is never getting near the World Title and Lethal has never met anything like him. This brings out the House of Truth with Lethal talking about how Kyle has never been a champion so let’s leave the kid out of this.
On Friday in Las Vegas, Lethal is going to prove that the house always wins. As Nigel groans about needing security again, here comes Kyle O’Reilly to interrupt. They don’t even bother talking again and the fight is on. Cole lays Lethal out but walks into Kyle’s brainbuster. O’Reilly picks up the belt to a VERY quiet reaction as security arrives.
ACH/Alex Shelley vs. Briscoe Brothers
Mark and Jay have ODB with them for an unnecessary cameo. Christopher Daniels is on commentary. ACH and Mark get things going with a lockup until ACH nails a dropkick on both Briscoes. Mark comes back with a running clothesline before Jay comes in for some uppercuts and headbutts. It’s off to Shelley who sends Mark to the floor and a top rope ax handle puts Jay down.
We take another break and come back with Alex forearming Jay, allowing the tag off to ACH. Everything breaks down and the Briscoes are in trouble with ACH mostly hitting the Jordan onto Jay. Back in and a jumping cutter gets two on Mark with Jay making the save and cleaning house. Mark kicks Alex in the face but gets kicked in the corner. Daniels gets on the apron for a distraction and ACH misses the Midnight Star, allowing the Doomsday Device to put ACH away at 8:35.
Rating: D+. You knew the ending here as there was no way they were going to job the Briscoes before the match with Tanahashi and Elgin on Friday. On top of that, the Shelley and Pals vs. KRD feud is somehow still chasing its own tail and won’t end no matter how dull and uninteresting of a story it is. This was your usual “this team is on a roll” match and a lame ending to a very weak show.
Post match Kazarian and Sabin come in for the beatdown until security breaks it up.
An add for the Anniversary Show (read as NEW JAPAN IS AWESOME) takes us out.
Overall Rating: D. The more of these go home shows I see, the less interest I have in the ensuing pay per views. If there’s one thing Ring of Honor needs to do, it’s find a better way to build up their big shows. I really don’t know what the top match is on Friday (yes I know the World Title match is going on last) because the TV Title has been built up the best, Whitmer vs. Page is associated with the most personal feud, Tanahashi is treated as a bigger star than anyone in Ring of Honor and the World Title is the World Title but it’s lucky to get a mention every week.
This show didn’t do much for me either as you had a decent opener, two squashes, a talking segment which drew crickets and the average main event. I’m really not sure how this is supposed to make me want to buy a pay per view but I guess the powers of New Japan and its start showing up are supposed to be enough. Not a good go home show here and the pay per view is really not doing much for me either.
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It’s gonna get dumber.