Match 1: WWE Championship - Elimination Chamber - CM Punk © vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz vs. R-Truth
Surprised that this is the match they decided to kick off the show with. Had a gut feeling that they were going to close out the night with Punk. Michael Cole quickly notifies the audience that in its ten year existence, the Chamber is a high risking way for titles to change hands. Only three champions have retained inside the Chamber. Taking the fact that this was the opening contest of the night, the match served its role brilliantly. It was great, had a nice flow, and had the crowd going. The match also made sure to not overstay its welcome and not steal the show to tale away the flame for the rest of the night. Every man in the match was over and looked good. The eliminations weren’t sudden and for good reason, they take away the idea of putting men over inside the Chamber. Punk and The Miz were the final two and Punk hit the GTS to retain. Great match and a great win for CM Punk.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***¾
Match 2: Divas Championship - Beth Phoenix © vs. Tamina Snuka
Beth Phoenix is having a pretty damn good reign and it continues here tonight against Snuka. Hard to believe that a Divas match would be a really fun roller coaster but these two managed to pull off an impressive showing. The two look really great in the ring and Phoenix is starting to get really over as a Diva. She wins by hitting a Gland Slam.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: *¾
Match 3: World Heavyweight Championship - Elimination Chamber - Daniel Bryan © vs. The Great Khali vs. The Big Show vs. Santino Marella vs. Wade Barrett vs. Cody Rhodes
So with this, we will be getting John Cena vs. Kane in the main event. On paper, this match looks to be another fantastic Chamber match as Bryan looks to defend and retain his belt for only the fifth time in the Chamber’s existence. The booking of this match was absolutely brilliant. From getting Khali out of the match quickly, to having Show destroy Bryan inside his pod, to Rhodes elimination Show, and to Marella nearly pulling off the Milan Miracle Part II. The drama, action, and excitement was definitely through the roof and the crowd really enjoyed this one more than the one earlier. Bryan makes Marella tap out to retain. Sheamus later comes out after the match and takes out Daniel Bryan. Things are getting interesting.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: ****
Match 4: United States Championship - Jack Swagger © vs. Justin Gabriel
This was basically just a simple squash match to kill some time and put a quick spotlight on Swagger. Nothing special, served its purpose finely. Gabriel has a lot of talent and probably deserves better. Too bad he ran into the push that is Jack Swagger.
Winner: Jack Swagger
Rating: ½*
Match 5: Ambulance - John Cena vs. Kane
This has to be one of the oddest feuds in recent memory. It also happens to be the marquee match of the night. This is the first Ambulance match in over ten years and it’s John Cena trying to overcome the hate against Kane. The crowd is pretty hot for this one and both men take the fight around the arena and really go at each other. Surprised to see Cena take some big bumps before his match against The Rock including getting a Chokeslam through the table. However, the seriousness of the match took a toll when Cena took a microphone and asked Booker if he was apart of his top five. I understand that they’re just trying to have some fun, but I really felt like it took a lot of the drama. Cena eventually gained the victory after delivering a cool Attitude Adjustment to Kane off the ambulance. Decent match and a fitting way to end the last PPV before WrestleMania. As much as one of the Chamber matches would be great to close out the night, Cena needs to stand tall before going up against The Rock.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: **¼
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Had high hopes for the show that just weren’t realized. While the Chamber matches were great, it just simply wasn’t enough to give the PPV that extra push. I understand that the objective of this show is to simply create more buzz for the next one, however, it shouldn’t be an excuse for a PPV to finish so poorly.
