411’s Instant Access: ROH Honor Takes Center Stage Night 2

Hey kids, I’m Scott, and this is 411’s Instant Access: ROH Honor Takes Center Stage Night 2. Instant Access is the companion piece to 411 Live Pay-Per-View Coverage and features immediate reaction to wrestling pay-per-views. The focus in Instant Access is on first thoughts and initial reactions instead of play-by-play with the goal of providing you with instant access to one two THREE writers’ thoughts on the show. Here’s the team for Honor Takes Center Stage Night 2:

• Scott Slimmer, author of Don’t Think Twice.
• Ari Berenstein, author of Column of Honor and, in all honesty, the IWC’s most respected expert on ROH.
• Michael Ornelas, author of 411’s ROH on HDNet Report.

Okay kids, enough with the explanations. Let’s get to the wrestling.

Tag Team Challenge Match
The Kings of Wrestling w/ Shane Hagadorn vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly
Match Result: Claudio Castagnoli defeats Kyle O’Reilly after a spin kick / bicycle kick combination.
Match Length: 9:17
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I expected this match to be featured much later in the show, but I like the logic of moving it to the opener in the wake of the Kings losing the tag team championships last night. As would be the case throughout today’s card, this match did a great job of showcasing outstanding in-ring action while also developing storylines that will play out over the course of the coming months. In this case, that storyline was the emotional toll that the loss of their beloved tag team championships took on the King of Wrestling. They were more brutal and vicious that they were last night, and the great irony is that they may have retained their belts last night if they had brought the same intensity that they did today. Cole and O’Reilly continued to show why they are a team on the rise, but I think this match was really mean to be a statement that the Kinds of Wrestling still intend to be a dominant force the ROH tag team division.
Berenstein: ROH began the show eight minutes late, and for the second night in a row began after promised start time. Not so hot in my book-this would not happen in WWE and TNA (for all its flaws). Interesting choice to start the show, but it makes sense for KOW who lost the titles to lose some rank and position, forcing to open. However, I didn’t like the constant panning to Shane Hagadorn when he went on commentary–the camera missed some early moments of action. KOW were aggressive and angry, which makes sense after just losing the titles. It also made sense for them to dominate and take their aggression out on the younger guys. Claudio’s power moves look good and impress. Cole and O’Reilly are kings of the comeback and the fans responded to their crazy tag combos. Loved the Tornado DDT sequence and O’Reilly’s fire in refusing to give up the guillotine. We’re off to a great start again.
Ornelas: That guillotine choke spot was GREAT! The teams involved were GREAT! The match was GREAT! The ending was…anticlimactic? I really like all the guys involved, but after that guillotine spot, it really looked like Cole & O’Reilly were going to win, and despite looking unbelievably great in losses this weekend, they really could have used at least one win. It would make sense to put them over Claudio & Hero tonight because you can say that they lost focus after losing the belts last night. Great match with a cool spot to end, but I can no longer give the match the **** it should have gotten.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***½
Berenstein: ***½
Ornelas: ***¾
Average Match Rating: ***½

Special Attraction Match
Colt Cabana vs. Dave Taylor w/ The Embassy
Match Result: Colt Cabana defeats Dave Taylor with a roll-up pin.
Match Length: 6:34
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Some have said that this match had the potential to be a great technical display two similar workers, but I actually felt there was a clash of styles between Taylors stiff-upper-lip seriousness and Cabana’s trademark goofiness. The result was entertaining enough for six minutes, but the entire match simply felt somewhat pointless as a whole.
Berenstein: Great catch-as-catch-can style, as expected when looking at this one on paper. Cabana does that style well and Taylor is a master of it. A slightly more methodical pace than most ROH matches, but that’s fine because the reversals kept a good rhythm and kept it interesting, plus Colt’s personality added to it. Your enjoyment well vary based on your tastes and even I fluctuate on this style of match, but this one worked for me. It stood out from all of the other ones on Night 1 and so far on the show.
Ornelas: Meh…I was really disappointed with this one. I love Colt, and Dave Taylor is okay by me, but this was very slow paced (which is welcomed, when done right) and not much was done other than trading leverage. I understand that’s a European style, but it just didn’t do it for me today. The ending came out of nowhere, and very few moves were hit. I expected more. I respect the style, but I expected more.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **¼
Berenstein: **¾
Ornelas: **
Average Match Rating: **¼

