411's ROH on HDNet Report 9.24.09: Episode XXVI - Hero & The Wolves vs. KENTA, Strong & Danielson (9.21.09)
Posted by Aaron Hubbard on 09.24.2009
The ROH Title is defended on television for the second time as the Champ debuts the Austin Aries Lucky Lottery! Elsewhere, the American Wolves and Chris Hero face the dream team of Bryan Danielson, Roderick Strong and KENTA!
Am I the only one who wonders why they still have Jimmy Jacobs in the opening video? Actually, this guy needs to comeback ASAP. With Nigel McGuinness leaving, ROH is going to need someone else to cut awesome, personal promos.
This show opens with Kyle Durdan in the ring, with Dave Prazak and Mike Hogewood on commentary. ROH Champion Austin Aries comes down to the ring with Kenny King and Rhett Titus for the A-Double L-Double (The Austin Aries Lucky Lottery). For those who don't get the concept…
Durdan holds the ropes down for Aries, but when he tries to talk Aries cuts him off, thanks him for holding the ropes and sends him away. He lets the fans choose between King's white floppy hat from his friends in England, or Rhett's "Big Bird" hat. Fans want the Big Bird hat, so Aries uses the white hat to draw names. And the first name is…Kenny Omega! Oh, but Omega is overseas trying to make a big name for himself. So the second one is…Grizzly Redwood.
Aries backs up Grizzly into the corner, and then snaps his suspenders across his chest. Aries offers the Greco-Roman Knucklelock to the "Littlest Lumberjack", and then gets down on his knees. Ah, but now Grizzly's hands are too high. Funny. Aries shoves him and throws him down to the mat. He throws him overhead, and his NECKLACE BREAKS! Aries gets pissed and grabs a headlock and shoves the beads in Redwood's face. Awesome. Grizzly starts fighting back, ducks a clothesline and hits the Log Roll! Grizzly hits a dropkick to the knee but Aries catches a foot and hits the clothesline for two. Aries drops a knee to the back and starts going after the beard. Redwood fights back but Aries pulls him down by his suspenders and rakes his feet across the face. Aries hits a military press Scott Steiner style, but it only gets two. Grizzly starts chopping the legs down and then hits a series of mounted punches in the corner, but Aries shoves him off. Grizzly ducks a clothesline and hits an awkward military press. Redwood hits the ropes and connects with the sliding bulldog for two! DOWN COME THE SUSPENDERS! Grizzly heads up top, but Aries throws him back down by the beard! IED and a stalling Brainbuster get the three-count. Hogewood sums it up with the saddest "Slap the porpoise," of all time. Match Analysis:Well, it was a glorified squash, but it was fun. I love Redwoods schtick, so this was probably more entertaining for me than most. The commentary by Dave Prazak was priceless. **1/2
After the match, Kyle Durdan comes back out. He says Aries is taking out competitors left and right, so what's next? Aries says if he touches him one more time he'll pull his name out of the hat. Aries feels really good. He feels that the fans were entertained. In fact, he feels it was a Match of the Year Candidate. He sells he feels so confidant that he will continue with the A-Double L-Double until he finds a winner out there. Prazak says that Savage vs. Steamboat and Punk vs. Joe pale in comparison to Aries vs. Redwood.
We see highlights of the "classic in the making" from last week between The Briscoe Brothers and Kevin Steen and El Generico that was ended when The American Wolves interfered. But the big news is the Ladder War II that we will see this weekend in New York City. Eddie Edwards says it's a personal war between the two teams, and there will be bloodshed and injuries. Davey Richards says he isn't going into this match with the "yeah, we'll go there, kick their ass, and celebrate with the titles" attitude. He knows they will go to the E.R. that night. Come New York, the Wolves are bringing D-Day.
Also in New York, we will see the rivalry between Eddie Kingston and Chris Hero come to a head. They explain that they were friends but Eddie is jealous of Hero's success. Hero says that he will prove that he's better than Eddie, but says it may be the best match we see all year. He better try to back that up, because with the Ladder War and Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson on the card, they will have to give 200% effort to even be match of the night. Kingston promises the streets of New York will run red with Hero's blood.
Bret Hart will be a part of the festivities as well.
Erick Stevens vs. Brandon Day
The Code of Honor is followed. Stevens backs Day into the corner and gives him a clean break, but Day paintbrushes him. Day backs him into the corner and then shoves him, so Stevens shoves him back and hits a press flapjack. Stevens hits a chop and a back suplex for two. Brandon goes to the apron and snaps Erick's throat across the top rope and then hits a spear through the ropes. He tries to whip Stevens out of the corner with no success, so he goes after the midsection with punches and a gutbuster for two. He applies the abdominal stretch but Erick escapes with the hip block takeover. Stevens hits the ropes and runs into a knee by Day. Day tries a scoop slam but Erick lands behind him and hits a German Suplex. What's selling? The Choo-Choo and Doctor Bomb follow and finish the match. Match Analysis: This could have gotten another half-star if Erick had bothered to sell the ribs on his comeback. 3/4*
We hear from Tyler Black who explains that he should have been more careful in his match with Jerry Lynn when Nigel distracted him. Actually, pretty solid promo work this time. Jerry has taken him under his wing, and next week, Black and Lynn team up to face Rhett Titus and Kenny King!
