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411mania » The 411 » Samuel Berman

Picture:
Name:	Samuel Berman
Email:	samuel_berman@yahoo.com
Current Roles:	Independent Wrestling Writer Emeritus
Past Roles:	The Cool Kids' Table - Co-Founder The Up & Under The Independent Mid-Card The Box in the Attic ROH Roundtable Previews (editor) Buy or Sell (editor) 411 Music Reviews
Other credits:	Appearances in: Roundtable Previews, Wrestler of the Week, Column of Honor, WWE vs. TNA, The Triple Threat, Top 5 (Music Zone), Fact or Fiction (Wrestling & Music Zones), ROH & IWA Mid-South Live Reports, Why I Love Wrestling, Truth B Told
Quote:	"Sometimes it's obscene how important things seem..." -The Cocksmiths
History:

Blog

And we're rolling... - 11.17.2007

A seemingly very well-received edition of The Up & Under went live this afternoon and I’m in the mood to do some simple wrestling writing. Combine that with me having just spent the last couple of hours listening to some random music and I’m going to go with another Top Ten List, this time featuring my favorite Independent entrance themes. These will take into account four major factors: (1) good song, (2) connection between wrestler and song, (3) overall aesthetic of entrance, and (4) my subjective likes and dislikes. Also, this will the first list to include some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions:
“Beautiful Disaster” by 311 – Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
“Fucking in the Bushes” by Oasis – Nigel McGuinness
“What’s Golden” by Jurassic 5 – PAC
“Break it Down Again” by Tears for Fears – Mike Quackenbush
“Ole” by The Bouncing Souls – El Generico (and Kevin Steen)
“Copa Cabana” by Barry Manilow – Colt Cabana

10. Danger! High Voltage by Electric Six
Theme for Spanky – ROH, FIP
Tons of fun and just a little bit off-beat, much like Spanky himself. A theme that fits with Spanky’s character while simultaneously getting the crowd on their feet, which combines two things every theme should do. Bonus points for not being a generic rock song.

9. A Country Boy Can Survive by Hank Williams, Jr.
Theme for James Gibson – ROH, FIP
A change of pace from the usual hard rock entrance themes, Gibson’s theme for his 2005 Independent run was somehow fitting given his everyman persona and notably excellent work ethic (especially in Ring of Honor). Never has a more mellow song made for such excellent entrance music.

8. Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down
Theme for Chris Hero – IWA Mid-South, CZW
Hero’s come out to a variety of songs over the years, but with this song’s long intro and superhero-themed lyrics, none (well, save for one) has been as appropriate. The anticipation would build until Hero busted through the curtain, and the energy would continue throughout his walk to the ring. In some ways, this one is effective because of its simplicity.

7. Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus
Theme for “Spyder” Nate Webb – IWA Mid-South, CZW
Honestly, this is one of those entrances that you either like or don’t like. If you like that a mid-carder takes four-and-a-half minutes to complete his entrance while dancing through the crowd and doing backflips into the ring, then you’ll love it. If you just want them to get to the opening bell, then you’ll hate it. For my money, it’s tremendous fun.

6. The Final Countdown by Europe
Theme for “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson – ROH
Yeah, maybe it’s just that I got used to hearing it so often and for so long during Danielson’s ROH World Title reign, but this one has grown on me during the last year or so. Basically, this is another in the ‘epic entrances’ category that some like and some don’t. I do.

5. Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J
Theme for Samoa Joe – ROH, FIP, IWA Mid-South, PWG
Some may prefer the (also awesome) “The Champ is Here” entrance, but I like Joe’s non-title theme more. Basically, during Joe’s ROH run he had one theme for when he was holding a title and one theme for when he was between reigns. If that doesn’t say something about how awesome Joe is, I don’t know what will. Anyway, I like this one more, but it may be because I know pretty much every word to the song anyway.

4. You Got It (The Right Stuff) by New Kids on the Block
Theme for Josh Abercrombie – IWA Mid-South
Oh man, if there ever were the perfect confluence of entrance theme and wrestler is this one for Josh Abercrombie. He’s also been known to use Michael Jackson’s “Bad”, but this is the far superior choice, with just enough of that ‘is he really using this as entrance music’ reaction to combine with the undeniable catchiness. This defines thinking outside the box to pick your theme music.

