Ring of Honor TV: Episode 300 play-by-play

The 300th episode of Ring of Honor Television begins with Jay Lethal calling for the cake and the balloons to celebrate this three hundredth episode. Lethal said it seemed just like yesterday when he was winning the TV title for the first time on Episode 2 of the show and thanked the fans for all of their support and said cheers to three hundred more.

Then we get the show opening. Once again, we are coming from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Ian Riccaboni and Colt Cabana are on commentary. We get a brief clip from last week, when Kushida, with the help of Adam Cole, beat Marty Scurll for the ROH World Television Title.

Silas Young and The Beer City Bruiser vs. Bobby Fish and Jay Lethal

It’s weird seeing Fish without Kyle O’Reilly. Fish and Young were going to start, but Young tagged in Bruiser. They locked up and Bruiser locked in a headlock. Fish managed to shove him off, but Bruiser ran him down with a shoulder block. Bruiser ran the ropes and Fish avoided him with a series of drop downs and leap frogs until the big guy ran out of gas a little bit, and Fish taunted him, daring him to tag in Young. Lethal tagged himself in and called for Young himself. Bruiser stayed in the ring. They locked up and Lethal grabbed a wrist lock, but Bruiser pulled him into a headlock. Lethal shoved him off and now it’s turn to make Bruiser run, avoided him with drop downs and leap frogs until Bruiser had to take a knee and rest. Bruiser pleaded for Young to tag him in, but Young stepped off the apron, and then went and grabbed Bruiser’s beer and handed it to him. Bruiser chugged it down and charged the babyface team, but they continued to avoid him until Bruiser retreated to the corner and promptly threw up! Commercial Break.

We get the G1 United States Commercial for the first time on the show…

BFC, Lethal knocks Young off the apron with a springboard dropkick, then nails him with a tope. Bruiser has had to completely leave the match. Lethal tags Fish before hitting a snap suplex on Young, and Fish followed with a slingshot senton for a two count. Fish tagged in Lethal, who hit some bodyshots on Young. They went to whip him in but Young reversed Lethal into a Bruiser knee from the apron (Cabana said he left!) and Young caught Fish with a back elbow on a waistlock attempt, but Lethal nailed Young with a pumpkick, then a spinning toe kick.

Bruiser came in and Lethal tried to catch him with a hip toss, but Bruiser blocked and turned him inside out with a clothesline. Bruiser went after Fish, but Fish caught him with a Samoan Drop, then hit Young with a Belly to Belly suplex into the turnbuckles for a two count. Lethal tagged in, and Young tried to reverse a whip and send Fish into him, but Lethal backdropped him to the apron, with Fish landing on his feet and hitting a slingshot senton on Bruiser. Lethal went for the Lethal Injection, but Young caught it and went for his finisher, but Fish entered and pulled Lethal out. They got Young into between them and started blasting him with strikes, ending with a roaring elbow by Lethal, but Young kicked out, and Bruiser knocked Fish over the fallen partners. Bruiser went at Fish, but Fish ducked it and decked with a front kick. Lethal then held Young for a front kick, but Young moved and hit Lethal! Fish then tried to go at Bruiser, but Bruiser then ducked and hit a massive cannonball on Lethal! Bruiser then got back in the ring, and hit Young hit a slingshot wheelbarrow suplex/round kick combo.

Lethal came back in and Young charged him, but then he ran into a boot. Lethal and Bruiser traded rights until young came from behind. They tried to double whip him in only to have Lethal came back for a double Lethal Injection, but Young moved and only Bruiser took the move! Young then caught Lethal with a high knee, then hit the Misery (spinning TKO) for the three count. This marks the second time he’s pinned Lethal.

Winner: Young and Bruiser via pinfall

Then we get a promo from ROH World Heavyweight Champion, ‘The Fallen Angel’ Christopher Daniels. He talked about how he had been there since the beginning-the first Tag Team Champion, the second TV Champion, and now the World Heavyweight Champion. He said he was one of the finer examples of continued excellence and continue dominance, then held up the belt. Commercial Break.

