Ring of Honor’s “Honor Reigns Supreme” Recap – 2/9/18 – Bodyslam.net In Attendance
Jay Lethal vs. Jonthan Gresham.
Fans are really behind Jay Lethal here in Concord tonight. Both me lock up. Lethal with a clean break. Both men trade off with offensive series, lots of back and forth wrestling here. Gresham gets the advantage, locks in a hammerlock on Lethal. Gresham begins to focus on Lethal’s arm. Finally Lethal is able to get out of the hold, and works Gresham into the corner. They trade chops. Lethal with a suplex, into a pinfall attempt. Only a one count.
The two decide to trade chops again. Lethal puts a stop to that by hitting a suplex of his own. Gresham begins to fire back, and now has the advantage in the match. Gresham continues to work on Lethal’s arm, connecting with a stiff kick to the his elbow. Lethal counters another attempted strike to the already injured elbow, but Gresham comes right back and takes Lethal down to the mat. Gresham focuses more on Lethal’s hurt arm. Gresham keeps it on the mat, continuing to work on the arm, and shoulder.
Lethal tries to fight back but is caught with with an armdrag and then nailed with a dropkick sending him tumbling to the floor. Gresham rushes in looking for a dive to the outside, Lethal moves but Gresham stops himself. Gresham on the aron, Lethal turns around and and is caught with a kick from Gresham. Gresham looking for a dive from the ring apron but Lethal was expecting it and catches him into a diamond cutter on the outside to the floor.
Ref starts the count, both men eventually make it back inside the ring with Gresham just getting in before the referee makes the 20 count. Gresham on the attack, but Lethal counters with an elbow strike. Both men trading strikes back and forth now. They continue firing away on each other, getting more and more heated as it goes. Lethal catches Gresham with a bicycle kick. He goes for the Lethal Injection but the shoulder that Gresham has been working on all match gives out on him.
Gresham sees his opportunity, he’s all over Lethal now. Gresham locks in the crossface, crowd around me tries to get a Benoit chant going but that didn’t work out, that got shut down fast following some nearby boo’s. Lethal eventually makes it to the ropes. Gresham stays on him. Lethal catches him with a small package out of nowhere for a two count. Gresham up quickly but is caught with a dragonscrew leg whip for the takedown. Lethal working on the knee again. Lethal with decisive control of the match now.
Lethal looking to go high risk, he tries to make it to the top but is cut off by Gresham. Gresham continues to attack the arm and shoulder of Lethal. Lethal counters, flipping Gresham over with a sunset flip but he escapes. Off the ropes now, he catches Lethal with a tornado DDT, into a pin attempt. Only a two.
Lethal making the comeback now. Lethal with a flying elbow, into a pinfall attempt but kick out at two from Gresham. Lethal locks in the Figure Four Leglock in North Carolina. Crowd loves it. Lots of “woooo’s” and assorted attempts at Flair chant’s around me but none gained any traction. Lethal still has the figure four locked in, Gresham trying to escape. He can’t do it. He can’t hold on any longer, he has to tap.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Crowd loved this match. Super hot. Huge reaction for the finish. They have a face off in the ring after the match. Guy beside me gets a “Both These Guys” chant going. Eventually they shake hands in the ring. Crowd loves it.
My Take: This may have been match of the night. Everything looked smooth and crisp and clean all around. Crowd was completely invested in the match, when at the start it seemed like that weren’t buying into Gresham being on Lethal’s level. This is definite a match worth watching.
The Bullet Club (Cody Rhodes & Adam Page & Marty Scurll) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan & Vinnie Marseglia)
This is an extremely PRO Bullet Club crowd. Bullet Club shirts everywhere you look. It was pretty insane the amount of Bullet Club shirts I saw in line, and they just kept coming in. The Bullet Club is way over in Concord.
Both teams have a face off on the floor. They wield chairs and trash talk back and forth with each other. Finally Scurll and Marseglia start off, the two of them go back and forth with each other. Marseglia catches Scurll with a shoulder block, and mocks the villain by mimicking his bird motion arm flapping gesture.
Scurll grabs his umbrella and hits the ring, but Vinnie is ready and has his axe or hatchet thing in hand waiting. The ref gets involved and takes the weapon away from Marseglia, and another ref takes the axe to the back away from the ring area. Hangman Page and TK O’Ryan are now tagged in. They lock up. Hangman shoves O’Ryan to the mat. He’s back up, but Page tosses him into the corner. Hangman follows him in and starts chopping away on TK.
Matt Taven and Cody are tagged in now. Taven instantly kills all of the Bullet Club’s momentum by exiting the ring to the floor for a break.