Singles Action
Homicide vs. Tommaso Ciampa w/ The Embassy
Match Result: Tommaso Ciampa defeats Homicide with a Northern Lights Suplex.
Match Length: 9:48
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been hard on Homicide on several different occasions over the course of the last year. I’ve simply seen too many shows where he appears disinterested and unmotivated. However, that was definitely not the case in either of his ROH matches this weekend. Homicide was definitely the star of last night’s Four Corner Survival Match, and he stepped up his game again today in singles action. Perhaps the most impressive part of Homicide’s performance today was that he wasn’t just out there to make himself look good but rather to give the rub to Tommaso Ciampa. Having Ciampa pick up the win over an established veteran such as Homicide does wonders for his credibility, and at this point I would put him in the same league as Michael Elgin in terms of rising singles stars in ROH.
Berenstein: Pretty sure Ciampa is wearing pajama tights. There’s a guy who looks like Guy Fieri in the crowd. Homicide looking very good in this one. Ciampa? Not so much. He’s got some power moves, but there’s a stiffness in-between them that he needs to iron out. Thought Nana and company stopping the flip dive was cute and it paid off with the stage dive. Huge pop for that. I thought they might go with the upset win here, nut a Northern lights? That seems more like a babyface finish rather than a heel finish and it should take more than that to defeat ‘Cide. The chair to R.D. Evans was to get back some shine for ‘Cide, but not really necessary. Looks like Homicide vs. Embassy might be a burgeoning undercard feud.
Ornelas: After the tope con hilo off the stage, this match really kicked into another gear. Great showing for Ciampa and if they want him to be a big deal fairly quickly, they’re doing a good job. Homicide went the majority of the match looking like the underdog, and that goes a long way in legitimizing Tommaso.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **½
Berenstein: **¼
Ornelas: **¾
Average Match Rating: **½

Non-Title Match
Christopher Daniels (World Television Champion) vs. Michael Elgin w/ Truth Martini
Match Result: Christopher Daniels defeats Michael Elgin with the Best Moonsault ever.
Match Length: 10:21
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: This was an interesting match that ultimately proved to be part of a larger storyline. Elgin’s power game was pitted against Daniels’ speed and finesse, but in the end Daniels had to resort to some rather unsavory tactics (read: nut shot) to get the win. This match furthered the dual focus on in-ring action and storytelling that ran throughout the evening as Elgin was again able to display his unique offense as Daniels personal gradually shifted in ways that would make his appearance later in the evening shocking and yet believable.
Berenstein: Elgin’s power moves continue to be very impressive. The bum rush through the guardrail spot was a wow moment, as was the Boston Crab on the turnbuckle, as was the Pumphandle Driver as was the sidewalk slam. In other words, this guy is a beast and has already proven himself to be worth his salt on the roster. Daniels bumped great for him and was otherwise his usual solid self. The story was the use of the low blow behind the ref’s back from Daniels to get to the BME for the win, so while he was a babyface most of the match he had to resort to a heel move to help him win. Good, subtle storytelling to add to the Daniels going heel situation.
Ornelas: Elgin’s power game is great. Daniels’ slow heel turn is going well. Those two qualities met in this match. The strength of Elgin saw him hit a lot of high-impact moves and Daniels had to equalize the match with a low blow that continues his path to darkness. Fun match.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***¼
Berenstein: ***¼
Ornelas: ***¼
Average Match Rating: ***¼

