Rising Above
2009
Mark and Jay Briscoes are in the ring, and Jay is country hick laying into Steen and Generico, saying that they fluked a win over them and that it was only a year ago that the Briscoes owned Steen and Generico. Jay calls out Steen and Generico, who promptly arrive. Big “Mr. Wrestling” chant, Steen says there’s nothing they’d like more than to beat the Briscoes arses. Steen says Mark is injured and they said Steen and Generico don’t want to face the Briscoes at 50%. Steen continues that he means no disrespect, and says after the ladder war they have nothing to prove to themselves, Steen and Generico or to the ROH fans as he turns to point to the crowd The Briscoes jump them to start the match up.2009
ROH World Tag Team Title
The Briscoe Brothers vs. Steen & Generico
Jay and Steen brawl to the outside as Mark hits an overhead belly to belly suplex on El Generico. Mark beats down Generico in the corner, Generico makes a comeback but he sees Mark hobbling and hesitates allowing Mark to clobber Generico with a reverse elbow. Jay tags in and hits a running back elbow before Generico manages to score with a leg lariat and gets the tag to Steen. Steen is distracted by Mark and Jay kills Steen with a running Yakuza kick. Mark tags in with a nice vertical suplex for a one count. Jay tags back in and chokes Steen in the corner. Jay hits a body slam before hitting a quick leg drop. Mark tags in and the Briscoes get their trademark double shoulder tackle for a two count. Mark hits a closeline in the corner before tagging Jay back in. Jay hits a crisp back suplex for a two count before bringing Mark back into the ring. Steen and Mark exchange big forearms before Steen fights out of an exploder, Mark tries it a second time but Steen shoves him off and kills him with a superkick.The Briscoe Brothers vs. Steen & Generico
HOT TAG! Generico tags in and hits a flying cross body for two. Generico then counters a closeline into an arm drag and hits a Mikinoku Driver for a near fall. Generico goes for his arm wrench and rope walk but Jay kills him with a closeline to counter. Mark then comes in and hits an absolute lethal exploder for a near fall. Mark goes for the cut throat driver but Steen breaks it up. Mark presses Steen to the apron but the minute Steen lands Generico decapitates Mark with a running Yakuza kick, then immediately hits a front flip Plancha onto Jay and Steen gets a frog splash for a 2.99999 count. Steen says its over but Mark counters the Package piledriver and goes for the Cut Throat Driver but his knee buckles, Mark ask for a time out but Steen kicks him in the leg instead and hits the Package Piledriver for the win.
Very short match for two teams of this calibre, the action was crisp but a little disjointed, the finale of the match was exhilarating but unfortunately there wasn’t much else to the match. (**1/4)
Claudio cuts a promo saying he’s very European and that after he kicked the hell out of Bryan Danielson he can no longer be overlooked.
SHIMMER Women’s Title
Sara Del Ray (w/Larry Sweeney) vs. Mischif
Sara Del Ray (w/Larry Sweeney) vs. Mischif
Sarah Del Ray dropkicks Mischif off the apron during her entrance but Mischif turns it around and whips Del Ray into the guard rail. Back in the ring Mischif unloads with a series of stiff chops until Mischif replies. Mischif replies with an Octopus stretch, Sara tries to counter into a tilt a whirl but Mischif spins around and applies on the other side. Del Ray counters with a back breaker but Mischif still won’t release the hold, a second back breaker does the trick.
Sara gets a snapmare and drops a knee for a two count before slapping on a high angle boston crab and then a nastly looking bridging boston crab but Mischif Bridges out into a mount and unloads, that was an incredible sequence. Mischif hits a standing moonsault for a near fall. Sara recovers with a stiff boot to the head and then hits two short arm closelines before Mischif counters into a swinging neck breaker for a near fall. Del Ray maintains control however with a choke bomb for a near fall. Mischif then counters a powerslam into a slightly sloppy but devasting DDT.
Mischif dodges a closeline and hits a spinning back fist combo for a two count. Del Ray then hits a Wheel Barrow bomb and then holds on an turns it into a brutal wheel barrow Dragon Sleeper walking her into the corner where she throws Mischif face first into turnbuckles. Del Ray then hits a German suplex for a near fall and goes for a Gory Special which Mischif very nicely counters into a code Green for a near fall. Mischif hits three double stomps with Del Ray’s neck laid across the bottom rope in a sick spot. Mischif goes for the Desecrator but Del Ray counters and they trade pinfall attempts for near falls. Mischif dodges a closeline but Del Ray dodges the Green Mist and hits the axe kick. Sarah Del Ray goes for the Royal butterfly but its countered into Desecrator for the 1-2-3.
