From Adam Barnowski
 
 
Preshow ~
 
Erie Osiris & Alex Payne & Cal Durden (?) over Ricky Fontaine and two guys in ninja costumes called “White Ninja” and “Yellow Ninja” when Payne pinned Fontaine with a Fisherman’s suplex.
 
D-Ray 3000 over Shane Hollister with a modified torture rack drop/Angle Slam looking move. D-Ray was over big in Detroit per usual : Big “Fear the ‘Fro” chant
 
PPV opens with the Age of the Fall in the ring. Jimmy Jacobs (now sporting a pretty wicked Mohawk) talks about how being the champions gives them the power to open the PPV and get their message out to the world, although he never actually talked about their message. Instead he rambled on about how they had the power to elect NOT to defend the tag team titles. He claimed that with one of the Briscoe boys out of action, there were no legitimate contenders.
 
Cue - The Briscoes : They clear the ring. The “injured” one (I think Mark) says he’s ready to go. They challenge Age of the Fall for a match right now… Jimmy & Tyler  elect not to accept the challenge, and head to the back.
 
The RoH interview guy (who’s name escapes me right now) hits the ring and tells the Briscoes that they have some standby opponents waiting in the locker room.
 
Cue – Silas Young and Rich Franklin…. Are you serious? Can you say SQUASH? Briscoes in under three minutes with the Doomsday Device on Franklin. Franklin takes two stiff bumps in this match (Exploder and the DD). He needs some help getting to the back, and looks like he may have been hurt legit.
 
Four Corner Survival Match (non title) :  Shane Haggadorn; Erik Stevens; Ruckus; Delirious.
 
Delirious is way over in Detroit – biggest pop of the night so far. Why make it a non title match if you’re going to put Stevens over anyway? Highlight is Moonsault Leg drop from Ruckus (“Dangeroussss”!). Stevens over Haggadorn with the Pump handle Dr. Bomb.
 
I bump into Go Shiozaki buying his own Pepsi at the concession stand, and see what I believe is Bushwacker Luke talking to some fans in the corner.
 
Cue- Austin Aries. He hits the ring and the talk from all around me is how much smaller he looks. It’s true that he has trimmed down and seem to be sporting less “backne” as compared to the Aries who was trying to get over in TnA.
 
Hmmm…..
Austin cuts a promo on Jimmy Jacobs that, if taken out of context, could be radically misinterpreted. He talks about them being “obsessed” with each other and says : “Jimmy, you want me, and I want you… So get your ass out here right now.”
 
I wonder if they are going to fight or make out.
 
Jimmy does indeed come out, and hits the ring for about three seconds before bailing again. Then a chick who looks like a smaller version of MsChif (Allison Wonderland?) hits the ring and catches Aries with a low blow from behind. Jimmy returns with Tyler Black and the gang beating begins. Jimmy hits Austin with a hook of some kind and then locks in the choke for a long time……
 
Eventually curtain jerkers from the back run in for the save (the Detroit crowd pops for D-Ray again). Age of the Fall seem kind of silly allowing themselves to be intimidated by the likes of Ernie Osiris, Alex Payne, and Shane Hollister. They carry Austin to the back and Jimmy grabs a microphone… but before he can speak, Mr. Wrestling Kevin Steen interrupts him.
 
Where was Kevin for the past ten minutes while Austin Aries was being killed? Standing backstage waiting for the right moment to make an appearance?
 
Steen wants a tag title shot for him and his missing partner El Generico. Jacobs tells him that he has to prove that he is worthy. Steen offers to prove it right now, and is promptly hit from behind by the Necro Butcher who is carrying a bike rack (a real one, not a plastic mock up). The rest of the Age of the Fall bail as Necro smashes Steen repeatedly with the bike rack.
 
Mr Wrestling is over big in Detroit, and he fights back. Steen misses a Swanton Bomb buy eventually catches Necro with a Michinoku Driver through a chair and gets a two count. He then picked up Necro and hit a Package Piledriver for the three count.
 
