Column of Honor: 06.19.10: Death Before Column of Dishonor 2010 Part Two: Dragon Undone

=Dragon Undone: The End of Bryan Danielson in WWE (For Now)=

Bryan Danielson’s release from WWE last week was not a crime, nor will it be on the list of WWE’s one-hundred worst decisions of all-time. The (possibly temporary) release of one of North America’s best independent wrestlers of the last decade is not going to be remembered by your average and casual WWE aficionado. After all, they only knew of “Daniel Bryan” (Danielson’s WWE name) over the course of the last three months of appearances on WWE television, mostly on the Tuesday night NXT program (of which only about twenty-percent of the WWE fan base watches in the first place). If anything, the casual wrestling fan will only remember of Bryan that he came in heavily hyped, had a few entertaining altercations with The Miz, had a very long losing streak, lost to Batista, beat The Miz on a fluky pin, choked that announcer dude and kicked John Cena in the head. Then he mysteriously disappeared.

However, for those who have followed Bryan Danielson’s career, who know of his reputation, who have bore witness to his proving the moniker of “Best in the World” with classic match after classic match in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Pro Wrestling NOAH and other independent promotions—this is a unique crossroad between the WWE Universe and the professional wrestling universe at-large. Those observers and fans who truly know about Bryan Danielson and the potential he has for success on a mainstream success will remember this moment, June 2010, as when professional wrestling met corporate America in the new PG-context of WWE to create the ultimate unfortunate situation for one of its employees.

What happened was during the NXT invasion angle two weeks ago on Monday Night Raw, in which the eight NXT rookies launched a riotous attack on WWE announcers, officials and laid out John Cena, Bryan Danielson wrapped a tie around WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts’ neck and began to choke him with it. This depiction of violence was apparently a violation of an unwritten rule that there would be no choking shown on WWE programming. This decision stemmed from Chris Benoit’s double murder and suicide of his wife and child and WWE wanting to avoid incidents which might be too close in appearance to that violent action. While WWE employees and wrestlers were informed of this rule when it was enacted a few years back, Danielson had not yet been hired at that time. It is unclear if he even knew about that rule. Furthermore, the NXT attack was a loosely scripted angle, in that the specifics of what was to happen were not detailed before the show or written into the show script. A lot of the chaos that happened with bodies flying and the ring being torn apart looked out of control because part of it was so.

It seemed as if this was the start of a brand new and exciting angle that would really provide some much needed spark on WWE programming, because it was so starkly different than the sort of storylines that had been occurring in WWE this past year. Danielson was all set to continue to play a role in this angle, as he even appeared on WWE developmental league Florida Championship Wrestling’s television tapings to work an angle and match where he teamed with fellow NXT rookie Heath Slater against their mentors from season one Christian and The Miz. Sometime in-between those Thursday night tapings and Friday evening, Bryan Danielson was informed of his release personally by Vince McMahon for the violation described above.

For the next several days, the internet was abuzz with the discussion as to whether or not this was a work or a shoot, considering the NXT Invasion angle was so outside of the box. Yet within hours there were messages from former ROH and current DGUSA and EVOLVE booker Gabe Sapolsky on his Facebook claiming the situation was not a work. As the week went on, it became more and more apparent that this was not some elaborate set-up. Although no one really knows for sure even now, that Danielson is taking on a full regime of independent dates including international action seems to indicate the release was legitimate and that he is now working within the boundaries of his no-compete clause (see below).

Danielson’s firing was illogical and essentially unjust considering the overall violent content of the entire segment where Team NXT destroyed WWE wrestlers, employees and property and the specific actions of several other members of that NXT gang in the same segment and even within the same minute as the actions that Bryan Danielson “performed” on Justin Roberts. There was a whirlwind of chaos and destruction, with the camera panning around the ring to show, for example, a referee being punched out, Jerry “The King” Lawler being dumped underneath a table, and several of the “NXT Rookies” destroying the WWE ring and other WWE property, then WWE wrestlers Luke Gallows, CM Punk and of course, the current name brand of WWE, John Cena. Just a few moments after Danielson choked Justin Roberts with a tie, Heath Slater (another NXT wrestler) was shown about to choke a downed and helpless Cena with one of the ring ropes. Slater, as of press time, had not been fired or even reprimanded for the same actions that earned Danielson his release.

Given the chaos and lack of a definitive script as to what would happen during the NXT attack, conceivably any one of the eight could have been the one who was caught in the crosshairs. Yet the trigger was pulled on Bryan Danielson, a man who had the most to lose because of his cult-following and previous past reputation of being one of the best independent wrestlers around who at this specific and particular time had decided to make his journeyman’s travel to the Big Time. It was a career that was at the precipice of a true big break, a career that is now under a lot of uncertainty and question marks after being swallowed up by the Big Monster that is Standards and Practices.

