Column of Honor 05.30.09: Who’s Who in the ROH Universe—Alex Kozlov to Ernie Osiris

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 05.30.2009

Capsule profiles on ROH talent in 2009 from A to E, results from the first night of the latest ROH TV tapings, Ric Flair’s final days in ROH and thoughts on “Insanity Unleashed”, including a fantastic Steen & Generico vs. King & Titus match!


Thanks for the advice on UFC Undisputed—still loving the game even if I'm stuck in traction in career mode right now (win 2, lose 1 etc., etc.)

Welcome to the Column.



Ring Toss
-Who's Who Part One
-Honorarium
-Results, News and Previews
-ROH Call
-Get With the pROHgram
-ROH @ 411


Who's Who in the ROH Universe--Part One— Alex Kozlov to Ernie Osiris

Being a comic book fan, I used to like to look at the Who's Who in the DC or Marvel Universe handbooks they used to publish, with interesting information and stats on the characters in their books. So in honor of those good old days, here's part one of my capsule formula run down of the Ring of Honor roster.


Alex Kozlov: While mostly hanging around in AAA these days, the man with the babushka made two appearances for ROH this past April. Kozlov is a great all-around wrestler who loves to dance the crazy Russian dance!

Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne: Chicago's favorite ROH student has had the benefit of forming a kinship with Bryan Danielson. Unfortunately, buddying around with Danielson had also incurred some consequences for Payne, notably pissing off Nigel McGuinness. Payne is an underdog, but that doesn't mean he doesn't come ready to fight. He has a mean superkick and some flying ability to go with it.

Andy Ridge: Ridge is an ROH student who has mostly been on the pre-shows. The moniker of "Right Leg" indicates his propensity for using kicks and strikes as his primary offensive weapon.

Austin Aries: "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" is not about to take a backseat to anyone any more. Aries is not just good, he's not just great, he's the "greatest" and he knows it. Aries often refers to himself as "A-Double" and along with new music, new tights, new attitude and a new swagger have helped to push him into the forefront of the ROH World Title picture. He boldly encountered Ric Flair and ROH World Champion Jerry Lynn on ROH TV (well he didn't get in the ring, but he did make his presence known). Aries is one of the few wrestlers currently on the roster who would be able to become the first person to be a two-time ROH World Champion with a title win. Aries is also currently the "mentor" figure to the egotistical combination of Kenny King & Rhett Titus, making waves in the tag team division. There is also the matter of a sometimes mentioned "manifesto" he will unleash upon ROH, which has been vaguely termed and unknown as to what that actually means.

Bison Smith: A one-man wrecking crew on the hire by Prince Nana and his Embassy, Smith is currently back on tour in Pro Wrestling NOAH (where he has been frequently booked over the last five plus years) but could show up back in ROH at any time to continue his path of destruction. Smith's overwhelming mass and power combined with a speed that belies his size makes for a deadly combination for his opponents. Smith even recently garnered a huge win against Mitsuhara Misawa, an extreme rarity in and of itself, much less for a foreign wrestler. Smith's track record of getting the job done is exceptional; his recent attacks on Bryan Danielson during the beginning of the year are proof that no one should want to get in his way, or be on The Embassy's hit list.

Blue Demon Jr. : A legend of Lucha Libre and current NWA Heavyweight Champion, Demon Jr. made two appearances for Ring of Honor in April for Supercard of Honor IV and Take No Prisoners 2009.

Bobby Cruise: The long-time ring announcer for Ring of Honor, Cruise actually began his ROH career as the personal mic man for "The King of Old School" Steve Corino. He would play a very crucial role in Corino's entrance, announcing Corino's themed-lists which would invariably drive Corino's opponents crazy. Cruise also spent much of 2006 helping to add special touches to Bryan Danielson's ring introductions...sometimes by intimidation. Cruise's ring voice is deep and distinctive, adding enough bass and boom to give title matches something extra.

Bobby Dempsey: Dempsey is now his own man after freeing himself from the grasp of Larry Sweeney's "Sweet & Sour Incorporated". He is allied with Roderick Strong, Erick Stevens and Brent Albright who helped make him a better man along the way. Dempsey plays the power game, throwing Vader like fists and using his mass to knockdown his opponents. The cannonball into the turnbuckle is a Dempsey specialty.

