411’s ROH TV Report 1.25.14

ROH play by play guy Kevin Kelly has started his podcast with the Place To Be. His first episode was launched a few days ago and features an interview with current ROH World Champion Adam Cole. Check it out HERE

Speaking of Adam Cole, the episode this week is about Cole answering Jay Briscoe’s challenge for a ROH World Championship match. Will Adam say YES! YES! YES!? Let’s find out.

Ring of Honor TV
Date: 1/25/2014
From: Nashville, TN

Opening Contest: Corey Hollis vs. Raymond Rowe – 2014 Top Prospect Tournament Match
They shake hands prior to the bell. Hollis uses his speed to avoid the bigger Rowe early on. Rowe gets his hands on Hollis to deliver a few strikes but runs into a big boot in the corner. Hollis dropkicks Rowe to the floor and hits a slingshot cross body. Hollis goes for a hurricanrana after leaping off the top but Rowe catches Hollis and hits a suplex. Hollis comes out of the corner and Rowe gets a near fall after an overhead belly to belly suplex. Rowe gets another two count after a spinning slam. Rowe hits a knee to the back of Hollis head after picking Corey up. Rowe gets the three count.

Winner: Raymond Rowe @3:28 (that is the approx. time. My watch messed up.)
A decent match between these two. It’s been two weeks, but Rowe is growing on me. His style works well with what the promotion is all about. He has a good look, too. I’d like to see both men in ROH sometime this year. The commentary of Steve Corino and Prince Nana wasn’t part of the match. Kevin Kelly must have redone the commentary in post-production. *1/4

Second Contest: RD Evans vs. Mike Sells:
Sells rolls Evans up early on but only gets a two count. Evans hits flip over neck breaker. Sells hits a clothesline on Evans and hits a side Russian leg sweep for a near fall. Sells knee lifts Evans off the apron to the floor but Veda Scott distracts Sells. Evans connects with a running sleeper slam. Evans leaps off the top to hit a diving head butt for the win. RD is now 14-0.

Winner: RD Evans @2:20

Veda Scott cuts a promo reminding us that RD is 14-0. She says that they aren’t done. She wants to go for 15-0 right now. She issues an open challenge right now. RD Evans isn’t so happy about this. Here comes Michael Elgin to answer the challenge.

Third Contest: Michael Elgin vs. RD Evans
The fans are chanting for RD to not die. Elgin hits a quick swinging side slam and RD bails to the floor. Elgin tosses Evans into the guard railing. Elgin tells Adam Cole that this is just a sign of things to come. Evans is picked up and driven down on the floor with a running power slam. Elgin kicks Evans head into the railing. Veda gets on the apron to distract Elgin while on the middle rope. Evans tried for a sunset flip power bomb but Elgin held onto the ropes. Evans drops Elgin with a kick! Elgin dropkicks RD off the top to the apron. Elgin hits an impressive delayed vertical suplex while on the middle rope. Elgin power bombs Evans into the corner and hits a spinning sit down power bomb. Elgin goes to the floor and slides in two chairs. Elgin power bombs Evans onto the two chairs to cause the disqualification.

Winner: RD Evans by disqualification @5:12
It was a complete squash, which probably went on for a little too long. They could have gotten the same thing accomplished if this went three minutes or even shorter. It was entertaining, but dragged on a little bit. Veda Scott is one annoying woman, too. Watch out, Adam Cole.

Fourth Contest: TD Thomas vs. Matt Taven:
This is a rematch from the 2013 Top Prospect Tournament. They shake hands. Early on, they are countering their moves. Thomas snap mares Taven and delivers a kick. Taven comes off the top to hit a missile dropkick, which he hit right on TD’s face. Taven continues with a standing head scissors and a standing kick for a near fall. Taven hits a springboard somersault splash for a two count. TD hits a running headlock slam, similar to what RD did in the previous match. TD kicks Taven into a corner and hits a half nelson suplex for a near fall. Thomas kicks Taven off the apron to the floor. Taven leaps off the middle rope to take Taven out with a cross body. Taven stops TD on the top with a couple of kicks. Taven super kicks TD in midair and gets the three following a top rope frog splash.