If the Danielson firing is indeed legitimate (and it appears to be the case more and more with the passing of each new day), then the man who on one of the episodes of NXT stated that he didn’t believe in Capitalism ironically became a victim of the idea that “money talks” and that the dollar (or fear of losing it) wins out. Someone somewhere became very angry at what they saw on a television program. He or she had the political weight and volume enough in broadcasting their complaint to those in charge in order for WWE to do what was necessary to have that voice appeased and satiated. Whoever voiced their offense at the physical violence during this segment and specifically zeroed in on Danielson’s choking of ring announcer Justin Roberts obviously had enough of a hold over WWE concerning money and profit enough to force Vince McMahon to take action.

It was a decision that almost no one agreed with, from the wrestlers in WWE, the independent wrestling companies outside WWE and especially the fans who learned of the firing. Even John Cena, poster boy of the WWE, has been vocal about his dislike for what has happened, even going so far as to sign online petitions to bring back Danielson to the company.

Danielson became a scapegoat for the agenda of someone at this point unidentified but rumored to be any one of the following: Mattel Inc, who WWE had recently brokered a new toy deal (who have since denied even knowing of the firing until it happened), a member of the USA Network or parent company NBC / Universal, a member of Linda McMahon’s political team helping her run for U.S. Senate in Connecticut (which Jim Ross has vehemently rebutted as a stupid and idiotic assertion). None of these alleged potential culprits have been confirmed or substantiated in any way as being responsible for Vince McMahon personally firing Danielson sometime between last Thursday and Friday evening. Still, it would have to be someone along those lines who had more power and pull over Vince McMahon.

Or, perhaps it was none of the above and it was Vince McMahon’s own call.

One might have assumed that the kind of wrestling politics that most realistically had the chance of knocking down Bryan Danielson in his attempt to make good in WWE would be those of criticism of his being hyped as one of the best on the independent wrestling scene or of his lack of physique or of his (supposed and so-called) lack of charisma. It could never have been assumed that Bryan Danielson would be fired over the politics of portrayal of violence in what is inherently an entertainment product that is dependent on the portrayal of physical violence.

Yet, this firing had nothing to do with Danielson’s ability in the ring. It has nothing to do with his wrestling acumen. It had nothing to do with his ability to speak his thoughts and sell an angle through a promo. It had nothing to do with his cult-status as a very popular wrestler from the independent scene. It had nothing to do with his losing streak gimmick on the NXT program, the damage from which he was slowly but surely lifting himself out from under thanks to being given a good spotlight on recent episodes of WWE Raw. It even had nothing to do with his being a vegan.

This firing was a political move, pure and simple. It was a political move from the person on-high who orchestrated his or her protest at the situation. It was a political move from Vince McMahon, who apparently was threatened enough / motivated enough to handle the situation through a firing as opposed to any other form of reprisal. It was a political move to assuage whatever fears that WWE would be intolerant or disrespectful of the memory of what rocked the wrestling industry three years ago.

It was a political move that when combined with the literal “car crash” angle on Bret Hart by the NXT rookies the following week on Raw underscored that in today’s WWE, PG means only certain and specific portrayals of violence will not be tolerated. Apparently, “Attempted Vehicular Homicide” would not be considered one of them.

Danielson’s involvement in the NXT angle was “written out” this past Monday in less than five seconds when NXT leader Wade Barrett claimed that Daniel Bryan felt “remorse” about what they had done on WWE Raw and that he would never be seen again. It may have been one of the most heavy-handed five second wipe-outs of a wrestler ever given that Bryan certainly seemed to be enjoying himself during the attack, from the tie incident on down to kicking John Cena right in the ear (fulfilling a nine-month promise to Ring of Honor fans during his farewell performance in New York City). He was set to be a large part of the NXT angle (likely becoming second-in-command of the group). Instead, his presence was summarily dismissed in one sentence.

More than anything, what is depressing about this firing isn’t so much that it was specifically Bryan Danielson, a great white hope of the independent scene, who was getting the axe. The consequences of this incident reach far deeper than just one talented wrestler being given the short-shrift. Jokes about apparent double-standards of the portrayal of violence aside, there are concerns far graver, that apply to the entire WWE as a whole—its content and its future direction.

For a long while, WWE has experienced growing pains and conflicts in its adjustment towards becoming a PG product after years of being PG-14. The content and context of the storylines being told has been watered down. The use of celebrity guest stars have ensured that the sport of professional wrestling that has been already billed for many years in WWE as being a “sports-entertainment” product is now more focused than ever before on entertainment and comedy as opposed to wrestling action. The actual lifeblood of a wrestling product, the wrestling, has been diminished in importance.

