BRM Reviews ROH Final Battle 2011

[Big Red Machine]

ROH Final Battle 2011 (12/23/2011)- New York, NY


Okay… Cary is NOT the founder of ROH! I absolutely hate that ROH is doing this. Cary wasn’t involved with ROH until 2004. I can understand not wanting to mention Rob Feinstein, but that doesn’t mean that they should give Cary credit for something that he didn’t do.

TJ PERKINS vs. MICHAEL ELGIN (w/Truth Martini)- 6/10. Really cool spots with a bit of a story.

JIMMY RAVE vs. TOMASSO CIAMPA (w/The Embassy)- 5/10. This just felt really weird. I just can’t bring myself to do it…. I can’t root for Jimmy Rave.

MIKE BENNETT PROMO- Surprisingly good.

THREE WAY DANCE FOR THE ROH WORLD TV TITLE: Jay Lethal(c) vs. El Generico vs. Mike Bennett (w/”Brutal” Bob Evans & Maria Kanellis)- 7.25/10

NO DISQUALIFICATIONS MATCH WITH JIMMY JACOBS AS SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE- IF STEEN WINS, HE IS BACK IN ROH: Kevin Steen vs. Steve Corino (w/Jim Cornette & Cary Silkin)- 9.25/10

AFTERMATH- AWESOME!

TAG TEAM GAUNTLET MATCH FOR A SHOT AT THE ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES: The Bravado Brothers vs. the All Night Express vs. The Young Bucks vs. Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander vs. Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly)- 8/10

RODERICK STRONG (w/Truth Martini) vs. CHRIS HERO- 7.5/10

ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin)(c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers- 5/10. An utter disaster of psychology.
I really didn’t like Haas & Benjamin using the belts in the beginning. I can understand them jumping the Briscoes, and even using chairs (because that is what the Briscoes injured them with)… but not the belts. I also felt like the match should have started multiple times before it actually did (as we had all four men in the ring)… and when it actually did start… we didn’t have all four men in the ring.

The crowd then turned on Shelton and Charlie, and Charlie acknowledged it, starting to play the heel… But then it is Shelton who gets taken to the back, then valiantly comes out again, despite being injured. He comes back out right when Charlie has an opening for a tag… but there was a ref bump right before it, so he can’t make the hot tag. This was just terrible storytelling.

ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Davey Richards(c) (w/Tony Kozina & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Eddie Edwards (w/Dan Severn)- 7.75/10 Kind of disappointing, considering the hype going in to it. It didn’t feel more personal than the last match (which was what we were promised). It also felt a lot less intense than their previous matches. I really felt like this match was supposed to feel awesome simply because it went forty minutes, rather than because there was anything else exceptional going on. It had almost none of the elements that were use to build up to it. Eddie Didn't even lock Beast Choker in once properly.

KEVIN STEEN PROMO- AWESOME!

Overall, a very good show from ROH. Definitely recommended, but there are better shows out there.

[cero2k]

MIKE BENNETT PROMO- Surprisingly good.

THREE WAY DANCE FOR THE ROH WORLD TV TITLE: Jay Lethal(c) vs. El Generico vs. Mike Bennett (w/”Brutal” Bob Evans & Maria Kanellis)- 7.25/10

I was honestly surprised by the welcome that Maria got, shows what a pair of knockers can do.

NO DISQUALIFICATIONS MATCH WITH JIMMY JACOBS AS SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE- IF STEEN WINS, HE IS BACK IN ROH: Kevin Steen vs. Steve Corino (w/Jim Cornette & Cary Silkin)- 9.25/10

AFTERMATH- AWESOME!

I marked out for Generico soo bad

TAG TEAM GAUNTLET MATCH FOR A SHOT AT THE ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES: The Bravado Brothers vs. the All Night Express vs. The Young Bucks vs. Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander vs. Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly)- 8/10

hated the finish, if that was to be the end, they should've made Bucks vs Shock as the last match. Start with Bravados vs Cedric/Caprice, then Cedric/Caprice vs ANX, then ANX vs Bucks, then Bucks vs Shock.

RODERICK STRONG (w/Truth Martini) vs. CHRIS HERO- 7.5/10

I marked out like a little girl when the KoW song played.

ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin)(c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers- 5/10. An utter disaster of psychology.
I really didn’t like Haas & Benjamin using the belts in the beginning. I can understand them jumping the Briscoes, and even using chairs (because that is what the Briscoes injured them with)… but not the belts. I also felt like the match should have started multiple times before it actually did (as we had all four men in the ring)… and when it actually did start… we didn’t have all four men in the ring.

The crowd then turned on Shelton and Charlie, and Charlie acknowledged it, starting to play the heel… But then it is Shelton who gets taken to the back, then valiantly comes out again, despite being injured. He comes back out right when Charlie has an opening for a tag… but there was a ref bump right before it, so he can’t make the hot tag. This was just terrible storytelling.

my personal opinion is that the fans fucked up the match. It was gonna be a normal (pissed off) face vs (cocky) heel match, then they turned on WGTT and most of the match didn't make sense anymore. The Shelton thing was obviously intended for him as a the face, not the heel.

ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Davey Richards(c) (w/Tony Kozina & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Eddie Edwards (w/Dan Severn)- 7.75/10 Kind of disappointing, considering the hype going in to it. It didn’t feel more personal than the last match (which was what we were promised). It also felt a lot less intense than their previous matches. I really felt like this match was supposed to feel awesome simply because it went forty minutes, rather than because there was anything else exceptional going on. It had almost none of the elements that were use to build up to it. Eddie Didn't even lock Beast Choker in once properly.

it was a good match, really not better than BITW. I honestly don't know what was the point in doing the HoT thing, it's not like it mattered at all.

[badnewzxl]

I don't see how disastrous the tag title match was; I think you're being too picky. The match was simply about WGTT getting revenge on Briscoes, but not being able to hold on to the titles due to the injuries caused BY the Briscoes. IMO, that's not at all BAD storytelling. Most of the rest of the stuff I agree with; except your rating for the Steen match. It wasn't AT ALL that great; not 9.25....

[cero2k]

I don't see how disastrous the tag title match was; I think you're being too picky. The match was simply about WGTT getting revenge on Briscoes, but not being able to hold on to the titles due to the injuries caused BY the Briscoes. IMO, that's not at all BAD storytelling.

at least for me it was that WGTT did some face spots but they were being crapped by the fans, so the spots seemed weird.

[badnewzxl]

I don't see how disastrous the tag title match was; I think you're being too picky. The match was simply about WGTT getting revenge on Briscoes, but not being able to hold on to the titles due to the injuries caused BY the Briscoes. IMO, that's not at all BAD storytelling.

at least for me it was that WGTT did some face spots but they were being crapped by the fans, so the spots seemed weird.

true, but I like that they didn't just work the whole match as though they didn't hear the fans; they played to the crowd well. I just saw it as a simultaneous turn. Like Kelly said, the fans LOVE the Briscoes more the more violent they get (I am def one of said fans); it's what they're good at. Plus, WGTT weren't the heels by any means; they were getting the same flack Cena gets. Ppl expected to be blown away by WGTT in ROH but they've only done the same ol shit they did in WWE. I think they'd make great heels if they became part of the Embassy or HoT....

[Big Red Machine]

I don't see how disastrous the tag title match was; I think you're being too picky. The match was simply about WGTT getting revenge on Briscoes, but not being able to hold on to the titles due to the injuries caused BY the Briscoes. IMO, that's not at all BAD storytelling.

Honestly, I would have been happier with it if Charlie didn't start flipping off the fans. That kind of turned them for me.

Most of the rest of the stuff I agree with; except your rating for the Steen match. It wasn't AT ALL that great; not 9.25....

Lots of other people have been saying this, too. Maybe I need to rewatch it. I give my initial rating preference, of course, because I was spoiler-free for it, though.

[Big Red Machine]

true, but I like that they didn't just work the whole match as though they didn't hear the fans; they played to the crowd well. I just saw it as a simultaneous turn. Like Kelly said, the fans LOVE the Briscoes more the more violent they get (I am def one of said fans); it's what they're good at.

But they didn't get cheered against ANX. Hell... they turned heel by being extra-violent with ANX.

Plus, WGTT weren't the heels by any means; they were getting the same flack Cena gets. Ppl expected to be blown away by WGTT in ROH but they've only done the same ol s**t they did in WWE.

I don't get this at all. What did they expect them to do? Start throwing stiff kicks and doing Phoenix Splashes and other indy-rific moves? Why did anyone expect their style to change? They got the opportunity to put on longer matches (and thus tell better/more intricate stories), but did people expect them to start hitting Burning Hammers all over the places?

And they HAVE been doing more things. The Catapult into a Samoan Drop, and some of their other stuff (actually, now that I think about it, it has mostly been Shelton, not Charlie, but...)

[Big Red Machine]

ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin)(c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers- 5/10. An utter disaster of psychology.
I really didn’t like Haas & Benjamin using the belts in the beginning. I can understand them jumping the Briscoes, and even using chairs (because that is what the Briscoes injured them with)… but not the belts. I also felt like the match should have started multiple times before it actually did (as we had all four men in the ring)… and when it actually did start… we didn’t have all four men in the ring.

The crowd then turned on Shelton and Charlie, and Charlie acknowledged it, starting to play the heel… But then it is Shelton who gets taken to the back, then valiantly comes out again, despite being injured. He comes back out right when Charlie has an opening for a tag… but there was a ref bump right before it, so he can’t make the hot tag. This was just terrible storytelling.

my personal opinion is that the fans F'ed up the match. It was gonna be a normal (pissed off) face vs (cocky) heel match, then they turned on WGTT and most of the match didn't make sense anymore. The Shelton thing was obviously intended for him as a the face, not the heel.

I definitely agree.

As an aside, when they did the spot where Charlie had one Briscoe in the Haas of Pain, and the other went for an elbow drop to break it up and Shelton sacrificed his injured ribs to block it... with WGTT as babyfaces, it would have been an AWESOME finish to have Shelton sacrificing himself there buy just enough time for Charlie to make the other Briscoe tap, as it would have played perfectly off of the finishes to their matches at Glory By Honor IX and Honor Takes Center Stage: Night 1

[cero2k]

I also forgot to mention, it may had been me, but the production value of the show sucked. they couldn't get a single recap of a segment, even when they tried it all came out bad. I hope they edit it for the DVD.

[badnewzxl]

I also forgot to mention, it may had been me, but the production value of the show sucked. they couldn't get a single recap of a segment, even when they tried it all came out bad. I hope they edit it for the DVD.

It wasn't just you; they were slacking. I also hope they edit it better for the dvd.