ROH 2K8: It Return'eth ... For the last time!

ROH: Homecoming II (June 21st; Toronto, Canada)

-Before the show Kevin Steen cut a promo saying tonight the ROH World Tag Team Titles are coming home to Canada.

Kenny Omega def. Pelle Primeau, Hallowicked & Kenny King
Fast paced opener, Omega had home country advantage and was extremely over with the crowd. Hallowicked was able to win the fans over before the end of the contest and came close to victory with the Graveyard smash but King was able to kick out of it before three. In his return to ROH Competition Pelle Primeau came within inches of picking up the victory when he connected with a Seated Senton/Double Stomp combination on Hallowicked, however Omega broke it up. He took Pelle to the floor before connecting with the Hadouken on Hallowicked.

The YRR def. Fast & Furious
The YRR were represented by Chasyn Rance & Sal Rinuaro in a pretty standard tag team match. Both teams have been on and off the card so far this year and this was their chance to really impress and secure a regular spot on the card; neither team were really able to do. It seemed they were going through the motions at times however things did begin to pick up towards the end as the YRR gained control with Rinauro eventually hitting the Sal-utation Special for the victory.

Relaxed Rules: Tyler Black def. BJ Whitmer via disqualification
Tyler Black was extremely over here stemming from the events of our previous show. Black was desperate to get his hands on Whitmer after the attack on manager Lacey at Windy City Showdown and it showed as these two brawled over the building. BJ was dominated by Black for much of the early going but after an Exploder into the ring post which looked absolutely sick he gained control. He would later look to connect with an Exploder off the top rope through several tables on the floor; Black was able to prevent it back dropping Whitmer through the wood. Black would set up possibly for a Phoenix Splash to Whitmer and the broken tables however Jimmy Jacobs rushed to the ring. He pulled Black form the ropes and proceeded to beat him down. Eventually Jacobs would pull out the spike and would use it on Tyler before locking in the Guillotine Choke. The ref had allowed Whitmer and Black a lot of leeway throughout the match but the blatant interference on the part of the Jacobs was the final straw.

-After the match Jacobs continued to hold onto the choke hold as BJ recovered on the floor. Eventually Whitmer brought a chair into the ring and used it to jab Tyler’s back as Jacobs maintained his hold. Officials and ROH students rushed to the ring and finally separated Jacobs from a lifeless Black. Jacobs got on the mike and told Black and Lacey to never return to ROH.

Chris Hero def. Delirious
Very funny comedy match, Delirious out did Hero early on thanks to some classic Delirious antics. Hero later made a comeback and taunted Delirious after every successful move he hit. Moments later Delirious hit a leaping Lariat and proceeded to mock Hero with Hero’s own poses. The fans were eating it up when suddenly Hero turned. He became more serious and focused and came close to victory with a Rolling Elbow. The Cravate Neckbreaker earned Hero a second near fall and he looked on track to gaining victory. Hero would attempt the Hero’s Welcome however Delirious countered it and would go onto hit the Panic Attack and Shadows over Hell. Delirious picked up a two count from it as Hero uses the ropes to break the cover. Hero would be on the back foot until Claudio rushed to the ring. He distracted the ref and slid Hero his briefcase. Hero used it on Delirious and picked up the three count.

--Intermission--

-In an intermission promo, Rave talked about being attacked. He challenged the person who attacked him to a match without revealing any names.

--End Intermission--

Roderick Strong, Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards def. Mike Quackenbush, Erick Stevens & Matt Cross
Really heated, fast paced and not to mention violent Six Man Tag Team match. Strong and Richards just about killed each other with chops and Davey Richards dominated with his stiff kicks. Quackenbush was the star of the show however as he showed some great mat wrestling techniques as well as taking to the air with a grace that cannot be replicated. The spot of the match saw Stevens and Cross connect with their double stomp/TKO combo which set Edwards up for a Swanton from Quackenbush. The crowd thought it was over but somehow Strong made the save. Strong would go onto connect with an absolutely brutal Half Nelson Backbreaker on Stevens which served as a set up for Richards Kimura Lock. As soon as Davey had the hold applied on Steven’s injured arm Erick tapped out.

