ROH Richards vs. Daniels Review

From November 11, 2011.

Match 1: The All Night Express vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly
Two hot tag teams open up the show for the big night. All Night Express is really gaining the crowd's attention as of late and their trash talking with Cole & O'Reilly get things going early on. All Night Express managed to look like veterans in this one due to them looking like dominant and title contending team against the younger team of Cole & O'Reilly who managed to hold up against them. Lots of great back and forth action with a lot of near falls and counters in this one, just as you would expect. A few mistakes in the end cause The All Night Express to get the win in the opening match of the night. Great way to start off the show with both teams looking great in either win or loss. Big things on the horizon for these four guys.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***1/4

Match 2: Andy Ridge vs. Ricky Reyes
This is Ridge's second match in the Trial Series and it's against the always charismatic Ricky Reyes. That was sarcasm for those who didn't catch that. Decent wrestling affair from the two but never seemed important and just felt like a complete filler. Reyes looked pretty good but Ridge just didn't appeal to me. Having a good look isn't very important to me but this guy is the definition of generic. He has generic music, lame tights, and a personality that he doesn't even believe in what he's saying. He's definitely on the right track to becoming a better wrestling but as for now, I'm not appealed at all to this guy. The match was good but again, felt very tossed in the mix and just not important on this night.
Winner: Ricky Reyes
Rating: *1/4

Match 3: Daizee Haze & Jamilla Craft vs. Lady JoJo & Nevaeh
Time for the women to take the stage in a tag team match. A little altercation spills out before the match with a fan who harassed Lady JoJo & Neveah. Looks like they're filming another segment for a reality show which is fine since this match really wasn't any big deal to be honest. Same wrestling you would normally see from these women with some decent action here and there but the crowd just couldn't care less. Nothing special here as usual.
Winners: Lady JoJo & Naveah
Rating: 1/2*

Match 4: Homicide vs. Kevin Steen
The crazy Homicide makes his return to Chicago against the crazier Kevin Steen! Crowd was a bit dead following the last two matches but once Steen's music hit, things changed! If you were expecting a brawl and nothing else from this match, then you will not be disappointing. Both men managed to grab the crowd with their hands and control them from the start. Lots of brawling and a lot more funny moments including them reaching their fingers into their opponent's noses, cussing really loudly for no reason, and cracking senseless jokes to get the crowd involved. I know a lot of people don't like the joking around kind of stuff but if it's to lighten the mood after two boring matches, I don't see the harm in it. Homicide cracks Steen with a neck breaker off the top rope and gets the win. After, he gets on the microphone to put over the company before Steen returns to the ring and brawls with Homicide which causes guys in the back to come out and split them apart. Great match with lots of great brawling and laugh out loud moments.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: ***1/4

Match 5: Mike Mondo vs. The Metal Master
Both men return to take on each other following the huge brawl between Homicide and Kevin Steen. Mondo is a former member of The Spirit Squad in the WWE while The Metal Master is a highly technical wrestler who can be very fun to watch. There was a huge amount of reversals in this one and most of the credit goes to Metal Master as Mondo was seemingly following him late for every move. Crowd was surprisingly into the action but Metal Master submits Mondo to get a quick victory not much to the crowd's liking. Good match and I'd love to see more of The Metal Master but again, Mike Mondo is doing nothing for me.
Winner: The Metal Master
Rating: *1/2

Match 6: Elimination - The Kings of Wrestling vs. The Briscoes
This tag match will be contested under elimination rules and is not for the titles. We've seen these two great teams go at it in many matches in the past and this will be their first in Chicago and first under these rules. The Kings look very dominant in the opening minutes by utilizing their size and strength over The Briscoes. The first pin and elimination comes when Claudio slips the loaded elbow pad to Chris Hero. Hero gets placed atop of Jay's shoulder's to which Mark leaps off the top rope looking to take out Hero only to get blasted in the face with the elbow and get eliminated. Nicely done elimination with a cool spot and the right man getting out first. It's basically a handicap match now as Jay Briscoe must fend off both Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero. The Kings easily dominate early on once again but Jay fights back and nails Castagnoli with the Jay Driller! It's now Chris Hero vs. Jay Briscoe! Hero puts back on the loaded elbow pad and rolls into the ring but Jay ducks the elbow and pins Hero to get the win for him and Mark. Good match but very underwhelming compared to their other wars.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: **3/4

