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Column of Honor Presents: The Top 100 ROH Matches of 2010: #100-51

December 23, 2010 | Posted by Ari Berenstein

Welcome to this very special Column of Honor countdown, as I kick-start my year-end Final Column series with an early-Christmas present. Usually I reserve my year-end match of the year list for the very end, but, I finished the list and was so motivated by this past weekend’s excellent Final Battle 2010 internet Pay Per View that I decided to get this one going right away.

Coming up on Monday, December 27th, Final Column 2010 will kick-off officially with the first of my multi-part Ring of Honor wrap-up, including my yearbook feature and year-end awards.

RIGHT NOW, however, let’s get it all going by examining the top one-hundred Ring of Honor matches from 2010. Inside you’ll find my rubric for the judging period and then the best of the best, one hundred great ROH matches that made this year of Ring of Honor professional wrestling special.

Ring Toss
– Outside Looking In: #110-101
-The Top 100 ROH Matches of the Year 2010: #’s 100 – 51


Notes:

-Placement is based on a number of factors including in-ring match quality, match psychology, the finish to the match, overall importance (i.e. a title vs. non-title match, a match that has an important effect or sea change in ROH history), crowd reaction & atmosphere, as well as personal taste.

Based on 29 DVD shows (including 4 internet Pay Per Views) and 17 HDNet Tapings with shows that ran as Episodes 37 through 84 (48 episodes total) from 2009-2010. This is as compared to 38 DVD shows and 12 HDNet Tapings (36 episodes total) in 2008-2009.

Includes matches from Survival of the Fittest 2009 (10/10/09) through Richards vs. Daniels (10/16/10) and is thus a true year of wrestling action. The list includes all HDNet shows running through airdates from December 1st, 2009 through on November 30th, 2010.

Excludes the following DVD shows: Survival of the Fittest 2010 (11/12/10), Fate of an Angel II (11/13/10), as well as Plymouth, MA (12/17/10) and Final Battle 2010 (12/18/10). This also excludes the HDNet Tapings that took place on 12/09/10 & 12/10/10. All of the matches for these shows will be eligible for next year’s list.

For Your Consideration:

=On the Outside Looking In: #110-101=
These matches just missed the Top 100 cut:

110. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong
—ROH on HDNet Episode 41 (Taped 11/06/09, Aired 01/05/10)
109. Tag Wars 2010 Block B Finals: The All-Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico
—Champions’ Challenge (Richmond, VA 08/27/10)
108. Sara Del Rey vs. Amazing Kong
—Supercard of Honor V (New York, NY 05/08/10)
107. Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Tyler Black vs. Kenny King
—Survival of the Fittest 2009 (Indianapolis, IN 10/10/09)
106. Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Chris Hero vs. Kenny Omega
—Survival of the Fittest 2009 (Indianapolis, IN 10/10/09)
105. Steve Corino vs. El Generico
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)
104. Butcher’s Rules: Homicide vs. Necro Butcher
—ROH on HDNet Episode 84 (Taped 10/02/10, Aired 11/29/10)
103. Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Petey Williams
—Survival of the Fittest 2009 (Indianapolis, IN 10/10/09)
102. ROH TV Title Match: Eddie Edwards (c) vs. Kenny King
—ROH on HDNet Episode 76 (Taped 08/21/10, Aired 10/04/10)
101. Champion versus Champion, Non-Title: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. ROH Television Champion Eddie Edwards
—Champions’ Challenge (Richmond, VA 08/27/10)

=*******The Top 100*******=

(***½ matches)

100. Six-Man Tag Match: The Briscoes & Rocky Romero vs. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) & Alex Koslov
—Eye of the Storm 2 (Manassas, VA 12/18/09)

The main event of the Manassas show was changed from an eight-man tag to a six-man when Jack Evans and Teddy Hart were double-booked for an appearance in Mexico. Still, the return of Rocky Romero after a lengthy absence from ROH and the debut of a very much improved Alex Koslov worked out well and gave some added sizzle. To quote myself from the March 26th, 2010 edition of Column of Honor: “what we have here in this match are two Southern Delawarian rednecks teaming with a dancing Cuban against the combination of two American bullies and a Russian Communist apologist-slash-appreciator. Truly the Cold War is over.” The match was breezily-paced and crowd pleasing, with the faces giving the Manassas fans a loudly requested triple fall-away slam sequence and of course, snapmares. Romero still had his swagger (though now working as a face) and worked in fun submission sequences against his former NRC brother Richards. Koslov used some nasty high impact moves (including an impressive superkick) and of course, the babushka hat dance. The Briscoes and The Wolves spent most of their time brawling as a set-up for the tag title match the next night, leaving Romero in the ring to finish Koslov off with a knockout buzzsaw kick for the pinfall.

99. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) (c) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe)
—Final Battle 2009 (New York, NY 12/19/09)

This match went full-circle to one year previous at Final Battle 2008 when The Wolves injured Mark Briscoe. The title switch made sense, but probably wasn’t as dramatic and exciting as it should have been given the Wolves’ long and dominating run throughout 2009. Playing off Edwards’ previous injury by slowing the match mid-way and faking a relapse as subterfuge was a genius bit, though it probably played better for the fans live in New York City because many had just seen Edwards fight his heart out during Ladder War 2 just a few months beforehand. This was a back-and-forth match in terms of momentum because of The Wolves bending and breaking the rules, but ultimately The Briscoes took home the belts with a Doomsday Device on Edwards.

98. Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards
—ROH on HDNet Episode 70 (Taped 07/16/10, Aired 08/16/10)

Strong put up his guaranteed title shot for Glory By Honor IX against Richards, but ultimately walked away the winner thanks to taking advantage of Shane Hagadorn distracting Richards (when Davey had specifically told him to stay in the back). This iteration of their series was slower in pace than their twenty-minute draw but still physical and highlighted by the chain wrestling sequence that opened the encounter and highspots like La Mistica from Richards and Strong bringing the deep tracks of his move set with the Spinal Shock.

97. Roderick Strong vs. Delirious
—Boiling Point (Edison, NJ 11/07/09)

Strong and Delirious have fought each other so much in the past that at this point it’s difficult for them not to have at least a good match against each other. This was a competitive back-and-forth match that helped to bolster what was overall one of ROH’s weaker shows of the year. Strong had a lot of popularity with the fans around this time, so they are very much into his offense and the beat down he put on Delirious.

96. Tyler Black, Colt Cabana & Grizzly Redwood vs. ROH World Champion “A-Double” Austin Aries, “Pretty Boy Pitbull” Kenny King & “Addicted to Love” Rhett Titus
—Boiling Point (Edison, NJ 11/07/09)

A six-tag match set up by Cornette out of a run-in from Aries and Titus during the scheduled Tyler Black versus Kenny King singles match. Black and Cabana proved to have some nice chemistry on the few occasions in late 2009 when they teamed up against Aries and his men. Grizzly Redwood’s underdog act once again worked both in the ring and with garnering favorable crowd reaction. The extra offense he had on the heels, including Aries, helped to fill out the body of the match.

95. Semi-Finals, ROH on HDNet Television Title Tournament: Davey Richards vs. Kenny King
—ROH on HDNet Episode 54 (Taped 03/05/10, Aired 04/19/10)

A foreshadowing of the longer one-on-one the two would have at The Big Bang but given decent enough time and relevance since it was the semi-finals of the inaugural TV tournament. There is some good in-ring chemistry between the two as each worked in what they did best. Richards tried to rip King into shreds and make him tap, while King used some momentum-based attacks and then hit his high-impact moves like the springboard neckbreaker. Richards works on the arm throughout and eventually makes King tap to a cross arm-breaker, so points for the psychology and following through on it to the finish.

94. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kevin Steen (1)
—Reverse the Curse (Chicago Ridge, IL 12/05/09)

A match that beautifully incorporates the extant storyline of Steen’s knee injuries and his contemplation of retirement into the psychology—as Claudio’s leg work is thorough and injurious. Steen evokes such sympathy here that it’s amazing he was only three weeks out from his heel turn. He makes a massive babyface comeback, including a crazy suicide dive over the turnbuckle post, but Claudio is able to survive Steen’s biggest shots due to the injury getting in the way. Claudio then powers back into the contest with the Alpamare Waterslide (rare during his most recent heel run), a springboard European and a jaw-dropping one-armed big swing. Steen can’t escape the hold and submits, which is double insult for the guy who has the Sharpshooter in his back pocket. Again, a wonderfully sound in-ring storyline that enhances Steen’s character direction before the turn—when put together, it’s an impressive combination that deserves to be recognized among the year’s best.

93. Pick 6 Match: Chris Hero vs. Roderick Strong (1)
—Aries vs. Richards (Novi, MI 11/13/09)

If you want to see head-on collision, nothing beats watching Roderick Strong chop a man repeatedly, unless it’s Chris Hero responding with huge KO forearms and elbow strikes. Rock-em, sock-em wrestlers right here. In addition to these two demonstrating their expertise at striking, there is plenty of counter-wrestling in the early going and that’s always fun to watch. Chris Hero took number-one position on the Pick 6 at this point with KO elbows (with the loaded pad) to the back and the front of Strong’s head. Quite the exclamation point.

92. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Tyler Black (4) vs. Kenny King
—Reverse the Curse (Chicago Ridge, IL 12/05/09)

Black pitched a shut-out in the mini-series against King (Survival of the Fittest ’09, Boiling Point, this match and the championship bout at Pick Your Poison) but each part of the series was competitive and brought some of the very best in athleticism from both men. This particular match saw King outsmart Black by placing referee Todd Sinclair in the way of a top rope aerial attempt, and even though Black amazingly jumped over Sinclair he was still caught in a spinebuster. Black returned the favor though by catching King by his knees above his head and transitioning into the Buckle Bomb. Black triumphs with a reversal of a small package pulled up into God’s Last Gift for the three-count. Ultimately this was an impressive outing from both men and a great mid-card addition to this Chicago show.

91. Eight-Man Tag: ROH World Champion Tyler Black, Jay Briscoe, Skullkrusher Rashe Brown & Tyson Dux vs. Austin Aries, Kenny King, Rhett Titus & Adam Pearce
—Epic Encounter III (Mississauga, ONT, Canada, 03/20/10)

This was an impromptu tag set-up at the beginning of the show, but everything worked out well with the faces led by the new ROH World Champion going over on Aries’ team. Tyson Dux was expectedly over with his Canadian fans and Brown got over with his height and power moves. The rare appearance of Adam Pearce led to “Repo Man” chants from the fans for some VINTAGE ROH and a few cute heel antics teaming with Aries and his men. The hot tag was to Rasche Brown and when that happened all of the heels got out of dodge, leading to Titus being abandoned in the ring. The heels were mostly off their game from then on and the good guys took advantage by sending them into each other and hitting multiple dives (even one from Rasche). They cruise on to the win, taking out Pearce with a Brown / Black double team and a God’s Last Gift on Titus for three. Harmless fun with a feel-good ending.

90. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Chris Hero vs. Kenny Omega
—ROH on HDNet Episode 42 (Taped 11/06/09, Aired 01/11/10)

Part of the original first six matches to establish the Pick Six, Omega would impress by keeping up with Hero in waistlock and arm exchanges, and then blew the fan’s minds with his use of speed and attacking from angles. Hero would counter with demonstrations of brute force and power, mostly from his strikes, forearms and elbows. He even connected with a forearm almost in mid-air, which is impressive timing on the part of both wrestlers. The ripcord-elbow variation looked killer as well. The coolest moment though was when Omega ran the length of The Arena at full-speed, from the stage area to ringside crashing into a prone Hero who was sitting on a chair with a flying knee attack. That was damned impressive. Omega would go on to win this lengthy and energetic outing with a somewhat sloppy roll-up package, but it was a great upset moment and a “breakout” match for Omega on HDNet.

89. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. ROH World Champion Austin Aries & Kenny King
—Eye of the Storm 2 (Manassas, VA 12/18/09)

Austin Aries at his “A-Double” heel best, with he and King dressed in bright yellow and fuchsia tights, calling The Bucks “Tito” and “Jermaine”, followed up with both of them hitting simultaneous cartwheels and doing the Hulk Hogan routine. It doesn’t stop there as in the name of mocking the Jackson brothers they also do their opponents poses and try their double teams (mostly failing on those). Oh, and the in-ring action was pretty sweet too, with plenty of patented Young Bucks double teams. They take advantage of Aries and King being too goofy by picking Aries off after miscommunication with King. Then they grab King for More Bang For Your Buck for the win. One of the best comedy-based matches of the year, for sure.

88. Six-Man Tag: ROH World Champion Tyler Black & ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs. Chris Hero & The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards)
—Gold Rush (Dearborn, MI 03/19/10)

Nothing too crazy here, just a real good six-man with both sides mixing it up well. Black versus Hero was the best combination with Hero whupping down on the new champion for the heat. The Briscoes and Black combination dives are also a highlight.

87. Non-Title: ROH Television Champion Eddie Edwards vs. Colt Cabana
—Tag Wars 2010 (Charlotte, NC 08/28/10)

A fun mix of comedy and technical wrestling from both men created a sleeper mid-card match for this show, with an attentive and appreciative crowd responding to the action. Cabana showed off more depth in the middle of the match as compared to some of his other mid-card comedy or enhancement matches from earlier in the year. Edwards responded with some smooth flying leg kicks. He was able to counter Cabana into an excellently executed O’Connor Roll for the three-count. I like great wrestling and don’t mind comedy so long as it doesn’t overwhelm the body of the match. This match got it just right.

86. Kevin Steen vs. Jerry Lynn
—ROH on HDNet Episode 71 (Taped 07/17/10, Aired 08/23/10)

These two had a short but fun TV match with Lynn using his wrestling smarts and technical expertise to control much of the match. Todd Sinclair ejecting Corino and both he and Steen going apoplectic was a cute moment. There was also a nice variation of the Lynn’s trademark rope leg drop with him missing it and Steen taking advantage. Rhett Titus interferes and while Lynn deals with him, it affords Steen some time to recover and reverse a sunset flip and get the win. Lynn really was back on a roll during the beginning of the year and it was unfortunate he was sidelined with his back injury during the summer.

85. Kevin Steen vs. Kenny Omega
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)

Wacky cartoon character from anime up against the twenty-first century Hannibal Lecter of wrestling—surprisingly, it makes for a great fit. This match is almost as much about the interplay with the crowd as it is the in-ring action. Steen works them so well, telling the Phoenix audience that his doctor asked them not to chant “Ole” during his matches, and that’s all it takes for them to chant it. This is actually quite the gross match, with a degusting version of the Code of Honor in the beginning and both Omega and Steen biting each other’s body parts as it goes on. However, there is an entertaining (though mostly slower paced) mid-card match beyond the taunting and gross-out factor, focusing on Steen working the arm and Omega fighting back from that injury. Omega’s late match rush involving the Dragon Suplex is exciting to see. Steen wins with crossface, following up on the arm psychology by trapping Omega in a painful hold until he couldn’t take anymore.

84. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe
—ROH on HDNet Episode 38 (Taped 11/05/09, Aired 12/14/09)

It’s a rare occurrence when The Briscoe boys are set to fight each other, but when they do it’s not a night off in the least. This match was for a slot in the first ever Pick Six rankings list, so both men bring the fight to each other, keeping this one very up for grabs. The match initially concluded in a double count-out, but both men decided to restart the match. The consistent quality of action before and after the restart, a conclusive finish and the fun of watching these two fighting it out for the sport of it (…and the contender spot…and the money for winning the Pick Six…and the beer drinking afterwards) are the reasons that this match finds a solid home on the top 100 list.

83. Non-Title Match: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. El Generico
—ROH on HDNet Episode 63 (Taped 05/22/10, Aired 06/28/10)

Just a fantastic demonstration of athleticism and ability to work a match from both men, brought down just a touch by the HDNet Special finish of Steen’s interference drawing a disqualification win for Black. Both worked a face / face encounter, building up the offense and letting the bombs drop. Generico’s flip dropkick was on the money and the Ole kick to Pele kick one-two sequence was way cool. These two probably could have put on an even better match at some point given more time and a decisive finish, but this back-and-forth battle is worth watching and will have to do.