3. Gimme Back My Bullets by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Theme for Jay & Mark Briscoe – ROH, FIP, PWG, CHIKARA
Though other entrances may be better overall, there probably isn’t a song or beat that is more connected to a team’s persona than this one is for the Briscoes. From the opening chords, fans know that things are about to get a little crazy, as the Briscoe Brothers are on their way to the ring. This one earns bonus points for remaining constant for an extended period of time.

2. We Are the Champions by Queen
Theme for The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) – ROH, IWA Mid South, CHIKARA, PWG, CZW
Maybe I’m a sucker for the pariah title-holders entering through the crowd during their run together in Ring of Honor, but Freddy Mercury singing his heart out as the oft-hated due sneered their way through the masses remains one of my favorite sights in all of wrestling. Suitably epic for a team that was once triple crown champions on the Independent circuit.

1. Miseria Cantare (The Beginning) by AFI
Theme for CM Punk – ROH, FIP, IWA Mid-South
Probably the most anthemic entrance music ever, Punk’s entrance combines the long intro with the incredible beat (which is burned into the psyche of ever ROH fan due to the near-constant pounding of the guardrails during every one of Punk’s entrances) that developed beyond the entrance theme into a mid-match chant for the Second City Saints leader. One of the few entrances where the entire song is played with any regularity.

And we're rolling... - 10.19.2007

No, I'm not in Las Vegas for the show tonight. But that doesn't mean that I can't take time out from my busy TV watching schedule to give you my real time thoughts as tonight's ROH results roll in on the ROH Boards.

Updated at 9:33pm CDT

Roderick Strong over Brent Albright via pinfall with a gutbuster to advance to the SOTF Finals.

Got to say I'm not surprised here. Like I said in the ROH Roundtable, Strong's still a good couple of pegs above Albright, despite neither guy being of any interest to me lately. Strong advancing sets up pretty much everyone's predicted NRC angle in the Finals, so this one was a no-brainer.

By the way I'll also update the TV and music elements throughout the night to quell what I'm sure is intense curiousity.

TV: Lewis Black - Red, White & Screwed on HBOCom
Music: Yo Mama by The Pharcyde

Hero vs. Anderson is up now. Waiting on those for further comment.

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Updated at 9:43pm CDT

Chris Hero over Karl "Machine Gun" Anderson via submission with an STF to advance to the SOTF Finals.

Well thank god that Hero wasn't the 'oh, let's job someone out to a newcomer' guy. I'm still holding out hope that Romero fills that role so that I look like a genius with my predictions, but that probably won't happen either. 'STF' is probably uneducated shorthand for the Hangman's Clutch, and if so, then that's another welcome development, as Hero doesn't pull that move out enough in ROH. Anderson reportedly had a good showing which is also good, because that means we're theoretically one step closer to him and Joey Ryan as a regular team in ROH.

TV: Scrubs (syndicated) on The CW (The one where JD finds out the Janitor was in The Fugitive)
Music: None

No announcement as to what's up next. Back when there's more.

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Updated at 10:10pm CDT

Austin Aries over Delirious via submission with ??? to advance to the SOTF Finals.

Another non-surprise, as Aries has pretty much been the odds-on favorite to win the tournament amongst everyone I've spoken with on the subject. He seems to be winning a lot by submission lately (with this match and his series win against Danielson), but I've yet to read a report that spells out a specific maneuver. I'll see if I can't track something down by the next update. I was pretty torn on this match going in, as I like Delirious a lot and think back-to-back wins would have been a cool resume line for him, but Aries is clearly the top guy in the promotion outside of Danielson and McGuinness and was just going to have to go over here.

By the way, the crowd is estimated at only 200-300, which is something like a third of even a small Chicago crowd. Not that I was really expecting 1000 in Las Vegas, especially with the 21 and up age restriction, but still. Unless there's something about the finances that I'm missing, 200-300 won't be enough for ROH to make Vegas a part of the regular rotation. They probably would have been better off running Los Angeles in retrospect.

TV: Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO
Music: None

Again no clue what's on now. Back at the next update.

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Updated at 10:25pm CDT

Claudio Castagnoli over Davey Richards via pinfall with the Ricola Bomb to advance to the SOTF Finals.

Well, here's my first error of the night, and not surprisingly it's on the first match to take place without an obvious winner. Claudio and Hero both being in the finals should be interesting, but this probably means that Perkins won't pull the upset over Romero because if Strong doesn't have any help in the finals then the point of him being the leader of a heel stable is completely moot. Claudio winning both tournaments in the same year would be a cool resume line for him, but I just really can't believe they're going to put that many eggs in one basket.

Oh, and assuming Aries used the same move he used against Danielson, it's some sort of bridging chinlock.