SHIMMER Tag Team Title Match
Daizee Haze & Tomoka Nakagawa (Champions) vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Ayumi Kurihara
Match Result: Daizee Haze defeats Hiroyo Matsumoto with a bridging Tiger Suplex.
Match Length: 7:32
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Last night’s Women of Honor Match healed much of the damage done by the debacle at the 9th Anniversary Show, and tonight’s SHIMMER Tag Team Title Match showed that there are female professional wrestlers who can put on matches that even the most discriminating professional wrestling fan has no choice but to respect and enjoy. I love the cross-promotion between ROH and SHIMMER, because it behooves both promotions to foster an appreciation of true professional wrestling within the fan base. The way that the finish of last night’s match played directly into the false finish in this match was a welcome bit of in-ring continuity, and the end result was a women’s match that truly added value to an already stacked ROH card.
Berenstein: Daizee is heel now that she’s teaming with Nakagawa (as she has been in SHIMMER for the past year), but they’re using the misting from MsChif to explain her change in attitude. That’s fine, although there are now no regular babyface women in the promotion. This match rocked–outdoing last night’s match, but this weekend has been host to some of the best women’s matches in ROH in some time. Ayumi is just so freaking awesome and Hiroyo’s giddy happiness works very well as a wrestling personality. The dropkicks, crushers, etc. looked fantastic. Great job with the fast-paced action and fans bought on the false finish all the way.
Ornelas: Damn! Japanese chicks can GO! Fun match here, good title retention, and slightly better than last night in my opinion. Loved Matsumoto’s strength spot was great to see a woman do. Nothing sexist about that, you just don’t see the sort of spot in your average woman’s match. (For those wondering, she had Daizee in a backpack position and Kurihara in front of her, and she dropped down on the supine Nakagawa.)
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***¼
Berenstein: ***½
Ornelas: ***
Average Match Rating: ***¼

Tag Team Grudge Match
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The All Night Express
Match Result: Jay Briscoe defeats Kenny King with the Jay Driver.
Match Lengths: 14:49
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Last night the Briscoes had the opportunity to showcase their in-ring athleticism against Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly, but tonight they made sure to remind us that they can also be one of the sickest, most brutal tag teams in the industry today. The Briscoes can work a bloody brawl like few others teams in the world, and today they used that skill to put on an entertaining match that also served to cement their heel turn. However, the Briscoes brilliance shouldn’t overshadow the fact that Kenny King and Rhett Titus looked quite comfortable in their role as the de facto faces. Both teams came out of this match reinvigorated and more interesting than when they entered it, and that’s one of the best signs of a great match. We’ve already seen the Briscoes take on Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team in a non-title face / face match, so I’d love to see a post-heel turn rematch with the belts on the line.
Berenstein: The Briscoes progress their heel act by attacking from behind. Who would have thought that Titus would be sucha great babyface? The crowd really pulled behind him on this one, with the blood-letting from both sides, but Titus especially. The Super Sex Factor through the table was something else and it looked like he went flush. The brawling in the end amped up the fans something fierce. Great nearfalls in the end. Good on both teams for being able to keep their frequent pairing fresh, as the Briscoes being tougher and even more bad-ass than before and yet receiving heel reaction for it somehow works to their advantage. Jay cements the heel turn by saying they don’t care about the fans.
Ornelas: These guys did their best at taking a match that the refs and security were preventing from being a bloody fight, and wrestling each other with hatred. Interesting dynamic, but I liked it. Jay hit a POISON MIST WITH HIS OWN BLOOD! This match was the better than Kings/WGTT by a hair in my opinion. Glad the heels won as it keeps this feud rolling. Loved everything about this match. They weren’t allowed to break down into a fight, so they wrestled legally with hatred.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****
Berenstein: ***½
Ornelas: ****¼
Average Match Rating: ****

