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Jay Lethal vs Mike Bennett: Best In The World (6/26/2011)
This was Lethal's first match back in ROH, and I don't think it's an accident that it took place on the first show under the Sinclair Broadcasting banner. ROH needed to use Best In The World to put the pieces in place for the company's future under the new ownership, and Lethal was clearly expected to be a major part of that picture. Lethal got a huge reaction from the New York crowd since he grew up nearby in New Jersey, and was considered as much a hometown star as he was an ROH original. This seemed like more of a triumphant homecoming than a truly competitive match, with Lethal pinning Bennett after hitting Hail To The King.
TV Title Match: El Generico vs Jay Lethal: ROH On SBG (10/1/2011)
Though this match is listed on the case as taking place in October after the debut of ROH's show on the Sinclair network, it was taped during the summer and I believe was actually Lethal's second match back. I was happy to see Generico get the TV Title, but I think a lot of people got the sense that he wasn't going to be a heavily pushed commodity under the new management and didn't expect the reign to last long, especially when he was matched up with a Jay Lethal who practically came back to ROH with rocket fire coming out his backside.
The match originally ended in a 15 minute time limit draw, but Jim Cornette came out and said they had a few minutes of TV time remaining, so if both men were on board, they could continue the match with whatever time they had left. The match restarted and Lethal hit the Lethal Combination to win the TV Title, and the fact that Generico did the honorable thing by agreeing to let the match continue would become key to the three way feud between Generico, Lethal, and Bennett that would play out for the rest of the year.
Jay Lethal & Homicide vs Tommaso Ciampa & Rhino: Death Before Dishonor IX (9/17/2011)
I'm not really sure why this one was on here unless they just wanted another match with some names in it. Lethal and Ciampa would go on to feud in early 2012, but none of those matches are on here and we don't see Ciampa again on the DVD set after he pins Homicide to win the match. It was okay, but I get the sense this was just on here to fill time.
TV Title Match: Jay Lethal vs Mike Bennett: ROH On SBG (10/22/2011)
As I mentioned earlier, the second half of 2012 saw Lethal, Bennett, and Generico wind up in a three way feud for the TV Title, but the part of this match that made it important to the storyline was edited out. The finish saw Lethal on top of Bennett and pummeling him with right and left hands until the time limit ran out. Lethal wanted to let the match continue like he had done with Generico, but Bennett walked out and claimed that he got a raw deal because Lethal hadn't beaten him. It was designed to present Bennett as an opportunistic coward who was going to try and manipulate himself into a position to win the TV Title instead of trying to beat Lethal like a man, but everything after the time limit expired was cut from the DVD.
Jay Lethal vs Mark Briscoe: Gateway To Honor (11/6/2011)
This was a Proving Ground match where Briscoe would earn a TV Title shot if he either beat Lethal or held Lethal out to a time limit draw. I thought the concept was great and wish they would bring it back, and I liked that people actually lost these matches and it wasn't treated like being in one was practically a guarantee that you would get the title shot. Lethal faced some pretty strong competition in the Proving Ground and managed to eliminate them from contention before they ever got a title shot. Case in point, Mark Briscoe is one of the most decorated champions in ROH history and has main evented more shows than I can count, but Lethal hit the Lethal Combination and then Hail To The King for the win, blocking Briscoe from earning a title shot. It gave Lethal a big win and these matches helped establish that the TV Title wasn't to be treated like an afterthought or a joke like secondary titles are in other companies.
Jay Lethal vs Roderick Strong: Glory By Honor X (11/19/2011)
This was another Proving Ground match, which seemed like a strange thing to put a former ROH World Champion into since you wouldn't think he'd have anything to prove, but Strong did manage to last the full extent of the time limit to earn himself a future shot at the TV Title. Jim Cornette then came out after the match and said that Roderick had earned a guaranteed title shot, but also goaded Strong into agreeing to a five minute overtime period by questioning his manhood in somewhat colorful terms. Lethal went on to hit the Lethal Injection and get the win, but Strong had earned the title shot that would lead to him defeating Lethal to become TV Champion, though that match isn't included on here.
