BRM Reviews the 8/9/2014 ROH (awesome)
Posted: Aug 15th, '14, 01:08
They start off by announcing tonight's main event: Michael Elgin defending the ROH World Title against Kyle O'Reilly. What? When did this happen? There hasn't been any hype or build to this at all. Even worse, this makes very little sense in almost every way you could look at it:
1. Kayfabe- Where did this match come from? Who has Kyle beaten in singles competition to deserve this shot?
2. Production/continuity- last week we devoted the ENTIRE SHOW to a gauntlet match for a shot at the ROH World Title which was won by Cedric Alexander... but this week it's Kyle O'Reilly getting a world title shot?
3. Booking- yeah, the match should be great, but if Elgin wins (which he almost certainly will), this should build to Elgin finding a partner and getting a tag title shot, which almost doesn't make sense to do when you have so many teams in the tag title hunt (Kaz & Daniels, the Young Bucks, War Machine, Forever Hooligans, and then perennial contenders like the Briscoes and the Jacobs/Whitmer pairing from the decade), and really doesn't make sense for Elgin because of all the guys who should be lining up for a shot at him.
ADAM COLE vs. ROCKY ROMERO- 6/10
The question posed to before this match was "how will losing the ROH World Title affect Adam Cole?," and this match definitely gave us an answer: Cole was more focused and a lot less cocky than usual. He still did his "ADAM COLE, BAYBAY!" at one point, but you could definitely sense that he was a lot more cautious.
TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. ADAM PAGE (w/Roderick Strong)- 5.75/10
Very good for the time it got. Great action. Page actually got most of the offense, which surprised me a lot. He looked very good. Page hit a GTS Backbreaker, for a nearfall. Roddy was unhappy that Page was using his move (and like with Cedric, it wasn't even the version Roddy uses, which kind of annoys me, but if the goal is to make Roddy seem extra unreasonable for heat, I guess it's working).
This led to Ciampa hitting a running knee and then Project Ciampa for the pin.
POST-MATCH SEGMENT- bad
Ciampa cut a promo in which he said everyone has overlooked him. He even somehow claims to know for a fact that Elgin wasn't thinking about him when he issued open challenges for the ROH World Title. Ciampa is supposed to be a babyface here (as Silas Young interrupting him shows), but he really came off like a whiny heel. The things he said also would have held a lot more water if he hadn't been losing so often recently, and especially in matches with title implications. On his last eight ROH shows, he has lost a world title match a tag title match, two TV Title matches, and a match for a future shot at the TV Title (in addition to a loss to Kevin Steen, while all he has in the positive category is a win against a guy just starting out in the company and a win in a six man tag). When we factor in TV since then, he a tainted win against Roderick, this tainted win here against Adam Page, and a... whatever you call it when there is a DQ in a three-way match before one of the other two guys hits the other with a weapon- a DQ win, maybe?- in a TV Title match. These are NOT the sort of stats that should be getting title shots in ROH.
Silas Young came out to interrupt him. He says that when he beats Elgin for the ROH World Title at Death Before Dishonor XII: Night 1, there will be no more open challenges, and people will have to earn title shots. He says Ciampa does't have what it takes to earn a title shot, so Ciampa headbutts him. Ciampa wants to beat him some more, but Silas escapes. Ciampa, whose nicknames is "the Sicilian Psychopath, did not even attempt to give chase.
ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Michael Elgin(c) (w/Tyson Dux) vs. Kyle O'Reilly (w/Bobby Fish)- 8/10
Well, to answer the question of where the hell this match came from, apparently this was in response to an open challenge that Elgin had made, which I guess all happened backstage. I’m still waiting for someone to answer my other two questions (why it wasn’t hyped and why you would have Elgin beat one of the tag champs if you aren’t planning on having him challenge for the tag titles).
Elgin brought Dux in so he could prevent Bobby Fish from interfering. The match was awesome. In addition to reDRagon’s tag team greatness, Kyle has been quietly putting on a ton of great singles matches in ROH this year.
POST-MATCH SEGMENT- decent
Silas Young came out, rammed Dux into the ringpost, and then jumped Elgin from behind. Then Ciampa came out to brawl with Silas. Then Adam Cole came out and picked up where Silas left off, beating Elgin down. Then Cedric Alexander came out to brawl with Cole… and that this point it just got unintentionally hilarious. Then the Briscoes came out to help beat up the heels. Then War Machine came out to brawl with the Briscoes. They had a big schmoz. Some people did dives, and it all ended with Elgin powerbombing Cole onto the pile on the outside, and ending the show standing tall. That part of it wasn’t bad, but the whole thing just felt like a lamer version of the big “faction warfare” angle show-ending schmoz from ROH Night of the Butcher II (a very underrated show, IMO, with just an AMAZING schmoz at the end).