Fun television moment: Bill Maher just had a guy kicked out of the studio on live TV for causing a ruckus and just generally being a douche bag.

TV: Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO
Music: None

Back when I'm back.

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Updated at 10:38pm CDT

Well, elsewhere I'm seeing that Perkins has lost to Romero, but there's nothing in the official ROH Boards thread yet, so I'll wait to comment until something surfaces there.

TV: Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO
Music: None

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Updated at 10:51pm CDT

Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson fought to a draw so neither advances to the SOTF Finals.

Well, they did it again. Stupidly, what has been announced is that the winner of a three-way featuring Human Tornado, Tony Kozina and Shane Hagadorn will advance to the finals in the place of the Nigel/Dragon winner. Wow is that dumb. I mean I guess that's one way to book yourself out of the corner after ridiculously announcing Dragon vs. Nigel in the first place, but why not just book Nigel against Tornado and Dragon against Anderson and take Hero out of the equation (because I don't think anyone really sees Hero going over in the end)? I guess we'll see where this is all going, but this feels right out of the gate like the sort of bait-and-switch tactic that ROH usually skewers WWE and TNA for.

Oh, and there is STILL no official word on Perkins/Romero on the ROH Boards, but consider that one in the books based on what I'm reading elsewhere. I'm disappointed that ROH didn't try to shake things up by putting Perkins over, but I guess giving Tornado (who is my pick to win the impromptu 3-way) the spot is considered 'edgy' enough to qualify or something. Overall this is feeling very bad to me as a fan.

TV: Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO
Music: None

Back with the results of the wacky three-way of extreme stupidity in a bit.

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Updated at 11:02pm CDT

Human Tornado over Tony Kozina and Shane Hagadorn via pinfall with ??? when Tornado pinned Kozina to advance to the SOTF Finals.

***SHOOOOOOCKED*** That was the sound of my new song, "Shocked, in F Major". I mean it's not like either of the other guys would have fit in at all in the finals, but still. I'm not actually sold on Tornado in the finals, but it'll probably pop the local crowd to have a West Coast guy in there, so that's something. I'm actually pretty surprised by the generally positive response to both the draw and the resplacement match on the ROH Boards. I would have thought that the people there would be as disgusted by the cop-out booking as I am.

TV: Weeds on Showtime (West Coast feed)
Music: A Fond Farewell by Ari Hest (from Bucknell Univ. on 11.13.04)

Back with more as things settle down.

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Updated at 11:14pm CDT

Well, I'm the one who broke the Perkins/Romero result on the ROH Boards, based on what Bayani had sent to Larry for the SUPER SECRET 411 STAFF FORUM thread on the matter. Hurray for me. Anyway this leads to...

Jimmy Jacobs & Necro Butcher over Jay & Mark Briscoe via KO with a DDT on a chair into a guillotine choke by Jacobs on Mark.

The match was said to have gone all over the venue, which isn't surprising given Mark's condition and that they probably needed to do some covering for him. Oh, and because it's a blood feud involving the Briscoes and Necro. Glad to see that they gave Jacobs the win specifically, as I think ROH is doing a pretty decent job of making each of the factions' leaders look strong. Hopefully the 'brawl around the arena' stuff will come across well on DVD, because often it's just irritating live.

For the record, your 2007 Survival of the Fittest Finals are as follows:

Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero vs. Rocky Romero vs.
Austin Aries vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Human Tornado

That's not exactly the field I was anticipating, but then again Tornado wasn't even supposed to be on this show in the first place.

TV: Baseball Tonight on ESPN
Music: Something Coming Over by O.A.R. (from Holmdel, NJ on 8.11.07)

Back with the first elimination.

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Updated at 11:45pm CDT

OH COME ON! Seriously? Seriously? After like three years on the bandwagon, I finally just give up and THEN they put him over? Seriously?

With eliminations as follows:

Hero over Tornado via pinfall with the Hero's Welcome
Hero over Romero via pinfall after a 450 Splash by Aries
Hero over Aries via pinfall with a rollup
Hero over Strong via pinfall with the Hero's Welcome
Hero over Claudio via KO with the Hangman's Clutch, thus...

CHRIS HERO IS YOUR 2007 SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST WINNER!

And only about six months after it would have made a major difference. Ok, that's probably not completely fair, as Hero is talented enough to make up for even the most absurd of booking errors (and with them putting him over EVERYONE in the finals, this is certainly a BIG step in the right direction), but even so, why not have already established him as a singles player by now?

