Column of Honor: 11.28.09: Looking Forward

Welcome to the Column and Happy Post-Thanksgiving, Post Black-Friday. You’re stuffed to the gills, broke and tired, so you may as well sit yourself down and relax by reading this here column of honor.

Looking Forward To:

This is the time of year on the internet that many writers go to the well of seasonal columns for inspiration. This being Thanksgiving week, of course we have many columns about things to be thankful about in the professional wrestling industry. This column, I must admit, is not going to divert from said thematic context. Since I have spent the last few columns being super-hyper critical of ROH and other issues on the independent scene, I thought this week I’d go a one-eighty and devote some time to a more positive subject. This will be a “thankful” column, well, of a sort. I am looking forward to several events, happening and situations in ROH that will close out 2009 and will begin the New Year. Here is a list of what to look forward to in the world of Ring of Honor:

Final Battle 2009 as a Streaming Pay Per View: ROH announced this week that Final Battle 2009 would be their first show to be featured as a live, streaming Pay Per View. They struck a deal in conjunction with gofightlive.tv, which will give fans all over the world access to the last ROH show of the year. Fans will be able to pre-order the show for $12.95 or $14.95 if ordered on the day of the show. Now, I don’t really agree that the price should go up on the day of the event, but it’s not unlike what happens when concert events that charges a few dollars more day of the show. It encourages advance ticket sales for concerts and in this case advance PPV sales. These prices are in-line (and actually less than) previous ROH PPV offerings, and less than any Dragon Gate USA, TNA, WWE or UFC Pay Per View.

In addition, ROH broke new information on Friday about the formatting and presentation of the show, about which some fans had questions. ROH plans to go with a three-camera live shoot, which has been the standard for their events for years now. There will also be live commentary (for the first time on any ROH show). All of that should in theory combine to create a professional presentation for the interested paying customer. As usual, I hope and pray that ROH’s video and audio quality will hold up, specifically in terms of clarity of vision, a distinct lack of whitewashing of the wrestlers and no “clipping” of audio (i.e. when the volume gets too “hot”, sound will “clip” or become garbled or distorted). ROH may have just pulled the trigger on a saving grace for the future of their current business model—if it can immediately present a product worth buying while simultaneously reducing or eliminate their previous video production issues.

While this is obviously a trial to see if this sort of streaming Pay Per View can work on a consistent basis, the first impression is always the one that counts. There is no doubt ROH will attempt to put its best feet forward during Final Battle 2009 as far as match quality, considering the two title matches of ROH World Champion Austin Aries vs. Tyler Black, ROH World Tag Team Champions American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) vs. The Briscoes and the AAA special attraction tag of Jack Evans & Rocky Romero vs. Teddy Hart & Alex Kozlov. However, perhaps even more important than putting on that “A show” effort in the ring (such as I discussed in last week’s column), ROH needs to pull out all of the stops on this one to make this come across as an “A show” in video and audio production.

There has been a void in terms of the internet wrestling streaming service—a few smaller promotions have tried, but this is the first time one of the larger indie such as an ROH or a PWG have attempted. CHIKARA has put on several of its “Pod Per Views”, but those are mini-shows of between thirty- to-forty-five minutes with pre-taped matches and segments culled together. They have been pleasant and sometimes worthwhile purchases (especially for the small three–to-four dollar price point), but they have not attempted to do anything on this level before.

If ROH succeeds at this endeavor—and that’s a decent-sized “if”, to be sure, then this could be an invaluable additional revenue stream. First of all, some fans are unfortunately turned off by the years-long standing system of delayed DVD releases (For example, Glory By Honor VIII, which occurred September 26th, won’t be shipped to customers until December 15th, which is an almost three months delay). Fans who know the results of the months-long show don’t necessarily “have to” buy the show when it’s released (although all independent promotions depend on this system, even CHIKARA, which is the fastest in turning over shows to press). Live streaming online (and the next step up, live-to-television Pay Per View) brings back the excitement of real-time results and the sense of unpredictability, that anything can happen at a live show. Not to mention that for the first time, fans who are unable to travel to New York City to watch the ROH shows at Hammerstein Ballroom or the Manhattan Center (although as an aside, being a life-long resident of NYC, I can safely say that anyone and everyone should come to The City at least once in life and not just for an ROH show) will now be able to experience the awesome atmosphere of these major shows, from the comfort of their own home.

