IMG Credit: Ring of Honor Wrestling
Ring of Honor vs. SCUM
Date: 2012, 2013
So over the last few weeks, I’ve bought a ton of DVDs and video downloads from Highspots as they had a crazy sale with everything in both categories at 50% off. They had a ton of cheap stuff included, including this 3 disc, nine plus hour set which I couldn’t pass up for $5. SCUM was a heel faction in ROH and the set is the major matches, angles and promos from the story. Let’s get to it.
I’ve never seen any of this as I wasn’t watching ROH at the time so I’m coming in mostly blind. I’m only going off what they show me here. Also for the sake of simplicity, all dates are the broadcast dates rather than the dates the matches were taped.
Disc 1
From Border Wars 2012 (May 12, 2012).
We see the end of Kevin Steen (Owens) challenging Davey Richards for the World Title. They beat the heck out of each other and Owens spat at him a lot but got caught in an ankle lock. That was reversed with a roll into an exposed buckle and the package piledriver gave Steen the title after about 4:30 shown of 24:27.
Post match, ROH boss Cary Silkin can’t bring himself to present the World Title to Steen so he hands it to the referee and walks away instead. Owens’ friend Jimmy Jacobs celebrates with him and commentator Steve Corino gets inside as well. The jacket comes off and Owens is ready to fight again but Corino hugs him for a big surprise, though Corino didn’t seem to do anything until after the match.
From ROH TV, June 2, 2012.
Here’s Kevin Steen, with Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino, for a chat. Corino cuts off Kevin Kelly and says that it’s about time the junior member of the commentary team got to talk. He introduces Steen and handles the interview with the new champ. Eighteen months ago, Silkin tried to kill Steen’s career but now he has to call Steen if he wants to book the World Champion.
Steen looks at the title and says he promised this would happen six months ago. Steen: “LOOK HOW SHINY IT IS!” Corino talks about how Steen has shows him evil is the only way to go and Steen talks about how he’s going to decide which appearances he makes. Of course he’ll go to the health and fitness expo, plus the affiliate dinner where the World Champion is expected to appear. He’ll dress to the nines and tell all of those people what they really need to hear about Jim Cornette.
Cue Cornette, who doesn’t want Steen anywhere near that meeting and promises Steen won’t be the World Champion by then. Cornette wanted Corino to keep Steen from winning the title and then he hugged him! Just for that, Corino is fired from doing DVD commentary. Corino blames Cornette for putting him out of the ring in the first place and rants about how Cornette made him sign some horrible contract.
Cornette calls Steen a cancer to this company who does nothing to his image. He’ll find someone who can take the title from Steen and there are a lot of people who want a shot at Best in the World. Cue Davey Richards, with Kyle O’Reilly, to say he’s sick of being lumped in with Camp Cornette. Before Cornette can say anything, Davey cuts him off to say that he’s here to fight for himself. Davey admits Steen was the better man in Toronto, which Cornette says is the problem. It is a problem, but it’s Cornette’s problem.
At Best in the World, Davey wants the two best to fight for that title. If Cornette won’t give him the title match, Davey is beating Cornette up instead. Steen and company leaves as Cornette makes the title match, which is Davey’s final shot at the title. Davey is coming for the title for himself and Steen’s worst nightmare begins in New York City. This was longer than it needed to be but it set up the next title match and showed you who was where.
From The Nightmare Begins (June 15, 2012).
Steen comes out for a match but first, Cornette rants about how Steen recently lost the company a potential sponsorship. Kevin has the fans chant MR. WRESTLING and makes sure Cornette hears it. Cornette gets in the ring and says Steen doesn’t deserve to be called Mr. Wrestling (he doesn’t even wear a mask).
Steen brings up the dinner with the sponsor and doesn’t get why saying the sponsor’s wife was more wrinkly than a puppy or threatening to eat the sponsor’s face were bad ideas. Cornette talks about how someone has to defeat Steen and every time he wrestles in a singles match, the title is on the line. Steen says Cornette will die before someone takes the title from him because he’s the World Champion.
Ring of Honor World Title: Kevin Steen vs. Eddie Edwards
Date: June 15, 2012
Location: Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Steve Corino, Kevin Kelly
Steen is defending and Jimmy Jacobs is at ringside. Jacobs goes for the trip from the floor to start so Eddie dives on him early on. A low bridge puts Steen on the floor but he trips Steen onto the apron. The apron bomb is countered with a hurricanrana but a fall away slam sends Eddie into the barricade (Corino: “I was hoping he’d hit a fan.”).
They fight up the aisle with Eddie being sent into the barricade again, right in front of some Hooters girls. We look at commentary as Cornette rants about how Steen is destroying everything the company is building. Steen fishhooks Edwards’ face to freak Cornette out again and they head back inside. The beating continues as Corino and Kevin Kelly get in an argument on commentary.
We seem to go to a commercial as commentary stops with Steen choking in the corner. Commentary pops back in as Steen cuts off a comeback attempt. The chinlock goes on with Steen saying it’s straight out of the 1980s. Corino: “If we had been around in the 80s, there wouldn’t have been a Midnight Express!”. Eddie fights out and hits a missile dropkick for two as the fans start getting behind the comeback.
Steen gets sent outside for a suicide dive and a middle rope Codebreaker (called the Boston Knee Party here) gets two. The pop up powerbomb gives Steen the same and the Sharpshooter goes on. Eddie makes it to the rope so Steen gives him a Randy Orton hanging DDT.
The Cannonball misses so Eddie drops a top rope double stomp for two. Steen bails to the floor and Edwards follows, earning himself a spinebuster through the announcers’ table. Back in and they trade superkicks but Steen reverses a Backpack Stunner into a sleeper suplex. The F Cinc (F5) retains the title at 16:17.
Rating: B. They were getting somewhere here, even though the title wasn’t exactly in danger. Edwards is a former World Champion who won the title in a surprise so it wasn’t completely out of the question, but Steen isn’t losing the title in his first major defense. Having Steen run over former World Champions makes him seem all the more dangerous and gives Cornette something else to rant about.
Post match, Steen spits in Cornette’s drink for a bonus.
From ROH TV, June 23, 2012.
Kevin Steen/Jimmy Jacobs vs. Davey Richards/Kyle O’Reilly
Date: June 23, 2012
Location: Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Steve Corino
Richards jumps Steen before the bell and the brawl starts on the floor. Richards kicks away at Jacobs and takes him inside but has to save O’Reilly from an apron bomb. A suicide dive sends Jacobs into the barricade as Richards is basically fighting on his own so far. Back in and Richards hits a top rope double stomp to Steen, setting up the ankle lock. That’s broken up and it’s Steen hitting the pop up apron bomb to break Richards in half.
We take a break (for some reason with the commercial footage not shown) and come back with Steen sending Richards into the barricade. Things settle down into a regular tag match with Jacobs hitting a springboard elbow to O’Reilly and grabbing him by the ear. It’s back to Steen for a backsplash to stay on the ribs but O’Reilly grabs a rollup for two.
Richards comes back in without a tag for a double clothesline and it’s time for the kicks in the corner. A big kick drops Steen and we hit the ankle lock. Jacobs makes the save with a guillotine choke but O’Reilly makes a save of his own. O’Reilly and Jacobs fight to the floor with Richards joining them.
Steen hits the big running flip dive to take all three of them out. Not to be kept down, Davey pops up with a t-bone suplex to Steen on the apron. Steen is back up and kicks the rope into a low blow on Richards but the other two knock Richards and Steen onto the timekeeper’s table. Jacobs drives O’Reilly through the table though and that’s a double DQ at 12:37.
Rating: C. This was your wild brawl style main event and that’s what it should be. We’re coming up on Best in the World and there is no reason to have Steen or Richards lose a fall here. That being said, having Richards take Jacobs out for a pin here would have been fine, but what we got here was good enough.
Post match the brawl stays on with Steen taking out a referee until security breaks it up.
From Best in the World 2012 (June 24, 2012).
Ring of Honor World Title: Kevin Steen vs. Davey Richards
Date: June 24, 2012
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly
Steen is defending and anything goes, including Steen’s package piledriver. Hold on though as we need to hear from Corino, meaning the ECW chants are out in full force. Corino says he is an evil man but you are seeing the era of KILL STEEN KILL. He’s going to be out there giving Steen the proper representation that he deserves, unlike Jim Cornette. Cue Cornette to say Corino can do commentary, but Cornette will be sitting at ringside as well.
We’re not ready to go yet though as Kyle O’Reilly comes out to complain about the fact that he’s not in Davey’s corner. Apparently Davey didn’t like O’Reilly’s match against Adam Cole. Well Adam Cole is getting stitches so he’s here to stab Richards in the f****** eye. He hates Steen but respects Davey but he’s no one’s lackey. Corino: “Does he kiss his boyfriend with that mouth?” O’Reilly flips the fans off and leaves, much to Richards’ chagrin.