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Nigel McGuiness for the RoH world title.
 
Castagnoli is out to a nice pop. Then Nigel comes out to DEAFENING SILENCE. Seriously, if you get the PPV remember to listen to the crowd when the world champion makes his appearance. No boos, no cheers, NOTHING. It was downright eerie…. The Detroit crowd could give two rats asses about Nigel McGuiness. Not a great sign when your world champion inspires total apathy in the crowd.
 
Claudio hits a running Mafia Kick right at the opening bell and gets an immediate two count. Then the match slows down for a while. Seemingly endless European Forearms and Clotheslines during the  middle of the match put the crowd into a hypnotic state. Eventually Nigel hits a Tower of London off the guardrail onto the floor, and that wakes the crowd up a bit. Nigel steals Brian Danielson’s “I’ve got ‘til five” catchphrase again (it made sense for him to borrow it when they were feuding but he seems to want keep it now). Nigel uses a modified version of the Skull F**ker which draws an “Alex Shelley” chant from the Detroit crowd. 
 
Claudio makes his comeback and hits a Suicide Dive that makes me miss Homicide. He then gets a series of 2 1/2 counts off  another Mafia Kick; A Giant Swing; A Superplex; and a Bridging German Suplex. I don’t think the crowd buys that Claudio has any chance of winning the title.
 
Ricola Bomb countered, Jawbreaker Lariat countered, Ricola Bomb hits and gets a loooonnnnggg two count. Splash Mountain countered. Jaw Breaker countered. Backslide gets another long two count for Claudio. Sudden Jaw Breaker connects and scores the three count  for Nigel.
 
Guy next to me : “You can’t win a match with a clothesline….”
 
This match picked up at the end. These two had a match here in Detroit a few years ago when they were feuding over the Pure Title. The body of that match was better, but the ending of this match was better. If they would have put those two matches together, it would have been five stars.
 
Nigel gets on the stick and chastises the portion of the audience that started chanting his name at the end of the match. Well done Nigel – make the only people in the building who give a s**t about you look like morons. Nigel rambles on about how he doesn’t usually say nice things to his opponents but he feels that Claudio proved himself tonight. He tells Claudio not to listen to “these seals” (whatever that means) and demands that Claudio shake his hand… Claudio thinks about it a while and then elects not to shake the champions hand. Which gets a mixed reaction from the crowd.
 
Back from intermission, for Kenny Omega vs. Silas Young.
 
Ugh…. A terrible match meant to be a showcase for Omega I presume. He actually looks pretty good here, but Silas hits a headstand into a springboard superstar press (split leg moonsault) and pins Kenny Omega.
 
Cue - Sweet & Sour Inc. Go Shiozaki and Chris Hero take on Roderick Strong (he’s a face now?) and Naomuchi Marafuji who is SUPER over in Detroit. Sweeny offers Marafuji a deal to join Sweet and Sour so they can all take the night off. Marafuji turns him down. So Sweeny decides to pull his guys out of the match and they make to leave but… Lance Storm comes out and stops them. He chases them back into the ring and into a Roderick chop fest.
 
They have a decent match that Go and Marafuji are clearly the highlight of. After many teases of the Shiranu. Roderick and Marafuji hit a combination Super Gut Buster / Code Breaker combo for a 2 ½ on Hero. Go hits a stiff Brainbuster for a two count on Roderick. Hero hits a Roaring Forearm and a Mafia Kick but is eventually rolled up and pinned by Roderick.
 
Lance Storm celebrates, but is quickly attacked by Sweet and Sour. Lance puts Sweeny in the Half Crab but Chris Hero makes the quick save. Lance gets laid out by Sweet and Sour Inc. and Sweeny gets the last word on Storm.
 
Cue – Brian Danielson who is the most over man in the building tonight. He’s taking on Tyler Black who brings Jimmy Jacobs with him. Crowd to Tyler : “You’re gonna’ get your f**king head kicked in”.
 
