Column of Honor 09.12.09: Ring of Honor’s September Nights’ Main Event

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 09.12.2009

Why September is ROH’s best month in 2009, with previews of must-see matches throughout each of the upcoming shows including the three match series between Young Bucks and The Briscoes, Ladder War 2 and the finale between Danielson and McGuinness.





Ring of Honor's September Nights' Main Event

There is no doubt the United States independent wrestling scene is alive and kicking throughout the month of September. Last week, there were shows from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Dragon Gate USA. They received rave reviews and plenty of "must buy" or "must watch" recommendations from those who were at each of these shows. Next week will see a show from CHIKARA, making their return to the New England area. The weekend features two huge tag team title defenses from The Osirian Portal and the final CHIKARA match for Bryan Danielson (teaming with Claudio Castagnoli against Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw).

From then on in, all attention will be thrust upon Ring of Honor as they run four shows in two weeks (and six overall counting the HDNet tapings from this past Thursday and Friday). These shows, collectively known as "The Final Countdown Tour", will represent the final moments for ROH homegrown stars Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness. It is also their best chance to show the rest of the wrestling industry that they will not go down easily in the wake of losing two of their most-recognizable and proven names.

ROH needs its fans excited and supportive of the product, not just about the shows this month, but about all the shows afterward. They have to make the most of added attention they will receive from Danielson and McGuinness's farewell. To be sure there is an obligation to say goodbye to two of their most successful wrestlers. Yet they must also immediately push to the forefront the wrestlers they believe will be their star players for the foreseeable future. They need to capture and in some cases reignite the excitement and passion of the fans. They need to make the fans believe in ROH as a viable product. If they will be able to do that is still a question without a true answer. It will only come in the weeks after ROH's shining September month of glory.

If you look for it, Ring of Honor has a very specific pattern in its booking—a cycle of momentum that hits certain peaks during the year. ROH usually launches into high gear with its top matches and angles in February (its anniversary show), April (Supercard of Honor / Wrestlemania weekend), June (a month where title change is frequent or the beginning / ending of a hot grudge feud), September (Glory By Honor) and December (Final Battle). The pattern continues even with a new booker. Lucky for ROH, they have reached one of the high points, right at a time when they need it most.

There were some interesting twists and turns this past week regarding booking changes on the upcoming shows. The farewell matches for both Danielson and McGuinness for Glory By Honor VIII in New York City were changed. They will now wrestle against each other in the co-main event of the evening.

The debate among ROH fans In the week after the announcement of Danielson's departure centered on if the matches should be shifted in order to put this match on the card in NYC. Originally the card was Danielson vs. Aries for the ROH World Title and McGuinness vs. Strong, the latter of which has been rescheduled to the night before in Boston (scrubbing the booked match between Nigel and Kenny Omega). On paper, that change provides a nice symmetry to each of their careers (they have been involved a longstanding rivalry in storyline for about three years now). It serves as a nice send off for both men and doesn't overshadow or favor the celebration of one departure over the other.

It also brings about nostalgia for fans who remember the last match between Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko in ECW in 1995. They were both about to leave for WCW, along with Chris Benoit and soon after Rey Mysterio. Their last match at the ECW Arena was a slow build of emotion for the fans, who gave both men a fantastic standing ovation after the match concluded (a thirty-minute draw). It is a moment that is still well-remembered when discussing "classic" original ECW moments. There is an underlying desire to capture the essence of that sort of moment with this similar situation. Certainly the fans should rise to the occasion by providing Danielson and McGuinness the farewell each certainly deserves given their tremendous efforts over the past several years.

The other train of thought was that Danielson and McGuinness should be kept separate and their matches in New York City should remain unchanged. The major reason for keeping the matches as is would be to put the focus on the talent that is staying—namely, the ROH World champion Austin Aries and ROH mainstay Roderick Strong. Both of those men needed to be put over in those matches in order to give the fans assurance that there was still plenty of wrestlers on the roster who would be there and working as hard as ever for the fans (and themselves) long after the show was over and Danielson and McGuinness would be on their way to WWE.

Aries has been rolling along as champion, using the power of being "the man" to call the shots on who he fights for the title. The luster of being the first ever two-time champion is great, but certainly he could have benefitted by winning a last match in his series of bouts against Danielson. Those two have wrestled each other at least once a year since 2004. They have provided some of the very best matches along the way.