That said, I've been complaining that Hero needs a marquee singles victory for a while now, and going over six other guys in one night is pretty much as good a run as you can possibly have. I'm as big (if not bigger) a fan of Hero as anyone, so for me this is a welcome change. Also, the match didn't seem to take all that long, so Hero gets the added bonus of not having needed 45 minutes to dispatch with his opponents like in years past.

I honestly could go on and on and on about how great this is, but suffice to say that I'm going to go edit my last column and the roundtable to make it look as if I believe all along. Note to certain people: that last part was a joke.

A fun night all around for me, with some solid television watching, some decent music, and the best news possible out of ROH. Definitely not doing this on Sunday night for the San Francisco show because I'll be at work, but maybe I'll bring this back in the future if people like it.

TV: American Beauty on HBOSig
Music: Time is a Runaway by The Alternate Routes (from Vienna, VA on 8.3.05)

And we're rolling... - 10.17.2007

Eh, it's been a while since I've posted something here and I'm bored waiting for some Buy or Sell and Roundtable stuff to come in, so I figured this was as good a time as any to post my personal Top Ten List for my favorite wrestling matches. Remember, as always these are my favorites, not necessarily the objective 'best ever'. Obviously, I have to have seen the match for it to qualify, so there isn't a lot of (read: any) mid-90's Japan stuff on here, because, well, I've seen very little of it.

As a point of reference, this 'official' list has been updated twice previously from my first written list, and was posted on my then-current blog (which was put on semi-permanent hiatus in January of 2007). Consider this updated from what was included on the previous list.

10. Samoa Joe © vs. CM Punk
ROH World Title – ROH Joe vs. Punk II – 10.16.04
Time Limit Draw, 60:00
One of the purest wrestling matches in North America in the last twenty years, this match is essentially flawless, appearing this low on my list only due to the fact that the pair was able to top themselves with a transcendently emotional affair a few weeks afterwards. This match, as with all great trilogies, is at its best when viewed in context of the entire story. If you have the patience and time to sit through all 150 minutes of Joe vs. Punk action, then do yourself the favor and purchase the three necessary shows, because what they contain is one of the most intricate and amazing stories ever told in a wrestling ring.

9. The Rock © vs. Steve Austin
WWF Title, No DQ – WWF Wrestlemania X-7 – 4.1.01
Austin pins Rock, 28:04
I promise to make sure the other explanations are more expansive, but seriously, it’s Rock vs. Austin from X-7. Seeing this match should be a prerequisite for being a wrestling fan.

8. CM Punk © vs. James Gibson vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels
ROH World Title, Four-Way Elimination Match – ROH Redemption – 8.12.05
Joe submits Daniels, 41:08
Punk pins Joe, 42:09
Gibson pins Punk, 50:39
This match is the height of in-ring storytelling, weaving no less than six major storyline threads into one epic event. For the record, my count is Punk trying to leave ROH with the belt (1), Punk desperately wanting to pin Joe in an ROH ring (2), Daniels returning from exile to confront the man who put him out of action (3), Gibson’s consuming desire to win gold in ROH (4), Joe and Daniels’ issues stemming from Joe’s time in the Prophecy (5), and the new issue between WWE pariah Gibson trying to defeat WWE signee Punk (6). This is a classic in every sense of the word, bringing the Summer of Punk angle to a fitting and satisfying conclusion.

7. CM Punk vs. Jimmy Rave
Cage Match – ROH Nowhere to Run – 5.14.05
Punk pins Rave, 24:15
This match is overrated here compared to the actual in-ring product, mostly because it’s the match that finally sold me on ROH as a company. I liked what I saw with Manhattan Mayhem, but it was the visceral need to see the blowoff to the Punk vs. Rave feud that hooked me as a ROHbot for good. The match also earns bonus points for indirectly leading to the Summer of Punk angle that remains my all-time favorite wrestling angle to this day.

6. Samoa Joe © vs. CM Punk
ROH World Title, No Time Limit – ROH All Star Extravaganza 2 – 12.4.04
Joe KOs Punk, 31:30
Seemingly every ROHbot’s mileage varies on this feud and which match is the best of the trilogy. For my money, the emotional level reached in this contest was the feud’s zenith and one of those elements that keeps me watching wrestling. Punk and Joe noted during their ROH shoot interview that what they loved about this match was the complete uncertainty that they had created about who would walk out with the title. Most wrestlers go their entire careers without getting in the same zip code as this match. In the last ten minutes of this bout, Joe and Punk used a trio of outings to create something that was even greater than the sum of its parts.

