There are great matches and then there’s what we saw Saturday at Ring of Honor’s second Showdown in the Sun event. In a bout for the ROH World Championship, Davey Richards and Michael Elgin laid it all on the line in an epic, hard-hitting Match of the Year candidate that had everyone on their feet as the two refused to surrender with the title on the line.
Emanating from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., “Showdown in the Sun – Day 2” featured nine matches and three title defenses, but none bigger than the one-fall match for the Ring of Honor World Championship between Davey Richards and Michael Elgin.
After his successful title defense last night in a triple threat elimination match over Roderick Strong and Eddie Edwards, Richards was laid out by Elgin and let his furor be known Saturday.
An angry Richards is all over Elgin to start, landing a suicide dive and kicks on each side of the ringside area. Richards gets a little too excited, though, and Elgin clotheslines him off the top rope and back into the ring, where hits a real, real long standing delayed vertical suplex. He hits a Shock Treatment backbreaker for two. Elgin’s power really doing a number on Richards here.
Richards goes for a suplex but can’t get it. Now Richards starts getting angry. They trade strikes and Richards gets the best of it. He tries again to suplex Elgin but can’t do it. Running knee in the corner for Richards. He loads Elgin up on the top turnbuckle and goes up, but Elgin starts fighting him off. Richards responds with headbutts and then hits a top rope superplex, but Elgin no sells it.
He dares Richards to kick him. So he does, twice, to no effect. Elgin hits a kick and then hits the ropes, but Richards kicks him and hits a clothesline for two. Richards with the ankle lock but Elgin quickly gets to the ropes and to the outside. Richards goes for a kick from the apron but Elgin catches him and hits a fisherman’s suplex on the floor. He follows that with a running power bomb into the guard railing. He quickly throws Richards back in the ring for a cover but Richards kicks out at the last moment.
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Michael Elgin drops a leg on Davey Richards on the ring apron.
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Elgin follows with a corkscrew moonsault for another near fall. Elgin puts Richards on the top turnbuckle and wants to power bomb him off. Richards elbows his way out and goes for a sunset power bomb but Elgin hangs on. Elgin rises on the rope but Richards comes up from behind and can’t get him down. Both men being stubborn here. Richards goes up and absolutely kills Elgin with a belly-to-back release suplex for the top but Elgin somehow kicks out. Richards turns the kick out right into the ankle lock but Elgin gets the ropes again.
Richards with kicks to the big man and they only make him mad. Elgin somehow to his feet. Richards in shock. Elgin shoves him and they trade knees and kicks right to the head. Richards now with hard kicks to the body. Elgin only being held up by the ropes. Richards hits the ropes but Elgin comes up behind him and hits an O’Conner Roll into a bridging German suplex. Richards barely kicks out. Elgin now with a crossface. Richards is fading! He almost taps but gains new life and gets his foot on the rope.
Both men down now. Elgin is up first. Richards is still down on the ring apron. Elgin starts climbing the rope but Richards catches him with a dragon screw leg whip on the turnbuckle. He follows that with a double stomp onto the apron and then another double stomp in the ring but Elgin again somehow kicks out. Richards with a forearm and a lariat. He follows with a release suplex for two.
Richards up and he goes for the big kick but Elgin catches it. Richards with an enziguri but Elgin hits him and then hits a side suplex slam for another near fall. Elgin up and he grabs Richards. He power bombs Richards into the corner but Richards comes right back out with a kick. Elgin with a lariat. He goes for the spinning power bomb but Richards turns it into the ankle lock. Elgin rolls through into the crossface. Richards escapes but Elgin hits the spinning power bomb. Somehow Richards kicks out. Elgin into the crossface again. He’s fading but somehow grabs the ankle. Richards can barely stand to hold it. Elgin is tired, too. Richards pulls him back. Elgin tries to kick out but Richards hangs on. Finally Elgin rolls through.
This is just insane. So much action. Elgin tries to charge but his leg kicks out. Richards just starts kicking Elgin in the head time after time. Finally, he hits a one last kick and Elgin can’t kick out of this one.
Winner via pinfall and STILL Ring of Honor World Champion: Davey Richards
Match Rating: 10/10
The next Ring of Honor iPPV is “Best in the World 2012” on June 24.
Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness once again welcome us to the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for today’s matinee.
Jimmy Jacobs is here to start the show. He notes he’s sick of being good. It isn’t for him. He says Kevin Steen was right and sometimes, evil wins. El Generico’s music hits and here he comes with a referee.
Match #1 – Jimmy Jacobs vs. El Generico
Generico on fire early until he tries to walk the ropes and gets crotched by Jacobs. Jacobs takes over, hitting a Cactus Jack-esque elbow off the apron to the floor. Tornado suplex connects for Jacobs. Jacobs goes to the top but Generico crotches him and goes up with him, but Jacobs shoves him off. Generico hits the overhead suplex into the corner and comes in for the yakuza kick, but Jacobs jumps into the guillotine choke. Generico is able to get his foot to the bottom rope to break the hold.
