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Did not see the show, so I can't comment. But it seems someone could remake the Ground Hog Day movie, and whoever now plays the Bill Murray role keeps waking up the next morning and has to watch another Triple H/Randy Orton match. Howard Kleuter Hi Dave, I would give The Bash a thumbs down overall, as I found it to be disappointing; it resembled bad WWE TV rather than a high-quality PPV event. I thought the Scramble match was ok, better than I expected because they changed the rules so that the participants arrived at intervals. Not sure about the pointless title changes, though even if they weren't officially recognised. Jericho VS Mysterio was the match of the night. I wanted to see where they'd go if Rey lost his mask, but I liked the finish where he had a spare one on underneath. Ziggler VS Khali was a waste of time, although I did enjoy the Kane comeback. However, who in their right mind wants to see another feud between him and Khali? As soon as Edge and Jericho were added to the tag-title match, it pretty much told the viewers that Edge and Jericho would become the new Unified Tag-Team Champions. Therefore, The Colons and Legacy looked like spare parts in the ring and in general, the match felt flat (also, why would Edge and Jericho [two singles main event guys] accept an offer of teaming up to win the tag-titles? They're not a proper tag-team and in story line parlance, aren't best friends, so why accept it when they would much rather a respective World and Tag-Title shot?). WWE have now ruined the draft ruling again, as Edge and Jericho will now be representing all 3 brands. Melina VS Michelle McCool was disappointing. They got little to no reaction and the match focused way too much on McCool working on Melina's leg. This one could have done with a bit more action. Punk VS Hardy was another letdown. It just didn't look or feel like a main event attraction, and the ending was awful. The first finish was a joke (since when does it matter if an opponent's leg is slightly under the rope on a pin? I've seen countless matches where a wrestler's entire body has been close to the corner and the pin fall has stood). How did the referee (Scott Armstrong) not see Punk's leg under the ropes immediately? Could it not be possible for Punk to move his body slightly after the 3 has been counted? They made it worse with the 2nd finish (Punk kicking the referee and get DQ'd). If they wanted a re-start, they should have had Punk beat Jeff CLEANLY, so there was no doubt as to who was the better man. Punk is still being portrayed as a lucky loser , who's bumbling and conning his way through a World Title reign. Jeff is probably leaving in a month or so, so why not have him put Punk (who IS the Champion) over on his way out? Cena VS Miz was a joke. After building up The Miz in a strong fashion, they had him go out there and job to Cena within 5 minutes. Why make such a big thing about it being Miz's first major PPV match and then treat him like a complete loser who's clearly out of his league against a real star like Cena? The 3 Stages Of Hell Match was another waste of time. Instead of building each fall slowly and in a manner where you thought anyone could win it, they simply rushed through the two first falls and then quickly jumped to the Stretcher Match. This part was actually ok at times, but it was so obvious that Legacy would interfere, although I must say I'm surprised that HHH lost. Then again, HHH might as well have won, as he completely destroyed all 3 men with his trusty sledgehammer (conveniently tucked under the stage). Instead of selling the beating, he simply did his superman routine and made sure that when all was said and done, all the attention was on him. Overall, there were aspects of The Bash that I enjoyed, however the negatives far outweighed the positives and had me worrying about the long-term future of this company. Matthew Evans Wales, UK Thumbs in the MidleBest Match: Jericho vs. ReyWorst Match: Khali vs. ZigglerIt does not matter what WWE calls their late June spectacular pay per view, it usually ends up as the least popular of all their pay per views in any given year. Allow me to go through this slowly so I won't cause any injury to myself.1. Was it necessary for Khali vs. Ziggler to even be a part of the pay per view? Never thought I would type that I feel sorry for Khali but considering he is jobbing to a former Spirit Squad member who now looks like Jeff Jarrett circa the second-go-round in the WWE, it's enough for anyone to feel sorry for the guy.2. Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho proved once again how to put together a match that will keep the people talking. Did anyone expect less from these two?3. Now Edge and Jericho are tag team champions. We have been here before many times. Two big singles superstars win the tag team titles only to have a falling out and drop the belts to a random team. Honestly, I don't care about Primo, Carlito or Legacy to see any of them with the titles and I hate the unification factor. I say split the belts and give ECW their own for the Hart Dynasty.4. Michelle McCool defeats Melina for the women's title. Well done. I really don't know what to say for this match. When I think about how they have unified the tag titles and yet they still have two women's titles and two world heavyweight titles, it makes me scream because they don't have the depth anywhere.5. The ECW scramble match once again went to Tommy Dreamer. I got to say if they work long enough to get Tommy back to the way he was in ECW (especially around the invasion angle of 1997), he would be awesome. Enough of the clear-cut faces and heels on TV, in ECW, lines should be erased.6. C.M. Punk vs. Jeff Hardy almost got my vote for worst match. A disqualification finish? Punk is an awesome heel, but again, Smackdown has no depth. Time to merge the WWE and World titles because Smackdown is a laugh and an injury away from another reign by The Great Khali.7. Now I am going to crap on everyone who thought Cena vs. Miz should have been a more competitive match. Truth be told, I have no idea how the hell Miz still has a WWE contract. Does Miz have photos of McMahon and one of the Divas having sex in the locker room? This guy has a lot of talking abilities but overall, he is a dork. Let me repeat that, he is The Miz and he is A DORK! As annoying of a human being as The Miz happens to be, there is never a question in my mind as to why JBL despised him.8. Orton vs. HHH ended the way a match at a house show or a televised main event would end. I was not looking for Rhodes and Dibiase to do the predictable run-in, I was looking for a McMahon double-cross. One of many things we have not seen in the WWE for a while. Speaking of things we have not seen in the WWE for a while, how long has it been since a Diva posed nude in Playboy? I say we get either Melina or Rosa Mendes to give us the honor.Thanks for allowing me to rant, double thanks if you post it,Herman Segle Best match: Punk-HardyWorst match: Cena-MizThere were some good matches, but not as entertaining as lastweek's free RAW, so that nudges it to thumbs down. Tag team adjustment was interesting. Punk is first rate in his role.Sick of seeing HHH vs. Orton – enough! Interference in multiple matcheson a PPV not acceptable — people are paying for this. They could havedamaged Miz even more, but it would have taken a real effort — this waspointless. — Mike Omansky Hi Dave, Just wanted to offer my thoughts on The Bash . I give the PPV a thumbs in the middle, not a bad show, but nothing great to write home about. Best Match: Mysterio VS Jericho Worst Match: Cena VS Miz ECW Title Scramble Match: I thought this was a good match and good concept, once they figured out the rules. They seemed to change the rules about 3 times the past few weeks. I like the concept of a mini rumble and the pinfalls during the match. I thought Christian was going to regain the title for sure, and was pleasently surprised to see Dreamer win. Did anyone