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Terminus 2
2/24/22 - Atlanta, GA
Streaming on FITE.tv
Terminus returns in the second outing with what promises to be a stacked card. Lenny Leonard & Dave Prazak are your commentators.
Pre-Show Match: Adam Priest vs Invictus Khash (Rounds Match)
We have three 5-minute rounds for this first contest.
Round 1: Back and forth graps for the first minute or so. Priest gives up size so he tries to use leverage against his bigger opponent. Khash with some smooth reversals and takes Priest down. Priest is getting visibly annoyed at Khash’s overwhelming sportsmanship. Khas Lu with a hip toss for two and Priest is right back up with a vicious chop. Priest stretching him but Khash picks him up and tosses him down and chops back. Priest is swiping at Khash frustratedly as the round ends.
Round 2: Priest with a hammerlock takedown and bridges over to put Khash is deep pain. Khash kicks out of danger, sleeper, Priest out with an uppercut and is well in control finally. Trading chops, Priest twisting at the arm even more. Khash out and firing back with his remaining good arm. Priest back on the arm and grinding Khash out methodically. Khash puts in the brakes and drives Priest’s shoulder into the mat. Khash locks in a armbar head scissor…it looks deep but Priest gets the rope. Despite being in control most of the match, Priest ends the round on his back.
Round 3: Both guys clutching their shoulders. Priest hits a German! Trading hard chops with their good arms. Priest tries an O’Connor roll, Khash pops out of the pin attempt and sinks in a sleeper. Priest struggles but ends up taking a nap. These guys both went for it here. Enjoyed how this built.
Winner: Invictus Khash
The show has kicked off proper now and we’re opening with the return of Terminal Eliminator Match! A 4-way with tags turns to a triple threat to a one on one.
Match 1: Kenny Alfonso vs Chris Sabin vs Leon Ruff vs Tre Lamar
First Fall: The pop and react for Ruff is so hot that even Tre is impressed. Kenny and Sabin kick this off, good trading of back and forth holds and reversals. They test chins with forearms, double drop down, double dropkick has them at a statelmate. Ruff wants a piece and tags Sabin. Evasive springing off the ropes, head scissor sends Kenny off to tag Tre. Lamar with a dropkick cuts off the momentum. Kennedy tags back in but Tre is mauling him. They mention that the winner of this match gets their choice of match and opponent at the next show. Sabin back in against Kenny and tries to grind him down., working the shoulder and neck. Kenny ducking and throws kicks into Sabin’s head and chest. Kenny out of a wheelbarrow into a stunner. Sabin with a pin attempt but Kenny reverses into a crossface. Sabin forces the break on the rope. Ruff in hot, Tre makes a blind tag! Chaos breaking out as Kenny is effectively in a 2:1. Kenny wants a dive out to Ruff, Sabin intercepts with a superkick, cannonball off the apron. Ruff join him down there and Kenny planchas right over to everyone. Tre ducks Kenny, facebuster and top rope elbow ends Kenny’s night.
Second Fall: We only have five minutes left on the clock for the next two falls! Ruff in with a German on Tre. He wrenches the neck as Sabin bides his time, waiting for a double crossbody. Kick off Ruff, tornado ddt to Tre! Yakuza kick to Ruff! Roll through with a fisherman’s suplex for a really close two! Ruff firing back, Tre in, trips both guys to the rope, rolls back dropkick to both! Tre with a springboard crossbody to Sabin as we hit 90 seconds remaining! Sabin out at two, Ruff with a springboard cutter to Tre for the pin!
Final Fall: 60 seconds remain! Ruff with a suicide dive! Frogsplash only gets a two! He tries a corkscrew dive, Sabin catches him with a kick and hits Cradle Shock for the pin! I have to assume the first fall went way longer than intended, I’m not sure why Sabin needed this win over the HOT
TO DEATH Leon Ruff but this is a rare case where I would have been okay with a time limit draw.
