by Scotty Szanto-Nicodemus
Exclusive to OnlineOnslaught.com

We start things off with a very good Low-Ki promo.  He discusses all of the ROH shows that lead up to this one (this is their fifth event), and his matches in each of them.  The storyline that is driving the Heavyweight Title picture is that Christopher Daniels broke the Code Of Honor by refusing to shake hands with Low-Ki and American Dragon at the end of their 3-Way Dance in week two or three.  Footage from all of Low-Ki’s matches gets shown, and Ki puts The Amazing Red over, calling him one of the most difficult men to defeat that he has ever faced.

A quick word about the Code Of Honor: I’m going to leave it up to you to click the link and get the full details, but the most obvious aspect of the code is that combatants must shake hands before and after every match…except for gimmick matches or “non-sanctioned” grudge matches.  So for the purposes of my recaps, I will attempt to categorize the handshakes to help give you an idea of how much animosity is built in to the feud…for instance, a Real Shake is the sign of indy respect probably between guys that are not actually feuding; a Slap Shake is when one guy extends his hand and the other slaps it away and this is reserved for matches between bitter enemies.  If any other variations on the handshake arise, I will dub names for them as we go.  So let’s go.

Opening credits.

Steve Corino w/Simply Luscious promo.  To make their long story short, Simply Luscious wanted The King of Old School, and so they hooked-up.  What they have is personal, and there are no hard feelings that Luscious is involved professionally with Daniels.  They deep tongue kiss, and we are out.

Wrasslin’ doctrine dictates that ROH must have a gay tag team, and that is The Christopher St. Connection.  Their promo begins with the two of them walking and enjoying bananas.  Mmm…bananas.  They hear techno music coming from one of the locker rooms, and because no gay man can resist the driving beat of techno music, they walk in.  I don’t recognize all of the guys in the locker room, but I think one of them is Dixie.  Anyway, when the Christopher Street Connection can’t produce VIP passes, they are not allowed into the techno-party…and one of the guys steals one of their bananas!

Tony Mamaluke & James Maritato’s promo begins with Mamaluke asking, “Hey Guido, you got any more of those green FBI shirts left?”  Maritato asks not to be called Guido, and declares the FBI gimmick to be dead and buried.  Another tag team enters, and one of the guys wants to ask Guido about shoot fighting.  I think these guys are the Natural Born Sinners, and eventually they get around to challenging The FBI Mamaluke & Maritato to a match at the next ROH event.  Maritato accepts the challenge on behalf of himself and Mamaluke, and then walks out…as Mamaluke starts to go after him, he shouts “Guido!  What about the shirts!”

Jeremy Lopez v. Tony Mamaluke

Slap Shake to start.  Mamaluke is still wearing his FBI tights and boots, and Maritato is not with him.  The announcers are Donnie B and Steve Corino.  Lopez is a standout for NWA: Wildside, a former Junior Heavyweight Champ for them, and according to Corino this is his first match “in the north”.  The Man of 1,000 Holds, Dean Malenko trained both men so this should be a good one to start with.  In fact, Corino puts-over the South Philly fans by saying that the opening match has to be hot or the South Philly crowd is liable to riot!  Anyway, we have an extended mat sequence to start, which goes right into a Bow & Arrow by Lopez.  Mamaluke flips over and scores the first two count of the match.  We go back to the mat, and Lopez executes a nice Float Over Leg Scissors, but Mamaluke no sells it and cinches in a headlock.  With Lopez draped across the bottom rope, Mamaluke hits a Guillotine Legdrop from the inside out.  Lopez reverses an Irish Whip and takes control, but when they go into the corner Mamaluke comes out with a Tornado DDT.  1, 2, no.  Mamaluke goes into his shoot fighting bag o’ tricks and locks in a wicked looking version of the arm bar, until Lopez is able to roll through and turn it into what Donnie B calls a version of the Wheelbarrow Slam.  Into the corner, and Lopez brings him out with a Double Underhook Spinwheel DDT…two moves named after wheels in a row, now that’s psychology!  Lopez holds-on after the DDT and turns it into a Sit-Out Powerbomb for two and a-half.  Mamaluke reverses and hits his own Double Underhook DDT, and he also holds onto it, sitting back into a submission move and Lopez taps.  Tony Mamaluke wins in a good opening match that kept the South Philly crowd from tearing down the building, so I guess the did their job!

