Paul London v Spanky

[Loss]

Paul London v Spanky - ROH Road To The Title

 

This was going along just fine until the last few minutes, when they started blowing nearly every move they tried. They covered as best they could, and they sold the move the way it was executed instead of the way it was intended, which is really all they can do at that point, but the performance was really lacking. I understand that ROH prided itself on competition at this point over face/heel alignments or hatred or any other normal aspect of American wrestling, but it makes the whole thing sort of an exercise in frustration, and as would be the case on all the ROH I watched today, the announcers are clueless -- they openly admit to not being able to call most of the moves, and they talk so fast and elaborate on points so long that by the time they finish, the wrestlers are usually somewhere else entirely. What the wrestlers accomplish in the early stages they do well, with Spanky trying a variety of things to put London away, none of which appear to be working at all. His look of frustration is a nice subtlety, and I do enjoy the fact that it isn't overdone. This is mainly good for Paul London's highspots, as he hits a gorgeous somersault plancha and springboard Asai moonsault, which was the first time I had ever seen that move. Beyond that, there wasn't much there. This was not a good match.