ROH Border Wars 2012 Review

Match 1: Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino
One full year ago, Edwards was main eventing the show against Chris Hero for the big one. Tonight, he is in the opening contest against Rhino. It just feels like ROH dropped the ball on Edwards after he lost the title and it is frustrating to see him wrestle these random matches like this. Rhino is a perfect fit for The House of Truth and the two pulled off a great opening bout here. Rhino looks to be in great shape and Edwards was great as usual. This should really come off as no surprise to anyone and of course, the Canada crowd was hot! Edwards rolls up Rhino to get the win and I am pretty confident this win for Edwards is going to be meaningless in a month.
Winner: Eddie Edwards
Rating: **¾

Match 2: The All Night Express & TJ Perkins vs. The Young Bucks & Mike Mondo
As expected, this match was jampacked with tons of action and tons of big moves. This was a great way to get everyone on the card and while I think it should have been the match to kick off the night, it was still great and the crowd absolutely loved it. Granted, the match was definitely sloppy at times but it is expected when you have six guys beating the living hell out of each other. Seeing all these guys land a massive array of kicks upon each other was such a joy to see. Creativity leads to a hot crowd and that is exactly what we got here. A fun match with The All Night Express & Perkins getting the big win. However, I just cannot seem to give this match a higher score considering all the hiccups they managed to make.
Winners: The All Night Express & TJ Perkins
Rating: ***

Match 3: Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa
I expressed previously that I have no interest in this feud. Until now. These guys pulled out everything they had from start to finish in this match and it was one wild ride! Ciampa is riding a long undefeated streak and hopes to continue it here against Lethal. I know I shouldn’t be, but I was completely shocked to see that this match delivered and passed all my expectations. The crowd, the interfering Embassy, and the action and passion the two left in the ring was awesome. I have not seen too much variety from these guys but they definitely brought their A game here as the close falls and growing anticipation to a pin fall was very eminent. In most cases, I hate having interferences in matches but it was very fitting here and in all actuality, boosted the intensity of the match. Lethal nearly has Ciampa after the Lethal Injection until RD Evans pulls out Sinclair. Lethal hits Hail to the King. Ciampa kicks out. Lethal finally kills Ciampa after a crazy Lethal Combination to finally get the win and put an end to Ciampa’s streak. A great display of professional wrestling and maybe I am overrating this match, but I loved it. The show is off to a hot start. They did a nice job of showing their hate for each other before the match and they managed to pull off a roller coaster ride of a match which showed how badly they wanted to win. Good stuff.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ****½

Match 4: Lance Storm vs. Mike Bennett
Lance Storm came out to one of Chris Jericho’s songs. That is so damn cool! This match has managed to give off the big match type of vibe that that was not really there the last time around. Always amazed at the shape Storm is in with his age. I’m even more impressed to see him still go at it in the ring and this match is a great example. A better showing for the two here than the last time in Florida as the chemistry just meshed well better in this contest. They wrestled at a faster pace here and Bennett definitely went all out his this match here against Storm. Unfortunately for Bennett, bringing in a steel chair became his downfall as a distraction from Brutal Bob allowed Storm to hit him with a chair and nail a big kick for the win. Hate to see Bennett eat the pin but a cool Border Wars moment to see Storm celebrate in his hometown.
Winner: Lance Storm
Rating: ***¼

Match 5: Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin
The strong Border Wards card continues as two guys who are on the verge of breaking out go at it. The House of Truth’s Michael Elgin taking on Adam Cole. The crowd seems a bit tired after the last few matches but when needed, they definitely added a little boost to this match. The action is dominated early on by Elgin and looks to easily be in control the match. While the front half of the contest was pretty slow, it built a nice gateway for a very strong second half that Elgin managed to show off his unreal strength. After a last back and fourth exchange, Elgin hits his finisher to pick up the big win. Afterwards, Truth Martini mocks Adam Cole until Cole lands a nasty kick upon him. Elgin picks Martini up and walks him to the back with a reluctant look on his face. Strong contest that really blends well with the card.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***