Joey Matthews and Christian York are backstage discussing strategy for their match when suddenly, Christopher St. Connection appear to hit on them.  They have acquired new bananas, and they offer one of them to Matthews and York as a gift.

Prince Nana & His Servant Jacobs Ladder v. Joey Matthews & Christian York w/Alexis Laree

Nana grabs the mic and tells York and Matthews that he sustained a concussion in his match against Low-Ki from a few events ago, and as a result they (York and Matthews) are not to hit him “in the head and neck area”.  The heels with a shake hands then kick to the gut of the faces.  During the opening moments of the match, Corino and Donnie B compare Prince Nana’s head injury to Cowboy Bob Orton’s famous broken arm, and discuss the possibility that Orton might not have actually had an arm injury when he was wearing a cast all those years ago, for all those years!  As for action, it’s all brawling, punching and kicking.  Nana orders Jacobs Ladder around, telling him whom to attack and when.  Eventually Ladder finds himself holding Matthews for Nana to attack.  Matthews moves out of the way naturally, and Nana decks Jacobs Ladder.  Matthews then connects with an Enziguiri Kick to Nana’s head, which causes the Prince to bail out and head to the dressing room.  Without his partner, Ladder is quickly overcome and succumbs to a big Legdrop from the top and Ladder stays down for the 3-count.  We cut to the backstage area, where the Christopher Street Connection are hassling Prince Nana.  When Nana leaves, the Christopher St. Connection come to the ring along with Allison Danger.  Donnie B is disgusted by the display when the Christopher Street Connection pauses on their way to the ring to kiss men in the audience.  Now that’s a wrassler that is committed to his gay character!  Anyway, let’s make this long story short…The Christopher Street Connection (I’m not sure who is whom) tell York & Matthews (and Laree) that they (the CSC) were watching the monitors backstage, and they had to come out to tell them that one of the CSC thinks that one of them is HOT!  Allison Danger takes the mic and talks smack about York and Matthews, but then turns to Alexis Laree and says that they could make beautiful Lesbian love together (I’m paraphrasing).  Laree decks Danger right between the eyes, and as York and Matthews brawl with the CSC, Donnie B worries that it could be construed as gay bashing!

Footage from earlier today as wrasslers arrive.  The commentators don’t talk over the promos or ring introductions, but these are the combatants for the next match, members of ETW (Extreme Texas Wrestling) from San Antonio…just down the road from me!  When Don Juan gets out of the minivan, he remarks, “You guys said it would take 26 hours, and it only took 25!”  Otherwise, the promo is relatively uneventful.

Michael Shane & Bio Hazard v. Paul London & Don Juan
Winner of the fall receives a contract with ROH

Real shakes between all of the men to start.  Corino puts-over the ROH contract, saying that the winner will no longer have to drive all the way from San Antonio, but will be able to fly to the events.  Donnie B picks Paul London as his favorite, and Corino picks Michael Shane because the other three guys listen to their trainer Rudy Boy, who is at ringside for the match.  Corino calls London Rudy Boy’s “pet student”, so I think that I will pick London as well.  They tie-up, and the first high impact move sees Shane hit London with an Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex into the turnbuckle pad.  Bio Hazard tags in and dominates until London makes the lukewarm tag to Don Juan, who becomes the face-in-peril.  Quick tags by the heels as they work-over Juan in the corner, and Hazard hits a pretty version of the Perfect Head Snap, this one from the second rope in the corner.  When Hazard goes for a second rope Moonsault, Juan gets the knees up and both men are down as the ref begins the 10-count.  Both men make the tag as the count reaches 8, and London takes-over on Shane.  London is able to connect with his own second rope Moonsault, but he only gets a two count for his trouble.  Back up, and London walks into a Superkick by Shane, who is a blood-relative of Shawn Michaels, we are told.  Several attempted pins are broken up, leading up to Juan being pulled off by his own partner.  This makes sense since the winner of the pin gets the contract, not the team.  The faces begin to argue nonetheless, and the heels attack.  In a well-booked finish, Michael Shane pins Don Juan, and at the same time Paul London pins Bio Hazard, but London and Hazard are behind the ref’s back, and so Michael Shane scores the win and gets the contract.  After the match, Shane calls-out Spanky, calling himself the real Showstopper.  London comes back into the ring, and he and Shane start to brawl, and Donnie B wonders how this behavior falls within the ramifications of the Code Of Honor.  As the fight goes to the backstage area, Rudy Boy books a match between Shane and London for the next ROH event in Boston.

