Column of Honor: 04.11.09 Part One: Lynn-ch Mob

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 04.11.2009

After this weekend, we have NEW ROH World singles and tag team champions! The results from ROH’s weekend in Houston and Television tapings in Philadelphia (SPOILERS AHEAD). News on Danielson and Sweeney's future in ROH. Then, a look at just why and how ROH fans treat new champions, focusing on their reaction to Jerry Lynn. Also,ratings for the wedding I attended this weekend in Florida!

I'm back everyone from an AWESOME trip down to Miami, Florida, (well not on the flight getting there which was delayed seven hours due to bad weather and because the pilot was on ANOTHER plane (!) but everything after) where I got some excellent relaxation, worked on my tan (well, it didn't work, but still) and didn't regret not being able to watch Wrestlemania 25 for a second. (there's always DVD) . I even went to South Beach and partied it up, which knowing me is something else.

By the way, if you want some spooky coincidences...today is 4/11 day, I'm writing for 411Mania and...guess what number my hotel room was in Florida? Oh yes.


So how was my friend's wedding? I thought I'd break it down in true IWC style, with star ratings!

The Ceremony: It took place at The Westin Hotel on Collins Ave. in Hollywood (uber posh, we stayed at the Newport, which was a notch lower, tre-posh). It was on a promenade looking over the beach and the ocean with an open chupah so you could see the blue water and sand. Great visuals, great weather, with just a bit of wind to chill everyone but not get annoying. The rabbi was entertaining but perhaps too focused on getting his stuff in, so that takes it down a bit. The vows went off without a hitch, no screw job finish or run ins by envious ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends. ****3/4

The Cocktail Hour: Inside the hotel in the lobby outside the ballrooms for large events. Not a huge smorgasbord, but definitely made up for it with quality over quantity. The pineapple chicken skewers, puff pastry and chumus bar were awesome. Of course you had the meat table, but there was also a cool twist with a stir-fry buffet. You piled on different ingredients and gave it to the cook who put it in the pan and let it go. This was very popular, which led to long lines and maybe some frustration among the casuals in attendance. Of course every wedding has its own unique quirk to it and this one was no different. You guys know the photo booths where you can take photos and they appear in a strip? Well there was one of those in the foyer, and everyone took advantage of it to take some wacky photos. You got two copies, one to put in a keepsake book for the bride and groom the other for you to keep as your gift for the wedding. This is a really cool idea and we had a lot of fun with it. ****

The Reception: Inside the ballroom, with about fourteen tables and one hundred guests overall. The tables were named after places in Florida such as "Rum Cay" and "Key Largo". There was a live band with a very fetching young lass on vocals and of course a solid male band leader guiding the way. They started out with American music…and well, that bombed bigger than Big Show and Kane attempting to chain wrestle. It literally "put butts in the seats". The wedding was saved though when the father of the groom suggested to the band leader to change the musical direction to more Israeli dance. THAT got people off their butts and moving and shaking. The traditional Money in the Bank Hora was excellent, but perhaps not the best in the history of WeddingMania. Lots of stunts as expected, such as circle dancing and the bride and groom did the lifting up in chair spots to a raucous pop. The speech from the maid of honor was *** at best, but the best-men did a great job, really popping the crowd with their sordid tales of debauchery, including one tale involving a goat, but I shall not publish it here. The dinner was very good, with my selection being beef and mashed potatoes, an excellent decision I believe. Desert was a selection of chocolate pastries, fruit and the wedding cake was of course the main event. ****1/4 reception, perhaps higher if there weren't so many people blowing spots by falling down on the dance floor.

Overall: A very excellent and enjoyable wedding, although could have used a bit more dancing. Ranks up there but not as great my sister's wedding in June of '08, which kicked all sorts of ass. ****1/4


Welcome to the Column.



Ring Toss
-Rating the Wedding
- Lynn-ch Mob
-ROH Results: Supercard of Honor IV in Houston, TX
-ROH Results: Take No Prisoners 2009 PPV Tapings in Houston, TX
-ROH Results: ROH on HDNet Tapings Episode 7-9 in Philadelphia, PA
-ROH Results: ROH on HDNet Tapings Episode 10-12 in Philadelphia, PA
-Honored News
-ROH Call
-My Fave 5
-Honorarium
-The Black T-Shirt Squad Week 2
-Seven Years of ROH: Defining Moments of 2008
-Get with the pROHgram
-ROH @ 411
-Buy or Sell Quickies


Lynn-ch Mob

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but a new Ring of Honor champion is here and already many of the faithful fans on the internet are anticipating the next champion, showing their apathy, fickle nature and lack of willingness to give things a chance.