They hyped up Dalton Castle and The Boys vs The Briscoes and Bully Ray for the Six Man Titles at BITW, then went to a backstage clip where Jay was yelling at Mark about how the Boys had cost to pinned two weeks ago against LIJ. Bully Ray then came to try to calm Jay down, but Jay even lashed out at him even. Bully told him that he had a right to be pissed off and reminded him they were still the champs. Losses happen sometimes, and said he need to relax and take care of their business. There’s a few jokes in here-one about how Jay never gets pinned and two, how Jay is mad at the Boys and using bleeped out words, and who knows what Jay Briscoe could be saying, given his past comments…

The next match was supposed to be the Boys vs The Kingdom in a tag match, but the Kingdom jumped them on the entrance way before they even got close to the ring. One boy got suplexed on the ramp way, while Vinny took the other Boy and threw him into the ramp repeatedly, then slid him across the table. A belt was produced and the Boy was whipped and the injured TK O’Ryan came in and choked him with the belt. Colt Cabana was enjoying the beatdown and talked about the Kingdom blamed the Boys for the injury to O’Ryan and abused them some more. The Kingdom pulled on the mats on the floor and that’s when Dalton’s music hit and he came out slowly for some reason. The Kingdom stopped and waited but somehow the Boys recovered behind them…And then the Bell Rang to start the match.

The Boys (Boy #1 and Boy #2) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Vinny Marseglia)

One ‘Boy’ drop kicked Taven through the ropes to the floor, and the other Boy schoolboyed Marseglia and the other jumped on for leverage, but Vinny kicked out. Vinny tried to nail the Boys with a double clothesline, but the Boys ducked and nailed him with a double dropkick, then they caught both of the Kingdom with drop kicks that sent to the floor. Then they followed up with nice stereo slingshot tope con hilos! They threw Vinny in the ring and seem to set up some huge double team move, but they took much time, and Matt pushed one boy off the top to the floor and Vinny decked the other one with a headbutt. Vinny worked over this Boy in the corner and crotched him backwards and Matt hit a reverse superplex off the top (!), which Ian Riccaboni pointed out was message to Ultimo Guerrero, Taven’s rival in CMLL, who Taven and Vinny would be facing at BITW. Vinny then followed with a swanton bomb for a three count.

Winners: The Kingdom via pinfall

Taven then took the mike and simply said “We came here to make a statement.” Vinny then nailed the referee with a pumpkick! He then put a Lucha mask on him, a clear message to Team CMLL. The Kingdom exited, but soon after Jay Briscoe stalked out to the ring, looking for the Boys. Mark was right behind him to hold him back, and Dalton got in his face. Bully Ray then came down to dissolve the tension. It should be all be settled at Best In the World.

We then get a pretty awesome package on Punishment Martinez. Commercial Break.

Punishment Martinez vs. Joey “Diesel” Daddiego

Diesel ducks the first shot and lands some bodyshots, but Martinez no sells them. Diesel tries to go upstairs but Martinez blocks and sends him reeling with one shot. He charges in, but runs into a back elbow, but Martinez catches him coming with an uppercut. Martinez whipped him from pillar to post, then caught him with a power bodyslam, then followed up with a springboard twisting senton. Martinez then followed up with some jumping backelbows in the corner. Diesel landed one big right, but Martinez blocked the second one and hit a head kick, then followed up with the sit out chokeslam for the three count.

Winner: Martinez via pinfall

Cheeseburger and Will Ferrara came in to try and help Daddiego, but Martinez seized on them and threw Burger to the outside, and laid out Ferrara out with a chokeslam. Burger came in and tried to hit the Shotei, but Martinez caught it and knocked out Burger with a head kick. But then Jay White came in and went right at Martinez, and was working him over of the corner, but Martinez brought him up and hit him with a series of knees and set him up with the clothesline, but White went to the body and then clotheslined him over the top, but Martinez landed on his feet, but decided it was time to go to the back.

Then we get a promo from Briscoe Brothers. Mark said it was the 300th Episode of Ring of Honor, which seems about the number of times that he had hit his head, and then pretended to not where he was until Jay decided to talk. He said that they wouldn’t stop till they got to a millionth episode.

Main Event Time. Kevin Kelly has replaced Riccaboni on commentary and Cody has also joined the table.

Will Osperay, Hiroki Goto, and Gedo vs. The Addiction (Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels and The Rebel Frankie Kazarian) and Hiroshi Tanahashi

Chants galore to start the match. Will and Frankie start the match. They went to lock up, but Will grabbed a waistlock, and they traded waistlocks, until Frankie got the takedown and went for a front facelock, but Will countered in a wristlock. Frankie worked to his feet and used the ropes to flip out and get a reversal. Will rolled through and hit a half-dozen or so kip ups until coming through with a reversal that sent Frankie tumbling to the mat. Commercial Break.