Even WWE cannot break away from the fact that at the end of the day, it’s the matches and the conflict between the wrestlers that sell the tickets. However, while WWE can’t eliminate wrestling from its content, what is has done is dilute the impact of the matches themselves. The changes have been plentiful-quick title switches (in 2009, there seemed to be one a month) jobbing out new champions who need the wins to validate their main event status (e.g. CM Punk’s first title run in 2008, Jack Swagger this past April) or even stopping the matches when there is spilled blood in order to clean it up (thus upsetting the crowd-as seen in last month’s Extreme Rules Pay Per View, where the very premise of the show was on hardcore and physical battles where blood was sure to be spilled).

It’s a different world in WWE under PG rules compared to even just a few years ago. In this new context, running the NXT angle on this show was like programming two -hours and forty-five minutes of Tom & Jerry followed by fifteen minutes of Saw (take your pick as to which one). The differences were obvious and jarring and spelled out the major conflict between what wrestling is now in 2010 and what it used to be.

Longer term fans who have bore witness to serious angles such as Triple H damn near crippling Ric Flair in 2005 (during the USA Homecoming Special) or The Undertaker kidnapping Stephanie McMahon in 1998, probably didn’t blink an eye at what was essentially a gang beat down and domination reminiscent of the nWo. However, the angle was a contrast in the PG-centric 2010 WWE…although not a complete one. After all, in the past year, WWE has shown Bret Hart decimated by Batista, Randy Orton handcuffing John Cena and beating him within an inch of his life on Pay Per View, and Batista threatening to hurt Rey Mysterio badly if he didn’t leave, then actually doing so.

All that considered, the NXT Invasion angle still was one of the more serious storylines and segments run in years in WWE—not to mention the lone serious angle in that three-hour special edition of Raw, That particular show was filled with cartoon segments of actors and MMA stars pretending to be the characters they played in a motion picture and a monstrous man on the hunt for the person(s) who put his undead zombie brother into a “vegetative state”.

Danielson’s firing not only takes away from the greatness that could have been the NXT angle, but the repercussions flow down to every other part of the WWE product. If a “serious” angle like the NXT attack comes under fire in its first stages, it could be shut down very quickly. WWE will become disinclined to take risks and go with a more serious angle because of the fear of reprisals from sponsors and other corporate entities with which it does business. Fans will be stuck watching WWE shows that are exclusively like the first two hours and forty-five minutes of WWE Raw, without any chance of an attention-grabbing and buzzworthy angle like the NXT invasion.

It boggles the mind that the first time WWE takes a huge risk and does something out of its comfort zone that it gets met with an instant reprisal from someone who doesn’t like it and has the power and influence to put the kibosh on it. WWE needs more out-of-the-box angles, not less. Yet WWE and Vince McMahon are not often known for making changes to their product unless they are forced to do so.

As of late, WWE has appeared to be on the precipice of change. They were beginning to make attempts at pushing wrestlers who are younger (Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne), smaller (Bryan Danielson) and newer (the rest of NXT). However, if something goes wrong, like say Bryan Danielson being fired, WWE is more likely than not just to stop the change of direction and go back to “what works”-i.e. the same old, same old. A recent example of this would be when WWE gave CM Punk his first big break in 2008, the first few weeks of Raw resulted in higher rating because they were going with someone knew and doing something fresh and unpredictable. However, that momentum was soon derailed when they did not give Punk enough serious wins over top competition. They shunted the champion into the middle of the show and returned to the same pack of names they were using before.

Punk survived that situation and came out stronger for it (wouldn’t be the first or last time for him to deal with the wrestling politics). However, despite portraying what could be considered to some as a very controversial character in 2010 WWE as the Straight-Edge cult-leader, CM Punk seemingly has never “stepped in it” the way that Bryan Danielson just did this past Monday.

That Danielson became another victim of WWE Corporate Politics signals a clear and decisive message for aspiring wrestling talents looking to work their way up through the independent wrestling scene and specifically the bigger promotions such as Ring of Honor. CM Punk “made it”, but he is the one shining beacon of light. However, more and more, it is looking like Punk was the exception and not the rule of the independent wrestler who worked outside the WWE system who is capable of “making it” in WWE. The departures of Paul London and Brian Kendrick (both of whom had decent runs but always seemed to underachieve-whether because of heat backstage or their own doing), the failure of Colt Cabana (as Scotty Goldman) to breakthrough into the main roster, the mistreatment of Evan Bourne once he moved to the Raw roster, and even the plight of Kaval (a.k.a. Low Ki) being paired with Michelle McCool and Layla in this season’s NXT all speak to the same thing: if you are someone who dares to achieve success through any other means but what WWE dictates to you, you are most likely not going to be treated fairly in WWE.

