Click:Beijing China Tour
The Big Takeaway – More canned matches that were taped before the PPV and no follow-up from All-Star Extravanza more than two weeks after that show. The main event was one of the best TV matches in North America so far this year.
This show was taped from the Field of Honor event in Brooklyn on Summerslam weekend and took place in a Baseball stadium. Very cool visual. This also kept up the theme of ROH vs New Japan.
The Time Splitters (IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion Kushida/Alex Shelley) vs The Briscoes (Mark and Jay Briscoe)
Briscoes were in and out of the crowd during their entrance and when they did wide shots, you got a really good picture of how empty the stadium actually was but the main shot made it look like the place was packed. They also had the crowd miced really well. Prince Nana joined Kelly and Corino on commentary.
Early on the commentators were talking more about Adam Page and Jay Briscoe than anything in this match. Shelley and Kushida were kind of teasing dissension as at one point, Kushida had his back to the ring and was slamming Shelley’s arm against the ropes repeatedly with the idea that it was one of the Briscoes’ arm but Kushida didn’t know. Then Shelley had his back to the ring when Kushida was trying to make a tag. The announcers didn’t even reference any of this. Then just as quickly as all of that started, it was dropped and the Time Splitters were working together again.
Shelley took out Jay Briscoe with a jumping knee off the apron, which allowed Kushida to hit a moonsault press for a near three. They brawled in the ring for a bit. Jay recovered and was brawling on the outside with Shelley. Kushida locked in the Hoverboard lock on Mark, while Jay was still outside the ring but Jay made it in to make the save.
All four in the ring and Shelley stretched Jay out, while Kushida did the “You can’t see me” gesture to him and hit the sliding dropkick on him. Double running knees on Mark and then the Time Splitters hit a combination Superfly splash (Shelley) and standing Shooting Star Press (Kushida) on Mark but Briscoe kicked out at two. Shelley actually counted along with the ref and reacted the same as he did on the kickout.
Time Splitters were setting up a doubleteam Sliced Bread but Jay broke it up. Razor’s edge by Mark into a Diamond Cutter by Jay on Shelley only got a two count. Jay then hit a Jay Driller on Shelley for the win. The last five minutes were fun.
WINNERS – THE BRISCOES by pinfall
All four guys shook hands after the match. After a break, we got a gauntlet for a TV title match that was joined in progress with Cedric Alexander vs Watanabe. Alexander was laying cocky heel and wasted too much time, allowing Watanabe to roll away from a frog splash. He then hit a neckbreaer/Sunton splash for two.
Alexander hit a Death Valley Driver for 2. Alexanders hit a series of running dropkicks in the corner to fire up the crowd. This brought out Moose. The distraction allowed Watanabe to hit a German suplex and a Half Nelson Suplex. A headbutt, followed by a forearm smash and finally the STO got the pin for Watanabe, who will now get a TV title shot (and by “will get”, the match happened two weeks ago….more on this later).
Inside ROH was up next with Mandy Leon, sporting Jay Lethal’s new T-shirt. This week focused on the Adam Page/Jay Briscoe feud, complete with Page calling out Briscoe a couple months back when Briscoe wasn’t even there. Then we got the verbal exchange from them a couple weeks later, when Briscoe answered the challenge but BJ Whitmer wouldn’t accept. Then we got the match, which wasn’t really a match as much as a 3 on 1 attack at the hands of the Decade. This ended with Page hitting the Rampage onto a pile of chairs and setting up next week’s main event, which is a NO-DQ rematch of the two.
Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership
Main Event – Roderick Strong vs IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada (non-title)
Nigel replaced Nana on commentary. Okada was insanely over with this crowd, as they exploded on the opening notes of his entrance theme and chanted his name throughout the entrance. They did adhere to the Code of Honor prior to the match.
LETS GO RODDY/O-KA-DA chants before they even locked up. Strong got the better of things early on, leading in and out of the first commercial break, slowing down the match with mat work and submission set-up moves. Strong was very subtly acting like a heel, taunting Okada after hitting moves.
After about 10 minutes, they were brawling outside on the field and Strong suplexed Okada into the crowd, drawing a HOLY $hit chant from the crowd. Strong then hit a gourbuster onto the ring barricade and then went back into the ring to try and get a countdown win. Nigel criticized this strategy, saying he was giving Okada too much time to recover and should’ve stayed on him.
Okada made it back before the 20 count and Okada soon took control with a neckbreaker. They went back and forth for the next few minutes with both guys hitting moves but not going for covers. Crowd chants of THIS IS WRESTLING started up. Okada hit a standing dropkick onto Strong, who was on the top turnbuckle, to knock him out of the ring going into a second break.
Back from break and Strong hit a backbreaker onto the ring apron on Okada and then rolled him into the ring for a 2 count. Okada hit a shoulderbreaker and both guys were down in the centre of the ring. When they got back to their feet, they treaded forearm uppercuts and chops and Shelley got the better of it. Shelley set up for a superplex but Okada pushed him off the top. Shelley hit an enziguri on Okada, who was still on the top rope and then hit the Superplex but only got a 2.
Strong then locked in the Strong-hold (Boston Crab) in the center of the ring. Okada managed to make it to the ropes to break it up. Strong then hit a series of forearms and whipped Okada into the ropes but Okada hit the picture perfect dropkick to stop his momentum. Okada set up the Rainmaker but Strong powered out with a forearm smash and a series of jumping knees and then hit the Sick Kick for the near fall that everyone thought was the finish.
Crowd and the announcers were going nuts at this point. Okada then hit a tombstone piledriver but didn’t go for the cover. A second Tombstone and then the Rainmaker pose but again, Shelley powered out of it. German suplex by Okada and looked like he was going to go for a second but hit the Rainmaker instead, which was of course the finish.
WINNER – KAZUCHIKA OKADA by pinfall
Just an outstanding main event that would not be out of place as a PPV main event. They pushed that the rest of the card is available on the ROH as a VOD and that next week, we’ll get the TV title match between Jay Lethal and Watanabe.
Which brings me to a point that needs to be made here. This is now the third show since the PPV and there has been zero follow-up on any of the stuff from that show, which is a problem in 2015. The Adam Cole angle where he reunited with the Kingdom is something that they absolutely should be talking about by now. As well, one of the big selling features of the show was the angle between Dalton Castle and Silas Young and “the boys”. We should be seeing vignettes with Young trying to turn the boys into men by now. I would hope they’re coming but by the time they do, the match will be a couple months old. This is something they really need to work on if they hope to expand their fanbase. Bell to bell, they’re without a doubt the best company in North America, at least in terms of ones that have television but they need to update their presentation.