Replays of the feud between Divine Storm and Da Hit Squad.

Da Hit Squad v. Divine Storm

Slap Shake to start gets Divine Storm fired-up.  Donnie B refers to Da Hit Squad as the hardest-hitting tag team in Sports Entertainment, to which Corino responds, “you got it all wrong, this isn’t Sports Entertainment, this is hardcore professional wrestling”.  Da Hit Squad takes over right away, and it’s all brawling and power moves until Chris Divine hits a Death Valley Driver, followed by a Spinebuster on Mafia, but he only gets a two-count.  When Mafia whips Divine into the turnbuckle pad upside down, Monsta Mack comes in to whip Mafia into the corner in what Donnie B calls a “Hit Squad Cannonball right to the Face”.  Quiet Storm in, and he hits a Forearm Shiver on Mafia, then hits a BIG Frogsplash, but can only score a two-count.  Monsta Mack tosses Storm outside, and Da Hit Squad commence the double-team beatdown on Chris Divine.  Mafia then goes outside to battle with Storm, leaving Monsta Mack and Divine in the ring.  Mack brings Divine out of the corner with a huge Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex.  Divine reverses an Irish Whip, and when he connects with a Leg Scissors Takedown, Mack fucks up by not falling forward until after Divine has already completed the move…Mack follows-through and sells the move, though.  Corino and Donnie B discuss the heat inside the building, which is nearly at 100°.  They discuss what that means in terms of cardiovascular conditioning, and Donnie B proclaims that Da Hit Squad are out of gas.  Monsta Mack picks up Divine for a Powerbomb, and almost as if to illustrate Donnie B’s point, Mack never really gets Divine positioned properly for the move, and has to simply fall forward before he drops him…that was the finisher, and Da Hit Squad win.  I’m a big fan of Da Hit Squad, partly because all of their matches that I have seen are contested without any tags taking place, and this match is no exception!

Low-Ki promo begins with a close-up of his tattoo, and Xavier comes in to challenge for a Title Match if Low-Ki wins the Ironman Match tonight.  Low-Ki accepts, and they shake hands.

Jay Briscoe w/Mark v. James Maritato

Real shake to start.  Lots of Arm Bars and Headlocks in the early moments, as the storyline for the match is introduced: Mark Briscoe is only 17, and is unable to get physically involved in PA, and he has been giving his brother a hard time lately.  During this match Mark appears to look away whenever Jay is on offense, and eventually Mark appears to be cheering for Maritato.  After an extended mat sequence, Mark turns to walk back to the dressing room, which distracts Jay in the ring.  Maritato seizes the opportunity to clip Jay’s knee and takes control of the match.  An evil grin comes across Mark’s face at this point.  Maritato repeatedly applies the Fugiwara Arm Bar, and Corino tells us that Maritato faced Fugiwara many times in Japan.  Jay hits a Front Fallaway Niagra Slam out of nowhere, and then places Maritato on the top rope in the corner.  Jay gets tossed off, and Maritato connects with a Missile Dropkick out of the corner.  To the opposite corner, and Maritato tries for a Superplex, but Jay is able to reverse it into a Super Gourdbuster!  Jay only gets 2, and when both men get to their feet Maritato tries for the Kiss o’ Death, but Jay shrugs it off and comes off the ropes with a Swinging DDT.  Mark gets frustrated at ringside and again starts to walk towards the locker room.  This distracts Jay in the ring, of course, which enables Maritato to land the Kiss o’ Death and score the pinfall.  Mark looks to be happy, and we are out.

Christopher Daniels w/Simply Luscious promo…or as Daniels puts it, “The Gospel According to the Fallen Angel”.  Daniels declares that the Code Of Honor is based on lies and hypocrisy because he feels he was screwed in his losses during the first ROH events.  Daniels has formed The Prophecy to bring ROH down, and he refuses to shake hands or follow the Code Of Honor.  Once he wins the title, he will use his power as champion to rebuild ROH in his own image.

Doug Williams is stretching some poor young man backstage, and he says that this represents what he will do to Spanky, Low-Ki, and Christopher Daniels.

Replays of the feud between the Natural Born Sinners and the Carnage Crew.

