Chris Hero vs. Kevin Steen
The early parts of this match had Steen not taking Hero seriously, as per usual, with a lot of clowning around between the two to hype up the crowd. Meanwhile on commentary, Steve Corino is trying to figure out where Hero went for the last two years… After a senton from Hero the match turned serious, but still kept to a very slow pace as they moved from one signature spot to the next.
This was a pretty OK main event match. The live crowd seemed to get into it, which makes me wonder if it wasn't much longer in person than what they showed on TV. The pacing seemed like they were in a real big rush to go nowhere. The classic exchanging of right hands that usually happens after a good 10-15 minutes of action came in just a few minutes. It was like two super heavyweights were working; something seemed "off", and again I think it's something to do with how it came across on TV. The Decade ended up coming down, distracting Chris Hero, and Kevin Steen won with a sleeper suplex.
As Kevin Steen was leaving the ringside area, some guy in a leather jacket came out of nowhere and started choking him out. Corino figures out that it's Cliff Compton, a former SCUM member, and Steen is left motionless as ROH goes off the air.
I quite enjoyed this episode of Ring of Honor TV. I liked all the promos for AJ Styles return, and with Hero back on the roster, Matt Hardy involved, the new Decade faction, a Cliff Compton surprise and two pretty solid title pictures, the company has a lot going for them to kick off 2014. Lethal and Coleman put on the match of the night in my estimation, but I wish I could have gotten more into the main event. Good to see everyone on the roster seemingly involved with some sort of angle. It's more storytelling than I think a lot of indie fans are used to seeing, but as a guy who spends a lot of time watching (and enjoying) the more "mainstream" products, I think they have found a nice balance.
I'm really not a fan of letter grades, but I would give this show a solid B.
