Column of Honor 04.04.09: Skulls and Guns in the Florida Sun

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 04.04.2009

Ring of Honor is in Houston this weekend, but I’m in Sunny Florida, looking at the latest matches for the second set of HD Net Tapings, the latest in ROH Spring Fashion and the latest in my series of defining moments in ROH history.

At this moment I'm actually not in Brooklyn, but somewhere very special on this weekend of weekends for wrestling fans. No, I'm not in Texas, although that would have been really cool to go see ROH in Houston and then Wrestlemania. Actually I'm not going to be able to watch Wrestlemania this year, which is the first time in about eight years I'll be missing the event. So where am I? Right now I'm in Hollywood, Florida, about ready to attend the wedding of one of my dear friends. Fear not though Column of Honor reader. While I can't update you with the latest on this weekend's shows, I do have plenty of news, reviews and entertainment to provide to you this week. Welcome to the Column.



Ring Toss
-Honored News
-ROH Call
-My Fave 5 2
-The Black T-Shirt Squad
-Seven Years of ROH: Defining Moments of 2007
-Get with the pROHgram
-ROH @ 411


Honored News

Main Events for April 7th and 8th HDNet Tapings

Main Event #1- Special Challenge Match--Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong: These two have a long and storied history in ROH that they could draw from if they wanted to, but I suspect the HDNet tapings will keep it short and simple and limit the story to their recent interactions. They will have a good match; they almost can't not have a good match (double negative and triple word score!)

Main Event #2- Return Match--Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black: (SPOILER!) After the events of the sixth episode of the HD Net tapings, when both men fought to a twenty minute draw, they will do it again for the eight episode. If Black somehow becomes ROH World Champion this weekend, will this become a title match? Either way, expect more goodness from these two that we have seen during the past year. Again, these two when put together almost can't have a bad match. While ROH has so far stayed away from using interference for the television show, we may see it here because both men have programs building or happening against Austin Aries and Jimmy Jacobs.

Main Event #3- World Tag Team Title Match--Kevin Steen & El Generico defend vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus: Steen & Generico have already defended the titles once against this combination, but King and Titus can still knock on their door with this title match. This will be the first tag match with Steen & El Generico on the television series, so perhaps I speak too hastily. It will be interesting to see if The American Wolves also make their presence known during this episode, because they are still hunting the champs as well.

Main Event # 4-Grudge Match--Chris Hero vs. Eddie Kingston: After debuting on the ROH HDNet tapings, Kingston cut a post show promo declaring his intentions. He wanted to return to his war against Hero and wiping him from the wrestling planet. He's going to get what he asked for but will did he ask for too much? Hero is on a KO rampage in ROH and with the backing of Sweet & Sour Inc. he has some friends in high places. Kingston will have to be a one man wrecking crew during this match.

Main Event #2- Tag Team Grudge Match--Jimmy Jacobs & Brodie Lee vs. The Necro Butcher & Delirious:We continue with the current Age of the Fall versus former and disillusioned members of Age of the Fall. Jacobs and Lee are being built up as serious antagonists on the television series, but Necro and Delirious have been batting .500 at the tapings. I think the heels are likely to go over here as a result.

Main Event # 3 (likely but not official yet)—Tables Are Legal, Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. American Wolves: ROH is teasing this match won't happen but my guess is it will main event the evening of tapings. If it does take place, expect plenty of brawling around ringside, some gimmicks and weapon use, and yes, a few table breaks.


New Matches for April 17th and 18th 2009 in Canada

April 17th, 2009 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Grudge Tag Team Match--Tyler Black & Brent Albright vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Claudio Castagnoli: Two huge feuds have apparently come together in one big tag team battle. Tyler Black wants the blood of Jimmy Jacobs on his hands. Brent Albright wants the same from Claudio Castagnoli. Neither Jacobs nor Castagnoli were willing to sign on for a one-on-one encounter, but after a conference call with ROH officials, both men agreed to a tag team match. It seems like both Jacobs and Castagnoli are playing mind games, but its fine as it'll be Black and Albright facing Jacobs and Castagnoli on April 17th!