Natural Born Sinners (Homicide & Boogalou) v. The Carnage Crew (Loc & Divito)
First-Ever ROH Bunkhouse Match.

This is a non-sanctioned Grudge Match, and so there is no handshake to start.  Loc, for all you ex-ECW fans out there, is “The Extreme Official” HC Loc, and he is teamed with fellow ECW alumnus and former leader of Da Baldies, Divito.  The story that lead-up to this match is that Loc refereed a match in which the Sinners used a Rubber Chicken as a weapon, and Loc disqualified them.  They snapped and attacked Loc, leaving him a bloody heap in a black-n-white shirt in the middle of the ring.  This match begins with all four men brawling in the ring, and when Homicide hits a Vader Splash on Divito in the corner, the announcers point-out that Homicide is wearing a bulletproof vest.  This has Donnie B wondering where one would obtain a bulletproof vest.  Barbed wire is wrapped around one of the corner pads, and Divito is the first to taste the barbs.  Homicide then takes a fork to Divito’s head, and by the time the brawl goes outside, all four men have bladed…and the match only just got started!  As Loc attacks Boogalou with a cowbell, Divito and Homicide break through the ringside barrier and briefly brawl into the audience.  Homicide gets a weight lifting belt from somewhere and starts to whip both Divito and Loc.  Homicide and Divito are back in the ring, and Donnie B points out that the first attempt at a wrasslin’ move comes 8 minutes into the match as Divito goes for a Dropkick…and misses.  Homicide is the first to successfully connect with a move, hitting a Shining Wizard on Divito for 2.  Divito wriggles free of Homicide’s attempt to hit his finisher, the Cop Killer, and Divito hits a series of Short-Arm Clotheslines before tossing Homicide into the barbed wire with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex.  Divito unwraps the barbed wire and places it on top of Homicide before connecting with a Moonsault, sandwiching the barbed wire between their chests!  Boogalou and Loc come into the ring, and Boogalou wraps the barbed wire around his right arm and clotheslines Divito.  Loc is thrown outside again, and placed in a chair against the ringside barrier.  Homicide comes off the ropes and hits a running Suicide Dive through the ropes onto Loc, and they break through the railing at ringside and Homicide winds up on the floor in the second row!  In the ring, Boogalou has Divito in a version of the Camel Clutch, using the barbed wire as a bridle, putting it in Divito’s mouth and pulling backwards until Divito taps-out.  After the match, Loc and Divito attack with hubcaps wrapped in chains.  The beatdown continues until Da Hit Squad makes the save (DHS were trained by Homicide).  Homicide takes the help as a sign of disrespect and he leaves the ring shouting “I don’t need your fuckin’ help!” at his former students.

Spanky’s promo takes place in the auditorium prior to the event.  He mentions each of his opponents and lists their attributes.  He then asks himself what he has that will match-up against them.  Well, he tells us that the only time that he faced Daniels, he beat him with his finisher Sliced Bread #2 (as in, the best thing since Sliced Bread), and the only time that he faced Low-Ki, he beat him with Left Turn at Albuquerque, which was our hometown when my wife and I met…I’m excited that he has a finisher named after it!  I hope the WWE lets him keep the name.  As for Doug Williams, he has never faced the Brit, but Steven Regal trained him, so he understands the English style.  He then details his sacrifices in the three years that he has been in the business, moving from Washington state to Texas to Memphis, getting fired and moving to California, to Cincinnati (another of my ex-hometowns!), and at the time of this promo he says that he doesn’t know where he’s going to be in two weeks.  I’ve only seen one other Spanky match, but so far I like his Showstopper gimmick.

Backstage footage begins with MT Mike Tobin and Danny Drake (who is in a wheelchair) discussing whom Tobin can get to tag with him in the big 6-Man Tag Match later.  Tobin is distressed, saying that no one in ROH will team with because everyone hates them.  Rob Feinstein enters, and at the same time, Dunn and Marcos enter to assist Drake in getting his wheelchair down a flight of steps.  Dunn and Marcos both look to be about 14, and Feinstein books them to be Tobin’s partners.

Adam Jacobs v. David Young v. AJ Styles (champ)
NWA: TNA X-Division Title Match.

