Background: After months of fighting for another chance at the ROH World Tag Team Championship, The Briscoes got a chance to wrestle Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Hass, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team, in a marquee at ROH’s biggest show of the year.
Final Battle
New York, NY
December 23, 2011
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team vs. The Briscoes
Pro-Briscoe crowd in NYC here. Rather than wait for the bell, WGTT attacked The Briscoes with the belts. Shelton and Mark paired off as Haas belly to back suplexed Jay across the top of the guardrail! Mark felt something similar by getting suplexed on the entrance ramp. Another belly to back on the guardrail is what Jay felt. Mark’s back was back was killing him after being back dropped on the floor. Both Briscoes felt the force of a steel chair cracking their backs. Haas almost broke a chair over Jay’s head. Mark felt it, too. Haas flipped off the crowd as Jay struggled to get up. With Benjamin holding the chair, Haas whipped Jay into Shelton’s chair swing. Like is brother, Mark was belly to back suplexed across the guardrails. Jay was practically unconscious on the floor while Haas wore Mark’s back out with a chair in the ring. As noted by Nigel and Kelly, the match hadn’t started. The fans were chanting, “F*** you, Charlie!” Jay began fighting back, only to get whipped into another chair shot by Haas. The top of Jay’s head was bleeding and swollen! Stomp to the testicles of Jay was just another insulting injury to an injury. WGTT seemed to relish in the fans hatred for them. With a bloody Jay hanging across the top rope, WGTT screwed up the Leap of Faith.
The bell finally rang as Mark confronted both men. Mark took a DDT that ended his fight. The fans were still behind The Briscoes. Jay felt it; super kicking Benjamin to save his brother from taking the Leap of Faith. Haas and Jay were slugging it out in the ring’s middle, only for Jay to get dropped by a big boot. Stinger splash by Shelton might have done more harm than good as Shelton fell to his knees afterwards. Mark speared the life out of Shelton before tagging out.
Double Briscoe hip toss on Shelton, and Jay ripping off Benjamin’s shirt revealed that Shelton’s ribs were taped up following that attack on ROH TV. The Briscoes had Shelton cornered, wearing out his midsection. Jay got ahead of himself, running into a back body drop. Haas tagged in, throwing some Oklahoma jabs. Mark and Jay were being kicked and slammed by Haas. An exploder almost gained Haas the pin for his team. Big power slam by Haas was stopped by Mark. Shelton pitched Mark over the top rope, with Mark splatting on the floor. When Shelton followed, he got whipped into the barricades. In the ring, Jay hit that downward spiral in the corner on Haas. Running dropkick by Mark set up the iconoclasm … and a near fall!
Mark called for the Doomsday Device. Before Mark could complete the clothesline portion, Benjamin yanked Mark off the ropes. Haas got free of Jay’s grip, German suplexing Jay over and over again. Haas of Pain on Jay almost made him tap out. As Jay held on in the submission, Mark climbed the corner behind them. Benjamin knew what Mark had in mind, sliding into the ring. To save Haas from taking the Frog Elbow by Mark, Benjamin jumped on top of Haas, being elbowed in the ribs so Haas didn’t get hit. The referee called for help for Shelton as The Briscoes beat down Haas in the ring. Double Briscoe shoulder tackle almost turned Haas inside out. Haas stopped the second double shoulder tackle, Olympic slamming Jay into the referee.
Shelton Benjamin returned to ringside, grabbing a piece of plywood. Benjamin broke the board over Mark ‘s head, and cracked Jay’s back. The fans saw WGTT’s actions as a tribute to Jim Duggan. Grabbing his own board, Mark clobbered Shelton in the back before they could Doomsday Device his brother. Doomsday Device on Haas! Jay made the cover and new champions!
Winner: The Briscoes (13:16)
Is It A Classic: Jay and Mark Briscoe almost getting their heads crushed were horrible and unnecessary. Yet, like a car crash, I couldn’t look away. The story told could be taken in a couple of ways, but the most important piece of business is the end. With The Briscoes surviving WGTT, Dem Boys ended the year at the top of the division during a transitional period in ROH’s existence.