Special Challenge Match--Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Rave: Cabana and Rave have crossed paths in ROH before, but this is their first singles match against each other since they have both returned to ROH. This stems from Cabana "spoiling the party" for Rave's return. Rave has quickly returned to the bitter and jealous Crown Jewel we all know and love to hate. Cabana will look to create more good times and great memories for the ROH fans at Rave's expense. However, with The Embassy being reformed, will the joke be on him?

Tag Team Action--The Necro Butcher & Delirious vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus: An interesting result of the new and old booking decisions is that they are combining to form some of the more recent back story for the wrestlers on the undercard. Delirious and Titus had a very extended feud in mid 2008, spawning the whole Daizee Haze-Dark Delirious angle. Necro Butcher came to the aid of Haze and helped her to expose Titus as a fraud. Titus found an amiable tag partner in Kenny King. Put them all together and walla- you get a solid undercard tag match that means a bit more than it might appear on paper.

SHIMMER Match--Daizee Haze vs. LuFisto:Lufisto is short and thick, but she has a great ring presence and connection with the crowd, takes it to her opponents and creates some fun and dramatic in ring moments. It's good for Haze to finally be able to wrestle someone else in ROH besides Del Rey or MsChif. Given a good amount of time and a good battle plan, these two will have a solid to very good match.

Chris Hero vs. Frankie the Mobster: An undercard match to give Frankie a decent showing and put the shine on Chris Hero and his knock out prowess.

April 18th, 2009 – Markham, Ontario, Canada

Six Man Tag Team Match--Austin Aries, Kenny King, & Rhett Titus vs. ROH World Tag Team Champions Kevin Steen & El Generico, and Kenny Omega:Now THIS is a main event level tag contest with some "oomph" to it. Aries has backed King and Titus as the future of ROH and together have created a new alliance. However they are opposed by some stiff competition in this match, with men who have plenty to fight for. Kenny Omega, Kevin Steen & El Generico will be in their home country. They will fight not only for their pride and for their Canadian fans, but to show they are the top athletes. Steen & Generico have been battered and bruised in their tag defenses, but they still remain on top of the division. They will need to knuckle down and take the hits once more to come out the winners here.

Special Challenge Match--Colt Cabana vs. Claudio Castagnoli: Long time ROH fans can go back all the way to Joe vs. Kobashi and recall that these two fought as the opening match on that card. Now several years later we get the convergence of "Double C's" once more. Colt Cabana could be on a huge roll at this point and Claudio is in the middle of surging up the ranks with his heel act. Something has to give with this match, although we may just as well get some sort of non-finish or interference in order to ensure neither man "looks bad" afterwards. Still, for now, I'm looking forward to this, and any Colt Cabana match.

Markham Street Fight--Jimmy Jacobs vs. Delirious:Delirious fell short in his bid for revenge against Jimmy Jacobs in Indianapolis on March 14. Now he'll have another opportunity, as it will be Jacobs/Delirious II on April 18th north of the border. Their first encounter was a No Disqualification battle that saw Jacobs drive the Masked Lizard Man through a table before locking in his dreaded Guillotine Choke for the win. Delirious was understandably distraught afterward and now, more than ever, wants revenge. As a result, he's asked ROH officials for, and been granted, a Markham Street Fight on April 18th!

Rematch From St. Louis--Roderick Strong vs. Jay Briscoe: Roderick Strong and Jay Briscoe had a fantastic match in suburban St. Louis that saw Roddy earn the victory. The ROH faithful gave both men a standing ovation after the match, and both men shook hands. Briscoe immediately told Roddy that he wanted to run it back, and both men have signed the dotted line for Toronto! It'll be Strong/Briscoe II on 4/18!


HDNet Scare

There was a bit of a scare for HD Net and subsequently for ROH earlier in the week. Time Warner Cable sent word through its website that it might cut service of HD Net channel. The contract between the two companies was up as of March 31st, and cable companies usually use this type of threat as a negotiation ploy. Andrew Simon, CEO of HDNet stated that negotiations with the company are still ongoing and HDNet later pulled the message down. Still, HD Net's future in several regions of the country, including New York, is in question.