82. ROH World Title Match: “A-Double” Austin Aries (c) vs. Tyler Black
—Final Battle 2009 (New York, NY 12/19/09)

I’ve said enough about this being the wrong match for the live crowd and the wrong in-ring psychology for what looked to be the culmination of the Aries vs. Black feud. Yet, I’d be indulging in too much personal bias if I didn’t include it on this list. The fact is a lot of fans watching from the comfort of home liked this match (heavily devoted to Aries’ running away from the fight and slowing down the action so that Black couldn’t win) and became engaged in the unfolding drama. There were also a few redeeming moments of action here and there, notably Black’s massive powerbomb of Aries onto the outside guardrail late in the match. It was a hell of a thing, but I only wish it had happened at the beginning rather than near its end. This one-hour draw also has an incredible amount of importance to ROH in that it was the main-event of the first internet Pay Per View endeavor and the story told led to other developments in ROH during the first several months of the year, namely the rematch at the 8th Anniversary Show and the Black-Strong feud taking a more personal twist. Love it or hate it, the high level of importance of this match and its relevance to ROH history should be at the least understood and accepted by all ROH fans.

81. Grudge Match: Kenny King vs. Jerry Lynn
—So Cal Showdown (Los Angeles, CA 01/29/10)

This is Lynn’s first match back in the promotion after King and Rhett Titus took him out with the spike piledriver attack on HDNet. Emotions are hot and so the action follows the emotions, with Lynn looking for revenge and King wanting to reinjure Lynn and put him out for good. King’s pre-match promo hating on L.A gets the fans’ dander up and they are ready to cheer for Lynn, whose charging the ring and brawling right away all over ringside is appreciated given the tone of the bout. The match goes in and out of the ring at will, and while King’s quickness is on display with his springboard leg drop over the guardrail to the floor, Lynn’s is no slouch either with his running tackle on the floor into the crowd. King used the cradle pledriver, which is double genius because it steals his opponent’s move and is an attack on Lynn’s injured neck. Lynn plays possum and wins with a small package. Unfortunately Lynn’s anger gets the best of him as he reverses a post-match attack with a chair, using a Van Daminator, pushes Todd Sinclair down and then lands a piledriver on King without remorse. That leads to a DQ decision reversal in favor of King, which is reasonable for what was to be the first of a series of grudge bouts. Lynn would have his ultimate revenge in Phoenix.

80. Personal Gauntlet Challenge Series, Non-Title: Roderick Strong vs. ROH World Champion Tyler Black
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)

This match takes place after the Black versus Aries singles bout that was part of this challenge series (see number 70 on this countdown). The psychology of Black’s injured arm is directly connected to the post-match attack from Aries. Strong uses the injury and continues the focus during the match, which is smart. Though, like the Aries vs. Black bout, this match is shorter than other singles bouts between the principals involved and as such is more a shorthand “best of” while also incorporating the arm psychology. There are two unique, never-been-done-before moments here: one was when Black used a Jig’n’Tonic for a near fall. The other is when Black is able to sunset flip out of a Gibson Driver and hit the super kick for a visual three, but Strong had the ropes. So the ref continues the match and Strong capitalizes with the double knees and Gibson Driver for three. Since the arm work didn’t actually play into the finish and was dependent on Aries’ attack, I have Aries vs. Black from this night higher on the list.

79. Three-Way ROH World Title Match: Tyler Black (c) vs. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries
—Phoenix Rising (Phoenix, AZ 03/27/10)

A foreshadowing of the three-way elimination match that headlined The Big Bang which began as just Aries vs. Black for the ROH World Title and Roderick Strong too injured to participate. Yet Strong soon was back to ringside and inserting himself in the battle, with a huge pop from the crowd when Cornette made it official. From there things heated up, with Strong putting his body on the line and throwing with abandon against both Black and Aries. There were enough three-way spots and interaction between the competitors to make things interesting. One wouldn’t be able to tell that they held back the really, really epic stuff unless viewing the internet PPV match immediately afterwards. A memorable highlight was when Aries bridged out of the Last Chancery hold on Black only for Strong to transition his body right into an elevated Stronghold, this one similar in appearance to Chris Jericho’s old school application of the Walls of Jericho with the knee all the way in the opponents’ back. Black is able to clear out Aries and Strong runs his shoulder right into the exposed ring post. A God’s Last Gift only gets two but bonus points for Black going right to Strong’s arm for the tap out, which comes through on the injury psychology and better than when it was the other way around the previous night when it was Black selling his arm.

78. Pick 6 Contenders Series: Kevin Steen vs. Chris Hero (1)
—The Omega Effect (Mississauga, ONT, CN 11/14/09)

A partisan crowd and their audible mocking of Hero helped to generate excitement in witnessing Steen (still a face) defeat Hero and unseat him for the number one spot on the Pick Six rankings. Steen’s use of brawn and brawling was in full effect, whether hurling his body off the top rope in a flip senton or using it for a powerslam or powerbomb into the guardrail. Hero’s elbows were sharp and Steen had some great sells of being driven woozy. Too much Shane Hagadorn interference for my personal liking, but ultimately it didn’t affect the placement of the match here since he wasn’t involved in the finish. Steen blasts Hero with the Package Piledriver to win in one of his last major singles matches before turning heel.

77. Hardcore Match: Jerry Lynn vs. Steve Corino
—Phoenix Rising (Phoenix, AZ 03/27/10)

Must have seemed like old times for these two as they wrestled hardcore style (rare for ROH this year outside of the Steen vs. Generico feud). The brawling around ringside was compelling and the table breaks and ladder sequences were build up to and paid off late in the match as opposed to done at random. They played off their history in ECW by reprising some ECW spots like the chair duel (everyone loves a good chair duel), the Van Daminator and guardrail attacks. The guardrail superplex is still super-crazy (and I’m not referring to the wrestler). They brought back the “spelling ‘die’ in blood” sequence from their infamous ECW singles bout (and although Corino bled, this time Lynn didn’t complete the act). Lynn gets some timely assistance from El Generico and then lands a cradle piledriver on the chair for three. Both men were really over with the crowd and that enthusiasm created a larger sense of importance in this confrontation. Ultimately, this was an example of a nostalgia trip that also had relevance to the current product, demonstrating that both men were on a career comeback in 2010.

