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ROH MANHATTAN MAYHEM IV DVD REVIEW: EDDIE EDWARDS CHALLENGES RODERICK STRONG FOR THE ROH WORLD TITLE, THE KINGS OF WRESTLING FACE LAX, DAVEY RICHARDS BATTLES CHRISTOPHER DANIELS UNDER PURE WRESTLING RULES, AND MUCH MORE

After that brutal scene,we come back on a more sportsmanlike note with TJ Perkins taking on El Generico, a man who is no stranger to bloody brawls in New York City. This is Generico's first time in New York since his Fight Without Honor against Kevin Steen, but he's up against a completely different type of wrestler in TJ Perkins, who relies heavily on kicks and submissions. They do a feeling out process and then TJ gains control for a short period until they go strike for strike and TJ knocks him silly with a kick to the head, but then comes off the ropes right into a Michinoku Driver from Generico for 2. Generico follows that with a Blue Thunder Driver and tries a running Yakuza Kick in the corner, but Perkins blocks that and counters a second attempt to a powerbomb for 2. Perkins gets the modified Sharpshooter right in the middle of the ring, but Generico makes the ropes, so Perkins hits a running double kneestrike in the corner, Generico counters with a running Yakuza Kick, and Perkins counters that with a sitout version of the Go To Sleep. Generico rolls out to the floor and Perkins tries a dive, but Generico catches him and turns it into a brainbuster on the apron that looks like it would have broken TJ's neck, and Generico covers for 3. Generico helps Perkins up and shakes his hand, and TJ gets a nice ovatoin and a “please come back” chant on his way to the back. Short but sweet and a good comedown match between the Briscoes-ANX and the next match...

...which sees the Kings of Wrestling, the ROH World Tag Team Champions, face Homicide & Hernandez (aka The Team We Can't Call LAX For Legal Reasons) in a non-title match. Homicide had just come off a failed bid for the ROH World Title at the 9th Anniversary Show, and was getting another crack at championship gold in his hometown. Homicide and Hero start off with a feeling out process, then Claudio tags in and overpowers Homicide with clubbing forearms and tries a suplex, but Homicide slips out and makes the hot tag to Hernandez. Now we've got the power guys on each team in there, Claudio can't budge Hernandez with shoulderblocks, so Hernandez tries one and Claudio rips his head off with a clothesline. Sucker. Hernandez leapfrogs Claudio, who peppers him with forearms, but then Claudio comes off the ropes again and Hernandez rips his ead off with a clothesline even worse than Claudio did to him. Claudio shows his power by getting a delayed vertical suplex on Hernandez and holds him up for about seven or eight seconds, but Hernandez pops right up and gets Claudio in a delayed vertical suplex for nearly a full minute before finally dropping him. Really impressive power by both guys. Homicide tags in and then LAX (screw it, that's what I'm calling them) hit a double team in the corner on Claudio, but Hero runs in and grabs Homicide and suplexes him onto Claudio's knees and then boots Hernandez to the floor as Sara Del Rey cheapshots Homicide from the floor.

Hero unloads with heavy strikes on Homicide in the corner, to which Homicide responds with profanity and untoward gestures. Claudio comes in and press slams Homicide onto the top rope and then flexes at Hernandez. Hero tags in and gets a big boot to Homicide for 2, then Claudio comes in and tries to put Homicide out with a sleeper. Claudio tries the springboard European uppercut, but Homicide catches him coming off the ropes with an Ace Crusher and starts crawling toward Hernandez to try and make the tag, but Hero yanks Hernandez off the apron. The Kings try a double suplex, but Homicide rolls through and makes the hot tag to Hernandez, who comes in and just annihilates the Kings with clotheslines. He whips both of them into the corner and hits a Stinger Splash, then whips Claudio across the ring by the neck, nearly backdrops Hero into New Jersey, and gets a big spinebuster on Claudio for 2. Claudio gets Hernandez up and gets the UFO (impressing the hell out of me and the live crowd), but that only gets 2. Crowd is really into this now, and Claudio hits a running European uppercut in the corner on Hernandez, Claudio tries a second but Hernandez gets the boot up and skins the cat up to the top rope, and Claudio runs up the ropes and hits an enziguiri and tags out to Hero. The Kings hit Royal Power & Glory, then the elbow pad comes off and Hero boots Hernandez in the head and cracks him with a rolling elbow for 2. Hero comes off the ropes and Hernandez hits a spinning backbreaker for 2, then nearly blows through Claudio with a tackle.

Homicide tags in and unloads on Claudio with right hands and tries the Three Amigos, but Hero cold cocks him with an elbow. Hernandez runs through him with a tackle as well and he bails out to the floor and gets into it with Homicide, then whips him into the barricade. Hernandez tires the Border Toss on Claudio but Hero comes in with a rolling elbow and then Homicide hits a tornado DDT that sends Hero to the floor. Hernandez picks Homicide up and Border Tosses him over the ropes and onto the Kings of Wrestling, then Homicide rolls back into the ring and motions at Hernandez to hit a dive of his own. Hernandez, being a swell guy and all, obliges by swooping over the top onto Hero and then stomps Claudio in the chest for good measure. Crowd gives them a “this is awesome” chant as Hernandez powerbombs Hero and Homicide follows with a frogsplash, but only gets 2 when Claudio breaks it up. Claudio sends Hernandez out to the floor and rams him into the barricade as Hero puts on the golden elbow pad. Homicide ducks the rolling elbow, pulls the elbow pad off, and goes for the Cop Killa, but Hero slips out and he and Claudio hit dual big boots for 2. Hero goes out to the floor and neutralizes Hernandez as Claudio hits a running European Uppercut to score the win.

Great match, and a million times better than I remember it being live. The Kings of Wrestling roll over another major outside team as they lead into their final confrontation with Haas & Benjamin over Wrestlemania weekend. I like how they teased the cheap finish with the elbow pad but the Kings ended up winning clean anyway, I think that made the Kings look like the real deal and made them look that much stronger when they faced Haas & Benjamin a couple of weeks later.

It's the return of Pure Wrestling rules, as Davey Richards faces Christopher Daniels on Page 3!

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