ROH can ill afford for HD Net to lose coverage having just started to broadcast on television, especially in New York and the North East where it has a large fanbase concentration. The whole aim of ROH's program is to expand its reach and have a larger audience (well, relative to HDNet's numbers), but that would be difficult if just two weeks into the series that number was cut by a significant number.


ROHdds and Ends

-Twitter Away: HD Net owner Mark Cuban's Twitter was twittering away as he told all the twittering nation he was "catching up" on episodes of ROH on HD Net.

-From the newswire: More stars of ROH have been confirmed for the ROH return to Dayton and Chicago on April 24th and 25th. Just signed: The American Wolves with Larry Sweeney, Tyler Black, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jimmy Jacobs, Rhett Titus, and Claudio Castagnoli!

-Signed for April 24th: Dark City Fight Club vs. Steen & Generico and The Phoenix Twins vs. Aries & Titus. -

-Signed for April 25th: Bryan Danielson vs. Jimmy Rave (last tussling in 2007 and before then in a great but underlooked match from the Fourth Anniversary Show; should be another good outing from both men), Tyler Black vs. Chris Hero (a very fresh combination that could be a World Title situation when all is said and done).

-From the newswire: Ring of Honor is happy to announce that the charismatic Sonjay Dutt will be in action on May 8th in Boston, MA and May 9th in Edison, NJ. ROH officials are high on Dutt's ability and look forward to his appearances. Dutt has appeared before for ROH, including during 2004 and most recently during Death Before Dishonor IV in 2006 when he fought Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Title.

-From the newswire: The countdown is on as we approach the huge ROH debut in Houston this Friday and Saturday! Everyone at ROH wishes to thank the fine fans of Houston in advance for their hospitality, especially those at Griff's, Houston's Oldest Sports Bar, which will house the official ROH after party on Friday night after "Supercard of Honor IV"! Come to Griff's to see all of your favorite ROH stars! Griff's is located at 3416 Roseland Street in Houston, less than three miles from the George R. Brown Convention Center. For more information, please visit www.griffshouston.net.

-Kayfabe Quote of the Week: "Places. All kinds of places. Big places, small places, in between places. I've been searching in the deepest, darkest, places too. See you in Houston, Dempsey." --Larry Sweeney

I know what everyone is thinking right now after reading that quote…Bastion Booger is coming to ROH! Rock on!


ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 04/03/2009

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 39 successful defenses)
-defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Next Defense: vs. Jerry Lynn, Houston, TX, 04/03/09