Match 6: ROH World Television Championship - Roderick Strong © vs. Fit Finlay
It’s pretty surreal to see Finlay, a guy who I used to watch on WWE television growing up go against a Ring of Honor veteran on their iPPV. Finlay’s wrestling style may not be the flashiest, but it gets the job done and gives off an amazing story telling in the process. Strong was a perfect opponent for Finlay because he does a great job at adapting to different wrestling styles and he looked comfortable in his role with Finlay. The match was very methodical and while the crowd was quiet again, you can easily feel the sign of respect the crowd is displaying to Fit. Interesting wrestling from the two and pretty nostalgic to see Finlay in the ring and seeing him use his tactics in order to gain an advantage. However, Strong proved to be too much for Finlay as he picked up the big victory. The match was pretty good but way too long for my liking. Finlay receives a deserved standing ovation from the crowd afterwards.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: **¾

Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - Fight Without Honor - The Briscoes © vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
The feel and ambiance that this match is so reminiscent of The Briscoes going against The Kings of Wrestling in Canada the year beforehand. An unbelievably hot crowd and the action started off hot with Mark Briscoe running out in hockey gear attacking WGTT. Right from the start, all four guys brought it and the crowd was eating up every second of it. Having this type of match at this stage of the show is definitely a big risk but it looks to be very rewarding considering how hot the crowd is and hopefully, that can transcend into the main event. Everything was working until the very end when Haas decided to bring out a towel which he sprayed with something that allowed him to knock out Mark Briscoe. This led to WGTT winning the belts. I can’t be making this up. The commentators and planted fans in the audience sell the towel as WGTT walk out as champs. I’ve seen some pretty stupid things in wrestling, but this one is near the top. This was such a fun and wild match that unfortunately, turned into something stupid simply because of an insanely stupid finish.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: **½

Match 8: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. Kevin Steen
I like Kevin Steen. As a matter of fact, he is one of my favorite wrestlers in the game right now. I find his matches to entertaining, however, I feel like many of them are simply a case smoke and mirrors. This match can be used as evidence in the big main event that has been anticipated for months. One of Steen’s biggest drawbacks is his lack of athleticism. Going against Richards was going to be his biggest test physically in a long time and he looked like a mess. While he later revealed that he was sick for the match, he look downright exhausted and it became frustrating to see that he could hardly keep up with the more athletic champion. From start to finish, it almost felt to me that Richards was the fuel that kept the match going with Steen simply tagging along. I’m not saying Steen did not help in his role, I’m just stating the facts as Steen did not look physically prepared and as a fan, it was frustrating. The crowd loved the match, they were ridiculously on Steen’s side and Richards had no choice but to play the role of a heel and he looked right at home. His reign as the man has been pretty lackluster and I can only imagine the difference there would be had he been this badass heel like he was here. Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs both were out ringside with Jacobs in the corner of Steen as Corino sat down next to the commentators eerily with nothing to say. The two cranked the match up near the end with Steen finally hitting his Package Piledriver to capture the belt, ending the disappointing reign by Richards. Cary Silkin looks frustrated and refuses to hand over the belt to Steen as Corino later comes in to hug Steen alongside Jacobs to close out the show. A complete shame that Jim Cornette was not there to witness all this. I hate saying that someone carried another individual in a match but this was exactly the situation here. For all the praise this match gets, most of the credit should belong to Richards. The physical shape this man is in is impressive and it is a shame that he had to drop the belt to someone in the exact opposite shape. I understand the flow of hate that may come my way and I am willing to take it. Even still, I am glad to see Steen as champion and I expect a lengthy reign. The match was good but nowhere near lived up to its large expectations. Even still, it was a very fitting way to cap off the Canada iPPV.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: ***¾

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Simply put, this show will be remembered for the main event. This is a shame considering how strong everything else was and how ROH managed to pull off a fairly consistent iPPV show from top to bottom, especially Lethal vs. Ciampa. Steen winning the belt will be the moment everyone remembers along with him hugging Corino at the end. But I think this show should be symbolized as how bad the booking of Richards as champion was. For the first time in his reign, he looked like a badass animal. This just comes off as a missed opportunity in so many ways. The company is heading in a different direction, only time will tell if it’s going the right way.
Rating: 7.75/10