All one has to do is look at Kaval right now—a man who is extremely talented and completely deserving of a real shot on the main roster, being given LayCool as his “mentors” for the season two of the NXT reality show. While some fans complained that the Danielson and Miz pairing was ridiculous in comparing talent (one that I did not agree with), at least that pairing could have resulted in a beneficial program for Miz, Danielson and WWE. The antagonism was built so well that by the end of the season there could have been a full-bore grudge feud between the two. There is no such potential in this Kaval-LayCool pairing.

Certainly in the new WWE PG environment, Kaval is never going to be able to get one over on Layla or Mcihelle McCool for what is sure to be countless of humiliating, emasculating actions over the next few weeks. A man just won’t be put in a position to physically inflict violence on a woman. It’s not that I’m even suggesting that Kaval should be able to do so (because he or anyone else obviously shouldn’t be shown doing such a thing)—but that he was placed in such a ludicrous position in the first place. Ultimately this will result in nothing but harm for Kaval, who has been patient, biding his time in the WWE developmental league for his opportunity, only to be treated as a joke.

Indeed, while the NXT idea was great on paper, more and more it looks as if anyone (not just the darlings of the independent scene) who are being introduced through this series would have been better off if introduced into WWE the old fashioned way—promos and hype packages (CM Punk in 2007), or being introduced as a surprise component of an angle, as seen most recently with the introduction of the Uso Twins, who haven’t spent nearly as much time in developmental as most of the NXT season two roster yet already appear more credible and legitimate due to their immediate attack of the Hart Dynasty and threat to their tag title reign.

As far Bryan Danielson’s future, there are many options. Danielson is reportedly talking to independent promotions for bookings, likely for after his ninety-day no-compete clause ends in mid-September. A return to Ring of Honor would be an obvious call to make, not to mention a welcome one for the promotion and its fans. However, WWE may decide to sign him back to a contract before or shortly after the no-compete ends, in effect “punishing” him for his actions two weeks ago but then offering another chance for him to work in the company. TNA has reportedly contacted Danielson and there is always the possibility that Danielson takes the opportunity to see the green grass from the other side of the lawn.

There are also several options for Danielson to consider that don’t involve wrestling. Danielson has trained MMA at Extreme Couture gym in Las Vegas and could give consideration to going into that profession-he certainly is young enough and knowledgeable to make it in the 170 or 185 pound divisions. In the past Danielson has also discussed a desire to join the Peace Corps. Maybe this experience with WWE is enough to convince him to divorce himself from the world of professional wrestling and move on. While that option seems unlikely considering wrestling gets in the blood for many wrestlers and doesn’t let go, it’s still a possibility that for the first time in a decade, the world of professional wrestling would be without Bryan Danielson wrestling somewhere for some promotion for some fans to watch and enjoy. The lack of Bryan Danielson in professional wrestling—now that would be the true crime.

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This Portion of The Column is brought to you by Parents Against Tie Violence

Credit: ThatWrestlingShow

Also, REMEMBER to stock up on Ties this coming weekend:

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-Yes, obviously I would love to see Danielson come to back to Ring of Honor, even if just for a short-period of time. ROH has actually held up very well in the nine-months since Danielson left, with some hot programs and really effective main events on major shows like Big Bang and Supercard of Honor V. Yet a Danielson return is welcome and much anticipated from myself and other fans, whether it could possibly happen at the Death Before Dishonor VIII internet Pay Per View (echoing how Christopher Daniels made his surprise return to the company back in April) or when his ninety-day no-compete ends (coincidentally right around the time of ROH’s New York City showcase on September 11th). There was something very special about Danielson’s involvement in ROH, especially during his title run. Just like CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Low Ki and Homicide, he made you believe in what was going on in the ring. You bought into what he was doing in the ring—as a face or a heel. I fully expect Danielson to make it back to WWE at some point in the next year, if not sooner, but a pit-stop on the independent scene? I wouldn’t complain one bit.

Of course the timing would have to work out for that to happen and that actually does seem to be an issue considering the dates that ROH is running, which ones are iPPV and television tapings combined with Danielson’s already rapidly filling-up schedule (see below). Theoretically, the Pay Per View nature of tonight’s show should rule Danielson out from appearing. It also isn’t a stretch to say that Danielson probably wouldn’t be allowed to appear at the ROH HDNet television tapings in mid-July. That leaves the July 22nd Kentucky show and then the August 27th / 28th double shot in Richmond and Charlotte as possible return dates that fit in that 90 day window. Once the 90 days pass on September 11th and if he doesn’t re-sign with WWE at that point, Danielson would be free to appear without restrictions.

As of this Saturday in Detroit, Michigan for CHIKARA, it looks like Danielson’s return to independent wrestling is happening, then on July 23rd and 24th with appearances for Dragon Gate USA and EVOLVE. He’s also signed on for an appearance on PWG’s Seventh Anniversary Show on July 30th.