Typical old school Brian Danielson match (and I mean that in a good way). He picks apart Tyler’s arm for a long time using a billion sick variations of the arm bar. Crowd chants : “This is wrestling”. Tyler fights back and attacks Danielson’s neck. Tyler gets a two count off a Rude Awakening. Tyler wakes up the crowd with a moonsault to the floor which brings an “ROH” chant. Danielson back in the ring catches a sudden Cattle Mutilation. Tyler survives by making the ropes. Of course Brian has “til five!”
 
There is a series of about 150 near falls off counters ala Steamboat/Savage… Brian finally “Hulks up”, and grabs an Arm Bar which he transitions into a omoplata. Tyler fights trough it, lifting Danielson up and powerbombing him into the corner. When he does this, the ring breaks drawing a “holy s**t” chant from the crowd.
 
Both men are down. They struggle up and Tyler hits an awesome Pele kick followed by a wicked Cradle DDT for a long 2 count. “This is awesome” chant. Brian hits a billion stiff forearms and then grabs a full nelson, takes Tyler to the mat, and starts to drop a million elbows to the head. Tyler is out, and the ref stops the match.
 
Both guys are down and out. Jimmy Jacobs rolls into the ring and Austin Aries flies in from out of nowhere. He chases Jimmy into the crowd and the building erupts into chaos. They may have done this to buy time while they fixed the ring… or they may have had it planned the whole time.
 
Austin and Jimmy brawl all over the building. It’s madness. Eventually they set up some tables and ladders. Both men tease leaping off the ladder, but are stopped before they can execute the move. Eventually both guys are on ladders and Necro Butcher appears from out of nowhere.
 
He seem conflicted for a minute or two. Jimmy is barking orders at him… He elects to topple both ladders and both Austin and Jimmy plummet off their ladder, and through a table. An awesome visual. Necro then walks off  and tons of folks come out to take care of Jimmy and Austin who appear to be dead.
 
The ring is back together (mostly – no bottom rope) for the Honor Rumble.
 
Bobby Dempsy is first out and he crawls into the fetal position in the corner and will not move. Kyle Durden is number two. He tries to bribe Dempsey with a hot dog but it doesn’t work. Jay Briscoe in third (they’re coming in segments that are under a minute). Jay eliminates Kyle and kicks at Bobby.
 
Cue Erik Stevens.
Cue Claudio Castagnoli.
Cue Ernie Osirus.
Cue Necro Butcher.
Cue Bushwhacker Luke (that WAS him that I saw). They reprise the old “Whacked his way in… and Whacked his way out” bit from the Royal Rumble, as he is immediately dumped by Necro.
 
Cue Mark Briscoe.
Cue Ruckus.
 
Necro and Mark Briscoe eliminated.
 
Cue Rhett Titus.
Cue Sarah Del Ray. She gets Bobby up so she can hide behind him.
Cue Alex Payne.
Cue Delerious
 
Nigel McGuiness is the last entry. He grabs the stick and vows to win the match so that no one will get the title shot.
 
Crowd is chanting for Bobby Dempsey. So everyone attacks him, and he is dumped out.  Much to the crowds disappointment.... They switch and get behind Sara Del Ray..... so (naturally) she is quickly eliminated. The crowd is starting to get annoyed.
 
Eliminations – Jay Briscoe. Osirus. Delirious (by Rhett Titus). Stevens.  Titus (pulled out by Delirious). Payne.
 
Nigel and Ruckus are the final two. They tease the Bret Hart/Lex Lugar double elimination spot, but both men survive. Nigel goes for the Jawbreaker Lariet but misses and Ruckus dumps him.
 
Ruckus wins. Really? The crowd is confused… and tired…. and ready to go home.
 
 
Biggest Reactions – Danielson; Aries; Jacobs; Delirious; Marafuji
Most Apathetic Reactions - McGuiness; Ruckus
Most Missed – Jack Evans; Alex Shelley; Chris Sabin
Conspicuously Missing : BJ Whitmere, Adam Pearce, Brent Albright, El Generico