Bobby Fish: A regular of Pro Wrestling NOAH, Fish has made sporadic appearances for ROH this year.

Brent Albright: A former NWA Heavyweight Champion and Destroyer of Sweet & Sour Incorporated, the former "Gun for Hire" / Hangmen Three member turned over a new leaf in 2008 and hasn't looked back. He has formed an alliance with Roderick Strong and Erick Stevens, frequently teaming with both and handling business his way, which means "Get Out or Tap Out". Over the last few years Albright stuck mostly to huge suplexes and working towards the Crowbar submission. Over the last few months, Albright has been mixing it up a bit in the ring, including throwing in quite a few aerial maneuvers including flying dropkicks and top rope crossbody blocks.

Brodie Lee: The Big Rig of CHIKARA came barreling into Ring of Honor Station this past October of 2008 and he has been going full speed ahead ever since. Lee is a full fledged member of The Age of the Fall, playing bodyguard or bagman for Jimmy Jacobs, whatever is needed. Lee's physical power has led to being an important part of big brawls, notably against Necro Butcher. Trademark moves include a high speed big boot and a version of the Black Hole Slam.

Bryan Danielson: A former ROH World champion, the "Best Wrestler in the World" is still hanging in the upper-mid card, but has seemingly dropped just out of range of ROH World Title contention. He is still one of the point men in delivering worthwhile wrestling matches, especially to the ROH HD Net television show. Danielson is developing a bit of "mutual respect" between him and Tyler Black. While they fought quite a bit in 2008, Black has yet to defeat Danielson in a singles match. They have also teamed up to fight the American Wolves for the tag team titles.

Bryce Remsberg: The very popular referee work ROH shows mostly in the Northeast. His notable highlight (well, lowlight for him most likely) in ROH thus far has been getting DROPPED on his head by Takeshi Morishima during an all-out brawl also involving Bryan Danielson at Rising Above 2008.

Cary Silkin: Owner and President of ROH, Silkin has mostly stayed in the background of ROH over the past seven years. However, he has become a more visible presence over the last several months, with wrestlers appealing to him to rule on, overrule or grant matches as the case might be.

Cheech: A former member of Special K who has matured into a loveable beach-bum whose wacky antics are adored by his fans. Cheech has teamed regularly with Cloudy over the last several years, but both only recently returned to ROH action. They have yet to be victorious, but their heart and determination are clear. Cheech's huge move is the Go 2 Cheech, a variation of the Go 2 Sleep popularized by KENTA and later CM Punk.

Chris Escobar: Frequently appearing on the Manassas, Virginia shows, Escobar has a long standing feud with another Manassas regular, Damian Wayne.

Chris Grey: One half of the British Lions tag team with Tommy Taylor. He regularly wrestles with FIP in Florida and appeared for ROH during their Proving Ground 2009 weekend in a losing effort against Kenny King & Rhett Titus.

Chris Hero: "That Young Knockout Kid" loves to say that he "KO's with his elbows", and that is no lie. Hero has trained that part of his body to have power and precision. The point of the elbow is one of the hardest parts of the body, but with Hero it becomes a deadly weapon the likes of which Dusty Rhodes hasn't seen. Sure, some people say that the elbow pad he uses, handed down by Mitsuhara Misawa himself, is an illegal weapon loaded with some sort of metal object. However, this is clearly just hearsay and vile speculation, never actually proven in a court of law. Hero is a former ROH World Tag Team champion with Claudio Castagnoli and has become a constant presence on ROH's HD Net television show.

Claudio Castagnoli: The "Most Money-Making Man" has always been "Very European" but now he can't help but flaunt that to the world and all of the ROH fans. In response, the "Hey" chants that ccompany Claudio's european uppercuts are a sign of a fans' derision. Castagnoli uses his arrogance to hide a truly strategic mind frame. He uses his cash reserves to negotiate agreements with Prince Nana, with whom he has become very close over the last few months. Castagnoli makes and breaks deals on his terms, ending a recent alliance with Nigel McGuinness by attacking him from behind.

