| Date: 04/29 | 1:01 PM |
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Live results from Samuel Berman of 411 Wrestling.
April 28, 2007
"Good Times, Great Memories"
Frontier Fieldhouse - Chicago Ridge, IL
6:30pm Doors, 7:30pm Belltime
Estimated Attendance: 1500
Main show got started around 7:45pm, 15 minutes behind schedule.
PRE-SHOW
a) Rhett Titus defeated Ernie Osiris via pinfall with a frogsplash in about 6 minutes. Titus was playing the heel, with a flashy robe and a mirror that he continually looked in. Solid if unspectacular match.
b) Mitch Franklin defeated Mandingo and Billy Roc via pinfall with a rollup on Roc in about 6 minutes in a Three Way Dance. I'll admit that I missed all but the end of the match as I was getting my return ticket for June.
c) Lacey (with Jimmy Jacobs) defeated a female wrestler from Chicago (her name was unclear) via pinfall with an implant DDT in about 3 minutes. The finish was badly botched and led to what seemed like a quick pinfall. Jacobs was notably hobling around with a cane due to his recent ACL surgery and was actually smoking at ringside. Lacey in response to a single pink streamer thrown during her entrance: "I'm NOT Japanese!"
MAIN SHOW
1) Delirious defeated Gran Akuma, Mike Quackenbush, Hallowicked, Jigsaw & Pelle Primeau via pinfall when he hit Akuma with the Chemical Imballance II (Double pumphandle sitout driver) in about 11 minutes in a Six Man Mayhem Match. Quackenbush got HUGE ovations before and after the match and seemed genuinely touched by the reception. All four CHIKARA guys impressed and I wouldn't be surprised to see them back soon. The match itself was wall to wall action that I'd have a tough time recapping here. Well worth checking out.
2) Erick Stevens and "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels fought to a draw in 15 minutes. Good back and forth match with Stevens hanging tough with the veteran. Stevens and the crowd wanted 5 more minutes, but Daniels declined and cut a promo instead.
PROMO - Daniels turned full heel by calling out the crowd for him being "taken for granted" and made a number of shoot-style comments about how the fans were the only ones who believed there was a TNA vs. ROH rivalry. He said that if you wanted to see why he was with TNA, that the fans should compare his bank statement with Bryan Danielson's. He says that his "Farewell Tour" was going to be as long as it took him to get through the curtain and then officially QUIT Ring of Honor. When his manager Allison Danger tried to stop him, he pushed her, earning him MASSIVE heel heat. BJ Whitmer came out and confronted Daniels and then helped Danger to the back. Incredible, if uncomfortable, promo from Daniels.
3) Brent Albright defeated BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Rave & "The Notorious 187" Homicide via pinfall when he hit Whitmer with a Half-Nelson Suplex in about 11 minutes in a Four Corner Survival Match. Good finishing sequence with Whitmer hiting a combo on Homicide, but falling to Albright, who dumped him right on his head. Whitmer and Homicide shook hands after the match and seemed to agree to a singles match in the future.
4) Austin Aries defeated Rocky Romero via pinfall with the Aries Flurry (kick to the face, brainbuster, 450 splash) in about 12 minutes. The match was hard-hitting affair you'd expect, but was actually rather slow-paced in the middle. Certainly not a show stealer, but a solid outing. Great moment in the match was when Romero was being heckled by a young girl in the crowd and responded "Hey, little girl, shut up!" only to have her start a "Chicken Legs!" chant at him. Post match, Roderick Strong came out and attacked Aries, but he was chased off by Delirious.
ANNOUNCED FOR THE JUNE 23rd RETURN DATE:
-ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima
-Naomichi Marufuji
-Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA
Those annoucements alone make the 6/23 show a must-see!
5) Takeshi Morishima defeated Shingo via pinfall with a backdrop driver in about 16 minutes to retain the ROH World Title. Shingo surprisingly held his own with the much larger champion, even hitting a Death Valley Driver on the outside as well as a superplex and a Michinoku driver. However, Morishima was able to put his challenger down with a flurry that included a pair of lariats and a fearsome backdrop driver that landed the Dragon Gate star right on his head. Surprisingly fantastic match.
INTERMISSION - About 20 minutes long.
NOTES: CM Punk, Joey Ryan & Scott Lost are all in attendance.
6) Tank Tolland defeated "Sugarfoot" Alex Payne via pinfall with an elevated slam in about 3 minutes. The match was supposed to be Payne against fellow student Bobby Dempsey, but Tolland came out and interrupted. He recruited Dempsey to be one of his disciples, promising to get him in shape. The match was all Tolland dominating Sugarfoot.
7) Roderick Strong defeated Jack Evans via pinfall with a crucifix ace crusher at about 16 minutes. Really good match between the two, but a step down from their famous FIP encounter in my opinion. Post match, Rocky Romero comes in and hits a Van Daminator on Evans leading to Delirious again making the save from the No Remorse Corps. Delirious seems make a challenge for himself and Evans against Strong & Romero at the next Chicago event, but it was unclear (as things often are with Delirious).
8) Jay & Mark Briscoe defeated Motor City Machine Guns of Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin via pinfall with a legdrop/cuthroat driver combo on Shelley in about 35 minutes to retain the ROH World Tag Team Titles. Absolutely phenomenal match and a very real MOTYC. This is not hyperbole: this match is one of the best I have ever seen live, and is even one of the Briscoes' best matches period. Constant action and great teamwork from both sides. Shelley & Sabin played the heels, but post match fastened the belts around the Briscoes' waists and all four men soaked in the cheers together. This match alone is worth the purchase of the DVD!
9) "Classic" Colt Cabana defeated "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce via submission with a reverse Boston crab in about 14 minutes in Cabana's final match for Ring of Honor. Tons of streamers for Colt during his introduction. Match was filled with all the comedy you'd expect and Colt really went out with a performance befitting his career in ROH.
PROMO - After the match, Cabana put over Pearce, only to have him spit in his face and walk out, clinging fastly to his heel persona. Soon, the locker room emptied and filled the ring for Cabana's farewell speech. Colt thanked ROH owner Cary Silkin and booker Gabe Sapolsky and then went on to make a heartfelt and truly insipring speech about how Ring of Honor helped him fulfill his live-long dream of being a pro-wrestler. He says that the one thing he never did was win the ROH World Title and that someday he'll be back for another shot at the belt. He soaked in more cheers before heading to the back.
Overall Show Thoughts: Another incredible night of action from ROH as they once again bring the goods to Chicago. Again, I cannot talk-up the Briscoes-MCMG match enough. It defines 'worth the price of admission'. Strong-Evans and the Six Man Mayhem are also very, very good, as was the ROH World Title match. And if you're a Cabana fan (and really, who isn't?), you need no other reason to get this show when it becomes available. (Editor's note: visit www.ROHWrestling.com for updates as to when this DVD will be available.)