Strong in particular could have used the high profile of a win at Glory By Honor VIII against McGuinness. That is a high-profile win and a great effort would have propelled him into the main event without question. At least their match wasn't scrubbed, only moved one day back, so it will be possible for Strong to get that final run by defeating McGuinness. It should also help add even more depth to an excellent card for fans attending the show in Boston.

Strong and McGuinness don't have quite the history of Danielson vs. Aries, but there is definitely one there. McGuinness defended the ROH Pure Title against Strong in an undercard bout at Death Before Dishonor IV (2006), which was a quality match often overlooked because of the magnitude of the ROH vs. CZW Cage of Death (the main event of that show). McGuinness also successfully defended the ROH World Title twice in the past year against Strong, including at the Driven 2008Pay Per View. These were excellent matches that showed both men had great chemistry working against each other.

Not to mention that both of these combinations of wrestlers have been and will be spotlighted on HDNet over the next several weeks. The matches booked for Glory By Honor VIII were a sensible and logical route to concluding these feuds while making a tight and well-constructed continuity between the DVD shows and the TV show. Danielson and Aries were given a reason to feud and so were McGuinness and Strong.

Really though, it is very hard to complain about a combination like Danielson vs. McGuinness, because after all, it IS Danielson vs. McGuinness. These two just have that magic working for them where their matches have been great or classic encounters (aside from what I thought was a very dull sixty-minute draw in the summer of 2006). It is a very appropriate match to book for this moment in time. Those attending the show in New York City not only will witness that finale, but what should be another incredibly memorable Ladder War for the tag team titles and a deep card filled with excellent pairings with the potential for one of the best ROH shows of the year. In the end, I can't and I won't complain about this show and the booking change because I know there is a 99.999999% chance that both men will make this one fans will be taking about for a long time to come.

In fact, everywhere you look up and down the cards for the four upcoming shows (Dayton, Chicago, Boston, NYC) there are matches that not only look to be good-to-great, but the effort put forth by those in the matches could help to elevate some of the talent upwards. These four shows could provide the next step up in ROH for wrestlers like The Young Bucks, Dark City Fight Club, Petey Williams and Kenny Omega. It may also be the moment that Davey Richards takes the final step to main event status in ROH not just through the tag ranks but also in the singles division.

It is truly a very exciting, but nerve-racking time for ROH fans in general. Amidst all of the "doom and gloom" talk forecasting the end of the promotion, what is being ignored is the amazing potential of all of the ROH shows that either have happened or will take place this month. Tickets are selling fast to these shows and the NYC show has been declared a sell-out (albeit in the smaller Grand Ballroom, but if they had access to the Hammerstein I'd think they'd have a good shot of selling that out as well). As I mentioned in my special edition column on Danielson's departure, the ironic thing may be his leaving could be exactly what ROH needs to rebound from their missteps earlier in the year.

A look up and down the lineups of these shows reveals some killer matches, fresh combinations of wrestlers in both of the singles and tag division, the conclusion of bitter rivalries and the potential to kick-start new angles that will pique the interest of the fan base.

Let's take a look at some of the matches from the past two days worth of HDNet tapings:


September 10th, 2009: Philadelphia, PA


Kenny King vs. Eddie Kingston: The young, "too hot to trot, too cool for school" kind of baller up against the take no s***, kick you in the d*** brawler. For months now, King has been proving himself worthy of compliments he has received from the fan base (even though he is a hell, they see his talent). He has his excellent characterizations—brash, egotistical, gets under your skin and makes you want to see him get beat. Kingston is one of this generation's beloved wrestlers in Philadelphia and any match in his wheelhouse like (brawling, take a buttkicking and keep on coming) is going to get over like a million bucks. I think both men can mutually benefit from the spotlight of a main event for this match.

The Young Bucks vs. The Briscoes: Matt and Nick Jackson have demonstrated their vast improvement all year in PWG and in ROH since late May. They are fast, fun and freaking good. No one should be sleeping on their match against Kevin Steen & El Generico from Contention. This is the beginning of what is the biggest test of their stint in the promotion thus far. This is the first of a three match series against the standard bearers of tag team wrestling in ROH. The Briscoes once again seem fresh and reborn after six months away from the tag division (due to Mark's injuries). They have been busting heads in ROH for years, but this time around they may have the deepest roster of tag teams ever to content with, and the competition is steep. I don't see how this series (which has encores in Dayton and New York City) won't be memorable. I even expect both teams to go even—the Bucks certainly have offensive firepower to show off during their matches.