If ROH succeeds at this endeavor, then it’s safe to assume that they will follow up by continuing to use the live streaming service for their other major shows— the “Big Five” which also includes the Anniversary Show, Supercard of Honor, Death Before Dishonor, and Glory By Honor. You could also throw in any other major New York City shows and maybe even the show in Los Angeles (see below). You could also expect to see the other major promotions such as PWG, CHIKARA and DGUSA follow suit, which would eventually crowd the market once again. Of course, there are some drawbacks to putting the show on the internet—for example, this could make it even easier for people to capture the event and put it up for free through the torrent and download sites. As we have seen—those who steal, errr, download the shows have demonstrated that their price point is “free” and nothing is better than that. There is also the possibility that these production efforts ultimately will not be cost-effective and that they won’t get many PPV buys. Also, while these was a lot of positive buzz from the established base of online ROH fans, will ROH be able to regain some of the fans they lost over the year, or find new fans who are willing to sample the product? Ultimately, this could end up just like ROH’s televised Pay Per Views, which relied on their established U.S. customer base to “double dip” the show by buying it on PPV and then on DVD. However, for now, this remains a development not only to look forward to but also on which to keep a close eye as it regards its effect on ROH in 2010.

Final Battle 2009—The Title Matches: Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries for the ROH World Title is a year in the making, stemming all the way back to last year’s Final Battle where Aries not only defeated Black, but then turned heel and smacked him upside the head with a chair shot afterwards. Fans know that Black’s road to the title began under the previous booking administration. It was Gabe Sapolsky’s plan to have him win the title at Final Battle 2008. However, those plans were either scrapped or made to take a huge detour under booker Adam Pearce. So instead of winning the title at what was a peak in his overall popularity, Black was screwed out of what looked to be a probable title win at Injustice II. This set out the long road in chase of both revenge against his former Age of the Fall tag team partner Jimmy Jacobs and then on course for the ROH World Title. Fan patience has been extremely tested during the past year, and found lacking as far as this booking direction goes, thanks to Black receiving multiple title shots through the rest of the year and then being booked to choke on the title opportunity. Black’s surgery and time off in September (explained in storyline as a fireball attack by Aries) served as a sort of a breather period, but then Black was immediately inserted back into the title picture with the win at Survival of the Fittest 2009 and the guaranteed title shot. Though Black found his way into the Pick 6 series, Black is using his shot from the SOTF at Final Battle 2009, where once again he will stare directly in the opposite corner with his opponent and current world champion Aries.

Regardless of the rollercoaster like nature of the ROH booking for Tyler Black in 2009, what remains a sure thing throughout the last two years has been the quality of the series of Black vs. Aries matches. These two have quietly built up a formidable history for their grudge that spans two years. They never had a bad match against each other in ROH during that time. Most of their matches have been good, very good or great. You can go all the way back to their first encounter at Unscripted III in late 2007, which was a mid-length match, about twelve minutes or so, but set the tone for their matches to be a nice back-and-forth battle. Aries is a great wrestler, but also has aerial ability. Meanwhile Black has a high-impact / aerial dynamic going for him; together it’s an effective combination for exciting matches. It should also be noted that Aries has the upper hand in their series history. He has won their singles matches (Unscripted III, Final Battle 2008 were won by Aries while Black has the “upset” win at Wrestling at the Gateway which precipitated the Aries heel turn) and even their triple threat matches (Escalation in 2008 which included Nigel McGuinness; Manhattan Mayhem III, which also included Jerry Lynn).

It’s safe to say that Aries has his comeuppance awaiting him and its mostly likely going to happen at Final Battle 2009. For those who complain about the predictability of such a title win, let me delve into past ROH history as a reminder that predictability does not correlate to lack of satisfaction in a match, show or in-ring quality. Homicide’s ROH World Title win in 2006, for instance, was seen from the proverbial miles away, but the title match against Bryan Danielson at Final Battle 2006 was exciting, dramatic, fulfilling for the fans and most of all, fun and entertaining to experience.

I am looking forward to the Black vs. Aries title match because I know these two are going to go out there and deliver a fitting epic worthy of their history. The fans in New York City are very tough critics, but interestingly enough they have been incredibly vocal with their love for Tyler Black—ever since their orgasmic experience cheering him on to win during the Four Corner Elimination Title Match at Death Before Dishonor VI. They supported him then, they pulled for him to win during Final Battle 2008 and they went crazy hoping that Black would take the title in Manhattan Mayhem III. It’s never easy trying to predict how the NYC crowd will react to a wrestler—they were the first to turn on Nigel McGuinness before it was ever warranted and for shallow reasons as well. Will they turn on Black during this match or will an extra-special effort during this match help create a tidal wave of support for him to win? That remains to be seen, but whether they cheer or boo for Black, this main event is going to be interesting and ROH certainly benefits from interesting.