Very good, very enjoyable Women’s match, with some lovely spots and some incredible flexibility on display, and actually it’s when the Women work their own unique style of match that they are at their best. When they try the male style wrestling they look slow, plodding and weak, the Shimmer Ladies are very impressive but if they continue to be brave and work and even more unique style, they could have some incredible show stealing matches. (**1/2)
Jimmy Jacobs informs us that there is no way in hell that he’ll say I quit, he was he has manoeuvred Austin Aries into this position.
A very strong Necro Butcher promo video airs.
Four Corner Survival
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Alex Payne vs. Sami Callihan vs. Silas Young
Nigel is joining us on commentary. Callihan grabs a hammerlock on Young but Young counters into headlock takedown. Claudio takes down Young when he’s fed up of watching the other two wrestle. Claudio then kills Callihan with a European Uppercut and a gut wrench suplex before kicking the crap out of Callihan in the corner. Payne tags in and hits a torpedo dropkick while Claudio is distracted. Claudio avoids a blind charge and unloads with chops and headbutt. Payne gets a sleeper but Claudio counters with a military press.Claudio Castagnoli vs. Alex Payne vs. Sami Callihan vs. Silas Young
Young and Callihan tag in, they do some nice counters and Callihan hits a seated stunner for a near fall. Claudio tags himself back in and continues to kick the crap out of everyone. Young hits a top rope Enzenguri but Claudio just comes right back with a pump kick. Claudio is really annoyed by the crowd so to shut them up he applies a chinlock, great. Payne gets a comedy sunset flip but he’s immediately killed with a diving closeline and a ground and pound. Claudio then kills Payne with a European Uppercut for two. Claudio is again annoyed with crowd and again goes to a chinlock. Payne dodges a closeline and gets two dropkicks.
Young tags in and they hit a double dropkick on Claudio sending him to the outside. Callihan tries a cannon ball off the apron but Claudio catches him and throws him into the guard rail. Payne and Young unload on each over in the ring. Young hits a Finley roll and a headstand rebound moonsault but Claudio got a blind tag and gives Young a dominator out of the ring onto Callihan. Payne slides under a Ricolla bomb and hits a second rope diving bulldog, Claudio counters the revival with a European Uppercut before killing Payne with the Ricolla Bomb.
What the hell was this match doing on PPV, it made Claudio look like a monster but this could have been achieved in four minutes not eleven. The crowd were all over Claudio and his reactions were brilliant as was Nigel on commentary to make this match tolerable. Not horrible but just pointless. (*)
Claudio tries to beat the crap out of Payne after the bell but Bryan Danielson runs out and makes the save.
Chris Hero, Go Shiozaki & Davey Richards vs. Ace Steel, Brent Albright & Roderick Strong
Steel and Hero start in the ring and he scores with a snapmare and a spinal tag, Hero misses a running boot and gets hung up in the second rope and Steel hits a running corner dropkick. Strong tags in and unloads with a stiff chop before bringing in Brent Albright. Hero hits a roaring forearm and tags in Go. Brent gets a drop toe hold but Go blocks the 6-1-knee but Brent comes back with a exploder. Strong tags in and hits a brutal chop on Go, Go is angered and comes back with a series of knee strikes. Richards tags in and hits a running closeline but Strong recovers countering a suplex into an over the shoulder gut buster. Ace hits a hip toss and then a nice back suplex for a two count. Steel tosses Davey to the outside and throws him into the barracde. Everybody brawls on the outside.Davey Richards hits a snap suplex on ace for a two count before Hero tags back in and kicks the crap out of Ace. Hero hits a nice front slam and a senton back splash for a two count. Go tags in laying Ace across the apron and hits a running knee strike for a near fall. Go chokes Steel but Strong charges in hitting a stiff boot on Go to break the hold. Hero tags in and locks in a double chicken wing and face lock. Hero gets a crucifix pin for a two count and Ace tries to battle to his corner. Ace makes the tag but Richards had the ref distracted. Go tags in and stomps down on Ace in the corner killing Ace with a running knee strike. Go hits a knife edge chop before tagging Chris Hero back into the ring. Steel lands on his feet off a powerbomb landing on his feet and scores with a DDT. Richards tags in and boots Brent off the apron before laying some stiff kicks in on ace who counters with a lovely reverse Dragon Screw.