Steen bails to the apron to start so Richards knocks him through the timekeeper’s table. A running boot against the barricade hits Steen and Richards whips him into it again. Davey has to deal with Jacobs though and it’s a pop up apron bomb to drop him cold. Steen rips off the barricade covers and buries Richards under them, setting up the frog splash off the apron. They go inside with Steen’s Swanton hitting raised knees (yelling at Cornette might have something to do with it) but he’s right back with a hanging DDT for two.
Just to be a bit more evil, Steen goes outside again and superkicks the ring announcer, allowing Richards to hit a suicide dive. Cornette and former boss Cary Silkin help the announcer to the back as Richards suplexes Steen on the apron. The fans want fire but have to settle for Richards hitting a top rope double stomp through the announcers’ table. Cornette is back and panicking as Richards sends Steen back inside for another double stomp and a near fall.
Richards throws in a couple of chairs and then adds two more, including the one Cornette was sitting in. Steen gets in a chair to the head though and the Cannonball onto the chair onto Richards gets two. The chairs are piled on top of Richards but he gets up before the Swanton can launch. A top rope superplex onto the chairs gets two on Steen so it’s table time.
Richards loads him up on top again but gets reversed into a spinning fisherman’s superplex through the table for two more. Cornette is selling the heck out of this as he panics over the near falls. Steen steals the mouthpiece and puts it in his own mouth but takes too long setting up the chairs. That earns him a German suplex onto the two open chairs and they’re both down again.
With nothing else working, Richards grabs a chain and wraps it around his boot for some Kawada kicks. Steen spits at him so it’s the big kick to the head, with the chain, for two more. The referee gets bumped and Davey busts out a ladder. Steen grabs a quick F Cinc (Corino: “WE NEED A REFEREE! WE NEED A REFEREE!”) so here’s another referee for a slow two.
That earns the new referee a package piledriver as the fans think this is awesome. Richards grabs a Jay Driller onto the ladder but there’s no referee, even as the fans count to twenty. The referee is thrown back in but Jacobs gets in and busts out his spike. That brings Cornette in to take it away, which brings in Corino to kick him low. Richards suplexes Jacobs onto the ladder in the corner but Steen stabs Richards low. The package piledriver retains the title at 21:20.
Rating: B+. This was a wild fight and while I’m rarely a fan of Richards, I got pulled into the story here and that’s a hard trick to pull. They made me believe that they might do a title change here and the story they were going with, of Richards having no friends because of his obsession and being overcome by the numbers, worked really well. I was rather surprised by this and they beat the heck out of each other.
Post match, Corino announces Steen the winner by clean pinfall. Steen says cut the music because he’s waited a long time to close a New York City show as World Champion. He can’t stand hypocrites and there aren’t many bigger hypocrites than Cornette. We’ll come back to that, as Steen needs to talk about Eddie Edwards (seems like he said the wrong name as he is talking straight to Richards) because he has been working a long time to face Richards in a title match like this.
The most hypocritical people in wrestling are the fans (that makes them cheer louder) because they cheered when El Generico got rid of him at Final Battle 2010. That brings up the OLE chants but Steen cuts them off by saying he came back six months later and the fans cheered him all over again. If you need even more proof of the hypocrisy, what about fans buying tickets to an ROH show and then chant for Brian Danielson and CM Punk. Like they even remember this company!
These people like turning on former World Champions like Nigel McGuinness and Tyler Black, but they can’t turn on Steen because he doesn’t care about any of them. He’s going to be the final ROH World Champion because they’re killing this company. So f*** this company and f*** New York City. I guess this was designed to make the fans boo Steen, but I’m not sure how well that is going to work.
From ROH TV, August 11, 2012.
Kevin Steen/Jimmy Jacobs/Steve Corino vs. Jay Lethal/All Night Express
Date: August 11, 2012
Location: Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly
The Express are World Tag Team Champions Kenny King/Rhett Titus and Lethal has been asking for a shot at Steen. It’s a brawl to start with Lethal and Jacobs staying in the ring as the other four fight outside. Lethal’s basement dropkick connects but Corino throws Lethal to the floor. Titus comes in for a jumping elbow to Corino so it’s off to King vs. Steen for a change. The good guys clear the ring but head straight to the floor to keep up the fight. That lets Steen throw King into the barricade as Titus gives Corino a slingshot belly to back suplex.
We settle down to a regular tag match with Titus splashing Corino for two and King adding a suplex. Titus’ slingshot shoulder gets two and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long so it’s back to King, who gets his neck snapped across the top by Jacobs so the villains can take over.
We take a break and come back with Steen planting King and sending him into the evil corner. Corino pulls on King’s ears (that’s just cruel) and kicks out of King’s sunset flip at two. It’s off to Lethal for the house cleaning, including a neckbreaker/DDT combination to Jacobs and Corino. Steen misses a clothesline and Lethal suicide dives onto Corino. Back in and Titus drops Steen, setting up the Hail to the King top rope elbow for two on Steen with Corino making the save.
A Downward Spiral plants Lethal and we hit the parade of secondary finishers. Lethal hits the Lethal Combination on Steen and everyone is down. The Lethal Injection is broken up and Jacobs hits the Contra Code (Sliced Bread) on Lethal. Steen’s Swanton gets two so Jacobs pulls out the spike, only to walk into the Lethal Injection for the pin at 12:16.
Rating: B-. Fine enough six man main event here and that’s all it needed to be. They had a nice, longish match here and it gives Lethal some momentum towards what is likely going to be a World Title shot. It’s fine to beat someone like Jacobs as he is the glorified lackey of the team, so everything is fine from all of this.
Post match Steen and company beat down the Express, including a suplex to put King through an open chair. Jacobs and Corino hold up the Tag Team Titles.
From Death Before Dishonor 2012 (September 15, 2020).
We see Corino and Jacobs defeating Charlie Haas and Rhett Titus for the vacant Tag Team Titles after King left the company over a contract dispute. That’s not mentioned here, along with why Haas is in the match or why the titles are vacant.
From Killer Instinct (October 6, 2012).
We see the end of Steen vs. Lethal with Steen spitting on Lethal’s mother, sending Lethal into a rage. The beating was on and the match was thrown out as a result. Steen storms off as Cornette tries to calm things down. The fans are TICKED as Lethal beats on things with a chair. Lethal leaves through the crowd but comes back in and threatens to murder anyone who spits on his mother. Of note: Corino was wearing a jacket that said SCUM, though there has been no mention of the name or what it means yet. For a DVD about Ring of Honor vs. SCUM, that might be an important detail.
Post show, Lethal is ticked off in the back and throws Cornette over a table, writing him out of the promotion. Lethal storms off as Cornette is checked on.
From ROH TV, December 15, 2012.
Steve Corino vs. Jay Briscoe
Date: December 15, 2012
Location: Rostraver Ice Gardens, Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Caleb Seltzer
Street fight as I guess the Briscoes are chasing the Tag Team Titles. Corino comes to the ring in a suit and the team is officially named SCUM. Kelly confirms that SCUM is defending in a three way tag match at Final Battle against the Briscoes and Caprice Coleman/Cedric Alexander. They fight to the floor in a hurry and Jay hits him in the face with a drink. A whip into the barricade gives Corino a breather and it’s time to fight over a table. Jay punches him down though and it’s a double stomp to put Corino through the table.
Back from a break with Jay hitting him in the head with the bell and wedging chairs in the corners. Cue Jimmy Jacobs for a distraction though and Corino gets in a right hand with a roll of quarters for two. Mark Briscoe comes out to drop Jacobs and here’s a wheelbarrow full of chairs for a bonus.
As Mark beats on Jimmy a bit more, Corino sends Jay into a chair in the corner. Corino slams Jay onto the pile of chairs and it’s time to bring in another table. A suplex onto an open chair gives Corino two (and Jay a rather sore back) but you don’t do that around here, as Jay gives him a Death Valley Driver onto two open chairs. Mark comes back out with a piece of barricade but Jacobs hits him low.
The distraction lets Corino suplex Jay through a table, because a Death Valley Driver onto a chair is a thirty second injury. The barricade is bridged between the chairs but Corino takes too much time and gets top rope superplexed onto the barricade. Fans: “HOLY (MOSTLY) CENSORED!”. Alexander and Coleman come down to brawl with Jacobs and Mark as Jay gets the pin at 17:53.
Rating: B-. The violence was good but at the same time, there was so much going on and the big spots were getting a little ridiculous by the end. I know they’re building up to the big title match, but how much sense does it make to have a major street fight on the go home show to a pay per view? It was violent, but it didn’t make the most sense.
Post match here’s Steen, holding El Generico’s mask. He talks about Generico beating him at Final Battle 2010 to get rid of him from Ring of Honor. Since then, Steen has returned and become World Champion. That isn’t enough to make the feeling go away because he realized that he and Generico are destined to fight forever. Steen starts rocking back and forth as he says he isn’t scared of a ladder war with Generico. He goes to the floor to yell at Kevin Kelly for being worried about what would happen to Generico and Steen two years ago. Back in the ring, Steen promises to leave Final Battle either as champion or as a corpse.