The ROH World Tag Team Titles will also be up for grabs when The American Wolves defend against The Briscoes. This title bout is also a year in the making, as last year’s show had the angle where Mark Briscoe was injured by the Wolves (in reality he had been hurt before the show and that was to write him out). Mark Briscoe returned to action later in the year, but until then it was Jay who had to bear the brunt of battling The Wolves. He wanted payback for what they did to his brother, so he would team up with Kevin Steen to take them on in rough-and-tumble grudge matches. For a while they proved the axiom of “an enemy of my enemy is my friend” to be valid, but eventually their differences were enough to cause a rift, leading both men to find their own way towards vengeance and retribution against Richards and Edwards. When Mark returned to action, Jay regained his brother and best tag team partner. Together they have the ROH record of winning the tag titles five times. They have the chance to make it six title wins and gain sweet revenge in the process in New York City on December 19th, 2009.

While The Wolves and Briscoes are two of the three top teams in the promotion, this will be the first real major match between the two teams this year. Both teams love to brawl, love to go tit-for-tat in exchanging high-impact and high-risk efforts. They will mesh very well against each other and will provide a quality title match, especially given the high importance of the match, the event and the internet broadcast.

Ring of Honor in Los Angeles to include Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Davey Richards: Or so the rumor goes, as it hasn’t been confirmed by ROH yet. Jushin Liger vs. Davey Richards-oh yes, hell yes. Richards is definitely on his way to becoming the “workrate” wrestler for ROH and other independent companies in the U.S. He is certainly now at the forefront of many prominent and marquee matches. This combination of Liger and Richards should prove to be a hell of a dream match, even if Liger can’t quite go as hard and as fast as he could in the early 1990s. This could be a bout like the Liger vs. Danielson match in 2004 which continued to deliver international attention for ROH as well as provided headlines. Liger is still in good shape and wrestles on a consistent basis these days, so I’m thinking even if Richards has to carry him (and Generico the next night for PWG) we’ll still be in for something special.

Los Angeles is in for a hell of a weekend as it is, with both ROH and PWG running shows on consecutive nights during the wrestling convention. However, the big name talent like Liger and Rob Van Dam is helping to generate a major buzz about these shows and has fans of both promotions in a huge tizzy. I do have to say that PWG has the better end of the bargain, having also booked RVD for their show. I’m not quite sure how or why ROH missed out on that, unless they are going to drop a surprise announcement about his involvement with their show in the coming weeks, but I’d doubt that. RVD just wrestled against Davey Richards in Europe last week, and hell I’d LOVE to see that match or one like it take place in the U.S. for ROH.

Austin Aries, Chris Hero, Eddie Kingston, Davey Richards and Kenny King promos: The departure of Jimmy Jacobs and then Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness seemingly left a void in ROH as it regards to promos and monologues. It takes a rare breed of wrestler who can create the epic verbal landscapes that these men were capable of, Jacobs for a long time, Danielson and McGuinness certainly by the end of their runs in the company. However, watching the promos of the five men listed above should certainly suggest to you that the promo is not dead and buried in Ring of Honor. No, it is merely hidden—as many great promos are shot and presented on the Videowire, which is not by any stretch of the imagination the most hyped or visible example of Ring of Honor’s product.

While Chris Hero has a higher profile these days due to being featured heavily on the HDNet shows, his promos have almost become ROH’s best-kept secret. He delivered two killer promos in the month of September, unfortunately to little hype or fanfare (I highlighted them in last week’s column which reviewed The Final Countdown: Dayton DVD, which included the videowires). They were undoubtedly some of his strongest, most convincing monologues delivered (and that’s given Hero has been very good over the years on promos anyway). Eddie Kingston also gets much credit for his promo work in other promotions (even though his in-ring work is derided by some and truthfully, he is a bit hit-or-miss depending on a number of factors including his opponent and the storyline that is being used for his match). However, he has only just recently begun to show that kind of wordsmith effort and what he is capable of delivering on the mic in Ring of Honor. The man is just an awesome storyteller and he really gets you into that suspension of disbelief mode for his character, whether as a face or as a heel you can both really feel his pain, his hate and you can either find sympathy for that or become really afraid for his opponent considering what he has in store for them during their match.