HOT TAG! Strong unloads with some leg lariats and then a half nelson back breaker for Richards. Brent and Strong hit the 2D on Richards before Strong hits a corner closeline and Brent hits a spinning back breaker. Richrard’s hits an enzenguri, Go tags in and weathers a enzenguri before hitting a fisherman’s suplex for a two count. Richards tags back in, Go hits a running chop, Richard’s hits the Alarm Clock and then Hero hits the Roaring forearm it looks like that has it but Brent makes an amazing diving save. Richards unloads on Ace wtih a spinning back kick but can’t avoid and overhead release belly to belly from Brent. Ace hits a corner dropkick for a near fall. The match breaks down into brawling. Hero hits a leaping kick to the side of Brent’s head but then gets killed with a closeline. Go kills Brent with a superkick but Ace comes in with a double leg trip and a dropkick to the face. Ace Steel then hits a suicide dive taking out Hero and Go. In the ring Strong and Richards exchange strikes, they go chop for boot until Richards hits a spinning back kick, Strong then kills Richard’s with a running Yakuza kick and the Tiger Bomb, Richards kicks out at Two but Strong flips him over into the Strong Hold, it looks like Strong has to tap when Sweeney distracts the ref and that young knock out kid nails Strong in the head with a steel chair for the victory.
That was again a very odd choice for a PPV match. A total inconsequential clusterfuck of spots and all over the place action. (*1/4)
We then go to a highlight package on the Jimmy Jacobs-Austin Aries feud, its excellent and at last a match that the we genuinely want to see.
Aries gets on the mike says he’s not at all surprised to Tyler Black in his corner and there’s been alot of speculation as to who Austin Aries will have in his corner. Aries says he doesn’t need anyone in his corner because there’s no way he’ll say “I quit” Jimmy will have to kill him. Austin tells “the flavour of the month” to stay out of their business.
“I Quit” Match
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries
They aggressively lock up and power each other all the way to the outside. Aries rolls back into the ring and tells Jacobs to bring it on as Jacobs talks to Black. Black distracts Aries but he knows what’s coming and turns and floors Jacobs with a big right hand. Both men roll and brawl all the way to the floor. Black distracts Aries again allowing Jacobs to hit a dropkick and then Jimmy tosses Aries headfirst into the guard rail. Jacobs gets a table but Aries jumps him however Jimmy keeps control sending Aries for a front flip into the table. Jacobs and black set up a table outside by the ringpost. Aries whips Jacobs into the barricade and then rakes the eyes of Jacobs against the ring apron. Aries lays Jacobs on the table and goes up top but Black pulls Jimmy off the table to make the save. Intriguing start.Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries
Aries gives Jacobs a Jaw Jacker and then tries the Heat Seeking missile but Jimmy cleverly gets a dog collar under ring and hits Aries in the face in mid air. Jacobs swings the dog collar like a wild man and then wraps it around his fist. Jacobs hits a big load right hand, Aires is busted wide open, Jacobs then gets spiked collar and cuts away at the head of Aries as the Ref asks Aries if he quits but Aries screams “Noooooooo”. Jacobs whips Aries like a dog with the belt and then wraps it around Aries throat and chokes the life out of Aries but Aries still won’t quit. The crowd chant for Austin Aries but it’s seemingly not helping. Jacobs gives Aries a seat at ringside but Aries pops up on the apron to block the plancha. Jacobs bits Aries to get free before Spearing Aries through the ropes to the floor. Aries still won’t quit.
Jacobs plays to the crowd and gives Aries a seat and chokes the life out of him. Jacobs then hits the twisting suicide dive crushing the chair. Aries is asked again and just won’t quite. Jacobs rolls Aries back in the ring and gets another steel chair. Jacobs chokes Aries with the dog collar and then ties Aries tightly in the chair with the dog collar. Jacobs then rakes away at Aries cut but he still won’t give it up. Jacobs then hits two head butts and bites the forehead of Aries. The crowd chant “You Sick Fuck”. Black gives Jacobs the destroyed chair and holds it over head and ask Aries to quit, Aries says no and Jimmy prepares to kill Aries with the chair but LACEY APPEARS! The crowd chant “holy shit”, Lacey has a towel, Jimmy tells her to throw it in but she won’t as Aries tells her not to. Jacobs is distracted and goes after Lacey and is met with a slap. Jacobs gets the rail road spike and goes to kill Aries but he’s managed to untie himself and unloads.
Aries throws Jacobs out of the ring hard and hits the most brutal Heat Seeking Missile crushing both men hard into the guard rail moving it way back into the crowd. Aries goes for the brainbuster and hits it in the centre of the ring on steel chair. The crowd chant “we want blood” as Aries wraps the chain round his fist and hits a big right hand. Jacobs is bleeding as Aries ties Jimmy to the turnbuckle. The ref tries to ask Jimmy if he quits but Aries won’t let the referee ask. He hits a ten punch and then five elbows. Aries takes the mike from Sinclair and say “I said NO”.
