3. A.J. Styles defeated Roderick Strong. AJ got a hero's welcome. Streamers flew in more than they did throughout the night for Styles' return to RoH. Styles and Strong put on a really good match that was extremely stiff. Lots of chops, kicks and punches. About 3/4 of the way through the match.
AJ looked like he was going for his springboard 450 splash but lost his footing on the ropes and landed very awkwardly. He was noticeably in pain, as he immediately grabbed his knee and limping noticeably afterwards.
They went for the finish and after a Sick Kick by Strong, AJ put Strong in the hold for the Styles Clash. Strong tucked his head down after looking at the video posted on Prowrestling.net instead of pulling it back so he could land on his chest. He landed on his neck very awkwardly and the crowd was horrified and nervous. AJ pinned him for the win, and after the match, it looked like Strong said "I can't feel my arm" as he was holding his left arm. However, the rest of the The Decade ran in and beat down on AJ Styles which Strong moved out of the way on his own. That got a sigh of relief out of the crowd. The rest of the ROH locker room made the save and Lethal cut a promo thanking Nashville, and thanking AJ Styles for "Coming Home."
Notes: Before the show, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and AJ Styles were doing autographs and pictures, but the line for Piper was so long and Styles wasn't getting much business from the fans. Styles packed up about 30 minutes before bell time. Piper was really pleasant and a joy to be around and actually seemed like he wanted to be there.
AJ Styles 1st match back in ROH and he injures somebody
ROH Video (spoiler): Botched move during A.J. Styles vs. Roderick Strong match
Jan 5, 2014 - 02:27 PM
Video footage of Roderick Strong taking the Styles Clash from A.J. Styles has surfaced online. You can view the footage (but please note that it includes footage of the match finish) at
Instagram.com/p/ixoHt2nkf0. [Thanks to Dot Net Member Chris GST and Dot Net reader Todd Cadorette for passing along the footage]
Powell's POV: Strong was hurting after the match and one can only assume that he will require additional medical examination. It was a scary situation and one can only hope that Strong avoided any serious medical issues. The footage has also popped up on Deadspin.com, meaning it is getting attention from non pro wrestling websites.