V.1 defeated Jay Briscoe, wristlock submission (10/21/07 San Francisco, CA)
V.2 defeated Chris Hero, wristlock submission (11/02/07 Philadelphia, PA)
V.3 defeated Austin Aries, Jawbreaker Lariat (12/29/07 Manhattan, NY)
V.4 defeated Go Shiozaki, London Dungeon (wristlock submission) (01/20/08 Tokyo, Japan,)
V.5 Steel Cage Match: defeated Chris Hero (01/25/08, Dayton, OH)
V.6 defeated Roderick Strong, Jawbreaker Lariat (01/26/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.7 defeated Bryan Danielson, London Dungeon (02/23/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.8 defeated Tyler Black, London Dungeon (03/16/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.9 defeated Larry Sweeney, Jawbreaker Lariat (03/22/08 Crystal River, FL)
V.10 defeated Austin Aries, Jawbreaker Lariat (03/29/08 Orlando, FL)
V.11 defeated Erick Stevens, London Dungeon (04/11/08 Boston, MA)
V.12 defeated Kevin Steen, roll up holding the ropes (04/12/08 Edison, NJ)
V.13 defeated Kevin Steen, Jawbreaker Lariat (04/19/08 Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.14 defeated Claudio Castagnoli, London Dungeon, (05/10/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.15 defeated KENTA and BJ Whitmer, Jawbreaker Lariat to Whitmer (05/15/08, Tokyo, Japan)
V.16 defeated Go Shiozaki, London Dungeon (06/07/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.17 defeated Vic Viper, London Dungeon (06/14/08, Tallaght, Ireland)
V.18 defeated Keith Myatt and Lionheart, (06/20/08, Doncaster, U.K.)
V.19 (title for title) defeated NWA Champion Adam Pearce, Jawbreaker Lariat (06/27/08, Dayton, OH)
*match later reversed via DQ, both men keep their respective titles.
V.20 defeated Kevin Steen, Lariat off Turbuckle, (07/25/08, Toronto, ONT, CN)
V.21 defeated Claudio Castagnoli, Jawbreaker Lariat (07/26/08, Detroit, MI)
V.22 defeated Ruckus, London Dungeon (08/01/08, Manassas, VA)
V.23 Four Way Elimination Match: defeated Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black & Claudio Castagnoli (08/02/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.24 defeated El Generico, London Dungeon (08/15/08, Cleveland, OH )
V.25 defeated Jimmy Jacobs, Jawbreaker Lariat (09/14/08, Tokyo, Japan)
V.26 defeated Roderick Strong, (09/19/08, Boston, MA)
V.27 defeated El Generico, roll up, (09/20/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.28 Four Way Elimination Match: defeated Go Shiozaki, El Generico & Kevin Steen (11/07/08, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
V.29 lost via disqualification to Necro Butcher (11/08/08, Markham, Ontario, Canada) Champion retains on a DQ.
V.30 defeated Bryan Danielson, Jawbreaker Lariat (11/22/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V. 31 defeated Jerry Lynn, pin using ropes (12/06/08, Nashville, TN)
V.32 defeated Naomichi Marufuji (12/27/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.33 fought to a time limit draw vs. vs. Tyler Black (01/17/09, Edison, New Jersey)
V. 34 defeated El Generico, London Dungeon (01/31/09 Chicago Ridge, Illinois)
V.35 defeated D-Lo Brown, Jawbreaker Lariat (02/07/09, Orlando, Florida)
V.36 Four Way Elimination Match: defeated Tyler Black, Jimmy Jacobs &Jerry Lynn (02/27/09, Danbury, CT)
V.37 defeated Kaio (03/08/09, Milan, Italy) *thanks to the column readers for the update on this defense.
V.38 lost via disqualification to Brent Albright (03/13/09, Collinsville, IL) Champion retains on a DQ.
V.39 defeated KENTA, submission with London Dungeon extension (03/21/09, Manhattan, NY)

**

ROH World Tag Team Champions—Kevin Steen & El Generico (champions since 09/19/08, 7 successful defenses)
-defeated The Age of the Fall of Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black on September 19th, 2008 in Boston, MA to win the championship.

Next Defense: vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus, Philadelphia, PA, 04/09/09

V.1 defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe (11/08/08, Markham, Ontario, Canada)
V.2 defeated Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious (11/21/08. Dayton, OH)
V.3 defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe (11/22/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.4 defeated Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious (12/27/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.5 defeated American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) (01/30/09, Detroit, MI)
V.6 defeated Kenny King & Rhett Titus (03/14/09, Indianapolis, Indiana)
V.7 defeated vs. American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) (03/21/09, New York, NY)

**

Top Feuds & Pairings:

-What is going on between Aries and Jacobs?
-Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs
-Tyler Black has a title shot "in his back pocket"
-Jerry Lynn vs. Nigel McGuinness
-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright
-Bobby Dempsey's trail of revenge against Sweet & Sour Inc.
-Prince Nana is once again a manager
-Daizee Haze wants to save Delirious.
-Necro Butcher continues his war against Age of the Fall


ROH Home Theatre Station

ROH Videowire: March 30th, 2009


Nana, Cabana and Rave make for perhaps the greatest opening three minutes in ROH Videowire history. Although the "Cribs" Segment seems like its two years too late…it's been done better by several other wrestling companies (CHIKARA notably doing a segment with Ultramantis Black and Crossbones). Keep up with the times ROH—do a take-off on "The Hills" or "Rock of Love Bus".