Kenny King has only recently been given some extra promo and vignette time on both the HDNet show and the home releases. King’s “swagger” is exceptional—he is full of bravado and arrogance, but he sells himself and his abilities quite convincingly such that while you know he is a jerk, you also have to admit that he is likely correct in his estimation of his own talents. He is quickly becoming the kind of guy you love to hate but can’t help but want to keep watching to see what he says next. A good example of this was the vignette that aired with his justification of his attack on Jerry Lynn.

Conversely, Austin Aries has cut some excellent promos live and in person during the HDNet television tapings. He excels in getting under the skin of the live audience, has done so almost from the beginning of ROH’s run on HDNet when he was taking potshots against Jerry Lynn and Ric Flair. His best promos have been the ones where he uses little verbal jabs to snipe down his opponents, all the while using his bravado, his preening and posturing to promote himself as “The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived.” It works wonders and as a result he has become ROH’s number one antagonist in the second half of 2009. Aries may have only recently reminded some that he never lost the ability to have an epic “workrate” heavy match, especially title bouts, but that’s only because he so successfully developed this new persona and used it to promulgate angles and storylines that his wrestling abilities almost blended in to the overall presentation of his character. Aries has been one of the real treats of the ROH main event scene in 2009 and as I wrote in an earlier column, really worked his ass off this past year to get it to that point.

Roderick Strong’s Promos: Wait, wait, wait, and hear me out on this one. I know my best friend Chris Miccio’s saying over the years has been “Don’t let Roderick Strong have the mic”, but I believe that paradigm is about to change. Strong’s latest promo on the Ring of Honor video wire, discussing his upcoming match against Kenny Omega in the pick six series, is short but well-spoken, beyond any of his previous promos. Fans who have followed Strong on the independent scene already know he is one of the best technical wrestlers and can tell an excellent story in the ring. However, his talking has often been one of his weakest points. To that end, Strong has been improving slowly in 2009 by following the KISS method—Keep it Simple, Strong. However, this latest promo not only is effective in getting over the match by discussing the stakes (pick six ranking, bonus money), but his tone of voice and body language suggest strength and confidence. Strong exudes the “edge” that I was referring to in my column a few weeks back in my column about Tyler Black. He has a bad ass attitude- a straight forward “I’m going to kick your ass and there’s nothing you can do about it”. That is a very attractive and exciting aspect that he is mastering right now and something that makes me want to see (and hear) more of him. I think this is a sign of great things to come in 2009 for Strong in the promo category; it may be the final piece of the puzzle in confirming Strong as a believable ROH champion.

Release of Glory By Honor VIII on DVD: Ladder War II. The Final Countdown match between McGuinness vs. Danielson. Strong demolishing fools in the Four Corner Survival. Bucks vs. Briscoes in the best of their three match series of September. The return of Jim Cornette to ROH. The infamous Twinkies match. Well, maybe not that last one, but there is so much to look forward to on this DVD that you can overlook the faults of that one match (or perversely enjoy the NYC crowd chanting “Twinkies” for twenty minutes straight). I was there live, as is usual with New York City shows, so I can recommend this DVD for sure when it “hits the streets” on December 15th. Those in Manassas on the 18th and in NYC on the 19th should likely wait until the live events to purchase the shows, but everyone else should be jumping on the presale right now, in conjunction with ROH’s Black Friday sale, which will give you some deep discounts on this and the other Final Countdown Tour shows.

The Last of the Bryan Danielson Matches: There is only a finite amount of Bryan Danielson matches from the independent professional wrestling scene that are left to view—but I and others can purchase them just in time for the holiday season. In Ring of Honor, you have the allegedly awesome penultimate finale against Davey Richards and then “The Final Countdown” match of Danielson vs. McGuinness from Glory By Honor VIII. PWG recently released Speed of Sound and Guerre Sans Frontieres which has the much talked about PWG Heavyweight Title match between Chris Hero and Danielson. Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase Dragon Gate USA’s Untouchable show on DVD in the coming weeks, featuring Danielson vs. Naruki Doi. Finally CHIKARA has had Danielson’s last match for them that took place at Hiding In Plain Sight, on sale for some time now through Smark Mark Video’s website.

Bryan Danielson’s body of work in September 2009 may be some of the best matches he’s ever had while on the independent wrestling scene. It seemed like he was determined to go all out before he left for WWE and that is exactly what he did. Not only should that kind of effort be applauded, but it should be enjoyed by as many fans as possible, so hopefully the wizened independent wrestling fan will lay down the big bucks this holiday season for these shows, or at least spread the word to others about them. Hopefully Danielson’s last efforts inspired the wrestlers on the independent scene to do the same.

