Welcome to this week’s Ring of Honor recap. We are hurtling towards Best in the World and this week’s show once again emanates from the Ted Reeve Arena in Toronto. After the opening animation, Kevin Kelly welcomes us to the show and runs down tonight’s card. Steve Corino is also in the booth. We head right to the ring as it is time for our opening match.
QT Marshall & RD Evans vs. ACH & Tadarius Thomas vs. C&C Wrestle Factory
The winner of this match earns a tag team title shot against reDRagon at Best in the World. I love the new team name for Coleman & Alexander. Corino is pissed off that no SCUM team is involved and takes issue with all three teams involved here. KK prods Corino a bit as he continues to piss and moan. Corino also claims to have a broadcasting journalism degree from West Texas State. This guy is amazing. There are lots of quick tags and fast offense early on in this one. RD Evans is a goof and he kind of looks like Napoleon Dynamite. Corino tells us that QT is not a favorite on the message boards or with the boys. Everyone is flying out of the ring, as you would expect given who is involved. After a break, Adam Cole tells us how we can text ROH to get an autographed picture. Do it, kids, but ask your parents first! Back in the ring, the quick pace continues as Alexander takes over the match. KK talks about the big upcoming San Antonio show as ACH returns home to face his hero, Jay Lethal. Corino reveals that ACH’s last name is Hardy, but there is no relation to Matt. Caprice saves his partner from an ACH pinfall as all six men are landing strikes left and right. Corino believes someone was “kicked in the ding ding”. QT gets back dropped over the top and flat onto the floor in a bit of a nasty spot. ACH is clearly being pushed the hardest here, both in the match and on commentary. C&C picks up the win after an Alexander frog splash. They move on to the PPV to battle reDRagon. That was a hot opener and a big win for C&C. Still, ACH looked the best throughout.
After a break, we get a promo from Mark Briscoe, who talks some smack on his brother until he walks into the frame. They then team up to cut a promo on the American Wolves, who they face next week. Back in the arena, KK gives us an update on the condition of Paul London, who suffered a serious concussion at Border Wars. We get the footage of the match and injury, which was suffered on an insane move, when Davey Richards dropped a double stomp off the top rope and into the face of London, who was prone on the edge of the ring apron. That was fucked up and it was clear that London was down for the count as soon as he took the shot. They somehow continued the match, which is insane as London was wobbling all around the ring. I can’t believe they didn’t stop the match. We also see the post-match promo and handshake sign of respect. London gets a standing ovation. We take a break. I go get some Advil.
And when we return, it is time to go Inside ROH with KK. We start with intense promos from both Mark and Jay Briscoe about their upcoming World Title match at BITW. And that is it for Inside ROH this week.
Back to the arena, Michael Elgin walks down to the ring to chat with Nigel McGuiness. Corino bags on him, natch. Paul London, who gets another standing ovation, also joins us. KK joins the ovation and Corino quips that he is going to ask for an autograph too. Nigel puts over London for still being able to get it done against the best competition. He believes London has still got it and it isn’t his time to walk away from the ring. The fans agree. Nigel tells London he needs to take care of his concussion and not destroy his career over one match with Michael Elgin. When London is healthy, we will see the match that we were supposed to see tonight. London and Elgin shake hands. Then they offer haircut tips to each other. London is about to speak, but Marshall and Evans, who are both still smarting from their opening match loss, interrupt the fun. RD bitches about the injustice in the tag division, wondering why reDRagon didn’t bother to show up at Border Wars. Corino seconds that sentiment. RD thinks the tag champs should be stripped and QT & RD should be granted the titles after their lengthy winning streak. Well, neither of them was pinned earlier, so I guess they have a point. RD tells London to retire and then pie faces him. Elgin strikes and knocks RD down as QT takes a powder and leaves his boy alone in the ring. As he backs off, the lights flicker and a loud beeping noise echoes in the arena. That signals the arrival of Tomasso Ciampa, making his return after a nine-month injury absence. Ciampa wrecks Marshall in the aisle, slamming him from rail to rail and then dropping him with a Celtic Cross. He slides in the ring and crushes RD with a powerbomb. He and Elgin then get into a little face-to-face scrum until officials break it up. That was a nice return for Ciampa, and the fans cheer him on.
Back from break and a word from RI Dolls, it is now time for our main event of the evening, with the winner earning a TV Title match at BITW.
BJ Whitmer vs. Mike Bennett vs. Jay Lethal
Wa Wa Wee Wa, hache mache, Maria, hello there. OK, there is a match about to start, but yeah, whatever. Alright, I will shake it off. Corino is pissed at all these choices as well. The winner will battle Matt Taven at the PPV, so a lot at stake here. Maria joins the booth, and Corino apologizes for not being able to stand up to greet her. Truth Martini is scouting the match as Corino flirts with Maria. Typical triple threat so far here with Bennett controlling most of the action. KK addresses Bennett’s free agency and Maria confirms he has received offers from every major company but hasn’t signed anything yet. Whitmer takes over, wiping out Lethal with an exploder suplex. Corino is confident that Whitmer would fail a wellness test if ROH had them and wonders if he may go to rehab again. Ha! Lethal tweaks his knee and Bennett goes right at it, knocking him to the floor. With Lethal down and out, Bennett and Whitmer trade off strikes as we take a break. Watch King of Queens on CW, weeknights! OK, we are back and Lethal has recovered, taking out Whitmer with a missile dropkick. He works over Bennett as Maria talks about all of her business ventures. Whitmer comes back with stereo fisherman’s busters for a near fall on Lethal. Whitmer covers Bennett after an exploder, but Lethal breaks that up with a big elbow off the top. Bennett gets dumped to the floor, allowing Lethal to hit Whitmer with the Lethal Injection for the win. Lethal will now face Taven at BITW, and I am a thinking we will have a new champ. Corino is losing his mind, slamming everything and screaming about Lethal winning. Maria accuses Whitmer of calling her something derogatory, triggering a huge brawl between BJ and Bennett. Maria reveals she was faking it and crows about her feminine wiles to KK. Maria flaunts her…friends…as KK wraps the show up and we fade out.
Only two matches this week, but both were very good and helped set up the PPV title matches. The London/Elgin stuff was good too but dragged on a bit when Evans & Marshall showed up. The Briscoe match also had a lot of hype, as expected. With that, we wrap up. See you next week right here, and until then, take care and respect the code.