Bryan Danielson def. Jimmy Jacobs
Bryan Danielson met Jacobs here in a match that far surpassed many expectations. Jacobs seems to be in store for the push of his life as he went toe to toe with Danielson keeping up with him at every step. Danielson tried to dominate Jacobs with his mat game but the tenacious Jacobs refused to stay down. He survived all of Danielson’s signature moves and kicked out of the seemingly impossible, coming close to victory himself after connecting with a spear and later the Contra Code. Danielson kicked out of both and after a Roaring Elbow looked dead set on picking up victory. He applied the Cattle Mutilation but Jacobs countered flipping over with Danielson into a pinning predicament. Danielson countered that and positioned Jimmy for the Elbow Strikes. Jacobs worked his way out of it and locked in the Guillotine Choke. Before Danielson tapped out he managed to take a page out of Jacobs’ book and flip him into a pinning predicament which secured victory for the American Dragon.

ROH World Title Match: Takeshi Morishima © def. Austin Aries
Austin Aries had the chance of a lifetime here, and tried to do everything in his power to capture the ROH World Title for a second time. Aries threw everything he could at Morishima early on but Morishima weathered the storm and came back with a huge side slam on Aries. Morishima dominated picking apart Aries limb by limb. He connected with a Missile Dropkick followed by a Lariat which seemed to be it for Aries, however Austin kicked out. Aries would mount a momentary comeback hitting a Roaring Elbow. However Morishima got straight back to his feet, he swung for a Aries but Austin ducked. He hooked Morishima for the shin breaker/suplex combination and after an initial struggle he hit it. From there the story of the match became about Aries trying to hit his trademark combination. And after several failed attempts he nearly did. After connecting with a punt and brainbuster Aries went up top for the 450 but Morishima put a stop to it. He threw Aries from the top rope however Austin rolled through and leaped to the turnbuckles across the ring. He attempted to spring back with the elbow but Morishima caught him in mid-air and managed to connect with the Backdrop Driver from that position which earned him the three count.

ROH World Tag Title Match: Kevin Steen & El Generico def. The Briscoe’s ©
Steen and Generico have worked so hard for this shot and on home soil the crowd were begging for a title change. The Briscoe’s have been on such great form recently, with several well received title defences and arguably making stars out of Matt Cross and Erick Stevens, victory seemed almost unattainable for Generico and Steen… almost. The two teams fought back and forth for the early going until the Briscoe’s were able to isolate Generico on their side of the ring. They wore him down with explosive perfectly timed double teams but were unable to put his shoulders to the mat for the count of three. Generico made the comeback and after hitting a swinging DDT made the hot tag to Steen. Steen cleared house and managed to hit the Swanton moments later, followed by a Generico splash but Mark Briscoe dove into make the save. Mark managed to connect with Karate thrusts on Generico but was cut off by Steen who would trip Mark and lock him in the Sharpshooter. Jay made the save with a huge boot to the head. Jay and Mark would go onto hit the Springboard Doomsday Device but Generico broke up the count at two. Generico himself would pick up a near fall after pitching Mark to the floor and hitting Jay with the Split Legged Moonsault. The Generic Luchadore tried to go up top for the Top Rope Brainbuster but Jay managed to prevent it. Mark would spring off the adjacent ropes and take Generic to the mat with the Briscoe Cutter. Jay followed up with a Leg Drop but Steen made the save. The fans were on their feet as they got behind Steen who battled off both Briscoe’s. He managed to send Mark to the ring apron but got caught by Jay who set him up for the J-Driller. Mark prepared to spring in the ring but as he leaped into the air Generico caught him with a Yakuza kick sending him to the floor. Meanwhile Steen countered the J-Driller and set Jay Briscoe up for the Package Piledriver. He nailed it before rolling Jay back into Generico’s Brainbuster which was enough for Steenerico to capture their first ROH Titles.