BFC, Daniels throws Gedo to the outside, but Osperay is right on top of him. Daniels ducks a right and nails hit with a chop. Daniels then goes for the Arabian Moonsault on Gedo, but Will catches him by the legs and hangs him out to dry and Gedo nails him with a superkick. Goto then threw Daniels into the rail, while Will nails Tanahashi and Kazarian, then throws Tanahashi into the rails a few times. Goto works over Daniels and tosses him in as Gedo rakes at the eyes. Gedo tagged in Will and sent him into Ospreay’s boot. Ospreay slammed him to set up a slingshot senton for a two count. Will put him in a front facelock and brought him into the corner to tag Goto, who nailed Daniels with some chops, then whipped him into a spinkick in the corner. Daniels rallied back with some rights, and used a cravate to drive his head into the turnbuckles.

Meanwhile on commentary, Cody was taking credit for ROH’s recent increase in live event business. Tanahashi got the tag, and promptly ran over to deck both Ospreay and Gedo, then went after Goto. Goto reverse a whip, but Tanahashi came back with a flying forearm, then caught Will and Gedo with bodyslams, before hitting them with a double elbowdrop and posing. Tanahashi body slammed Goto and hit a second rope senton bomb for a two count. Goto came back with a clothesline. Ospreay got the tag. He caught Tanahashi charging with an enzugiri, then hit a springboard flying forearm, then followed with a standing shooting star, but the Addiction broke up the pin. They took out Chaos on the apron and double whipped him in, but Ospreay caught them with a handspring into a double Pele Kick. He nailed Tanahashi with a pumpkick, and went for on Kazarian, but he sidestepped it and nailed Ospreay with a Lungblower. Gedo caught Kazarian with the superkick to the ribs, but Daniels caught him with a running STO. Goto came in and the Oshi Morgshi on Daniels. Tanahashi came in and hit a spinning neck breaker on Goto. Ospreay tried to come off the top rope on him. Tanahashi ducked only to have Ospreay land on his feet, but he caught with a Sling Blade. Commercial Break.

BFC, Tanahashi hits a pescado on Goto. Ospreay then awoke and hit a climbing the ropes shooting press off the top on three men. Daniels set for a dive, but Gedo caught him off, but Daniels came back with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Daniels set him up for Angel’s Wings, but Ospreay cut him off with a handspring enzugiri and Goto nailed him with a headbutt. Gedo wrapped him in the Gedo Clutch, but Kazarian broke up the pin. Goto went for his finisher on Daniels at the same time that Ospreay looked to hit Gedo with the OsCutter, but Daniels escaped and shoved Goto in and Kazarian ducked and Goto took the move. Daniels then slammed Will’s head into the turnbuckle and Kazarian followed with a slingshot DDT. Gedo then came back with some Dusty Rhodes style jabs. He held them off for a little while, but Kazarian cut him off on a superkick attempt and hit his reverse DDT into a stunner and Daniels followed up with a Release Urange suplex. Tanahashi then went up and hit the High Fly Flow and Daniels followed up with the Best Moonsault Ever for the win. Cody called a fitting last night for Daniels as champion, but then said he was not impressed.

Winner: The Addiction and Tanahashi via pinfall

Cody then was ranting on commentary when Daniels came and spat on Cody. Cody took his jacket and The Addiction called him on, but then Hangman Page came from behind and nailed Kazarian with the strap and Cody nailed Daniels with a clothesline. Cody then hit Daniels own Angel’s Wings on him with Page hit the backdrop driver on Kazarian. Cody then held up the belt in the ring…

The show ended with a tremendous package hyping up the PPV with comments from guys in every match: Marty Scrull vs Kushida in a rematch for the World TV title. Jay Lethal vs Silas Young. Dalton Castle and The Boys vs Bully Ray and the Briscoes. Hangman Page vs Frankie Kazarian in a Strap Match. The Kingdom vs Team CMLL. War Machine vs the Young Bucks for the ROH World Tag Team Titles and The Big One, Christopher Daniels vs Cody for the ROH World Heavyweight Title. It was an awesome way to end the show, and then we get the official promo.

Fanatic’s Take: I’ve seen quite a few ROH’s go home shows, and this was by far the most effective. The package to end the show is well worth going out of your way to see. It’s terrific. Meanwhile, this was a fun show with some really creative stuff. The sequence in the first match with the Beer City Bruiser it was one of the cooler spots I’ve seen lately. I loved how they used The Kingdom/Boys match to promote several different angles and the main event and the aftermath did a great job in setting up Best in the World. It’s safe to say that the match between Cody and Daniels is the biggest match in Ring of Honor history. The company has done a great job on following up on War of the Worlds and I’m anxious to what happens Friday night in Lowell.