Colt Cabana vs. Nigel McGuinness: If the changes that occurred this week (as well as Tyler Black having to pull out of the HDNet tapings because his neck hadn't fully healed from recent surgery) had one happy side effect, it is that there was an opportunity for this match to occur. Nigel's first major rivalry of consequence in ROH was against Colt Cabana in 2005. It was a launching point for both men upwards in the singles ranks after Colt spent a majority of his time tagging with CM Punk as the Second City Saints and Nigel was mostly a mid-carder until that point. They mixed comedy with technical wrestling and a dash of European flare and the result was a series of entertaining matches, peaking with the "Soccer Riot" match at Night of the Grudges II. I'm glad there will be a reprise of this pairing, because they definitely deserve a chance to go at one more time. These two prove that you can do technical wrestling and still make it entertaining.

Austin Aries and Tyler Black confrontation: SPOILER ALERT for those of you who hate those sorts of things. Apparently Aries' "Lucky Lottery" plays a huge role in an angle between Aries and Black, which results in Aries throwing a makeshift fireball at Black and "blinding him". It should help to explain why he won't be wrestling for over six week's worth of TV time, although he may be back for the late September shows. I think this angle is proof that Black and Aries will continue to feud throughout the rest of the year, culminating in "one last title match" for Black, likely at Final Battle 2009.

There has been a very longstanding history of fireball angles in ROH, all well executed. Homicide's fireball on Samoa Joe in 2004 was one of the most visceral visual angles done in ROH at the time. Everyone loves to see fire (that primate-like response that is imbedded within human nature) and a well done fireball spot always gets the crowd into the proceedings.

Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The Super Smash Brothers (Player Uno & Player Dos): The SSB is proof that it's still possible that the sum can be greater than their parts in tag team wrestling. In the past year Uno and Dos have taken the right steps towards improving themselves—they kept what's worked in their matches and minimized any sloppy looking spots they used in years past. They also greatly improved their ring gear with matching, professional looking tights with gorgeous patterns (relating to video games, naturally). Steen & Generico are very simply top of the game in the babyface department in ROH for 2009. They get the fans behind them like no other team and they deliver constantly in the ring with their precision and timing, not to mention Generico's high risk and Steen's fire and stirring willpower. This is a rematch from Contention as well as from Death Before Dishonor VII Night 3 where the SSB pulled out the upset win against Steenerico. The Super Smash Brothers is over in Philadelphia (where the crowd knows them from their appearances in CHIKARA) and my guess is that this support should translate very well to the TV product.

Non-Title Match--The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) w/Shane Hagadorn (ROH Tag Team Champions) vs. Bryan Danielson & Roderick Strong: Danielson begins his farewell tour by taking on sporadic opponents The American Wolves one more time. He had previously partnered with Tyler Black and Kevin Steen against The Wolves, but the best he was able to achieve was a forty-five minute draw against the champs at Tag Team Classic. Now he partners with his some-time PWG partner Strong (a.k.a. Hybrid Dolphins) and his sparring partner for the second set of tapings. Strong is the man who can really benefit from this match and I believe the focus will go on him in order to let the viewers know that he is the real deal on the babyface side of the roster.


September 11th, 2009: Philadelphia, PA


ROH World Tag Team Championships: American Wolves (c) vs. Young Bucks: How can you not be excited for this pairing? This is an unofficial "champion vs. champion" match as The Wolves have worn ROH belts since April, while The Young Bucks have represented PWG as their tag team champions throughout the year. I see these two paired up and I'm dreaming of flying brothers on the one side and breaking bones on the other. It also speaks a lot to the unbelievably rapid progression of the Young Bucks up the ladder in ROH that they would qualify for a tag title match on the HDNet series. Again, I don't see why this would be a bad or even average match, since both teams are on fire right now.

Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli: These two have ripped it up several times in CHIKARA already this year. In ROH, the face / heel lines are reversed. Given that, I think when this airs we'll continue to see these two providing the quality effort. SPOILER ALERT Chris Hero will be accompanying Claudio Castagnoli during this match, giving fans more of a hint that there is some sort of Kings of Wrestling connection back in play in Ring of Honor.

