ROH TV July 20th-21st Edition

Main Event is the final title defense of Jay Briscoe against S.C.U.M.'s Matt Hardy.  This is the final show before Steel Cage Warefare.


The show opens with footage of S.C.U.M riding to the arena in the back of a Limo.  Steve Corino is giving a pep talk about tonight being the night the last ROH champion in history is crowned.  He takes some shots at Baltimore being a town known for losers and insulting the local sports heroes (Corino: you ever sleep with Cal Ripkin's wife? Titus: Who hasn't?).  He says that Matt Hardy is the reason they can live in luxury, putting S.C.U.M. up in the best hotels and renting Limos for the group.  Tonight S.C.U.M. shows Matt their thanks when they strap the world title around his waist.  Matt tells them that S.C.U.M. is like his family, hell--they mean more to him then his own brother!

This segment was pointless, but inoffensive--so we'll call it a wash and move on to the actual show.  Kelly and Corino set up the opening contest...

Will Ferrera VS Adam Cole
Both men enter the ring and the squash looks ready to start when Roderick Strong makes his entrance.  Strong has some words for Adam Cole; He says Adam hasn't been living up to the honourable standard he claims to represent.  Strong tells Adam he's not mad, he's disappointed.  Well that's awesomely condescending.  Cole takes the mic and starts kissing Strong's ass, and apologizes yet again.  It's a good way to slow burn a heel turn, do something dickish and then apologize later like that makes everything better--fan's get tired of disingenuous apologies and he lashes out when people stop believing him.  Cole then apologizes (is sorry all he says) to Ferrera because his ROH debut will have to wait--tonight he wants to face Roderick Strong and prove that he can win with honor.  Roddy accepts and our new opening contest is...

Roderick Strong VS Adam Cole   
Code of Honor is adhered to.  Some up-beat chain wrestling to start, with both guys being pushed into the corner at one point and both times they opponent makes a clean rope break.  Strong suddenly cranks the aggression up a notch, catching Cole by surprise as Strong beats him all around the ring with a variety of strikes.  Strong tries a bodyslam, but Cole slips out and nails a back suplex.  Cole hits a few knee drops then tries to suplex Strong, it's blocked and Roddy gets an inverted suplex.  Cole pops back up immediately but misses a charge into the corner and gets chopped HARD across the back.  Strong follows up with an attempted running forearm/bulldog combo but Cole reverses into his fireman's carry brain buster for 2.  Cole lands a neck breaker then grabs a headlock to send us to commercial.

Back with Cole landing a suplex for another 2 count.  Bodyslam gets yet another 2 count; on the kick out Cole wraps Strong up with headscissors.  Strong rolls the devastating rest hold into a pin for 2.  Cole runs the ropes and ducks a Strong clothesline, Roddy's follow up dropkick hit the mark however.  Strong clotheslines Cole and then hits him with...an innovative...facebuster slam thing...DAMN IT RODERICK!!!  This is the third time you've used a move I don't know what the hell to call since I got this gig--you're the only wrestler giving me grief!  It's not enough to finish Cole so he pulls a page out of CM Punk's playbook delivering a corner knee then landing the running bulldog he wanted earlier--it only gets 2.  Cole is hung in the tree of woe and gets kneed in the midsection.  The Messiah of the back breaker shows off his name sake with a double under hook backbreaker which gets 2.  Cole tries fighting back but Strong cuts him off with an enzugiri into an Uranagi backbreaker.  Argentine slam gets 2 for Strong.  Cole realizes he's getting his ass kicked and rolls to the apron for a breather.  Strong gives chase but walks right into an inverted hotshot from Cole.  Strong his dragged out of the ring by his waist, but Cole doesn't put him down, instead German suplexing him spine-first into the ring apron!  That looked like it hurt like a bitch.  Cole rolls Roderick in for a 2 count and then applies the Figure-4 leglock.  It's particularly more dangerous in this situation because of the mental anguish that comes from being subjected to any move The Miz uses as a finish.  Strong escapes his Miz-ery by reaching the ropes.  He lifts Adam to the top rope from the apron then hits an Enzugiri to keep him dazed up there.  Strong climbs up the ropes and Forearms Cole in the face a dozen times before superplexing the youngster for a 2 count.  both guys are staggered but standing.  Vertical suplex is attempted by Strong but Cole knees him in the head to get out; he didn't have much time to celebrate however, as Roderick caught him with a rolling elbow pretty much as soon as Cole was back on his feet.  Double knee gut buster looks to set up the sick kick but Cole dropkicks the knee to block. Figure 4 attempted but Strong turns it into a small package for 2.  Strong takes a shot at locking in the Stronghold, but Cole pushes him off and the ref gets bumped(!!!).  The wrestlers keep going as if nothing had happened.  Strong lands a jumping knee, which receives the All-Japan delayed sell and a super kick from Cole.  With everybody down Corino throws a chain in the ring for Cole to use in his ongoing quest to recruit the Panama native into S.C.U.M..  Before Cole becomes aware of the chain's existence it's picked up by Strong.  Cole gets up and sees Strong with the chain and assumes he brought it in with the ref down.  Righteous fury drives Cole to kick Strong so hard in the leg that the ghost of Owen Hart felt bad, and Roddy drops the chain.  Cole picks it up and punches Strong out with it, and the newly revived ref calls for the DQ to give Strong the victory.  **3/4  Very even match, which is good since the feud is based around a lack of decisive finishes.  Finish hurts it's score somewhat though Cole's reaction to the DQ was awesome, screaming "IT WAS SELF DEFENSE" at the referee.  It's always good when a wrestler looks like he's really upset about losing.  Cole storms off without shaking Strong's hand.

