Column of Honor 10.31.09: Head-to-Head

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 10.31.2009

Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate USA have two dates with destiny--they run competing shows on the same days during Wrestlemania XXVI weekend in 2010. How is this intriguing face-off shaping up early on? Plus: thoughts on TNA with Hulk Hogan, Delirious vs. Liger and Aries vs. Danielson for the next-to-last time.


Welcome to the Column.





Head-to-Head: ROH vs. Dragon Gate USA at Wrestlemania Weekend


The road to Wrestlemania weekend is five months, but there has already been some significant jostling from three promotions this past week, including a bombshell head-to-head scenario for the American and International independent scene. We now know for sure that Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate USA (headed up by former ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky) will each play two shows in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday March 26th and Saturday March 27th, 2010. The key fact is that both promotions will run shows on the same two days and at least for one of them will run at the exact same time. Ultimately this means the promotions are in direct competition with each other for ticket sales and, as has already been seen, for available talent.

The news about Wrestlemania XXVI weekend began with a juicy tidbit about WWE doing its best to "lockout" other wrestling companies from running shows within the city limits during that weekend. WWE conferred with city officials in order to block ROH or other promotions from running city owned or operated arenas. This is because they host a variety of events during the run up to their biggest show of the year, including fan interaction shows, press conferences and the now-annual Hall of Fame celebration. They don't want any of the attention or financial windfall (and justifiably so) to go to other, non-WWE wrestling shows or events during what they consider "their" weekend. It is WWE's best interests to have all of the focus for any and every wrestling fan who attends that weekend to also buy into these ancillary events.

Ring of Honor has been running their shows on the same weekend and in the same (or nearby) city as Wrestlemania since 2004. They choose to run that weekend in order to capitalize on the large number of wrestling fans who are travelling to that city and are looking for as much wrestling action as possible. These annual ROH super shows are often one of the highlights of that year, with high profile matches and situations (such as last year's Jerry Lynn vs. Nigel McGuinness title match and a Pay Per View taping the following night), loaded shows and guest stars (last year ROH used KENTA, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Alex Koslov, D-Lo Brown and Blue Demon Jr. as attractions). Over the last few years, other independent promotions besides ROH have begun to jump on the Wrestlemania Weekend bandwagon. In 2007, TNA hosted their iMPACT show in Orlando, a show infamously attended by Rory of The Highlanders and Chavo Guerrero. Last year Booker T tried to run a legends autograph convention for charity, which resulted in a few entanglements with WWE, including when they stole away several of the high profile names with better money offers to appear for their own autograph signing events.

This year, ROH announced its Wrestlemania weekend shows super early, in order to beat WWE to the punch and create early interest and advanced ticket sales to the events. They will hold the show at Phoenix College—not an unprecedented move considering ROH has used Boston University's Case Gym for over a year.

The x-factor in all of the hulabaloo this week ended up coming from Dragon Gate USA, who announced their own double shot of shows that would take place during Wrestlemania weekend. They will run the Celebrity Theatre for two shows on the same days that ROH runs its shows. It was a surprise move that stole the thunder out of ROH's announcement which I'm sure was part of the intent. This move puts Ring of Honor head-to-head with the company run by its former booker in the same city for the first time. However, it isnot the first time they have run on the same day. In fact, the very first night Dragon Gate USA ran a show in Philadelphia, ROH was running up in Canada for the Death Before Dishonor VII weekend this past July.

During a recent interview with Figure 4 Weekly's Bryan Alvarez, Gabe Sapolsky mentioned that he felt competition between Dragon Gate and ROH was not only a good thing, but something he was rooting to happen. It seems that Sapolsky has gone from rooting and hoping for direct completion to actively engaging in it.

Dragon Gate USA may not have the means to run as many shows as ROH during the year, but that has never been their intent. DGUSA focuses on providing premium content, talent and matches. They have been very good at it through two shows, with almost universal praise for their debut "Enter the Dragon" and tons of buzz about two singles matches on the second (Davey Richards vs. SHINGO and Bryan Danielson vs. Naruki Doi). Meanwhile, ROH's 2009 has included many great, very high-quality matches (featuring the likes of The American Wolves, Kevin Steen & El Generico, Tyler Black, Austin Aries, KENTA), but the hype for these has been muddled or lost with the increase of criticisms about the ROH product this year.

Previous statements from Sapolsky indicated that that Dragon Gate would only run six shows a year. A show is already on the books in January 2010 at Chicago's Congress Theatre. This would be the second and third events for the company that year, and a new venue / city. It seems like this was an opportunity that they couldn't pass up—added attention, an influx of fans, and of course the chance to show up Ring of Honor.