Just last year I was writing about Nigel McGuinness and the negative reaction he was receiving from a loud subset of ROH fans, mostly due to his being injured and unable to perform on several shows over a two month period right at the beginning of his title run. Amazingly, coming to the end of McGuinness's title run here we are in the exact same state for Nigel, too injured to go on as champion. However, now the wheel has come around and the fans have seemingly embraced Nigel despite his injury, or perhaps fighting through it enough to drop it to someone else. Nigel's heart, soul and dedication to working while injured were all paid tribute to over this past weekend and as a result of the positive reception from the fan base, Nigel has seemingly turned face once again. His humbleness in responding to the fans on the shows in what amounted to "farewell for now" promos only confirms that change of heart, but what sealed the deal was the Claudio Castagnoli (aligned with McGuinness over the last several months) attacked Nigel in an angle on the Take No Prisoners PPV taping. McGuinness now goes on injured reserve with a feud against Castagnoli ready-made for his return, although he can easily slide into either the face or heel spot should the need arise.

Was this a "you don't know what you got until it's gone" moment for the fans given the previous year and a half of Nigel as champion? Or was this another example of how hypocritical the fans can truly be when dealing who is the ROH champion? I believe it's the latter, as I did last year, and one only has to look at the criticism the online fans have given Jerry Lynn over the last several months to confirm it.

For months on end I've read on the ROH message board the negativity about Jerry Lynn in the title hunt including how he has been pushed down the fans throats as the spirit of "Randy the Ram Robinson " in ROH, to a backlash about of all things a free four-part shoot interview available on the ROH Videowire. Honestly, it all came across with a tinge of the been-there, done-that for me, having seen this same pattern repeated over and over again over the years. Last year, the reaction of the fans created the Nigel heel turn—but this time there would be no amount of complaining in threads that would put a halt to Jerry Lynn's title win.

Yet, according to many of the live reports about Supercard of Honor IV, Lynn's title win was met with incredibly positive response. The fans were shown chanting ‘you still got it" at the start of the latest videowire. This disparity in response once again shows that there IS a difference between the live shows and the commenter and analysis being done on the internet. There was of course the fact that Nigel McGuinness's title run has come to a conclusion and that in ROH's first show in Texas there was a world title change, but much of that positive response has to come from a place in the fans in attendance, those who were genuinely happy and accepting that Lynn had won the title.

Yet upon his victory, Lynn had to acknowledge the detractors who had been building their walls of complaint online. He stated that that he wasn't deaf and realized that he wasn't the most popular wrestler to some fans. He pledged to work hard to prove he was a capable champion.

Even Dave Meltzer in his Wrestling Observer newsletter believes that Lynn would be best served as a short term and transitional champion. He writes that "To me, Lynn has to be somewhat short-term and probably to lose to Danielson or Black." Why does Lynn "have" to be short term? I don't get it. I don't see it.

Is it Lynn's age? It's amazing to think that ROH fans or wrestling fans in general could be demonstrating ageism when they cheer or don't cheer on the wrestlers, but there it is. Now, this is the same audience that responded well to guys like Ric Flair, Harley Race and Bruno Sammartino, but none of those three ever made claims to be wrestling regularly for ROH. None of them would therefore be subject to the intense hypercritical scrutiny of the ROH fan base as far as in-ring activity.

Interestingly, WWE fans have shown a terrific amount support for Ricky Steamboat's special in-ring appearances over the last week. Granted, Steamboat won't be challenging Triple H for the WWE Championship anytime soon, however if Steamboat feels inspired by his recent in-ring successes to step up to more frequent matches, one wonders if the WWE fans will turn on him. Lynn's veteran-as-comeback initially had that kind of fan encouragement, but when that became the very basis of his character, fans became "tired" of having that thrown in their face.

It's inexplicable and almost not understandable to me that such a double standard exists. Most of the talent on the roster is under thirty years old. At 46 years of age, Lynn is not only one of the older veteran wrestlers on the roster, but he is the oldest ROH World Champion in the history of that title. Up until his retirement there was a section of fans who were hoping that "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair would get that one last run as a WWE Champion. While admittedly Lynn is nowhere near the Hall of Fame talent as Ric Flair, this is a similar case where someone who is "getting up there" in age comes through in the clutch and wins the big one.

Do ROH fans have a natural inclination to support the younger wrestlers on the roster? The other major push for a wrestler to become champion over the last several months has been Tyler Black and at 23 years of age, he would be one of the youngest wrestlers to be champion. However, even Black has had his critics due to his "failed" chances at the ROH World Title. In truth, some of his weaknesses as a wrestler have been exposed over the last two months, including needing some work with baby face promos. Black excelled in expressing himself under The Age of the Fall banner and had a nice promo about "change" at the end of October, but since then has failed to gain the sort of traction on interviews that truly seals the deal on gaining the hearts and the mind of the fans in storylines away from the ring. Once again though, if fans don't want someone too old or too young, the question becomes, just what does the ROH fan base want in their representative as champion?

Is it Lynn's connections to the original ECW? Jerry Lynn was one of the longstanding members of ECW, including having some very hot matches against Justin Credible and of course his rivalry and series against Rob Van Dam. Lynn won the ECW Heavyweight Title in the dying days of that company and it was a title win that not many people expected. Lynn's run was short, just one month, and soon after ECW itself was out of business. That was nine years ago and Lynn has worked with many different companies since then including WWE and TNA. He even became X-Division Champion while in TNA and helped to establish and motivate that division when it really meant something. Do ROH fans have some sort of unconscious fear that because Lynn was a champion just a few months before ECW died that if Lynn became or remains champion in ROH that it will suffer that same fate? I don't know and I actually doubt that very much. However, for those fans who are becoming increasingly apathetic to ROH in its current state, Lynn couldn't have, shouldn't have become champion and now that he is champion, the feeling would be that he needs to drop it as soon as possible.

