Ring Of Honor TV Recap (8/14): Build To Death Before Dishonor, Lethal-Cole Signing, Bucks Vs. RPG

RING OF HONOR TV

EPISODE #256

TAPED AT THE 2300 ARENA IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

AIRING IN SYNDICATION AND ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ON COMET TV

After a recap video is shown of last week's show where Jay Lethal convinced ROH matchmaker, Nigel McGuinness to put Jay's world title on the line vs Adam Cole at the Death Before Dishonor PPV on Friday August 19th. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness are at ringside and they welcome the audience to the show. They hype Friday's upcoming PPV. Kelly reveals that The Addiction were scheduled to face The Motor City Machine Guns and War Machine but the Guns are injured and The War Machine were injured in a backstage attack earlier today. Kelly promises to show what happened to War Machine later on in the show.

The opening match features the winners of the last two ROH top prospect tournaments in Donovan Dijak and Lio Rush.

DONOVAN DIJAK VS LIO RUSH

The story of this match is the obvious height/weight difference between the two competitors. Dijak stands a foot taller and weighs over 100 pounds more than Rush. This is illustrated during the customary code of honor handshake when Dijak mockingly crouches down to shake Lio's hand. Lio tries to escape Dijak's grips early, only to be flung around the ring. Donovan Dijak overpowers Lio Rush early on and ends up flinging him outside the ring as Prince Nana looks on in approval. The battle goes to the outside and after some more bullying by Dijak. Rush counters a power move and sends Dijak into the barricade with a hurancanrana. Nana tries to get involved and Rush pushes him to the ground. The diminutive 160 pound Rush heads into the ring to confront Dijak but is met with a big boot that leads to a 2 count. Dijak is back in control and continues to manhandle Rush. Lio starts to rally and relies on his aerial skills to make a comeback as he follows up a suicide dive attempt by hitting a senton on Dijak to the outside floor. The show goes to it's first commercial break. Back from the break, Lio hits a swinging tornado DDT on Donovan for a close fall. Lio then goes to the top rope to attempt a frog splash on Dijak but as he lands, Dijak grabs Rush by the throat, picks him up and hits a sit out power bomb for a near fall. After some more good back and forth action. Dijak hits a choke slam neck breaker on Lio. As he attempts to pin him. Prince Nana gets on the apron and tells Donovan to put Lio away with his finisher "Feast Your Eyes" but Rush counters and gets out of it. He then hits a reverse rana on Dijak and follows that up with a frog splash from the top rope for an extremely close near fall. Dijak gets Lio up for his finisher but Rush counters it with a crucifix roll up pin for the victory.

LIO RUSH DEFEATED DONOVAN DIJAK

Post match. A stunned Dijak takes out his frustrations on Lio Rush and beats up on him until Jay White runs out to make the save. White is getting the advantage on Dijak until Kamaitachi shows up to aid Dijak. They gang up on White until security comes out to pull Dijak and Kamaitachi off of White. Kevin Kelly hypes that these 4 men will meet in a 4 way match at the ppv Friday.

A Jay Lethal with hair ad airs where he promotes The Health Alert Hotline. This is actually followed by a New Japan On AXS TV commercial. A little cross promotion between the two companies.

Back from the break. Dalton Castle is with his ring boys backstage in front of The ROH banner. He is talking about miniature horses when The Cabinet interrupts him. The Cabinet tries to borrow the young boys for training but Castle refuses. This segment appears to be setting up a future 6 man tag with The Cabinet vs Castle and his boys.

Back at ringside are Kelly and McGuinness. They are discussing the world title contract signing for later on in the show as well as a potential resolution to the tag title picture with the Guns and War Machine both injured. Footage is shown of an attack earlier in the day by Keith Lee and Shane Taylor on The War Machine in the backstage area. Lee and Taylor lay out War Machine with chairs as their feud continues.

At ringside now is Hangman Page being interviewed by Kevin Kelly. Page says every move he makes is to benefit The Bullet Club. Their mission is to get all the gold they can from everyone in ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Page then talks about his hatred specifically for Jay Briscoe. He insults him and calls him out. He doesn't need to ask twice as Jay Briscoe arrives on the scene quickly and attacks Page. Security runs out to break the two men up, who continue brawling as the show goes to commercial break.

Back from the break, Clips are shown of what took place with The Addiction and the tag scene during the break. ROH really cut this segment down heavily from what actually took place at the tapings. The Addiction announce to the Philly crowd that for the first time in the history of their careers. That they have to disappoint their many fans. Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian inform the crowd that they will not be facing The War Machine and The Motor City Machine Guns and are taking the night off. Roppongi Vice arrives on the scene and they tell the Addiction that they are back from Japan and they want a shot at the ROH tag titles. Out comes the Young Bucks who also throw their hat into the race. The Bucks say they want to turn a "2 and a half star match at best into a 5 star match" by including themselves and making it a 3 way for the tag titles.

