ROH Supercard of Honor XI
April 1, 2017
by Samoa Rowe
From Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida, in front of roughly 3,500 fans. Our hosts are Kevin Kelly, Ian Riccaboni, and Colt Cabana.
ROH TV Championship: Marty Scurll © vs. Adam Cole
Scurll kicks away Cole's handshake and they're off. Scientific chain wrestling leads to the exchanging of face palms, and they threaten each other with weapons at ringside. Cole's superkick is blocked by Scurll placing hyperextending his leg and placing it on the apron, leaving him helpless for a kick to the face. Cole absorbs some chops and spits in Scurll's face. Scurll is in a weird early daze but rallies with superkicks and a brainbuster for 2. Scurll spends too much time playing to the crowd with a shuffle and Cole connects with a quick kicking sequence. Cole mocks Scurll's shuffle but gets countered into a roll-up. Cole rakes the eyes and hits a bicycle kick. Cole does the ADAM COLE BAY-BAY taunt and Scurll snaps his finger but runs into Cole's superkicks. Package piledriver by Cole gets a great nearfall! Cole grabs the TV title and threatens the referee, allowing Scurll to connect with an umbrella shot and piledriver for another great nearfall. Sadly, Cole falls over while reversing a tombstone piledriver and has to redo the spot. Cole falls over attempting another cute Tombstone trick and tries to save face by selling a back injury. Scurll snaps the finger again, hits a Piledriver, and submits Cole with a chickenwing at 13:01. This was absolutely cooking until Cole's ugly pair of botches took the air out of the building. Still a good opener, ***.Winner and still ROH TV Champion: Marty Scurll
The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Vinny Marseglia, with TK O'Ryan) vs. Silas Young and The Beer City Bruiser
Silas Young recently substituted for the injured TK O'Ryan in the Kingdom's Six Man title loss, so now they must fight. Bruiser spits beer at Marselgia and they brawl before the opening bell. Taven barely connects with a springboard kick off the barricade. The match settles down with Bruiser and Marseglia name calling one another while trading shots. Taven makes a save with a springboard elbow drop, but gets hung on the ropes by Young. Bruiser splashes Marseglia but Taven swoops in for a facebuster. Silas dares Taven to be a man and punch him harder and they trade blows. Young crotches Taven on the ropes for a clothesline. Marseglia and Young are both down after a superplex and eat flying splashes form Taven and Bruiser. Bruiser wipes Taven out with a cannonball off the apron. Marseglia slams Young and lights a cigar and tries to put it out in the eye. Young counters with Misery and takes a puff while getting the pinfall at 6:54. Highly entertaining fluff match, **¼.Winners: Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser
ROH Six Man Tag Team Championship:
Bully Ray and The Briscoes © vs. Bullet Club (Hangman Page, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa)
Mark starts against Tonga and they gleefully rough each other up. Mark uses Redneck Kung Fu to gain a psychological edge and Jay tags. Jay wants Page, but Loa makes a blind tag and clotheslines Jay off his feet. Page lets the Guerillas of Destiny wear the Briscoes down a bit before agreeing to a tag. Bully Ray tags in and takes a moment to size up his former students and demands handshakes. Tonga and Loa cheap shot Bully Ray instead. Bully makes a one man comeback, wiping out all three opponents with a flying crossbody! The Briscoes assist in an elbow drop variation of WASSUP, but Bullet Club cut them off from getting the table. Bully Ray hits a desperation spear on Page, and Mark gets a hot tag. Mark leaves Loa for Jay and dives onto Tonga. Page catches Jay with a shooting star press off the apron, setting up Loa's Blue Thunder Bomb for a 2 count. Page hits Jay with the slingshot lariat, but the match breaks down with rapid fire finishers, which leads to Mark's double doomsday device off the top! The Briscoes and Bully Ray finish Loa with a 3D at 13:31. This was a satisfying brawl that differentiated itself well from the typical ROH offerings, ***.Winners and still Six Man Tag Team Champions: Bully Ray and the Briscoes
Texas Bullrope Match: Jay Lethal vs. Cody