Real Shakes between all three men to start.  This represents the first time that the X-Division Title has ever been defended outside of an NWA sanctioned event, and so Corino and Donnie B send shout-outs to Bill Behrens and Jerry Jarrett and put-over the NWA: TNA product.  The match starts Fast-n-Furious, and Styles whips Jacobs into the corner where Young is standing, and Young brings Jacobs out with a Sit-Out Powerbomb.  I really liked that sequence.  Young is thrown outside by Styles, who turns his attention to Jacobs.  Styles eventually goes outside after Young, who whips him into the ringpost, and then drops him head first onto the ring apron.  Styles is busted open at this point, and Young lands a very nice Asai Moonsault onto Styles on the floor!  Jacobs has regained his wits, and comes off the top rope with a Suicide Senton Splash onto Young on the floor!  Corino tells us that Adam Jacobs and AJ Styles battled in a steel cage for the NWA Wildside Title at Freedom Fight 2002, with Jacobs coming away with the title…and I think that maybe I’ll look for that tape in the near future!!  Back to the action, and Young hits a German Suplex on Styles (who is a bloody mess), and follows-up with a Powerslam on Jacobs.  With all three men down, Donnie B tells us that Styles sacrificed his own plane ticket so that Young and Jacobs could be given gas money to make it to this event.  Styles climbs to the top rope in the corner, and when Young approaches, Styles comes out with a Front Flip onto Young’s shoulders, then immediately flips backwards into a Huricanrana!  Young is down in the corner, and Styles climbs to the top and lands what Donnie B calls a “Twisting Thingamajig” (Spiral Tap) for the pin.  This is an elimination match, and Jacobs connects with a Superkick as soon as Styles stands up.  He also lands a Tornado DDT, but can only get a 2-count.  He goes for a ‘rana, and at the risk of plagiarizing…You can’t ‘rana AJ Styles!  As Styles is trying to lock-in the Styles Clash, Jacobs attempts to wriggle free, and so Styles simply sits back into a modified Boston Crab.  I will dub this move the South Philly Crab.  I just named a move!  Styles cannot get the submission victory, and so he releases the move and starts to climb the ropes in the corner.  Jacobs follows him up, and goes for a Huricanrana from the top, but of course Styles holds on and turns it into a Styles Clash from the second rope and scores the pinfall.  Styles went-over both guys and retains the X-Division Title.

The ring announcer is in the ring to give us info about upcoming ROH events.  Rudy Boy is pacing in the ring during the announcements, and afterward he cuts a promo on Steve Corino.  Rudy is the trainer at the Texas Wrestling Academy, and he was at ringside during the match featuring the Texans earlier.

Dunn & Marcos & MT Mike Tobin w/Danny Drake v. Black Gordman, Jr. & Brian XL & Dixie
6-Man Tag Match.

This match is not shown in its entirety, but rather it is clipped together (with the entrance music still playing in the background, no less), so the whole thing takes about a minute.  The story is, Brian XL and Dixie turn on Gordman and leave him unconscious in the middle of the ring.  Dunn and Marcos (who have not won a match in ROH up to this point) continue to beat on Gordman, and try as he might, Gordman simply can’t overcome both of them.  Dunn and Marcos win their first ROH match, and while they celebrate in the ring afterward, an unidentified black man with dread locks comes in and punks-out all three of them, hitting Dunn & Marcos with BIG Chokeslams simultaneously…the guy is about 6’10” or so.  He also takes-out Drake before leaving through the audience, and our announcers are at a loss for his identity.

Loc & Divito cut a promo on Da Hit Squad for interfering in the Carnage Crew’s match tonight.  Divito calls them bitches and challenges them to a Boston Massacre Match at the next ROH event.

Replays of the feud between Scoot Andrews and Xavier.  Basically what’s going on here is, Andrews felt he had Xavier beat at one of the previous events, but Xavier was lucky enough to have fallen with one of his feet outside the ringropes, and so Andrews only got a two count, and eventually lost the match.  Andrews also lost a 3-Way Dance against Xavier and James Maritato, and tonight Scoot vows to beat “The All Around Best” Xavier, or he will leave ROH.