Jacobs goes to his boot and grabs the spike. He runs at Generico but he misses and the spike gets stuck in the turnbuckle pad. Generico hits a full nelson suplex and then looks at the spike. They trade reversals trying to hit each other with the spike, but Jacobs ducks it and rolls Generico up for the win.
Winner via pinfall: Jimmy Jacobs
Match Rating: 6/10
Match #2 – Cedric Alexander vs. Tommaso Ciampa
They battle on the outside and Alexander sends Ciampa into the barricade upside-down. Ouch! Alexander goes to charge Ciampa in the corner but misses. He’s hanging outside the ring now and Ciampa pulls his knee pad down and hits two running knees that send Alexander’s head into the ring post. He pulls him into the ring and covers him.
Winner via pinfall: Tommaso Ciampa
Match Rating: 5/10
Match #3 – Fire Ant vs. TJ Perkins
Fire Ant impressive early, but Perkins hanging with it. Ant hits not one, but two suicide dives to the outside, flattening Perkins. Back in the ring, Ant goes to the top and hits a dropkick. It’s all FIre Ant right now. He loads Perkins up on the top rope but Perkins rolls through for a sunset power bomb. Perkins to the top rope and he hits the 450 splash and that does it.
Winner via pinfall: TJ Perkins
Match Rating: 5/10
Match #4 – Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole
Well, I wish I could tell you what happened in this match, but the stream went down during the ring intros and stayed down during the entire match.
Match #5 – Street Fight – Matt & Nick Jackson vs. Rhett Titus & Kenny King
All Night Express all over the Bucks. And then the feed goes down again. Wish I was joking here, folks.
Match #6 – Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship – (c) Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin
Haas & Benjamin isolate Jay but he finally brings Mark in. He runs wild until Benjamin grabs Mark, who was on the apron, and whips him hard into the ring post. Benjamin rams the back of Mark’s head into the barricade multiple times before bringing him back into the ring. Now Haas & Benjamin isolate Mark but Mark turns around a top rope move into a cross body. He rolls through to make the tag to Jay.
Jay in with Haas. He super kicks both men and then comes over the top with a cross body onto Benjamin. He goes to the top and hits a cross body on Haas for a near fall. Jay loads Haas up but Benjamin super kicks him for two. Now Jay and Haas take turns giving each other big boots until they hit a double big boot and both men are down.
Now all four men rise and do dual boo/yay punches that the Briscoes get the better of. Benjamin gets Mark on the apron and hits a slingshot DDT. In the ring, Haas hits the Olympic Slam on Jay. He goes for the Haas of Pain but Jay makes it to the ropes. Haas & Benjamin go for their double team move but it’s broken up. That leaves an opening for the Briscoes to hit their finish and retain.
Winners via pinfall and STILL Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions: The Briscoe Brothers
After the match, Haas & Benjamin lay out Jay, wringing his knee around the post three times. Briscoes won the match, but lost the war.
Match #7 – Eddie Edwards vs. Kevin Steen
Draping DDT connects for Steen and then he follows with a barrel roll into the corner. They brawl to the outside and Steen goes for a power bomb, but Edwards counters with a ‘rana. Steen is undeterred, though, and power bombs Edwards into the side of the ring. Steen throws Edwards onto the stage. They duke it out up there and Steen twice bites Edwards. He sits Edwards down in a chair and hits a barrel roll onto him
Edwards, though, makes a comeback and hits a double stomp off the stage. Steen goes to the top but Edwards grabs him and hits a backpack chinbreaker. Edwards lights Steen up with chops but then runs straight into a power bomb for two. Edwards, though, rolls through and gets the Achillies Lock. He rolls it back over but Steen grabs him in a small package and gets the pin.
Winner via pinfall: Kevin Steen
Match Rating: 7/10
Match #8 – Ring of Honor World Television Championship – (c) Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong
Lethal with a delayed vertical suplex for two. Lethal sends Strong to the outside and follows with a suicide dive. Lethal, though, gets distracted by Truth Martini and this allows Strong to take over. Lethal starts lighting Strong up with chops but Strong kicks him right in the kisser. Strong locks in the Stronghold but Lethal makes the ropes.
Lethal starts to get going with a cartwheel dropkick. Lethal connects with a big boot then starts landing chop after chop and punch after punch. Series of drop kicks for Lethal. Strong tries one but Lethal evades it and hits the handspring back elbow for two. Strong with a small package out of nowhere for a fall that might’ve been two and 8/7ths. Strong taking over. He goes for a Gibson Driver but Lethal counters with a super kick for two. We’re down to three minutes left now.
Lethal Combination hits. Lethal goes to the top and hits the big elbow for two. He ends up on the outside after a failed handspring back elbow. Tommaso Ciampa posts him behind the referee’s back and throws him back in the ring where Strong finishes him.
Winner via pinfall and NEW Ring of Honor World Television Champion: Roderick Strong
Match Rating: 7/10
Match #9 – Ring of Honor World Championship (c) Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin
Winner via pinfall and STILL Ring of Honor World Champion: Davey Richards
Match Rating: 10/10
Amazing match. Match of the Year candidate and one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. Must-see match.