S.C.U.M. arrives outside the arena.  Hardy offers a fan $100 to rip up his sign that says "Hardy is a fraud", but the guy says no (I'll do it, It's a piece of fucking Bristol board, I'd sell out faster then Metalica in a courtroom for $100 bucks)  S.C.U.M. rips it up anyway.  At least the dipshit still has his pride...

ROH World Title: "The Icon" Matt Hardy VS Jay Briscoe (c)
Corino reprises his bit of taking 6 hours to introduce Hardy by outlining every nickname he can think of (Wrestling Jesus, My best friend, a savvy lover, etc.) Matt shows how out of shape he is when he winds himself twirling his arms just waiting for Corino to finish.  Bobby Cruise then introduces Jay Briscoe...and we cut to commercial?!  Hopefully Matt uses the break to catch his breath

We're back with the opening bell.  Collar and Elbow tie-up ensues with Hardy taking the advantage.  Hardy begins working the arm...slowly.  Briscoe eventually ends the dull riveting working of the arm by Hardy and brings some energy to the match by stomping a mud hole in the corner.  Jay stays in control with a European uppercut and some shoulder thrusts in the corner.  Hardy dodges the last in a series of shoulder thrusts and sends the world champ shoulder first into the ring post.  Arm bar DDT and a hammerlock from Hardy.  Briscoe elbows out but gets dropped by a side-effect for 2.  The crowd chants "Die Hardy Die".  The audience might get it's wish if he doesn't get some air to his lungs soon!  Jay tries for a Death Valley Driver but his arm gives out and Hardy lands a Twist of Fate(1) for 2.  More arm work by Hardy takes us to another commercial break.

Back with Briscoe unleashing a flurry of punches against Hardy.  He lands a dropkick but lands on the bad shoulder and can't capitalize.  Well that's a pretty avoidable Fuck up for a wrestler the caliber of World Champion.  Hardy shows off the incredible daredevil offense that made him famous with an elbow to the back of a STANDING Jay's head from the SECOND rope.  I make a more death defying leap getting out of bed in the morning.  Briscoe refuses to sell that bullshit and just superkicks Hardy for 2.  Briscoe hits a Rude Awakening for 2.  The Jay Driller is blocked and Corino sweeps Briscoe's legs out from under him behind the Ref's back.  Hardy capitalizes with a Twist of Fate(2) for yet another 2 count.  Hardy chucks Briscoe and rams him repeatedly into the barricade.  Back in the ring Hardy tries to choke the Champion out but his butterfly choke is reversed into a back body drop.  Jay Driller connects this time and gets a very close near fall.  Briscoe starts viciously stomping on Hardy's ankle and he sells a leg injury.  The ref stops to check on him and Matt takes his boot off.  Jay goes back to attack the now exposed ankle, so the ref pushes him off.  Hardy now shows he was faking and blasts Briscoe with the boot, but still only gets 2.  Hardy hits another Twist of Fate(3), then picks him back up for ANOTHER Twist of Fate(4) and that still only gets two.  Hardy locks on a butterfly choke and Briscoe has no way of getting out, but Hardy's stamina fails him and he has to let go. I love shoot spots that aren't intended as shoot spots.  Hardy gets a 2 count then climbs up for a moonsault(!) but is cut off up top by Briscoe.  Jay succeeds at delivering a super back suplex, but Hardy lands on top of Briscoe and The Champ has to kick out at 2.  Jay Driller looks to finish but his arm gives out and Hardy reverses into position for Twist of Fate(5), but Jay reverses it into a small package for the three count and mercifully ends this. * The crowd goes Bat shit crazy celebrating the win at the end, which was probably the only thing about the match worth watching.  Matt is down to only having a half dozen moves in his arsenal, and that counts punching and sucking wind.

Post match Rhino comes out and GORE! GORE! GORES! Jay Briscoe.  Mark runs out to make the save but shows the effects of his Concussion after banging his head on a mule kick.  Corino Hits him in the back of the head with his $10 punch and Mark's out for the night.  The rest of S.C.U.M. runs out and stops Whitmer, Lethal, and Elgin from making the save, tie-strapping them to the bottom rope.  Crowd wants Steen.  Security runs out but S.C.U.M. just annihilates them and goes back to work.  Rhino hits Mark with three con-chair-tos to right him off TV, then Jay has his bad arm placed in a chair for a Hardy double stomp of cruel vacating power.  There is your Briscoe write off in a believably brutal beat down.  Show goes off the air with Kevin Kelly wishing damnation on Steve Corino for what he and S.C.U.M. have done to the Briscoes.  I assume Steen's absence was due to no-one bothering to help him when he was beat down at Best in the World.  Steen is in this for vengeance, not to make new friends.

The opener is decent, and the ending angle is good--but the main event is horseshit.  This marks the first Thumbs down I give ROH.  Here's hoping Steel Cage Warfare redeems this next week.