From Final Battle 2012 (December 16, 2012).
We see the end of Jay Lethal defeating Rhino. Commentary suggests that SCUM hired Rhino to take Lethal. Corino grabs the mic and says he dated Lethal’s mom. Lethal used to carry Corino’s bag and Corino respects him, but Lethal isn’t messing up SCUM. Cue Jacobs from behind and the double teaming is on. Rhino gets up to Gore Lethal so Corino can shout that Lethal will never be in the main event.
Also from Final Battle 2012 (December 16, 2012).
We get some highlights from the Ladder War between Steen and Generico. They beat the heck out of each other and destroyed a bunch of ladders, including a package piledriver to put Generico through a bridged ladder. Steen won (and it’s a newly designed title) because Generico was mostly dead.
From ROH TV, January 23, 2013.
Nigel McGuinness is in the ring, surrounded by security, and brings out Jay Lethal and Kevin Steen for a chat. Lethal is surprised that Steen came out here but isn’t surprised that he came out here with his lackeys (including Rhino, who has joined the team). He wants another title shot but Corino thinks Lethal’s mother would have raised him better than that. It was Lethal’s father who threw a drink on Steen to set everything off.
Steen takes the mic from Corino but Lethal calls him a vile human and disgusting human being. For some reason, Steen wants to destroy the company because of some grudge but Lethal is more about honor than anyone else. If Steen wants to destroy everything, he has to beat Lethal, or he isn’t s***. Jacobs and Corino say it isn’t happening but Steen heads to the apron and says he accepts.
Video on Lethal vs. Steen, which is Ring of Honor vs. SCUM. During the buildup, Steen even prevented SCUM from beating Lethal down because he was much happier now that Jim Cornette was gone. Who got rid of Cornette? Jay Lethal of course. Steen decided he cared about this company but Lethal didn’t buy any of it.
From the 11th Anniversary Show (March 2, 2013).
Ring of Honor World Title: Kevin Steen vs. Jay Lethal
Date: March 2, 2013
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Caleb Seltzer
Steen is defending and there are no seconds. They slug it out immediately and the fight is on the floor in a hurry. Steen gets whipped into the barricade but comes back with shots to the face. That earns him another shot into the barricade as they keep going around the ring. This time it’s Lethal going into the barricade so Steen can send him inside. A quick dropkick gives Lethal two and another sends Steen into the corner as he can’t do much when they get down to the wrestling.
Lethal’s basement dropkick gets two and he sends Steen to the apron for a triangle dropkick. Two suicide dives connect but the third is countered into the apron bomb to give Steen his first control. Steen crotches him against the post and the taunting is on in a hurry. Choking on the rope gets two but the Swanton hits raised knees. A Backstabber drops Steen for two but he’s right back with the pumphandle brainbuster onto the knee for the same.
The Cannonball misses though and Lethal grabs a belly to back neckbreaker for two more. The ref gets bumped and, of course, the Lethal Injection connects two seconds later. Cue Jacobs and Corino to beat Lethal down, including a spike cradle piledriver to give Steen two. Jacobs decks the referee again but here’s Nigel McGuinness to cut Corino off. Nigel scares Corino to the back and Lethal kicks Jacobs to the floor.
That leaves Lethal and Steen to slug it out until Lethal hits a pair of scary looking release dragon suplexes for two. Steen’s pop up powerbomb gets the same but Lethal is right back with a Koji Clutch to put Steen in real trouble. A rope is grabbed so they head to the apron and it’s the F Cinc through the announcers’ table to destroy Lethal again.
Lethal is on the way back in and beats the count despite Jacobs grabbing his leg. The package piledriver gives Steen two and he tells Jacobs to get out of here. A heck of a clothesline blasts Lethal and they’re both down again. Lethal heads up top and hammers Steen down but Hail to the King is broken up. Instead, Steen grabs a Brainbusterrrrr (or however El Generico spelled his version onto the top turnbuckle) to retain at 20:47.
Rating: B. This was a good job of giving us a big showdown for the title and advancing Steen’s issues with SCUM. Steen is turning into the anti-hero and that could make for some interesting material going forward. On the other hand, Lethal has gone from some young guy who feels in over his head to someone who feels like a serious challenger to the World Title. Good match here and it felt like the major fight they were shooting for the whole time.
Post match Steen looks calm but here are Jacobs and Rhino to take out Lethal again. The Briscoes run in for the save but get taken down as well. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander run in as well but here’s former ROH star Jimmy Rave, in a SCUM shirt, to take care of them as well. Now it’s BJ Whitmer and Rhett Titus coming in with the former going after Rave. Titus dropkicks Whitmer though and reveals his own SCUM shirt.
Michael Elgin comes in this time and goes after SCUM but Cliff Compton (Domino of Deuce N Domino) with powder to blind Elgin. Steen gets up and looks confused as Elgin is handcuffed to the corner. We’re still not done as the Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards) run in to fight SCUM but the numbers get the better of it and the team starts tying everyone to the ropes. Adam Cole comes in (looking about 14 years old) and can’t do much either.
Matt Hardy comes in and he’s SCUM too as the huge beatdown continues. Steen is down on the floor watching now (he hasn’t done anything physical since the match ended) but Corino grabs the mic to say evil is here. This is the evolution of SCUM and the destruction of Ring of Honor. Corino praises Steen as the King of SCUM, Ring of Honor and professional wrestling because the vision has always been the same: bring suffering, chaos, ugliness and mayhem (the first time the acronym has been explained on the DVD) to this company.
They hold up an ROH banner as Steen gets in the ring and Corino introduces the (several) new members. Jacobs pulls out his spike and stabs the banner, which is torn to pieces. Corino declares war on ROH but it won’t last long because tonight, honor has died. The team poses, with Steen looking on from the side, to end the show after a very big and very long angle.
Disc 2
From ROH TV, March 16, 2013.
Nigel McGuinness is in the ring with a bunch of the roster on the apron. Nigel, holding the torn banner: “S*** just got real.” It’s time for ROH to fight because SCUM has started a way. They are still united and still believe in this company. Steve Corino said three things: SCUM will go down in history as the company who killed Ring of Honor, that there are no credible contenders to Kevin Steen and that honor is dead. Look at all of these people around the ring and you’ll know honor isn’t dead.
There are plenty of credible contenders, like Adam Cole, who will be getting a World Title shot. He has defended the TV Title with honor and next week he’ll be facing Matt Hardy with the winner getting a TV Title shot. Then there’s BJ Whitmer, who is getting a title shot as well. As for Jay Lethal and Michael Elgin, they can face off at Supercard of Honor with the winner getting a title shot. Roderick Strong jumps up on the ropes but Nigel says this isn’t the time for fun and games. They’ll talk about this in the back.
That brings him to the Briscoe Brothers, who are the pioneers around here. Mark Briscoe is getting a title shot in two weeks in Ashville, North Carolina. Then there’s Jay Briscoe, whose arm is in a sling. He gets in the ring and says he’ll fight with one arm if he has to though because he only needs one chance. Nigel grants him the title match at Supercard of Honor. As for tonight, SCUM is banned from the building, but that will change next week. The roster gets in the ring and Nigel says they aren’t running and hiding from SCUM.
From ROH TV, March 23, 2013.
Veda Scott (lawyer/manager) and Grizzly Redwood (short guy with a big beard) are in the ring to interview Mike Mondo, who has been out of action with an injury for four months. Mondo was supposed to be out for a year and cut that down for four months because he’s in Beast Mode every day. He has no fear….and here’s SCUM to beat the guys down. Corino asks if this is what Nigel wanted as Compton grabs Veda.
BJ Whitmer and some other wrestlers come out but Corino says Compton will end Scott if they take one more step. Nigel can come out here to talk face to face, because Corino wants a SCUM show next week. Nigel does come out and makes ROH vs. SCUM next week, so prepare for h***.
From ROH TV, March 23, 2013.
We see the end of Matt Hardy vs. Adam Cole, with Hardy pulling the floor mats back but having the Twist of Fate countered into a suplex. Rhino Gored Cole down so Cedric Alexander and Caprice Coleman ran in for the DQ.
The big brawl is on with both factions running in for the fight.
From ROH TV, March 30, 2013.
Here’s Kevin Steen to get things going but Jay Briscoe, still in a sling, cuts him off before anything can be said. Briscoe talks about how this company has been his life for eleven years and now SCUM is talking about wanting to kill it. That sounds like threatening his livelihood and that isn’t a good idea. Before Steen can say anything, here’s Corino to say how dare Briscoe disrespect the World Champion.