Winner: Matt Taven @5:42
Personally, I was kind of bored by TD and his offense. Taven, who seems to be on some nights and totally off on other nights, was good here. Just a filler match it felt like. *

A video promoting how ROH World Champion said he will let Jay Briscoe know this week about the challenge issued by Briscoe. Jay Briscoe makes his way down to the ring. Jay is all out of bubble gum and wants to kick some ass. ROH World Tag Team Champion Bobby Fish appears and has a microphone. Fish says he is a real champion, unlike Briscoe. Fish tells Jay that his championship is fake. Fish is insulted that Jay carries the belt around pretending to be a champion. Fish wants to kick Jay’s ass one more time.

We hear from the Decade. They are pissed that AJ Styles will be coming back. Jimmy Jacobs says that Styles walked out of ROH before and say that Roderick Strong will make sure Styles can’t walk anywhere. They will decide the consequences for AJ’s return.

Main Event: ROH World Tag Team Champion Bobby Fish vs. Jay Briscoe:
Fish kicks Jay’s leg before being stopped with a couple of uppercuts. Fish goes back to the kicks but runs into a big boot in the corner. Fish hasn’t been beaten in singles action, something I didn’t know. Briscoe doesn’t a chair into the ring as he sends Fish into the railing. Back in the ring, Jay works over Fish with strikes and a forearm shot. Fish bails to the floor only to run back in and get met with a dropkick. Briscoe sends Fish into the guard railing as we go to commercial.

Fish drives Jay back first into the railing to get control of the match. Fish sends Jay into the railing, again. Bobby gets a near fall after a slingshot senton from the apron into the ring. Fish drops Briscoe with a kick to his chest for a two count. Fish splashes Jay in the corner, twice. Jay stops Bobby with a boot and delivers a few head butts. Jay backdrops Fish and hits a splash in the corner. Fish walks into a savant kick but Jay can’t get a three. Briscoe hits a spinning forearm and a neck breaker but Fish kicks out. Jay nearly wins with the Falcon Arrow! Briscoe goes for the Jay Driller but Fish avoids it by sending Jay into the corner and delivers a couple of kicks.

Jay is put on the top rope and Fish goes for a superplex. Jay shoves Fish off and hits a top rope splash. Adam Cole comes down to ringside to watch the match. Fish and Jay trade right hands. Fish is wobbly but Cole distracts Jay by holding the belt on the floor. Fish low blows Jay and hits a side suplex for a near fall. Adam Cole gets on the apron and is pissed. Jay shoves Fish into Cole to knock the champ off the apron. Jay plants Fish with the Jay Driller to get the win.

Winner: Jay Briscoe @13:45
Honestly, I was quite bored with this. The brawling on the floor was boring and uninspiring. The matches felt the same with the constant guardrail spots and guys using the same moves. The finishing sequence advanced the Jay/Cole issue, but the thirteen minute match did nothing for me. *1/4

Adam Cole tries to hit Jay with the ROH World Championship but Jay avoids it and Cole bails to the floor. Jay has both championships and holds them up. Cole is freaking out in the ring.

That’s a wrap.

Final Thoughts:
Well, this was a bad episode. The matches weren’t any good, and we never got an answer from Adam Cole. I was expecting an Adam Cole/Jay Briscoe talking segment, but that never happened. When you promote an episode around Cole giving an answer, actually deliver the answer. I’m looking forward to next week’s show with AJ coming back against Strong. This felt like a bad filler week to me.

Next week on ROH:
Hanson and Andrew Everett square off in the 2014 Top Prospect Tournament
Cedric Alexander begins his singles career in ROH as he meets Mike Bennett
Roderick Strong wrestles the returning AJ Styles!

Thanks for reading.

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