Scoot Andrews v. Xavier

Since this is a Grudge Match, the Code Of Honor should not apply, so lets see if they shake hands before and after the match…they do, and Andrews holds onto the handshake and turns it into a roll-up.  We have a new handshake category, the Shake into a Move maneuver.  Scoot is all over him to start, and they brawl outside where Xavier is quickly busted open.  This match is clipped-together as well, but at least the ring entrance music isn’t playing over the segment…although there is no commentary, which is a little strange.  Back in the ring, where Xavier takes-over, hitting an Outsider Edge.  He then goes for a Neckbreaker, but Andrews reverses it into an Inverted Powerbomb (a Face Plant Powerbomb?), which gets two and a-half.  They botch a spot when Xavier comes off with a Moonsault, Andrews was supposed to catch him and go right into his finisher, but both men fall backwards, and so they get up and quickly improvise a finish.  Andrews hits the Force o’ Nature and scores the pinfall, thus avenging his previous losses to Xavier, and Scoot Andrews will remain in ROH.

Low-Ki v. Spanky v. Doug Williams v. Christopher Daniels w/Simply Luscious
4-Man 60-Minute Ironman Match to crown the First-Ever ROH Champion.

No handshakes, as Steve Corino tells us that each of the men (except for Christopher Daniels) shook hands in the locker room.  Spanky is from Olympia, WA (which is the name of one of my favorite Rancid songs), and he gives the ring announcer a dirty look for adding “Self-Proclaimed” when announcing Spanky as The Showstopper.  “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels is from Sin City, of course.  This is a 4-Corners Match, so in theory only two guys should be in the ring at a time, and Daniels convinces Spanky and Williams to go to the apron so that the match can begin with Daniels v. Low-Ki.  They circle, and just at the last second before they tie-up, Daniels tags out and Williams comes in…and Daniels takes the early lead in my 2003 wrassler o’ the year rankings!  The scoring for this match works like this: 2 points are awarded for scoring a pinfall or submission, and 1 point is deducted for getting pinned or submitting.  Williams works over the arm on Low-Ki until Spanky tags in, and Williams works over his arm.  Daniels tags in against Williams, who immediately takes over on Daniels’ arm!  Spanky tags in against Daniels, who hits a Backdrop and then quickly tags out to Low-Ki.  When Spanky starts to take control of Low-Ki, Daniels tags himself back in, and then when Ki starts to come back against him, he tags Spanky back in!  More rapid tagging in and out until we wind up with Daniels v. Williams, and Williams locks in an Arm Bar (his finishing hold), but Daniels is able to get his feet to the ropes.  Donnie B makes up a term as he tells us that if Doug Williams wins the title we can all hold our heads high knowing that the man from across the Atlantic represents the best in “Pro Wrasslin’ Entertainment”.  Daniels in against Spanky and hits a Reverse DDT for 2…and since that was the third or fourth nearfall, Donnie B takes this opportunity to tell us that was the first attempt at a pin 15 minutes into the match.  HA!  Seriously, the commentary from Donnie B and Corino is quite good, and it is written for the smart fan, it seems.  Low-Ki in against Williams, and Ki quickly finds himself hanging upside down from his right leg hanging around Williams’ neck.  Williams calls the move the “Torture Device”, and that’s just what it looks like.  Ki is able to kick with his other leg until he is free, but just about everyone’s attacks against him have been directed at the right leg for the whole match, and already is limping pretty severely.  Spanky tags in against Ki, and dropkicks the knee!  Low-Ki powers back with some kicks, and when he whips Spanky into the corner, Daniels kicks Spanky in the head.  Yes!  The crowd boos him loudly for breaking the Code Of Honor, and I applaud because Daniels is quickly becoming my favorite!  Low-Ki covers Spanky, but only gets 2.  With Spanky tangled in the ropes, Daniels tags himself in, and gives Low-Ki a cheap shot as he leaves the ring, to boot!  Daniels continues the beat down on Spanky until he makes it to the corner and tags in Low-Ki.  Daniels doesn’t want any part of Low-Ki, of course, but when he turns to tag in the big Brit, Williams has jumped down off the apron!  The crowd is freakin’ nuts to see Ki work-over Daniels, and they get their payoff as Ki takes control with some chops and kicks.  When Low-Ki goes for his patented 3-Kick series, however, he can’t use his right leg and has to kick with the left.  Daniels ducks the third kick, and then clips the right knee as Ki spins around.  Ouch!  When both men get to their feet, Spanky comes off the top turnbuckle (no tag) with a Missile Dropkick for Daniels, but he moves out of the way and Spanky kicks Low-Ki.  Daniels is going for the Last Rites on Spanky, but Williams comes from the top turnbuckle (again, no tag) with the Hello From the Atlantic Flying Clothesline.  Things have really broken down, with all four men in the ring.  Spanky hits Sliced Bread #2 on Williams, and Low-Ki hits a Double-Underhook Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex (does that have an easier name to type?) on Spanky.  Daniels hits the Front Face Novocain (The Stroke, I think) on Ki, and all four men are down.  Spanky is up and climbing the ropes in one corner, but Low-Ki dumps him out to the floor.  In the other corner, Daniels tosses Williams through the ropes.  