Briscoe wants to hear from the champ himself so Steen says he’s glad both Briscoes are getting the title shot. Steen: “In New York City, we’ll see who the b**** is, b****.” Steen leaves and Corino laughs at Briscoe, who pulls out a metal rod. Corino realizes no one else is here so SCUM comes in….and we take a break.
From ROH TV, March 30, 2013.
Date: March 30, 2013
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Caleb Seltzer, Kevin Kelly
This starts with Coleman and Alexander running in to save Briscoe so maybe we’re getting the full episode here. Coleman takes Titus into the corner to start and Alexander springboards in with an elbow for two. Cedric fights out of the SCUM corner but Compton pulls him down for a crotching against the post. Titus drops him ribs first across the top rope so Compton can hit a top rope elbow to the back. A boot scrape in the corner has Alexander down and it’s off to a chinlock.
That’s broken up though and Cedric gets in a shot to the face, allowing the roll into a hot tag to Coleman. We take a break and come back with Titus breaking up a dive but tossing Coleman over the top….right onto Compton. Well to be fair, they haven’t been partners that long. Coleman’s guillotine legdrop gets two but cue Jimmy Rave to shove Cedric off the top (for a NASTY landing on the apron. Jimmy Jacobs comes out and slips Compton some powder to blind Coleman and Titus adds a dropkick for the pin at 10:11.
Rating: C-. This was fine and a good example of how SCUM can cheat to win with the numbers advantage. It’s not like Alexander and Coleman lose anything after this much cheating. Not a good match but Coleman and Alexander were a good team when they got to face the right opponents. I’m not sure they had that chance here.
From ROH TV, March 30, 2013.
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Mike Mondo
Date: March 30, 2013
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Caleb Seltzer, Kevin Kelly
Sweet goodness this company loves alliteration. This picks up right after the previous match as well with Mondo running in for the save and the bell ringing. Mondo fights off Rave and avoids a dive from Jacobs, setting up a running corkscrew dive of his own. Back in and Jacobs gets in a kick to the face but Mondo catches him on top and unloads with kicks to the ribs.
We take a break and come back with Jacobs catches him on top but getting headbutted right back down. Jacobs knocks him down from the top to the floor though in a big crash. A running elbow from the apron to the….well some part of Mondo but it worked anyway. Jacobs puts him in a chair and hits a suicide dive to crush them both. Mondo is right back up and trips Jacobs off the apron.
Back in and Jacobs flips out of what looked like a tiger bomb and grabs a guillotine choke. That’s reversed with a northern lights suplex but Jacobs is right back with the guillotine. Mondo breaks that up and blocks the Contra Code so they go to an exchange of rollups with Jacobs grabbing the rope for the pin at 10:07.
Rating: C. Mondo is someone that Cornette raves about as an underrated talent but there is only so much that you can get out of him when he used to be in the Spirit Squad. He looked good here, but Ring of Honor isn’t supposed to win these matches. What we got was good enough though and Mondo looked solid even in defeat.
From ROH TV, March 30, 2013.
Corino presents Inside SCUM (instead of Inside ROH), starting off with a look at Rhett Titus. ROH has overlooked Titus several times now and he has no faith in the company. He’s found acceptance in SCUM though and that’s to their benefit. Then there’s Cliff Compton, who has never gotten a chance in ROH because Cornette wouldn’t give him a chance. It was always next time, but now it’s his time.
Next up is Jimmy Rave, who has been very successful in ROH and has beaten his personal demons so he can be back where he belongs. Matt Hardy has been screwed over by ROH despite his star power. Eight years ago, Matt yelled RING OF HONOR on Monday Night Raw but he still can’t get any respect. These men plus the rest of the group are wrestling’s worst nightmare and on April 5, Steen is defeating Jay Briscoe like he does to everyone else.
We go to Steen, who says he doesn’t care about what SCUM is planning. What matters to him is Steen vs. Briscoe at Supercard of Honor. Steen knows how tough Briscoe is….and Corino says get the camera back on him to wrap it up in a hurry. Corino yells at the production staff for playing the wrong music.
Steve Corino/Matt Hardy/Rhino vs. Jay Lethal/BJ Whitmer/Michael Elgin
Date: March 30, 2013
Location: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Commentators: Caleb Seltzer, Kevin Kelly
Apparently Corino is replacing Steen here because the team is already 2-0. Corino is wrestling in a suit and tapes his wrists on the way to the ring. With the other four fighting on the floor, Corino stops to offer Lethal a SCUM shirt, which goes as well as you would expect. Lethal even takes Corino’s glasses off to stomp on them, which is rather evil indeed. Elgin and Hardy take their places in the ring and the delayed suplex drops Matt. Now it’s Lethal coming in with a handspring elbow to rock Rhino and a springboard missile dropkick gets two.
Back from a break with Lethal hitting a suicide dive to take out more members of SCUM who aren’t involved in the match. The numbers game starts getting the better of the ROH guys and it’s time to zip tie Elgin and Lethal to the ropes. That leaves Whitmer to get triple teamed but he somehow gets in a spinebuster to Rhino. An exploder suplex sends Rave flying but a Corino distraction lets Rhino hit the Gore. Matt adds the Twist of Fate for the pin at 11:40.
Rating: C. This was more of an angle than a match and that’s not a bad thing. The whole show has been about SCUM dominating and taking over the company even more than they already had and that’s what they did here again. It was a nice brawl while it lasted though and Lethal continues to look like a star, which is the secondary point of the whole thing.
Post match Lethal and Elgin get loose and fight SCUM off. Jay Briscoe comes out and promises he’ll lose the sling while Steen loses the belt.
From Supercard of Honor VII (April 5, 2013).
Date: April 5, 2013
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Caleb Seltzer, Kevin Kelly
It’s Compton/Jacobs/Rave/Titus/Rhino with Corino sitting in on commentary. This is an impromptu match after SCUM attacked Lethal and Elgin to break up their #1 contenders match. The big brawl is on before the bell with ROH getting the better of things to start. Everyone brawls on the floor with Seltzer snapping on Corino early on.
We finally settle down to Rave slugging Mondo into the corner so the villains can take over. Rhino hits the running shoulder in the ribs and Titus rubs Mondo’s face in the mat. Corino goes into a rant about how horrible the ROH guys are, including calling Cedric and Caprice the “black version of the Midnight Rockers.” Titus sends Mondo into Compton’s boot and we get a DEUCE WAS BETTER chant. This is likely the only time Deuce has ever received a chant in wrestling history.
Mondo slips between Rave’s legs, realizes he’s gone to the wrong corner, and rolls over to the right corner for the tag to Whitmer. Everything breaks down for a bit with the Factory hitting stereo dives, followed by Briscoe hitting a big springboard flip dive for a bonus. Titus beats on Whitmer and hits a running Fameasser from behind. Compton gives Caprice a Falcon Arrow but Cedric kicks him down. Corino: “HE’S A MOVE STEALER!!! HE STOLE THAT FROM STRONG!!!”.
Jacobs gives Cedric a Pedigree but gets dropped by Mondo. Rhino runs Mondo over but Briscoe shotgun dropkicks him into the corner. They’re taken down as well, leaving us with Whitmer sending Rave to the floor for a heck of a suicide dive. Corino gets off commentary and slaps Seltzer, so Whitmer makes the save.
Whitmer goes after Corino but gets grabbed by Rhino and Jacobs. He’s fine enough to spit at Corino but Titus comes back in for a dropkick. That’s enough for Whitmer to be cuffed to the rope and Jacobs throws powder in Mondo’s eyes. Corino gets back on commentary as Coleman hits a nasty piledriver on Rave. Rhino Gores him down though and Coleman is done at 11:14.
Rating: C+. This got better at the end and they were smart to keep it a little shorter. A big ten man match like this can get a little long winded at times so it was a good move to make it feel like a TV match. SCUM continues to dominate, but at some point ROH is going to have to pick up an important win.
Post match Corino brags about how awesome they are and promises to win their other matches tonight.
From Supercard of Honor VII (April 5, 2013).
We see the end of Kevin Steen vs. Jay Briscoe for the World Title, with the Briscoe family and some ROH wrestlers coming out to prevent SCUM from interfering. Briscoe kicked out of the package piledriver and here’s SCUM for the big brawl in the aisle. Matt Hardy snuck in from the other side but Steen broke up the Twist of Fate and threw him outside.
Steen kicked out of the Jay Driller and Nigel McGuinness is LOSING IT on commentary. Jay fought out of the Crossface and hit another Jay Driller to win, with Nigel literally jumping around ringside in celebration before coming back to commentary. Of all the things on this set, they couldn’t air THIS match in full? The set is looking to be close to ten hours long and you cut the major turning point? After airing the ten man tag in full? Weird choice there.
Post match Jay’s dad, his brother, Nigel and others got in the ring to celebrate. Jay grabs the mic but Steen gets back up and, after listening to the THAT WAS AWESOME and THANK YOU STEEN chants, drops the mic and shakes Jay’s hand. Steen leaves and Jay says tonight, SCUM dies and honor lives.