–Jim Cornette on a recent interview with the Monday Night Mayhem radio show on why he believes that the WWE made Bryan Danielson a “scapegoat” & whether we will see “The American Dragon” back in Ring of Honor following his release from World Wrestling Entertainment: “The news was put out what Friday night at about 8 or 9. WWE, knowing that they were making a decision that was probably off the charts in terms of stupidity, and they made an innocent guy a scapegoat for something who knows what, they fired Bryan Danielson for choking somebody in an wrestling angle. What are they going to do next? Are they gonna fire Wolfgang Puck for using chicken in a chicken dish? Are they gonna fire Magic Johnson for dribbling a basketball? Somebody made Bryan Danielson a scapegoat because of their PG rating, or their Senate run, or any number of things that the WWE are into now, trying to get away from the stigma of them being professional wrestling promoters, which they are but they won’t admit it, and they are taking one of the brightest young talents in the business, who has a lot of fans, and they pissed them all off. I don’t understand it. As to whether Bryan will be in Ring of Honor, of course we would love to have him back, and of course/on the same token, since he has just been released, he’s obviously under one of their non-compete clauses, which I would love to someone challenge one of those in court one day. It’s just another example of ‘We’re gonna go to the zoo and scoop up a handful of monkey feces, and we’re gonna throw it in the face of every wrestling fan,’ because we will continue to give you all of this child-like, inane, inconsequential pablum we give you on television every week, but when we accidentally hit the somebody that people want to see, we’re gonna screw that up as quickly as possible. It’s ridiculous. I would love to see Bryan Danielson back in Ring of Honor.”

-In an interview with Alex Marvez, Davey Richards claimed he would be leaving ROH at the end of the year in order to pursue his other interests such as his time in paramedic school, fire academy and jiu-jitsu. Keep in mind most wrestlers say they will be leaving at a certain point and then stick around after that deadline has passed. Richards said himself in that interview he’s very well aware of that. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, but obviously this could end up being a major news story for ROH.

–Ring of Honor of HDNet Catch-Up & Thoughts:

Episode 56: May 3rd, 2010

Joey Ryan giving what I believe is Hershey Kisses to a fat kid in the front row is quasi-disturbing and uncomfortable. I did like that he showed more of the sleazy-side of his personality in this match against Roderick Strong. Strong beats him by ducking a superkick into the Stronghold for the tap out in what was a slow-to-start match that had a hot final few minutes of move and counter-move action. The Embassy has quietly but steadily increased the amount of hit-and-run cheating they do on the outside and even better, they get away with it.

The decimation of Kaleb Conley and Peewee at the hands of the Dark City Fight Club is punctuated after the match when Jon Davis POUNCES Conley from inside the ring over the ropes and probably to the back of The Arena in Philadelphia. The consecutive powerbomb –to-Project Mayhem that closed that match wasn’t half bad either. Given the face turn coming in a few weeks, Chavis heel disparagement of any fans questioning their ability seems unnecessary. Relax guys, we like you, we really, really like you.

Sonjay Dutt and Pete Rosenberg from NY’s Hot 97 Radio station try to teach Colt Cabana how to be cool and have swagger, but the problem is its Sonjay Dutt and Pete Rosenberg from NY’s Hot 97 Radio station trying to teach how to be cool and have swagger.

Cornette’s promo with Necro Butcher clarifies what may have been a misconception about this angle insofar as it was assumed that JC was trying to stop Necro from being hardcore. Actually what it was is Cornette allowing Necro to do whatever he wants (“Butcher’s Rules”) within the confines of ringside area, but that he couldn’t go out into the crowd and brawl among the fans, where he would be an insurance liability. It essentially gives him license to hit all his hardcore spots without a DQ call. That makes a ton more sense, although now that Necro has joined The Embassy it’s also ultimately a moot point. Also, Necro doesn’t listen and throws the poor jobber boy into the crowd anyway.

Aries vs. Delirious in the Pick 6 match starts their grudge feud when Aries injured Delirious with the kick to the throat and the post-match shot on the rail as well as attacking Haze. We see the debut of the “A-Double Cam” that Aries mentioned in a promo on the show—it’s letterboxed in pink. Heh. The beginning of the match demonstrated a return of some of the “classic” Delirious moments that he hadn’t done in a while, going crazy after the bell, biting the fingers, even taking the hats of audience members and throwing them at his opponent. That shine all the more contrasts with the finish, when Aries and King perpetrate their attack. Match was going very well until the angle stops the match and it’s ruled a no-contest. Jerry Lynn is out to run-off Aries and King.

Episode 57- May 10th, 2010

Mike Hogewood with a RANT TO END ALL RANTS about last week’s attack on Delirious and Daizee Haze. I love Prazak rolling his eyes subtly as soon as he starts, like “Oh boy, here we go.” Hogewood is OFFENDED!