Lynn came back to ROH in June 2008, but it wasn't a return from WWE or TNA—he had already spent considerable time on the independent scene, working very hard and proving himself every time, including winning the Super Indy tournament for International Wrestling Cartel based in Pennsylvania. Lynn came back to ROH for a special appearance and the result was a real good non-title match against ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness. Some fans and reviewers at the time were surprised that Lynn acquit himself so well during this match, but I never had a doubt, having followed Lynn's independent run at the end of '07 / beginning of '08 and knowing how good he was performing in the ring. Lynn came up short in that match, but he came away with (at the time) renewed fan support from the ROH faithful, who chanted "you still got it" (quick aside: of course, you don't need the word "still"—because he always had it and never lost it) during and after the match and requested he come back to ROH on a more regular basis. This one match became the starting point for the overarching plot that was Lynn's comeback in ROH. His title hunt began with a non-title loss to the champion and ended with the biggest win possible—the title victory against the very same champion.

A similar story, of someone outside the regular ROH roster coming in and working his way to the title was used in 2005 for James Gibson (Jamie Noble). At the time, Gibson was incredibly well received by the fans, even though he was coming in directly from WWE. The story was Gibson was coming to ROH to rediscover himself as a wrestler and the ROH fans bought into it big time. It worked amazing well then, with Gibson having an incredibly positive amount of fan support. Despite months of losing and not getting the job done in title opportunities against Austin Aries and CM Punk, when Gibson did win the title at Redemption, it was an incredibly well received moment and the successful conclusion of a wrestling story. Now we get Lynn's title win, well received by the live crowd, but met with apathy or derision by the IWC fanbase.

Is it the push (or overpush in some people's minds) because of ROH's relationship and cross-promotion with "The Wrestler"? I always was afraid that when news got out that Lynn's push would be "inspired" by the fictional tale of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, that some fans would reject it. It was too Hollywood, or too didactic, "too much too soon" or whatever explanation you want to go with. Once Lynn's story became linked with his status as an aging wrestler trying to climb that mountain one more time (which was actually always his story, but subtly expresseed), fans began to reject the push. Of course, ROH using "The Wrestler" to push The Necro Butcher wasn't rejected by the fans—in fact, it seems to have helped solidify Necro's placement in ROH, despite his work in the ring sometimes not being up to par for what should be found in ROH. There is something the fans found genuinely likeable about Necro and that excuses a lot of what he does in the ring. Conversely, some of the fans lost whatever they found likeable about Lynn and that became the basis for a backlash against Lynn's presence in the company, regardless of his very good and consistently on point efforts in the ring.

As I've said before, this isn't the first time that ROH has had problems pushing "the good guy" to the top. Even Bryan Danielson had problems being the pure babyface champion back in 2005. I have a couple of theories for reasons why the ROH fans tend to turn on the babyfaces in the company, or at least when they hit the top of the charts:

The CM Punk "I'm a Snake" Effect: CM Punk rode in on a massive wave of fan popularity and then put the ultimate dagger into the ROH fans' hearts by turning heel right after improbably winning the ROH World Title. At the time so many fans legitimately thought Punk was leaving ROH, win or loss after his match at Death Before Dishonor III. Even though Punk was leaving, he was at the peak of popularity and hero worship. Punk's betrayal was awesomely executed but ultimately left ROH fans with some trust issues. Would the hero they got behind ultimately turn his back on them once he got what he wanted? If ROH fans can't trust the good guys, why bother cheering them on? Jerry Lynn has never done anything to indicate he would betray the ROH fans' trust; he doesn't have the sordid past that Punk's character did even during that babyface run of 2005. So maybe this theory doesn't fit Lynn's situation, but it certainly does explain a bit about the ROH fans psyche in the wake of an ultimate betrayal.

The "I Wanted Someone Else to Be Champion" Effect: It's no secret that Tyler Black has been tagged as "the next world champion" for some time now…and truth be told I was and am one of the many who believe he should have been champion months ago. Black would make an excellent world champion due to his in-ring skills, charisma and flair for dramatic moments in big match situations. When Black didn't win the World title on his last several opportunities, it led to a small backlash, but that didn't stop others from hoping and campaigning for Black as the next world champion. With Nigel's injury perhaps being the end of the line, it became obvious that Lynn's title shot at Supercard of Honor IV was the most sensible, responsible and logical place to change the title. Black has his title shot card still in his back pocket, but it wasn't used this past weekend. Therefore any fan of Black would be disappointed in the last few months of how Black was used or not used. However, Black wasn't the only pick for "next world champ". There is still a strong contingent of fans who wanted to see Bryan Danielson as a two-time World champion, and even pockets of fans who believe that Jimmy Jacobs and Austin Aries would be the right call on top.