Aries hits a corner dropkick and says “do you quit Jimmy?” but then he takes the Mike away before he can answer. He beats Jacobs with mike and then lays him on the table at ringside. Then in a sick moment Jacobs throws the chair from the table at Aries whose on the top rope hitting him in the throat. Aries is crotched on the top rope as the crowd chant for Jimmy Jacobs. Both men fall off the top rope, Jacobs falls off top back first but Aries goes through face first. Neither man will quit and Jacobs has a horrifically bloodied face, one of the best blades I’ve seen in a long will.
Aries fries away but Jimmy kicks a field goal between Aries legs and locks in the End Time. Aries can’t break it but he won’t quit, Jacobs switches to the Knee Strikes and puts Aries in the Last Chancery, Aries won’t quit and breaks the hold with an eye rake. Jimmy gets the rail road spike and swings but Aries dodges and counters into the knee strikes and tells the referee to ask Jimmy but Jacobs says “No No”. Aries hits the kick of death and then locks in the Last Chancery but Jacobs still won’t quit. Aries locks in the crippler crossface, Jacob’s won’t quit so Aries gets the Spike and prepares to kill Jimmy. Jacobs signals to Black who gets on the apron with the towel and but Lacey steals the towel away and Aries unloads with the spike so Jacobs has to scream “I quit, I quit”.
That was an absolutely brilliant gutsy, intense and very bloody brawl. The execution was sublime and it had the ECWeske big over the top storylines coming together at once feel to it. The crowd were just going ape shit, the match was also very clever as it had the appearences of a match to the death without actually having both men take stupid risks. The story telling was absolutely spot on and Jimmy was excellent in his roll tonight. A great blow off to the feud everyone should see this match. (****1/4)
Post match Lacey walks away from Aries making his victory bittersweet. Jacobs gets in Black’s face for not throwing in the towel the crowd can’t “Fuck ‘em Up Tyler, Fuck Him Up” but Black tries to get Jimmy to focus on Aries but Jacob’s is having none of it and Black storms off as the commentators wonder if this is the end of The Age Of The Fall.
ROH World Title
Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuiness
The crowd chant “You’re Gonna Get Your Fucking Head Kicked In” as Nigel poses with the belt. They shake hands to start the match. Danielson gets a kick to the ribs to start then match and then as they circle a kick to the inside leg. Nigel gets a wristlock but Dragon tries to reverse however Nigel keeps control. Nigel uses a hair pull to get Dragon down, Dragon rolls bridges and counters with a northern lights suplex maintains a wrist lock bending Nigel’s hand backwards and stomping on the elbow before hitting a spinal tap for a two count. “Fuck ‘Em Up Dragon” chant rings out as Nigel bails to the outside to regroup.Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuiness
Nigel hits a kick to the inside thigh that looks suspiciously low and Dragon goes down, Danielson reverses a Hammerlock and takes Nigel down, he has one arm hammerlocked with his foot and bends a tears away at wrist until Nigel makes the ropes. Dragon wrenches the arm before reminding the ref that he has until five. Nigel gets a shoulder tackle and a headlock take down. Dragon gets a double leg trip and goes for the Woah Woah Woah surfboard but Nigel scrambles so Dragon claws away at the face and then it’s the double knee breaker. Dragon then hammerlocks the arm and gets the deathlock drop, Dragon then hammerlocks one arm and then treads down brutally on the other arm leading to a pin for a two count. Dragon dodges a closeline and scores with a big boot and goes for the kick of death but Nigel dodges and bails. Dragon goes for a suicide dive but Nigel sees it coming but so does Dragon who slides onto the apron instead and hits an incredible flying knee strike off the apron that sends Nigel flying backwards into the guard rail. The crowd go bananas as Dragon plays to the crowd.
Back in the ring Danielson gets a short burst of the stomps of doom. Nigel dodges a blind charge and gets a stiff kick to the back, instead of the closeline Nigel traps the leg under the bottom closeline and then hits the back kick closeline combination. Dragon screams in pain as the referee frees his legs. Nigel snapmares Dragon into the ropes so he lands on his head, Nigel then goes for Dragon’s surfboard but instead tells the crowd to go fuck themselves and instead hits the double knee breaker. Nigel then locks in a brutal standing figure four before rolling it into a pin for a two count. Nigel applies the spinning toe hold before locking in the figure four leglock to a chorus of Wooohs. Dragon tries to turn the hold over but he can’t do it, the crowd come to life and rolls it over, Nigel rolls through but now Dragon can make the ropes.