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Facebooking CHIKARA Anniversario Yang

So, two weeks ago I was searching for some inspiration to kick-start my writing, when I received a Facebook message from 411’s own Kevin Ford. He was asking if I had begun to watch my latest batch of CHIKARA shows as yet, which I had not. After a bit of pressing, I decided to hell with it, and on Sunday afternoon after the New York Jets had yet again disappointed me by losing (some believe in the saying SOL, I believe in the saying “SOJ”—”Same Ol’ Jets” and you know what that means…), I sat down to watch CHIKARA’s second of two anniversary shows, Anniversario Yang. Here, for the benefit of everyone were my as-they-happened reactions to what I watched. Let’s hope it can be educational, if not entertaining. Off we go!

Ari Berenstein:

-Ok, so far:

1. I love the stage set up for the show.
2. I love watching Los Ice Creams do their shtick.
3. I love Eddie Kingston on commentary, threatening physical action on Bryce.
November 15 at 4:38pm • Delete

-“Bryce, I hate you like a fat girl hates fat camp!” HAHAHAHAH! I just cried tears!
November 15 at 4:42pm • Delete

-How can Arik Cannon call himself an anarchist when he never does anything anarchistic?
November 15 at 4:45pm • Delete

-Arik must beup for the role of Kool Aid Man because he keeps saying “Oh Yeah!” every five seconds.
November 15 at 4:49pm • Delete

-You don’t mess with a man’s Mohawk. Mostly because its sharp and you could cut yourself.
November 15 at 4:52pm • Delete

-Cannon’s Total Anarchy twisting brainbuster is just insanely crazy. Loved Amasis doing a sliding victory lap around the ring after Ophidian wins.
November 15 at 4:59pm • Delete

-No matter how corny it is, I still get pumped up for the Mortal Kombat song being used for the SSB’s entrance.
November 15 at 5:03pm • Delete

-Continuing on that theme, Crossbones’ new mask and shoulderpads make him look like Shao Khan. All he needs is a mallet, but wait…that would make him Triple H. Now I don’t know…
November 15 at 5:07pm • Delete

-I don’t know if the “CA-dub” chants are sarcastic or serious. I’m scared in either possibility.
November 15 at 5:12pm • Delete

-TRIPLE HANDED CHOKESLAM!!!!
November 15 at 5:14pm • Delete

-Little awkwardness on the coordination of dives by Uno and CAW there but Dos’s DVD was sick!
November 15 at 5:16pm • Delete

-Do I really want to watch Unstable vs. D-Lo & Glacier? I mean…no, no I really don’t.
November 15 at 5:20pm • Delete

-Louden is really good here with the introductions: “Philadelphia, feel free to be the only person who cheers fo” is very clever to intro the rudos.
November 15 at 5:21pm • Delete

-D-Lo Brown makes anything cool.
November 15 at 5:23pm • Delete

-New nickname for Delaney: “Bloody Mustache” Olsen.
November 15 at 5:30pm • Delete

-D-LO KNOWS CHIKARA SPECIAL! Nice.
November 15 at 5:38pm • Delete

-2.0. Not talking but still using body language. Jagged almost cracking and having to turn away. Greatness.
November 15 at 5:42pm • Delete

-A wrestling show AND a special concert performance by Tim Donst and Hydra? GETOUTTATOWN! CHIKARA What a bargain value for your ticket!
November 15 at 5:44pm • Delete

-Well 2.0 not talking didn’t last very long…
November 15 at 5:45pm • Delete

-When Matthews put Jagged in the Boston Crab by accident and Jagged tapped out, shouldn’t that count as a win for the Sea-Donsters? Sort of like in Hockey or Soccer when you score in your own goal?
November 15 at 5:48pm • Delete

-2.0 is once again 1.0
November 15 at 5:51pm • Delete

-Hmmm, Jigsaw did not seemed to clued in on “Plan B”…
November 15 at 5:54pm • Delete

-I really like when Cheech & Cloudy impersonate Hallowicked, Delirious or in this case Frightmare. Good stuff.
November 15 at 5:56pm • Delete

-Really enjoyed the Atomicos match. Good team strategy for both. 99% of spots landed cleanly. Only thought would have been to see more “mirror” action with with Fightmares and both Hallowickeds.
November 15 at 6:14pm • Delete

-End of disc one, so I’m on break. Will watch two main events at a later time.
November 15 at 6:14pm • Delete

-Kingston cuts a promo where he doesn’t yell? Wonders never cease. I thought it was real good, not his all-time best, but definitely up there and definitely one of the “most real” promos done in a while.
November 15 at 11:37pm • Delete