Ki charges across the ring for his Cartwheel Kick on Daniels, but Daniels clips the right knee as Ki is coming across the ring.  That looked crazy painful.  Daniels hits the Last Rites on Low-Ki for the 1, 2, 3!  Daniels scores the first points and the score is Daniels: 2, Low-Ki: -1, and Spanky and Williams each still have zero.  Daniels quickly goes for another pin, but Spanky makes the save.  Williams tags in against Spanky, and gets a chinlock and a big Knee Drop before Spanky tags out to Daniels.  Williams locks in the Arm Bar on Daniels, who again quickly makes it to the ropes.  Williams tags Spanky in, and the man from Olympia looks absolutely exhausted at the 30-minute mark.  Daniels hits a DDT on him, but Spanky is aware enough to roll to the ropes.  Williams is in against Daniels, and when Daniels follows him into the corner, Williams moves and Daniels hits his injured left arm and shoulder against the turnbuckle pad.  Spanky tags back in against Daniels, and Low-Ki is practically jumping up and down on the apron, itching to get back in the match…so Daniels kicks him, knocking him off the apron!  Spanky and Daniels rapidly tag in and out against Williams, with Spanky getting some viscous kicks in.  They double team until the Brit overpowers the two of them.  Williams hits the Chaos Theory (Rolling German Suplex) on Spanky, two and a-half!  Daniels locks in an Arm Bar on Williams, and just as he leans back, Low-Ki comes off the top (no tag) with a BIG Double-Stomp onto Daniels.  Ki is in against Williams, and when Williams is whipped into the corner, Spanky tags himself in.  Low-Ki doesn’t seem to have noticed the tag, as he is still battling Williams, who goes for a German Suplex.  Low-Ki flips over from the Suplex attempt, and when Spanky attempts to catch him, Ki comes down and locks-in the Dragon Sleeper!  Spanky submits, and that was smooth the same way that AJ Styles goes from a Moonsault into an Inverted DDT…a very, very nice move.  Daniels is still in the lead, and the score is Daniels: 2, Low-Ki: 1, Spanky: -1, and Williams still with zero.  Daniels and Low-Ki are going at it next, and with Daniels down, Spanky tags himself in and goes for the Frog Splash, but in Donnie B’s words, there’s “no water in the pond”.  Spanky hits a Double Underhook Tornado Pedigree on Daniels.  1, 2, 2 and 7/8ths, No!  That was a sweet move.  Lots of fast tags happening, and I’ve lost track of who the legal men are.  OK, it looks like we’ve got Doug Williams v. Low-Ki, and when Ki drapes Williams in the ropes in the Dragon Sleeper, things degenerate once again with all four men in the ring.  I want to take this chance to remark how amazed I am that this match has not once drifted outside the ring…no garbage brawling throughout the crowd, this match is all about workrate!  Spanky hits Sliced Bread #2 on Williams, but Daniels makes the save and then hits a Cactus Clothesline, taking himself and Spanky outside.  That leaves Low-Ki and Williams, and Williams is already down in the corner.  Low-Ki comes off the top with a Phoenix Senton (but landing mostly on his head).  1, 2, 3!  Low-Ki takes the lead in the match, and the updated score is Low-Ki: 3, Daniels: 2, and Spanky and Williams both at –1.  Ten minutes to go.  Daniels and Low-Ki in, both into the ropes, and both with a Clothesline.  The ref begins the 10-count.  Daniels is up first, and when he goes for a Moonsault Low-Ki moves.  Ki goes for a move from the top, but Daniels gets his knees up.  Spanky tags himself in against Low-Ki and gets a Snap Suplex, but that only gets a 2-count.  Low-Ki reverses Sliced Bread #2 into a Tombstone Piledriver, but he can’t make the cover.  Daniels and Williams each tag themselves in, and Williams hits a wicked Piledriver of his own, but Daniels gets his foot on the bottom rope.  Low-Ki and Spanky tag back in, and when Spanky goes for a Superplex, Ki blocks it and hits a 450 Splash!  Again Ki can’t make the cover, and he actually rolls out of the ring.  Daniels quickly rolls him back in so that he can tag himself in.  Spanky gets a DDT on Daniels, then connects with a Frogsplash, but Low-Ki breaks up the pin.  Five minutes to go.  Low-Ki tags in as the crowd chants “ROH!”  German Suplex by Spanky gets 2 and 9/10ths.  Daniels comes in with the blind tag to Spanky just as Spanky is jumping over the ropes onto Williams on the outside.  While the camera is on Daniels and Low-Ki in the ring, Williams is seen at the bottom of the screen leaping from the apron with a Tornado DDT on Spanky on the floor!  You have got to be kidding me!  The crowd is right to chant “Holy Shit!” for that one.  Daniels goes for the Last Rites on Low-Ki as time is beginning to wind-down, but Ki reverses…but Daniels reverses the reversal and locks Ki in his own Dragon Sleeper!  (This is the move that Ki held Daniels in for 15 minutes the night that Daniels broke the Code Of Honor.)  Low-Ki won’t tap, and the crowd starts to count down from ten.  Ki is able to reverse the move at the last second and hits the Last Rites on Daniels as time runs out.  The winner and first ROH champion is Low-Ki.  The crowd chants, “Match of the Year!” as Spanky and Williams come into the ring to shake Low-Ki’s hand and congratulate him.  Daniels is arguing with the referees because he pinned Low-Ki, and indeed Daniels was the only person in the match that was never pinned.  The refs tell him to come into the ring and shake hands.  He comes in the ring, but leaves without shaking, and walks back to the locker room pausing briefly to verbally assault another ref.

