RoH TV 5/3/14

-From New Orleans, LA

-Match 1: Roderick Strong (w/Adam Page) VS Tomasso Ciampa

-They do some chain wrestling to start, then Ciampa bites Strong's pinky. More chain wrestling follows, leading to a couple pin attempts and a standoff. Strong kicks the bad knee and hits a chop, but Ciampa comes back with a leg sweep into a pin into a submission. They exchange chops, then Ciampa bites Strong's ear. Ciampa goes for the running exposed knee, but Strong bails. Ciampa catches up to him, and wheelbarrows him into the barricade as we go to break.

Back from break, Ciampa wins a strike exchange with a back elbow for one, then gets a slingshot sunset flip into the same submission from earlier, but Strong escapes with a kick to the face. Strong hits some chops, but Ciampa pulls a Sting and fires back with some of his own. Strong hits a mule kick, but whiffs on a cross-body off the top. They exchange strikes again, then Ciampa hits some rolling German suplexes, followed by the running exposed knee for two. Ciampa counters a leapfrog with a Kryptonite Crunch for two. Strong comes back with an enziguiri followed by an Olympic Slam, and this crowd is oddly silent.

Strong hits a high knee in the corner and Death From Above for two. Ciampa fires back and goes for Project Ciampa, but Adam Page tries to interfere, and Ciampa stops to take him out. Strong hits a high knee and looks to finish, but Cedric Alexander runs in with a spin kick to Strong, and Ciampa finishes with the Project Ciampa.

-**1/2 The work was good enough, but there was no heat whatsoever once they got going.

-Strong calls out Alexander. Cedric hits a Cactus Clothesline, and Strong bails. Cedric challenges Strong to face him man-to-man at Global Wars without any interference.

-Michael Elgin (in a Daniel Bryan rip-off shirt), does a short promo about his IWGP title shot and facing Rocky Romero in tonight's main event.

-Match 2: Romantic Touch VS Silas Young

-I love the Romantic Touch gimmick, but it's too bad he's a jobber. They exchange rollups to start, then Young hits a chop. Young blocks a monkey flip, but gets caught with a Camel Clutch into a pin for two. RT hits a kick to the head, but stops to strut on the apron, allowing Young to counter a slingshot splash with a couple knees. RT fights out of a laying abdominal stretch, but he then runs right into a kitchen sink. RT gets a couple elbows, then counters the backbreaker/clothesline combo with a dropkick, and Young gets caught upside-down in the ropes. RT hits a huge lariat, and again I'm struck by how dead the crowd is. RT hits a monkey flip and a backdrop, then a back elbow for two.

Young crotches RT on the top rope, and hits a Finlay Roll followed by a headstand into an Arabian Press for the pin. That finisher so does not fit his gimmick.

** They tried out there, but the crowd is KILLING this show.

-A video previews Steen/Cole at Border Wars.

-reDRagon bitch about losing the tag titles to the Young Bucks. The graphic for "The Fish Tank" is tremendous.

-Match 3: Corey Hollis VS Jimmy Jacobs (w/Adam Page & Tadarius Thomas)

-I don't get TD joining The Decade at all. Jacobs gets the early jump, but Hollis fires back with an enziguiri to the face. They go outside, and Page helps Jacobs set Hollis into a chair, and Jacobs hits a sloppy dive. Jacobs gets some water from Page and spits it in Hollis' face, then adds a hangman's drop. TD sits down at the announce table to explain himself, but gets called away by Jacobs & Page. Hollis hits a rana followed by a gordbuster and a back elbow for two. Jacobs charges into an airplane spin, followed by a sloppy Implant DDT for two. Jacobs comes back with a springboard Diamond Cutter, and finishes with a spear.

*1/2 Another decent effort, sloppiness aside, but the crowd couldn't care less.

-Match 4: Rocky Romero VS Michael Elgin

-Nigel joins the announce team. Romero hits a slap, then low-bridges Elgin before hitting a knee off the apron. Elgin catches Romero on a cross-body attempt, but Romero gets away, counters a couple rollup attempts, and hits a buzzsaw kick. Romero gets a headscissors, then takes Elgin outside when Elgin powers out. Elgin finally manages to hit a slam for two, followed by some stomps. Elgin holds Romero for a delayed suplex, and gets two as we go to break.

Romero uses his quickness to avoid Elgin and get him outside, then hits a suicide dive. Romero catches Elgin getting back in with a knee, then hits a springboard dropkick for two. Romero hits some clotheslines in the corner, then they run around each other before Romero takes Elgin down and gets an anklelock. Elgin escapes, and hits a deadlift German suplex for two. Romero comes back and goes for a super rana. Elgin blocks initially, but Romero is able to complete the move and get two. The crowd finally wakes up for a moment with a "Let's Go Elgin" chant.

Romero does the RVD "miss an enziugiri then hit a back kick" spot. Elgin whiffs on a couple attempts at a lariat before finally connecting. Elgin hits a deadlift superplex for two followed by a buckle bomb, but Romero counters the spiral bomb into a rollup for two. Elgin blocks a sunset bomb, but Romero dropkicks his legs out from underneath him before getting a rollup into an anklelock. Elgin hangs on and hits a urinage, followed by a back-fist, buckle bomb, and spiral bomb for the pin.

*1/2 These guys did not mesh at all. The crowd being completely dead didn't help matters.

-FINAL THOUGHTS: The wrestling was OK for the most part, but that crowd just kills the whole show.

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