Winner: Chris Sabin
Match 2: Killa Kate vs Queen Aminata
Aminata is a presence and tries to get in the head of Kate, with a handshake and aggressive pointing out of the crowd’s reaction for the Queen. Kate isn’t fazed and cooly picked the foot of Aminata into an ankle lock and heel hook early. Kate wants a real hand shake and Queen pie faces her. Kate with a butterfly pin into a hammerlock Aminata still isn’t taking this serious and gives Kate a booty dusting in an arm lock. She pulls Kate down by the hair and draws her first warning against the Terminus rules. The infraction proves effective as she works the midsection with kicks and strikes. Aminata is still playing games with a cocky pin, Kate with a quick roll brings her back to earth. Aminata with a German but doesn’t get all of it. Running hip attack into the corner with a boot wash….and then a butt wash. Kate kicks right out of that. She fires up with kicks, Aminata with a rollup. The small package reverses a couple of times but Queen Aminata gets the better leverage and takes the three! Liked the story they told here.
Winner: Queen Aminata
Match 3: Kevin Blackwood & Daniel Garcia vs Dante Cabellero & Joe Keys
Keys offered a handshake, Garcia walks right past him. Garcia with an opening flurry but Keys powers him to his corner for a tag. Blackwood makes the tag too but he can’t match Cabellero’s power. Big spinning slam, tandem hotshot into back suplex for two. Garcia with a tag and distract lets them take advantage on Keys. Cabellero makes the save and Blackwood takes the beatdown again. Pumphandle backbreaker looks brutal. Blackwood double legs, double stomp, tag to Garcia, red death fires out of the corner. Cabellero pummeled into a two count. Garcia stomping out the limbs as Cabellero begs for mercy. Garcia forces Cabtto flip off his own partner and bites the finger. Blackwood with a series of Germans. Lariat German combo on Cabellero two. Garcia & Blackwood doing a good job of sneaking cheap shots in behind the ref’s back, including a closed fist to the dome of Keys that sends him tumbling. Cabellero fighting off, Keys makes the tag! Keys is bloodied from that closed fist! Headbutt series to Garcia! He’s fired up and a bloody mess! Northern lights, Garcia kicks out! Garcia pounded into the mat! Keys with a crossface and bleeding right into Garcia’s head. Brain buster, Garcia is out! Blackwood with a kick to the head, powerbomb and Cabellero makes the save. Keys with a lariat to the tag! Tandem Gory Bomb Facebuster to Blackwood, Garcia is out on the apron, and that closes this out! This match got where it needed to though not without some wierd chemistry in the early going. The blood absolutely helped the energy of that last few minutes of this contest.
Winners: Keys & Cabellero
Match 4: Serena Deeb vs Liiza Hall
The Professor is holding class in Atlanta tonight. The crowd is hot for Deeb and anticipate Hall is about to get stretched. Hall gets tossed early but is able to reverse the wrist lock. Deeb snags a headlock and drags her to the canvas. Hall reverses a hammerlock but not for long, Deeb taking it back and dropping knees into the hold. Hall with a couple of arm drags and Deeb thinks it’s time for a 201 class. Test of strength, Hall fights up from a full bridge back. Deeb drives the arm right into the canvas. Deeb targeting that limb now and twists the left into some painful positions. Hall tries a rollup but no luck. Senton to Deeb for two! Hall trying a choke out but her arm is too trashed to hold it. Body scissor pin attempt back into the sleeper, she rolls onto the hurt arm to hold it in place. Deeb grabs the ankle to free herself. Choke to the top rope stuns Hall, front guillotine on the second rope, neckbreaker off the apron almost ends Hall’s night. Abdominal stretch with a neck crank keeps Hall hurting. Hall with a fireman’s carry takeover into a pin attempt. Deeb’s legs kicked out, shining wizard! Two count! Cannonball into a shoulder lock! Deeb rolls out, dodges another cannonball, posts the legs of Hall. Deeb slaps on a trailer hitch but Hall crawls to the ropes. Swinging neckbreaker for two! Hall is refusing to quit. Hall fights out of a piledriver, big German! DVD! Kick out! Liiza with a deep half crab! Deeb fighting out to the ropes. We have less than a minute left! Deeb escapes a DVD and manages to lock in the Serenity Lock as time expires. We go to 90 second overtime! They come right in, Deeb’s piledriver is blocked. Hall with a sunset flip rollup but Deeb reverses it and scores the three! Deeb is shocked at how hard this match was for her but is still cocky in victory. Hall says I’ll get you next time. I REALLY enjoyed this back and forth match but I worry this did damage to the credibility of The Professor’s current run of pure technical murder on TV. Either that or Liiza Hall just elevated herself huge.