Austin Aries vs. Colt Cabana: Another combination that ROH historians will recall having seen in years past (most notably Aries' first ROH World title defenses during his original reign in 2005). Colt can bring some comedy here to get under Aries skin leading into the body of the match and of course you can expect King Titus to be involved here. Cabana has been mostly on the undercard throughout the HDNet series, but he could also benefit from an elevation to the upper card—and I think his entertainment and in-ring value certainly warrants a higher profile.

Roderick Strong vs. Bryan Danielson: This is Danielson's last match on HDNet. This is a combination that has worked in the past, albeit with very long match times. As this is a TV taping, even as a main event it won't get the kind of time their previous bouts had. Still, with emotion for Danielson running deep and Strong's propensity for hard work and impressive strong-style efforts, this match will be a very worthy finale.


Here are some of the matches we can look forward to on the next four house shows / DVD tapings:


September 18th, 2009: Dayton, OH


Main Event- Special Challenge Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Hero with Shane Hagadorn

Of course most long time ROH fans remember their first-ever fight in the promotion at Hell freezes Over, named because at the time many fans never believed that Hero would get the shot to perform in ROH. Now, so many years later, Hero has shed the ties to CZW, shed the Kings of Wrestling moniker, shed the Sweet & Sour Inc. connection and has become "That Young Knockout Kid". This has been a career year for Hero—including a lengthy PWG Heavyweight title run and a win against Lance Storm in ROH. His promos have also been of high excellence, with his desire to knock out wrestlers on the way to victories quite clear. Hero could very well defeat Danielson via a knockout elbow if he isn't also on his way out to WWE like the rumors are whispering.

Dream Tag Team Match- Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The Young Bucks

This will be the second bout in their three-match swing. The Briscoes have been a Dayton favorite for a long time now. This will be the first appearance for the Bucks in Dayton specifically for ROH. I think they will easily win over the crowd with their talent, but does that mean they should go over in this one?

Tag Team Challenge Match-ROH World Champion Austin Aries & Rhett Titus vs. Petey Williams & Colt Cabana

I haven't seen any of Petey's performances in ROH yet, but he interacted quite a bit with champion Austin Aries. Cabana is also quickly moving toward a match against Aries. I think this is going to be a solid, but not all that sexy (well, maybe Titus, sure) match.

Non Title Match-World Tag Team Champions The American Wolves vs. Brent Albright & Erick Stevens

Albright and Stevens haven't teamed on a regular basis like I thought they would be when they cemented their pairing at the beginning of the year. Albright has actually teamed up quite a bit with Cabana instead. Still, I like the power / power combination they provide in any tag match and going against another rough-and-tumble team like the Wolves is right for their style. I expect this one to be the sleeper of the night and anticipate all four men to be working intensely to creating that kind of match.

Also on this card:

First Time In ROH-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Tyler Black (should Tyler be able to perform)

Tag Team Action-The Dark City Fight Club vs. The House of Truth
Singles Match-The Necro Butcher vs. Silas Young

Singles Match-Jimmy Rave vs. "Skullkrusher" Rasche Brown


September 19th, 2009: Chicago Ridge, IL


HDNet's Biggest Rivalry Comes To Chicago--Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black (should Tyler be able to perform)

Danielson and Black's rivalry stems back two years and has revolved around the idea of respect and disrespect. Black initially had little regard for Danielson and his abilities when he was a founding member of the revolutionary faction The Age of the Fall. However, when Black saw "the light" about his former partner Jimmy Jacobs, he realized he had been mistaken about Danielson. That didn't mean the desire to win a match against him was done, but it did mean he wanted to do it the right way. Their series in 2008 was very impressive and the 2009 series that has included three fantastic matches on HDNet has been just as much. This match isn't guaranteed to happen due to Black's injury status, but if it does, expect it to tear the house down.

Non Title Match-ROH World Champion Austin Aries vs. Petey Williams

Williams had wanted to make his impact (as always, no pun intended) right away upon his entry into ROH and to that he targeted a shot at the ROH World Title. He was blocked by Aries and his hired hand for the night Joey Ryan during a four corner survival match. Ever since, Williams has been asking for a shot at Aries, who has only conceded to a non-title bout.