---

Just a "Fave Two" (well, three, really) this week, as that's all who I really dug on Raw and I haven't had time to watch much of anything else.

1.Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker: As many others have pointed out, this is the one surefire program for Wrestlemania that has worked from beginning to end. There have been no holes in the program, and while there has been a few "over the top" segments involved by both men playing mind games, for one, that is par for the course with Undertaker feuds and secondly they've played them out logically and with some nice twists in what we expect in an Undertaker program. Much credit to Taker for showing some vulnerability in these segments where Michaels is getting the best of him. he has been "flustered" and "frustrated" because Michaels is turning the mind games on him and he is selling that very well and very professionally.
2. Jerry Lawler: I love that Jerry is still over with the crowd after all of these years. He still gets the pops and the crowd support and rightfully so. He may be great as a heel, but right now he is a Hall of Famer and has the same sort of connection to the crowd that Ric Flair has, in that we really truly like and appreciates them and wants to cheer them onwards. I would have liked to have seen Lawler join the gang in the handicap match against Chris Jericho, but it will be good to see him enjoy the beat down that Y2J is going to receive at the hands of Flair and company.


The Black T-Shirt Squad: Spring Fashion 2009

As Spring continues to roll onwards here in NYC, our thoughts turn to what's new and what's hot in the world of apparel. What new threads will the wrestling fans sport as they head to the show? Let's walk down the runway and see what the ROH wrestlers are modeling this season. Who is too sexy for their shirt, too sexy for their shirt, so sexy it hurts? The answers await for us below:




Jerry Lynn: Self Destruction Tour

Description: Its Halloween every day of the year with this new Jerry Lynn T-Shirt. Celebrate your obsession with the macabre with this wonderful skull filled T-shirt on the front, with an aged skeleton on the front (Is Jerry REALLY THAT OLD?). Apparently this man was a serial killer who wanted to be buried with the skulls of those he killed. If you want to do DNA analysis from 100% Cotton fibers (you'd be surprised at what high tech forensic science can do these days), then look at the ribs on the back.

Hip: Nothing says "Met-al" than the remains of the decay—and judging from the hair style of that skeleton, this one is right from the Randy "The Ram" era of the 1980's. RARRRRRRR! This T-shirt is also great for elementary school children in need of learning biology—the hip bones connected to the rib bone, the rib bones connected to the something something bone…

Zip: "Self Destruction Tour"? Look, are they saying that Jerry Lynn is trying to kill himself? That he's coming apart at the seams? Are things that bad in Jerry's life that he is going to self-destruct? Dude, it's not worth it! Don't do the Ram Jam off that top rope…no, nooooo Jerry, noooooooooo!

Wear or Tear?: There are Kiss coffins for when you are ready for the afterlife…me, I think this would look quite snazzy as someone's apparel for their final resting place. Think of it this way, you'll have plenty of company when you are buried six feet underground with this baby on. Then again, maybe the only way I'd wear this shirt is over my dead body.

Grade: D




Kevin Steen: The Ring is My Weapon

Description: We all know that the cow jumped over the moon, but did you know that Kevin Steen moonsaulted over the ring? Well, you'll know that and learn other amazing facts about Kevin when you buy this T-shirt. Did you know that the ring is his weapon? Well, now you do! Wait… did I just compare Kevin Steen to a cow??? I really hope he isn't reading this…

Hip: I do like the visual design of the shirt, including the logo bending with the ring and the optical illusion of Steen's silhouette—almost three dimensional. Good thing black is very slimming, because otherwise people might think something is sticking out of you, like that scene from Alien.

Zip: You don't want to think about the other optical illusion on this shirt, the one created by that long, thin, black…turnbuckle right in the middle of that T-shirt. Jeez, I know Steen likes to work blue sometimes, but damn, that's almost pornographic!

Wear or Tear?: Steen continues a streak of good T-shirts, including those with his tag team partner El Generico. Although I'm thinking he's going to need a new shadow him doing another move besides the moonsault…how many T-shirts with that design can he sell before people catch on? Oops.