notice that after Dreamer scored the last pinfall before the match ended, he then tried another pin attempt on Mark Henry? I think even the participants were confused by the rules. I/C Title – Jericho VS Mysterio This was a great match, by far the best match of the night, reminded me of Steamboat and Savege from WM3, or something close to it. It was difficult for me to get excited over the idea of Mysterio losing his mask, since he wrestled for years in WCW without his mask, so I've seen his face hundreds of times. Jericho right now is at his career best as a top notch heel. I was never a big Jericho fan until this latest heel turn, and he seems to have perfected it with his Bockwinkle like interview style. Ziggler VS Khali I thought this was decent for what it was, since they just can't do anything with Khali other then his ring entrance. This was a good chance to elevate Ziggler, hopefully it does. I think the return of Kane did not do that much for the match, it would have worked better for Ziggler's push if he was able to destroy Khali by himself. But not a bad match for a former spirit squad member, and poor Khali who really looks like he struggles just to walk to the ring these days, he seems to be dragging his foot really bad of late. Anyway, I did not think it was the worst match of the night, but about as good as could have been expected. WWE Unified Tag Title Match I was not enticed about this match at all between the Colon's and Legacy, but adding Edge and Jericho to the match really peaked my interest. I thought it was a great last minute addition to an otherwise dull match, and I would have really marked out if it would have been Edge and Christian making a return. But Edge and Jericho winning the belts is just as good. Womens Title Match I thought this was one of the better womens matches in awhile, McCool and Melina are both good performers and this was a good match. Alicia Fox is very tall when compared to the other divas, she did not seem that big when she was with DJ Gabriel, whatever happend to him by the way? Anyway, really good match and with top notch selling by Melina. Melina just makes for such a natural heel, it's hard to take her as a face. But this was a good match. World Title I was really dissapointed with this match and the DQ ending. What a cheap way to end a match on a PPV. And I guess Hardy forgot his makeup bag, no inigma tonight I suppose. This was like Flair saving his title back in the 80's, which also pissed me off when they ended a title match like that. Although Punk seems to be turning heel and is doing a good job at it, the DQ ending is just lame in any title match. Cena VS Miz The worst match of the night! I don't care about either participant, especially the Miz. Are they punishing Cena for 12 Rounds doing so poorly? He went from world champ and pushed to the moon, and now he is being punked out by the Miz. Even though Cena won and destroyed Miz, who cares? They should have just removed this match from the PPV, I don't think anyone else cares either. WWE Title: Not a bad match, other then HHH and Orton fighting each other has been done to death, and I'm just tired of seeing these two headline PPV's with each other. You would think if this match bombed at WrestleMania, why would it do better here? Even with the extra stips, I would have left the arena early as well if I was there live during this match. Just no match charisma between these two, at least not right now anyway, maybe if they keep them seperated for a year and then fight again. But I know Trips wants to be champ again, too bad he did not win the title back. That means we have to see them fight again, (yawn). What's the deal with Orton? I thought he had the same injury as Batista recently? Anyway, not a bad match, it's just that nobody cares about this fued except for Donald Trump and Vinny Mac. Thanks, Jon Southerland Clovis, Ca. Howard Kleuter Hi Dave, I would give The Bash a thumbs down overall, as I found it to be disappointing; it resembled bad WWE TV rather than a high-quality PPV event. I thought the Scramble match was ok, better than I expected because they changed the rules so that the participants arrived at intervals. Not sure about the pointless title changes, though even if they weren't officially recognised. Jericho VS Mysterio was the match of the night. I wanted to see where they'd go if Rey lost his mask, but I liked the finish where he had a spare one on underneath. Ziggler VS Khali was a waste of time, although I did enjoy the Kane comeback. However, who in their right mind wants to see another feud between him and Khali? As soon as Edge and Jericho were added to the tag-title match, it pretty much told the viewers that Edge and Jericho would become the new Unified Tag-Team Champions. Therefore, The Colons and Legacy looked like spare parts in the ring and in general, the match felt flat (also, why would Edge and Jericho [two singles main event guys] accept an offer of teaming up to win the tag-titles? They're not a proper tag-team and in story line parlance, aren't best friends, so why accept it when they would much rather a respective World and Tag-Title shot?). WWE have now ruined the draft ruling again, as Edge and Jericho will now be representing all 3 brands. Melina VS Michelle McCool was disappointing. They got little to no reaction and the match focused way too much on McCool working on Melina's leg. This one could have done with a bit more action. Punk VS Hardy was another letdown. It just didn't look or feel like a main event attraction, and the ending was awful. The first finish was a joke (since when does it matter if an opponent's leg is slightly under the rope on a pin? I've seen countless matches where a wrestler's entire body has been close to the corner and the pin fall has stood). How did the referee (Scott Armstrong) not see Punk's leg under the ropes immediately? Could it not be possible for Punk to move his body slightly after the 3 has been counted? They made it worse with the 2nd finish (Punk kicking the referee and get DQ'd). If they wanted a re-start, they should have had Punk beat Jeff CLEANLY, so there was no doubt as to who was the better man. Punk is still being portrayed as a lucky loser , who's bumbling and conning his way through a World Title reign. Jeff is probably leaving in a month or so, so why not have him put Punk (who IS the Champion) over on his way out? Cena VS Miz was a joke. After building up The Miz in a strong fashion, they had him go out there and job to Cena within 5 minutes. Why make such a big thing about it being Miz's first major PPV match and then treat him like a complete loser who's clearly out of his league against a real star like Cena? The 3 Stages Of Hell Match was another waste of time. Instead of building each fall slowly and in a manner where you thought anyone could win it, they simply rushed through the two first falls and then quickly jumped to the Stretcher Match. This part was actually ok at times, but it was so obvious that Legacy would interfere, although I must say I'm surprised that HHH lost. Then again, HHH might as well have won, as he completely destroyed all 3 men with his trusty sledgehammer (conveniently tucked under the stage). Instead of selling the beating, he simply did his superman routine and made sure that when all was said and done, all the attention was on him. Overall, there were aspects of The Bash that I enjoyed, however the negatives far outweighed the positives and had me worrying about the long-term future of this company. Matthew Evans Wales, UK .hmmessage P body.hmmessage Thumbs down.Best match: Punk-HardyWorst match: Cena-MizThere were some good matches, but not as entertaining as lastweek's free RAW, so that nudges it to thumbs down. Tag team adjustment was interesting. Punk is first rate in his role.Sick of seeing HHH vs. Orton – enough! Interference in multiple matcheson a PPV not acceptable — people are paying for this. They could havedamaged Miz even more, but it would have taken a real effort — this waspointless. — Mike Omansky