Williams as a babyface is an interesting move, since he spent most of his time in TNA playing the heel. Can the fans get behind Williams? I think Aries will be able to heel enough for that to happen, but I don't know if I'd go in expecting a Williams win, even in a non-title situation.

Grudge Tag Team Match-Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. World Tag Team Champions The American Wolves with Shane Hagadorn

The storyline reason for Mark's injury was an attack by The Wolves. This is the Briscoes' first big opportunity to gain revenge, albeit in a non-title situation. I'd expect the Briscoes not to wait and be on Richards and Edwards right from the start. The Wolves won't back down and will fire back, looking to reinjure Mark throughout the match.

If you look at the booking, putting this match together as a non-title situation is a smart move, as SPOILER ALERT while The Briscoes did win the Tag Team Honor Rumble at a recent TV taping, they haven't won too many straight-up tag matches as of yet. The Wolves have their tag title defense against Kevin Steen & El Generico late this month, so it's unrealistic to expect a switch before then. Keeping this a non-title match then puts all of the focus on the "grudge match" aspect and its believable The Briscoes then could win this one to get payback for Mark's injury and put them in clear contention for the belts, whether it's against The Wolves or old sparring partners Steen & Generico.

Dog Collar Match-The Necro Butcher vs. Jimmy Rave

I haven't been a real fan of this pairing, ever since it stuck up the joint in NYC during Manhattan Mayhem III. However, I will say that Necro's strong suit is a brawl and a dog collar gimmick is a good decision. Rave has experience with the stipulation, defeating CM Punk back at the original Manhattan Mayhem. I think the key is going to be if they can deliver a hard hitting match that can pop the crowd right away and get them into the action. If they play a stall-and-avoidance game in the beginning, that might kill the crowd for this one. I find it interesting that during the CHIKARA King of Trios tournament back in February, Necro was popping the crowd left and right with his punches and chops. However, the reaction to his presence and actions in ROH has been muted this past year. Is it a watered down Necro compared to his efforts in another promotion? It's possible, but Necro's style remains unchanged. It's just that Necro needs to somehow regain the feeling of unpredictability and danger (even as a face). The fans feed off of that (just like they did with Homicide back when he was with ROH). If he can do that here, then this one will succeed. Oh, and expect blood.

Also on the card:

Special Challenge Match-Colt Cabana vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Tag Team Challenge Match-The Dark City Fight Club vs. The Young Bucks

Four Corner Survival Match-Silas Young vs. Sal Rinauro vs. "Sugarfoot" Alex Payne vs. "Skullkrusher" Rasche Brown


September 25th, 2009: Boston, MA


First Time In ROH-Bryan Danielson vs. Davey Richards

At the recent Dragon Gate USA Pay Per View taping, Danielson challenged Richards to be the next "Best in the World". While that is a competing independent promotion, I'd have no doubt that statement would apply to this match as well. This is another passing of the torch, as Richards has been at the top of his game throughout the year and could conceivably be (or is already) the guy who can step into the Danielson role for ROH—provide the best match of the night, get the fans energetic and excited to see what he does (whether face or heel). They have fought in other promotions, but this is the first (and last) time they will duke it out in ROH. I'd expect a technical clinic to start, but then for each of their temper's to flare and for them to exchange strikes and forearms late in the match, leading to a finish involving different submission attempts (Kimura vs. Cattle Mutilation / Triangle Choke). I'm thinking Richards goes over here.

Special Challenge Match-Nigel McGuinness vs. Roderick Strong

As noted above, McGuinness and Strong began a rivalry on HDNet television, with the Brit claiming that the fans didn't care about Strong's health and welfare (a play on the real life situation Nigel was involved with at the end of 2007 and his recent injury in April). Strong is another guy who could fill the void left by Danielson. Although he is still very weak when it comes to promo ability (whereas Richards has stepped his game up in that regard), he is more beloved / appreciated by the fans compared to Richards and also provides a similar guarantee of a good to great match on every show. Boston gets the benefit of the switch-up in New York and I think the top two matches on this card guarantee a must-buy for this DVD when it comes out.

Tag Team Special Attraction-ROH World Champion Austin Aries & Rhett Titus vs. Colt Cabana & Kenny Omega

This is a similar scenario to the tag bout in Dayton, only with Cabana switching up partners from Williams to Omega, who also has problems with Aries (notice how everyone on the roster seems to really dislike him and is gunning for him as the champion). Omega and Cabana sounds like a classic comedy duo in the making, but if they spend too much of the match on comedy, it all but guarantees Aries & Titus win.