5. Johnny Jeter © vs. Matt Cappotelli
OVW Heavyweight Title – OVW TV – 10.29.05 (Match took place 10.26.05)
Jeter pins Cappotelli, 24:15
I originally bought seven months of OVW television in one fell swoop, wanting to see what all the fuss was about during Paul Heyman’s period as the company’s booker. Oh, lord was I in for a treat. Jeter and Cappotelli’s feud wasn’t anything new in wrestling (one member of an up-and-coming tag team turns on his partner and puts him out with an injury, winning a singles championship either in the process or in the interim, only to have the injured partner return looking for revenge), but the execution between two stars this young and talented was beyond what I could have hoped for. The duo’s 2/3 Falls rematch got more hype at the time, but I believe that this match remains the superior encounter, complete with my favorite intangible: big match feel. Well worth watching if you can find it.

4. Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation
Six-Man Tag Team Match – ROH Supercard of Honor – 3.31.05
Dragon Kid pins Naruki Doi, 20:32
State-of-the-art in every conceivable way, I was privileged to see this match live in Chicago Ridge. The in-ring action was truly off-the-charts, so much so that by the final stretch of the match the fans had begun chanting “Please Don’t Stop!” at the competitors. Need more be said?

3. Steve Austin & Triple H © vs. Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit
WWF Tag Team Titles – WWF RAW – 5.21.01
Jericho pins Austin, 13:42
Though I haven’t watched this match in some time (in part due to my unclear feelings about watching Chris Benoit perform in the wake of June’s tragic events), I can say with no hesitation that it remains amongst the greatest matches to ever appear on free wrestling television. Not only was this moment a seeming watershed moment for both Jericho & Benoit’s careers, but it ended up as one of the most influential matches ever, if only due to its unfortunate aftermath in the form of HHH’s quad injury. Imagine how different the wrestling world would have been in 2001 (leading into the InVasion storyline) had this match not happened. If you feel comfortable watching Chris Benoit’s matches and have never seen this one, then what are you waiting for?

2. Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin
ROH World Tag Team Titles – ROH Good Times, Great Memories – 4.28.07
Mark pins Shelley, 35:17
My current vote for Match of the Year in 2007, this match was and remains the greatest match I have ever seen live, and I have seen some classics. Maybe it’s that I was sitting ringside, or that I happen to be a huge fan of all four men involved, but this match takes on an almost mythical element for me. It was one of those rare moments where you know you’re watching something special, even as it unfolds before you. I know that Danielson vs. McGuinness has been getting a lot of press lately, but I stand by my belief that this match remains untouched by any other bout this year.

1. Triple H © vs. Cactus Jack
WWF Title, Street Fight – WWF Royal Rumble – 1.23.00
HHH pins Cactus, 26:49
Probably the most emotional match ever for me personally. I was so invested in Foley’s character at the time and loved the storyline that saw him rehired as Mankind, only to lose a bloody decision to Hunter on RAW and resuscitate the Cactus Jack persona heading into their Street Fight at Madison Square Garden. Tremendous stuff both from a storyline perspective as well as the in-ring product. No serious wrestling fan should go without seeing this match.

And we're rolling... - 06.21.2007

Well we've got ten participants announced as of today, so I'm going to start handicapping the field. All odds are for fun, because gambling is wrong and in NO WAY endorsed by 411Mania.com or myself personally. And professional wrestling is predetermined anyway.

Participants listed in order of announcement:

Joey Ryan - 3:1
Doug Williams - 14:1
Susumu Yokosuka - 24:1
Dragon Kid - 20:1
Chris Bosh - 7:2
Davey Richards - 5:1
Jimmy Rave - 30:1
Chris Hero - 9:1
Human Tornado - 11:2
Jack Evans - 6:1

And we're rolling... - 05.08.2007

I’ve been tossing around the idea of putting some stuff up on this blog for a while and finally found the time to pull the trigger (read: I decided to NOT go out after RAW ended tonight). I’m not sure what form these will take or even how often I’m going to do them, but there’ll probably be an eclectic mix of top ten lists, random match reviews and general thoughts on whatever I don’t feel gets covered in my columns and our various roundtables.

For now, this is one that some recent shows have gotten me thinking about. So I give you my personal TOP TEN TV SHOW MOMENTS. Please note that this isn’t a global list, but my list. BIG difference. Don’t expect to see ‘that funny moment from Friends’ or the last episode of M*A*S*H on here.