Match 5: Sw3rve the Realest vs Davey Richards
Richards is replacing Lio Rush in this one. These guys have some prior history around the indies. Good graps to open this contest, Richards almost sneaks an armlock pin for an early win. Sw3rve tries a crucifix pin but Richards works him to the rope again. Sw3rve firing back, Richards waking up with a fury, Sw3rve with a closed fist rocks Richards but draws a warning. Big backbreaker, flurry from Sw3rve, diving back elbow to the head for two! Richards tries a gotch piledriver, back drop out but Richards snags an ankle lock! Sw3rve out! Scissor kick to the back of the head! Cutter for two! Richards with a hard PK and brain buster! Sw3rve fights to the ropes. Richards wants that piledriver onto the apron….Sw3rve out, superkick and double stomp to the apron. Both guys fall out of the ring! Terminus only has a 5 count on the outside and Sw3rve gets back in at 4.5…Richards is still in a heap outside….RULES. MATTER. Richards is annoyed at the loss but raises the victor’s hand. This was a lot of fun and the finish just gives Richards a reason to ask for another shot.
Winner: Sw3rve the Realest (count out)
Match 6: Jay Lethal vs Baron Black
Fast arm wringer trades to a stalemate. Lethal getting a Flair pop for his strut. Lethal with a headlock, Baron takes the arm and forces Lethal to the ropes. Both men ready for the other, trading arm drags and dropkicks. Lethal picks up a warning for sending Baron over the top rope. He’s furious and tries to apologize to Baron for the infraction…kind of. Baron with an atomic drops and fires chops into Lethal’s chest. Lethal catches him with a tilt a whirl backbreaker and suplex to get some space. Lethal paying those chops back. Grapevine the legs but Baron’s legs are too strong for that one to stay on. Baron with more chops, Lethal with a hip toss to a dropkick for two. He wants Lethal Injection, Baron with a snap German. Abdominal stretch is deep! Lethal hopping out of trouble but Baron blasts a discus lariat and suplex for another near fall. Lethal tries a figure four but Baron with a pair of close roll ups. Swinging neckbreaker from Lethal and a brain buster! Baron first to his feet at nine. Lethal slaps on a figure four, arches back, Baron hangs in it a while to get to the rope…but he’s hurting. Lethal targeting the leg, tries Lethal Injection, Baron dodges into an atomic drop and hits a back stabber for two! We have a minute left! Dragon screws from Lethal! Baron tries to hang but Lethal with a flurry! Lethal Injection connec—no! Baron Black gets a rear naked choke! Cross face rolls to the ropes as time expires! We go to the 90-second overtime. Trading hard forearms at the bell! Baron with a cradle for two, Lethal tries his own, Baron kicks out. Lethal off the ropes and Lethal Injection hits finally, keeping Baron Black down for the three! Good energy through this contest, really liked the back and forth and build.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Main Event: Jonathan Gresham(c) vs Santana (Pure Rules Match for the ROH Original World Championship)
Santana grabs the mic before the bell to put over Gresham’s wrestling prowess. Santana isn’t here to wrestle…he’s here to FIGHT. It’s a Pure Rules match but Gresham shakes his hand and smiles. Gresham wants to wrestle. Ring the bell, lock up, right out to the floor and Gresham goes right back in. None of that floor crap. Gresham locks up the arm, Santana with a back elbow and tosses Gresham over the top. The champ goes right back in as he wants this encounter to take place between the ropes. Santana doesn’t. Santana able to counter Gresham’s holds, “See I knew you could wrestle!” Gresham confidently offers his wrist to Santana, trade right to a headlock, Gresham cartwheels out and offers the wrist again. Santana blocks a headlock takedown and sends Gresham to the floor! Suicide dive into front row! The crowd pops hard for it! Santana brawling that beatdown around the ringside area. Gresham tries to reverses but gets blasted into the chairs again. Backdrop to the apron! Gresham keeps eating chairs as the ref works up to the 20 count. Are we counting? Gresham trying to crawl back into the ring but Santana drags him out. The champ is out of his element here clearly. Back into the ring, Gresham tries to target the arm and shoulder. Santana twisted down to the canvas, Gresham buries a fist into the ribs. He butterflies the