ROH 3.0 results from Montreal

[D2Kvirus]

Thanks to Spunkmeyer and Thomas Bobo on the ROH boards

Pre-show

a) Stupefied over Excess, Dan Paysan and Green Phantom to win 4-way (not sure if this was only pre-show match, but it was ending as Spunkmeyer came into the building)

Return Date is being advertised as April 17, 2009.

Main show

General Rule Change Announced: Every match has a 20 count on the floor.

1) Erick Stevens over Eddie Edwards w/ Shane Hagadorn & Bobby Dempsey via DoctorBomb. (8:20)

2) Jay & Mark Briscoe over Kenny King & Kenny Omega when King bailed on Omega and is greeted and high fived on the ramp by Rhett Titus. Omega is then hit with Doomsday Device and pinned. (11:42)

3) Necro Butcher over Brodie Lee via DQ due to AOTF interference. (7:15)

Post-match, Nigel comes out, trash talks Necro and Montreal. Claims he is "The Best there is, the Best there was and the Best there ever will be" to HUGE heat!

4) Jerry Lynn over Delirious via Cradle Piledriver. Jimmy Jacobs accompanied Delirious, but was sent to the back due to constant interfering in the early going of the match. (9:13)

***INTERMISSION***

5) Davey Richards over Roderick Strong w/ Shane Hagadorn & Bobby Dempsey when Edwards hit Strong and Richards nailed a Tiger Driver for the win. (16:44)

Post match, Go Shiozaki joined Richards, Edwards and Hagadorn for a 4 on 1 post match beatdown before Erick Stevens made the save. Strong and Stevens had a staredown and left seperately.

6) Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries over AOTF's Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black when Aries tapped Jacobs to Last Chancery. Jacobs blamed Tyler for the loss and both left without speaking - Jacobs also didn't tag Tyler in for the first five minutes or so. (18:31)

Steen and Generico announced first for the ROH World Title Match - SUPER OVER - fans loving the HELL out of them in Montreal!!!

7) ROH World Title Elimination Match
~elimination #1 Shiozaki pins El Generico with Go Flasher following a Nigel low blow on Generico. (21:30)

~elimination #2 Steen taps Go Shiozaki with a Sharpshooter (25:44)

***Nigel v. Steen***

~elimination #3 Nigel McGuiness pinned Kevin Steen after a BRUTAL Jawbreaker Lariat preceded by multiple, great false finishes. (31:26)

At the end of the show, Steen thanked the crowd in French and Generico spoke in French as well, as well as congratulating Cary Silkin for the debut show in his hometown.

[The Kid]

I like the 20 count thing. I still think their main event scene is lacking a bit, but London very well may help that. (I'm assuming it's almost assured he's coming in.)

[D2Kvirus]

The 20 count'll help the live audience, for a start. It's become a bit of a crutch for matches to degenerate into brawls around the building, which only the DVD/PPV audiences can actually follow. Necro and Jacobs will have to think of something new.

Although I don't like the way some fans have instantly turned on Gabe (way to prove Daniels' promo at GTGM right, guys...), he did affect the main event scene with his playing to the NY crowd over anyone else: Claudio was near main event status, but his heel turn has caused him to drop down the card.

Going by the "three shots and you're done", Aries has a title shot and AmDrag two (one on PPV), but after that Nigel is running low on contenders, hence they're strongly hinting at Tyler leaving AOTF and making a run for the title now. Brent Albright was being positioned for a run at Nigel, but he seems to have been placed into a holding pattern now, although Davey Richards seems to have been kept in reserve so could also make a run.

Problem with those three is:
Tyler Black - zero singles wins of note.
Brent Albright - It'd help ROH in the eyes of WWE fans, but nobody else.
Davey Richards - not the focus of S&S Inc (that's Hero), and a heel.

Gabe stated that, if London (or Kendrick) were to become available, he'd go all out to bring them back. Of course, Gabe's not there, but if ROH really want to bring in a top-line babyface that would please the crowd no end and aid the company to step forward, London has to be it.

Of course, when Jack Evans finishes his tour of AAA in February/March, he needs to be brought back into the fold too. As an underdog babyface he's one of ROH's very best, he has far more character than a lot of the roster (and is hugely over with the crowd), and considering the improvements he made as a worker with his tours in Dragon Gate he'll be interesting to watch.

(So, time to euthanise the Vulture Squad: but, then again, Ruckus, Jigsaw and Smokes have done zilch: Smokes needed to go years ago, Ruckus doesn't help the "ROH is all FLIPZ~" attitude, and Jigsaw is easily replacable with any number of Chikara guys - may as well call up a few more of the FIP roster, really)

Annoyingly, one suggestion on the boards was for London to return and be a member of AOTF. Christ, why is it the half dozen Emolution fanboys on the boards think the perfect solution is to put a wrestler in AOTF, be it London, Aries or Jigsaw? THE FACTION IS NOT OVER, PEOPLE. INDIFFERENCE IS NOT THE NEW HEEL HEAT.

The interesting debate is who'll be back now Gabe has gone. The main choice is Low Ki, and there's a few asking for Teddy Hart. Personally I'd have neither, as both have shitty attitudes and have burnt bridges on several occasions (and Low Ki has Rey and MVP pulling for WWE to bring him in - he'll be fired within nine months if he does).

[D2Kvirus]

A few pople have noticed obvious changes in style based on the Montreal & Markham shows this weekend:
1.) The 20 count on the floor. This came into play in the Titus/King vs. Delirious/Lee match in Markham, where AOTF were counted out beating on Titus
2.) Less dives out of the ring in the undercard/pre-intermission - albeit in Montreal only the Briscoes regularly dive, and in Markham it was pretty hard for Aries to try as he was in a dog collar match.
3.) Heel groups interfere - CONSTANTLY: a feature in both Montreal & Markham shows, both SnS and AOTF regularly interfered in matches.
4.) Too many DQs: Necro/Lee in Montreal, Nigel/Necro in Markham - both times it was AOTF attacking Necro.
5.) Tyler Black is heel in singles, apparently: thus far, Tyler is heel teamed with Jacobs, but plays an underdog in singles (especially the title matches against Nigel), but in the AmDrag/Omega/Black three-way in Markham he was in the heel role. Possibly a one-off, of course.
6.) Punches are on the menu: Stevens used punches instead of forearms against Edwards in Montreal, or to be more accurate some pretty bad phantom punches. Aries and AmDrag were using forearms still, apparently.

Some may be legit changes, some may be things people have spotted and made too much of (i.e. the dives), and some may fall between the two. Suffice to say, anything new will be discussed, digested and shat upon in short order. Well, the DQs, countouts and Stevens' punches are, anyway...