ROH matchmaker, Nigel McGuinness gets on the house mic and books a #1 contenders tag team match between The Bucks and Roppongi Vice as this week's tv main event. The winner gets a world title shot against the tag team champs in two weeks time on ROH TV. The #1 contenders match is scheduled to take place after the break.

Back from the break. The Addiction have now joined Kevin Kelly on commentary. The Bucks and Vice are already in the ring as the match is getting ready to start.

ROH TV MAIN EVENT

TAG TITLE #1 CONTENDERS MATCH

THE YOUNG BUCKS VS ROPPONGI VICE

Rocky Romero and Matt Jackson start off the match as The Addiction complain about how the two teams talked their way into this match rather than actually earning it. Kelly promotes the 3 way tag title match at Death before Dishonor that will pit The Addiction against Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin and Tetsuya Naito & Evil. Meanwhile back in the ring, Romero has gained the upper hand on Matt Jackson. Romero tags in Beretta. Beretta runs into the ring and knocks Nick off of the apron. Vice then double teams Matt and takes control of the match. Nick Jackson recovers and superkicks Beretta off of the apron and then runs over to Romero and super kicks him off the apron as well. The Bucks then do stereo dives on Vice on the outside of the ring. As The Philly crowd is firmly behind the Bucks in this one. Back in the ring, tandem offense by the Bucks on Beretta until Romero runs in to save his partner. The action spills back outside again but this time, Vice gets the advantage as Beretta holds Nick Jackson up on his shoulders and Romero hits a high knee on him as we go to the break. The Vice are now back in control working over Nick Jackson in their corner. Nick eventually escapes the double teaming and makes the hot tag to his brother Matt. Matt comes into the ring on fire and takes out both Vice members with fast paced aerial moves and of course two superkicks. He then hits a top rope elbow for a near fall. Matt then attempts a Kevin Nash styled power bomb with full cigarette motion but Beretta escapes. This leads to both men exchanging chops as Matt Jackson delivers DX crotch chops and yells suck it before each punch he throws. While Matt is hamming it up inside the ring. Vice recovers together and they make Matt eat a double high knee. Nick scrambles into the ring and he also eats a high knee by Romero that sends him out to the floor. Matt recovers back in the ring and does 3 consecutive running suck it clotheslines. Romero turns the tables and delivers a crotch chop and yells suck it at Matt before turning him inside out with a clothesline. As Vice tries to double team Matt. Nick is back and superkicks them. The Bucks start trash talking with The Addiction at ringside and they deliver superkicks to the both of them. Back in the ring, The Bucks are double teaming Beretta with yet even more superkicks. This is followed by a 450 splash by Nick where Beretta surprisingly kicks out. The Bucks then attempt to hit the Meltzer driver on Beretta but The Addiction come over looking like they are going to interfere. So Nick changes his mind and instead hits a moonsault onto both of them. Meanwhile, Matt is left hanging in the ring and Beretta counters with a dude buster for a near fall. Beretta then hits a german suplex on Matt from the top rope. Romero takes out Nick on the outside with a suicide dive. Beretta hits a running knee on Matt but he counters the pinfall attempt with one of his own and pins Beretta for the victory.

THE YOUNG BUCKS DEFEATED ROPPONGI VICE TO BECOME THE #1 CONTENDERS FOR THE ROH TAG TEAM TITLES

Post match. The Addiction run into the ring and attack the Bucks and lay them out.

Back from the final break. A plug for ROHwrestling.com and the full lineup for The Death Before Dishonor PPV this coming Friday in Vegas.

ROH WORLD TITLE CONTRACT SIGNING

Nigel McGuinness is in the ring with Adam Cole and ROH World Champ Jay Lethal joining him. Nigel asks both men to give their final words before they sign the contract. Adam Cole is up first and offers to tell a story. Cole tells Lethal that if he's angry with him now. Wait until he takes his world title away from him at Death before Dishonor. He then tells Lethal that he shaved his head to prove that he can take anything he wants away from him. Adam Cole knows that Lethal is one of the best in the world but that he is better. He has no intention of stealing the show. His only concern is stealing the world title. Jay Lethal then offers to sign the contract first but before he does. Lethal tells Cole that in the past all of his title defenses vs Alberto "El Patron", Roderick Strong and Jay Briscoe were about him proving he was the best and it was always about the Ring of Honor championship. Lethal calls his world title the most prestigious title in the entire wrestling business. Lethal then states that this time it is not about the world title and him defending it. It is personal and it's all about him getting revenge on Cole. Lethal signs. Cole tells him that he just signed away the ROH world championship to him. Cole then signs the contract. Lethal throws a pair of scissors on the table and then they both start brawling. Adam Cole gets the brief advantage. He grabs the world title and taunts Lethal with it. Jay hits a low blow on Cole. He then grabs the scissors and attempts to cut Cole's hair. The Bucks arrive and pull Adam Cole from the ring as the show goes off the air.