WWE Raw Report

By: Todd Martin

Email: ToddMartin4L@aol.com

Blog: toddwmartin.blogspot.com

Date: 06/29/09 from San Jose, CA.

The Big News: WWE has decided that the same old mix of main event talent just isn’t cutting it any more. They’re getting behind someone new, someone fresh, someone exciting, someone who can really carry the company, Mark Henry! Yes, seriously.

Show Analysis:

Vince McMahon came out to start the show and said he wouldn’t be doing the commercial free gimmick or ticket refund gimmick. He added that Donald Trump before selling Raw executed a 15 person trade. It’s so insulting to the audience’s intelligence that just a couple months ago they were hard selling how big the draft was and how it would see these lasting changes, and already they’re mixing the brands consistently and swapping around even more talent.

I don’t care if they want to keep the brands separate, or if they want to just have one talent roster. Either way’s fine with me. But I find it unbelievably irritating that they change their mind on this every few weeks, and worse that they think their audience is so brain dead that it doesn’t notice.

On the plus side, I love how the trade makes Tiffany look like the most incompetent GM ever. She traded seven performers, including five of her six or seven best acts, for the Bella Twins, Goldust, Shelton Benjamin and William Regal. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a lopsided trade where Kwame Brown wasn’t involved. I understand that Goldust and Brie Bella told Tiffany that they’ll never disappoint her.

Vince McMahon also mentioned Trump’s idea of a guest host each week, and said that he would be instituting that. It wasn’t really explained why, but Vince just liking the idea makes more sense than him somehow being forced to follow what Trump had planned. In any event, I like the idea. It’s a fun way to bring in different people and make shows feel unique.

This week’s guest host was Batista. Batista announced a four man tournament for a title shot at Night of Champions, with the first round matches being Miz (Jerry Lawler laughed when his name was announced) vs. John Cena and MVP vs. HHH. Randy Orton and Legacy came out, and Orton suggested he would come down and beat Batista up. Batista said that if he did, he would be fired because Batista had unlimited power. Batista announced Randy Orton in a gauntlet match against three of the wrestlers traded to Raw. Batista’s delivery here wasn’t very good.

Triple H beat MVP in about five minutes with the pedigree. MVP went after the leg, applied a figure four, and hit balling. Triple H avoided the running yakuza kick but MVP then avoided a pedigree attempt. MVP hit the running yakuza kick for two, but his playmaker attempt was reversed into the pedigree for the pin. They booked MVP to look fine here, but given how unbelievably stale the main event picture is it’s about time people like Triple H actually started to put over people like MVP.