Grade: B+




Necro Butcher: Warning

Description: Practice that Voodoo that you do so well, when you wear this new Necro T-shirt! We've got a pin cushion doll replica on the front for those of you who need to get your jollies out on poor unsuspecting redneck West Virginians. On the back is a warning to all of those sane and rational minded human beings to stay away from the Butcher!

Hip: Well, look if you're a Necro fan chances are you don't mind a little blood on your T-shirt. The logo is bloody red and a bloody fun time. The pin doll is a stroke of creative genius, including the eyes as buttons and the accurate tattoo and apparel. The design on the back is equally aces, with the prescription medicine warning being applied to Necro's ability to damage and demolish his competition. The chair with the skull and crossbones is an equally nice touch. CHAIR!

Zip: Thumbtacks and broken glass shards in Necro's foot…OUCH! Don't want to even look at it, it gives me the chills.

Wear or Tear?: Necro fans should definitely buy in, as should sadists and masochists alike. Others need not apply to wear this shirt.

Grade: A




Brent Albright—Submission Technician

Description: From the Jeff Hardy Painting Collection comes this monstrosity of a design. Splotches of grey on grey that looks like someone took a toothbrush, dipped it some paint and let it fly. You can help to support Brent Albright's cause to save the environment by killing people and planting their skulls in trees, thus restoring the carbon footprint. Oh and he's a professional wrestler too and that's alright I guess…

Hip: Yay, more skulls! Does someone in the ROH design department have a fetish or something? The dab of red is very colorful, very Microsoft Paint 1995 "spray paint tool" of them.

Zip: I have absolutely no clue whatsoever what a giant skull sticking out of a tree has to do with being a "submission technician"…does it involve working stiff? Having a lot of bark? Planting roots in the mat?

Wear or Tear?: I honestly hope that Albright puts the Crowbar on whoever designed this T-shirt and cranks on the arm until it breaks. Maybe that way this person could then actually come up with a good design for a T-shirt for Mr. Albright. As far as this one goes, Albright's catchphrase is "Get Out or Tap Out". I think this shirt should definitely "get out"…

Grade: F




The Briscoes—Skulls and Guns

Description: Oh look everyone, EVEN MORE SKULLS! AND GUNS! Not to mention that once again we have the Rebel flag and a SKULL IN A HOOD. THAT'S NOT VAGUELY REMINISCENT OF THE KU KLUX KLAN IN THE LEAST. It doesn't look like you need to give The Briscoes back their bullets either, because there's plenty of them on this shirt.

Hip: The barbed wire is a nice touch…although maybe they're treading on Necro's gimmick a tad…see the shirt above. The American flag in the background may help to equal out the Rebel colors. It's also nice to know that each of the guns has a name. The Briscoes are redneck harbingers of death on this shirt… I can kinda dig that.

Zip: Let me reiterate… guns, skulls, overt racist overtones. Check, check and check.

Wear or Tear?: Wear this in the wrong neighborhoods in New York City and you will soon look like the skulls on that T-shirt. Recommendation to Avoid on pain of death.

Grade: C-




Dragons and Dragons

Description: Bryan Danielson is looking like one tough mo fo…and the Dragon ain't so pleasant either. This is another shirt in Danielson's signature maroon red color.

Hip: This is actually the first Danielson shirt that actually takes his namesake literally. It could have come off as cheesy but they chose a good design for the Dragons so the concept is pulled off very well. Danielson also looks like a bad ass, and as a result you have an wrestling T-shirt that obviously looks like a wrestling T-shirt, but one you wouldn't be embarrassed to wear even though it's so apparent.

Zip: Nothing.

Wear or Tear?: This is one of the most solid shirts ROH has released this past year. It's a great wrestling shirt and a great T-shirt period. Definite recommendation to buy.

Grade: A+

There you have it. The winners this time around are Danielson, Steen and Necro Butcher. They combine to form quite the winning combination of personalities there, sure to impress the average Joe on the street. Just stay away from skulls, or the average Joe will stay away from you. In breaking news, ROH has just released FOUR new T-shirts, so I'll be back next week with a look at the new merchandise. MORE SKULLS!