Match 7: I Quit - Colt Cabana vs. Steve Corino
Colt Cabana and Steve Corino look to end their personal feud in a brutal fight in Colt Cabana's hometown of Chicago, IL. The interesting thing here is that Kevin Steen will be in ringside in a straight jacket. This allows Steen's involvement to be restrained but the problem here is that Steen took a lot of the attention away from the match. His constant grab for attention is entertaining but when it's a personal match like this, it somewhat becomes a decline in the match's seriousness. With that being said, both men involved in the match did a great job of displaying their hatred towards each other by brutally beating each other with nasty punches, huge chair shots, and a few really cool spots. However, Corino eventually unties Steen out of the straight jacket which leads to chaos being unleashed upon the match. Steen gets restrained by guys in the back and in the locker room so now his involvement is set back. Corino now has to take on an enraged Colt Cabana by himself and Cabana gets the best of him by driving Corino through a table and slashing his arm with a shard of the table. Corino screams, shouts, and eventually quits. Cabana then gets on the microphone and proclaims that it's finally over. Great match to end this personal feud between Cabana and Corino and also a great way to further the angle between Steen and Generico. Lots of blood and some cool spots make this one a fun watch.
Winner: Colt Cabana
Rating: ***1/4

Match 8: Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards
It is now finally time for the main event, the match the entire Ring of Honor world has been waiting for, the match that is six months in the making… Christopher Daniels taking on Davey Richards for the first time ever. Both men come out to their usual entrances, follow the Code of Honor, and we're off. The crowd is on fire and reenergized as both men lock up in what is seemingly going to be a stalemate. The two go hold for hold in the opening minutes with a lot of reversals early on the match. As the two men go at it back and forth, the crowd roars in an evenly split contest. They decide to then take matters outside the ring where Davey landed a nasty punt upon Daniels' chest. Davey kicks Daniels outside and tosses him back in where he puts his focus on his varied submission moves. Davey finally looks to be in control of the match but just like Davey early on in the match, Daniels doesn't give up and gets back into the match even after a relentless assault by Davey and his educated legs. Daniels finally gets back in control after crushing Davey's head in who was looking to toss his body through the second rope onto Daniels. This leads Daniels to putting Davey back in the firefight where Daniels puts the pressure on Davey. Again, the crowd is evenly split for both men as Daniels begins to get frustrated over Davey refusing to lose the match. However, Davey gets back into the match once again and even manages to land a diving head butt off the top rope! This match is going back and forth every minute, both men refuse to back down. Both men fight atop the top rope where Davey utilizes his head as a fist and destroys Daniels with it until landing a suplex off the top! Davey then destroys Daniels with more of his educated feet but Daniels pushes Davey away which does nothing but pump Davey up! The two men go at it with punches, kicks, and nasty blows! Daniels gets the better of the exchange and puts Davey in a Koji Clutch which is reversed by Davey into an Ankle Lock! Daniels reverses it again into his own Ankle Lock! Davey tosses him out of the ring and dives out onto Daniels and into the crowd! An absolutely incredible sequence! They get back into the ring where Davey looks to still be in control and lands a handspring kick to the face of Christopher Daniels. However, Daniels gets Davey down on the mat which leads him to run up to the top rope but Davey suplexes him off and Daniels basically flips over and lands hard on the mat! Davey then goes up and tries to land a Shooting Star Press but Daniels reverses it into another Koji Clutch! The crowd which had basically been quiet the entire show is standing and applauding what they are witnessing. Davey escapes and both men take it to the side of the ring apron where Davey gets slammed onto the side of the ring with a Death Valley Driver! Davey's spine, neck, and body crash and burn! Both men are down and hurt on the floor! Daniels climbs back in the ring quickly as the referee is counting down Davey who makes it in the ring with a second to spare! Back in the ring, Davey rises and begs Daniels to bring it on! Daniels chops Davey out of the ring who quickly gets back in and shouts for more! Davey unleashes an onslaught of punches but Daniels counters and drops Davey with the Angel's Wings! Davey kicks out and Daniels is shocked! The crowd is eating it up! Daniels goes up top again and looks to hit him with a Moonsault but Davey counters again and puts Daniels in an Ankle Lock! Daniels escapes but Davey quickly destroys him with a devastating clothesline! He then lands a huge hurting on Daniels with nasty kicks and a DR Driver to top it off! Davey locks in the Anke Lock and Daniels has no choice but to tap out! Davey Richards defeats Christopher Daniels in an incredible match! Both men sell the beatings they just took as Daniels raises Davey's hand. Crowd is still on their feet and give them a much deserved ovation. Daniels takes the microphone and gives us an emotional speech as he praises Davey Richards and the match. They then shake hands as Davey grabs the microphone and thanks the competition and the fans as he proclaims that he will be Ring of Honor World Champion. Maybe I'm overrating this match but I loved everything about it. The build, the match, the speeches, the crowd, the location, the date, and the execution. Matches like this are why we watch this sport, to forget about the bullshit and to escape into a world where the bullshit isn't welcome. One word to describe this match… amazing. Do yourselves a favor and watch this match. You won't be disappointed.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: *****

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
You're basically checking out this show for the main event. The matches before were all nothing special but it did have it's moments and we do have to take into consideration that this show was missing both Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong. However, everything is overshadowed by the main event. That match was most definitely one of the most amazing matches I have ever witnessed. Wrestling is alive, wrestling is well, and wrestling is great. Watch Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards.
Rating: 8/10