The crowd come to life distracting Nigel, both men trade big European uppercuts, Dragon looks like winning so Nigel kicks him in the leg. Dragon cuts him off with a kitchen sink, a spinal tap and a running knee strike to the chest. Nigel comes back with the throat thrusts in the corner. Nigel goes for the headstand but Dragon counters with a standing Ankle lock and then an Ankle lock German suplex. Dragon then locks on the Cross Face Chicken wing, Nigel tries to counter but Dragon spins back into the hold, Nigel tries a sunset flip but Dragon steps over and counters that leading to a pinning sequence.
Nigel gets a double leg trip and then his falling leg wrencher. Nigel hits a European uppercut in the corner and then the head of steam back elbow, Nigel waits for the big lariat but Dragon counters to the crossface chicken wing and Nigel fades but eventually makes the ropes. Dragon hits ten spinal taps the Referee gives Dragon a talking to and that allows Nigel to sneak in with a chop block. Nigel crotches Danielson on the top rope and instead of getting the Lariat hangs Danielson by his knee and hits a series of forearms to the knee and then hits the diving second rope Lariat. Nigel goes for the figure four again but Dragon blocks and kicks him out of the ring. Nigel lands on his feet but Dragon immediately catches him with a baseball slide and then the spring board front flip plancha. Nigel gets some throat thrusts and leaves Danielson lying on the ramp with a back elbow. Nigel gets a chair and goes for chair. The ref tries to take it off McGuiness. Claudio sneaks in and stomps a chair onto Danielsons Skull. Nigel returns to the ring and it looks like Nigel is about to get the win when Payne comes from the back and carries Dragon back to the ring at Seventeen to a MONSTER POP.
The crowd are going nuts as Nigel hits a brutal lariat sending Danielson for a flip but that only gets a nearfall. Nigel then locks in a half boston crab and Dragon is screaming. Dragon who is now bleeding from the head crawls to the ropes but he’s pulled back to the centre and Nigel sits down on the hold. With some inspiration from the crowd Dragon manages to make the ropes. Dragon’s face is a bloody mess as Nigel works the leg in the corner. Nigel charges into a boot and Dragon kills Nigel with the running knee strike and both men are down as the crowd go bananas some more.
Both men are up and Nigel hits a big European, Dragon replies in kind and until Dragon unloads with a flurry of uppercuts. Nigel goes for the Jaw Breaker but Dragon wonderfully counters into a beautiful cross arm breaker, Nigel tries to get to the ropes so Dragon switches to the Triangle choke and elbow strikes, Nigel fades but tries to counter to a half crab but Dragon counters that to the small package for a 2.99998! Dragon then counters a Lariat into the crucifix for a near fall. Dragon counters into the elbow strikes of certain death but Dragon fades himself and is exhausted but he manages to hulk up and drops seven for elbow strikes for a 2.99999! Then it’s time for Cattle Mutilation, Nigel thinks about tapping but Nigel turns over and fights up but Dragon hits the Tiger Suplex for a nearfall. Dragon goes for Cattle Mutilation but Nigel counters to the TOWER OF LONDON? Yes from the floor and both men are down.
“This is Awesome” chant rings out as both men stagger to their feet. Dragon charges but Nigel swings round and kills Dragon with a lariat turning Dragon inside out for a 2.999999999! Nigel puts Dragon in the elbow strikes of DOOM but Dragon HULKS UP! He gets a open hand strike combo and a roaring elbow, but Nigel comes back with a straight headbutt, Dragon misses a closeline and Nigel gets a headbutt to the back and then rebounds with the Jaw Breaker Lariat for the 1-2-3. The crowd are completely and utterly deflated and are shell shocked.
The crowd were so behind Danielson you can see everyone standing in an absolute state of shock. When these two get in the ring its always absolutely epic and this was no exception. For two guys who have wrestled each other so often they manages to put a new spin on everything each and everytime and in this case told a completely different story with Dragon’s leg injury. The second half of the match was about as epic and widescreen as any match could possibly be, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Their Driven contest is still my favourite by a long way but this was excellent none the less. (****3/4)
Overall Thoughts: Talk about a tale of two halves, the first half was mostly baffling filler, the Briscoes was a fun opener and the Shimmer match was very enjoyable but it was surrounded by two lifeless unworthy matches that it totally undermined the whole first hour. The second hour was the total opposite absolutely must see. So overall not ROH’s best effort on PPV but with two such awesome and totally different Main Event contests I strongly recommend you sit through the uninspired first hour.