-Hell of a hard hitting, intense match. Its great to see how emotions are ratcheted up so easily among the wrestlers and the fans with just a few well timed strikes, slaps and grapples.
November 15 at 11:47pm • Delete

-Love that Kingston calls Claudio a coward and then pokes him in the eye.
November 16 at 12:09am • Delete

-King went flying for that uppercut!
November 16 at 12:11am • Delete

-Claudio big boot from the outside to the apron! Springboard twisting crossbody! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!
November 16 at 12:16am • Delete

-KINGSTON WITH THE ROLLING CRADLE to come from behind and win after being decimated by Claudio! Awesome finish.
November 16 at 12:21am • Delete

-Louden re: FIST vs. Colony hair vs. masks: “in the event of a double dq, double count out or no contest, both teams lose everything!” Their clothes too?
November 16 at 12:24am • Delete

-Crowd to Icarus: BOOOOO
LFC: “And FIST are not very liked here in Philadelphia.”

Understatement, population: Leonard F. Chikarasson.
November 16 at 12:33am • Delete

LFC: “Fire Ant trying to rally the troops here.”

Puns, population: Leonard F. Chikarasson.

And Kudos to Quack for selling the story of the masks and costume being torn apart, instilling some fear that the ants’ identity will be exposed.
November 16 at 12:36am • Delete

-Love the double double foot stomp spot from the ants.
November 16 at 12:40am • Delete

-Bryce with the rare ref bump in CHIKARA!
November 16 at 12:41am • Delete

-AWFUL WAFFLE FROM THE APRON THROUGH THE TABLE>>>AHHHHHHH!HHHHHHHHHHH!
November 16 at 12:42am • Delete

-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
November 16 at 12:42am • Delete

-Bryce lays down the law! EVO by Icarus!!!!!
November 16 at 12:46am • Delete

-FLIP TOPE!!!! WOOOOOOO!
November 16 at 12:47am • Delete

-Moonsault into a DDT on the floor! WOOOOOO!
November 16 at 12:48am • Delete

-What a series of kicks by Fire Ant! FOUL by Taylor! No, two count! Crosscrab! Soldier’s back! Akuma takes out Green Ant! cuts off Solider, HERE COMES CARPENTER ANT! TKO! CHIKARA SPECIAL! No, spear to the back by Icarus to block! looked wicked! Pedrigree! KICK OUT! RUNNING AWFUL WAFFLE! SOLDIER ANT SAVES HOLY SHIT@@@@@@

Carpenter Ant drags Akuma to the back! Solider Ant with a suicide dive! massive Killer kicks and a BEACH BREAK! NO! TWO COUNT@@@@@@@ Second BEACH BREAK FINALLY WITH THE WIN!!!!

DAMN!!!! Maybe the best CHIKARA match I’ve seen! So well booked! loved the tease of the excessivo castigo call and everything else worked tremendously…. See More

Top ten indy show of the year, no doubt.
November 16 at 12:58am • Delete

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Ringtones

Kyle sent in a massive tome in response to my column last week about ROH and the idea of their efforts in producing an “A show” versus a “B show”. I’ll give him the floor and my response will follow:

Hey Ari,

Big fan of the column, and long time fan of ring of honor.

However, I am one of the people who has thought the product really took a downturn with the departure of Sapolsky, all the way into 2009. This plays especially figuratively in the section of your article pertaining to A-shows vs. B-shows, and ROH’s willingness to settle for mediocrity. You are right, this happened with Sapolsky….but even his ‘B-shows,” came off like there was SOMETHING he was trying to get to the fans.

But a think a big factor is what qualifies as an A-show, and I think the answer to such a quandary really shows how much ROH has slipped. An A-show from ROH in 2009 falls very far short of what it was under Sapolsky’s reign. Yes, Sapolsky had B-shows, but even they felt like they had SOMETHING that was special on them. Under Gabe, a ‘must buy’ show was one of two things:

1. A show where every match was around ***1/2-**** stars, with maybe a single dud.
2. A match with two epic main events, and everything else hovering around *** stars or higher.

Those are some high standards, but ROH rarely had trouble achieving them. There would always be a good 8-10 shows that qualified for this since 2005.

But if you look at ROH in 2009, they have repeatedly failed to live up to this standard. The most popular DVDs this year are, arguably, Supercard of Honor IV, 7th anniversary, Contention, and Manhattan Mayhem III. In my opinions NONE of these shows live up to those two qualifications. Contention is a good consistent show, but there is really is not a single thing that is must-see on this entire show.