From ROH TV, April 20, 2013.
Here’s Steen for a chat, but first we need some THANK YOU KEVIN chants. Corino cuts him off though, saying Steen hasn’t been around for a bit so this is how they have to talk. He knows how hard it was to lose the World Title but the mission to kill Ring of Honor is still intact. Steen says Corino has been talking about the plan for over a year but now that Jim Cornette is gone, Ring of Honor doesn’t need to be put out of its misery. Right now, the only mission in Steen’s head is getting another World Title shot.
Cue SCUM to interrupt to surround the ring, as Corino suggests that it’s time for a new star of the team. The camera pans over to Matt Hardy but Steen says he’ll follow Corino through a lot. One part that he can’t get behind though is this mother ****** Matt Hardy. That’s too far for Corino so maybe it’s time he and Steen go their separate ways. SCUM gets in the ring and Steen says there are two ways they can do this.
Either they can walk away, or the people in the ring can start something they’re going to regret. Corino picks option two so the fight is on in a hurry. Hardy is held back by Corino as the beatdown is on, drawing out security and referees for a failed save attempt. Corino tells SCUM to step back and tells Matt to do his work. That would be a Twist of Fate and Steen is left laying. They had been building that for a long time so the turn not only makes sense but has been well set up. Nice job.
From ROH TV, April 20, 2013.
We see the end of Jorge Santi vs. Tadarius Thomas as SCUM runs in for the big beatdown. Corino says that the mission is still the same, even without Steen. After what happened earlier though, you’ll probably never see Steen again so it doesn’t matter anyway. Cue Nigel McGuinness to say Corino should shut up because SCUM is dissolving into the grave. Corino says he created and destroyed Steen so the mission continues.
Nigel brings out Jay Lethal and Michael Elgin and tells them to get out of the ring. Corino: “You don’t tell god what to do Nigel.” They do need the World Title back, so his spiritual son will become the next and final Ring of Honor World Champion. Corino is willing to sweeten the pot though: if the team gets one shot and loses, he’ll leave Ring of Honor. He knows Nigel won’t accept it though because he remembers Nigel as World Champion. The truth is that Nigel thinks a lot of himself and didn’t know why the fans booed him when he was World Champion.
Nigel shrugs that off and makes the match: Elgin/Lethal vs. any two members of the team at Border Wars. If SCUM wins, they get the World Title shot but if ROH wins, SCUM is done. Corino: “No deal.” He wants one more thing: if SCUM wins, he gets the vacant commentary spot next to Kevin Kelly, completely uncensored. Nigel takes off his jacket, slowly gets in the ring, and says he’ll see Corino at Border Wars. Corino says he’ll see him next week.
From Border Wars 2013 (May 4, 2013 in Toronto, mislabeled as March 30, 2013 in Chicago on the DVD).
Michael Elgin/Jay Lethal vs. Cliff Compton/Jimmy Jacobs
Date: May 4, 2013
Location: Ted Reeve Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness
This is immediately after SCUM interfered in a BJ Whitmer vs. Rhett Titus I Quit match so we start in a hurry with Titus still zip tied to the top rope. Lethal superkicks him before the four people actually in the match head outside where Elgin chokes Compton with a chair. SCUM gets beaten up some more as Titus is finally cut away from the ropes. Compton gets sent hard into the barricade and Elgin adds a running boot to send him into the crowd.
We finally settle down to Lethal vs. Jacobs in the ring for a chop off with Lethal getting the better of it. Elgin comes in for the very delayed vertical suplex on Jacobs, holding him up for 38 seconds, doing some squats, and then suplexing him down after another nine seconds. Lethal comes in for his hiptoss into a basement dropkick but Jacobs gets smart by going to the eyes.
It’s back to Compton, who is taken straight down by the handspring elbow. Elgin suplexes the much bigger Compton as well and holds him up, with Lethal adding his own delayed suplex on Jacobs for a nice visual. A backsplash gets two on Elgin but Compton knees Lethal in the face. It’s still too early for SCUM to take over though as Elgin tags himself in for a torture rack neckbreaker on Compton.
Everything breaks down again and Lethal hits a suicide dive on Jacobs, only to come up holding his knee. Elgin plants Compton with a spinning Boss Man Slam but Elgin goes outside to check on Lethal. Nigel goes over as well as SCUM demands they be awarded the win. Elgin is ready to fight n his own and throws Jacobs and Compton down. Jacobs gets powerbombed into Compton in the corner and it’s a Samoan drop to Compton with a fall away slam to Jacobs at the same time (that’s insane).
Back up, Compton gets in a shot in the corner and the clubberin is on (Corino: “YOU ASKED FOR IT! YOU ASKED FOR IT!”). Jacobs hits a DDT and mocks Elgin’s lack of a partner. Compton drops a leg and grabs a headscissors but Elgin stands up and tosses him to the floor. It’s back to Jacobs for a sleeper and Compton comes back in, meaning Elgin German suplexes Compton while dropping Jacobs onto his back for the three way knockdown.
Cue Kevin Steen to stand on the apron but Elgin won’t tag him. Nigel tells him to do it so Elgin goes with it. House is cleaned in a hurry, including back to back Cannonballs. There’s the apron bomb to Jacobs and Elgin’s buckle bomb makes it worse. Compton breaks up the Elgin Bomb so Steen gives him the pop up powerbomb (more like a spinebuster here but close enough). The package piledriver is loaded up on Compton but Jacobs grabs a fast rollup to pin Steen at 20:08.
Rating: B. This felt a bit like the Outsiders vs. the NWO at Bash at the Beach 1996 for a bit with the injury, though it was quite the different ending. You knew they weren’t going to have ROH win here as they can’t go with the faces winning with a 3-2 advantage. Steen taking the fall makes things even worse for him as they can now blame him for not getting rid of SCUM, thereby allowing him to need to do even more to redeem himself. Good match here though and it felt big, even though it was on the first half of the show.
From ROH TV, May 18, 2013.
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jay Lethal
Date: May 18, 2013
Location: Ted Reeve Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino
Jacobs sends the bad leg into the apron and we start in a hurry. Lethal slugs away with right hands to get a breather, only to have the knee sent into the barricade. They get inside for the first time with Jacobs staying on the leg (well duh) as Corino declares that Lethal is in fact an African American. Lethal manages a basement dropkick for two so Jacobs starts crawling around to make Lethal chase him. That works just fine for Lethal, who grabs a DDT.
The Lethal Injection takes too long though and Jacobs ties the leg in the rope to stomp away. Back from a break with Lethal caught in a leglock. That’s broken up in a hurry though and Lethal hammers away. Jacobs is right back with a DDT on the leg but the Figure Four is quickly countered. Lethal chops away but the leg gives out on a superkick attempt. The Lethal Combination works though but the Lethal Injection doesn’t work either. Jacobs hits the Contra Code for the pin at 12:26.
Rating: B-. The story was right there throughout and that’s always a good thing to see. It gives SCUM another win and Lethal stays safe, with the bad leg costing Lethal in the end. This was a fun one and while I’m not usually big on Jacobs, he was nearly perfect in his role here. Lethal is looking more and more like a star every time though, and that’s going to serve him well in the future.
From ROH TV, May 18, 2013.
Adam Cole vs. Kevin Steen
Date: May 18, 2013
Location: Ted Reeve Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino
Feeling out process to start but Cole forearms his way out of the corner. Steen runs him over without much effort and a headbutt drops Cole in the corner. They head outside with Cole missing the slingshot dive and getting sent into the barricade for more pain. Three straight apron bombs look to end Cole (Corino: “WHERE IS THE TWENTY COUNT???”) but Steen goes after Corino instead, allowing Cole to dropkick the knee (because you can be up forty five seconds after three apron bombs) and we take a break.
Back with Cole kneeing him in the face for two but Steen slugs away. The knee holds up well enough for a powerbomb for a very delayed two and they’re both down. Cole gets up with a nasty German suplex into a Shining Wizard but the Figure Four is blocked. Instead it’s the Sharpshooter (you can imagine Corino’s reaction), sending Steen straight to the rope. The F Cinc gets two so here’s Compton, who is quickly dispatched. Steen grabs the Sharpshooter but another Compton distraction lets Jacobs come in with a chain shot (which Cole clearly sees). Cole’s Florida Keys (arm trap German suplex) is good for the pin at 14:00.
Rating: C. The three straight apron bombs being just a moment in the middle of the match wasn’t a good idea but at least they did something else near the end. Cole is someone else who is starting to rise up the ranks and that’s a great thing to see. Ring of Honor is the kind of place that needs to develop new talent in a hurry and that’s what they seem to be doing here. Nice match, but not exactly great.
From ROH TV, May 25, 2013.