Seven Years of ROH: Defining Moments of 2007

Every week for the next month I'll be presenting some of the most memorable and important moments throughout the past seven years of Ring of Honor history. This isn't meant to be a ranked order, nor can it possibly contain every great moment that happened throughout that year. However, when you think about Ring of Honor for that year, these events certainly come to mind.

Therefore, in no particular order:

1. Takeshi Morishima Takes Out the ROH World Champion: We knew that Morishima was heading to ROH in 2007 for a longer stay, but he made huge waves immediately. Morishima flat out DOMINATED then-ROH World Champion Homicide and flat out mugged the title from him. All in a match that lasted about ten minutes and left the ROH fans in Philadelphia in shock at what they had witnessed. No one had done that kind of damage to Homicide before, and no one had taken the ROH World Title with such commanding force. Morishima flaunted that he had the title and dared anyone on the roster to take him down. It would take eight months before it could happen.

2. Takeshi Morishima vs. Bryan Danielson: The first of what became a five match series between the two is perhaps the most "definitive" version of their battle—big guy versus little guy—dominance and straightforward destruction versus "stick and move" and strategy. This match was a thing of beauty—it felt like a true "fight" and I'm sure Danielson would agree since he was injured during the match.

3. ROH Debuts on PPV: The New York City crowd didn't have any clue whatsoever as to the card they would see that night, but they were going nuts as early as thirty minutes before the show even began, dying to see ROH start its "PPV era" with what would become known as Respect Is Earned. There was definite buzz and awe-inspiring feeling being there for the show and while it wouldn't end up being the "best" PPV ever, it was a hell of a lot of fun being there. Matt Sydal and Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Briscoes stole the show, and Bryan Danielson was back in town and made immediate impact by thrusting himself into the Takeshi Morishima versus Nigel McGuinness World Title situation.

4. Ladder War: The Briscoes and the "Odd Couple" tandem of Kevin Steen and El Generico waged war throughout 2008 over the ROH World Tag Team Titles. Their feud culminated in the out and out insanity that was the Ladder War match from the Man Up Pay Per View. For twenty minutes there were massive bumps, falls off, onto and through ladders and the knowledge that four men were sacrificing their bodies to give the fans something to remember.

5. Jacobs Creates The Age of the Fall: It was a master plan gone right. We all saw it coming, and yet no one saw it coming. Project 161 was an excellent summer blockbuster online mystery, and Jacobs revealed himself to be the Big Bad at Man Up, unleashing The Age of the Fall on The Briscoes after the Ladder War in a bloody beatdown. In one fell swoop, Jacobs was responsible for bringing Tyler Black and Necro Butcher into (and back to) Ring of Honor, forming a new faction bent on revolution and serving notice to the rest of ROH that nothing would be the same again.

6. Mitsuharu Misawa Comes to ROH: The rumors were in place all year that Misawa would at some point be making the journey to America to wrestle for Ring of Honor. Misawa did in fact make it for two history-making appearances at Glory By Honor VI weekend. The head o f Pro Wrestling NOAH, with whom ROH had developed a strong relationship, wrestled only against fellow NOAH talents, but the atmosphere and aura surrounding those appearances made up for the lack of a "dream match" against the likes of a Bryan Danielson or Nigel McGuinness. The ROH fans ate up his appearance, creating more of the deep and rich history that is the fabric of this company.

7. Nigel McGuinness and the ROH Fans "Divorce": McGuinness had won the ROH World Title from Takeshi Morishima in October, but at the cost of his bicep. McGuinness was injured and it was possible he would have to take time off to recover from the injury or possibly give up the title. The ROH fans immediately balked at this idea and began to turn on Nigel as not being worthy of holding the championship. Thus the fans who had so taken to Nigel throughout the year served their "divorce papers" to McGuinness, who for his part hung on as best as he could in December, wrestling against Austin Aries for the Rising Above PPV and unfortunately sustaining a concussion during that match. The deafening split reaction McGuinness received from the fans the following night at Final Battle 2008 was one of the most memorable and emotional moments of the year.