The camera follows Low-Ki backstage immediately after the match, where he literally collapses on the floor.  The guys in the locker room had come to celebrate with him, and they clear out in order to give him some air.  Da Hit Squad remains, encouraging him to drink some water (remember, it was over 100° inside the building).  Eventually, Ki catches his breath and cuts a brief promo.  He tells us that he is in this business for a reason, to show everyone that he has love and respect for his art, pro wrasslin’.  He is practically in tears as he tells us that he dedicates his winning of the ROH belt to Russ Haas, whom he thinks of as a brother.  He tells us that those of us watching at home have no idea how hot it was in the ring, and we’re lucky we have air conditioners in our homes.  He climbs aboard the backs of one of the members of Da Hit Squad, who carries him down the steps to the locker room.

Mark Briscoe enters the Briscoe Brothers locker room, telling Jay to hurry up.  When Jay shoves him, Mark says that Jay could lose his wrasslin’ license in the state of Pennsylvania for touching him, and so Jay challenges him for a match in Boston, where there is no Athletic Commission, and as Jay puts it, he can “touch you all I want”.  Eww, they’re brothers!

Christopher Daniels and Simply Luscious are in a hallway backstage, and Luscious is trying to console Daniels, telling him that he was screwed because he pinned Low-Ki.  The referee walks by, and Daniels throws him against the wall, demanding that he be made the winner of the match because he pinned Low-Ki, and was not pinned himself.  The ref says, “Come on, Chris, I was just following the Code Of Honor”, which causes Daniels to practically snap, and he says that he never wants to hear about the Code Of Honor.  As Daniels and Luscious leave, a “To Be Continued” chyron appears, and I really could’ve done without that, but that concludes the show at just about 3 hours.

I can’t describe enough how pleased I am with this purchase.  I enjoyed just about every segment, and even the bad ones were clipped together so as to be short and painless…and the main event was absolutely fantastic.  I can’t think of a single blown spot in the entire match, and that in and of itself is an amazing feat!  Highest recommendations for this video.

I don’t know where I’ll be going from here, recap wise.  I already have the Pillman 2000 event about halfway done, so I might do that one…or I’ve got a couple of other surprises up my sleeve.  One thing I am certain of, I am no longer going to feel compelled to slap something together just because it has been two weeks since I last posted something.  If my wrasslin’ watching diminishes to the point that I can only post one recap per month or even less, then so be it.  I’m really busy these days, and with the Texas weather getting nicer and nicer, I am only destined to get busier!  At any rate, I’ve decided that I am going to work my way backwards chronologically with the four ROH shows preceding this one before I start to get more current shows…and there’s that NWA Wildside show that I want to look for…

PEACE

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