76. Pick 6 Contenders Series: Tyler Black (2) vs. Claudio Castagnoli (6)
—Aries vs. Richards (Novi, MI 11/13/09)

Black was being pushed huge at this point and so we see a more aggressive, offense-oriented effort from him as he takes most of the “time of possession”. The big spot that I still remember vividly to this day is when Claudio threw Black, who landed on Claudio’s shoulders and then backflipped off, rolling through and landing a beaut of an enziguiri. Tyler is also the first man to reverse the UFO airplane spin (one of Claudio’s haute-couture moves of the last year) into a roll-up, winning off the pinfall. One for Black’s fans to check out.

75. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. El Generico
—The Omega Effect (Mississauga, ONT, CN 11/14/09)

Nakajima was replacing an injured KENTA on this tour, but this was still an interesting dream match on paper that roared through the first four-fifths of the match and unfortunately suffered at the end due to Nakajima becoming hurt. Still, mix in Nakajima’s serious demeanor (rebuffing Generico’s offer to follow The Code of Honor) and kick-oriented offense with Generico’s gripping and emotive babyface comebacks and there is plenty to praise. The most impressive sequences were Nakajima kicking Generico almost into the crowd, a leaping enziguiri-apron superkick that blasted Generico off the rope, followed by Generico’s flying DDT through the turnbuckles (always a visual wonder), Nakajima taking a Half-Nelson suplex and then reversing a brainbuster into one of his own, Generico avoiding several deadly kicks with his speed and agility and Nakajima blasting Generico repeatedly with superkick after superkick at the finish. Nakajima wins this one with a delayed bridging German for a pinfall.

74. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Roderick Strong (3) vs. Kenny Omega (5)
—Reverse the Curse (Chicago Ridge, IL 12/05/09)

A far better match than the crowd reaction it received would let on, especially at the end when both use their finishers in an effort to win. I found the technical wrestling in the beginning very entertaining and Omega is certainly on-point with his agility spots (landing cleanly the hop-over dodge early on and later gracefully implementing a backflip into a hurricanrana). Roderick’s answer to Omega’s agility is to simply stand in the line of fire after all the evasions and blast him with a chop or jumping kick. Omega’s inverse hurricanrana is a highlight as well, as it’s done in mid-momentum with Strong lifting him up to the electric chair position. Both men fire their trademark combinations at the end and Omega’s strikes are fast and have plenty of snap. Omega doesn’t go down easy, but its Strong who picks up the win with a massive double-knees and Gibson Driver for the fall.

73. Kenny Omega vs. Austin Aries
—Buffalo Stampede II (Hamburg, NY 06/17/10)

Perhaps more infamous for Austin Aries entering ringside to Bryan Danielson (a.k.a. Daniel Bryan)’s theme “The Final Countdown”, this is a sleeper of a quality match tucked into a below-average show that is a bonus disc on the Death Before Dishonor VIII DVD. Aries and Omega proved to be a good combination, with their match at The Omega Effect, several HDNet encounters and this bout, which Omega wins in a semi-upset with a crushing version of Croyt’s Wrath. If you liked their previous matches, you’ll like this one too.

72. Roderick Strong vs. Brian Kendrick
—8th Anniversary Show (New York, NY 02/13/10)

A fun and well-paced opener to the anniversary show, one of the better first matches on any ROH show this year. It was the first time in years that fans were able to see Kendrick (an ROH original) live and in-person on an ROH show. Strong chopped the hell out of him to their delight, discoloring his pecs with the sharp slaps. Kendrick would play the heel role, running away from the vicious attacks and getting in his shots, but Strong’s multiple-strike and backbreaker combinations proved too much. Spanky had been spanked by the future ROH World Champion, but the fans expressed their appreciation for his special appearance nonetheless.

71. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. El Generico & Colt Cabana
—ROH on HDNet Episode 72 (Taped 07/17/10 Aired 08/30/10)

Generico was so impressive in this match and it is such a shame that the Philly audience (which is hit-or-miss with their support) remained quiet for most of this one. From the coolest lucha armdrag sequence of year, passing through both Hero and Claudio, to landing a fast and snappy hurricanrana, this was a shining moment for the masked luchador. There’s just a lot to enjoy from everyone involved though: Cabana with his early pass-throughs and a well-timed kangaroo kick during the comeback; of course Hero and Claudio are just on another level in timing double team sequences. The one KO elbow to the back of Cabana’s head (distracted by Corino and Steen onstage bashing down loudly with chains) as a finish smartly gets over the power of Hero’s strikes and that The Kings are willing to take advantage of their opponents’ errors in order to win at all costs, plus furthered the push for the double chain match at Glory By Honor IX.

70. Personal Gauntlet Challenge Series, Non-Title: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)

The Black / Aries series was an important part of the first half of the year and this is their first match after the February title switch in New York City. It’s shorter in length and works more as a “greatest hits” of their moves and previous matches within the restrictions of the time frame. Still, it is fun to watch for the time given and is important in that it began the challenge series involving Black, Aries and Strong. The psychology of the four matches tie into each other and this is where Aries softens Black up for the Strong match that takes place immediately afterwards. Also, for the record it should be noted that Sunny is in Aries’ ring corner, thus bringing to conclusion a 2008 ROH angle where she attempted to recruit Aries with her services. She provides a distraction that allows Aries to regain control, but it’s not enough because Black rolls him up for three.

69. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels & Roderick Strong
—ROH on HDNet Episode 62 (Taped 05/21/10, Aired 07/05/10)

Daniels’ first major HDNet match after his return, not to mention the start of interaction with Roderick Strong. This was also the only time Daniels and Richards would spar in the ring until October (during the HDNet tapings for the Holiday Rumble and then the next week in their first-ever singles match). Although, wouldn’t you know it, Richards vs. Strong was the show-stealer combination here. This was slower in pace than one would hope for a major tag match such as this one, serving more as a set-up tag match for future programs. Richards pinned Strong after the Super Release German Suplex and afterwards Strong blamed Daniels for the loss.

68. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (c) vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico
—Fade to Black (Plymouth, MA 09/10/10)

Improving upon the HDNet match, Cabana and Generico proved to be a formidable combination here by being more serious and concentrating on combining their trademark moves together as well as creating new well-timed tag team sequences. Their crossbody / sunset flip combo is out of this world, as was the ole kick to Billy Goat’s Curse. Meanwhile The King’s power offense works great and looks brutal against a smaller opponent such as Generico. There is also some excellent isolation psychology here, first on Generico and then on Cabana. The Kings retain with a rolling elbow / European uppercut synchronized together on Colt for the pinfall.

67. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Chris Hero (3) vs. El Generico
—Epic Encounter III (Mississauga, ONT, CN 03/20/10)

Another match to get over Generico’s fighting spirit in light of Steen’s betrayal. It made sense to put him in there against Hero, whose bullying tactics and aggrandizing attitude overwhelms the match until Generico can respond. Generico’s dives and each exchanging huge running boots at each other are exciting moments. Hero catching Generico off the Asai Moonsault and slamming him into the guardrail was unexpected but impressive. However, it is the last eight minutes that are must-see in terms of witnessing Generico’s ability to portray a comeback, withstanding powerful blows, getting the fans to continue to will him on and convincing them he can withstand all the damage of the KO blows and still keep going. Yet every time Generico responds, Hero has him outgunned with violent boots, sickening and sharp KO elbows and yet Generico kicks out, even out of the deathblow elbow. However, the Dragon Sleeper applied after all the concussive blows finally is enough to put him out. All told, this is a beautifully engrossing match and kudos to both for playing their respective roles to the hilt.

66. Roderick Strong vs. Kevin Steen (w/ Steve Corino)
—Tag Wars 2010 (Charlotte, NC 08/28/10)

Strong had been positioned as a heel by this point, but it was Steen (with Corino in tow as support) who stole the show with his amazing heel actions, including biting Strong and openly mocking him and snapping back against anyone in the crowd. This was a legendary, Ric Flair in the mid-1980’s level caliber heel performance (ironic for this match taking place in Charlotte and well, Steen took a shot at him too). Aside from the hot heel act, both men were plenty physical against each other and that kept the match apace. Plenty of good “work the body part psychology” from both, with Steen working to the Sharpshooter and Strong the Stronghold. Colt Cabana and El Generico inserted themselves in the finish (payback for earlier in the night) giving Strong the opportunity to win with combination jumping enziguiri, double knee gutbuster and superkick. I’m not a huge fan of interference / run-ins but in this case it worked as a sort of chaotic element that tied in nicely with the earlier tone of action.

65. Pick 6 Contender’s Series: Kevin Steen (2) vs. Human Tornado
—So Cal Showdown (Los Angeles, CA 01/29/10)

Fans in attendance were aware of the connection between Tornado (making a rare return appearance right before his retirement) and Generico (who teamed up together in PWG as 2 Skinny Black Guys) so this match was an easy-fit for ROH’s L.A. show and Steen having just betrayed Generico. Tornado attacking right away with a flip dive immediately brings the crowd into the match. He demonstrates impressive athleticism throughout. However, this is a spotlight match for the “new” Steen: remorseless, prone to violence and depravity and someone who doesn’t stop until there is utter destruction. He provides exactly that for Tornado and like the match against Player Dos (number 62) it makes for one hell of an impressive series of visuals (like Steen catching and then hurling Tornado into the ringside steel guardrail with a fall away slam and the bottom rope actually sagging later on with the impact of the attacks). It also gives Tornado’s face comeback extra oomph and fire. Steen wins this one with a powerbomb and package piledriver.

(***3/4 matches)

64. Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Black
—Eye of the Storm 2 (Manassas, VA 12/18/09)

Another competition between the two and last one that would be fought with both men as “friends”. As they had fought several times already they begin to use familiarity spots as well as one doing the others signatures (always fun). The rare Strong move for this match is his CX02 Driver which smashes Black down on the canvas at high velocity. It takes two Gibson Drivers to win, but ultimately Strong demonstrates that he can defeat Tyler Black.

63. Non-Title: ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (c) with Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey vs. Generation Me (Jeremy & Max Buck a.k.a. The Young Bucks)
—Salvation (Chicago Ridge, IL 07/24/10)

While they were heels against The Wolves, Gen Me switch courses and play the sympathetic fiery babyfaces against the larger and imposing tag team champions. This match shows off more of Gen Me’s speed and ability to rapidly chain huge moves like running corner knee strikes and superkicks in the corner. A late-match sequence especially highlights their knack for timing these kinds of sequences and popping the crowd with them. Meanwhile, The Kings bully and bowl over the smaller opponents. Claudio’s dead lift of Matt into the Pop-Up European is damned crazy and demonstrates his ridiculous shape and strength. The Kings win with the KRS-1, but The Bucks are super-over in taking it to the champs and keeping it close.

