ROH Round Robin Challenge III

ROH Round Robin Challenge IIIROH Round Robin Challenge III

By Big Red Machine
From May 15, 2004
Discussion

ROH Round Robin Challenge III (5/15/2004)- Lexington, MA

THE PROPHECY PROMO- Danger tells us that Daniels may never wrestle in ROH again because of his injuries, but he is still guiding them. Maff then cut an okay promo on the Second City Saints.

PRINCE NANA RECRUITS THE OUTCAST KILLAZ- hilarious, in retrospect, because Nana really just treated them like crap. The Carnage Crew then show up and accuse them of crapping in their bags back at At Our Best. This leads to the making of an eight man tag team match pitting the Carnage Crew and the Ring Crew Express against The Embassy.

CM PUNK PROMO- Punk says that management is trying to screw the Second City Saints out of the ROH Tag Team Titles because they aren’t marketable and that is why management brought Ricky Steamboat in to ref their matches. Now that they have the belts, though, Punk is refusing to defend them if Steamboat is the ref. Good promo.

ROUND ROBIN CHALLENGE MATCH #1 RELAXED RULES MATCH FOR THE ROH TAG TEAM TITLES: The Second City Saints(c) (CM Punk & Colt Cabana) vs. The Prophecy (Dan Maff & BJ Whitmer) (w/Allison Danger)- 4.25/10
This only went about six minutes and ended with the Saints trying to run away but being forced back to the ring by Ricky Steamboat, dived on my Maff, then Whitmer hitting the Wrist-Clutch Exploder for the win. I really didn’t like Gabe putting over how hard Maff and Whitmer had worked and sounding so damn happy on commentary because they are still the f*cking Prophecy!

PUNK & CABANA ATTACK STEAMBOAT- GREAT selling from Steamboat (did you expect anything else?) and the little hope spots they gave him were brilliant. Putting Steamboat through the table got great heat.

MATT STRYKER vs. ALEX SHELLEY- 6.25/10

BRISCOES PROMO- The Briscoes dump Cornette as their manager for not showing up in Chicago.

THE EMBASSY vs. THE RING CREW EXPRESS & THE CARNAGE CREW-4/10
Nothing much going on here, and Gabe’s attempts to put over the “who crapped in the Carnage Crew’s bags” storyline are unintentionally hilarious.

Homicide, Julius Smokes, & Ricky Reyes come out for Reyes’ match. Gary Michael Capetta comes out and tells Homicide that ROH management does not want Joe and Cide anywhere near each other. Cide almost strangles GMC but relents and goes to the back... but then Joe and Cide emerge from the dressing room, brawling. The locker room comes out and breaks it up, letting us have…

SAMOA JOE vs. RICKY REYES (w/Julius Smokes)- 6.75/10

CM PUNK & COLT CABANA PROMO- they say that Cabana’s shoulders weren’t down on the pin in their match earlier. Punk then gets heat for calling out Steamboat (whom he and Cabana had sent to the hospital earlier with a leg drop through a table). Punk then says that he and Cabana want the Briscoes to win this next match so that they can win them back at the end of the night. This whole segment felt pointless.

ROUND ROBIN CHALLENGE MATCH #2 FOR THE ROH TAG TEAM TITLES: The Prophecy(c) (w/Allison Danger) vs. The Briscoe Brothers- 6.5/10
Having the Saints interfere on the finish would have been a lot better, as it would play into their promo from earlier, be more fuel in their feud with the Prophecy and not make Maff and Whitmer look quite as lame for only holding the titles for an hour.

SPANKY PROMO- good

SEAN PRICE TRIES TO INTERVIEW THE PROPHECY- they yell at him, and at each other. Maff says “I don’t think I can do this anymore” and we are left to contemplate whether he means wrestling, or just being in the Prophecy.

JOSH DANIELS (w/Prince Nana) vs. Dixie (w/Special K)- 3/10
Ox Baker (yes, you read that correctly) randomly shows up to ringside saying that he can help Special K somehow.

SIX MAN MAYHEM MATCH: Roderick Strong vs. Masada vs. John Walters vs. Trent Acid vs. Hydro (w/Special K) vs. Izzy (also w/Special K)-6.75/10
On the way to the ring, Hydro says “no kidding around tonight, guys. I’m serious.” Signaling the beginning of his transformation into Jay Lethal. The match itself is one of the best Six Man Mayhem matches I have ever seen.

SPANKY vs. HOMICIDE (w/Julius Smokes)- 7.75/10
Spanky uses a chair right in front of the ref and there is no DQ? Other than that one spot, this match was awesome. Some great nearfalls, some great wrestling, and a very hot crowd that was 100% behind Spanky. This “return” of Spanky’s would prove to be extremely short lived (this was the only match) but this match makes me wish there could have been more of it.

HOMICIDE CALLS OUT JOE- Joe responds and is jumped by Smokes and Reyes. People try to come out to help buy Cide threatens to murder them (while holding a razor. It’s not as hokey as it sounds). The Rotweilers hit Joe with a few Piledrivers to injure his next for next week’s big title match.

ROUND ROBIN CHALLENGE MATCH #3 FOR THE ROH TAG TEAM TITLES: The Briscoe Brothers(c) vs. The Second City Saints- 7.5/10
Good selling by Mark and some very good action towards the end. After the match, the Saints, Briscoes, and Prophecy have a three-way brawl during which Steamboat returns and gets the better of Punk, even hitting a diving crossbody (which the crowd popped HUGE for).

ALEX SHELLEY PROMO- Shelley says he has a big surprise for the next show, Generation Next. I wonder what that could be? And why is he walking off with that Roderick Strong guy from the Six Man Mayhem match?

THE PROPHECY BACKSTAGE- very good.

While the top of the card was very good, this show was still not very good. The booking of the tag team titles in particular stands out to be as a bad idea. It really felt like it cheapened the titles to have three switches in one night, resulting in the same guys who were champions going in to walk out with the belts and having two teams become two-time champions for the first time in one night. What’s more, the whole thing was unnecessary. It would have gotten everything over just as well by having the Round Robin be non-title. You would still keep everyone even at one win each, the Prophecy beating the Saints would set up for their title match at the next show, and Maff and Whitmer could have continued working together being driven by pursuit of the tag titles and Danger’s message of “do it for Daniels” without having to win the belts first. Gabe’s commentary completely telegraphed the second two title changes, effectively eliminating all suspense from the matches, and there is also a goof on the match-by-match menu which lists the main event as the Briscoes vs. Punk & Maff.

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