100 Percent Fordified: Ring of Honor Relentless

Richmond, VA – 5.18.2013

Championship Rundown
ROH World Champion: Jay Briscoe
ROH Television Champion: Matt Taven
ROH World Tag Team Champions: reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish)

Commentary is provided by Joe Dombrowski & Steve Corino.

Michael Elgin vs. Kyle Matthews

Elgin tosses Matthews around before getting two with a powerslam. Matthews evades a few moves and pulls off a headscissors. He neck-tie headscissors Elgin to the floor. Elgin comes back in and boots Matthews to block his dive. He belly-to-belly suplexes Matthews to the floor. He holds Matthews up in a delayed vertical suplex. Elgin drives his knees into his back when he kicks out. Matthews gives him a chinbreaker. He sends Elgin to the floor and suicide dives after him. Matthews enzuigiri’s Elgin from the apron. He rolls Elgin into a DDT for two. Elgin catches him with a uranage. He misses a tumbleweed senton. Matthews tries an Octopus Stretch. Elgin sits down on his chest. He deadlifts Matthews into a German suplex twice. He hits the Boss Man Slam for two. Matthews ducks a clothesline and gives Elgin a modified Complete Shot. Elgin forearms him in the back of the head before nailing a short-arm lariat. Matthews absorbs the Buckle Bomb. He tries a jackknife pin. Elgin kicks out. He hits the Backfist, a second Buckle Bomb, and the Revolution Bomb for the pin at 11:34. Elgin continues to look dominant while also letting his opponent shine. Matthews held his own against him and seemed to have a fighting chance. He certainly would be somebody I’d like to see back. Elgin’s on a roll. **¾

Adam Cole vs. Adam Page

A stalemate is reached out of the opening exchange. Cole enzuigiri’s Page to the floor and lands a suicide dive. Cole drives his knee’s into Page’s back and gets two with a basement dropkick. He also gets two with a Death Valley Driver across his knee. Page gets the ropes to escape a headscissors. Page gets the better of a strike exchange. He powerslams Cole as he comes off the ropes. Page also delivers a running powerbomb. Cole enzuigiri’s him and hits the Shining Wizard for two. Page kicks him away to avoid a figure four and rolls him up for two. Cole drops him with a neckbreaker. Cole goes to the second rope. Page dropkicks him. He brings Cole down with a swinging neckbreaker. Cole misses an enzuigiri from the floor. Page comes off the apron with a running, standing shooting star press. Back in the ring he gets two with a high crossbody. He goes for another. Cole catches him mid-air with a superkick! He gives Page a brainbuster onto his knee for two. Page blocks the Florida Key with a prawn hold. Cole kicks out of it and superkicks Page in the back of the head. He successfully pulls of the Florida Key for the pin at 9:55. Like Matthews, Page got the chance to look really impressive against one of ROH’s utility players. I’m not sure why he hasn’t had something of more substance to do but hopefully with more performances like this he will get his chance. I am loving the subtle things Cole does to tease his heel turn. That will be awesome when it happens. ***

Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong

They start on the mat looking for control. They switch out of each others’ side headlocks. Mark catches Strong with a spinwheel kick. Mark puts on a seated abdominal stretch. Strong gets sent to the floor. Mark dropkicks him through the middle ropes. He throws some Redneck Kung-Fu in the entrance way. He gets one with a suplex back in the ring. Strong fires back with a leg lariat. He chops and stomps Mark down in the corner. He continues with the strikes back out on the floor. He dropkicks Mark back in the ring for two. Mark throws some more Redneck Kung-Fu. He boots Strong in the side of the face for two. Strong knees him in the stomach and delivers a fireman’s carry slam. Mark catches Strong in the corner with an Iconoclasm for two. Strong goes for a back breaker. Mark fights off and Jon Woo dropkicks him to the corner. He gives Strong a fisherman’s buster for two. Strong prawn holds him for two. He hits Death by Roderick for two. Mark backdrops out of the Tiger Driver. He delivers a rolling Death Valley Driver. He heads up top. Strong enzuigiri’s him. He brings Mark down with a superplex. They trade pin attempts until Mark catches Strong at 16:06 with a pin. Well, I guess Mark defeating Strong is the right call but given the way the match ended it doesn’t make him look that much better than he did before the bout. This didn’t come close to any of Strong or Jay’s battles from yesteryear. Mark is too goofy at times and the beginning of the match was one of those instances. The wrestling was OK but they failed to keep it cohesive or tell a story. **½

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris LaRusso

Ciampa levels LaRusso with a clothesline before the bell. LaRusso snaps his neck on the top rope. Ciampa goes for a second rope Air Raid Crash. LaRusso escapes so Ciampa drives his knee into the side of his head twice. A knee strike in the middle of the ring gets him the pin at 1:51. I am totally fine with Ciampa killing dudes until he’s totally healed and ready for real competition. ¼*