The Briscoes vs. Dark City Fight Club, winners advancing to the title match at Death Before Dishonor VIII. It’s as good a brawl / fight between the two teams as one could imagine (maybe bettering their effort at 8th Anniversary Show), with the most memorable moment happening when Jon Davis catches Mark Briscoe who was running at him from the apron to the floor. Davis then flings Mark into the barricade. That would make for quite the amusement park ride. Davis also has a very nice tilt-a-whirl rotation into a running powerslam.

The Briscoes make the comeback with Mark’s redneck-fu as a beautiful, perfectly executed moonsault to the floor onto both members of DCFC. Finish is Mark countering Project Mayhem and rotating it into a small package on Chavis for three, while Jay cuts off and punches down Jon Davis. I like DCFC as a team and both have plenty of upside. It’s hard to remember the days when Kory Chavis was “Rainman”, but he’s done a good job of molding himself well with Davis in this tag team.

Nana officially brings Shawn Daivari into The Embassy. He vows to take care of Necro Butcher personally. Well, he doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana and ring announcer Bobby Cruise. The big gag is that they discuss the art of talking, but Cabana keeps stepping over and taking over for Bobby, not letting him get a word in. How rude! /stephanietanner

Main event is the six-man Pick 6 Battle Royal (how appropriate). Rhett Titus, Joey Ryan, Austin Aries, Jerry Lynn, Eddie Kingston and Rasche Brown. Aries wins but he steals the show long before, running away from everyone to the outside and then again in his reactions to backing into Rasche Brown (the o’l movie scene where the little guy then turns around to see the taller guy and goes “ulp, I shouldn’t be here!”). The elimination of Rasche Brown is fun, with Lynn holding onto a bodyscissors on Brown to prevent himself from going over and then both Titus and Aries dumping Brown from behind. Brown beats on everyone afterwards. Lynn uses the same headscissors trick to eliminate Titus, and Aries wins when Titus grabs Lynn’s leg on the outside of the apron just as Aries dropkicks him, the momentum sending Lynn downwards. Hogewood remains OFFENDED at Aries to close the show.

Episode 58: May 17th, 2010

House of Truth are back (although again, without Truth Martini) on the show to fight King & Titus…rare heel vs. heel action tag team here. That alignment situation results in a nifty little start to the match as both teams back off, backs turned, only to simultaneously attempt a sneak attack. As a result they have no choice but to go toe-to-toe. Very nice. There’s a little bit of King & Titus get what’s coming to them early on, then both teams go all-out, maybe just for the sake of it. That leads to some awesome high impact double teams and Raymond finally gets perfect timing on his shooting star press crossbody. King & Titus win with an impressive version of their powerbomb lift into a neckbreaker. I really dug this match—it was short, but a different and cool look at who else is the tag division. I just wish Truth Martini was on television with his boys, but that may happen now that Strong is under his influence.

Claudio kills Andy Ridge. NEXT.

For the third episode in a row we see footage of Richards vs. Edwards for the TV Title and this time it’s an entire segment that shows the final ten minutes or so of the match. Look, I thought it was a terrific match, certainly praiseworthy. However, I declare an official personal moratorium on these segments. The magic of YouTube means I can, have and will continue to skip forward through recaps of matches and vignettes I have already seen and remember quite vividly. The recap pushes the Edwards vs. Colt Cabana title match next week, and Cabana has some words about it. Colt calls himself the “Man vs. Food” of professional wrestling…and he is right, he does look somewhat like Adam Richman, fellow Brooklynite.

Strong interrupts Jim Cornette backstage at the promo booth and says he wants just one person to tell him the truth. Okay Roddy, gray is a very dull color for your shirt and tights. Aries with the “keep it cool, my babies” /conano’brien run in. Aries tries to reconcile with Strong, but he has veiled denigration as well, calling him “Mediocre”. Strong refuses the offer with a slap and here comes the ref squad to break it up. Good little segment.

Cabana is back with Art of Wrestling with The Briscoes and the art of Manning Up. YOU KNOW I THINK I’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE. SKIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay I lied, I remembered that one was a funny segment, so I sat through it. Colt drinking root beer instead of straight-up beer, GOLD, JERRY!

Main event is Pick 6 action between Steen and Strong, who are both on this list at this point. It would be nice to see the rankings on shows where the slots on the list are at stake. At least they do this on the DVDs, but no excuse for not putting up a graphic on the TV product.

OOPS WAIT, Aries with the jump from behind and a slam into the barricade to put Steen in the driver’s seat early.