From here everything gets pretty hectic and chaotic. Lots of dives and people running and flying around all over the place, I had a hard time keeping up in person. Cody pops up and connects with a springboard dive to the floor onto The Kingdom right in front of me. Hangman page follows that up without delay with a beautiful moonsault to the floor.
The action makes it back into the ring, and we see The Kingdom take control with the advantage in the match. Marseglia with a little NC rub, hitting a side effect on Hangman Page that Matt Hardy would probably even approve of. Kingdom works over on Page. Lots of back and forth stuff here for a while, I got invested in the match and stopped taking quick notes on my phone here.
The Kingdom with control now, they’re working on Scurll. Attempted Swanton I think here from Vinnie on Scurll, but Marty gets his knees up. Cody reaching for the tag, the crowd really getting tense and into this one. Marty eventually reaches Cody and makes the tag to the fresh man.
Cody all over Taven. Cody hits a stiff powerslam on Taven, and follows it right up with a dragon suplex into a pinning combination for a two count. Actions keeps going, this match has been great so far. Hangman with a running shooting star press. Covers. Kick out at 2.
On the outside Cody tosses Vinnie over the guard rail into the crowd. Marseglia lands in the section just to my left. Lots of stuff going on all over the place again. TK catches Cody with a big right hand, here comes Scurll to retaliate laying out O’Ryan, but Marty gets caught with a nice bicycle kick from Marseglia who I didn’t even see make his way back from the crowd. Hangman takes out Vinnie with a vicious clothesline. But here comes Taven dropping Page immediately following the clothesline. Cody on Taven now, he locks in the American Deathlock, but Taven endures and makes it to the ropes breaking the hold.
Brandi Rhodes decides it’s time to get involved. Brandi is looking NICE by the way. She starts arguing with TK O’Ryan, and for her effort gets tossed by the referee and sent to the back. Action breaks down here. I was watching Brandi, and everyone is going nuts hitting moves left and right on each other. Flurry going on. While Cody is distracted in the ring and action happening all over the place, Taven steals Cody’s ROH Ring. He plays possum, Cody charges in on Taven, but is caught with a huge right hand and the ring. Cody is out. Taven makes the cover. Three count. It’s over. The Kingdom wins.
Winners: The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan & Vinnie Marseglia)
My Take: Super fun match. Amazing action from everyone here. Crowd was sooo into the match. Bullet Club heavy fans. Everyone was shocked that The Kingdom got the win. Great reaction from the crowd afterwards. I liked the match, I thought it was a good way to build a team that can rival and challenge the Bullet Club in ROH. Cody saves face by having Taven cheat and not getting a clean win on the former World Champion.
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. The Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Beretta)
Lots of fun early on with some hijinx from both teams. All four men in the ring now, but the Bucks with the advantage clearing the ring. The Bucks getting warmed up now, here they go with tandem suicide dives on The Best Friends to the outside. Crowd is loving this. Chuckie T whips Nick Jackson into the railing, pretty loud and solid sounding spot there. Matt Jackson saves, attacking Taylor. In comes Beretta. Nick again whipped into the railing outside. The Best Friends begin working on the isolated Matt Jackson now.
Beretta off the top rope with a nice double foot stomp to the back of Matt Jackson while Chuckie T holds jackson in place. Best Friends control the match now, and slow the pace down to a speed more favorable to their style. They continue to work on Matt’s back. Matt tries to fight back but is cut off with a running knee to the gut. They continue working over Matt until finally Nick makes the hot tag, and comes in throwing out superkicks and high spots left and right.
Jackson locks in a running bulldog on one of The Best Friends, all while clotheslining the other member. I lost track of who was legal and who was on the receiving end of what. Bucks going for a double team move now. Looks like a powerbomb/superkick combo or maybe the Meltzer Driver I couldn’t tell, I was busy being rowdy and heckling and cheering and being that guy in the crowd at this point. But it doesn’t matter because I’ll never know since Matt’s back gave out, selling the injury that they worked over earlier in the match.
Nick is finally tagged back in. He hits a HIGH cross body block onto Beretta. Nick goes for the pin, but a kick out at two. Nick pops up and hits a springboard dropkick off the turnbuckle hitting Taylor on the apron knocking him to the floor. Nick follows that up nailing Beretta. Nick is feeling it, he without hesitation hits a moonsault onto Chuckie T who was still on the floor.
Matt Jackson is finally back up and makes it into the ring. He goes for Beretta, but Beretta moves and connects with a backstabber on Matt. Beretta turns his attention to Nick Jackson now, hitting a nice looking superplex. Here comes Chuckie T to follow that up with a solid double stomp. Nice tag team wrestling going on here in this match from both teams.