Anything Goes Match-Kevin Steen vs. Eddie Edwards

Steen preps for the Ladder War with this singles match, but more importantly it continues Steen's streak of "Anything Goes" matches in the Boston area. He has been involved in all-out brawls for much of the past year, against Necro, Richards and now Edwards. Maybe it's something in the air. I don't know how this is going to be able to match the insanity of the fight against Richards (which is must-see), but I think both of them are up for trying.

Also on the card:

Four Corner Survival-El Generico vs. Chris Hero vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Petey Williams

The Rubber Match-Delirious vs. Sonjay Dutt

Tag Team Action-The Young Bucks vs. Cheech & Cloudy


September 26th, 2009: New York City


Glory By Honor VIII: The Final Countdown

Main Event #1: World Tag Team Title Mach- Ladder War II-The American Wolves with Shane Hagadorn vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico

The first ladder war between Steen & Generico and The Briscoes is one of the most well-known matches of the last four years in ROH. It had just about everything—insane risks, huge ladders, a fantastic finale of finishing moves (including a mind blowing Jay Driller onto the ladder) and a major post-match angle that introduced a new faction. It was the main event of Man Upone of the most well-received of ROH's Pay Per Views. That is the reputation that all the men in this match will have to try to surpass. Expectations are high from the fans that this is going to be one of the best matches in ROH history—unfair or not, they're going to have to live up to it.

This looks to be the culmination of a ten-month long rivalry between both teams. It started when Steen & Generico were champions. Richards and Edwards were just beginning their "hunt" as the newly formed American Wolves, with Shane Hagadorn taking the reins as the manager. They wanted to make a statement of intent and they did that by attacking El Generico backstage. The point of focus was ravaging Generico's knee with a chair. Steen had knee problems in the past, so this attack particularly raised his anger. Generico would have (both legit and kayfabe) knee problems on and off throughout the next ten months.

The Wolves were initially unsuccessful in tag title opportunities against Steen & Generico, who rose to the occasion and used their emotion and devil-without-a-care attitude to defeat their opponents in January (Motor City Madness 2009) and in February (Seventh Anniversary Show). The Wolves were undeterred and finally defeated the champions on an early episode of ROH on HDNet in a "Tables Are Legal" match. They turned the tables on the champs and dominated throughout, culminating in sending Steen out of the ring through two stacked up tables. Then they used a Doomsday Ace Crusher through a table on an already dazed and hurt Generico to secure the three count. The Wolves reign of terror in the tag division had begun.

Steen spent most of the next six months trying to get back at the Wolves for taking away his tag strap and for attacking both he and Generico. It was a battle full of ups and downs. A "strange bedfellows" pairing of he and Jay Briscoe had mixed results. However, Steen often had the Wolves number in singles matches, where his brawn and power as well as willingness to do damage to his own body in order to win proved to be the lynchpin to his success. Generico returned from injury, setting the stage for their submissions match for the ROH World Tag Team Titles in New York City. Unfortunately, they lost that fight, thought they gave a hell of an effort.

It seemed like the tag belts were now clearly out Steen & Generico's reach and that they would need to climb up the ladder of contention once again. However, Steen lobbied for another match against the champs and that if he and Generico won they would be able to receive another title shot with the stipulation of their choosing. At End of An Age in late June, they were given that opportunity. They won the match and one more title shot.

There have been little teases of how the feud would come to an end—usually with the involvement of weapons, specifically when someone would pull a ladder from under the ring. Many fans remembered this was part of the tease for the first Ladder War back in 2007. Many fans were even clamoring to see another one happen. Steen asked for it, and the ROH management refused for a long time. However, they eventually caved in, partially because they didn't like to see The Wolves taking pot shots at other teams and hurting them.

So this feud all comes to a head in New York City. I'd expect nothing less than the best efforts out of everyone to make this one a success. I think they all know what is at stake with this one. It's not just about the feud or the tag team titles. It's about making a statement about ROH's future. It's about putting the final exclamation point on what looks to be an awesome card. It's about showing that when the chips are down, ROH can still be the kind of promotion the fans want it to be. This match, , means more to the future of ROH than any other on the card.