Cloudy: KC "Cloudy" Day was a former Special K raver but he has matured into a beach-bum with a sunny disposition. He is small but plucky and a great partner for Cheech Hernandez, as their attitudes and offense complement each other very well.

Colt Cabana: Colt has put the "Boom Boom" back into Ring of Honor, blowing up the scene ever since his return to the company in mid-March. Cabana hasn't lost a step in the ring or his smile. He uses his comedy stylings to unnerve and upset his opponents, then his excellent technical wrestling ability closes the deal. Ever since his return, Cabana has stuck his nose in Prince Nana's business, upsetting the leader and proprietor of The Embassy.

Davey Richards: Currently one-half of the ROH World Tag Team champions as a part of The American Wolves with Eddie Edwards. Richards has always been known for his lack of remorse, even long before joining up with Roderick Strong as a part of the No Remorse Corps. He betrayed Strong to join Sweet & Sour Incorporated, which led to his current team. Richards has some lethal kicks and strikes, matching speed and brutality to form a deadly combination. Richards and Edwards are currently locked in a violent and hate-filled grudge feud against Kevin Steen & El Generico.

Delirious: Finding love and friendship when he needed it the most, Delirious has left The Age of the Fall and revitalized a bond with Daizee Haze. Delirious never really has it "all there", but he realized he was being led down the primrose path to self-destruction by Jacobs. Now he is on the road to redemption and vengeance against his former "keeper", with Haze by his side. Delriious's wrestling ability shouldn't be overlooked as well, given his violent "Panic Attack" knees that cave in an opponents' skull and a Cobra Stretch submission hold and can choke out a wrestler lickety-split.

D-Lo Brown: Brown built a reputation in Japan, WWE and TNA, but his new home for 2009 has been Ring of Honor. Brown started off with an honorable disposition, looking to unseat Nigel McGuinness as ROH champion. When he didn't get the job done, he showed his true colors during his next appearance, cheating his way to victory against Jay Briscoe. He has showed that he will go to any lengths in order to win and get back in contention for the championship.

Eddie Edwards: Currently one-half of the ROH World Tag Team champions as a part of The American Wolves with Eddie Edwards. He has become more comfortable in promos and in developing an intimidating presence as a result of this tag unit. He can take a hit and hit back harder, not to mention will do anything or attack anyone in his way so that his team can gain an advantage.

Eddie Kingston: A years-long feud with Chris Hero has brought Kingston into ROH. The agenda for "The King of Diamonds" is simple: its either Kingston or Hero who survives in this company. Kingston is an excellent brawler who possesses very high levels of pain-endurance. He specializes in the spinning backfist and backdrop suplex as his finishers.

El Generico: The Mexican Luchador by way of Canada has a fantastic fighting spirit and a never-say-die attitude. His limited vocabulary has never limited his appeal to the fans, who have embraced him since day one. Generico is thin and lanky, which means he can build up speed for his moves and deliver them with excellent force. Generico loves to use the Yakuza kick and the brainbuster as his trademark moves, but specialized in tandem offense with frequent partner Kevin Steen. A former tag team champion, he is on the hunt for tag gold again fighting against Richards and Edwards, the men who took the titles away from him, as well as injuring his knee on several occasions.

Erick Stevens: He is currently enjoying an alliance with R Strong and Albright, frequently teaming with them in tag action. He uses his power to gain the advantage in matches, although he has slimmed down somewhat over the last year in order to maximize his body kinetics. He has grown back the Mohawk that was shaved off by Strong and with it, the confidence and swagger as well. Stevens is a former two-time FIP Heavyweight Champion with the potential to achieve so much more.

Ernie Osiris: The "Dirty" one himself, Osiris had been panhandling for months when Prince Nana took him under his wing. Now he is The Embassy's gopher and currently involved in a feud with Grizzly Redwood. Truth be told it's probably the best he's ever had it. Osiris loves to throw shoes at people (go ahead—you know you want to quote from Austin Powers).