Kyle Durdan is in the back with Bryan Danielson, Roderick Strong and KENTA. Bryan speaks for the team, saying that the Wolves have proved to be a great tag team and Hero has traveled the world. But Strong chops harder than anyone in North America, KENTA kicks harder than anyone in the world, and that he is the best submission wrestler on the planet. Hard to argue.
Jimmy Rave w/Prince Nana & Ernie Osiris vs. Necro Butcher
Necro goes after Nana with a chair and Rave does a Pearl Harbor job. They brawl around ringside and Necro slams him into the front row of chairs. Butcher goes after a barricade and then crotches Rave on the rail. He sets the rail up on the guardrail and looks to powerbomb him through it, but Rave hits a chop block and goes after the knee with elbows. Necro hits a punch and Rave oversells it, and Osiris and Nana puts Butcher's leg in a seated chair, and Osiris hits a senton off the second rope to the chair! That is such a sick spot! HEEL HOOK! Butcher fights and gets the ropes, but Rave tries to get the hold back on but Necro hits a foot to the face. Rave charges and Butcher tosses over the ropes and ONTO THE RAIL! Ernie has the staple gun, but Necro stops him and STAPLES THE CHEST! He wants to do it on Rave but Bison Smith comes out to break it up. Butcher and Bison try to fight and we get a pull apart brawl. Match Analysis: Hard to rate. It was more angle advancement than an actual match, but it was entertaining. Not sure how I feel about Butcher vs. Bison. 1/2*
We get a video recap of the feud between Brent Albright and Claudio Castagnoli. Next week, these two will settle their rivalry in a STEEL CAGE!
KENTA, Bryan Danielson & Roderick Strong vs. The American Wolves (Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards) & Chris Hero
Hero shakes hands with Danielson and Strong, but KENTA will not shake his hand. Danielson and Hero start and Hero takes a cheap shot at Kenta. Hero and Dragon due a chain wrestling sequence into a mat wrestling sequence to a stalemate. Hero tries to pull Bryan to his corner but Bryan stops that from happening. They tag out to Strong and Edwards, and Edwards hits a kick to the gut and a headbutt. Strong fights back with a crossbody and a leaping heel kick before cheapshotting Richards. Strong tags out to Kenta and all three men chop and kick Edwards in their corner. Eddie goes down and Kenta hits a kick to the face. Kenta hits a fox kick for two and tags out to Danielson. Both men hit kicks and Dragon adds a few European Uppercuts but Eddie backs into his corner and tags in Richards. Davey hits a jumping headbutt, a snap mare and a kick to the back for two. Richards applies a chinlock but Bryan fights him off, catches a kick but Davey turns that into an armbar, Dragon escapes and tries Cattle Mutilation but Davey escapes. Headlock takeover by Richards into a headscissors by Danielson, Davey ducks a kick, Bryan blocks a kick and they both try dropkicks at the same time! Yeah, that makes me look forward to their singles match.
Davey tags in Edwards and shoves Bryan, who lights him up with kicks and hits a jawbreaker. Eddie eats a back elbow and Dragon hits Richards with another kick to the chest but Eddie hits a boot to the face. Headbutts follow but Bryan hits some forearms, runs into a superkick, spinning gut kick by Richards and the Wolves hit double running kicks to the chest. Eddie tries a quebrada but eats knees, TRIANGLE CHOKE! Kenta and Strong keep Richards and Hero at bay, with Kenta going after Hero with uppercuts. Hero hits a few elbows and Eddie lifts Danielson up, POWERBOMB/LUNGBLOWER BY THE WOLVES! Eddie covers but Strong breaks up the pin. Richards throws him out as Eddie applies the Half Boston Crab! Danielson manages to get the ropes though.
Hero tags in and hits a sliding fox kick for two. He stomps at Dragon's head and hits an elbow, then points to Roderick before hitting a chop. Davey tags in, Bryan hits some forearm but Richards takes him down and applies a leglock. Bryan gets the ropes so Richards throw him outside, and Eddie whips him into the guardrail. TWICE! Hero hits a stiff elbow that drops Bryan, but Strong encourages him and Hero throws Dragon back inside. Bryan fights the Wolves off with elbows, hits the ropes, ALARM CLOCK-NO! Dragon catches Richards leg, and ducks and enzugiri that hits Edwards! Bryan wants to tag out, German Suplex by Davey but Danielson lands on his feet! He takes out Hero with an elbow, and hits the running gamengiri on Richards! HOT TAG TO KENTA!