Lethal is sporting a cowboy hat, jeans, and a bad attitude. Cody enters through the crowd, sporting a bandana and a "Lethal sucks eggs" t-shirt. He apparently entered on a motorcycle, but the camera and lighting totally missed it. They are supposedly using the same rope and cowbell that was used in Dusty Rhodes' war against Superstar Graham in MSG. Bell rings and they play tug of war. Lethal chokes with the rope, but Cody whips him into the corner and unleashes stomps. Lethal cartwheels out for a drop-kick, adding his own touch to a classic concept. Lethal rips Cody's shirt off and ties him with the bullrope, clocking him with the cowbell and wrenching him into the ring post. Cody blades right on cue. Lethal sets Cody on some chairs and heads to the top rope, but Cody counters with the rope and sends Lethal taking a nasty spill onto the chairs. Lethal goes for the Lethal Injection, but Cody pulls the rope to counter. Cody sets up a table at ringside but has to settle for a bullrope assisted Figure Four in the ring. Lethal escapes and heads to the top rope, but Cody throws him through the table! Cody delivers the Disaster Kick and Cross Rhodes, but Lethal kicks out! The previously quiet crowd has really gotten into this. Lethal seemingly delivers a perfect Hail to the King elbow drop, but Cody blocked with the cowbell! Lethal counters with a cutter, flips the bird, kicks the groin, and finishes with the Lethal Injection at 17:24! This was deliberately paced and they stuck to their plan despite the crowd initially not being into it, ***½.Winner: Jay Lethal
Cheeseburger and Will Ferrara vs. The Rebellion (Rhett Titus and Shane Taylor) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
Cheeseburger totally out hustles Titus in the early going. Sabin enters and sprints through a feeling out exchange with Ferrara. Blind tags are made, and the MCMG's embarrass the opposition with counters at every turn. Sabin's recent back injury comes back to haunt him as the Rebellion clear the MCMG's out and wear down Ferrara. Cheeseburger gets the hot tag and his chops have little effect on Titus. Cheeseburger's flying knee is at least good enough for a 2 count. Titus rebounds with a German suplex on Cheeseburger, setting up Taylor's Uranage. The MCMG's wake up from their nap and clear the ring. The MCMG's soak up the crowd adoration as they finish Cheeseburger with a tandem slam at 9:29. Just a post-intermission wake-up match that got everyone on the show, **.Winners: The Motor City Machine Guns
The Rebellion are sore losers and beat up the Machine Guns. Ferrara seems angry with Cheeseburger and serves him up to Punishment Martinez for a spin kick.
Bobby Fish makes a surprise appearance and declares his intention to continue competing in ROH. He wants Jay Lethal, but instead he gets Silas Young, who is sick of Fish's excuses. They get straight to business with an impromptu match.
Fish and Young aren't finished as Fish spears Young through the ropes. Fish sets up some chairs, but Young puts him through them with a spinebuster. There's a robust "Let them fight!" chant as young boys and officials separate them.
Daniels and Castle celebrate together and are ambushed by Cody, who takes them both down, to MASSIVE heel heat. Kazarian makes the late save, but the damage is done and Cody's statement has been made.
Broken Matt declares that the Young Bucks are the best tag team the Hardys have ever faced. They shake hands and hug it out. Jeff finishes it with a song. Wrestling is goofy and I love it.
Final Thoughts: ROH soared to new heights with their largest crowd to date. Sadly, the card was rather bloated, and they could not sustain the tremendous crowd energy and heat. Take some time to watch the main event and maybe skip around the other matches to enjoy the novelty of an ROH show in an actual arena. Thumbs in the Middle.
Punishment Martinez vs. Frankie Kazarian
Kazarian hits a drop-kick at the opening bell and takes control, at least until Martinez big boots him off the turnbuckles. Martinez wows the crowd with a running dive over the ropes. Martinez decimates Kazarian with running forearm splashes in the corner. Kazarian comes back with a backstabber and tornado DDT, but Martinez kicks out. Martinez hits a facebuster but misses a corner splash, allowing Kazarian to hit a leaping DDT. Kazarian hits a second DDT onto the ring frame and hits a slingshot cutter for only a 1 count! A series of springboard leg drops by Kazarian, but he's distracted by Hangman Page on the apron. Martinez capitalizes with a big chokeslam for the win at 6:02. This succeeded in making Martinez look monstrous, that distraction finish was totally unnecessary, **.
Winner: Punishment Martinez
Bobby Fish vs. Silas Young
It's a straight up brawl as they take turns driving each other into the barricade. Fish inadvertently kicks referee Paul Turner off his feet, allowing Young to catch him with a springboard lariat. Young attempts a chair shot, but referee Todd Sinclair stops him and calls the DQ at 2:32. No rating, but this was cool.
Winner via DQ: Bobby Fish
Dragon Lee and Jay White vs. Will Ospreay and Volador Jr.