Honorarium

-Don't look now, but Ring of Honor is actually making a bit of a comeback when it comes to developing intriguing storylines and angles. McGuinness's return is ongoing (see below), Black and Jacobs are finishing up, which means both will be free for new directions soon and Aries and Lynn is working up tot heir title match. The Wolves vs. Generico & Steen angle is one of the best tag feuds in ROH in recent years. Kingston just delivered a home run promo (see below) and I'm hoping it gives Pearce and co. confidence enough to let him do his thing for ROH on a regular basis, especially right now against Chris Hero. There's still a lot more they can do (get Ryan moving on his dishonor campaign, start to mobilize The Embassy as a serious threat) in order to have an entire card filled with interesting programs, but as of right now they're in better condition than several months ago.

-McGuinness's return is interesting because at this point it's not at all clear whether he will be a face, a heel, or even somewhere in the middle. It certainly seems like he may be playing all sides. He will be present at the Aries vs. Lynn title match, which could be a set up against the man he lost the title…or could just be a red herring. He is booked against Claudio Castagnoli in his return match, his frequent sparring partner turned ally and now once again…an enemy? However, it was also noted that at last night's tapings Nigel was stirring it up between Danielson and Black. Fans know of the sordid past he's had with both men. So is McGuinness an angel or a demon? Perhaps, whatever that can suit his purposes?


Insanity Unleashed Thoughts:

I am in need of catching up big time on ROH DVD's so you get my live thoughts on the show, at least until it's time to publish the column…

Bryan Danielson cuts a very good promo apparently inside a noisy bar…you can see his deep blue eyes, which is a great little visual there (ladies, he's single!) (okay I don't really know that). He promise to bring major damage to Bison Smith, and that he is not satisfied with a count out win. Well, good to know that they're following up on the feud.

I'M JUST A TEENAGE DIRTBAG BABY! Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about…if Nate Webb is going to be on my ROH DVD, I want him coming out to that song and boom, there we go! Playing air guitar on the referee ‘s leg and the backflip, YEAH! KICK ASS!

I love the little somersault flip into a hurricanrana Webb does, then Flash Flanagan (his opponent ) just about kills him with a flip German. Webb eventually gets the arachnid kick right under Flanagan's jaw for the three count. LISTEN TO IRON MAIDEN BABY!

Omega must be on the wacky tabacky, quoting Elton John and The Lion King. "Circle of Life" and all. Wow. He is the living embodiment of an anime character, but I guess that's point.
Bryan Danielson's theme song works much better from about the chorus on, so I'd suggest an edit to start with that part of the song first. Second match in and Larry Zybysko gives us our first "human game of chess" reference as part of his guest commentary. McGuinness is in the booth as well to watch the Castagnoli vs. Omega vs. Danielson three-way. Very cool interaction between Omega and Danielson, but when they get wacky Castagnoli backs off to the top of the ramp and buries his head in shame. That's a very amusing character touch.

It's "take a wrestler home" night as Omega does a dive that presses both Danielson and Castagnoli into the crowd. The a few moments later Dragon and Omega team up for a countdown stereo dropkicks from the top turnbuckles, which looks awesome…ahaha, but Omega has a blind tag and now they're at odds, which Claudio…DOESN'T take advantage of because Omega tells him to STOP and DUCK! STOP SIGN Enziguri—really cool place to use that. Omega and Danielson team up again—Omega: that was kind of cool!" Dragon gets thrown off the apron and then a few moments later a Pop up Euro smashes Omega, and Claudio adds a version of the straightjacket choke to win. Smith attack Danielson post match and both men are pulled apart. Smith bellows out an expletive in a nice exclamation point…and then Claudio steals the show by coming in camera shot and saying "that's right…very European!" Real good match right there and nice post-match situation as well. It would be nice if this lead up to a tag match between Danielson and Omega vs. Smith & Castagnoli at some point.

Prazak with Briscoe and GOOD LORD THEY ARE BATHED IN A BLINDING BACK LIGHT…makes them look completely in shadows. Damn ROH, one step forward, one step back with the video quality sometimes…

New music for Hero debuts here with the classical music mixed to the rap version. Kind of an anachronism to see Larry Sweeney still out there accompanying Hero, but that's what happens when you're catching up to the DVDs like I am right now.