10. Nancy sleeps with the wrong man
Weeds – Season 1 – The Godmother
After finally going for a relationship that would seem to work on the surface, Nancy walks into the bathroom late at night wearing her new man’s shirt, unaware of course that when she turns the lights on, she’s in for a big surprise. Long story short, the initials on the shirt are the absolute last letters you want to see if you’re a suburban drug dealing single mother of two. Mary-Louise Parker’s facial expressions bump what could have been an ordinary shocking moment up onto this list.

9. Tommy seemingly rapes his ex-wife
Rescue Me – Season 3 – Sparks
After the two meet to discuss their impending divorce, Tommy loses his cool because of Janet’s relationship with his younger brother and suddenly begins to rape her. If her reaction (she seemed to rather enjoy herself) was unsettling, her hiding of the event from Johnny moments later helped add another layer of discomfort for the viewer. Easily one of the most powerful scenes I have ever watched, albeit a difficult one to get through.

8. Carter leads a walkout
ER – Season 9 – Insurrection
Upset about a lack of security in the ER, Carter decides that he’s beyond uncomfortable and leads the staff in a walkout until conditions improve. What was important was not the moment itself, but the true passing of the torch from Dr. Greene who had died from cancer at the end of the previous season. This moment showed that Noah Wyle’s character was truly ready to step up to the plate as the “rock” of the ER, carrying the show into the coming years as a bridge between the show's beginnings and its future.

7. Jim finally admits to the camera that he has feelings for Pam
The Office – Season 2 – Booze Cruise
In a moment of frustration, Jim, who had long pined for Pam (and secretly she for him), finally turns to the camera and in response to the notion of ‘what would you save if the building was on fire’ he says, “You know what? I’d save the receptionist…” Not exactly the climax of the storyline, but a major, major moment in the evolution of the Jim & Pam story.

6. Pembleton collapses during an interrogation
Homicide: Life on the Street – Season 4 – Work Related
After years of high-stress interviews and chain-smoking, Detective Frank Pembleton, a dynamo of a man suddenly crumbles to the floor mid-sentence, having suffered a stroke. Usually at home in “The Box” (the pet name for the Homicide unit’s interrogation room), the location of Pembleton’s disintegration had as much to do with the drama as the act itself. Andre Braugher would from this moment on have to drastically alter his character, adding senses of hopelessness and vulnerability where none had existed before. An incredible and completely unexpected moment from one of the forgotten great shows of the 90s.

5. “No you don’t, but thanks for saying it…”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Season 7 – Chosen
After spending the better part of three seasons trying to get Buffy to admit that she loved him, Spike chooses to make one final redemptive move and sacrifices himself to save her and all of their friends. In his final moments, she finally says “I love you”, but in a moment of true clarity, he responds “No you don’t, but thanks for saying it…” An incredible payoff to a three year build that finally acknowledges what the true relationship between the characters was.

4. George relives his fateful night with Meredith
Grey’s Anatomy – Season 2 – What Have I Done To Deserve This?
After the show dances around the reality that the two had been intimate for the entire episode, we finally get to see the events of George and Meredith’s fateful night together towards the end of the show. With George standing in the doorway, he relives what for him should have been a dream and how quickly it turned into a nightmare. The musical backing (Brandi Carlile’s sublime “Throw It All Away”) just helps to underscore the raw emotion of the moment, one from which neither character would recover quickly.

3. Said stabs Adebisi to death in self defense
OZ – Season 4 – You Bet Your Life
If you watched OZ, then you know that the biggest storyline through the middle seasons was the rise to power of the hedonistic Simon Adebisi. The plot to overthrow him, put in place by Black Muslim leader Kareem Said, ended in Adebisi’s bloody death at the end of the cliff-hanging mid-season finale.

2. Dr. Cox finally acknowledges J.D.
Scrubs – Season 5 – My Fallen Idol
This is actually the combination of two scenes. After Dr. Cox makes a decision that inadvertently leads to a trio patients dying, he sets out to drink himself to death on his couch. All of his friends and co-workers take turns trying to pull him out of the abyss, but it’s J.D.’s touching and heartfelt words that finally cut through the darkness. In the next scene, Cox calls J.D. by his name for the first time (if you don’t watch Scrubs, then just don’t worry about it) and then gives him the elusive ‘pat on the back’ that he’s craved since the very first episode. If you ever wanted to see a storyline five years in the making pay off, this is the scene for you.