SoCal Showdown II Rematch
Roderick Strong w/ Truth Martini vs. El Generico
Match Result: El Generico defeats Roderick Strong with the brainbuster.
Match Length: 16:12
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I wasn’t in love with this match, but I can appreciate it as an entertaining means to a larger end. El Generico plays the overwhelmed babyface as well as anyone, so it’s only natural to align him against the newly bolstered ranks of the House of Truth. With both Colt Cabana and Christopher Daniels getting involved in the action after the match, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Generico, Cabana, Strong, Daniels, and Elgin continue to face each other in various combinations over the course of the next few months. We know that Generico and Cabana can function as a cohesive unit, but I’ll be more interested in the dynamic between Strong and Daniels. Strong had been the centerpiece of the House of Truth during his tenure as ROH World Champion, but will that continue to be true when he’s aligned with an ROH legend like Daniels?
Berenstein: Slow start and quieter crowd (tired from the previous brawl), which was disappointing–Strong continuing the same kind of pace he had last night, with a slower and more methodical start and then picking up in the end. The use of Truth Martini on the outside to assist and Irish whip clothesline into the guard rail was a cute and clever spot. Generico’s comebacks are the stuff great babyfaces dream of. He also was allowed to show some gumption to by spitting at Strong. Picked up by the end (loved the flip tope tease and then follow-through on both Strong and Martini). The reversal of fortune of interference and how it follows up on previous Generico- HOT matches ticks this match up a notch, but not as great as previous bouts between the two in ROH (see last year’s Pick Your Poison) or in PWG. Afterward Cabana comes into to save Generico from Elgin, Truth and Strong, followed by the official heel turn of Daniels attacking Generico and laying out Cabana with Angels’ Wings, which was obvious with the positioning but still looked cool and tied in the previous shows together.
Ornelas: Strong continues his streak of being very beatable. I’m okay with that. Generico continues being wrestling’s greatest babyface. That’s great too. Put together, the two made a very fun wrestling match. The post-match angle was slightly predictable with Daniels joining the House of Truth, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t well-executed.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***¾
Berenstein: ***¼
Ornelas: ****
Average Match Rating: ****

Tag Team Dream Match
The American Wolves vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag TeamMatch Result:
Match Result: Shelton Benjamin defeats Davey Richards with the Paydirt.
Match Length: 31:58
Slimmer: And this, my friends, is what professional wrestling is all about. Four of the most talented professional wrestlers in the world put on half an hour of in-ring brilliance that was underlined by the subtext of growing tension between two long-time teammates who may soon be forced to clash in singles action. In fact, this match served to highlight both the beginning of one tag team’s reign of greatness and the potential end of another’s. With Eddie Edwards occupied by the ROH World Championship and Davey Richards focused on singles action, this may be the last time we see the American Wolves together in action for quite some time. As such, I completely agree with the decision to have Benjamin and Haas pick up the win, and in no way do I believe that the Wolves’ loss reflects poorly on Edwards as a champion. Great tag team wrestling is a unique art that involves a different skill set that great singles wrestling, and it is naïve to believe that a tag team should always win just because one of its members holds a prestigious singles championship. Last night, Benjamin and Haas staked their claim to being the greatest tag team in the world, and today they proved it again in resounding fashion.
Berenstein: Crowd was pumped for this dream tag, obviously. What a great way to end the weekend and once again ROH focuses on the strength of its tag division. The Wolves pushed Haas and Benjamin and they incorporated both more technical wrestling work and a more varied offense against them than they did against Kings of Wrestling. The early psychology was working Haas’s arm and WGTT working Richards ribs and back. Interesting that Richards took the heat and allowed Edwards the first comeback (double heat for this one, just like last night’s KOW vs. WGTT match–seems to be a trademark for Haas and Benjamin matches in ROH), focusing the attention on the fledgling ROH World Champion. Atlanta really embraced Edwards and took on his cause during this match. Shelton vs. Edwards segments were a real treat and I’d love to see them go at it in a singles match one day. They worked hard at the end unfortunately the crowd was a bit too tired in the middle to give this the atmosphere it deserved (until the German Suplex spots, which were nutty). The finish came across very well though. Best match of the weekend by far. A little bit of a tiff between the two Wolves sets up that things aren’t so rosy with them after all, possibly leading Richards to want to challenge Edwards for the title down the road.
Ornelas: Those rolling German suplexes were hella fun. This match had a big time feel, but there was quite a bit of down time which surprised me. Still a fantastic match that I feel lived up to expectations. These guys worked their asses off. Really even match too. The powerbomb/backstabber from the Wolves was great, and I loved the ending. The Wolves colliding will cause some trouble for them in the future, but it didn’t cause one to walk out on the other in this match, which is something I feared after the post-intermission promo.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****½
Berenstein: ****½
Ornelas: ****½
Average Match Rating: ****½

