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