Chris Jericho and Edge came out for a tag title match. Those titles feel so much more important on those two. Jericho said that despite his vow to never appear on Raw again ten shows ago that he finds himself on Raw again by virtue of his talent and ability. Umm, Chris, you wrestled on Raw last week and the week before as well. Edge said that they are together because he suggested they join in a united front to accomplish their goals.

Edge and Jericho beat the Colons. This was a very fun little match. The heels worked over Primo, who eventually got the tag to Carlito. Carlito came in with punches and a swinging neck breaker on Jericho. Jericho cut him off with an elbow but missed the lionsault. Carlito used a quebrada on the standing Jericho for two. Carlito followed with a springboard crossbody for two, but Jericho then tagged Edge.

Edge went for the spear but Primo pulled Carlito out of the way. Carlito hit the back stabber on Edge but Jericho made the save. Primo took out Jericho with a tope, but as Carlito went for a springboard a recovered Jericho pulled down the middle rope. Edge then hit the spear for the pin. Afterwards, Carlito and Primo argued for quite a while, teasing a split.

John Cena beat Miz. Miz got most of the offense in the match. He used punches and stomps. Cena came back with a back drop and vertical suplex. An angry Miz then took over with a knee lift, neck breaker, swinging neck breaker, lariat, mount with punches, electric chair and sleeper. Cena got out of that and then just made the straight comeback. He hit shoulder blocks, the Cena slam, the five knuckle, the top rope rocker dropper and applied the STF for the submission.

I’m sorry, but given WWE has elevated two or three guys in the last five years, losing clean in a competitive match does not help a young wrestler. It hurts him. Fans are conditioned to believe that nobody new will be given a chance to succeed at the top level, and you have to move heaven and earth to rebut that presumption.

WWE main events are staler right now than they have been at any point in the company’s 45 plus year history, and they desperately need new main eventers. If they think this is the way to do it, they’re morons. But more likely, I think the key people are in fact a lot smarter than that and are only interested in the *appearance* of giving new talent a chance. They have got down the art of giving young guys not enough to get over but just enough that they can be blamed for not getting themselves over.

Mickie James won a fatal four way match over Rosa Mendes, Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly to earn a women’s title shot at Maryse. They worked hard and had some cool ideas laid out, but it was on the sloppy side. They did a spot where Mickie got a dragon sleeper on Beth, Rosa got a headlock on Mickie and Kelly got a sleeper on Rosa. They did a series of rollups with each woman coming in on the last. Beth hit the glam slam on Kelly but Mickie broke up the pin. Mickie dropkicked Beth off the apron, and Beth bounced off the steps and took a hard bump on the floor. In the ring Mickie hit the implant DDT on Rosa for the pin.

Kofi Kingston and Big Show battled to a double count out. Kofi hit a top rope dropkick and high double leg drop. Show did the power out of the pin spot. Kofi dove onto Show, but Show threw him to the outside. Show pressed Kofi over his head on the floor, but Kofi sent Show into the post and they were both counted out. They announced Ted DiBiase Sr. will be next week’s guest host.

The gauntlet started with Randy Orton beating Evan Bourne. Yes, this was not the night for young talent. Bourne looked really short next to Orton. Bourne went for a bunch of high flying moves. He hit a standing moonsault, baseball slide, and modified Thesz press off the top. He went for the shooting star press but Orton got up, crotched him and hit the RKO off the ropes for the pin. Again, they booked Bourne to look strong, but again, the young guy jobbed clean and in his first appearance on Raw to boot.

Jack Swagger was scheduled to be Orton’s next opponent. However, when the referee called for the bell Swagger stepped outside the ring and was counted out. He said that he likes and respects Orton and that he wanted to leave a lasting impression. He shook hands with Orton and left. That’s not exactly the way I would book Swagger’s first Raw appearance, but it’s certainly better than what they did with Bourne.

Mark Henry was the final opponent, and he pinned Orton clean in a minute or so. Yes, you read that right. Henry teased getting counted out, but then came in for Orton. This was an apparent face turn, and he was cheered. He hit a head butt and the world’s strongest slam for the pin.

Isn’t it funny how they have a bunch of younger, fresher talents with serious upside, and they’re the ones doing clean jobs to the stars, then they decide to have one of the stars lose to someone different, and it’s a guy who has been with the company for 13 years and has no upside as a main event talent? It’s really interesting how that works.

Final Thoughts:

As far as entertainment goes, this was one of the best episodes of Raw in a while. There was good wrestling, some surprises and good overarching issues. But this show was also as emblematic as any you’re going to find of WWE’s problem elevating new talent.

It certainly raises questions about the true motives of WWE’s creative team when young guys with upside are doing key jobs left and right and then they bring in Mark Henry of all people to basically squash the champion in a minute’s time. Are they booking for the benefit of the company or are they booking to ensure that the same chosen few continue to headline for years to come regardless of how stale and played out they may be?