Make no mistake about it; this is a move that is a proverbial slap directly to ROH's face. Sapolsky may claim he's over the firing from the booker position in 2008 and that may be true, but this is his best chance to stick it to ROH and hard. Dragon Gate has also had some bad blood with ROH. After a several-yearlong successful relationship with ROH, there was a financial dispute regarding the 2007 ROH show in Japan that they co-promoted. Dragon Gate claims they didn't receive payment for talent and hotel / travel costs, while ROH officials released a statement in response that claimed Dragon Gate did not live up to their promises including proper promotion of the show. The battle of words led to an end to the working relationship between the two companies. This is now Dragon Gate chance to stick it to ROH through their USA branch.

Ring of Honor has been the top independent wrestling promotion running on the Wrestlemania weekend for the past five years. Now, there is the hot new kid on the block, going guns blazing. At the very least, this is a great publicity move, but their efforts could also prove to shake the status quo on the independent scene for that weekend and as a whole. Truth to be told, since the face-off is now inevitable, Sapolsky has drawn first blood.

Since ROH and Dragon Gate will run head-to-head, that means the top independent wrestling talents will be at a premium. There is some (but not a lot of) crossovers between the two rosters, but the names are very important to ROH at this time. Dragon Gate announced the first talents signed to appear at the same time as their statements about the Wrestlemania shows. Davey Richards was the first name, and it has since come out that he has signed to appear on BOTH Dragon Gate shows. Right off the bat that is a huge blow for Ring of Honor. Richards is currently near the top of the food chain in ROH. He is one-half of the ROH World Tag Team champions, has been on a huge hot streak with matches this year and is an incredibly crucial component to ROH's future main event scene.

Oh and I'm sure you remember Davey Richards vs. KENTA? A match many interested parties have as one of ROH's best matches of 2009. Yeah, that match took place during Supercard of Honor IV, during Wrestlemania weekend. Richards has already proven that at this point in his career, he can bring the goods and he now has a track record for greatness around Wrestlemania weekend. That is a huge marketing point that DGUSA can use to sell their shows and well, it's a marketing point that ROH now loses.

That Richards has already committed to both DG shows and will not appear on any of the ROH shows that weekend is a huge deal. Richards had one previous booking with Dragon Gate but was immediately placed in a high–profile position, but he has been given that role and responsibility in ROH for the past year now. It's crazy to think that someone who is a huge fan favorite (despite playing the heel role) and on a shortlist to become the next ROH World champion and that he's chosen to play for another company on two very important days for what is ostensibly his home team—well, that is a shocking turn of events. This shows that no punches are going to be pulled by Dragon Gate during this head-to-head competition.

The other major names announced for Dragon Gate include The Young Bucks of Matt & Nick Jackson. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla has been their home promotion over the last several years, but they have proved to be a terrific addition to the Ring of Honor tag team division. They provide a high-flying and athletic match—one that entertains the fans and keeps them excited. The Bucks match up well against anyone in ROH and have had great bouts thus far against Kevin Steen & El Generico as well as The Briscoes. If they were to appear for ROH on the Wrestlemania weekend shows, you would have a guaranteed quality match and a true-draw for the independent wrestling fans. The Bucks may not be known to the casual wrestling fan, but their ability in the ring creates believers out of cynics and any match they are in can steal the show. However, The Bucks will not appear at ROH—instead, they will give their hard effort and show-stealing ability to Dragon Gate USA that weekend. This is perhaps not as major a loss for ROH as is losing Davey Richards for the weekend, but it still hurts.

Sapolsky has also promised in his hype for the DGUSA shows to bring back the Dragon Gate six-man tag spectacular. That announcement is further salt in the wounds to ROH. From 2006-2008, Ring of Honor hosted those Dragon Gate six man tags, usually featuring top talent like CIMA, Dragon Kid, SHINGO, Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino, all of whom are still the current top names in that promotion, all of whom are likely to play integral roles in Dragon Gate's two show stand in Phoenix. They were frequently one of the top matches for that weekend for ROH and even up there with the best matches on WWE's Wrestlemania show. While most fans didn't expect the first such match to reach the epic heights it did, that initial success allowed the DG six-man to become a bona fide draw. Sapolsky is going to exploit the memories of some of ROH's best matches and use it for his own company's gain. It is a smart but incredibly cutthroat business move.

