ROH TV Review - Episode 213

1) The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus)
I missed the first 15 minutes of the show although I've heard I didn't miss too much. The All Night Express, Kenny King & Rhett Titus, made their return to TV to face off against The Addiction. And quite the return it was ANX picked up the victory. I may try to catch this match on the Destination America airing on Wednesday night, but if not, it's no big deal. If you were looking forward to my thoughts on this match, I'm sorry :-(

The Kingdom comes to the ring just as I'm turning the show on. They're dressed in all black, including Maria. Each member gets promo time and they exemplify how they've perfected what they do. Bennett steals a page out of CM Punk's book and basically re-does his unforgettable promo from 2005 about the snake and the farmer. Taven talks about the origins of the group and how they have now won gold all over the world as he & Bennett hold up their ROH Tag Team Titles. Cole explains why he turned on Kyle and says he will regain his ROH World Title soon. YEAAHHH! I'm ready for that eventual moment. The Kingdom doesn't have long to savor in their moment before Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish run down flanked by security. Fish grabs a mic and Taven dares them to come in the ring, mocking the fact that it is 3 on 2. That's when BIG MIKE'S MUSIC HITS! ELGIN! ELGIN! Elgin cleans house on the Kingdom with Adam Cole getting away by the skin of his teeth. Elgin says ReDragon has back up and challenges them to a six man tag, but The Kingdom retreats behind the curtain.

2) Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Page - No Disqualifcation Match
This was worth the price of admission. Well, for us, there was no price, but you get the idea. It was an awesome match. The Briscoe/Page angle has been well done albeit nothing special however I should have known this match would deliver the goods. Jay Briscoe is underrated in a number of aspects and he showed why here. He basically IS ROH. Homegrown, there for the entire duration of the company, two time World Champion - thus, he is the grizzly veteran that the fans are always hot for. Adam Page? He's been a scrub to The Decade for over a year now and is trying to prove himself to BJ Whitmer in, what many see as, a stupid manner. Jay Briscoe is not your ideal man to pick a fight with in Ring of Honor. If you're looking to prove yourself, though, he's the biggest test you can ask for. Page displayed his true colors by sticking his hand out for a handshake pre-match only to slap Jay in the face. This painted the picture for what would be a high impact, intense match. Briscoe & Page beat the hell out of each other in a match that saw a number of table bumps and chair spots. Briscoe double foot stomped Page through a table and didn't even go for a pin after which alone did numbers for Page. If that small act wasn't enough, the performance that the young man from Virginia would go on to deliver here would be more than enough. The two men would end up on the apron where Jay hit a JAY DRILLER THROUGH A TABLE TO THE FLOOR! That has to be it. No one kicks out of that EXCEPT ADAM PAGE! The crowd went into pandomonium when his shoulder lifted from the mat. Page's resiliance has just about won over this audience. The finish was also brilliantly done with the man Page was trying to prove himself to, BJ Whitmer, would essentially cost him the match by being distracted when Page asked him for a weapon. This allows Jay to hit a second Jay Driller for the victory. Incredible contest that will be known as the night that Adam Page became a star.

Match rating - ****1/4

Post match, the jawing between BJ Whitmer & Steve Corino reaches a boiling point as Corino blasts Whitmer in the head laying him out in the center of the ring. After seeing his soon get used & mistreated, Corino had enough of Whitmer and finally gave him what was coming. It looks like we have a blow off match coming up between these two. But how will Adam Page be involved?

This episode of ROH TV is really worth a look, even if I missed the first part and didn't discuss it in detail in this review. It's clear that they are beginning to build effectively towards Final Battle and it's cool to see unfold. Plus, the main event is one of the best ROH Matches of the year, I'd say.