The Two Month Window: Going all the way back to Samoa Joe's title win in 2003, new champions have struggled in the first two months of the title reign. Longer term champions like Joe, Danielson, Morishima and McGuinness had to be able to withstand fan resistance, weaker title matches on shows (in that it looked obvious the title wouldn't be changing so soon after winning the belt) or injuries (in McGuinness's example) that upset the apple cart. Even short term champions like Homicide and James Gibson had to deal with some second guessing, especially given their individual situations (Homicide didn't seem to be wrestling in main event worthy title matches and his crowd reaction never lived up to the level of the post-title win celebration in New York City; Gibson was on his way out even when he was champion and thus was a lame duck). Only CM Punk was able to escape the two month window effect because his storyline had deep and immediate consequences on ROH storylines that there seemed to be no time to second-guess what was going on. No fans really knew what was going on with Punk at the time, including how long he had left in the company. If ROH chooses to go with Lynn as a longer term champion, then what they need to do is have patience within that two-month period and allow the atmosphere and feel of his title run to take shape.

No matter the cynicism or online chatter, I believe that Lynn will be a capable ROH World Champion and here's why:

He can wrestle. Meaning that Lynn can not only grapple in the ring, but he can still go at a pace close to if not right at the level he's been wrestling for fifteen plus years. Lynn can be very technical and do some fantastic chain sequences, or he can do high flying and keep up with the best of the current aerial daredevils. Lynn has had very good to great matches against the likes of McGuinness, Black, Danielson and Castagnoli over the last several months. His match against Black at Ring of Homicide 2 back in October demonstrates he can still go balls to the wall in a fast paced match the likes of which he had against RVD. His two matches against Danielson this past December and January also show (despite a disappointing finish to the ASE 4 match) that he can keep up with the current "best wrestler in the world". You can expect Lynn to live up to the main event level that being a champion requires.

He can talk. Well, with the exception of his "metal voice", which borders on the laughable. However, when Lynn keeps the volume down, he demonstrates his ability to express himself and his situation. He comes from a place of honesty, when he is willing to talk openly about his past, his present, and his future. A champion who is humble yet willing to fight and is capable of expressing himself in that way is someone who is easy to get behind and support when he gets in the ring.

He has no shortage of fresh opponents. A new champion means that all the top contenders to the ROH World Title are now chomping at the bit to get back into contenders status. The wrestlers on the roster should be in a bit of a free-for-all as they try to line up and knock Lynn off the pedestal. Even the wrestlers who frequently fought against McGuinness for the strap such as Kevin Steen, Tyler Black and El Generico will feel new and fresh considering there is a new champion defending the title. As a face champion Lynn also will be fighting predominately against heels and there are quite a few upper card heels gaining momentum in ROH right now. Davey Richards is heating up (having just won the tag titles, see below, could take him away from a singles division run, but then again, it could also give him momentum towards claiming a shot). Chris Hero has had some very strong promos as of late and has been away from the title scene for more than a year. Aries and Jacobs are still in the upper card and remain major threats to the title. Not to mention wrestlers new or retuning to ROH such as Colt Cabana (already receiving a title shot in Chicago on April 25th), Jimmy Rave, D-Lo Brown and Eddie Kingston could create new and different challenges for Lynn. In other words, a prolonged title run for Lynn actually helps keeps things interesting because of the large number of challengers currently available in the pool of contenders.

It all adds up to what could be unqualified success for Lynn as a champion, if only the fans give him a chance. However, I doubt that will happen. Instead I have this unshakeable feeling that I'll be writing a column similar to this one about a new champion and the mixed reaction he is receiving and likely too soon for my tastes. Some ROH fans have a lynch mob mentality about these things, and once they've strung one man up to the galley, they move right on to the next one.


ROH Results: Supercard of Honor IV April 3rd, 2009 in Houston, TX
Results via the ROH message board

Pre-Show:

-Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne & Andy "Right Leg" Ridge defeated Ninja Brown & "Dirty" Ernie Osiris.
-Grizzly Redwood & Bushwhacker Luke defeated Don Juan & Andy Dalton.

Main Show:

-Erick Stevens defeated Rhett "Addicted to Love" Titus.
-The team of Sweet & Sour Inc. of Chris Hero, Eddie Edwards & Incognito defeated the team of Jay Briscoe, Kevin Steen & Magno when Hero pinned Magno with the spinning forearm.
-Roderick Strong defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima via pinfall with the Gibson Driver.
-Kamala and Bobby Dempsey match did not start as both men beat up Shane Hagadorn.
-Claudio Castagnoli won a Four Corner Survival by defeating Brent Albright with a low blow in a match that also included ROH World Tag Team Champion El Generico, NWA World Champion Blue Demon Jr.
-"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson defeated Alex Koslov via submission with the Cattle Mutilation.
- D-Lo Brown defeated Colt "Boom Boom" Cabana via pinfall after using a weapon.
-GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion KENTA retained the title by defeating Davey Richards via pinfall with the Go To Sleep.
-The team of Jimmy Jacobs & Austin Aries defeated the team of Tyler Black & The Necro Butcher when Aries pinned Tyler Black following a brainbuster.
-Jerry Lynn became the NEW Ring of Honor World Champion by defeating Nigel McGuinness via pinfall with a Cradle Piledriver.