Worsening the situation is KENTA's recent injury during an October 28th, 2009 match against Koatru Suzuki in Japan. KENTA tore his ACL and is out of action at least six-to-nine months. Not only was KENTA going to have a very important role in next week's ROH shows (scheduled to wrestle in marquee bouts including against Tyler Black and El Generico), but you have to believe that he was very likely to be used for the two Wrestlemania shows, given his constant presence on major ROH events throughout the past year. KENTA was one of the few if only NOAH talents who had a working visa to appear in the States. KENTA has been one of the most outstanding wrestlers in the entire world throughout the past year, with fantastic efforts in both NOAH and in ROH. Now KENTA will likely not recover in time for those shows and that extra added attraction is out of the picture.

Ironically, KENTA replaced his former tag partner and off-and-on competitive rival Naomichi Marufuji as ROH's international guest star when Marufuji went down with a major injury. Now someone (maybe Marufuji or maybe someone else) will have to replace KENTA. ROH absolutely needs an international presence for their major shows, but especially during their Supercard of Honor shows. Guest Stars and international wrestling elite have always played a role on these shows. It will be a devastating blow if there is no one on the level of a KENTA appearing for them this year. If such a replacement can come from NOAH (like a Marufuji, Suzuki, Tajii Ishimori or even Ricky Marvin), they better grab someone like Nakajima or Kota Ibushi to fill in the gap.

Attendance for the ROH shows that weekend has always been at or near all-time record numbers. How will the addition of a similar competitor affect ROH's ticket sales? Advance sales for front row to the shows went pretty fast, but the overall impact is a huge question and perhaps the most important for ROH's bottom line. Yet, Dragon Gate USA is not without its own risks in this decision. They could very well be cutting into their own attendance numbers by forcing fans to choose between the two promotions. It is going to be a "wait-and-see" situation that banks on there being enough of the tens of thousands of wrestling fans who will be in Phoenix that weekend who know of either promotion and are willing to spend the time and money to attend the shows.

The main event of Wrestlemania weekend is always going to be Wrestlemania itself. However, the more intriguing battle is found in the undercard. Guaranteed this week was just the beginning of the build up to the showdown between Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate USA. You can expect counter punches, dodges and feints, perhaps even a knock-out, block buster announcement or two. However, who wins the fight won't be decided until the curtain goes down on each of the shows. The story will be told in the compare-and-contrast from the fans in attendance ringside; from those commenting from the benefit of the cheap seats on the World Wide Web; and of course, from the ticket and DVD sales.


Head-to-Head: GOOGLE MAP IT


Just out of curiosity, I used Google Maps to find the distance and travelling time between the two venues being used by ROH and Dragon Gate. This is what fans will have to deal with if they decide to hop between shows (unlikely, but possible). It should also be noted that the Celebrity Theatre is also where WWE will be running their 2010 Hall of Fame ceremony.

Dragon Gate USA:
440 N 32nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85008
Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix Arizona

To

ROH Wrestling:
1202 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013
Phoenix College, Phoenix Arizona


View Larger Map


By Car:
Distance between Celebrity Theatre and Phoenix College: 6.3 miles
Average Driving time: 11-15 minutes / 25 minutes in traffic

Or for those of you feeling very frisky, you could walk it. You'd be spending about two hours going from point A to point B. The point being, these are not venues that are close by, so chances are, fans are going to have to choose one show or the other on either of the two days, with little to no chance of catching both shows on the same day.


So to those who are planning on attending Wrestlemania weekend, which show will YOU choose to attend? Will you go to ROH, Dragon Gate USA, or perhaps to one of each? What if anything will be a deal-maker for you on either show? A deal breaker? I'd love to read your thoughts, so comment below.

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Honorarium

Just when I was beginning to have some faith restored in TNA, there we go down the rabbit hole again with the announcement of the signing of Hulk Hogan (and Eric Bischoff, and likely Jimmy Hart, Ed Leslie, the Nasty Boys and the rest of the Hogan Bunch). To quote Spaceballs: "S***. There goes the neighborhood." It serves me right for being idealistic, that TNA would spend more of its time concentrating, finally, on the young (well, now young-ish) talent that really deserves the chance to shine. I let myself get too excited by the Nigel McNewMoonRiseof theLycans signing and seeing him interact with Kurt Angle and of course, I got burned by it.

I will say this though; my annoyance at this situation isn't necessarily with Hulk Hogan. I don't blame any wrestler for taking the money deal and certainly Hogan is in need of his at this point. Given the horrible and horrific booking during the previous years, maybe if Hogan has booking power (Hogan's friends claim this to be the case but TNA is repeatedly denying it) he actually makes TNA better than it was without him. Honestly, it can't get much worse…can it?