1. President Bartlett invokes the 25th Amendment
The West Wing – Season 4 – Twenty Five
After his youngest daughter is kidnapped, President Josiah Bartlett is forced to turn over the power of the presidency to the most powerful Republican in the country, the Speaker of the House. Set up in truly stunning fashion (first by a conversation between the President and his daughter in the first season and then by the more recent ouster of the Vice President in a sex scandal), the emotion of this episode (especially the moment when the mystery guest star who plays the Speaker first appears) was truly overwhelming, showing how great the show could be in the post-Sorkin era.

And we're rolling... - 01.09.2007

There was a brief discussion on the 411boards of an anti-WWE bias in the 2006 Year-End Awards voting. As a loyal, and coincidentally party-line voting ROHbot, I felt the need to respond to such allegations. My post (slightly edited for form) follows:

Originally Posted to 411 Message Forums Jan 5 2007 11:08 PM

I'm a big ROH fan. It's pretty obvious. I write my column about (primarily) the ROH product. I attend their live shows. I purchase their DVDs.

I watched RAW (and to a lesser extent, SmackDown) for over a decade religiously before finding the ROH product. It was (at best) coincidental that I started watching a lot of ROH at nearly the same time as I stopped watching most of WWE's product.

During an average week, I don't watch RAW. It does not, however, have anything to do with that I like Ring of Honor. I think that some earlier posts implied that writers who voted for ROH in the awards did so out of spite for WWE. I don't watch RAW during an average week because it coincides with Studio 60, a show that I regularly watch. If I'm not watching that, it's 50-50 that I'm out for the evening. Could I go out of my way to watch RAW? Of course I could, but I don't really care to.

Furthermore, I don't get to watch Impact each week until the replay, but it's not because I like ROH. It's because it's on opposite Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy & The O.C. and my DVR doesn't tape 4 things at once. I like those three shows more than I like watching Impact, and they don't have Saturday replays.

But, again, none of that has anything at all to do with the fact that I like ROH.

I like Ring of Honor and I got out of my way to watch Ring of Honor because I find that they provide me with the wrestling product that is THE MOST ENJOYABLE FOR ME. So for me, when I submitted my Year End Awards ballot (which I freely admit was primarily filled with the ROH product), it was filled in to reflect my opinions about what the best wrestling programming (televised or otherwise) was during 2006.

I watched some WWE shows and even more TNA shows during 2006. No feud in either of those two companies was as good in my opinion as ROH's company-wide war with CZW. That's why I voted for ROH vs. CZW as my #1 feud of the year. It had literally nothing to do with me 'not liking WWE' or being an 'ROH fanboy'. It was because in my mind, that was the best feud.

The question I have for some of the people who are upset at the 'Anti-WWE bias' in the voting is this: with Ring of Honor becoming an increasingly important part of the national wrestling landscape, how can you consider yourself an informed fan if you DON'T watch some of ROH's product? Don't you owe it to yourself to see some of the other options out there?

If you're a pro-wrestling fan, why not pick a month (any month) and instead of spending $35 on the WWE Pay-Per-View, buy a copy of Glory By Honor V, Night 2 or Better Than Our Best for $20 and see if you like it. While I don't think that everyone will all of a sudden become a committed ROH fan, some people might just enjoy what they see.

In short, I think ROH was the best professional wrestling product available in 2006. You may disagree. But before you do (or at least before you complain about 'Anti-WWE bias'), shouldn't you watch at least as much of Ring of Honor as I watched of World Wrestling Entertainment?

And we're rolling... - 01.09.2007

I just discovered this part of being a 411 staff member, so I wanted to toss up a couple of things that I had posted elsewhere. This is my write-up of the storylines leading to Homicide's title shot at Bryan Danielson at ROH's Final Battle 2006. It was originally written on the afternoon of the day of the show and then posted on the ROH message boards.

The Road of Homicide - An Impromptu Look Back

In about seven hours, it will all be over. By then, the main event of Ring of Honor's last 2006 event will have ended and we will know who walks out at World Champion. But for now, we still don't know whether "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson will retain his title and extend his now 15-month stranglehold on the belt, or if "The Notorious 187" Homicide will fulfill his destiny and become the new Ring of Honor World Champion. Though it is a cliche to say so, this match is truly five years in the making.