The crowd is happy to see Ospreay and a bit more cool on everyone else. Ospreay and White feel each other out, and Ospreay does about a dozen kip-ups to escape a wristlock. Ospreay points at nothing to trick White into looking and getting caught in a headlock. Lee and Volador make tags and are a bit more respectful towards one another as they sprint to a stalemate. Dragon Lee pops the crowd with a suicide dive. Volador fights his way out of getting double teamed, and tags Ospreay, who manages to dominate a 2 on 1 situation as well with quick flying attacks. Ospreay's twisting senton gets a 2 count. Lee manages a leaping rana off the apron on Ospreay. Volador nearly lands on the barricade with an Asai moonsault. White connects with a dive and catches a flying Ospreay to hit a brainbuster onto the ring frame! Volador saves Ospreay from a pinfall after taking a missile drop-kick and frog splash. White backdrops Volador to ringside, and hits a deadlift German on Ospreay. Match totally breaks down and they all hit the canvas for the obligatory standing ovation. Lee recovers with a Tree of Woe double stomp on Volador. The nonstop action resumes, and Ospreay wows the crowd with a shooting star press to the floor! Volador finishes White with a top rope hurricanrana at 13:48. Superior exhibition spot-fest, ****.
Winners: Volador Jr. and Will Ospreay
ROH World Championship:
Castle has an extra large ensemble of Boys accompanying him for his biggest match to date. Daniels had just won the ROH title, and was having a gold watch reign for his years of service. They exchange holds to a dueling chant. Castle plays mind games by posing and having the Boys fan him. Daniels tries to get the Boys to fan him as well, and they are so obedient they almost do it. Daniels settles for stealing the peacock feathers and fanning himself. The Boys confront the champion, allowing Castle to apply a reverse waistlock takedown. Daniels escapes another waistlock and connects with a tilt-a-whirl sideslam for 2. Daniels applies a Koji clutch and reverse DDT. The match seems to be petering out before they start trading chops. Castle throws a series of suplexes and places Daniels on the turnbuckles for a running knee. Castle follows with a nifty rana off the apron, Daniels misses a moonsault and takes out the Boys, allowing Castle to connect with a crisp tope. Daniels no-sells it and hits a Blue Thunder Bomb and Iconoclasm for flat nearfalls. Castle avoids the Best Moonsault Ever and gets a good nearfall with a deadlift German. Saito Suplex and Bangarang by Castle get a disappointingly flat false finish. Daniels surprises with another Koji clutch. They block finishers until Daniels scores a roll-up for the win at 15:40. This was really disappointing and flat, as they lost the hot crowd and could not build any intrigue with the final sequence, **.
Christopher Daniels © vs. Dalton Castle (with The Boys)
Winner and still ROH World Champion: Christopher Daniels
ROH Tag Team Championship (Ladder War):
Bell rings and they immediately start brawling. Jeff goes for Poetry and Motion and flies into a SUPERKICK! Matt Hardy is BROKEN and bites to get back into the fight, but runs into another SUPERKICK. The Bucks seamlessly hit a double stomp on Jeff and lungblower on Matt. The Hardy's answer with stereo Twists of Fate. The Hardys get a ladder but the Bucks drop-kick it into their midsections. The Bucks hit stereo dives and set up a pair of ladders. The Hardys dominate for a while, ramming Matt Jackson with the ladder to send him through a table. Rather than climb, the Hardys pile the ladders in a menacing sculpture of sorts and set up numerous tables on the floor. Matt Jackson SUPERKICKS Jeff onto the ladder concoction for Nick to catapult a ladder into his face! The Bucks set Jeff on a table for a 450 splash off the top! Matt Jackson and Matt Hardy both climb towards the gold and slug it out. The Bucks arrange for a buckle bomb/enziguri combo. The Hardys put Nick through a ladder with a wheelbarrow slam. Matt Jackson yells "You're dead, Jeff" as he DDT's him onto the frame. Nick climbs a ladder, but Matt Hardy pushes it over, causing him to leap off a second ladder and improvises with a springboard splash through Jeff on the table! The Matts duke it out to "Suck It" and "Delete" dueling chants but both take a spill. All four guys try to climb again, and Matt Jackson ends up taking a bump off the top of the ladder through two ringside tables! Nick admirably prevents the Hardys from making the climb, and his brother returns for a SUPERKICK PARTY and everyone goes down for the obligatory standing ovation. Matt Jackson and Jeff both get backdropped through tables, and Matt Hardy puts Nick through another table with a Side Effect. Both teams slowly make the climb again and the Bucks deliver SUPERKICKS! The Young Bucks retrieve the titles at 25:18! These guys pulled out all the stops and managed to have an epic match that lived up to the "dream match" expectations, ****½.
Matt and Jeff Hardy © vs. The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson)
Winners and new ROH Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks
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