Nigel McGuinness is announcing the Best in the World main event when Steen comes in to ask about his rematch for the World Title. That won’t be anytime soon after Steen messed up at Border Wars so maybe he’s still working with SCUM. Steen says not exactly, and offers to fight all of them in exchange for a title shot. Nigel agrees, but Steen has to beat them all.
From Dragon’s Reign (May 11, 2013)
Rhett Titus runs out and interrupts a match between two guys making their in-ring debuts for the company (one of which is future World Champion Dalton Castle). Cue Steen in a hurry and we’re ready to go.
Kevin Steen vs. Rhett Titus
Date: May 11, 2013
Location: Rostraver Ice Gardens, Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino
Steen slugs away and sends Titus to the floor before the music even stops. Titus is sent into the barricade a few times and there’s a Cannonball to make it worse. The fans are WAY into Steen here but the delay lets Titus get up and send him into the barricade to even things up a bit. Owens is right back up with a pair of crotches against the post, drawing a YES chant.
The apron bomb is countered with a ram into the barricade though and they head back inside. Titus whips him into the corner but Steen is right back with a backsplash. That doesn’t get him very far though as Titus sends it back into the corner and kicks Steen’s head against the post. It’s time to choke on the ropes but Steen kicks him away. After relieving his nose on Corino, Steen gets taken back down for a double arm crank.
Steen fights up and runs him over again though and the Swanton gets two as the audio and video are a little out of sync. Titus is back with the running jumping Fameasser (ala Kenny Omega) for his own two. A frog splash to the back gets two more but Steen is back with the pop up powerbomb for the same. Neither of Steen’s finishers can hit and he almost runs over the referee, allowing Titus to kick him low for two. Steen crotches him in the corner (that’s three for Titus) and gets in a low blow of his own. The package piledriver finishes Titus at 13:46. Corino: “THIS MATCH IS UNDER PROTEST!”
Rating: C. They’re doing an interesting idea here with Steen having to run through the entire time. It’s been done before (Big Boss Man vs. the Heenan Family comes to mind) but that doesn’t mean it’s a boring idea. Steen had to start somewhere and Titus is a low enough name to have Steen run through him in a hurry.
Post match Steen leaves but comes back in for another low blow and package piledriver.
From Relentless (May 18, 2013).
Corino interrupts an announcement and tells the people to let everyone know about this: Matt Hardy is getting his World Title shot on June 23 at the TV tapings in Baltimore. That’s not all though because Corino wants to go all in. At the TV tapings: five members of SCUM vs. five members of Ring of Honor. If ROH wins, SCUM is gone, but if SCUM wins, Corino runs Ring of Honor. Twelve years ago he helped kill a company and now he’s going to do it again.
From Relentless (May 18, 2013).
Kevin Steen vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Date: May 18, 2013
Location: Greater Richmond Convention Center, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Joe Dombrowski, Steve Corino
They slug it out in the aisle to start with Steen whipping him into the barricade. More whips into the barricade ensue and they head inside for the opening bell. A clothesline takes Jacobs right back outside and there’s another whip into the barricade as Corino makes fun of French. Back in again and Jacobs busts out a chain to choke away and that’s a DQ at 1:02.
Post match security comes in but Steen gets up and wrecks Jacobs again. Steen swings a chair at everyone before saying he knew this is how it would wind up going. Jacobs is FINALLY ready to be a man so let’s do this again, No DQ. The referee grabs a phone and hears from Nigel McGuinness that we’re restarting the match. Steen goes outside to beat up the interfering Rhett Titus and there are some shoes to Jacobs’ head.
Jacobs gets in a low blow with the rope though and there’s a spear on the apron (Joe: “That’s the hardest part of the wrestling ring!” I didn’t realize that line was that old.). Back in and Jacobs stomps and elbows at the ribs before ripping at the eyes. Jacobs chokes with the chain as Corino shouts about breaking up with Steen. The choking is broken up and Steen takes it to the floor for the apron bomb.
The Swanton gets two but Jacobs is back with a springboard cutter for two. A quick Contra Code onto a chair gives Jacobs two so he unloads with the chair and grabs a piece of the barricade. That takes too long though and Steen gets in a chain shot, followed by the F Cinc for two. Corino: “YOU CAN’T WIN WITH THAT MOVE ANYMORE STEEN!” The package piledriver is reversed with Steen’s head bouncing off of the barricade but Jacobs can’t hit a chair shot. Instead Steen kicks him low and hits the package piledriver onto the barricade for the pin at 14:55 (counting the break between falls).
Rating: C+. They had a good brawl here and the No DQ deal made it better. You can only get so much out of a big name like Steen vs. someone like Jacobs on its own so adding the stipulation helped. If nothing else, this made me want to see Steen FINALLY get his hands on Corino, which has to be coming at some point in this right?
Post match, Steen hits the F Cinc onto an open chair and blows a kiss to Corino.
Disc 3
From Honor in the Heart of Texas (June 1, 2013).
Michael Elgin/BJ Whitmer vs. Rhett Titus/Jimmy Jacobs
Date: June 1, 2013
Location: San Antonio Shrine Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas
Commentator: Kevin Kelly
Anything goes and Texas Tornado rules. The fight starts outside before the bell, as you probably guessed. Elgin is whipped into the barricade but Whitmer rams their heads together to slow them down. Jacobs gets thrown into the trash as Whitmer and Titus fight on the other side of the building. Kelly: “This one is not Funk and Brisco!”. Well maybe Funk but probably not Brisco.
Elgin throws Titus onto a table, sending it sliding across the floor in a cool visual. A chair to the ribs hunches Jacobs over and Elgin backbreakers him onto said chair. They actually head to ringside for a change with SCUM getting Elgin alone for a double delayed vertical suplex. Elgin pops back up (I’m as surprised as you are) and this time it’s Elgin and Whitmer hitting a delayed vertical suplex of their own for a pretty nasty crash.
Whitmer grabs the exploder suplex on Jacobs and Elgin launches Titus into the corner for two. Titus is back with a dropkick to Whitmer and Jacobs dives over the top to take Elgin down again. That doesn’t last long as Elgin slingshots back in with a back elbow to Jacobs but Titus scores with a discus lariat.
We get another Titus vs. Whitmer showdown with Whitmer planting him off a powerslam. A Downward Spiral/DDT combination takes SCUM down and Elgin is back in to make it even worse. There’s a pump kick to Titus and Elgin powerbombs Jacobs onto Whitmer’s knees for two. Elgin gets crotched on top though and an assisted splash gets two on Whitmer. Titus heads outside to pull back some mats but Elgin breaks up a piledriver on the concrete.
The apron superplex brings Titus back in for two with Jacobs making the save this time. Jacobs grabs a middle rope springboard cutter on Elgin, who pops back up for a spinning backfist. The buckle bomb connects but the Elgin Bomb is countered into a guillotine choke. Whitmer is back in for the save and fisherman’s suplexes Jacobs for two more. Elgin plants both of them for two as frustration is setting in again. The buckle bomb hits Jacobs again but here’s Steve Corino with a chain. Mark Briscoe comes out with a cowbell for the save but Titus gets the chain. Whitmer kicks it away, only to get rolled up for the pin at 19:35.
Rating: B. I got into this more than I would have expected to and that’s a good thing. This was a lot of action throughout the match and while the interference was a bit annoying, that’s what SCUM would do in this situation. Solid match here and the rules played into it well. I could go for more of stuff like this, as the wild brawling feels more appropriate for this feud.
From some undisclosed show.
Nigel McGuinness talks about how serious this is and how Ring of Honor has their chips in with the best of it. Ring of Honor isn’t dying on June 23 because it’s only SCUM’s final chapter. The match is officially on and it’s going to be Steel Cage Warfare. Honor lives mother******.
From Ring of Honor TV, June 8, 2013.
Here’s SCUM to interrupt….well nothing actually but commentary isn’t pleased anyway. Steve Corino talks about all of the mistakes made around here in the last eleven years with all of the people coming and going. Corino blames Nigel for not giving Matt Hardy the World Title shot but Matt will be World Champion anyway. Why weren’t Cliff Compton, Jimmy Jacobs and Rhett Titus in the #1 contenders matches? Nigel takes off his headset but Corino talks about how he should have sued ROH after Border Wars. That’s enough for Nigel to get up and Corino promises to sue if Nigel does anything.
From Live And Let Die (June 8, 2013).
Kevin Steen is in the arena before the fans come in and interviewer Veda Scott asks what the Ring of Honor locker room thinks about him now. Steen says he doesn’t really care because this company makes money off of his name. He is this company but here’s SCUM to interrupt. Corino shouts something I can’t make out as Steen grabs a chair. Some referees (in street clothes for a rare visual) get ready to break it up but Compton wants to fight Steen right now. Cue Jay Lethal, BJ Whitmer and Michael Elgin to even things up as Compton talks enough trash to get a fight going.
