Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

Music, Politics, Flim, Books and TV all shall be reviewed within.


We start with a cheesey introduction before rolling the vignettes for the first match up, this doesn't look promising.
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Dark City Fight Club vs. Grizzly Redwood & Andy Ridge
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Ridge and Davis start in the ring, Davis slugs Ridge down hard adn hits a big body slam. Chavis tags in and he's whipped into Ridge hard by Davis, before hitting a double arm suplex. Chavis slugs down Ridge hard. Davis tags back in and they hit an ace crusher face buster combo. Davis throws Ridge to Grizzly who tags in. Grizzly dodges two closelines but Davis blocks an arm drag and hits a huge one arm slam. Davis hits a hanging vertical suplex for a two count. Chavis tags in knocks Ridge off the apron and hits a hard Irish whip. Chavis misses a blind charge and Grizzly gets a head of steam but Chavis just kills Grizzly with a monster shoulder tackle. Ridge tags in but all of his offence and hits a two man full nelson slam and then a huge neck breaker powerbomb combo for the 1-2-3.
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That is much more like it ROH, a great show case for the Dark City Fight Club, Ridge and Redwood bumped all over the ring to make their offence look devastating. A mixed of squashes and long competitive matches and this show might just go somewhere. (*)
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Danielson cuts a good cool, calm, collected and serious promo. We go to the ring where Nigel McGuiness is on the mic, he lists his injuries and says he still doesn't have the respect of "you wankers", but he prefers it that way, why would he want the approval of disease ridden, social maljusted muppets. Nigel then tells the crowd to kiss his arse.
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Nigel McGuiness vs. Alex Payne
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Payne gets two dropkicks and a bulldog from the second rope for a two count. Payne can't whip Nigel who responds with his back kick and closeline combo. Nigel gets an arm wrench suplex before getting in the crowds face. Nigel gets a wrist frag and then a hammerlock divorce court. Nigel tells the fan to go fuck themselve. Nigel gets a nice rolling step over head and arm lock. Sugarfoot floats over Nigel and gets a jacknife pin for a near fall. Nigel kills Payne with a lariat and the Tower of London finishes it.
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Another fine showcase for Nigel more an excuse for Nigel to get his character across. (3/4*)
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Tyler Black is backstage and he says that Bryan Danielson is the best wrestler in the world. Black says tonights is his chance to prove he's got what it takes to hang with the best wrestler in the world.
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We then get a promo from Hero, Edwards and Larry Sweeney its pretty decent. Steen, Jay and Mark Briscoe cut a fun little promo backstage.
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Jay Briscoe & Kevin Steen vs. Chris Hero & Eddie Edwards
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Hero and Edwards jump Steen and Briscoe from behind but Steen fights them off allowing Jay to closeline Hero over the top rope. Steen hits Edwards with a closeline and unloads with Edwards in the corner. Steen lays in a chop on Edwards before knocking Hero off the apron. The crowd chant "Fuck you Hero". Jay gets a hard Irish whip and a shoulder tackle in the corner as the crowd chant "Man Up". Jay hits Hero with a back elbow strike the faces then play ping pong with Hero in the corner. Jay hits a nice dropkick on Hero for a near fall.
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Sweeney grabs the boot of Jay allowing Hero to catch Jay with a diving Yakuza kick. Jay rolls to the outside where Sweeney and Edwards lay the boots in until Mark Briscoe runs out to make the save. Hero hits an uppercut on Jay before tagging in Edwards, Edwards gets a back elbow, Jay dives for a tag but can't quite reach it. Edwards locks Jay in a leg scissor. Hero hits a sloppy roaring elbow for a two count. Jay fights off both men and flatliners Edwards into Hero's balls.
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HOT TAG! Steen cleans house and gives Edwards an inverted atomic drop head and arm suplex combo. Steen throws Hero into Edwards to knock him off the apron. Steen hits the Cannon ball in the corner and follows up with the moonsault on Hero for a very near fall. Hero blocks the package piledriver and hits the roaring elbow for a near fall. Steen blocks a second roaring elbow but can't avoid a Yakuza kick, code breaker and Roaring elbow combo for a 1...2...kick out! Jay lowbridges Hero out of the ring leaving Edwards to be hit with a powerbomb for a near fall, when Edwards kicks out Steen locks in the sharpshooter but Sweeney gets on the apron. Steen releases the hold. Edwards floors Steen with a Yakuza kick, Jay hits a diving closeline off the apron on Hero while Steen hits the Package piledriver for the 1-2-3.
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Well that was rather paint by numbers until the hot tag when it turned into an ROH everything breaks down move fest. Fine for what it was but nevertheless dissapointing. (**)
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Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black
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The crowd chant "your gonna get your Fucking kicked in" and Danielson nods cockily. Black gets an arm drag to start the match up, Black gets a leg trip from a test of strenght and he pins Dragon down until Dragon bridges up, Black tries to break the bridge but can't Danielson tries a monkey flip but Black lands on his feet. Danielson picks a leg and applies a deathlock/figure four varient, Black uses power to block and Danielson has to scramble to the ropes. That leads to another stand off. Black grabs a side headlock and hits a shoulder tacklea and follows up with a big body slam, Black stands on Dragon's face but Bryan rolls out the way of the giant stomp and wags his finger at Black.