Moving to the Raw roster:
Gail Kim
Alicia Fox
Jack Swagger
Evan Bourne
Mark Henry

Moving to the SmackDown roster:
Matt Hardy
Finlay
The Hart Dynasty of Harry Boy Smith, Tyson Kidd & Natalya

Moving to the ECW roster:
Shelton Benjamin
Goldust
William Regal
Brie & Nikki Bella

Dave@wrestlingobserver.com We've got two issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter out this week. Both issues are available right now to web site subscribers. Our two lead stories include a look at the commercial free Raw and what the ratings mean. We look at the last time WWE drew ratings at this level, how Raw ratings usually work and the effect of not having commercials, its affect on PPV, the financial considerations of the cost of Raw for USA Network, exactly how much this Raw will mean to USA's weekly rating, the advantage and disadvantage of Raw for a network as well as the viability of doing such a show again. We look at DVR viewership and how this affects Raw and Smackdown today, who watched Raw this week, details behind the Trump storyline from both this week and last week, where the dual ownership idea was first talked about, who was talked about for the role in creative and why Vince McMahon always nixed it in the past, as well as the reducing of the money. 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Ring of Honor – Frontier Fieldhouse – Chicago Ridge, Illinois By Mike Sempervive, courtesy of Dr. Keith Lipinski’s cellphone<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–><!–[endif]–> Attendance was around 900. Prior to the show, there was a meet and greet with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–><!–[endif]–> Pre-show: (A) Tony Kozina and Dirty Ernie Osiris (with Prince Nana) defeated Aaron Scott and Grizzly Redwood. It might have been 90 degrees outside today, but the jacked-up crowd, right of the bat, made it feel like about 150 in the building. As soon as the bell rang ring announcer Joey Eastman alerted us five minutes have elapsed in the match. For a homeless man, Ernie has some nice shoes (as well as plaid Abercrombie pants and a homemade t-shirt) compared to the non-homeless, barefoot’d man – who’s beard is that of a mighty Redwood. Some nice back and forth with Scott and Kozina (with his barrel chest, he’d make a great roaring 20’s strongman gimmick). Aaron Scott went for a slam on the bald Kozina, which caused Osiris to note “he's pulling his hair.” Advantage went to Team Nana after he pulled the top rope down so Scott would fall out of the ring. Finally, a hot tag was made to the Griz – who hit some axe-handles on Kozina, and followed with a flapjack on Scott. A short time later, while Scott was arguing with the ref (who had taped fists), Ernie drilled Redwood with his shoe, allowing Kozina to roll him up for the win. (B) “Big, Bad” Bobby Dempsey and Sawada defeated Andy “Right Leg” Ridge and Sampson. Ridge is a heel now, as he looked surly, and kicked the guard rail twice on the way to the ring, just to let everyone know hoe surly he was. Sawada was wearing a gi. Sampson, a large, muscular, African-American fella was worried about the non-Milton Bradley Karate Fighter and a chop battle ensued, until Sampson used a poke to the eyes. Heat on Sawada, as Dempsey tried to get the crowd into the match. Sampson choked him on the ground, and then squatted in an attempt to blow gas, which allowed Dempsey to get the hot tag. The match would end with Dempsey using a Death Valley Driver on Ridge, as Sawada used a judo throw, and a keylock on Sampson for the victory.(C) Josh Raymond defeated Mickey Nichols. The pre-show main event, with the pre-show time remaining, saw a good paced wrestling match with plenty of Raymond (who's improved over the last two years since toning down the sleaze – and the mustache) and Mikey trading arm-bars and wrestling holds. Josh was over with his “Yeah!!!” catchphrase. Nichols attempted a rollup, but only got a two. Nichols hit a neck-breaker for two, and a second rope dropkick for another near fall. After a high cross-body by the Aussie for another near fall, Raymond came back with a super kick followed by a 360 corkscrew head kick off the ropes for the win.There was a ten-bell salute with all the wrestlers around the ring. KENTA stood inside the ring and held a picture of Mitsuharu Misawa along with Cary Silkin wearing a NOAH Hawaiian shirt. It was a very classy thing to do, as they played his theme, and Misawa chants rung out over the building. The main card started at approximately 7:45pm. <!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–><!–[endif]–> 1. Six-Man Mayhem: Delirious defeated Silas Young with Shadows over Hell, in a match that also included “Sugarfoot” Alex Payne, Sami Callahan, Egotistical Fantastico, and “Addicted to Love” Rhett Titus. To begin, Payne went straight for Silas, which was good continuity after Silas turned on him the last time ROH was here. Rhett went for a kiss from a girl in the front row, but a dude kissed him instead which got a great pop and lots of chants from the crowd. The foam Sugar-foot held by some dudes in the front row was taken by Rhett, violated by Silas, and actually put on Callahan’s foot. Payne and Delirious started, with Delirious talking gibberish and, at one point, saying “white meat babyface.” Good comedy with Rhett giving Delirious a show, Deli running after him, both going under the ring, and Titus coming out with his pants semi-down and his thong exposed. Then Rhett came from behind ref Todd Sinclair, who thought Titus was feeling him up and shoved him down. Great moves all over the place during the match, including a Tower of Doom spot with Ego getting double super-plexed by Sami and Silas, as Deli and Payne hit power-bombs on both guys. As five men were down, Rhett made pinfall attempts on all of them one at a time. Titus hit a second rope face-buster on Sugarfoot. As Delirious (who seems to