411's ROH on HDNet Report 06.17.09: Episode XIII (06.13.09)

Posted by Aaron Hubbard on 06.17.2009

Austin Aries causes trouble for Jerry Lynn outside of the ring, while Chris Hero cause trouble IN the ring.

On behalf of 411, I would like to apologize for the fact that these reports are being done on Wednesday. However, Larry Csonka no longer has HDNet, and would have had to resort to "other means" to review the show anyway. Since Larry's schedule is exceptionally busy due to all the hard work he puts into this site, I offered to take one thing off of his to-do list. Since many of you may not have HDNet, I see no harm in reviewing the show when it becomes more widely available. 411 and myself thanks you for your understanding.

We get highlights of last week's title match. Austin Aries comes out and busts out the old "sticks and stones" line in response to "Austin Asshole" chants. He says that some think he's a young upstart, but that he is actually a well-seasoned pro-wrestler. He has given and given for the people, but now it's time for him to start taking. He's taken the spotlight since ROH has debuted on HDNet. He took everything that Jerry Lynn, Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black could dish out, but did not lose. He demands that Lynn come out and "hand him" the title. That works about as well as you would expect. He says that if Lynn won't "accept reality", then "reality will have to smack you upside the head". Very good promo for Aries, who's always been solid in that department.

Kyle Durdan is here to interview Chris Hero, but Shane Hagadorn cuts in to be obnoxious. Apparently it is our privilege to get to listen to Hero. Hero says that "Hero destroys, Hero demolishes, Hero decapitates in High Definition". Okay promo, but I don't think words can express how much I miss goofy Chris Hero.

Mike Hogewood and Dave Prazak (no longer sporting blond locks) announce that Ric Flair has stepped down as ROH Ambassador.

Jay Briscoe w/Mark Briscoe vs. D-Lo Brown
Brown beat Jay with a low blow in their last match, so Jay starts things off with a yakuza kick. Briscoe lights him up with chops and an elbow, whips D-Lo cross-corner and hits a corner clothesline. Brown bails outside, but Jay throws him back in, and then dodges an elbow drop. Jay hits a pair of forearms, but Brown reverses an Irish Whip. Jay ducks a clothesline and hits a crossbody for two. Jay hits a chop and whips D-Lo to the corner again, but Brown leaps over him and hits a lungblower. They trade strikes, which Jay wins, but he runs into a sick clothesline. D-Lo slaps Jay across the face and hits a brainbuster for two. He asks the crowd to be silent so he can hit a pair of chops, and intimidates the referee. He whips Jay cross corner and runs into a boot to the face. A catches a boot to the gut, goes for a clothesline but Jay ducks and hits the flatliner into the middle turnbuckle. Jay hits a flurry of punches, but D-Lo reverses a whip. He telegraphs a back body drop and Briscoe kicks him in the face. Jay ducks a clothesline and hits a shoulder block and a superkick, and plants D-Lo with a Death Valley Driver for two. Brown counters the Jay Driller, but Jay counters the Sky High with a hurracanrana. Brown bails outside and accepts a count-out loss. Okay. After the match, Jay asks what the Hell that was, and tells Brown to stop being a little bitch. Brown refuses to "Man Up' however and bails again.
Match Analysis:
Well, it wasn't anything special before the count-out anyway. Both men are solid workers, but they work at completely different paces. *1/2

We now get a look at the Tables Match where The American Wolves won the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Titles from Kevin Steen & El Generico. In two weeks, they will face Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black. That should be good.

Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Bobby Fish & Silas Young
Steen and Fish do the headlock/shove/sprawl spot, but when Fish tries a leapfrog, Steen stays in the ropes and then slaps the taste out of his mouth. Steen hits a few strikes, but Young hits him from outside. It doesn't really do anything, as Steen hits Fish with a wheel kick and tags out to Generico. Steenerico hit the drop toehold/somersault legdrop combo, which only gets one for the luchador. Generico gets distracted by Young and Fish hits a knee to the gut and tags to Young. Generico quickly backs away and hits Young with a back body drop. The corner mounted punches follow, but Young hits an inverted atomic drop. He hits a pair of strikes but runs into a leaping sole kick. Generico gets another two, but Young hits a jawbreaker. He tries a slam but Generico lands behind him. Young hits a series of elbows to break it up. He tries the O'Connor Roll but Generico stays in the ropes. He hits Fish with an elbow but eats a lariat from Silas. Young grabs an armbar and tags out to Fish, who hits a kick to the back and an elbow to the forehead for two. A snap suplex gets two more, and Fish tags out. Young and Fish double team Generico in the corner, and Generico goes to the ropes. He rams his shoulder into Young's gut, but Silas counters a sunset flip with a northern lights suplex for a nearfall! Fish tags in and trades elbows with Generico, but then hits a spinning kick to the gut. He goes for a powerbomb/piledriver, but Generico escapes and goes for his tornado DDT, but slips on the ropes. He lands on his feet on an attempted backdrop suplex and tags out. Steen hits a pair of clotheslines on Fish and another on Young. Steen hits a few chops but gets kicked in the face when he telegraphs a back body drop. He hits a powerbomb on Fish and hits a Codebreaker on Young, which also works as a senton on Fish! Generico clotheslines Young to the floor and grabs a front facelock, while Steen hits a suplex and the Swanton Bomb, but Young saves his partner from the three count. Steen and Young trade go-behinds until Steen backs him into the corner so that Generico can hit the Yakuza. Fish eats a Yakuza as well, and the Package Piledriver into the Brainbuster puts Fish away.
Match Analysis:
Decent tag team formula match. I'm not sure if the tornado DDT was a botch or an attempt to sell the knee injury, but it did kind of kill the flow a bit. Young and Fish impressed me, as they seemed to be channeling the Can-Am Express. If Furnas and LaFon were jobbers. **1/4

Durdan (sporting a Mohawk) asks for Steen's thoughts on the American Wolves. Steen brushes him aside by commenting on his hair, and then tells the Wolves that he and Steen are angrier and hungrier. Steen is hungrier? RUN GENERICO, RUN! He also promises to skin the Wolves.

Hogewood comments on Prazak's hair. Prazak's indignation at being compared to Bobby Dempsey is great. Durdan is in the back with Lynn, who calls last week's main event one of the toughest of his career. But Nigel McGuinness (who now looks like Jason Statham) comes in and "sympathizes" with Lynn, because he knows what it's like to have fans turn on you. Lynn promises Nigel a rematch when he gets healthy.

Prince Nana is in the ring to talk trash on the fans and hype up Jimmy Rave. The "ROH Legend" line might be stretching it a bit, but he is one of the great characters in ROH history. Ernie Osiris (who is hording shoes) serves as a footstool for "The Crown JOO-ELL!" The toilet paper and "Die Jimmy, Die!" chants return to my utter delight.

Jimmy Rave vs. Grizzly Redwood
Grizzly's beard is scaring me. IT'S ALIVE! He's also barefoot thanks to Ernie. He asks for a handshake and gets it…and a clothesline. He punches Redwood, snap mares him and hits a leaping stomp to the face. He whips Grizzly into the corner but Grizzly avoids an avalanche. He makes a comeback with punches, but Rave puts a stop to that with an STO. It only gets two, and Rave drives Redwood into the corner and unleashes a flurry of punches. Redwood crawls under Rave and hits a flying back elbow. THE SUSPENDERS ARE DOWN! Rave catches him and hits Ghanarhea for three. After the match, Rave punishes Redwood with the Heel Hook, but Necro Butcher makes the save. Crazy beards unite!
Match Analysis:
Well, it was a squash, but Grizzly plays his character so well and Rave is such a jerk that it elevated it above a typical one. Fun times here. 3/4*

We get a look at next week's main event: Roderick Strong vs. KENTA! *Drool*


ROH Champion Jerry Lynn vs. Chris Hero w/Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Ray
The long tights have returned for Hero, finally. Lynn gets a handshake from Hero that I would describe as "smarmy", but no cheap shots. They circle a bit before locking up, and Hero grabs an arm wringer. Lynn quickly escapes that and hits an armdrag. They go back to being tentative, but Hero grabs a side headlock off another collar-and-elbow tie-up. Lynn looks to shove Hero off of him, but instead grabs a schoolboy that neither Hero nor I expected. It gets two for the champ. Jerry ducks a chop and hits a crossbody for another two, and then gets an armdrag into an armbar. He drops a knee to the arm and works it some more, but Hero escapes with a knee to the gut. Hero tries a scoop slam but Lynn lands on his feet, ducks a chop and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. He goes back to the armdrag/armbar, but Hero backs him up to the corner. Lynn is too smart to allow Hero to get a cheap shot and kicks him in the gut. Hero reverses a cross-corner whip and goes for a forearm, but Lynn avoids that too. He goes for a monkey flip but Hero cartwheels out, but he counters a back body drop with a rana. Hero goes to the apron and hits a shoulder to Lynn's gut, but Lynn stomps himself from being rammed into a turnbuckle, and instead slams Hero into it. He hits Jericho's springboard dropkick, and then throws Hero back in. He covers for two, and whips Hero, but Hero counters a back body drop by grabbing Lynn's hair and slamming him into the mat. He follows up with a dropkick to the face.