The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. S.C.U.M. (Rhett Titus & Cliff Compton)

S.C.U.M. attack the Wolves as they slide into the ring. The Wolves send them to the floor and land stereo suicide dives. They double team Titus when Compton recovers. Titus backs Richards to the corner. Compton chokes him. He misses a splash. Richards unloads with kicks to the chest. Titus comes in and suffers the same fate. Compton catches Richards coming off the ropes. Titus gives him a bulldog across Compton’s knee. Richards escapes when trapping Titus in Compton’s arm and forcing a DDT after a dropkick. Edwards clotheslines Compton to the floor. He lights Titus up with chops. He drives his knees into Titus’ chest before getting two with a fisherman’s buster. Edwards goes for the Chin Checker. Titus escapes but takes the Alarm Clock. Edwards superkicks him into Richards’ German suplex. Compton breaks the pin but is promptly pitched to the floor. Richards misses a double stomp. Titus tries a chokeslam which Richards counters into a roll-up. Titus dropkicks Richards to counter the Damage Reflex. He pulls off the chokeslam for two. Titus superplexes Richards into Compton’s Superfly splash. Edwards breaks the cover. Edwards gives Titus a Code Breaker. Richards kicks him down from the apron as Edwards kicks Compton. Edwards double stomps Compton’s back. Richards follows with a double stomp. When Compton kicks out he applies an ankle lock. Edwards rolls Titus into the Achilles Lock. Both men tap at 13:47. And the world keeps turning. Compton and Titus aren’t exactly the most formidable team so the Wolves beating them doesn’t do a whole lot, especially considering how lazy and sloppy Compton came off (aside from his splash). Titus really deserves better than to just be another guy for the Wolves to walk all over. **

Jay Lethal, Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander vs. Matt Taven & reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish)

The Rudo trio tries to gang up on Lethal. Lethal however is able to fight them off all by himself. Coleman and Alexander lend some right hands for O’Reilly. Lethal hip tosses him into a cartwheel dropkick. Alexander lays some elbows into Fish. He rolls him into a boot and a legdrop. Coleman fights out of the Rudo corner. He gives Fish the Rough Ryder for two. Alexander blind tags in and nails a springboard clothesline. Taven is sent to the corner with a headscissors. Alexander drops him with a tornado DDT. The other four men come in. The Rudos are sent to the floor and the Tecnicos dive after them. Lethal is cut off and isolated once the dust has settled. O’Reilly does an awesome dance to mock his opponents. Lethal eventually escapes their grasp by giving Taven an enzuigiri and evading a double suplex from reDRagon. Alexander takes both of them out. He hits Fish with a split-legged moonsault. Coleman comes in to give O’Reilly a leg lariat Hart Attack. Fish eats a modified Total Elimination for two. Taven shoves Coleman off the top rope. reDRagon take Alexander down with kicks. Taven frog splashes onto him. Lethal breaks Fish’s pin. A series of moves renders everybody but Lethal on the mat. Taven crotches him on the top rope and knocks him to the floor. He gamengiri’s Coleman. reDRagon double team Alexander. Alexander stops them from Chasing the Dragon. Fish drags Coleman to the floor. C&C hit O’Reilly with Overtime for the pin at 15:07. The finishing stretch of this match was incredibly fun. Everybody got their time to shine, especially C&C by picking up the win. All the challengers for the titles get to head into Best in the World with a big victory after a great match. You can’t ask for much more. ***½

Kevin Steen vs. Jimmy Jacobs

They brawl around ringside before the match officially starts. Steen throws Jacobs into the barricades and stares down Corino. They enter the ring to start the match, but Jacobs is clotheslined right back to the floor and sent into the barricades again. Jacobs chokes Steen with a chain back in the ring. Referee Paul Turner disqualifies Jacobs at 1:00. It takes many officials and staff to separate them. Cliff Compton and Rhett Titus run out but Steen keeps them at bay with the threat of a steel chair. Kevin Steen wants a No Disqualification match with Jacobs. Nigel McGuinness make the match official over the phone.