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Danielson gets a leg trip and applies a bow and arrow lock, Black makes the ropes and Danielson smiles cockily. Dragon won't let Black lock up and Dragon has some fun. Dragon then hits a huge European uppercut in the corner. Black shoves Dragon who backs off. Black doesn't give Danielson a clean break adn gets a shoulder block goes for a dropkick, Dragon puts the breaks on but Black flips landing on his feet and then a ranna for a two count. Black grabs an arm wringer Danielson rolls out but gets caught with the giant stomp for a two count. Black lays some stomps in of Danielson in the corner but Dragon explodes with a pair of huge European uppercuts and follows it up with a snapmare and a spinal tap. Dragon then locks in the Woah....Woah....Woah....surfboard and bridges into a sick locking dragon sleeper variant, that really could be a finisher.
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Black manaders to escape but is met with some stiff kicks as the fans exchange chants. Danielson then hits a running knee strike and then Danielson applies a sick half crab. Dragon gets a knee smash on Black before followign up with some European uppercuts, Black gets a roll up but only gets two before Dragon slugs him down hard. Dragon hits a hard kitchen sink and gives Tyler an almighty pair of bitch slaps before running into a back body drop and a closeline. Dragon responds with a diving Yakuza kick sending Black to the outside, Danielson hits a suicide dive but Black manages to turn to send Dragon into the guard rail.
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Back in the ring Dragon goes up top but Black catches him coming off top with a dropkick. Black dodges a closeline and hits the enzenguri, Black then gets the head of Steam forearm and follows it up with a Frankensteiner for a two count. Dragon runs into a boot, Tyler runs into an elbow, both men dodge kicks before Dragon runs into a dropkick sending Daneilson to the outside. Black runs the ropes before hitting a front flip plancha. Black works the crowd before hitting a huge springboard closeline for a near fall. Dragon looks seriously pissed off.
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Danielson blocks God's last gift and back flips over Tyler, Tyler goes for the Pele but Dragon counters beautifully into an ankle lock, Black struggles but made the ropes, that was really great sequence. Danielson tries a German suplex but Black lands on his feet, Black goes for a ranna but Dragon rolls through and gets an insanely near fall. Danielson hits a dropkick to the knee but runs into a TKO, Danielson blocks the seated superkick and counters it into the ankle lock and heel hook, Danielson lifts Black up and hits a hooked leg german suplex for a near fall. Danielson look mega angry and he's Bob Backlunding up.
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Dragon stands over Black and bitch slaps the taste out of his mouth. Danielson puts Black on the top rope and goes for the super back suplex but Black counters by landing on top and both men are down. Danielson and Black exchange forearms Danielson hits a roaring forearm and Black springs into this insane rolling stiff kick. Black hits a lifting reverse DDT for a near fall. Black goes for the Pheonix Splash but misses and lands on his feet. Danielson hits the running knee strike and locks in the triangle choke with thirty seconds to go. Black powers up and gives Dragon the buckle bomb and both men are down as the time limt expires. The crowd chant "Five More Minutes" as the match is declared a time limmit draw. Both men shake hands to end the show.
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Well that was really good you can tell they were holding back a little to start the match up but they built and built really well and the conclusion while a let down for the live crowd was without doubt the right finish for TV. A great twenty minute sneak peak that should hopefully encourage people to buy a DVD. There were some really nice and innovative exchanges I loved the pele ankle lock counter and Black's rolling scissor kick counter. This is the state of the art wrestling that ROH has to present and continue to present if it wants to stay alive. Slightly reigned in but you'll have to go along way to see a better match on free tv this week.(***1/2)
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Overall Thoughts: I really enjoyed this weeks episode of ROH on HDnet, the main event while not a full force affair was great stuff and they threw in enough new touches to not feel like a re-run. The show had more direction this week the squash matches were actual squashes making the stars look like stars and getting their key spots across. Dark City Fight Club looked exciting this time around where as last time they looked like also rans. I found the tag match dissapointing but it was still a fine TV match. Their are still the same old problems, presentation, sleepy crowd (they were better this week), I thought the commentary was particularly annoying this week. Regardless the wrestling this week make this a must see show, the presentation and lack of stories make this not for the casual fan, but if your even slightly interest in ROH download this weeks show. (7/10)

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This is your one stop shop of pop culture reviews I most specialize in Music, Politics & Film. I occasionally delve into TV reviews. I've got a Politics MA and a War Studies BA, I'm taking a year out before starting a Phd so when it comes to History and Politics I'm pretty well versed but I tend to keep this blog fun rather than serious.

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