Hero's mustache looks like it's alive. In fact, given Nate Webb, Hero, Necro, Aries and Joey Ryan, I'm definitely getting some flashbacks to the movie "Alien". Only instead of the stomach, it's the upper lip area…

I like that Briscoe listens to the fans on the floor and when they chant for him to use the chair, he grabs it. He ultimately doesn't get to use it, but it's a good little improvisation he threw in there to make like he was going to give the fans what they want. A mat sandwich from Hero and running senton…Hero gets a nice run and really kicks out his legs from it…good times.

Briscoe and Hero are cooking on the back stretch of the match…really nice and tight back and forth action and some great impact on the strikes and closelines. Crowd is definitely alive for this one. Sweeney in with the distraction that allows Hero to get the KO rolling elbow for the three…I guess he is missed more than expected, because he had some great timing all match with his distractions.

-Steen & Generico defend the ROH World Tag Team titles against Titus & King, using the lucha mask and stomping it down (similar to what he did on the HD Net show a few weeks back, although I guess chronologically this came first). I liked the HD Net match so I'm guessing this one will work similarly well.

So I'm watching a match where Steen & Generico are still the tag champions, although tonight on HD Net they lose the titles to Richards and Edwards, so I guess in TV continuity I wouldn't really be out of order…but Richards and Edwards won the belts back in April, so I really am behind and out of order…yeah, ROH definitely needs to start fixing these continuity issues. Even I can't make heads or tails of it.

Snot rocket blowing contest! Steen is the winner by a literal country mile. Hepatitus chant, Steen: "It's funny because it rhymes with your last name!" Awesome. Larry Zybysko is puzzled by the Ole! chant and disgusted with Titus rubbing himself down on Generico. Yikes. Steen tries to wipe it off. Zybsyko: ‘I don't want to know". He's gotten in a few clever one on this DVD, I'll give him that. This is a very homoerotic match so far…and unhygienic to boot. Crowd with a "watch your crotch" chant amid all the good action. EYE POKE by King! Wacky. Steen gets an eye claw on Titus to counter. King "I see you lookin at me fat boy, don't eat me." OOOOOOH! It just continues on. Brilliant spot as Generico and Titus do the doesey-do and then King catches Generico outside and smashes him into the barricade.

Hot tag to Steen as both King and Titus bounce around. Steen does the second rope kick to the balls and blasts Titus in the face as well! Powerbomb gets a close two. Steen gets thrown off the top turnbuckle, rejiggering the knee injury.

Second hot tag, this time to Generico who flips and flies! Big Splash off the top ropes for a close two and Steen tags in, which is a dubious decision. Nice King blockbuster out of Steen attempting to put the Sharpshooter on Titus. Generico gets the flip dropkick corner to corner! Broken up by King! Enziguris onto Generico in the corner, nice! Coronation turned into a Tornado DDT by Titus gets a Splash. King and Titus go for their double team finish but it's stopped when Steen pulls King off and the Assembly Line Package Piledriver and Brainbuster finishes it up! Awesome match, with a great final five minutes of back and forth tag situations. These two teams have good chemistry—looking forward to more matches between them in the future.

The Wolves attack from behind but are cleared out by Jay Briscoe, holding a chair.

That's where we'll end the review for this week, more thoughts on this show and likely Steel City Clash for next week's column.


ROH Results

ROH HDNet Tapings Friday May 29th, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Big News: Jerry Lynn defeated Chris Hero in a non-title match but was attacked afterwards by Austin Aries, who vowed to win the ROH World Title. Episode Thirteen will air on June 13th, the same night Aries and Lynn will fight for the title in New York City. KENTA's first appearance on HD Net was successful, defeating Roderick Strong in a tightly-contested battle that was the highlight of episode fourteen. The American Wolves defeated Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black due to miscommunication by the faces to retain the tag titles in a match that will air on June 27th. Danielson then bitched out Black due to Danielson being pinned. Black offered to shake Danielson's hand, but he got a slap to the face instead (full circle to Black slapping Danielson in the face during their first match in January 2008). Jimmy Jacobs lost a Fight Without Honor match against Delirious (in the red DANGEROUSSSSS mask) with a Shadows Over Hell through a table (sounds awesome). Jacobs then began to spike himself and looked to "slit his wrists" as a response to the loss and the fans chanting "disappointment" at him, but was talked out of it by a ref. That's a pretty brilliant, but very serious character development for Jacobs. Check out the full tapings results through the link above.