The other three are the exact same case: two very good matches, with a lot of crap otherwise. In the past, these WERE B-shows for sapolsky, if, for no other reason, they would have failed to meet those two qualifications. In the past, these shows are skippable ,but under the lowered bar of 2009, they are somehow the best shows! Even the two matches on each DVD that are good are in no way being considered MOTY, besides Davey/KENTA, which, apprently, Pearce didn’t even want to happen the way it did. Even DBD VII Night 1, which you said was a must buy, really doesn’t have anything on it that feels very special, and most respected reviews say there isn’t a single 4 star match on the show. (I concede star ratings aren’t everything, but it does give one a feel for the general consensus.)

The fact is, ROH’s best shows this year are really only as good as decent shows from last year. In all honesty, I can name 11 shows from last year better, all around, than anything released this year. (Sixth Year Anniversary, Take No Prisoners, Dragon Gate Challege II, Supercard of honor III, Northern Navigation, Tokyo Summit, DBD VII, Driven 2008, Bound by Hate, and Final battle 2008) Even if Gabe didn’t book the last two shows, he, in large part, set up the cards. Can you honestly say any ONE show released this year has been better than any one of those shows?

My point with all of this is to feed into your idea that ROH must present a product that is constantly must-buy. I agree with this, but I also think that even with THAT statement, you are setting the bar low.
I say this because I believe a large part of the problem is ROH acting like shows such as 7th Anny and MMIII are ACTUALLY on the level of elite shows from year’s past. My point is, they are not even close, and the lack of ‘buzz-factor’ around such shows is a big indicator.

Apart from Davey/KENTA, a match Pearce didn’t even want to go the way it did, is there a serious ROH match of the year candidate this year? When is the last time ROH only had one serious contender?

However, I want to buffer all of these statements by what you yourself said in your article. The buzz is, indeed, starting to return. GBHVIII has a lot of hype, as does Final Countdown:Chicago. The SOTF final sounds excellent. Novi/Missi souned like a great weekend, especially Novi.

But ROH has STILL lost their spot as best wrestling fed in America. Manahattan Mayhem and 7th Anniversary got similar hype, with people on the board saying ‘ROH is finally back’ only to be disappointed by the shows on DVD. Already people are saying GBH8 wasn’t too good, especially the horrible world title match….which should NEVER happen on a top show.

DGUSA is committed to having the best wrestling shows possible. It is part of their mission statement, and to me, that statement is made strong by the fact that it USED to be what ROH is all about. Problem is: 2009’s ROH has not been about having the best in-ring product. It has been about tired storylines, an inconsistent roster, and mediocre product.

My point is not that it is impossible for ROH to reclaim their spot as the best wrestling in America. Even now, I think they can. But my point is that they have seriously disappointed their core audience in 2008. The ONLY way to be able to be the buzz of the indies again is to do exactly what you said in your column: produce consistent, must-buy, material.

But the key here is that ‘must-buy’ CANNOT be shows like 7th Anniversary and Death Before Dishonor VII night 1….it has to be shows like Supercard of Honor III and Northern Navigation. DGUSA, EVOLVE, and even PWG have shown they can do that kind of thing, and ROH’s only way of competing is to stop throwing the undercards under the bus and start letting everyone on their roster have the chance to steal the show with great matches. That’s what set ROH apart, and the last of such activity is what has made them fall behind the competition.

Keep up the good work

Kyle *RKS*

Well, Kyle brings up a ton of points and I have to say I agree with ninety-five percent of them. He pretty much nails the idea that with Sapolsky, most B-shows at least had an underlining point to them (for example, Weekend of Champions was a continuation of angles involving Danielson and McGuinness, and CZW vs. ROH). Make no mistake though; Sapolsky had his fair share of bombs and duds during his run. 2009 might have seen a dud of a show such as Eliminating the Competition, but Sapolsky had his in such shows as How We Roll and Battle for Supremacy.

Something to consider is that ROH is sort of in a battle for its own identity right now—they want to be more mainstream but they still want to have great in-ring action.

This began when ROH, under Gabe Sapolsky began to become more self-aware of the toll their in-ring style was taking on their wrestlers. Nigel McGuinness has often remarked that the Benoit double murder-suicide made him research the effect of concussions and brain injuries, and Sapolsky during that time period often suggested in interviews that ROH temper its in-ring style to reduce or slow down the rate of injuries. When Sapolsky left and Pearce came on as booker is when ROH actually undertook that change in style, in part likely to protect the wrestlers but also in part to put the focus on the upper card and build to the main event. It created a divide in the show, with the undercard sometimes falling flat but the upper card housing several very good to excellent matches that brought the show’s overall value way up. This is not the booking style that Kyle points out in his letter, the one of two-pronged approach to making the “A shows” into major premiere independent wrestling events, an “A-Plus Show”, if you will.