Issues & Angles

-The second rope broke during the six man tag, but all men recovered and finished the rest of the match.

-Both Jerry Lynn and Nigel McGuinness gave speeches after their title match.


ROH Results: Take No Prisoners 2009 PPV Tapings April 4th, 2009 in Houston, TX Results via Wrestling Observer.com>

Main Show:

-Colt Cabana defeated Ace Steel via submission.
-Rhett Titus defeated Bushwhacker Luke via pinfall with rollup with the tights.
-The team of Kevin Steen, El Generico, Jay Briscoe & Magno defeated the team of Chris Hero, Incognito & The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) via pinfall when Jay Briscoe hit Chris Hero with the Jay-Driller.
-Necro Butcher defeated Jimmy Jacobs in a street fight via pinfall with the Tiger Driver.
-Brent Albright defeated NEW champion Blue Demon Jr. and Claudio Castagnoli in a three-way match when he pinned Castagnoli following a German Suplex.
-Roderick Strong defeated Alex Koslov via submission with the Stronghold Boston Crab.
-ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn retained the title by defeating Erick Stevens via pinfall in a Four Corner Survival match that also included Bryan Danielson and D-Lo Brown.
-The team of Tyler Black & KENTA defeated the team of Austin Aries and Katsuhiko Nakajima via pinfall when Black pinned Aries after the short package driver.

Issues & Angles

-Nigel McGuinness had a emotional speech following his title loss the previous night where he thanked the fans for their support and understanding and vowing to return to reclaim the title. Claudio Castagnoli came out and shook his hand, then attacked him from behind.


ROH Results: ROH on HDNet Tapings Episode 7-9 April 9th, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA Results via PWInsider.com and the ROH message board.

Ring Of Honor Episode 7:

-Ric Flair was introduced as the new Ambassador for ROH. He brought out ROH champ Jerry Lynn and praised him. They talked about wrestling in 1985. Austin Aries came out and said he was the man and was the former champ and would prove tonight he was at the top of the ROH pecking order.
-Chris Hero defeated Kenny Omega with a loaded elbow pad.
-Necro Butcher defeated Brodie Lee.
-Erick Stevens defeated Sal Rinauro.
-Austin Aries defeated Roderick Strong.


Ring Of Honor Episode 8:
-Prince Nana tried to interrupt a Colt Cabana in-ring promo but was run off.
-In a mixed tag, Daizee Haze and Delirious defeated SHIMMER champ MsChif and Jimmy Jacobs when Haze pinned MsChif with the Mindtrick.
-Nigel McGuinness cut a promo promising to come back and regain his title.
-The American Wolves defeated two enhancement performers. They did an in-ring promo promising to take out El Generico and Kevin Steen.
-Bryan Danielson fought Tyler Black to a double countout in a great match after Danielson hit a springboard dive onto Black in the first row and they didn't return for a 20 count.

Ring Of Honor Episode 9:
-Claudio Castagnoli defeated Brent Albright after a distraction by Ernie Osyris and Prince Nana led to a lowblow. Claudio went for a chair but Colt Cabana ran him off.
-The Dark City Fight Club beat Grizzly Redwood and Alex Payne.
-Ric Flair announced the first ROH title bout on HD Net will be Jerry Lynn vs. Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black.
-Flair then cut an awesome promo putting over Philadelphia, mentioning ECW and spouting all the classic Flair-isms.
- Jay Briscoe beat Sami Callahan.
-ROH Tag Team champs Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated Rhett Titus and Kenny King [non title match]. They were then attacked and laid out by The American Wolves.


ROH Results: ROH on HDNet Tapings Episode 10-12 April 10th, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA Results via the ROH message board

Preshow: Shadow Phoenix over Brandon Day in 3:41
Grizzly Redwood and Andy Ridge over The Sick? in 3:58
Alex Payne over Bruno ?? in 4:28

Episode 10:
-Show opens with American Wolves promo with a table. Steenerico run them off, but catch Hagadorn with powerbomb through table.
-Kenny Omega over Jay Briscoe and Kenny King when Omega pins King in 9:32
-Dark City Fight Club over Irish Airborne in 1:44
-Chris Hero over Eddie Kingston by DQ in 5:28 when KIngston won't stop punching Hero in the corner. After the bell Kingston KO's Sinclair with punches.
-Necro Butcher/Delirious over Jimmy Jacobs/Brodie Lee in 10:12. Jimmy threw thumbtacks into the ring, Necro went barefoot on them, then threw tacks in Brodie's face.

Episode 11:
-Roderick Strong v Rhett Titus: Roddy wins with a GutBuster. "roddy uses 'A Victim A Target'" as music.
-SHIMMER 3 Way: Sara Del Ray v Daizee Haze v MsChief: MsChief win. Jimmy cuts a pro SHIMMER promo.
-Erick Stevens v Sami Calhoun: Stevens wins in a good squash.
-Kevin Steen and El Generico v The American Wolves: New Tag Champs! [American Wolves defeated Steen & Generico to win the ROH World Tag Team Titles in a Tables are Legal match] This was a tables match.