Kenta hits a top rope lariat on Richards and takes out Hero. Davey eats the KENTA Rush but Edwards breaks up the Busaikou Knee, and gets slammed and kicked for his trouble. Kenta hits the springboard missile dropkick on Richards, and follows up with the corner yakuza kick and the corner dropkick! Man, KENTA might be the best hot tag in the business. Kenta hits a sit-out powerbomb for two, tries Go To Sleep but Richards escapes, DR Driver try but Kenta escapes, DOUBLE BIG BOOTS! They trade elbows and Richards hits the spinning gut kick, hits the ropes but Kenta hits a big boot! Kenta whips Davey, HANDSPRING ENZUGIRI! Davey tags out to Hero, and Hero hits a flying elbow strike in the corner. He pulls Kenta out and then hits a running elbow! Kenta hits a few chest kicks but Hero ducks, ROARING ELBOW! 1...2...NO!
Hero goes for a neckbreaker but Kenta counters with a backslide for two, Hero throws him to the ropes and hits a second Roaring Elbow! It only gets two again, so Hero goes for the Lyger Bomb, but Kenta counters with a sunset flip, Hero rolls out and rolls Kenta back to his feet, Kenta blocks the Roaring Elbow, goes for the Roaring Lariat but Hero gets the Roaring Elbow, tries another, ROARING LARIAT BY KENTA! Kenta tags in Strong who lights up Hero with chops, whips him cross corner and hits a corner clothesline and a running elbow in the corner. Hero avoids the press gutbuster and hits a trio of elbow strikes, but runs into a hard dropkick! It only gets two, and Roderick hits a falcon arrow for another nearfall! Strong hits the ropes and Hero hits an elbow, Hero hits the ropes and Strong hits a chop, Roderick hits the ropes but Hero goes to the side and hits the Flash Kick!
Hero tags in Eddie and Davey comes in too, charges Roddy in the corner and gets tossed to the apron, and the Wolves hit the enzugiri/running forearm combo. BACKDROP FACEBUSTER BY EDWARDS! Davey follows with a missile dropkick, but Eddie only gets two! Eddie hits a chop and goes for the Backpack Stunner, but Roddy escapes and hits a boot to the face. Eddie hits his own boot to the face and hits the ropes, but Strong hits a forearm. Roderick hits the ropes but Edwards hits a running knee! ONE...TWO...NO! Edwards runs toward Strong and catches a kick, but Roddy hits an enzugiri and the uranage backbreaker! ONE...TWO...NO! BOSTON CRAB! Danielson holds Richards ("the other wolf" ---Hogewood) and Hero comes in and kicks at Roderick, but Strong holds on. Hero hits the ropes but Kenta is in, OCTOPUS HOLD! Eddie escapes the hold, counters to a roll-up, ONE...TWO...NO!
Eddie avoids the press gutbuster, hits the ropes and Strong tries it again, but Edwards hits a hurracanrana! Strong ducks a clothesline but Richards is in, ALARM CLOCK! Richards sets up for the superkick/German Suplex combo, but Eddie brings in Hero, SUPERKICK/ ROARING ELBOW COMBO! GERMAN SUPLEX! Richards isn't legal so Eddie jackknifes Strong, ONE...TWO...BRYAN BREAKS IT UP! Kenta is back in but he and Danielson get tossed right back out. The Wolves look to set up for the Doomsday Bulldog, but Kenta runs in and hits Edwards and crotches Davey! Eddie whips Kenta to the corner, runs into a boot but counters the torando throat snap, and hits an enzugiri! Eddie goes up top and Hero goes up top, but Bryan stops Edwards and Roderick hits an enzugiri on Hero. SUPERPLEX TO HERO BY STRONG! BACKDROP SUPERPLEX TO EDDIE BY BRYAN! SUPER FALCON ARROW BY KENTA ON DAVEY!
Bryan is the first to his feet and he hits a pescado on Hero. Kenta is up and hits a pescado on Richards. Strong runs into a boot by Eddie, but hits a chop, boot by Eddie, chop by Strong, Strong blocks a boot and they trade elbows! Chops by Roderick, he hits the ropes and Eddie hits another boot to the face. Eddie hits the ropes and Roddy tries the Press Gutbuster again but Edwards counters to an O'Connor Roll for two, and then hits a running kick to the chest. He tries the quebrada but Roddy moves, Eddie lands on his feet and charges towards Roddy, but Strong moves and hits an enzugiri, SICK KICK! ONE...TWO...THR-NO! GIBSON DRIVER! ONE...TWO...THREE! Match Analysis: Wow, what a great match. Tons of stiff strikes from everyone. Super-KENTA showed up again, but only on the hot tag, so it was fine. The Wolves brought the awesome double teams and Danielson got to do some fine wrestling without really looking amazing, which is fine, he's leaving. Strong getting the win was the right decision, as Danielson is leaving and KENTA is...KENTA. Fantastic, intense match-up and the best on ROH TV since Danielson-Black III. ****1/4
Fantastic episode all around. I really couldn't find anything to really complain about. Watch this NOW!