Kevin Steen vs. Cliff Compton
Date: June 8, 2013
Location: Ohio Expo Center, Columbus, Ohio
Empty arena match. They head outside early on with both guys being whipped into the barricade. Steen chokes away but nearly gets in a fight with Whitmer, allowing Compton to get in a cheap shot. That doesn’t seem to bother Steen, who whips him HARD into the barricade. They go beyond the barricade with Steen getting backdropped onto some open chairs. Steen pops back up for a kick to the ribs and a big toss through the chairs (how rude to people who set those up).
Some chair shots to the knee keep Compton in trouble but Steen would rather dive onto SCUM than follow up. They get inside for the first time with Compton getting in a cheap shot. Corino throws in a chain so everyone else starts brawling at ringside. There’s the F Cinc onto a chair but Matt Hardy comes in to jump Steen and give Compton the pin at 5:19.
Rating: C. This is the kind of different action that I was hoping for on this thing. It actually felt different and that’s what this has been needing. It was actually unique for a change and the lack of commentary made it more realistic. Given how SCUM comes and goes at will, there is little reason to believe that something like this wouldn’t break out at some point. Not a great match, but it was entertaining enough with the special atmosphere.
SCUM just leaving by walking outside feels so indy. Lethal, Whitmer and Elgin say they came out here to see which side Steen was on and don’t seem pleased by the results. A distraught Steen sits in the ring.
From Live And Let Die (June 8, 2013).
Kevin Steen vs. Rhino
Date: June 8, 2013
Location: Ohio Expo Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentator: Kevin Kelly
At least this one is scheduled. Steen shoulders him down to start and Rhino is sent outside in a hurry. They both wind up outside with Steen being sent into the barricade and suplexed on the floor. Some right hands get Steen out of trouble and there’s the flip dive off the apron to drop Rhino again. They get back inside with Rhino hitting a spinebuster for two, followed by the knees to the chest.
The bodyscissors goes on and Rhino even rolls him backwards for two. Back up and Steen gets in a shot to the face for a double knockdown. Steen’s dropkick into a middle rope dropkick sets up the Cannonball for two. Steen is surprised by the kickout so he hits the Swanton for two more. Instead it’s a Gore to Rhino for a change and the F Cinc is enough to give Steen the pin at 8:05.
Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as Rhino was treated as the monster of the team earlier in the year and now he’s beaten clean in eight minutes. That’s quite the short match and it doesn’t make it seem like Steen had to work too hard to pull off a win here. It’s not the worst, but it felt like a low level challenge instead of some big threat.
Post match here’s Matt Hardy to take Steen out, setting up the following.
From Live And Let Die (June 8, 2013).
Mark Briscoe vs. Matt Hardy
Date: June 8, 2013
Location: Ohio Expo Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentator: Kevin Kelly
Hardy is in a #1 contenders match at Best in the World while Briscoe is in the World Title match at the same show. Briscoe comes in to jump Hardy and start in a hurry. Matt tries to hide on the floor so Briscoe posts him and goes up top. Corino throws in the microphone and then shoves Briscoe off the top, allowing Matt to hit the Side Effect for two. There’s a swinging neckbreaker to take Briscoe down again so we get the MAN UP chants.
The sleeper/chinlock goes on for two arm drops but Brisco powers up again. That just earns him a trip from Corino and Matt’s neckbreaker gets two more. Mark is up again and this time pulls Corino off the middle rope, meaning it’s time for Red Neck Kung Fu. Some chops to the head get two and a top rope version drops Matt again.
Rating: C. It worked well enough while it lasted and at least Briscoe didn’t lose clean on his way to a World Title shot. They’re getting into a pretty standard formula with SCUM though and that’s not going to work out all that well in the long term. The good thing is that the long term is likely finishing in less than two months, though I’m starting to roll my eyes every time it’s more interference for the SCUM win.
Post match the beatdown is on so Steen makes the save. As has been the case before, let’s go straight to the next match.
From Live And Let Die (June 8, 2013).
SCUM vs. Michael Elgin/Jay Lethal/BJ Whitmer
Date: June 8, 2013
Location: Ohio Expo Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentator: Kevin Kelly
Anything goes and it’s Jimmy Jacobs/Cliff Compton/Rhett Titus for the team. It’s a brawl to start as the ring announcer tries to get the entrances. SCUM hits a triple suplex but the ROH guys are right back up for the delayed triple verticals. It’s already time to go outside with Lethal suicide diving onto Jacobs. Elgin beats Compton up the aisle as Corino is losing his mind at ringside.
Compton fights back near the entrance as the other four brawl nearby. Lethal and Jacobs finally get back in the ring but Titus makes the save and clotheslines Lethal outside. Titus walks into Whitmer’s suplex but here’s Compton to take him down in a hurry. One heck of a discus forearm sends Compton off the apron and his partners can’t quite catch him. Jacobs can’t hit the Contra Code off the apron to Elgin but they fall onto the pile anyway.
Back in and Jacobs hits the middle rope cutter on Lethal before going up top. A top rope backsplash….is pulled out of the air by Elgin. That’s just insane power and sets up a powerbomb for two with Titus and Compton making the save. Elgin doesn’t like that and suplexes both of them at the same time.
Jacobs comes back in with a chair to Elgin, followed by a reverse hurricanrana to Whitmer. Lethal is back in with a Downward Spiral/DDT combination to Jacobs and Titus. The Lethal Injection to Compton is broken up with a chair to the back though and Compton hits an F6 for the pin at 9:21.
Rating: C-. The action here worked but these matches are starting to bleed together. There’s only so much that can be gained from all of these matches that you see with some combination of the same handful of ROH guys vs. the same SCUM soldiers. They’re not bad matches, but I feel like I’ve seen these things time after time now.
Elgin is TICKED about the loss.
From Best In The World 2013 (June 22, 2013).
We recap Kevin Steen vs. Matt Hardy. Steen got thrown out of SCUM as Steve Corino seemed to be willing to get rid of him now that Hardy was here. Steen has tried to help in the war against SCUM but hasn’t quite pulled it off yet. He has to beat everyone in SCUM to get his title rematch and this is his big showdown, though he is still somewhat untrustworthy.
Kevin Steen vs. Matt Hardy
Date: June 22, 2013
Location: Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly
Steve Corino is here with Hardy and rants about how Baltimore loves false heroes. Hardy on the other hand is an icon and has over 800,000 Twitter followers. Corino yells at some fans and they throw toilet paper back at Hardy. We get the full intro from Corino, including saying that Hardy is a beautiful man. Steen’s entrance gets a ton of streamers but hang on because he wants this to be No DQ. Nigel says game on and Steen accuses Matt of being the bigger coward of the Hardy brothers.
We’re on in a hurry with Steen pounding him down in the corner, only to have Hardy pull the referee in front of the Cannonball. That’s enough of a distraction so Hardy can start working on the leg. Steen uses the good leg to kick him to the floor, allowing Steen to yell at a fan before chopping Matt against the barricade. Some crutch shots to the back have Matt in more trouble and Steen picks up a sign in his name to punch Hardy.
There’s a crotching against the post as the fans are WAY into Steen here. Hardy finally sends him back into the barricade and it’s time for a trashcan inside. A pair of neckbreakers plant Steen but he sends Hardy hard into the corner for the Cannonball. The Cannonball into the trashcan into Hardy gets two and it’s time to set up a table at ringside. That takes too much time so Hardy grabs the Side Effect for two more.
Steen fights back on the apron, drawing out Jimmy Jacobs to get rid of the table before a package piledriver can connect. Instead, Jacobs gets powerbombed onto the apron so here’s Compton to chair Steen down. Back in and Hardy hits him in the face with a ladder but Steen grabs a Codebreaker to send the ladder into Hardy’s face for two.
Thankfully that hurts Steen’s knee and the delay lets the Twist of Fate give Hardy two more. The low blow into the F Cinc drops Hardy for another near fall. Matt gets in his own low blow this time, setting up the Side Effect onto a chair. Compton throws in some more chairs and it’s a Twist of Fate through said chairs to finish Steen at 14:10.
Rating: B-. This felt like a big match though Steen losing feels rather flat. At the same time though, Hardy was kicking out of Steen’s big stuff so it does give him some credibility rather than just coasting on his reputation. Steen’s path forward almost has to lead to the big save in Steel Cage Warfare, but you never can tell around here. That’s a good thing too, especially in this situation.
Post match the beatdown stays on and no one comes out for the save.
From Ring of Honor TV, July 6, 2013.
We see a clip of Jay Briscoe after he survived against Mark Briscoe at Best In The World.
Nigel is in the ring and talks about how Best In The World reminded him why he loved this business. You had two people who helped build this company fighting to determine who was the best man. They did everyone proud (Kevin Kelly: “Amen.” Steve Corino: “Shut up.”) but the question now is how much do you have left.
The point is that both Briscoes are banged up with Jay having hurt his shoulder and Mark having suffered a concussion (Kelly to Corino: “Stop clapping.”). Therefore, Mark is out of Steel Cage Warfare, meaning we need a replacement. The fans want Steen….and here he comes, much to Corino’s fear. Steen gets straight to the point: put him in Steel Cage Warfare.