TV Title Match: Jay Lethal vs El Generico: ROH On SBG (11/26/2011)
Generico finally got his rematch for the TV Title, but again found himself on the receiving end of the Lethal Combination and Hail To The King. This time, however, he was saved from the clutches of defeat when Mike Bennett, who had taken a seat at ringside to observe the match, got up on the apron and distracted the referee. The time limit expired while the referee had his back turned to Lethal's pinfall attempt, and an infuriated Lethal went after Bennett and brawled with him on the floor until Generico wiped them both out with a dive. By this point it was pretty clear that we were shaping up to have a three way title match at Final Battle.
Jay Lethal vs El Generico: Northern Aggression (12/4/2011)
Lethal stepped back into the Proving Ground on both nights of ROH's tour of the Carolinas last December, starting with TJ Perkins in North Carolina. Perkins nearly pulled off the upset after getting his boot in Lethal's face to block Hail To The King, but Lethal quickly recovered and hit the Lethal Injection to score another notch on his belt in the Proving Ground.
Jay Lethal vs Adam Cole: Southern Defiance (12/5/2011)
Lethal was back in the Proving Ground the next night, taking on Adam Cole in South Carolina. ROH was just starting to take the first baby steps in the huge push that eventually led Cole to the TV Title, but was still in "plucky underdog" mode rather than "established midcarder" and was not yet pushed on Lethal's level. Cole nearly made it the 15 minutes, but Lethal hit the Lethal Injection to block Cole from earning a title shot.
Incidentally, I know I've been very brief in describing the matches on Disc 2, but nearly all of them have centered around the TV Title, which by its nature doesn't lend itself to long matches I'd have a whole heck of a lot to write about. The matches are solid, but nothing they'd have the time to build a classic I'd want to rave about.
TV Title Elimination Match: Jay Lethal vs El Generico vs Mike Bennett: Final Battle 2011 (12/23/2011)
The months long battle between these three men finally culminated at Final Battle, where the elimination rules would mean that we'd finally have one decisive winner who would walk out with the TV Title and the bragging rights of having beaten the other two. This match also featured the ROH debut of Maria Kanellis, Bennett's real life girlfriend who has since become a regular at ringside during Bennett's matches. Generico and Lethal had a good back and forth going with Generico about to put Lethal away with the top rope brainbuster, but Bennett rolled Generico up from behind with a handful of tights to eliminate him. Lethal came out of nowhere and hit the Lethal Injection mere seconds later to pin Bennett and retain the TV Title, putting this feud to bed once and for all.
ROH World Title Match: Davey Richards vs Jay Lethal: The Homecoming 2012 (1/20/2012)
We wrap up with what I consider to easily be Lethal's best match since returning to ROH, challenging Richards in a 30 minute classic in Philadelphia. This was not only ROH's first show in Philadelphia in a full year, but was also their return to the Philadelphia National Guard Armory, which had long been their home in Philly before they switch to the ECW Arena during the HDNet years. In the true spirit of a homecoming, Lethal's status as an ROH original and a champion in his own right made him the natural choice to challenge Davey. Lethal absorbed a ton of punishment for nearly a half hour while also dealing with the distraction of Roderick Strong at ringside, but finally started to mount a comeback. He threw all his best shots at Davey, but failed to put the champion away and found himself on the receiving end of a punishing flurry of punches and kicks. Lethal somehow managed to stay alive, getting to his knees and yelling at Davey to give him more, and Davey gladly obliged by throwing enough kicks to Lethal's head to turn him into a vegatable before pinning him to retain. Awesome match with Lethal showing a ton of heart despite not winning the title, and it was so good that they did it again at the TV tapings a week or two later.
* * *
Given the rate at which these compilations take us through wrestlers' careers, you can usually see a pretty clear evolution over the course of their time in ROH. In Lethal's case, the compilation spans nine years, during which you see him start out at the very lowest entry level rung, work his way up to the top before leaving, then return several years later a more mature and well-balanced wrestler. He came back to ROH as a ready-made main eventer, and all you have to do is watch the second disc to see what an asset he's been in the year since he returned.
Even still, this only scratched the surface of Lethal's time in ROH, and being that he's probably not going anywhere anytime soon, there's plenty left for a second Lethal compilation down the line. You simply can't go wrong with this set because it's packed with great matches featuring Lethal taking on nearly every major star to ever come through ROH, right up through challenging for the ROH World Title earlier this year. Highly recommended, and you can find ordering information at ROH's website here.
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