Rating: 5.75/10
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
ROH Homecoming 2012 Review
Match 1: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team vs. Future Shock
Shelton & Charlie trash the city of Philadelphia in a generic heel promo before the match and we’re set. Very basic action between the two teams, nothing too special. A good match to establish the groundwork for the rest of the night. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team work better as heels and Future Shock really had the crowd behind them. Good start.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: **¾
Match 2: Mike Bennett vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Andy Ridge vs. Grizzly Redwood
I really enjoy watching these four corner survival matches. Really liking how we had the faces team up against the heels until things quickly diversified. The action was very quick but the match was short and in all honesty, that’s exactly how this match should be. There was no need for it to overstay its welcome and the pacing was done nicely. Ciampa picks up the win after taking out Redwood.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
Rating: **½
Match 3: Kevin Steen vs. Kenny King
It’s good to see Kevin Steen back in a Ring of Honor ring. With Rhett Titus on the sidelines, this should be a very interesting contest. We got a damn good brawl from the two of these men and Steen looked dominant and did a fantastic job of interacting with the crowd. His jokes and antics really put him over and really make his matches unique from the others on the card. Steen picks up the win and kicks Titus in his injured knee afterwards. Great stuff.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: ***
Match 4: Michael Elgin vs. Chris Hero
As good as it was to see Steen back in a Ring of Honor ring, seeing Chris Hero back in one definitely takes the cake. This is likely Hero’s final appearance in Ring of Honor before moving on to bigger things so a match against the red hot Michael Elgin is a perfect fit. Shane Hagadorn made a quick cameo before the match to be in Hero’s corner. Hero declined and the match was underway. Hero toyed with Elgin early on but as things progressed, the action became much heavier and it was awesome to see these two go at it with chop exchanges and nasty kicks from Hero. The time limit was nearing its course and the match became more interesting until Elgin dropped Hero to pick up the huge victory. Afterwards, Hagadorn returned back to the ring but Hero sent him back with a huge elbow. A very fitting way for Chris Hero to leave Ring of Honor.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***½
Match 5: No Holds Barred - Roderick Strong vs. Adam Cole
Since Eddie Edwards is unable to compete, Adam Cole comes out to take his spot against Roddy! Cole nails Truth Martini with a huge kick and the match is on! This was a really great way to showcase the talents of Adam Cole and maybe even put him over as a bigger star for the company. The exchanges these men had with chops, kicks, punches, and chairs was so much fun to watch. The crowd really bought into the action and they invested their time into Adam Cole. There were a few nasty spots but they all made sense considering Cole wanted to make a name for himself against Strong. Elgin comes out to interfere and Strong’s behalf until Edwards runs out to make the save. However, Strong drops Cole hard to get the win. Afterwards, Cole gets a great standing ovation.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: ***¾
Match 6: Proving Ground - The Briscoes vs. Jigsaw & Hallowicked
Definitely a match that I’m excited for as I think that huge things can arise from this match. The crowd has been great throughout the night and this match was no different. Everyone was mostly for The Briscoes but Team Chikara got some big pops in the thick of things. Good wrestling from bell to bell and some nice smart wrestling tossed in there with the bigger Briscoes using their size and strength to mainly get the better of these guys. The Chikara locker room later comes out for the latter part of the match and things get heated and much more interesting. Jay throws a punch and that leads to him being distracted and getting rolled up for the pin! The Briscoes have lost the Proving Ground match! Jigsaw & Hallowicked earn shots at the titles in Chicago in April! Good match that sets up for something big down the down. Match completely served its purpose.
Winners: Jigsaw & Hallowicked
Rating: ***½
Match 7: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. Jay Lethal
We are now on to the main event with two top guys going at it for the company’s top title! It was going to be interesting to see what type of match we would see from these two and while the action was somewhat predictable, it felt fresh and varied from start to finish. This was a nice change of pace considering the matches we get from these two are generally similar from the last. They began with fantastic technical wrestling and shifted into gears as the match progressed with harder kicks and strikes. Once again, the crowd was most definitely into the action. In the latter part of the match, Roderick Strong came to take out Lethal but Lethal quickly disposed of him. The interference wasn’t really necessary but since it had little to no effect on the match, I understand why it happened. Richards gets the better of Lethal and finishes him with a nasty series of kicks. A great ending to a pretty great main event. Lethal will have more shots at the title and hopefully, we can get something different from this. Afterwards, Richards puts over Lethal and the company to send everybody home.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: ***¾
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
An awesome way for the company to start the year. We saw Chris Hero wrestle his last match, a big angle with Chikara begin, Kevin Steen return to the ring, Adam Cole get a huge opportunity, and Davey Richards retaining against Jay Lethal. While nothing was noteworthy spectacular, nothing was noteworthy bad. Every match served its purpose and all the pieces fell nicely into place.
