Zitat:Rhett Titus defeated local standout Caprice Coleman after the Golden Rule. Pre-match, Titus cut a promo about Caprice and how he was wholesome and how he was going to give him a wholesome ass kicking. Caprice, who Dave informed us is a legit youth minister, cut a great promo about being the "showstopper, but kicker, etc" and "still have time for the Lord." He said he was trying out for a job, and quite frankly, Cary Silkin should have signed him before the match was over.

Titus is a stud and proved it in this match. Caprice was very, very good. He hit three back-to-back Northern Lights suplexes by rolling through, and then set Titus on the top rope. He hit a standing Frankensteiner from the ground in the move of the night. I want to be clear. He stood flat footed on the mat, jumped up without the use of the ropes, and hit a Frankensteiner/hurricanranna on Titus who was sitting on the top rope. Unreal move. Titus recovered and hit the Golden Rule for the win. Fantastic match that I hope means we will be seeing more of Caprice.

Zitat:Davey Richards defeated Chris Hero (w/Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey). This was the match I was probably most looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. Though much like the Castagnoli/Daniels match, I felt like both men were capable of better. The match didn't seem to flow from spot to spot as well as I would have liked, but the spots themselves were great. I've seen many people say this was a tie with the main event for match of the night. I understand why they say that, but again, it just felt like it had disconnected a few times.

That said, both of these guys were amazing to watch. Richards gives his soul every time he is in the ring, and it was very apparent here. Hero is a stud, though I have to say his facial expressions left a little bit to be desired. Hero showed flashes of his old high flyer days while still working solid strikes. Davey continued to play up the concussion angle from Final Battle, which annoyed me a little. I just don't like those angles personally. The crowd was super-hot for this match, and Davey won with a cross-arm breaker. After the match, the crowd chanted, "Best in the world." Davey took the mic and said for us to hold the chants until he wore the belt.

Zitat:Four Corner Survival Match: El Generico defeated Kenny King, Homicide and Mark Briscoe. I have been excited about seeing Generico since Final Battle (and the build to it), so I was thrilled when this match was announced. For those who don't know, the match is similar to a tag four way in that you can tag anybody in at any time, but the first pinfall wins, so it sets up an "anything can happen" feel. And this match had a little bit of everything in it.

There was immediate heat between Homicide and Mark. King wanted to beat up everybody. And Generico was, well, Generico. Hearing the crowd chant/sing "Ole" was awesome in and of itself. These guys threw themselves all over the place. Homicide hit a diving plancha on Generico and they landed right in front of me on the aisle. It was hard to stay objectionable on this match as it was so much fun as a fan to watch.

By the end, I had decided that if Generico hit the brianbustah on the turnbuckle I was not going to make it. Fortunately for me, he hit it in the ring on Mark for the victory. Post-match, Homicide wanted to shake Generico's hand. Generico, like the fool babyface should, took his hand. Homicide hit the Cop Killa on Generico to a big pop, and then made the belt symbol while standing over Generico. Generico sold it like he had been shot. In fact, for a moment I wasn't sure if he was selling it. But when they got the little purple haired girl at ringside to help him to the back, I knew he was OK.

Zitat:10. Roderick Strong defeated Mark Briscoe to retain the ROH World Championship. The main event was just that. This was match of the night for me, hands down. I had no doubt for a moment that Strong was leaving Charlotte, until Jay started wrestling. By the time it was over, the fan in me was screaming that we were going to have a new champion, and he was shouting down the old cynical reporter in me.

This match got out of control quickly. Jay was busted open fairly early in this 30 minute match, and he bled like Flair after an aspirin. The sickest visual of the night, which I failed to get with my camera, was right after Jay was busted open and Strong performed a stall suplex. The stream of blood from Jay's head to the mat was unbelievable. You can see it dripping off of him here.

Strong was covered in blood, and even enjoyed rubbing it on his skin at one point. But the blood was nothing compared to some of the stiff looking shots these guys were delivering. Jay hit a J-Driller on a table, and I thought it might have been there. But Strong battled back and hit a backbreaker followed by a Gibson driver for the win. Post-match, Strong cut a quick promo on the match and said we should all applaud to Jay for "manning up." Jay said he deserved a rematch as Strong held up the title belt to close the show. Jay told the crowd that no matter what problems they may have heard (the HDNet contract ending), as long as they wanted to see them, ROH would be there to perform.

I can say with unequivocal certainty that this was the best time I have had in five years, and the best live show I have been to since Jim Crockett sold his company to Ted Turner. These guys put on a show from the first to last bell. Everything about the show was professional in every way. I have to say, I'm hooked.