Plus, it can never be denied that Hogan remains THE big name in professional wrestling. He will forever remain relevant to the mainstream world; even if the reality of the situation is that he just can't physically go in the ring anymore.

I just wish that TNA would stop continuing to look for that next biggest deal in the hopes that this time, finally this time, they'll make that "one big deal" that will take them to the big time and fly past the WWE in terms of notoriety and mainstream success. They did it with Christian, Sting, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley and now Hogan. I keep hoping they stick to their guns, develop their homegrown talent and let the development process naturally take its course. At least now, by signing Hogan, there are no more excuses along that line if this move doesn't produce the results they want.

My other reaction is from a personal level. I really do want to give TNA another chance. After almost four years of buying a show, I wanted to buy this one. I do still want to purchase TNA Turning Point because the top three matches look excellent and worthy of my spending money. However, I worry that by spending the money and buying the show that they take it the wrong way. This will be an indication to TNA that there is tacit support for bringing Hogan in as opposed to what it really means to me, which is my support of wanting to see the in-ring wrestling action that Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Desmond Wolf, Kurt Angle and The Machine Guns can bring. Since this is the world of pro wrestling, I have every cynical bone in my body saying that is exactly what will happen.

Last week I was ninety-nine percent sure I'd buy that Pay Per View. Now it's more like fifty-percent. I have some thinking to do in the next two weeks.


I definitely recommend that you check out Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Title from ROH on HDNet two weeks ago. I've written before but I'll state it again that these two just cannot have a bad match against each other. What I loved about this one was that it was different from previous matches—the chain wrestling and psychology of the submissions game in the beginning, to the work on the neck and how it logically played into the finish with the exposed turnbuckle and IED Dropkick. The turnbuckle dropkick is an impressive, cool-looking move by Aries, but you don't really think of it as a finisher. Yet it works perfectly in the context of the match and the situation where Danielson is compromised and gets caught by it. Something else to notice and it's a little thing but says so much about the kind of worker Danielson is—check out how Danielson stops getting thrown into the exposed turnbuckle even though it's on his blindside. That's an impressive detail and just another thing to appreciate about him. Aries definitely gets the rub here by winning the peni-ultimate bout in their rivalry (the final match is on The Final Countdown Tour: Chicago, available for pre-order now from rohwrestling.com).

Here is the match if you haven't seen it yet:






Delirious vs. Jushin "Thunder" Liger is set to take place in Japan as part of the Jr. League tournament Semi-Finals. Visually speaking, that is a pretty trippy match. I'm thinking it'll be very good in the ring as well. I'm happy for the big D that he gets to wrestle against a legend like Liger—it's a huge feather in the cap of anyone who aspired to be a wrestler. There's no doubt about it that Delirious has been given and taken advantage of his opportunities in Japan. Here's to hoping it helps to freshen up Delirious' in-ring efforts when he comes back to ROH and increases his credibility among the ROH fans.

One final note is that some of ROH's new releases like Final Countdown: Dayton will feature the option to listen to the show without commentary. This is a feature that had been requested by many fans over the past few years. PWG has long been giving their viewers the option to watch their DVDs without commentary, thus giving the effect that you are watching the show live from the seats, hearing the bumps and the catcalls as they happen as loudly and clearly as possible. Dragon Gate USA released their debut DVD with this feature available. It's commendable that ROH has finally caught up with the times in that regard and I'm hoping they will continue to include this feature for all future releases. I know I prefer to listen to matches with the commentary turned on, but if a small thing like giving the option to turn it off helps to please the buyer and somehow increases sales, that can only be a good thing.

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Honor Bound Links

I invite everyone to check out some of my other writing, available at Associated Content.

In addition, I was a Runner-Up Winner for Associated Content's Twitter Challenge! With that in mind, please head over to TwitterNation and follow me at: http://twitter.com/AriBerenstein.


This week at 411, we have the following Ring of Honor coverage:

Bayani and Jasper are going head-to-head in their own right during this week's 411 Buy or Sell. It's mostly a PWG and Japan BoS this week, but one or two ROH items slip in there as well.

Aaron Hubbard writes the ROH on HDNet recap with Kenny King vs. Eddie Kingston. Hubbard also gives you the 4R's of last week's episode.

I also want to give my highest recommendation to Jason Sterlacci's recent column available on Pro Wrestling Ponderings on the one year anniversary of ROH without Gabe Sapolsky. This is an absolutely brilliant article that analyzes the positives and negatives of the last year and what ROH should focus on in 2010.


That will do it for this week. Next time out I'll have a reader-interactive column that should be quite fun.

Until then…

BROOKLYN!
--Ari--