Episode 12:
-Colt Cabana and Brent Albright v Claudio Castignoli and Ernie Osris: Colt wins with a backbreaker.
--Bobby Dempsey v Sal Rinaro: Dempsey wins in an almost squash
-[ROH] World Title Four Way: Jerry Lynn wins after Lynn pins Dragon after a Cradle Piledriver. "really good match" [match also included Austin Aries and Jimmy Jacobs]



Honored News

Bryan Danielson's MMA Experience Expands

This week rumors of Bryan Danielson's future with ROH resurfaced, sending ROH fans all a twitter, and I don't mean that new fashioned-doo-dad everyone is all about these days. The Wrestling Observer reports that: Bryan Danielson's contract expires in May and he hasn't renewed. He's getting into MMA training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, to the point he's training five hours a day in that, and the wrestling on weekends is more his time off. He wants to go to Thailand for three months to train exclusively in Muay Thai, which is his weakness, and he can't do that when he's under contract here or for that matter, with any promotion.

PWinsider adds: Many ROH wrestlers, including Bryan Danielson, have their contracts up in May. Danielson has already told ROH that he does plan to continue to wrestle for the promotion but doesn't ant to sign a new contract. The reason for this is because he wants to be able to work overseas or take time off when he wants.

Well, if one thing is for certain coming out of this news is that the experiment of ROH contracts may be coming to an end, even if the wrestlers continue to stay with the company. Wrestlers like Danielson and Larry Sweeney (see below) have had issues with the contracts, and there have long been rumors that the wrestlers won't be resigning. This could have something to do with less incentive to sign on the dotted line ever since ROH removed the health insurance from the contracts. At least for Danielson, it seems like it's his desire to have more of that vaunted "wrestling freedom" and the ability to explore other facets of the wrestling / fighting game.

It was a scary thought to consider earlier in the week of an ROH without Danielson or McGuinness (due to his injury), just weeks after their debut on HDNet TV… its eerily similar to the situation ECW faced in losing talent to WWE when they started running television on TNN, although in this case it's not immediately clear that ROH talents will be jumping ship. In Danielson's case, he likes taking time off for several months during the Spring or Summer, sort of a "vacation" of sorts where he can travel and enjoy life and learn.


Larry Sweeney Sours on ROH

Also earlier in the week Larry Sweeney brought his troubles with Ring of Honor to light. In part a result of the onset of Mania (a recurring ailment in his life), he believes he was treated wrongly and unfairly by Cary Silkin and ROH. He travelled to Houston on his own and asked to be a part of the show, but was told he couldn't participate. Sweeney also claims he has been shorted money from the television tapings. He is under contract until May 2nd, but it doesn't seem like right now that relationship will continue. The full message can be found here.

Well, pardon the pun, but this situation certainly "soured" quickly. If you recall, Sweeney and Silkin were pretty close, with both men being front row at WWE's show in MSG this past summer (watching CM Punk wrestle in the main event). Issues like pay and professional treatment are absolutely important and necessary points of the workplace, so if Sweeney feels like he was shorted in some way there that needs to be worked out. However, Sweeney should also be getting treatment for this bout of mania and making sure he takes proper care of himself before returning to the professional wrestling scene. From his message it sound like he will continue to take bookings outside of ROH during this time period, but I'm hoping he is more concerned about taking care of his personal health first and foremost. We need Larry Sweeney, in whatever promotion and in whatever capacity, at his full one-hundred percent.


Preview for ROH's Double Shot in Canada

April 17th, 2009—Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Six Man Tag Team Main Event- Special Challenge Match--Kevin Steen & El Generico and Bryan Danielson vs. ROH World Tag Team Champions The American Wolves & Sylvain Grenier: News broke this morning as Kevin Steen and El Generico have answered Sylvain Grenier's challenge and selection of the American Wolves as his partners for April 17th when ROH returns to Montreal! As stated by Steen via video this morning at(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhnZiy_HW6Q), Steen and Generico have selected "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson as their partner, and now the main event for April 17th is set! Grenier has been running his mouth on Canadian Sports network RDS for weeks, and now he'll have to back it up when ROH returns to Centre Jean-Claude Malepart.

This match takes a whole new step up in intensity because The Wolves took the tag titles from Steen & Generico. Now the former tag champions have to go out in front of their hometown crowd and defend their honor and look to get some retribution at the same time. I am a bit mystified and dumbfounded how Grenier can just waltz right into a main event match in ROH, but hopefully it will be only to get his ass handed to him by Steen, Generico and Danielson and then take the pinfall.

Grudge Tag Team Match--Tyler Black & Brent Albright vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Claudio Castagnoli: I get the feeling that Tyler Black is the new "Matt Sydal" of the tag team division, always looking for a different partner in order to help him get revenge against Jimmy Jacobs and The Age of the Fall. He's teamed up with Necro, Danielson and now Albright. At least in this case the partners have separate issues as well. I actually think the Jacobs & Castagnoli team could have something to it, in that big man / small man combination that Jacobs always does well with (Whitmer, Black, etc.).