Live Experience: Tyler Black was reported to be very over with the crowd, with the fans at The Arena favoring him more than Danielson in their dust up. Black vowed to "BE ROH" when he defeats Bryan Danielson tonight at the second set of tapings this weekend. Nigel McGuinness was also sporting a new look, shaving his trademark spikes for a smoothed out GQ look.


Honored News

Line up for ROH Take No Prisoners 2009 Pay Per View, with Tyler Black and KENTA vs. Austin Aries and Katsuhiko Nakajima in the main event

Wolves vs. Steen & Generico in NYC becomes a Submissions Match for the ROH World Tag Team Titles; Nigel McGuinness returns to in-ring action vs. Claudio Castagnoli on June 26th in Detroit; Chris Hero vs. Lance Storm announced for July 25th in Toronto (Storm's July 24th match TBA); Joey Ryan, Bison Smith & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Colt Cabana and two partners June 27th in Chicago; Nigel McGuinness will be at ringside for Lynn vs. Aries in NYC, Flair will special guest referee

El Generico will avoid knee surgery and tough it out, though he might need it later

Brent Albright & Erick Stevens forming a more cohesive tag team unit, will fight King & Titus in Detroit; Kenny King vs. Petey Williams in Chicago

Ironically, Ric Flair stated in an Associated Press article that he would be able to work ROH because it wasn't on WWE's radar…


The Big News: Ric Flair Steps Down From ROH Role

At last night's HD Net television tapings, Ric Flair came out before the tapings began and announced that he would be stepping down from his role in Ring of Honor as its "ambassador" as a result of his return to WWE. Flair stated this would begin after the New York City show on June 13th, where he is scheduled to be the special referee for the Jerry Lynn vs. Austin Aries ROH World Title match. Initially there was some concern about whether or not Flair would be making all of his commitments to the ROH shows lined up in June and July, including stops in Detroit, Chicago and Toronto (where he is one of three major names signed for a legends-themed Death Before Dishonor VII weekend). However, Ring of Honor has cleared this up by releasing a statement that Flair will appear at those shows and fulfill his commitments for autograph signings. It did not specifically state that Flair would take part in the shows itself, although the special referee spot should still go through.

The end of Flair's short run with shouldn't come as a surprise and it was likely just a matter of time once he agreed to make a comeback with WWE. They have never been happy that Flair had a deal with Ring of Honor to appear on television, much less at the same time as he would be on their own programming at the same time. At some point, WWE was either going to make him choose or Flair would feel obligated to stop these bookings as a "good faith business gesture" with Vince McMahon.

Flair has been aiming to return to in-ring competition in recent months. It would have been presumptuous (and naïve) to think that Flair would do that anywhere else in North America but with WWE. According to a news report from Stuart Carapola of PWInsider, Flair's announcement that he wanted to be honest with the crowd and stated he was leaving for WWE was met with respectful applause by the ROH fans in attendance at the tapings.

Flair joins Mick Foley and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat among others as former WWE wrestlers and personalities who have enjoyed short stints with Ring of Honor, but who have ultimately returned to the land of Titan.


Preview: ROH HDNet Tapings 05/30/09 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

Main Event #1- The Rubber Match--Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong: Both men love beating other people up and both have done that to each other, to the tune of one win apiece in their competitive rivalry. Briscoe's forearms and strikes match up to Strong's chops, so expect plenty exchanges between the two in the beginning of the match. However, you'd have to expect speed and stamina will play into this one as well, with whomever is the fastest or more able to withstand the pain obtaining the competitive advantage.

Main Event #2- Six Man Tag Team Match--World Tag Team Champions The American Wolves & Chris Hero with Shane Hagadorn vs. GHC Jr. Champion KENTA, Kevin Steen, & El Generico: The war between "Mr. Wrestling" and "Mr. Ole" against The American Wolves continues onwards, with the hatred on both sides meaning this one could get wild and crazy before too long. Add in Wolves' ally Chris Hero and premier international wrestler KENTA to both sides and you up not only the intensity but the match quality as well. This could be one to remember by the time all is said and done.