Both men have been with the company since its very first show. On that card, Homicide was a mid-card guy, still trying to establish himself as an independent powerhouse, while Danielson (then wrestling simply as "American Dragon") was one-third of a three-man main event. Since that day, both have had their ups and their downs in an ROH ring, along with plenty of memorable moments for each man. There was Homicide's bitter feud with then-champion Samoa Joe, during which he had numerous shots at Joe's ROH World Title. There was Danielson's grueling 2/3 Falls match against Paul London, which has come to be known in the ROH cannon as "The Epic Encounter". There was Homicide's violent war against noted jokester "Classic" Colt Cabana that culminated in a blood soaked Chicago Street Fight and an embrace of true respect. There was Danielson's gutsy victory over Japanese superstar KENTA, where the Dragon retained his title despite a near-crippling shoulder injury. And in all of this, there's been no mention yet of their Best of Five series, during which both men became as familiar as opponents can be.

And then came this Summer. After losing his first shot at Danielson's title in June because the referee deemed him unable to continue, Homicide has slowly built towards his rematch. After saving Ring of Honor during the company's war against Combat Zone Wrestling by both entering and securing the winning pinfall in the cross-promotional Cage of Death Match in July, Homicide had been promised three wishes by ROH Commisioner Jim Cornette. When one of those wishes was reinstatement for a close friend, the indefinitely suspended Low Ki, Cornette lost his composure, having associate "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce attack the weakened Homicide. Cornette went on to say that Homicide would only earn a second shot at Danielson's title if he and newfound ally Samoe Joe were victorious in a tag team match against Cornette loyalists the Briscoe Brothers. After coming out of a classic bout in New York City on September 16th victorious, Homicide has, as promised, walked through hell to get to his title rematch.

Homicide and Joe traded wins in two more matches against the Briscoes, but along the way, Cornette had enlisted the help of Homicide's sworn enemy, "The King of Old School" Steve Corino, in an attempt to derail Homicide's road to the championship. To make matters more complicated, Homicide had promised in June that if he did not win the ROH World Title by the end of 2006, that he would leave Ring of Honor forever. And so, with his hated rival now in the picture, Homicide was forced back into the ring with the man against whom he had badly injured his shoulder nearly a year ago. Corino battled Homicide in a Fight Without Honor, long considered the most brutal and heartless match in ROH. Homicide emerged victorious, but was soon faced with a scheduled Strap Match against Pearce in Chicago.

On the night of the event, Homicide announced that a Strap Match simply wasn't violent enough to eliminate Pearce from his path, challenging the "Scrap Daddy" to a Steel Cage Match instead. Pearce accepted, but after a tremendous and gory affair that saw both men badly bloodied, Homicide again emerged the victor. His weekend in Chicago was not all progress, however, as the night before, Homicide's long-standing shoulder injury had been reaggravated after Danielson paid "The Shooter" Brent Albright to target Homicide's arm during their match. If not for Samoa Joe's interference, there's no telling what kind of damage Albright could have caused.

As for Danielson, since his last match with "The Notorious 187", he has become increasingly paranoid and, thus, increasingly more desperate to retain his ROH World Title. He has managed to leave each event with his title intact, but after a Summer that saw him retain in multiple bouts with Colt Cabana and dangerous challenger Nigel McGuinness as well as battle Samoa Joe to a classic 60-minute draw, the Fall has been less kind to the "American Dragon". After being decisively pinned or made to submit only four times during the first eleven months of his reign (twice to KENTA and once each to then-ROH World Tag Team Champions Austin Aries & Roderick Strong), Danielson has now lost four falls in the last four months. After losing a fall each to Cabana & McGuinness during 2/3 Falls matches, Danielson passed out while in a Samoa Joe belt-assisted chokehold after an Anything Goes Non-Title affair with the big man in October. Most surprisingly, Danielson cleanly tapped out to Delirious' Cobra Stretch submission at the second night of events in Chicago earlier this month. It is becoming more and more obvious that with his badly injured shoulder, the champion is no longer the dominating force he was when he won the title. Danielson has said that he will not take time off to have surgery until he loses the ROH World Title, but when will that be?

Will the Lucha Thug, Brooklyn's own Homicide be able to dethrone the Ring of Honor World Champion and reach the next level of success? Will Danielson again escape, if ever so barely, with his title and continue to run roughshod over the promotion for which he is undeniably the World Champion? One thing is for sure, it all comes to a head tonight in New York City, as the city's own takes on a man that has truly been one of his greatest nemeses. Will it be a moment of celebration, or a bittersweet farewell to one of Ring of Honor's founding fathers? For the first time in a long time, I have no idea, but I know I'll find out tonight.

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