**SPOILERS** ROH/HDNet TV Tapings (3 Weeks)
Credit: Stuart Carapola and Pwinsider.com
EPISODE ONE: 03.21.09:
- Jerry Lynn defeated Delirious in a good, back and forth opener. Jerry's really over with the crowd as you might expect. They messed up a sunset flip spot pretty badly, but pulled it together and Lynn put Delirious away with a cradle piledriver.
- Kenny King defeated Sami Callahan. This was almost all Kenny King, though Callahan did get in some nice moves. Callahan's intense, but I still don't like his look. King put him away with an inverted fireman's carry into a DDT.
- Brent Albright defeated Rhett Titus by submission. Rhett got some nice offense in, and I think he's really benefited from not having the "ROH school student" label. I think he's got a good future barring injury. Albright came back strong and tapped Titus to the Crowbar.
- Tyler Black defeated Jimmy Jacobs in the main event. This is their first singles match in ROH. Jimmy took control early, but Tyler came back with a spinkick over the top rope. Tyler started working Jimmy over in the corner, but Jimmy used the tights to yank Tyler into the turnbuckle and regain control. Tyler went up to the top, but Jimmy pushed him off and to the floor, then followed up with a running elbowdrop off the apron. Tyler came back with a press slam, but missed a Phoenix Splash and Jimmy came back with a spear. Tyler got the knees up on a senton and went for God's Last Gift, but Jimmy countered into the End Time, but Tyler rolled through into a bridge for the win. Brodie Lee attacked Tyler after the match and he and Jimmy double teamed Tyler and left him laying.
EPISODE TWO: 03.28.09:
- Kevin Steen defeated Eddie Edwards. Steen took control early and did the snot blowing spot, but Edwards came back with some nicks kicks and locked Steen into a rear chinlock, then went to work on him in the corner and choked him on the ropes. Sweeney interfered behind the referee's back. Steen mounted a comeback by dropping Edwards groin-first on the top rope and nailing a cannonball in the corner for 2. Steen tried a swanton, but Edwards got the knees up. Steen turned it around with a superkick and enziguiri, followed by the package piledriver for the win.
- Sara Del Rey defeated Daizee Haze. Sara used her size to overpower Daizee to start slamming her off the top and hitting a vertical splash. Daizee came back with a flying headscissors, but botched a crossbody, which Sara saved with a blockbuster suplex and a backbreaker. Sara got Daizee in a torture rack, but Daizee escaped and hit a heart punch and a yakuza kick for 2. Sara missed a corner charge and Daizee hit...something, but Sara hit a rolling kick and the Butterfly Powerslam for the win.
- Claudio Castagnoli defeated Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne. Payne outmaneuvered Claudio to start until Claudio caught him in midair and turned it into a windmill slam. Claudio hit a gutwrench slam and a big bicycle kick for 2, and then followed up with a stiff European uppercut and a big power lift. Payne made a comeback with some token 80s
enhancement dropkicks and a bulldog, but Claudio killed him with a pop-up 2uropean uppercut and the Ricola Bomb for the win.
- ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness defeated Jay Briscoe in a non-title match. Nigel worked the arm to start, then they did the headlock/legscissors/escape spot 3 or 4 times before Jay wound up with the headlock. Jay worked the headlock for a minute or two until Nigel escaped and hoit a hammerlock STO. Jay came back with a nice dropkick, but Nigel went back to the arm and hit a hammerlock DDT and a nice hammerlock over-the-shoulder throw. Nigel locked Jay in a cobra clutch, but Jay escaped, ducked a short clothesline, and hit a big boot to turn the tide. Jay with a corner clothesline and a big spinebuster for 2, but Nigel trapped him in the corner and hit the kick to the back/forearm combo. Nigel went for the Tower of London, but Jay escaped and hit a Death Valley Driver for 2. Jay went up top slowly and Nigel nailed him and went for a superplex, but Jay knocked him off the top and hit a top rope legdrop for a close 2. Jay went for the Jay Driller but Nigel escaped and hit the Jawbreaker Lariat for the win
EPISODE THREE: 04.04.09:
- Erick Stevens defeated Sterling James Keenan. Stevens hit a couple of power moves to start but Keenan came back with some standard kick-punch stuff and a belly-to-back suplex for 2. Keenan ducked a clothesline and hit a nice STO for 2 then went to a kneeling surfboard. Stevens escaped and hit a nice overhead belly-to-belly and a second rope shoulderblock for 2. Keenan came back with an implant DDT but Stevens caught him in a pop-up powerslam and then followed that up with a big German suplex, a stiff clothesline, and a Doctorbomb for the win.
- The Dark City Fight Club defeated Cheech and Cloudy. The DFDC totally destroyed Cloudy to start. Cheech tagged in and Cheech and Cloudy hit some sweet double team moves including a dropkick to the back/619 combo, but the DCFC cut them off in short order and polished Cheech off with an assisted powerbomb for the win. Cheech and Cloudy looked way better than the DCFC here.
- Chris Hero defeated Necro Butcher. Hero is sporting new short tights, which don't look good on him. The crowd is crazy into Necro though Hero has a lot of crowd support too. Hero tried several yakuza kicks to start, but Necro no sold and started pounding on Hero. Larry Sweeney distracted Necro and Hero hit a roaring elbow to the back then threw Necro to the floor where Sweeney and Sara Del Rey attacked him behind the referee's back. Back in the ring, Hero trapped him in a cravate, but Necro escaped and started beating Hero down in the corner. Necro with a bulldog for 2, but Hero came back with a couple of nice strikes and a blockbuster for 2. Out on the floor Necro hit Hero with a chair, then pulled up the mats and gave Hero a chair slam on the concrete. Sweeney distracted Necro, allowing Hero to slip on the loaded elbow pad and knock Necro out with it for the win. Match of the night so far. Necro threatened to hit Turner with the chair after the match, but Turner ran off.
- Bryan Danielson defeated Austin Aries. The fans sung the Final Countdown before the match, I guess in protest over Danielson's much lamer new music. The crowd is crazy into Danielson. They spent the first couple of minutes feeling one another out with a nice series of holds and reversals. Aries finally took the advantage by rolling through a sunset flip and hitting a dropkick to Danielson's face. Aries hit his leaping elbow for two and put Danielson in a stump puller, then tossed Danielson over the top to the floor and hit the missile dive to the floor. Back in the ring, Aries caught Danielson in the illegal fishhook, but Danielson moved out of the way of the corner dropkick and started making a comeback with a series of European uppercuts. Danielson with the butterfly suplex into a cross armbreaker, but Aries made the ropes. Now Danielson sent Aries to the floor and faked Aries out on the dive, but nailed him with a running elbow off the apron instead. They went toe to toe back in the ring, Aries got the advantage and hit the corner dropkick and got Danielson in the Last Chancery, but Danielson reversed to a triangle choke and Aries tapped.
After Show:
Bryan Danielson gave a postshow speech saying he was never supposed to make it to TV and then gave several reasons why (causing a "best in the world" chant), then says he's suffered a lot of injuries and doesn't know how much longer he can do this, but he's had a lot of friends come and go, but he says today they have one of the best locker rooms in ROH history, but the people who have supported ROH for seven years made this company and thanks them for making it possible to have this first television taping. He said there was just one thing missing, and had the sound guy play the Final Countdown as the ring filled up with wrestlers to close the show.