Four Corner Survival Match--Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong vs. Kenny Omega vs. Jay Briscoe: Aries and Strong have reheated their rivalry over the last month, meanwhile Strong and Briscoe have a friendly rivalry and Omega is the young prospect who serves as the x-factor in the match. If they go all out this could be something special given the abilities and athleticism of each wrestler. IF.

Special Challenge Match--Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Rave: Cabana and Rave have tussled several times over the years in ROH, but this is their first match against each other since each has returned to the company. They put on solid and entertaining matches, and I expect this one to focus on Cabana putting the Three Stooges act against Rave and Nana in order to fluster them. I'd be loving it! Maybe the crowd can get into the act and supply Cabana with some props like a beret or a croissant to use against Rave. That would show him!

Tag Team Action--The Necro Butcher & Delirious vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus: Necro & Delirious come together as sort of the "Monsters Inc" faction of the former Age of the Fall. Here they go against the young and arrogant duo of King & Titus, who are really gelling well as a regular tag team.

Singles Action--Chris Hero vs. Franky The Mobster: I'm not all that familiar with Frankie The Mobster—but if he is legit Cosa Nostra, I'm not sure how many KO elbows it will take to get Hero out of Montreal alive.

SHIMMER Match--Daizee Haze vs. LuFisto: Lufisto is a compact and burly woman with a lighthearted "anime"-like personality…that is until you piss her off and he goes hardcore on you! Daizee Haze will counter with high flying and her never-say-die attitude...although that may be changed if her face walks into one of Lufisto's backfists of doom!

Also on the preshow: The Super Smash Brothers debut in ROH, which I have long awaited and hope goes very well for the duo.


April 18th, 2009—Markham, Ontario, Canada

Tag Team Main Event--ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH (*just announced on the ROH main page): Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black vs. ROH World Tag Team Champions The American Wolves: You can expect all four men to put their best foot forward in the main event position. Danielson and Black have fought against each other off and on for a year now, can they really be good tag team partners for one another? The Wolves just won the belts, so that is a huge confidence booster for their already massive egos. Another win here, against two of the top wrestlers in the company and you won't be able to get in the same room with them.

Six Man Tag Team Match--Austin Aries, Kenny King, & Rhett Titus vs. ROH World Tag Team Champions Kevin Steen & El Generico, and Kenny Omega:Its Aries' new crew versus the Canada Connection, which seems pretty cool to me. Aries and Omega will have had interaction the previous night and King & Titus make natural rivals for Steen & Generico. Expect some great tag action and perhaps a moment of all of chaos or two on the way to the finish.

Special Challenge Match #1--Colt Cabana vs. Claudio Castagnoli: Cabana last tussled with Castagnoli in ROH several years ago on the Joe vs. Kobashi show. Amazingly Castagnoli got the win in that one, early on in his run when it wasn't expected. Now both men are in a strong position with the company, with Cabana's return exciting the crowd and Castagnoli gaining ground with his heel act and back on the winning track.

Special Challenge Match #2--The Necro Butcher vs. Chris Hero: A rematch from ROH on HDNet episode 3 and of course long time fans will know that Hero and Necro were close as a part of the CZW faction back in 2006. It's the fists vs. the elbows in this one, and the one with the strongest strike will emerge victorious.

Markham Street Fight--Jimmy Jacobs vs. Delirious: The second match between the two since Delirious rebelled from Jacobs' hold on him. He will look to make Jacobs pay for the emotional torture he was put through while as a part of AotF, but will the thirst for vengeance be enough here to get the win?

Rematch From St. Louis--Roderick Strong vs. Jay Briscoe: Another rematch, this time of a bout that opened the St. Louis show and received a standing ovation from that crowd. These two can go in the ring and really provide for some physical action, so if they continue on the same plan they had for the first match, we should see more good stuff.

Singles Action--Brent Albright vs. Jimmy Rave: Albright needs a bit of a win to lift him back up to contention, but Rave needs a win to establish himself back in ROH.


New Matches for April 24th and 25th in the Midwest

April 24th—Dayton, Ohio

ROH World Title—Jerry Lynn (c) vs. Roderick Strong: New ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn has stated many times that he will be a fighting champion. Judging by the two huge matches he just signed to take place in Dayton and Chicago the weekend of April 24th and 25th, Jerry's well on his way to living up to that statement. In Dayton on the 24th, he's signed to defend the title against a man who has been on a roll after returning from his tour of Japan, Roderick Strong! Roddy was 2-for-2 in Houston, defeating both Katsuhiko Nakajima and Alex Koslov in tremendous matches.

Colt Cabana vs. Chris Hero: ROH is happy to announce that two other big matches have been signed for the Dayton/Chicago return on April 24th and 25th. First for Dayton on April 24th, a big singles contest has been inked. It will pit that "Young Knockout Kid" Chris Hero against a man making his return to Dayton, Colt Cabana! Hero has been using the alleged "loaded elbow" to secure win after win as of late, while Cabana is known for a bionic elbow of his own. Can Hero ruin Cabana's return to Dayton or will Cabana avoid being concussed by the KO kid?

Dark City Fight Club vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico: Given that Steen & Generico just dropped the titles and DCFC have been on a tear through many of the other teams in ROH, this could be a very interesting match to determine who gets the next title shot. I'm actually going to go out on a limb and say that DCFC wins this one and their match on the 25th in order to lay claim to a shot against The American Wolves.