Main Event #3- Danielson-Black III--Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black The battle for respect and honor has now picked up in intensity and there's just a little bit more oomph to this one. They've fought twice before on the HD Net program, going once to a twenty-minute time limit draw and another to a double count-out. The old adage of third time is a charm may be proven true here, because I have a sneaking suspicion one of these men is going to earn the clean victory in this third encounter.


ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 05/30/2009

ROH World Champion—Jerry Lynn (champion since 04/03/09, 6 successful defenses)


-defeated Nigel McGuinness in Houston, Texas via pinfall to win the championship.

Next Defense:vs. Austin Aries (06/13/09, New York, NY)

V.1 Four Corner Survival: defeated Bryan Danielson, D-Lo Brown and Erick Stevens (04/04/09, Houston, TX)
V.2 Four Corner Survival: defeated Bryan Danielson, Austin Aries and Jimmy Jacobs (04/10/09, Philadelphia, PA, airs June 6th, 2009)
V.3 defeated Roderick Strong (04/24/09, Dayton, OH)
V.4 defeated Colt Cabana (04/25/09, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.5 defeated Chris Hero (05/08/09, Boston, MA)
V.6 defeated Jay Briscoe (05/09/09, Edison, NJ)

**

ROH World Tag Team Champions—American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) (champions since 04/10/09, 4 successful defenses)


-defeated Kevin Steen & El Generico on April 10th, 2009 in a Tables are Legal match in Philadelphia, PA to win the championship. The match will air on May 30th, 2009.

Next Defense:vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico (06/13/09, New York, NY)

V.1 fought to a 45-minute draw against Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black (04/18/09, Markham, ONT, Canada) *champions retain on a draw.
V.2 defeated Kevin Steen & Jay Briscoe (04/25/09, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.3 defeated Bryan Danielson & Kevin Steen (05/09/09, Edison, NJ)
V.4 defeated Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black (05/29/09, Philadelphia, PA, airs on June 27th, 2009)

**

Top Feuds & Pairings:

-Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs
-Tyler Black has a title shot "in his back pocket"
-American Wolves vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
-Nigel McGuinness is the "wildcard" of the ROH World Title situation
-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright
-Necro Butcher vs. The Embassy
-Prince Nana & The Embassy vs. Bryan Danielson & Colt Cabana
-Claudio Castagnol is now an "associate" of The Embassy
-Eddie Kingston wants a piece of Chris Hero

ROH Home Theatre Station

ROH Videowire: May 27th, 2009



Davey Richards with THE most awesome imitation of Mark Briscoe, and Eddie Kingston shows the ROH fan base exactly why he deserves to be a full-time part of the roster…his awesome promo work and the ability to sell you on the grudges he has for his opponents.

---

Going Home


Get With the pROHgram:

Available Now: Seventh Anniversary Show with Nigel McGuinness vs. KENTA

Tonight: ROH on HDNet main events with Steen & Generico vs. The American Wolves for the ROH World Tag Team Titles in a Tables are Legal match.

June 6th 2009:ROH on HDNet main events with an ROH World Title match: Champion Jerry Lynn vs. Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black.

June 26th, 2009: ROH returns to Detroit, Michigan for the Tyler Black vs. Jimmy Jacobs blow-off in a cage match.

July 24-25th, 2009: ROH returns to Toronto, Canada with "Death Before Dishonor VII: Legends Edition" featuring Bret Hart on the 24th, Ric Flair and Lance Storm vs. Chris Hero on the 25th.


ROH@411

Chris Lansdell has a look at the current state of Ring of Honor in this week's If I Could Be Serious For a Moment.

J.D. Dunn continues his run of ROH reviews with Ric Flair's debut on Stylin & Profilin', Insanity Unleashed and Steel City Clash.

The Dunn Man also has you covered with last week's ROHPort and Larry Csonka has the play-by-play and the 4R's..

No Buy or Sell quickies this week, because once again I'm one of the two panelists for the column. Check out my thoughts on Danielson vs. Black, the ROH television format and Paul London in this week's 411 Buy or Sell.

You can also check out some more of my work this week by reading this week's 411 Fact or Fiction.


Say is it me or is it getting a bit drafty in here?

Next Week: results from the second set of TV tapings and more! Thanks for reading.

BROOKLYN! NANA!
--Ari--