Rating: 8.5/10
Shelton & Charlie trash the city of Philadelphia in a generic heel promo before the match and we’re set. Very basic action between the two teams, nothing too special. A good match to establish the groundwork for the rest of the night. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team work better as heels and Future Shock really had the crowd behind them. Good start.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: **¾
Match 2: Mike Bennett vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Andy Ridge vs. Grizzly Redwood
I really enjoy watching these four corner survival matches. Really liking how we had the faces team up against the heels until things quickly diversified. The action was very quick but the match was short and in all honesty, that’s exactly how this match should be. There was no need for it to overstay its welcome and the pacing was done nicely. Ciampa picks up the win after taking out Redwood.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
Rating: **½
Match 3: Kevin Steen vs. Kenny King
It’s good to see Kevin Steen back in a Ring of Honor ring. With Rhett Titus on the sidelines, this should be a very interesting contest. We got a damn good brawl from the two of these men and Steen looked dominant and did a fantastic job of interacting with the crowd. His jokes and antics really put him over and really make his matches unique from the others on the card. Steen picks up the win and kicks Titus in his injured knee afterwards. Great stuff.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: ***
Match 4: Michael Elgin vs. Chris Hero
As good as it was to see Steen back in a Ring of Honor ring, seeing Chris Hero back in one definitely takes the cake. This is likely Hero’s final appearance in Ring of Honor before moving on to bigger things so a match against the red hot Michael Elgin is a perfect fit. Shane Hagadorn made a quick cameo before the match to be in Hero’s corner. Hero declined and the match was underway. Hero toyed with Elgin early on but as things progressed, the action became much heavier and it was awesome to see these two go at it with chop exchanges and nasty kicks from Hero. The time limit was nearing its course and the match became more interesting until Elgin dropped Hero to pick up the huge victory. Afterwards, Hagadorn returned back to the ring but Hero sent him back with a huge elbow. A very fitting way for Chris Hero to leave Ring of Honor.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***½
Match 5: No Holds Barred - Roderick Strong vs. Adam Cole
Since Eddie Edwards is unable to compete, Adam Cole comes out to take his spot against Roddy! Cole nails Truth Martini with a huge kick and the match is on! This was a really great way to showcase the talents of Adam Cole and maybe even put him over as a bigger star for the company. The exchanges these men had with chops, kicks, punches, and chairs was so much fun to watch. The crowd really bought into the action and they invested their time into Adam Cole. There were a few nasty spots but they all made sense considering Cole wanted to make a name for himself against Strong. Elgin comes out to interfere and Strong’s behalf until Edwards runs out to make the save. However, Strong drops Cole hard to get the win. Afterwards, Cole gets a great standing ovation.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: ***¾
Match 6: Proving Ground - The Briscoes vs. Jigsaw & Hallowicked
Definitely a match that I’m excited for as I think that huge things can arise from this match. The crowd has been great throughout the night and this match was no different. Everyone was mostly for The Briscoes but Team Chikara got some big pops in the thick of things. Good wrestling from bell to bell and some nice smart wrestling tossed in there with the bigger Briscoes using their size and strength to mainly get the better of these guys. The Chikara locker room later comes out for the latter part of the match and things get heated and much more interesting. Jay throws a punch and that leads to him being distracted and getting rolled up for the pin! The Briscoes have lost the Proving Ground match! Jigsaw & Hallowicked earn shots at the titles in Chicago in April! Good match that sets up for something big down the down. Match completely served its purpose.
Winners: Jigsaw & Hallowicked
Rating: ***½
Match 7: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. Jay Lethal
We are now on to the main event with two top guys going at it for the company’s top title! It was going to be interesting to see what type of match we would see from these two and while the action was somewhat predictable, it felt fresh and varied from start to finish. This was a nice change of pace considering the matches we get from these two are generally similar from the last. They began with fantastic technical wrestling and shifted into gears as the match progressed with harder kicks and strikes. Once again, the crowd was most definitely into the action. In the latter part of the match, Roderick Strong came to take out Lethal but Lethal quickly disposed of him. The interference wasn’t really necessary but since it had little to no effect on the match, I understand why it happened. Richards gets the better of Lethal and finishes him with a nasty series of kicks. A great ending to a pretty great main event. Lethal will have more shots at the title and hopefully, we can get something different from this. Afterwards, Richards puts over Lethal and the company to send everybody home.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: ***¾
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
An awesome way for the company to start the year. We saw Chris Hero wrestle his last match, a big angle with Chikara begin, Kevin Steen return to the ring, Adam Cole get a huge opportunity, and Davey Richards retaining against Jay Lethal. While nothing was noteworthy spectacular, nothing was noteworthy bad. Every match served its purpose and all the pieces fell nicely into place.
Rating: 8.5/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