The match itself is a brilliant combination of Strong getting his ass handed to him (literally 99% of this match is Steen killing Strong inside and out of the ring) and Steen then taking the mic and attempting a little “Temptation of Roderick Strong”. He wanted to convince Strong that is in his best interests to give up and live to fight another day, but Strong keeps saying no. The best part of this is when Steen says that Strong is starting to piss him off and that his therapist said he needs to do his best to avoid being angry. Strong begins the Ole chant in response, making Steen livid. Strong gets a flash pick up and lift into a roll up for three to escape the match. Steen makes him pay for having the umbrage to win after getting his neck smashed fifteen different ways and puts the crossface on after the match just as an exclamation point. Tyler Black runs in, though too late to stop the damage from being done. This moment begins the crossover of Steen and Black, which will be followed up on a few episodes down the road. Strong isn’t so appreciative of Black‘s efforts and yells at him until Black decides to walk away from the yelling.

Episode 59: May 24th, 2010

Very classy tribute to Brad Mackie, who worked the lighting for the HDNet Tapings and recently passed away.

Then we transition right to footage of the Necro Butcher parking lot brawl with The Embassy. That’s professional wrestling for you!

Joey Ryan with an AWESOME, AWESOME promo on Eddie Kingston. ABOUT FREAKING TIME they gave him the mic. Kingston rebuts with his own promo. I like the line “I’m built for war.” Good stuff.

Dave Prazak states that he is “full of character”. Expect him to be signed to USA Network for a drama about a new on the job covert- CIA spy who was burned and is now in Miami trying to put his life back together and get along with his curmudgeon-like dad, decides to open a fake psychic detective business with his best friend who happens to be a doctor who was fired from a fancy shmancy hospital for choosing to save a regular joe’s life over that of one of the board of directors and went to work in the Hamptons but who witnessed a killing and was relocated by WitSec to Arizona but not before he recruited an imprisoned con-man who wanted to find his girlfriend to join the FBI and solve white collar crimes. Characters Welcome.

Ryan’s banana-hammock is NOT family friendly—and neither is the chant from the fans.

Daviari runs in after a while to draw the disqualification. Solid match until then. Necro Butcher runs down with a trash can and the save—ah, won’t be doing that in a few weeks. Cornette is out to rule the match continues as a tag bout, Necro & Kingston vs. Ryan & Daivari, under Butcher’s rules. SMASH. That was the trash can onto Daivari’s head.

Some kids are slapping the back of Daivari, trying to…encourage him I guess. Hey pssst kids…he’s the bad guy! Then Necro chokes Ryan with the plastic bag…maybe he’s the heel? That one girl in the crowd is loving it. Actually there is more than one girl in the crowd, I’m specifically pointing out one girl, yes there is more than one girl at an ROH event…you know what, that argument is useless. I’m moving on.

I’m pretty sure there is some brawling around in the crowd with Kingston and Daivari…looks like one of those “insurance liabilities” to me. Daivari gets the low blow on Eddie in the ring (legal) for the three-count. Nana swoops in immediately to put more hurt on Kingston-love that. Embassy destroys Kingston and Butcher some more until…Rasche Brown walks on down and puts a stop to it!

Good decision not to just go with the DQ finish and instead give the live fans something better. A year ago I don’t think that would have happened. Instead, this whole segment brought together two angles and created a nice little story that is there to be continued for future episodes of television.

Corino continues the promo excellence with firing some verbal shots on Cabana. He and Steen are a monster-promo duo and even better they have been getting it done in the ring as well.

The best part of the Supercard of Honor V recap package is Prince Nana’s reaction to Balls Mahoney’s involvement that night: “Balls? Balls? I didn’t come to New York for Balls…Mahoney”. And so on.

Main event is ROH World Television Champion Eddie Edwards defending the title against Colt Cabana. Despite having some heel comments after he won the title on the previous taping, this edition sees some rather vocal Edwards support from the fans in attendance. Cabana takes a violent header into the turnbuckle on a Flying A**hole attempt and Edwards moves. In what has to be a rib, Prazak talks about Edwards stepping out of Richards’ shadow in singles competition and then a graphic for the Black vs. Richards World Title match just happens to appear. Then Edwards violently suplexes Cabana on the outside.

A MASSIVE SUPERPLEX pumps up everyone—have to admit that while they are very commonplace these days that one in particular looked great and was caught on camera perfectly. Some real heated exchanges keep the fans into the action, particularly Cabana getting in his jab combinations as well as a really cool roll up out of a leap frog (never seen that one before!) Edwards fights back with some running flying knee attack and combining that into his backpack jawbreaker. The finish of the match sees Colt bring a flying move from Edwards into a powerbomb, turning it into the Billy Goat’s Curse. Then Corino runs down for the distraction, allowing (eventually) for Shane to throw the TV belt into the ring. Edwards uses a knee breaker onto the gold plate of the belt, a dragon screw and the Achilles Lock for the win. I hate the use of two interferences in the same show. True, one match was restarted and the action in the other match made up for it. Maybe it’s the old school ROH fan in me, but I still hate the run-in used as a crutch or a vehicle for the angle progression when in ROH the action should usually speak for itself.