Final Thoughts

Match of the Night:
Slimmer: The American Wolves vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (****½)
ROH did a fantastic job of showcasing tag team wrestling in both of their shows this weekend, and that was especially true in the main event of today’s show. The NEW ROH World Tag Team Champions took on the ROH World Champion and his long-time partner, a man that many believe is an uncrowned champion in ROH. The match was amazing, and the result helped cement the tag champions’ legitimacy while planting the seeds for a future world championship feud. It was a great way to end a great weekend from ROH.
Berenstein: The American Wolves vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (****½)
For sure, best in-ring match of the weekend, putting the focus on the new ROH World Champion, the new ROH World Tag Team Champions and Davey Richards, the able competitor who was on the outside looking in for a championship. Great wrestling, great tag team combinations and somewhat of a surprise finish. The Wolves pushed WGTT more into an ROH style match and the result spoke for itself.
Ornelas: The American Wolves vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (****½)
Four and a half stars…BARELY. Best tag match of the weekend. BARELY. Last night’s Roddy/Davey rematch was better, Eddie/Daniels was better, and Briscoes/ANX was really close. Still, this was a dream match that delivered.

Trash of the Night:
Slimmer: NONE
Just like last night, I’d have trouble finding anything to even complain about on this card, let alone anything to actually call “trash.”
Berenstein: NONE
Unlike last night, no masked man attacking people leading to a finish of a match, which makes me happy. Nothing to complain about other than perhaps too much Truth Martini interference or Ciampa’s clunkiness when not doing power moves, but those are minor quibbles and hardly amount to “trash.”
Ornelas: NONE
Another VERY solid outing from Ring of Honor, who brought the “Wrestle” to “WrestleMania Weekend”.

Final Analysis:
Slimmer: This show may have been a tad less phenomenal that last night’s show, but that doesn’t mean this show wasn’t great. However, what really strikes me is the phenomenal value that ROH gave to their fans this weekend. For a grand total of $19.95, the ROH fans had the opportunity to watch almost seven hours of action featuring six or seven four star matches. Compare that to the $54.95 that many of us are going to spend on WrestleMania, and I’m pretty sure that we won’t see six or seven four star matches on that card. Each one of the ROH shows this weekend was worth at least $20.00, and they fact that we got them both for that price truly is a testament to ROH’s dedication to their fans. Great show today, and a phenomenal weekend from ROH.
Berenstein: ROH ends their weekend with another superbly consistent and quality wrestling show. There was a whole slew of four star matches last night, and this night plenty of matches at three-and-a-half stars and above. That speaks highly of the in-ring ability of the wrestlers who appeared on the shows this weekend. Beyond the “star-ratings”, this was just a kick-ass wrestling show up-and-down the card and really, that’s what it’s about. Interestingly the tag matches on the show were the highlights, opening with KOW / Cole & O’Reilly which had flash and sizzle, the Joshi women bringing it in impressive fashion during their tag match, The ANX rising up as faces in the grudge match against an officially turned Briscoes and the main-event which was the best of the weekend. The Daniels-Elgin match was well done, but a bit weird in hindsight given the context of the official heel turn. Still, the storyline for Daniels’ corruption and joining The House of Truth was well told from beginning to end. The GoFightLive stream and production quality were just a shade below last night’s effort, but they were eons better than their first efforts from last year. This show and the weekend as a whole were worth every penny and if the critics of independent wrestling can’t understand that, that’s their problem, not mine. Onto to WrestleMania 27 for me.
Ornelas: While the match rating average was higher tonight, last night had arguably two matches that were better than today’s best match. The second half here was stellar yet again, but tonight had the advantage of having a kick-ass opener. Barely the weaker of the two shows, but I’d be lying if I said either was actually weak.

Verdict:
Slimmer: ****
Berenstein: ****¼
Ornelas: ****¼
Average Verdict: ****¼