Dark Pegasus Video Review: Ring of Honor - Do or Die II Posted by J.D. Dunn on 07.11.2006
It's exhibition time.
This is the afternoon portion of the Scramble Cage II show designed to capitalize on WrestleMania weekend. Like "Frontiers of Honor," it is not really canon and features a bunch of indy wrestlers hoping to earn a spot with Ring of Honor plus some guys that don't normally get a chance to wrestle.
Ring of Honor — Do or Die II (03.13.04)
From Elizabeth, N.J..
No hosts.
Opening Match: Jerrelle Clark vs. Mellow.
Jerrelle isn't much more than an NWA Florida spot machine at this point. The same could be said for "Mellow," only he comes from NWA Wildside. This is mostly just an exhibition to introduce the two guys to a new audience. Jerrelle has some nice moves, including a 619 to a crucifix on the ropes and handspring backflip headbutt. He sets up Mellow with the Cutthroat Driver and hits the 630-senton, but Mellow rolls him up for the cheap win at 5:44. *
The Solution vs. Todd Sexton & Jared Steel.
Sexton is another NWA Wildside project. Steel is from PCW in Dallas. The Solution look and wrestle about as blandly as you can. They're not bad or anything, they just look like WCW Saturday Night jobbers. At least they have matching tights. The Solution does hit a nice finisher — a Hart Attack Doomsday Device. *1/2
Caprice Coleman vs. Rainman.
Thankfully, Rainman is wearing a "Rainman" jersey so I know who is who. Rainman looks like a wannabe Homicide while Caprice looks like Jay Lethal's future self if he went to visit the High Evolutionary. What? Not big Marvel Comics fans? Anyway, this was about what you'd expect from a couple of Wildsiders. Both guys do their faux-AJ Styles stuff. They badly botch a spot where Rainman is supposed to slip under him, but Caprice doesn't realize he's supposed to charge him. He makes up for it with Rolling Northern Lights and a Flying Flatliner. Caprice slips off Rainman's back and rolls him up for the win at 5:13. This was brutal, but the crowd gives a surprising round of respect applause. Julius Smokes wanders out and offers both men a spot in the Scramble Match later in the evening. 1/2*
April Hunter vs. Alison Danger (w/BJ Whitmer).
April, like an idiot, offers a handshake. Thank God she's got great cans. Oh, and she's not a bad wrestler when it comes down to it. She gets a nice legscissor rollup into an armbar. Whitmer sneaks in and powerbombs her behind the ref's back, allowing Danger to get the win at 1:56. CM Punk attacks Whitmer after the match, and they brawl out to the lobby. Tracy Brooks runs in and chokes out Alison Danger until Dan Maff makes the save. 1/4*
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Brad Bradley.
We don't even get Jacobs' Stan Bush entrance music . Bradley is an arrogant powerhouse of IWA Mid-South. Jacobs is kind of the Eugene of RoH, so the fans don't appreciate Bradley manhandling him the way he does. Bradley gives him the Polish Hammer, but Jacobs counters a chokeslam to a Triangle Armlock. Bradley does the Facewash because it's mandatory that someone do it once a show. Jacobs focuses on the leg to come back, but Bradley blocks the Shiranui and hits a powerslam for two. CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL! The ref won't let Bradley follow up, so Jacobs is able to recover and finish with the Shiranui at 7:11. Jacobs looked good. Bradley looked like he'd be at home on Smackdown. *
Hydro (w/Becky Bayless) vs. Roderick Strong.
This should be significantly better. If not better, it's certainly faster. Hydro actually wrestles more like Jay Lethal than Hydro here, so this is more focused. Roderick is good, if a bit bland at this stage. Strong works the back because he is, after all, the Messiah of the Backbreaker. Strong hits a Cutthroat Argentine Backbreaker and a Hurricane Ace Crusher, but Bayless puts Hydro's foot on the ropes. Hydro finishes with a Chaos Theory into a Dragon Suplex at 8:36. **
Austin Aries vs. Danny Daniels.
Like his compadre Roderick Strong, Aries was nothing at this point in the grand scheme of things. See also Shelley, Alex. Speaking of Marvel Comics (earlier), I'm sure they'd like to get a look at the overlapping double "D" on Daniels' chest. Btw, this is IWA Mid-South (Daniels) versus NWA Midwest (Aries). Aries gets a Rolling Slam but his frogsplash hits the knees. Daniels hangs him on the ropes with a reverse suplex and hits a boot right to the face. Aries comes back with a backdrop and a Rolling Forearm. He does that Randy Savage trick where he snaps the guy's neck off the top rope. Aries calls for a brainbuster, but Daniels counters to a Sambo Suplex and snaps off a Twisting Cradle Suplex. Aries eventually does get the brainbuster, but it only gets two. Daniels dumps Aries with an Electric Chair Driver, but it only gets two (which was obviously three). Aries hits the Cruicifix Bomb into the Rings of Saturn for the win at 11:22. Neither guy really showed much to deserve being called back, but they were, and it wound up being a great move for Ring of Honor. **1/4
Super Dragon vs. Excalibur.
Super Dragon was bouncing around the Southern California indies at this point. Excalibur is a product of Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla. Both guys kind of look like the Great Sasuke, but Dragon has the flashier costume, so I'm guessing he'll win. They do a bunch of lucharesu stuff, which is fine by me because it's a change of pace. Dragon does CM Punk's curbstomp move and completely derides Excalibur's pitiful attempt at an offense. Excalibur avoids a charge to take over, but then he misses his own charge and slowly goes over the top with a tope con hilo on no one. Dragon follows him out with a tope. Back in, Excalibur comes back with a lariat and a pump-handle driver. Dragon stomps him off the top and finishes with the Pump-Handle Michinoku Driver at 9:33. **
Scramble Tag: The Ringcrew Express vs. Rainman & Caprice Coleman (w/Julius Smokes) vs. The Outcast Killaz vs. Fast Eddie & Don Juan.
Because when you hear Dunn & Marcos vs. the Outcast Killaz, you think main event time, baby! Dunn and Marcos are really the only over guys in the match (well, unless you count Smokes), which makes the outcome all the more puzzling. Marcos and Eddie take turns reversing each other's wristlocks, and that goes on for quite a while. The Killaz are the only significantly believable team here because Dunn & Marcos want to turn it into a comedy match. They all work in a trainwreck stretch spot to pop the crowd, and Tortuga suckers Eddie into thinking they're on the same side. Caprice does hit a nice Over-the-Shoulder Tiger Driver '91, but it only gets two. That shouldn't happen, even in a match like this. Caprice and Rainman take to the air, diving out on top of the pile. Then, the TWA guys do the same. The Killaz get cut off, though, and the TWA guys hit a convoluted backflip slam/neckbreaker combo to finish off Diablo at 9:19. **1/2
The 411: Well, it's not really canon, so you don't have to worry about missing it. In fact, I would recommend you skip it. Highly recommend you skip it. This felt like every afternoon WWF show that would come through town in the late 1980s that would be main evented by Hillbilly Jim versus Dino Bravo. Unless you're an OCD-level completist, avoid this one at all costs.