Main Event #2- The Final Countdown-Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson

The only guarantee about this match is that it will be a hell of an emotional display by the fans before, during and afterwards. You can take the emotion and the pomp from CM Punk's and Samoa Joe's farewell celebrations, add them together and it still might not compare to how the fans will react to both of these men on September 26th. The match is almost secondary to the "celebration" of the moment—with the fans saying "goodbye".

Nonetheless, when it gets down to business, I'd expect both men to go out there and provide one more all-time classic for their rivalry. We all know each can do technical, brawling, high spots, strong-style. I'd expect the best of their previous matches will be combined, with a few additional twists and turns to get us to the finish. Despite the press release from ROH, the actual record as it stands is four wins for Danielson, three for McGuinness and two draws.

Will there be another draw at the end of this one, in order to homage the Guerrero vs. Malenko match? Or will one or the other go out on top? I doubt many in the crowd will mind as long as the finish is clean, exciting and befitting of the moment.

A Double Lethal Lottery-Austin Aries WILL defend the ROH World Title

Call me a mark but I LOVE when wrestling companies do the "fish in a bowl" lottery angle. CHIKARA fans should recall that Director of Fun Leonard F. Chikarason pulls out the lucky hat whenever there is a wrestler who needs to be replaced in a match, and it usually leads to both hilarity and fun (not to mention an out of breath referee who has to run back and forth from the ring to the backstage only to declare "he's not there!" at least twice before finding the guy who is there). Aries' lottery is a fantastic little heel angle that gets over just how NOT willing he is to wrestle the top guys for the title. I expect Aries to pull out a name like Bobby Dempsey or Alex Payne, defeat them easily and then end up being confronted by either Roderick Strong (who doesn't have a replacement match on this card just yet) or Petey Williams (on the card but not yet booked in a match). The match against Strong is the one I'm rooting for, but I'm not putting the bank of it.

The Rematch-Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The Young Bucks

The third match in the series booked throughout the month, by this point each team should know each other really well and therefore be able to provide an appropriate "rubber match". I think the NYC fans realized that the Bucks were legitimate with their performance back in June and The Briscoes have always been a NYC favorite (we appreciate and embrace their toughness). Again, so long as this one has a clean and exciting finish then this one can't go wrong.

Grudge Match-Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Hero with Shane Hagadorn

This reprise of one of indie wrestling's storied rivalries has been slowly building up over the last few months on HDNet. There have only been a few skirmishes, but this one is the real battle. Expect crowd brawling, hard hitting between the two, maybe some weaponry and definitely some chicanery from Hero and Hagadorn. Kingston should get a "hero's welcome" from the New York City crowd (King is from nearby Yonkers). His debut in NYC is a long time in coming, too long for my tastes. I'm ready to see him live and in person and kicking Hero's ass.

Also on the card:

Singles Action-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kenny Omega

Special Challenge Match-Colt Cabana vs. Rhett Titus

Tag Team Action-The Dark City Fight Club vs. Cheech & Cloudy



As you can see, ROH has booked these shows incredibly well, putting the focus on the Danielson-McGuinness departures but also peppering the undercard with matches that will showcase the rest of the ROH roster that will look to replace them at the top of the card. It's a bit light in title matches, but that's not a terrible call because no one really expects the tag titles to switch until at least the Ladder War match. As well, Aries so far has been perfecting the path of least resistance when it comes to title matches, yet he still has four or five wrestlers nipping on his toes wanting to get at him for a chance to become ROH World Champion.

Meanwhile the tag division feels vibrant and packed with talent, as The Young Bucks are scoring opportunities left and right to make their mark in the company, the Briscoes are back and the Dark City Fight Club, House of Truth, Super Smash Brothers and Cheech & Cloudy all fill out the rest of the division, each team capable of having really good matches and the ability to round out any card.

Throw in appearances and autograph signing by Bret "Hitman" Hart at many of these stops and there is more than enough reason to check these shows out, either in-person or when they are released through DVD.

This could very well be the beginning of a renaissance for Ring of Honor. Then again, I've always been the idealist. Ultimately, Ring of Honor is going to have to prove it to be the case. They have four shows in two weeks to do just that.


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I'll be back next week with more from the world of Honor. Thanks for reading and leaving your feedback and as always…

BROOKLYN!
--Ari--