arms back and squats into the hold. Twist the ankle and Santana is pulled hard into a pin. Gresham keeps the pressure on, showing Santana that he might be out of his element between the ropes. Santana bridges out of a pin but Gresham arm drags him back over. Gresham pulls him out and parades him around the ring in an armbar. Santana uses one of his rope breaks to get out of this hold. Enziguri! Rolling cutter spikes Gresham down for two! Gresham pretzels Santana down for another two. Santana slugging back and forth. Santana with a closed fist and he picks up an official warning. The chairs were okay though. Lol. Gresham with a springboard ddt and dive to the outside. Fast pin attempt in the ring, Santana out with a huge lariat for two! 16 minutes in as the crowd chants this is awesome. Trading forearms back and forth! Gresham dropped! Kip up! Double pins and an enziguri! Pace picked way up, Santana with a rolling lariat for two! Trading roll ups! Rapid leverage switching for one counts! Gresham DEFINITELY got a three count but the ref seemed to hesitate? Uh oh. Santana kicks out. The crowd knows the ref messed up. Gresham comes back with a jackknife pin, the ref counts three and then seems confused and doesn’t ring the bell until a few seconds later. What happened here?
Winner: Jonathan Gresham
Even Gresham knows something was up, “what the f*** was that?”. He offers to fire the ref…but suggests they have a rematch instead. Gresham puts it to a vote. The crowd is split so Gresham say It’s Rock Paper Scissors with the ref’s job on the line. They pick two fans from the crowd to play! Oh no! Ref Mike Black just got fired? “Get the f*** out of here!” WTAF did I just watch? Santana and Gresham pull the crowd back from their na na na chants and give each other props and send the show home as we go to black.
Ack. So let’s start with the positives: Last show, Terminus had a LOT of technical issues and production flubs that I was hoping they would rectify this show, THEY DID. The crowd was pretty vocal for a lot of this show and rewarded some legitimately good efforts with appropriate praise. There were a lot of good matches presented here but a couple fell a little flat in execution. Really loved the interplay in the two women’s match. The 4-way was fun while it lasted and Baron Black continues to prove his worth hanging with another major name this show.
I would highlight a few major things as a criticism: Rules matter but everyone needs to know them. The people at home. The people in the room. THE WRESTLERS IN THE RING. They always seemed surprised when they get a warning. The crowd you can teach over time but The people at home NEED a graphic. Rules also need to be consistent. If you’re highlighting your promotion with a special set of Terminus rules, it feels weird to open with a rounds gimmick, then a 4-way eliminator then some regular matches and then have your main event contested under another promotion’s rules. Which bring me to the ROH Original Championship: stop defending it. I have no expectation that this belt will ever change hands outside of that promotion so even if you put Josh Alexander or Santana in the match, I don’t see the belt ever in danger and assume Gresham wins or some technicality with protect both guys.
So then there’s the main event. Last show ended on a double pinfall. This show’s main event already felt off to me as Gresham’s whole THING in Terminus is how he’s bringing wrestling back and redefining combat, etc. Him and Santana had an Indie match. I like Indie matches a lot but should this have been that? With a focus on pure wrestling, should they have spilled out of the ring early into the match to brawl and pop the crowd hit early then drag it back in and slow it down with graps? I wish I could articulate this better but something felt off to me in how this match built…and then the ending happened. I suspect the awkwardness was the ref’s fault but WOW. The whole “get the crowd to vote on his job security” rib was the kind of thing you do AFTER the cameras go off. Seeing this on the broadcast, and then Gresham not protect his ref when his gamble didn’t go the rematch way…did not sit right with me. I get that he was trying to make the best of a bad situation/finish in the moment but it felt really out of place. Where does Terminus go from here? We’ll see on Terminus 3 eventually.
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