No Disqualification
Kevin Steen vs. Jimmy Jacobs

Steen tosses an ROH worker out onto everyone. He sends Titus and Compton packing before beating Jacobs with a sneaker. Jacobs kicks the middle rope into Steen’s groin and spears him on the ring apron. Jacobs stomps on his chest before landing a stomach. He sends Steen into a chair in the corner and spears him again for a two count. He chokes Steen with the chain. When Steen rolls out he dives after him. Steen powerbombs Jacobs on the ring apron and lands a Swanton back in the ring for two. He misses a cannonball senton. Jacobs gives him a spring back Ace Crusher for two. He goes for the Contra Code. Steen blocks it and puts him in a tree of woe. This time the cannonball senton is a success. Jacobs however sits up and catches Steen with the Contra Code for two. A piece of barricade is brought into the ring. Steen almost puts Jacobs through it when Jacobs locks on the End Time. Steen breaks it and hits the F-Cinq for two. Steen sets up for the Package Piledriver. Jacobs drops him head first into the barricade before it can be pulled off. Jacobs looks to hit Steen with a chair. Steen kicks him in the groin to stop him. He then givs Jacobs a Package Piledriver onto the barricades for the win at 10:36. I’m not a big fan of re-starts but the crowd was thrilled when it happened. They utilized what was around them effectively and creatively. This felt like the first big win in Steen’s quest in taking out all of S.C.U.M. To drive his point home, Steen gives Jacobs another F-Cinq onto an open steel chair. ***¼

ROH World Championship
Jay Briscoe vs. BJ Whitmer

Mark Briscoe replaces Corino on commentary. No clear advantage comes out of the initial lock-up. Jay trips Whitmer when he tries a shoulder tackle. Jay grabs the ropes when Whitmer grabs a waistlock. Tempers begin to flare as a lock-up brings both men to the floor. Chops are exchanged. Jay knocks Whitmer down with a big boot. Whitmer is sent into the barricades. Back in the ring he’s able to catch Jay with a spinebuster. He gets two with a backbreaker. Jay catches Whitmer with a boot and rolling forearm smash. Whitmer responds with a leg lariat. He pitches Jay out and suicide dives after him. In the ring he strings two Northern Lights suplexes together for two. Jay comes back with a few jabs. Whitmer chops him up. They exchange forearms. Whitmer slides out of a Death Valley Driver and powerslams Jay. Jay comes out of the corner with a Blockbuster for two. Whitmer gets two with a Dragon suplex. A swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker leads to a fisherman’s suplex for two. Whitmer gets in some strikes by the ropes. Jay dumps him with a Saito suplex over the top rope and through the timekeeper’s table! Some officials check on him. Jay is able to make it back into the ring. He gives Whitmer a neckbreaker for two. The Jay Driller has the same result. Whitmer counters another Jay Driller with a jackknife pin. When that fails he hits the Exploder suplex. Jay kicks out. Both men are dizzy when they come to their feet. Jay hits multiple big boots. Whitmer refuses to go down until the fifth one. Jay locks on a Dragon Sleeper. Whitmer passes out at 20:30. This match had some really good back and forth wrestling until the table spot. I actually think Whitmer going through the table fits into his ROH image as a guy who has a proclivity for scary spots (see: “Dragon Gate Invasion” and “Final Battle 2012”) but can come back from it. Here though it was fairly meaningless, as it did not amplify the final portion of the match at all. They kept going through the motions until the finish. I’ve liked a lot of what’s Whitmer’s done late and this was another case of just that. Both guys get credit for what was a good match overall but it could have been much better. ***

Bonus Content

Honor Roll 5.15.2013
Best in the World 2013 Hype Video

A1 (Jefferson Early & Zachary Hilton) vs. Aiden Chambers & Brandon Day

Day shoulder blocks Early. Early responds with a dropkick. Day punches both of A1. Hilton hoists him into a swinging neckbreaker from Early. Hilton slaps Chambers in the face and gives him a few armdrags. Chambers holds on so Day can come in and attack. Early hits him with a leg lariat. Hilton gets two on Day with a neckbreaker. Chambers knees him from the apron. He sunset bombs Hilton off of Day’s shoulders for two. Hilton slingshots Chambers into a waistlock suplex. Day delivers a clothesline and an exploder suplex. Early attacks Chambers as he takes Hilton to the floor. Day dives onto everybody. In the ring he misses a double jump moonsault. Hilton gives Chambers a Death Valley Driver across his knee and a snapmare driver for two. He gets two on Day with a neckbreaker. Chambers comes in. He and Day force Early to powerbomb Hilton. They miss Total Elimination. Both guys are sent to the floor. A1 dive onto both of them. Chambers snapmares Early back in the ring and stomps on his head. He and Hilton give Chambers a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo for the pin at 8:04. The crowd here was really hot for both teams, especially A1. There was a sloppy moment here and there but by and large everybody impressed and really hyped up the crowd. Much better than you would expect in a typical pre-show match. **¼

The 411: What seemed to be just another house show turned out to be very fun. The six man tag and the Kevin Steen/Jacobs fight were a whole excellent and the main event was also pretty solid. It's not required viewing, but a fun show nonetheless and one I'd recommend checking out in a sale or from a live event. You can pick up this DVD from Ring of Honor's store. You can check out all of my ROH reviews over at the 100% Fordified blog. Be sure to follow me on Twitter as well!

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]