Corino tries to continue the beat down after the match, but Colt turns it around on him and Steen is out to pull him away. See, why couldn’t they have just done that without the first interference at the end of the match?

Episode 60- June 7th, 2010

A really nice recap of the “Lover’s Quadrangle” going on for the ROH World Title between Black, Aries, Strong and Richards open the show—see, this one I watched because it was new to me in terms of how they filmed and framed the angle progression from the TV shows and Supercard of Honor V over the last few months.

El Generico vs. Ricky Reyes, who still has the “Havana Pitbulls / HP” tights going on. DUDE, it’s over. It’s been way over—move on. Get some short tights or something—everyone’s going for that look nowadays. Generico goes 50-50 with Reyes, which leads to a good match but maybe shouldn’t have been that generous considering its Generico who has the regular role in the company. Generico wins with the Ole Kick + brainbuster.

Steve Corino vs. Jerry Lynn, in what should be likely a NON-hardcore rules match, unlike the Phoenix Rising bout described above. It’s another fun one with enough ECW nostalgia for the few Extreme diehards still attending at the arena. They do brawl a good deal around the ringside area, knocking into barricades and tables. I refuse to comment on anything Steve Corino may or may not have done with his thumb in this match. Cradle piledriver gets reversed into an old school, OLD SCHOOL EXPULSION for a close-two. Then of course we get RUN-IN THEATRE as Cabana tries to get involved for what went down on the last show, Steen is out to stop him, Lynn rolls outside to help Colt and Kenny King is out to continue his beef with Lynn. The match is thrown out. Sigh. ROH, sometimes, I think they can’t help themselves…

Corino and Steen continue on Cabana until the OLE song comes through and Generico runs down for the one-on-one staredown with Kevin Steen to a good pop. Corino pulls him out of the ring before anything can happen, but Generico throws him into a barricade. Cabana punches Paul Turner in order to get to Steen (UNECESSARY) and Steen takes the few seconds space to hit him with the Package Piledriver. Generico runs off Steen before he can use a chair. Again, honestly, couldn’t this have been done AFTER Lynn vs. Corino had a decisive finish? Even if the heel won, at least there would have been a winner and a loser.

Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries is this episode’s main event. Aries’ sequined outfit makes it looks like he’s trying out for Ice Capades. Actually I don’t know if they still run the Ice Capades shows these days. This one is every bit as good as the rest of the Aries vs. Black series (well, save for you know which match) but what really helps is the crowd reaction. They definitely love Tyler and they definitely hate Aries (I think this is owed to the number of family and children in attendance). The reaction carries through in what the wrestlers do including Aries’ reactions of pain and suffering from Tyler’s big moves.

There’s a great mix of the usual Aries vs. Black spots with a more overt tribute to Ric Flair. Aries works the leg and knee and that plays into the rest of the match very well. Black plays it smart and counters Aries offense—like a huge superkick off the IED attempt and a crossbody countered into a roll-through and F5. More importantly, there is a clean and decisive finish—Black reverses a figure four attempt into a small package for three. That validates the enthusiasm and attention given by the fans—even generating a “This is Awesome!” chant by the end. One of the better television matches on the program, since judging from the last six episodes there seems to be more of a premium on serial storytelling rather than on “MOTYC” matches in the main events.

Aries attacks Black after the match and King is out again to attempt the spike piledriver but before he even gets close Jerry Lynn is back out to pull him off and fight it out again. Then Roderick Strong is out to battle Aries, getting back at him for the attack before the Steen match several weeks ago. Black pushes Strong out of the way to get to Aries, but Strong punches him down and then goes back to work on Aries. Black boots Roderick off A-Double, throws him and Aries out and does a flip dive over the ropes to stand tall at the end of the show. Delirious is also shown at the barricade looking on, contemplating his navel or something, but not yet attacking Aries for the throat injury.

You know, so many people hate Austin Aries there needs to be one of those number ticket pullers so everyone can wait in line for their turn.

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There are lots more reading available about the Bryan Danielson situation through 411Mania this weekend. Check out: Ronny Sarnecky on Danielson as a scapegoat, 411Mania Fact or Fiction, Steve Cook’s News Report, Jeff Small’s news report, Stephen Randle’s News Experience, Geoff Eubanks’ Five Star Conversation, David Martell and The Triple Threat have their say.

Mike Campbell has a very interesting take on the progression EVOLVE needs to take in its future as a wrestling promotion.

Aaron Hubbard has a list of ten must-see Mitsuhara Misawa matches in this week’s Contentious Ten.

The 4R’s of last week’s ROH on HDNet come from Jeremy Thomas.

I’ll be back in two weeks (unless there’s a major title change or surprise appearance and then I’ll be back in one) for results and the aftermath from Death Before Dishonor VIII , as well as reviews of the Pick Your Poison and Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2 DVDs. Thanks for reading!
BROOKLYN!
–Ari–