Nigel isn’t sure because he’s not wild on trusting the man who started SCUM in the first place. Steen is here for payback and to beat them up so now he can finish this. Steen: “So grow a pair and put me in the G** d*** match!” Cue SCUM to go after Steen so here are BJ Whitmer, Michael Elgin and Jay Lethal for the save. Security breaks it up as Corino looks worried.
From Ring of Honor TV, July 20, 2013.
SCUM is in their limo, as paid for by Hardy, on their way to the arena. They are ready to pay him back for everything by making him World Champion. They’re closer to him than his own brother.
We see SCUM arriving at the arena with Matt offering to buy pro-Steen signs and cutting promos on fans. Corino: “IMAGINE THE DRUGS YOU CAN BUY WITH EIGHTY BUCKS!” The fan won’t budge so Rhett Titus rips it up for him.
Ring of Honor World Title: Jay Briscoe vs. Matt Hardy
Date: July 20, 2013
Location: Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentator: Kevin Kelly
Briscoe is defending with a bad shoulder and Corino is here with Hardy. Corino handles Hardy’s introductions, including saying he can walk on water. They lock up to start with Matt wisely going after the shoulder but Briscoe stomps him down in the corner. The bad shoulder goes into the post a few times though as Matt is showing the brains early on. Briscoe tries to slug away but gets caught in the Twist of Fate for two. Matt hits the hammerlock and we take a break.
Back with Jay hitting the forearms and nailing a dropkick but not being able to follow up. A superkick drops Hardy for two and the hangman’s neckbreaker is good for the same. The Jay Driller is broken up though and Matt grabs another Twist of Fate for another two. They go outside with Hardy sending him into various things for two back inside. Jay breaks out of the double underhook choke though and hits a very quick Jay Driller for a near fall.
A bunch of stomps to the leg in the corner have Hardy in more trouble so the referee pulls Briscoe off. That lets Hardy take off his boot for a shot to the head and two of his own. Two more Twists of Fate give Hardy two more and he can’t believe the kickout. The double underhook choke goes on but Briscoe is out in a hurry. Hardy takes his sweet time going up top and a belly to back superplex gives Jay two. They slug it out and the Jay Driller is countered into the Twist of Fate, which is countered into a small package to retain the title at 18:45.
Rating: B. They came as close to epic as you can get in this situation and that’s a good feeling. Matt taking the fall is a big deal as Briscoe gets to establish himself a little bit more. Briscoe hung in there against a legend and even got the pin after surviving several finishers. It felt big and that’s what they were going for so well done.
Post match here’s Rhino to Gore Jay, drawing out Mark Briscoe for the save. ROH and SCUM come out for the brawl with the latter using zip ties to tie ROH to the ropes. Corino puts the title around Hardy and the already concussed Mark takes a pair of Conchairtos. Matt Pillmanizes Jay’s shoulder, which is treated as a bigger deal than the Conchairtos. Corino promises to burn ROH down to end the show. Steen was notably absent for the save.
From ROH TV, July 27, 2013.
Long video on the history of SCUM and how we got to this match. No one on Team ROH really trusts Steen, but they know he’s their only chance.
Team ROH vs. SCUM
Date: July 27, 2013
Location: Du Burns Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino
ROH: Michael Elgin, Jay Lethal, BJ Whitmer, Kevin Steen
SCUM: Rhino, Cliff Compton, Jimmy Jacobs, Rhett Titus
It’s Steel Cage Warfare with everything on the line. If SCUM wins, Steve Corino runs ROH but if ROH wins, SCUM disbands. The match is WarGames with one ring and under elimination rules. Two men are in for five minutes, then SCUM gets a two minute advantage. Then it is back and forth entrants every two minutes until one team is completely eliminated. Before the match, Corino mentions that Steen had flat fires and couldn’t be here for the save last week, but Kelly realizes there is no way Corino would have known that without having something to do with it.
Jacobs and Whitmer start things off and immediately slug it out until Whitmer headscissors him into the cage. Whitmer shrugs it off and sends Jacobs into the cage over and over as Corino is being way closer to neutral than you would expect. The exploder suplex gives Whitmer two and he rakes Jacobs’ face into the cage.
Titus makes it 2-1 so Whitmer is waiting on him with some weak looking clotheslines. Whitmer sends him into the cage a few times and we take a break (feels so wrong in a match like this). Back with Whitmer being stomped down in the corner until Elgin is in to tie things up. Elgin suplexes both of them at once and then throws them both at once as the power is on full display. There’s the delayed vertical suplex to Jacobs but Elgin just sits him down for a whip into the cage instead.
Compton makes it 3-2 and he throws powder in Elgin’s eyes. SCUM busts out the zip ties to tie Elgin to the cage so Whitmer is triple teamed. The spike piledriver gets rid of Whitmer so here’s Lethal to take his place with a chair. House is cleaned and Lethal is smart enough to untie Compton so the comeback is on. Titus gets crotched on top and we take a break. Back again with Rhino (MATT HARDY ISN’T IN THIS???) completing SCUM and it’s a Gore to Elgin. Rhino Gores Titus by mistake and it’s a Lethal Injection to get rid of Rhino in about thirty seconds. Corino: “THAT WASN’T PART OF THE PLAN! THAT WASN’T PART OF THE PLAN!”
Lethal goes Savage with a top rope ax handle for two on Compton. Elgin throws Jacobs onto the cage but he bounces off with a back elbow. Steen is in to complete Team ROH but Matt Hardy (at least he’s here) jumps him from behind and sends him into the cage. The door is left open though and everyone fights to the floor with Steen fighting back up without much effort. ROH takes over as Corino is wondering about the lack of disqualifications.
A table is slid into the cage as everyone keeps brawling on the floor. Elgin side slams Compton through a chair and the table is set up in the corner. Lethal is left alone with Titus and Jacobs with a backflip cutter dropping Titus for the elimination. So it’s Lethal/Elgin/Steen vs. Compton/Jacobs, though Hardy is here too. Hardy gets whipped into the barricade again (they like that around here) and Steen gives him a crutch between the legs. Jacobs chairs Lethal in the back and hits a spear through the table. Compton steals the pin to get rid of Lethal and it’s back to 2-2.
Steen gets back in to send Compton into the cage and we take another break. Back with Jacobs hitting the Contra Code on Steen but Elgin sends Jacobs into the cage. Compton climbs the cage for some reason and gets super sitout powerbombed down to give Elgin the pin, leaving us with Elgin/Steen vs. Jacobs. Corino gets in the cage and throws a fireball at Elgin to give Jacobs the pin.
Hardy comes in with a Twist of Fate to Steen and Corino has a briefcase. Corino opens it up to reveal lighter fluid and a bunch of matches with Jacobs even trying to call this off. Hardy holds the referee back as Corino lights the match. Cue Nigel McGuinness to stop Corino and take him down with a lariat. Steen saves Nigel from the Twist of Fate and gives Matt the package piledriver. Another package piledriver ends Jacobs to finish SCUM at 25:47.
Rating: C+. This wasn’t very good actually and I was kind of disappointed. After over a year of buildup, you kind of expect a lot more than ROH only being in any kind of danger in the last minute. Nigel laying out Corino was a great moment but why in the world did SCUM not put Hardy in there? Over Rhett freaking Titus?
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad match, but they really didn’t do a great job of setting up the drama. I can understand why they didn’t want to go with one fall to a finish here, but the elimination didn’t leave a ton of drama in the end. Steen getting the final fall worked, though he never even got his hands on Corino after everything that happened between them. What we got was good, but I was expecting an epic fight and only got a pretty good one.
The celebration is on with Adam Cole of all people coming out to watch as Nigel hugs Steen to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. It’s kind of hard to give an overall rating to something nearly nine and a half hours long, though I do it every year with Wrestlemania so it’s not completely foreign. This worked well in that it showed a complete story (keep in mind that there is a difference between everything there is to know and everything you need to know) and made me want to see how it was going to end. You knew SCUM would go down in the grand finale, but they did a decent job of making me want to see it happen.
The problem though is the story is only so good. The ending cage match is a big deal but once that was announced, a lot of the time was spent killing time until they reached the match. Once Steen was thrown out of the group, the story kind of stopped evolving and it was little more than “SCUM attacks, ROH can’t fight back, we build up the cage match”. That gets a little tiresome, especially when Steen’s fight through SCUM didn’t wind up going anywhere.
Overall, it’s worth checking out if you haven’t seen the era before (as I hadn’t), but it’s not something that needed to be nine hours. They EASILY could have cut out a handful of matches and trimmed this down by at least an hour and a half, but for the price I paid for it ($5, albeit in a huge sale), I really can’t complain about it whatsoever. It’s an interesting sit, but I wouldn’t watch the three discs back to back to back.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
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