be mentoring Payne) tried a Panic Attack on Sami, he instead ate a five-star lariat. Ego hit the Taco Pizza for a near-fall on Sami. Payne then hit the diamond dust on Silas, was hit by Callahan, which allowed Delirious to hit the Shadows over Hell to steal the win. Just a fucking fantastic opener, that was reminiscent of ROH openers of lore. Everyone – even Silas – looked great here. 2. Erick Stevens defeated “HD Ready” Skullkrusher Rasche Brown after a Doctor Bomb. HD is looking leaner, not so bulky, and continued to capitalize on the great charisma he showed the last time he was in Chicago (against Ego). They wrestled back and forth early, including using the Flair-Steamboat bridge-to-a-backslide pin attempt. Erick then ran the ropes to bring the big man down. No luck. HD hit a shoulder-tackle and then an awesome football clothesline, followed by a palm chop. Erick rallied with a flying shoulder-tackle to the outside, but Brown came back with a slam and a chop which caused Stevens to say “Ouch!” HD hit a vertical spinning suplex. Stevens attempted a side slam but just fell over. Brown used a camel clutch, and then a Rick Rude-like pelvic thrust swivel (which was the sixth pelvic thrust of the night – Razor Ramon HG would be proud). Stevens tried a Samoan drop, but struggled to lift him up. Stevens then used a shoulder tackle off the second rope, but HD came back spear for a two. Elbow war. Stevens hit a cho-cho (running elbow into the corner), and went for a lariat, but Brown used a choke-slam for a near fall. HD went for his own cho-cho, but ate a lariat and a doctor bomb for the win. Decent big man war and better than expected. Stevens could make a great heel in ROH if given a good storyline. Rasche got a huge chant leaving the ring.Ric Flair promo telling the crowd that Chicago was THE GREATEST sports town in the world, the greatest town to wrestle in, and put over the (U.I.C.) Pavilion. He said that “I respect these guys,” and then said the word “workrate” which was surprising, saying the guys in ROH “bust their ass.” He put over Rush Street, and Gibson’s steakhouse – where he says he’s spent over $500,000. That’s only half of the money he claims he’s spent on Rush Street, and that there’s a 22-year old girl that he’d like to “kiss on the mouth” later tonight. Great promo.3. Kenny King defeated “Maple Leaf Muscle” Petey Williams with a torture rack DDT. To start, some fans chanted “Tough Enough” to Kenny, who responded by saying “come on that was eight years ago.” King looked good as he went toe-to-toe with the former X-Division champion. As they exchanged holds, I noticed Petey’s tights said “wwad.” (Semp’s note: I hope it stands for What Would Al Davis do, because the answer would be make some poor personnel decisions, and follow it up by pooping in your Depends, and settling in for a nap.) Kenny did a Michael Jackson impression, but as he was doing the splits, Petey hit him with a dropkick, and a Jackson-esqe “Heee-heee.” A top rope headscissors over the top put King on the outside, which was followed by Williams jumping over the top and hitting a beautiful rana. King came back with a beautiful Hot Shot and lariat for a two count. King said “make believe mustard, my ass” which may make a great catchphrase and look snazzy on a shirt. He then hit a spinebuster for a two. Petey attempted the Canadian Destroyer, which got a huge pop, only to have King throw him into the corner. King tried a springboard clothesline but got hit with a dropkick. Petey hit a backbreaker and a dropkick to the back of King’s head. Russian leg-sweep by Williams, and he called for the Destroyer but King evaded. Spinning backbreaker for two on Williams, and then King hit a DVD into a side-slam for two. Lots of great nearfalls in this match. King was tapping in the sharpshooter as the ref was being distracted by King’s partner Rhett Titus. After many Canadian Destroyer attempts, King hit a torture rack DDT for the win. Afterwards, Titus and King beat on Williams – who fought back and hit the destroyer for a HYOOOGE pop. Lots of “please come back” chants. Petey, with a bloody mouth, cut a promo and called the guys in ROH “bad ass mofos.” He talked about ROH being where stars are born, and reborn, which caused a “fuck TNA” and “fire Russo” chant. Petey showed more charisma here than he did in however many years he was in TNA, and called himself “the wizard of the washboard” abdominals. Very good match. <!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–><!–[endif]–> 4. NOAH World Junior Heavyweight champion KENTA defeated Tyler Black after the Go to Sleep. With the fans using dueling chants to get behind both guys, KENTA killed Black early. 2009 has been a tremendous year so far for the NOAH junior heavyweight champion. (Semp’s note: Literally, he kicked the shit out of Tyler after they exchanged some harsh chops. Some slaps exchanged and KENTA hit a Euro uppercut. Tyler came back with a suplex for two. KENTA responded by putting Tyler on the top rope and hit Black’s back with his knees. He continued with knee splashes, and the backwards kick to the head after jumping over the top rope, which got a small Misawa chant. KENTA then put Tyler’s head between his legs and squeezed it like a sleeperhold. After eating some kicks to the chest, Tyler came back with a running clothesline, an enziguri, and a springboard clothesline. A nice Lionsault attempt got a two count. More KENTA kicks soon followed. They are so incredibly painful, yet beautiful, to watch. STF by KENTA. WTF~? Tyler got to the ropes. An attempted a fisherman buster was turned into a neck-breaker by Black. Black went up top, but received a boot and a superkick for his efforts. The dueling chants from the crowd continued. A springboard drop kick, followed by two huge boots into the corner, and a dropkick were used by KENTA (who was super-over, as usual). An awesome double-foot