Four Corner Survival: Claudio Castagnoli vs. "Skullkrusher" Rasche Brown vs. Matt Cross vs. Silas Young: Claudio Castagnoli, deeply entrenched in a feud with Brent Albright, will get a respite of sorts as he'll face Silas Young, Matt "M-Dogg" Cross, and the debuting "Skullkrusher" Rasche Brown. Brown is a Midwest veteran and may be one of the few that can claim to be more powerful than Castagnoli. At 6'5" and 270 pounds, Brown is poised to make a strong impression on ROH, and he'll aim to do just that in Dayton on the 24th!


April 25th, 2009—Chicago Ridge, IL

ROH World Title—Jerry Lynn (c) vs. Colt Cabana: Then, on the 25th when ROH returns to Chicago, Lynn will put the title on the line against a man making his return to the Windy City – returning home – Colt Cabana! Can Lynn make it past Strong as champion? Can Cabana make history at "The Homecoming 2" in Chicago?

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Roderick Strong vs. Claudio Castagnoli: a Three-Way-Dance has just been signed for Chicago Ridge on the 25th. It will pit Claudio Castagnoli versus Roderick Strong versus Jimmy Jacobs! What insanity will Jacobs have in store? Can Roddy keep up his winning ways? Will the "very European" Castagnoli dominate against the two much smaller men? Tickets are on sale now!

Dark City Fight Club vs. The Phoenix Twins: Some nice mid-card tag team action, but it's a great thing to be able to say that as ROH now has quite a few devoted tag teams in its division. We can now have a semblance of regular tags fighting it out for contention on each show, just like the golden era of tag teams in ROH from years past.


ROH at Wrestlemania Weekend Notebook

-Despite his injury, Nigel McGuinness still has two weeks of bookings to fulfill, including a trip to England on April 18th and 19th. He will be wrestling on those shows.

-Bryan Danielson, Ace Steel and many other ROH wrestlers were in attendance at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Danielson was there as a guest of William Regal and Steel was a guest of CM Punk but likely most of the rest of ROH wrestlers who attended bought tickets as fans.

-ROH had 1,800 fans in attendance for the first show in Houston and drew 2,000 for the PPV taping the next night, although most who sent in reviews to the wrestling websites suggested that Supercard of Honor IV ended up being the better show of the two.

-Ace Steel played "Kim Chee" and managed Kamala in his "match" against Bobby Dempsey.

-According to Dave Meltzer's report on Davey Richards vs. KENTA, " Apparently there was heat backstage because these guys did too much stuff and nobody could follow them. It's an issue because the matches where the guys did more than the bookers wanted them to do were also the matches that got over the best. Plus, when you bring in someone like KENTA, fans want to see him in a match of the year, because he's only there as an attraction and not to build a storyline. Nobody cares to see a watered-down KENTA, yet at the same time, they are trying to dial it down for the preservation of the species and that is understandable."

You know what? I'm getting a bit sick and tired of this whole limitation of the ROH wrestlers. I'm all for toning down the dangerous stunts, but I'm totally against telling the wrestlers not to go out there and bust their ass and try to steal the show. Screw that—that mentality is what leads to shows where matches are disappointing and ROH can hardly afford that at this point of the game. If those that follow after a hot match are upset, tough. Go out there and work harder and give the people what they came to see. If you can't live up to the hype or the effort, then move out of the way and let the guys who will like Richards and KENTA into the main event scene.


ROHdds and Ends

--ROH announced that Ric Flair would be appearing on ROH TV (see results above). WWE offered him a $250,000 contract to appear for them as GM of Smackdown, but instead Flair will continue to take bookings on the independent scene. He is being paid $15,000 for the TV tapings (Observer) but some believe that cost is being subsidized by HDNet. ROH wants him to do even more shows, but at a reduced price.

-Judging from a trailer available through the most recent ROH videowire, it appears that Joey "Magnum" Ryan will finally be debuting in ROH, looking to bring the "Sleaze" back to ROH. No word on whether or not both Ryan and Austin Aries' mustaches can co-exist in ROH without the universe imploding.

-Alex Marvez has an interview with Cary Silkin available here. The biggest news coming out of that article is that Silkin's next big goal is to run a live ROH Pay Per View, but he realizes that goal could take a while to realize.

-Dropkick Radio has an interview with Nigel McGuinness post-title run available here.

-From the newswire: Ring of Honor officials are happy to announce that "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush will return to ROH on May 8th in Boston and May 9th in Edison! Quackenbush was very impressive in defeat during his last ROH appearances, and now he looks to secure a couple victories. We'll have his opponents soon, right here in the Newswire.

-From the newswire: In addition to "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush, we are happy to announce that Jimmy Rave, Jimmy Jacobs, and the Dark City Fight Club will appear in both Boston on May 8th and Edison and May 9th. In addition, "The Last Of A Dying Breed" Eddie Kingston has signed, and will appear in Edison on May 9th! We'll have more names as we move forward!

We'll have more features and ROH coverage in PART TWO of our column!