62. Kevin Steen vs. Player Dos
—Epic Encounter III (Mississauga, ONT, Canada, 03/20/10)

Player Dos’ breakout match…in that Steen made sure to break out every bone in his body. This was a David vs. Goliath theme with what was at times Goliath delivering an unmitigated slaughter. The brutal strikes and insulting mockery demonstrated the lengths of Steen’s depravity. However, in underestimating Dos he left himself open at various points throughout the match (including right at the very beginning) and Dos would capitalize with miracle comebacks using his air game. A springboard into DDT impressed while the super release dragon suplex popped the crowd like crazy. The rotation cannonball looked beautiful but missed and while Dos survived one package piledriver (demonstrating toughness), he could not kick out of a second. Steen rolled over both Dos and his tag partner Uno after the match to add insult to injury. A guilty pleasure to watch given the beatdown delivered by Steen, but both worked hard to ensure Dos always had a chance to win despite mostly being dominated.

61. Non-Title: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries
—ROH on HDNet Episode 60 (Taped 03/06/10, Aired 06/07/10)

One more time, one final time: Aries versus Black, but this time with Black as the champion and this being a non-title situation. Still, both carried throughout the idea that there remained a personal grudge between the two. The Philly crowd was very lively, becoming a stronghold of support for Black even when he was receiving mixed reactions (at best) from other cities. The heel-face boundary helped both men when it came to selling the pain and let Aries do his heel thing with aplomb. He would go to work on Black’s leg ala Ric Flair and cheated brilliantly, getting the goat of the fans in the crowd. Black played the counter-strike game and managed to turn defense into offense by reversing a figure four into a cradle for three. The series concludes with a clean finish and a clear winner.

60. ROH Television Title Tournament Opening Round: Davey Richards (4) vs. Delirious (5)
—ROH on HDNet Episode 51 (Taped 02/05/10, Aired 03/15/10)

One of Delirious’ stronger matches of the year, but a lot of it was from following the Richards formula. Delirious’ best shots were the Panic Attack, the Chemical Imbalance and a Cobra Clutch Suplex late in the match, but Richards withstood them and hit huge strike flurries to overwhelm Delirious. Richards broke him down throughout the match and dissected his arm until he tapped out.

59. Street Fight Rematch: Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. El Generico & Colt Cabana
ROH on HDNet Episode 64 (Taped 05/22/10, Aired 07/05/10)

While not as crazy and over the top in terms of violence and extreme weapons shots (well , until the final five minutes or so) as the first Street Fight, both teams are still going at it in full grudge mode and it pays off in presentation and execution. The first few minutes are quite psychologically sound despite not being very eventful. Instead, there is a battle for positioning and openings for attack. Prodding and looking for weaknesses is actually a smart battle strategy and it pays off for Steen and Corino here as they enjoy the advantage through most of this one. Chair shots, guardrail spots and table crashing follows and most of it is realistic and persuasive, not to mention seemingly uncomfortable for the participants involved. Steen and Corino gain a measure of revenge by winning this one after superplexing Colt Cabana through a table.

58. Tag Wars 2010 Finals, Ultimate Endurance, ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli w/ Shane Hagadorn) (c) vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. All-Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) vs. Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis & Kory Chavis)
—Tag Wars 2010 (Charlotte, NC 08/28/10)

The first fall being “all tags legal” was merely a mechanism to set up the somewhat infuriating “members on the same team are forced to fight each other” spot for The Briscoes and Kings of Wrestling—come on, you know they’re not really going to fight each other. Otherwise there is a lot to like about this match. The first fall highlights were from Dark City brawling away with The Kings and getting the better of it (though the best DCFC moment was Jon Davis pouncing Rhett Titus into the middle ropes). The beginning of the second fall free-for-all was inspired and that quickly became The Kings and All-Night four-on-two against The Briscoe brothers. The isolation of each Briscoe gave the match a certain tension where you wanted to see them fight back against the odds and return fire. Their bloodletting is almost as bad as it was during the title match from Death Before Dishonor VIII.The ANX sneaking up on Hero and Castagnoli worked well because in the end, they wanted to become champs and saw that opportunity. The Briscoes eliminated ANX in the second fall with a series of savage double teams, but Hero immediately laid out Jay with the KO elbow for the win in the finale. All is fair in Tag Wars.

57. American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Dark City Fight Club (Kory Chavis & Jon Davis)
—Pick Your Poison (Dayton, OH 04/23/10)

Likely the best match of DCFC’s run in ROH and a lot of that has to do with the layout of this match against The Wolves, which started slow but then exploded with excellent double teams from both sides. This unique hurricanrana reversal out of Project Mayhem also impressed. Richards and Edwards are on-point with their combination kicks, not to mention good use of leg work leading into the finish of the double team lungblower to Achilles Lock.

56. Steel Cage Match: Steve Corino & Kevin Steen vs. El Generico & Colt Cabana
—ROH on HDNet Episode 80 (Taped 08/21/10, Aired 11/01/10)

What a terrific story that was told in this match, with both teams fighting for dominance in the confines of a cage, until one team solves the problem by eliminating a man from the equation. Corino and Steen took Generico out of the cage and made sure he couldn’t come back. Tossing Generico out was the key to victory and one can look at the desperation and despair that Generico portrayed and realize it perfectly. More from my November 20th, 2010 Column of Honor: While this wasn’t as wild or as bloody or as violent as other matches from this feud during the past year, it was wild, it was bloody and it was violent. Even though the in-ring action didn’t get as crazy good as the Street Fight matches (both in Chicago and a few months back on HDNet), what makes it a just as effective and memorable match, as well as a worthy addition to this saga really is the emotion and the drama Generico demonstrated here…Generico’s body language [says it all], his expressions of rage and angst and frustration, both when he was outside the ring trying to get in (smashing a chair on the chain as Steen was inches from his face laughing at him, because he was hitting the mesh and not flesh) and afterwards (throwing the bolt cutters at the cage wall, kicking the chain, wide-eyed and grimacing, even pulling his own mask with the wrench and hook). Again, this is just amazing character development from a guy who can’t really speak during promos because of the conventions of the character and the “language barrier”. All of that extra body language and pathos sky-rockets this cage match onto its placement on this list.

55. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli w/ Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey) (c) vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe
—ROH on HDNet Episode 79 (Taped 08/21/10, Aired 10/25/10)

It was The Briscoes’ “last chance” (we’ll see) against The Kings of Wrestling as far as fighting for the ROH World Tag Team Titles. As far as the match goes, it was almost complete domination from The Briscoes for the first half, which worked because if they were going to lose it would be wise to have them get some comeuppance with a strong control session. They used their brawling ability, they took to the air and they used their strength-based double teams like the double biel to throw the champions off balance. Del Rey was ejected after interference, but it gave Hero and Claudio a chance to regain momentum. The Briscoes seemingly had the match won but The Kings found a way to cheat to win via interference from Shane Hagadorn, who kicked Jay with a low blow resulting in the pinfall. The finish was a downer for what had up to then been a very compelling television title bout. If it was going to use interference probably could have used something stronger than the low blow, like perhaps the spike piledriver Shane first attempted.

54. American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Super Smash Brothers (Player Uno & Player Dos)
—ROH on HDNet Episode 73 (Taped 07/17/10 Aired 09/13/10)

An eye opener for anyone who had doubts about The Super Smash Brothers as a viable tag team wrestling in the ROH style and an affirmation of what everyone else already knew—these guys have become real good and deserve a serious shot at being a regular team in this promotion. The Wolves were very giving in that they made the SSB look credible throughout the match and that they were in danger of losing at several points because the SSB had the moves and the heart to get it done. Player Dos especially impressed with his late match comeback, including flying moves and an awesome release dragon suplex. The SSB’s Gory Special to Ace Crusher is still wowzers. The Wolves ultimately win when Edwards makes Uno tap to the Achilles Lock and Dos cannot get into the ring in time to stop it. This is marquee tag team action from a promotion that can do it well.

53. Non-Title: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. Claudio Castagnoli
—Bluegrass Brawl (Louisville, KY 07/22/10)

Even though the title was not on the line this one still turned out to be a barn burner, thanks to Claudio using his power game and bringing out some big offense weapons in the second half of the match—the springboard Bicycle Kick, Ricola Bomb, even trying a super Ricola Bomb. Tyler’s springboard European to superkick was an incredible moment that resembled the well-remembered Michaels versus Benjamin Raw match from 2005. Another sharp superkick gets the job done for the ROH World Champion.

52. Special Challenge Match: Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen
—Champions’ Challenge (Richmond, VA 08/27/10)

More echoes from 2009’s great American Wolves versus Kevin Steen & El Generico feud, with the roles reversed. Steen is vindictive here, taunting Richards by telling him how much of a pleasure it was to hurt his tag partner Edwards (which provides great crowd heat). That tone-setting opening promo leads the way for a vicious fight, with Richards kicking Steen’s ass all over the ring. The match had some nice limb work as well, with Richards focusing on Steen’s chronically problematic knee and Steen working the neck for his crossface submission. However, it’s a flurry of strike offense that gives Richards the win, ending with a buzzsaw kick for the knock-out and pinfall. A rare loss for Steen during this timeframe and one that puts over Richards convincingly.

51. No Disqualification, ROH World Title Match: Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Black (c)
—Glory By Honor IX (New York, NY 09/11/10)

Strong’s shining moment, but his finally reaching the top of the ROH championship ladder was overshadowed almost from the start with such side stories as the inclusion of Terry Funk as special enforcer, the knowledge that win-or-lose this was to be Black’s last match in ROH and the return of Homicide after the match had concluded. However, almost all of those circumstances were forgiven or forgotten when it was just about Tyler Black versus Roderick Strong, champion versus challenger, mano-a-mano. Highlights of the actual back-and-forth included both men hitting each other with the hardest looking and sounding shots, Black using Strong’s double knee gutbuster, Strong’s amazing orange crush variation double knees, referee Todd Sinclair absolutely blasted by the sick kick to send him out of commission for the rest of the match, Strong transitioning out of Black’s tree-of-woe double stomp into a Stronghold and Black hitting Strong with two Bucklebombs and two superkicks only for Strong to spit right at him in defiance and Black to smash him down with one more.

What holds this back from being higher on the list is not the lack of a “feeling out process” (as the furious speed of moves being exchanged made sense given their previous history of wrestling against each other many times), but because the pace and the emotional drama of the match had been hindered when Terry Funk took over the referee’s position. Giving Funk some of spotlight (by punching out Truth Martini and The House of Truth) can be understood a nice sign of respect to a legend of the sport, but his movements were clunky and conflicted with the personalities involved (both champion and challengers played the heel role, but the fans were cheering Strong over the “sell out” Black and here is Funk taking out all of Strong’s support system). Funk’s slow movement hindered the final stretch, as he was a few steps behind Strong and Black on the final pinfall attempts of the match, making it more than obvious when someone would or wouldn’t be kicking out. Still, a fine fifteen-minute frenzy of a title match.


Join me tomorrow as I continue this massive list, chronicling numbers fifty through twenty-one!

BROOKLYN!
–Ari–

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Ari Berenstein

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