January 30, 2016
Episode 228
(taped January, 9 2016)
City: Charlotte, NC
Venue: Cabarrus Events Center
Commentary: Kevin Kelly, Mr. Wrestling 3
Ring Announcer: Bobby Cruise
Intro Video
“War Zone” by 615 Music
Match 1
ROH World TV Title Match
Masada vs Roderick Strong (ROH World TV Champ)
(referee: Paul Turner)
Result: Roderick Strong wins via pinfall after a jumping knee to retain the title
Time: 6:25 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was a surprisingly good match. Masada was able to show some nice skills with some pinning predicaments early in the match that caught Strong by surprise. There were a few segments in the match where Masada showed that he’s not just about blood and violence. In fact, when he really started to move towards a more violent approach, that’s when things really started to go bad for him. Roderick was almost the underdog in this match, more from surprise than anything else. He landed some very nice, powerful moves and strikes. Good match.
Ring Area
After the match, Bobby Fish heads to the ring through the crowd. He accuses Strong of avoiding defending his title against him. Strong says Fish is a good wrestler, but he just can’t handle defeat. He also calls Fish old. Strong says he hates Fish’s guts. Strong walks away as Fish continues to talk. Fish says he’s patient.
Match 2
2016 Top Prospect Tournament Round 1 Match
Colby Corino w/ BJ Whitmer vs Punisher Martinez
(referee: ?)
Result: Punisher Martinez wins via pinfall after a sitout chokeslam
Time: 3:27
Match Thoughts
An okay match. It went kind of like you’d expect from a mismatch like this. Corino reminded me a little of when I first saw Tony Mamaluke in ECW. He throws his body at his opponent because that’s all he can really do. Only about half of his moves looked believable though. A lot of his kicks didn’t even look like they connected but Martinez still sold them like they made him dizzy.
Ring Area
After the match, Whitmer gets on the mic and tells Colby that he “did good.” He also talks about how terrible of a father Steve Corino is. Whitmer says that he shows Colby love that Steve never did. He tells Mr. Wrestling 3 to take off the mask. When he doesn’t, Whitmer repeatedly attacks Colby for the sins of his father. Mr. Wrestling 3 stands there watching.
Match 3
reDRagon vs Adam Cole & Jay Lethal (ROH World Champ) w/ Truth Martini, Taeler Hendrix
(Nigel McGuinness replaces Mr. Wrestling 3 on commentary; referee: Todd Sinclair)
Result: KYle O’Reilly pins Adam Cole after Chasing the Dragon
Time: 13:19 (2 breaks)
Match Thoughts
A good match with some really fun sequences. There was one sequence where I thought the guy that got beat up really should have been pinned (or they shouldn’t have dealt so much damage to him), but other that that it was really good. The final section of the match was very nicely done so that it didn’t make anyone look bad.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. I didn’t feel like there was any filler and some storylines did get furthered (like the Steve Corino/Colby Corino/BJ Whitmer story). The second match wasn’t great, but the story made up for it. The other matches were both quite good.
Match of the Night
reDRagon vs Adam Cole & Jay Lethal
I really liked the TV Title match, but it was a lot shorter and there wasn’t as much to it as the main event. The main event felt a little more important too.