The Bucks have control of the match now. Matt is tagged in, still selling the hurt back. More tag team spots here, some good comedy spots. Matt Jackson tricks The Best Friends causing their heads to collide. Matt Jackson attempts a springboard attack, but again his back gives out. Beretta goes to the ropes, but is caught by Jackson grabbing his legs snapping him over backwards into the turnbuckle. Nick follows that up by superkicking him on the floor, then tossing him back into the ring. Matt drapes him on the ropes while Nick hits a Swanton across the back. Nice looking spot here from everyone. Bucks make the cover, only a 2 count. Matt Jackson keeps the pressure on, attacking Beretta. Matt comes off the ropes looking for something here, but is caught by Beretta with a hurricanrana. Matt looks to have been ready for that though, as he rolls through for a sunset flip attempt but is hooked and turned over into a sharpshooter. In comes Nick connecting with a superkick breaking up the hold. Cover, and another two count. I’ve lost track of things again, sorry. (might have been a little drunk during this part of the night. Notes are getting more and more vague.) Dueling sharpshooter spot here. Eventually both holds are broken up and the referee regains control of the match.
Nick and Chuckie T going at it in the middle of the ring now. Heavy punches and strikes by both. Nick hits a huge running knee in the corner, but Beretta catches him with another hurricanrana. Beretta goes to work again on Matt’s back. Now Beretta with a pile driver on the apron. Beretta feeling it. Crowd is all in (no pun intended). Beretta looking for the dudebuster outside on the floor on Matt, but Nick makes the save charging in landing a kick on Beretta. Matt ends up turning the sequence into a Code Red on the outside.
Nick Jack and Chuckie T going at it again. The keep trading blows, eventually Jackson connects with a spear and a superkick onto Chuckie T. In comes Beretta after the tag is made. He rolls up Matt Jackson, kick out at two. Beretta back in, he’s gonna get involved now too. He ends up being on the unfavorable end of a superkick. This gives The Bucks the opportunity they needed, the set him up for here, and here comes the Meltzer Driver. Jackson with the cover, and the win.
Winners: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
After the match was over, and from what I gather this may not have been broadcast on the streaming feed, but The Bucks get on the mic and say that there was a little incident that happened in Sapporo Japan that needed to be discussed. They asked for Cody and everyone to come out to the ring so they could talk.
Out comes Cody, Marty Scurll, and Hangman page to join The Young Bucks in the ring. The say they are going to film a segment for the upcoming episode of Being The Elite. I honestly can’t remember what was said between Cody and the Bucks, it didn’t really resolve anything regarding Cody and Kenny I don’t think.. Bucks leave the ring, but Cody, Marty and Hangman stay.
Cody says that he wants to address the Charlotte NC crowd. He says that while he was born in North Carolina, that Hangman Page actually lives in North Carolina, and that his family is actually in audience tonight. He asks where they are, and Page points up the the stands behind me, where his Mom & Dad and another member of the family and standing and waving.
Hangman gets on the mic and puts over the NC fans, the state, the crowd.
I want to say Marty had a spot here too, where we all went “woop woop” but again its kinda foggy because I was two fisting pints of craft beer all night.
Local NC indy talent, and crowd favorite, Billy Brash was working at ringside helping clear the ring of streamers all night, and was given the responsibility of filming the segment for Being the Elite. Much to the joy of the crowd. We broke out into a huge Billy Brash chant. Cody loved it. He points out how over Brash was with the fans, he calls Brash into the ring and says you never know what can happen at an ROH show. Cody says that Brash is going to wrestle right now, and wrestle Brandi. He takes the camera, gives to to Page or Scurll, not sure. Brash is ready, Brandi is ready. Crowd is going nuts.
Cody says wait wait, points out that Brandi has her boobs all out looking hot and cleavage’y. So it’s not gonna happen tonight. Booo’s from the crowd, lots of laughs from everyone. Cody thanks us all for coming out and hopes to see us again soon.
Cody exits the ring and takes selfies with us at ringside.
My Take: Excellent Main Event. Crowd couldn’t have been hotter. Amazing comedy spots in this match too. I couldn’t remember where it happened in the order of the match, but there was a spot that saw Beretta pull out a cigarette and smoke and celebrate in the ring, work a few spots, all while smoking, and then take a superkick to the mouth sending the cigarette flying into the air onto the mat and having to get stomped out before the canvas went up. haha. Amazing. You really should look this match up. Depending on your personal opinion this match, or the Lethal/Gresham match was MOTN. Look this one up, you won’t regret it.