1. Kayfabe- Where did this match come from? Who has Kyle beaten in singles competition to deserve this shot?
2. Production/continuity- last week we devoted the ENTIRE SHOW to a gauntlet match for a shot at the ROH World Title which was won by Cedric Alexander... but this week it's Kyle O'Reilly getting a world title shot?
3. Booking- yeah, the match should be great, but if Elgin wins (which he almost certainly will), this should build to Elgin finding a partner and getting a tag title shot, which almost doesn't make sense to do when you have so many teams in the tag title hunt (Kaz & Daniels, the Young Bucks, War Machine, Forever Hooligans, and then perennial contenders like the Briscoes and the Jacobs/Whitmer pairing from the decade), and really doesn't make sense for Elgin because of all the guys who should be lining up for a shot at him.
ADAM COLE vs. ROCKY ROMERO- 6/10
The question posed to before this match was "how will losing the ROH World Title affect Adam Cole?," and this match definitely gave us an answer: Cole was more focused and a lot less cocky than usual. He still did his "ADAM COLE, BAYBAY!" at one point, but you could definitely sense that he was a lot more cautious.
TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. ADAM PAGE (w/Roderick Strong)- 5.75/10
Very good for the time it got. Great action. Page actually got most of the offense, which surprised me a lot. He looked very good. Page hit a GTS Backbreaker, for a nearfall. Roddy was unhappy that Page was using his move (and like with Cedric, it wasn't even the version Roddy uses, which kind of annoys me, but if the goal is to make Roddy seem extra unreasonable for heat, I guess it's working).
This led to Ciampa hitting a running knee and then Project Ciampa for the pin.
POST-MATCH SEGMENT- bad
Ciampa cut a promo in which he said everyone has overlooked him. He even somehow claims to know for a fact that Elgin wasn't thinking about him when he issued open challenges for the ROH World Title. Ciampa is supposed to be a babyface here (as Silas Young interrupting him shows), but he really came off like a whiny heel. The things he said also would have held a lot more water if he hadn't been losing so often recently, and especially in matches with title implications. On his last eight ROH shows, he has lost a world title match a tag title match, two TV Title matches, and a match for a future shot at the TV Title (in addition to a loss to Kevin Steen, while all he has in the positive category is a win against a guy just starting out in the company and a win in a six man tag). When we factor in TV since then, he a tainted win against Roderick, this tainted win here against Adam Page, and a... whatever you call it when there is a DQ in a three-way match before one of the other two guys hits the other with a weapon- a DQ win, maybe?- in a TV Title match. These are NOT the sort of stats that should be getting title shots in ROH.
Silas Young came out to interrupt him. He says that when he beats Elgin for the ROH World Title at Death Before Dishonor XII: Night 1, there will be no more open challenges, and people will have to earn title shots. He says Ciampa does't have what it takes to earn a title shot, so Ciampa headbutts him. Ciampa wants to beat him some more, but Silas escapes. Ciampa, whose nicknames is "the Sicilian Psychopath, did not even attempt to give chase.
ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Michael Elgin(c) (w/Tyson Dux) vs. Kyle O'Reilly (w/Bobby Fish)- 8/10
Well, to answer the question of where the hell this match came from, apparently this was in response to an open challenge that Elgin had made, which I guess all happened backstage. I’m still waiting for someone to answer my other two questions (why it wasn’t hyped and why you would have Elgin beat one of the tag champs if you aren’t planning on having him challenge for the tag titles).
Elgin brought Dux in so he could prevent Bobby Fish from interfering. The match was awesome. In addition to reDRagon’s tag team greatness, Kyle has been quietly putting on a ton of great singles matches in ROH this year.
POST-MATCH SEGMENT- decent
Silas Young came out, rammed Dux into the ringpost, and then jumped Elgin from behind. Then Ciampa came out to brawl with Silas. Then Adam Cole came out and picked up where Silas left off, beating Elgin down. Then Cedric Alexander came out to brawl with Cole… and that this point it just got unintentionally hilarious. Then the Briscoes came out to help beat up the heels. Then War Machine came out to brawl with the Briscoes. They had a big schmoz. Some people did dives, and it all ended with Elgin powerbombing Cole onto the pile on the outside, and ending the show standing tall. That part of it wasn’t bad, but the whole thing just felt like a lamer version of the big “faction warfare” angle show-ending schmoz from ROH Night of the Butcher II (a very underrated show, IMO, with just an AMAZING schmoz at the end).