Hero slams Lynn into the turnbuckle as a receipt, and hits a chop and stomp to the face. He chokes Lynn, and then distracts Todd Sinclair so that Del Ray can choke Lynn. He hits an elbow to the face and whips Lynn cross corner, but Lynn leaps over him and gets another schoolboy for 2. Hero either went in too fast for the headscissors or too slow for the leapfrog, but it came off badly. Lynn runs into a big boot that gets two for Hero. Chris hits a forearm shot and a chop. Lynn then gets a unique counter to the turnbuckle smash where he drops down and shoves Hero into the buckle. Jerry follows up with an O'Connor Roll for two. Hero hits a sick kick to the face and stomps away at the Champ for two. Another stomp follows and Hero applies a chinlock. Lynn fights out with elbows, but Hero puts him down with a forearm. He taunts Jerry and whips him, but Lynn counters a back body drop with the hair slam that Hero used earlier.

Jerry ducks a chop again and hits a pair of shoulder tackles and a flying clothesline to get back in the game. He runs into a boot in the corner, but blocks a second one, and then hits the second rope bulldog for two. Lynn sets up for the Cradle Piledriver, but Hero escapes. Lynn ducks the roaring elbow but Hagadorn trips him up as Del Ray distracts the referee. Hero misses a dropkick through the ropes and Jerry takes him out with the hilo off of the apron. Hero counters an Irish Whip with a knee to the gut and breaks the twenty count. Hero then leaps to the guardrail and hits a forearm shot! Awesome! He covers Lynn in the safety mats and goes for a senton, but the Champ moves and Hero eats the mat! Lynn throws him inside, but is too slow to get a cover.

He opts for the Cradle Piledriver, and rolls through Hero's back body drop counter, but Hero rolls over that to escape. He nearly gets caught in the TKO, but he gets a single leg takedown and rolls Lynn back up so he can hit a roaring elbow to the back of the head. Hero whips Lynn and tries another roaring elbow, but Jerry ducks and hits a tilt-a-whirl inverted DDT! That gets two for the champ, and Lynn gets two more off of a tornado flatliner. Hero manages to hit an elbow in the corner, but when he goes for the springboard elbow that he tried outside, Lynn hits a headbutt to the gut. Hero blocks the Frankensteiner by raking his eyes, and ducks down so that Lynn falls to the floor. Hero is content with a count-out loss but waste time trying a cover once Lynn gets in. It only gets two, and Hero looks to set up for the Cradle Piledriver. Lynn avoids it and hits a rolling elbow, but Hero hits one of his own when Lynn tries the Cradle Piledriver. He looks to set up for a neckbreaker, but hits another roaring elbow instead, but it only gets two. Hero decides it's type for the Misawa Elbow Pad, but Lynn ducks and rolls Hero up with a small package for the victory.
Match Analysis:
Color me surprised, because this was better than I expected. I've never been impressed with Hero's ring work, especially his strikes, but he's finally learned to make them look and sound devastating. Lynn busted out a few old tricks and a few new ones, and that's always appreciated. The match had a definite Steamboat-Flair vibe. The match built from a slow start to a hot finish. There were also a few "stories within the story" that elevated this above a typical "good" main event. Frankly, I'm glad to have a "fun" main event after the insane ones of the last two weeks and what is sure to be a stiff main event next week. ***1/4

Aries attacks after the bell, blasting Lynn with the title belt and posing with it as the show ends.


Well, this show was more of a "advance storylines" and "get you up to date" show. There was nothing must see here, but the main event is the usual solid one from the company. If you want to see the show, I'd suggest going here.