Also in 2007: Samoa Joe fought and defeated Takeshi Morishima in a dream match; Joe began a six show farewell tour during the "Fifth Year Festival", culminating in a final match against Homicide; ROH saw farewells from Joe, Homicide, Colt Cabana, Allison Danger, Christopher Daniels and SHINGO all within a one-month period in early 2007; BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs fought a ferocious finale in a cage match at Supercard of Honor II; Roderick Strong turned on Austin Aries would go on to form The No Remorse Corps with Rocky Romero and Davey Richards; Nigel McGuinness and Jimmy Rave would end their short but acrid feud in Liverpool when Nigel would use his Lariat to break Rave's jaw (well not really—he had broken it long before the match—but it makes for great copy); The Briscoes won the ROH World Tag Team Titles for the first time since their return one year previous but immediately lost it to SHINGO and Naruki Doi; The Briscoes would regain the tag belts in April and would go on to hold them for almost the rest of the year; Jimmy Jacobs won the love of his life Lacey, wooing her through a series of dates, although he seemed dissatisfied in the result; BJ Whitmer would go on a losing streak, become mad and angry and end up joining with Adam Pearce and Brent Albright as the Hangmen Three; Chris Hero became the prime member of Sweet & Sour Inc. with Larry Sweeney backing up his client in a war against Claudio Castagnoli; Double C won the Race to the Top tournament; Austin Aries would recruit prospects Matt Cross and Erick Stevens to form The Resilience; Aries was forced to leave when TNA pulled its contracted talent from appearing for ROH, but Aries was freed from his contract and dramatically returned during the Driven PPV tapings; Meanwhile, Jack Evans returned to ROH with Jigsaw and Ruckus as his crew in The Vulture Squad and Stable Warfare was on; The Age of the Fall unseated The Briscoes at Final Battle 2007 to win the ROH World Tag Team Titles, while Erick Stevens won the FIP Heavyweight Title from Roderick Strong at the same event.

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Going Home

Get With the pROHgram:

Now Available: "Proving Ground 2009" Nights 1 and 2, through ROHwrestling.com. Night One was main evented by Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards and featured a coming out party from the Dark City Fight Club. Night 2 gives us El Generico and Bryan Danielson tearing it up and Nigel McGuinness putting up the ROH title against D-Lo Brown.

April 17th, 2009: "Caged Collision" debuts on Pay Per View, with Steel Cage Warfare between Team Albright and Sweet & Sour Incorporated as the main event and Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs for a chance to earn a future ROH World Title shot on the line.

May 9th, 2009: ROH returns to Edison, New Jersey.

June 12th, 2009i: ROH Returns to Manassas, Virginia with a special appearance from "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

June 13th, 2009: ROH returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom with a special appearance from "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

June 26th, 2009: ROH Returns to Detroit, MI with a special appearance from "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.


ROH@411

No Buy or Sell quickies this week… because I'm in the real deal! Catch my thoughts on the BoS topics in this week's 411 Buy or Sell column.

ROH on HDNet Episode 2 coverage on 411 is provided by Larry Csonka via his Play by Play and his Wrestling 4R's. Meanwhile J.D. Dunn continues the rundown with his ROHport.

Chris Lansdell covers the pluses and minuses of ROH on HDNet in his If I Could Be Serious For a Moment, so I don't have to!

Arnold Furious flashes back to 2006 and the Danielson vs. McGuinness World vs. Pure Unification match with his review of ROH Unified.

Dunn gives us a review of a more recent show, All Star Extravaganza IV from December of '08. He is surprisingly very upbeat and positive about the show, even though I felt it was a clear recommendation to avoid because of the very poor video quality (even by ROH standards).


That is it for now…I'm probably chilling on the beach right now and gearing up for my buddy's wedding on Sunday. That's MY Wrestlemania. Be sure to enjoy yours. Until next week, when I'll have results from ROH's Wrestlemania weekend, including perhaps a possible title change at "Supercard of Honor IV" or "Take No Prisoners", a second week of the Black T-Shirt Squad, the final Defining Moments feature and much more!

FLORIDA!
--Ari--