The problem with changing the style to protect the wrestlers’ safety is that it didn’t actually reduce or prevent injuries. This year alone has seen several major injuries to ROH main roster wrestlers. El Generico and Kevin Steen battled knee problems; meanwhile Jerry Lynn was injured in a freak accident during the HDNet tapings. Wrestlers will become injured—that is an eventuality that cannot be helped. Meanwhile the change in style to highlight the upper card / main event scene created a sense of mediocrity and overall “average” feeling about the mid-card, just at a time when promotions such as PWG and CHIKARA were booming with all-time highs in match quality and interest in storylines. When you have the competition creating “A show” after “A show” and you respond with a mixed bag of hit-or-miss shows, well, then you are going to lose distance to the competition, which has happened. As much as the ROHbot in me may not like to admit it, I know that ROH is not the “best” independent promotion in 2009, despite the many great matches it has housed this year from the likes of American Wolves, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong. I may be tipping my hand here as to my votes for the 411Mania 2009 Year-End Awards, but if it isn’t obvious already, I consider PWG and CHIKARA to be running neck-and-neck for best independent promotion of the year. Those promotions have just as many excellent “Match of the Year Candidates”, and they did it by holding fewer shows than ROH this year.

As far as the comparison of excellent shows from 2008 to 2009, Kyle brings up Supercard of Honor IV, Seventh Anniversary Show, Contention and Manhattan Mayhem III. I‘d agree with his estimation that most of the marquee shows he brought up from 2008 would beat out the overall quality of these shows, with the exception of Supercard of Honor IV, which I think fits the bill of a top-to-bottom great ROH show with solid undercard highlighted by the one-two punch of Richards vs. KENTA and Lynn vs. McGuinness. I’d also add Death Before Dishonor VII Night One, as I’ve stated before is my pick for best overall ROH show of 2009, and Glory By Honor VIII, which is also a show you can compare to any of the top 2008 shows and it will hold up.

I’d like to point out though, that just because the overall show may have reduced in quality compared to the VERY lofty standard of ROH’s super shows of years’ past, doesn’t mean that ROH doesn’t have match of the year contenders on the level of years’ past. You have Richards vs. KENTA, Richards vs. Danielson, Strong & KENTA vs. American Wolves, Ladder War II and Wolves vs. Black & Danielson from World Title Classic just for starters. You also have the surprising revelation that several matches from HDNet that qualify for consideration—the Four Corner Survival with Lynn defending against Danielson, Black and Aries, Hero vs. KENTA, the six man with KENTA & Steenerico vs. Hero & Wolves and on and on. ROH has plenty of MOTYCs, but like I wrote, so does PWG, CHIKARA, DGUSA and other independent promotions.

As far as Dragon Gate, it’s true that Gabe is going with a “quality over quantity” premium on his shows, but he also doesn’t have to contend with ROH’s schedule (which is why I suggested they reduce their schedule next year to restore some of that “premium” luster). If Dragon Gate were to catch on like ROH did in years’ past, he would soon be extending himself beyond his original mission statement, and there would also be a point somewhere along the line when he would be stretching his company thin. Luckily, he doesn’t have to contend with that in DG, so he can book with the comfort of knowing he can maximize each show with dream matches and not have to worry about spacing out and “saving” matches for the future.

ROH Home Theatre Station

Eddie Kingston explains what his match vs. Hero at GBH 8 means to him:

ROH Video Wire: November 24th, 2009

Honor Bound Links

Head on over to TwitterNation and follow me at: http://twitter.com/AriBerenstein.

This week’s 411 Buy or Sell discusses PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles 2009 results and Dragon Gate USA’s “Freedom Gate” Tournament.

Aaron Hubbard has coverage of this week’sROH on HDNet with the Wolves vs. Bucks ROH World Tag Team Title match that IS as good as everyone is making it out to be.

Someone who calls me the “best writer about independent wrestling on the ‘net” (even if it’s undeservingly so) gets instant pluggage in my column, so check out Jason Sterlacci’s The Independent Scene on Pro Wrestling Ponderings, for a different take on the proliferation of independent wrestling that I wrote about last week.

Thanks for reading everyone. Feel free to leave your feedback below.

BROOKLYN!
–Ari–