stomp spot. KENTA then hits a kick, runs off the ropes, and gets caught with a Tyler superkick. Uh-oh, a FIGHTING SPIRIT POSE. Another Black superkick is followed by a huge KENTA boot. Another STF attempt. Tiger suplex attempt by KENTA was blocked, but he hit an awesome Ace Crusher for a two. He went up top, but Tyler caught him and hit a rana. He then tossed KENTA out of the ring, and hit a corkscrew dive to the outside. Black then, well, TYLER’D UP and hit two elbows into the corner, and a DDT from a DVD position for a near fall. Crowd was not happy, as they began to gravitate more towards the Japanese star. Black tried the Phoenix splash, but landed on his feet. He used his Execution kick to the head, and a Slop Drop. He then went for a powerbomb into the corner, but he ate a hurricanrana, instead. A KENTA Tiger suplex got a 2.5 count. A Go To Sleep attempt was blocked, Black tried a God’s Last Gift, but took a GTS for 2.9999999 (I could keep going). Tyler recovered and hit a powerbomb into the corner, and went for another Execution kick. KENTA caught his leg, and hit another GTS to take the win at 18:13, in what was an outstanding match. Fans chanted “That was awesome,” and there were hearty handshakes, and an exchange of pro wres love. Age of the Fall then came down to the ring, all 13 or so of them, in masks and bandanas. Zach Gowen was one of them, turning down a lucrative apartment wrestling gig tonight to be at the show. Misty Blue Simms would be very unhappy. Jimmy Jacobs had his white, blood stained jacket from the group’s beginning, and a chain came down on the hook they use to hold up the title belts during ladder matches. They attempted to hang former member Black upside down, Jay Briscoe-style, but El Generico and Kevin Steen came down to help wreck shop. Black got back up and hit the GLG on Jacobs, and hung him upside down by the hook. Delirious was working the controls and raised Jacobs up. Black got on the mic and said “The Age of the Fall is dead.” The faces left, and Jacobs was lowered down. He began to berate his members, who all walked out on him. He then exited through the crowd, quite dejected, and left out the front door, throwing down garbage cans in the process. Intermission: September 19 will be the next Chicago show, with Bret Hart coming in – which, not surprisingly, got a super huge pop. I went outside as Jimmy Jacobs was on his knees crying in the rain. Outstanding. Halfway across the country, Mike Sempervive celebrates the end of the faction. (Semp’s note: Yay!) Crowd has been good, and very mixed as Flair brought in the casual/mainstream crowd (which might have been the reason Petey Williams was so over), as well as more kids attending. Joey Eastman announced the after-party, and how people can buy Adam Pearce beer, because Pearce loves beer. Larry Sweeney was in the house, backstage at the show. By the way, all Michael Jackson music during intermission causing Dr. Keith to reflect back to his own past experiences with a “Dirty Diana.” 5. Chicago Street Fight: “Classic” Colt Cabana and Brent Albright defeated Joey Ryan and the “Very European” Claudio Castagnoli, when Cabana put Ryan through a table. Sadly, Claudio and Ryan were not in their street gear. Dueling boom-elbows from the babyfaces. Albright shaved, and as a result looks much younger. Cabana and Albright brought a table into the ring and sandwiched it on top of Ryan and Claudio. The fight went to the outside with Albright and Ryan tangled on one end, as Cabana and Claudio were on the other. For the third straight show, whenever Claudio did anything people said “Heeeeeeeey!” which is always entertaining. Cabana got on the guardrail and did a back dive onto the heels. Somewhere during the melee, an old man got accidentally hit but ROH was quick to aid him (and his tucked in Colt 45 shirt) with some ice. Both babyfaces did their submissions (Albright’s Crowbar on Claudio, and the Billy Goat’s Curse on Ryan). Prince Nana and Dirty Ernie came in, as Cabana and Albright gave chase. Back in the ring, Ryan hit his Super 70’s superkick on Colt, and Claudio used a bicycle kick on Albright. Later, Cabana hit a big backdrop on Ryan to the outside and Albright hit a dive on Claudio. Albright and Cabana then did the old Dudley’s “Get the tables” line. They laid Ryan on the table, Ernie made the save. Albright was going to hit a suplex on Ryan through the table, but Claudio flipped the table over. Claudio set up a table into the corner and attempted to Ricola bomb Cabana into it, but Albright made the save. Chairs then entered the equation. Ryan used the Mustache Ride on Cabana. A good-guy’s double pin attempt was broken up by Nana. Bicycle kick by Claudio, as Albright had the chair up. Claudio accidentally hit Ryan with the bicycle kick and slipped on a chair. Albright then did a dive to the outside onto Claudio, who was in the third row. Nana came into the ring, busting up a Colt 45 on Ryan. Cabana then used the Flying Asshole on Nana, followed by one on Ryan who went through a table for the win. A really good brawl. 6. D’Lo Brown defeated Roderick Strong with a roll-up. Brown, who was looking huge (NOD days, but with more muscle), got huge “Welcome home” chants. Strong went to work with trademark chops, with D’Lo rallying with chops of his own. Brown missed on one, looked at his hand and said, “I fucked up.” Brown ended up chopping Strong’s chest open. Strong went to pick D’Lo up, as he yelled “are you kidding me?” Totally great old school heel. He used the Sliding D for a near fall, and a vertical suplex for another. Strong kicked him in the gut, and D’Lo spit into the third row, possibly near his family. Brown hit a powerful clothesline, and a side slam attempt, but Roddy blocked it with a crucifix for a near fall. Strong went to work with some vicious chops. D’Lo went up top, and some fan yelled “Come on Roddy, win it for Droz.” Ugh. Brown shot him a look, and then was met up top by Strong who superplexed him down to the mat. Gibson driver, but Brown held on for another near fall. Story of the match was D’Lo being too big, but Strong hit a backbreaker and a yakuza kick for a two count, but Brown got his foot to the ropes. D’Lo then tied up Strong, and with his hand on the bottom rope, pinned him for the victory. Very good performance by Brown playing the old-time, cheat to win, better than you, heel. 7. Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated the ROH World tag team champions, the American Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards) in a non-title match. The stipulation here is that if the Wolves win, Steenerico doesn’t get anymore title matches. If the good guys prevail, they get to pick what the stipulations for the next match between the teams will be. Shane Haggadorn, wearing a sparkling jacket and an arm sling, was announced as the Wolves “manager.” Great back and forth match, with the heat being put on Steen, who ended up getting a hot tag to Generico, with the knee brace. Edwards hit a jumping codebreaker on Generico for a two count, as Davey used a Texas cloverleaf on Generico’s injured knee. Eddie whipped Generico’s knee into the guardrail. Davey then hit two or three vicious kicks on the masked generic man. Quick, frequent, Wolves tags. Generico finally was able to get a tag to Steen, who dive off the top to the floor on both Wolves, and hit a powerbomb on Edwards to the apron. He threw Davey into the ring and hit the senton for two. In a nice spot, Steen powerbombed Davey onto Eddie, who was on the ground. Tag to Generico who hit a high cross body on Eddie for two. He attempted a brainbuster but Eddie hit him with a knee kick. Generico tried an Ole kick on the bad leg, and was met with a Wolves doubleteam, and a powerbomb with bridge for another nearfall. Wolves hit their powerbomb/double knees combo. Another knee submission attempt on Generico. Davey hit three harsh kicks, and a Generico face slip, and a kick to the back. Miscommunication by the Wolves. Generico hit the suplex on Davey in the corner. Generico hit the coast-to-coast dropkick (Van Terminator) for a two count. Referee Sinclair went down after some ruckus between Generico and Edwards. Belt shot on Steen by Davey for a near-fall. Generico attempted another brainbuster on Richards – and finally hit it – as Steen had Edwards submitting to a sharpshooter for the win. Edwards looked like he messed up his wrist, as it was bloody. The referees, and even ADAM PEARCE, came out quickly with a towel to help.<!–[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]–><!–[endif]–> 8. Austin Aries defeated Nigel McGuinness to retain the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight championship. “Welcome back” chants for the shaved head, and streamlined, Nigel. Aries’ tights have musical notes on them, for some reason. Aries got on the mic and called Chicago the home of the loveable losers, and talked about they used to despise Nigel. He said that Chicago Ridge “identifies” with losers. Nigel said it “takes one to know one,” and called A-Double a “prick.” Aries mocked back with “It takes one to know one,” and “I know you are, but what am I?” Aries then talked about leaving. Nigel cracked “Just because you have hair around your mouth doesn't mean you’re a vagina.” Aries countered with “I am what I eat.” To which Nigel said, “Then you are an asshole.” Having watched Frost/Nixon last week, I was familiar to such a debate. The bell rang, and Austin called for the bell again. He got back on the mic, and said Nigel was broken down and couldn’t do his McLariats. Nigel went for some, but Aries poked fun at him for being unable to. Nigel took off after Aries, who hit a baseball slide, and did a plancha over the top rope that missed. Nigel whipped him into the guardrails, and went to work on Aries’ shoulder. McGuinness used his headstand kick, and a nice arm submission on, to further inflict damage. Nigel hit a double thrust like Haku. When Nigel was coming back into the ring, Aries hit him with a beautiful running dropkick to McGuinness’ bad arm. From there, Aries went to work and used a Macho Man-like axe-handle to the outside, and threw Nigel into the guardrail. Aries signaled for his power-elbows, but just did an eye rake. What a heel! More work on Nigel’s arm. They exchanged elbows and Aries got caught into the corner. Nigel kicked the back, and hit a small clothesline out of the corner. Aries dangled out of the ring, and Nigel attempted a Tower of London. Aries blocked, and got a high back bodydrop for his troubles. Back in the ring, Nigel tried the Tower of London again, but there was a sunset flip by Aries, followed by an arm submission by Nigel. Nigel put Aries on top rope, but his lariat attempt was ducked. Aries responded with a lariat of his own, and a neck-breaker for a two count. Nigel used some high-knees for a near fall. Nigel lifted up Aries up for another Tower of London, resulting in a two. Aries rolled through an arm submission, and they teased a jawbreaker, but Aries hit a suplex for a two. Last Chancery submission by Aries was thwarted when Nigel got to the ropes. Aries put Nigel on top rope, and mocked Nigel by looking like he was going to hit the lariat, but hit an axe-handle on the ropes. Aries did his heat -seeking missile tope, but McGuinness used an elbow, and hit the T.O.L. on the outside for another near fall. Crowd was quiet but began getting into it. Nigel raked Aries all over the top rope, and hit a lariat for a two. Aries foot on the ropes. Nigel was selling his lariat arm. He attempted a jawbreaker. Aries ducked a lariat, and got a backslide attempt. Aries hit a kick of death and brainbuster for the win at 21:08. Decent match. Nigel is banged up, but this was fine. The crowd eventually cheered Nigel, but it took a while.