Column of Honor 02.26.11: 9th Anniversary Show Preview

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 02.26.2011

From the World Title match between Homicide and Roderick Strong to the dream tag team match between Haas and Benjamin and the Briscoes and more, 411's Ari Berenstein takes a look at ROH's ninth anniversary show! Plus thoughts on Daniels vs. Edwards from HDNet and more!


Welcome to the Column. Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions about last week's countdown--hope you all enjoyed.









=Ninth Anniversary Show iPPV-February 26th, 2011 Chicago Ridge, IL=





Frontier Fieldhouse
7:30 pm belltime
9807 Sayre Ave.
Chicago Ridge, IL 60415

Available through Go Fight Live.







The problem with presenting a mammoth year-end show that also happens to be the most successful internet Pay Per View in the history of your company, that featured a blow-away culmination to one of the best grudge feuds in the past decade of professional wrestling and a great night of action is dealing with how to follow-up on the next one given simultaneously inflated expectations and the big emotional comedown that is felt by the fan base.

Ring of Honor is walking into its Ninth Anniversary Show this weekend still in the midst of negotiating through those hazards. They find themselves smack dab in the middle of that comedown, combined with the perfect storm of dealing with losing their television slot on HDNet (viewed by some as a lame duck in the process) and WWE heating up on the road to Wrestlemania 27 with the amazing return of The Rock as the host of the most important annual show of the wrestling year.

After concluding the Steen / Generico and Kings of Wrestling / Briscoes feuds, ROH is now in the unenviable position of having to introduce and develop new storyline threads for the year as well as and continuing ones from 2010 that haven't been resolved as yet (such as Davey Richards' quest for the World Title and Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin emerging as important components of the tag team division). This is quite a challenge considering the former feud was the hottest program of 2010 for the promotion (aside from Tyler Black's heel turn before his departure for WWE), while the latter was the major tag team feud of last year, Kings of Wrestling versus The Briscoes. Both have certainly run its course for now...and what ROH has placed in their stead for the main events of this show doesn't stack up well by comparison.

Previous anniversary shows have delivered on some excellent and memorable moments, such as last year's ROH World title win by Tyler Black, the CZW invasion of Chris Hero and Necro Butcher during 4th Anniversary Show and the infamous "Riot at the Elks Lodge" that took place at the very first anniversary show involving Steve Corino, Samoa Joe, Homicide, Low Ki and much of the ROH roster. On the other hand, there have been some weaker years, such as the seventh anniversary in 2009, which had a lackluster undercard and the lack of meaningful events other than Colt Cabana's return and a very good main event ROH World Title match between Nigel McGuinness (giving a Herculean effort despite major shoulder injuries) and KENTA. The Fifth Year Festival show from Dayton was also mostly a dud; featuring Takeshi Morishima in a weak first title defense against BJ Whitmer (though the other anniversary shows that year certainly bettered that effort).

There has always been the excuse of a slow beginning to ROH's calendar year, as the storyline cycle begins slowly and builds up for mid-year (Wrestlemania weekend and the summer shows) with another final push to Final Battle. However, there has already been a busy and well-reviewed start to 2011 in ROH. The promotion had its busiest January ever, with three house shows across both coasts and the final set of HDNet tapings. They had a successful showing at WrestleReunion weekend, with Kings of Wrestling versus Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team delivering and crowd favorite El Generico wrestling for the ROH World Title against current champion Roderick Strong.

Then the lull set in, with no big house shows for a month until this weekend in Dayton and Chicago. In addition, WWE stole the industry's attention with the return of The Rock, The Miz's feud against Jerry "The King" Lawler and ROH-alumni CM Punk as a top heel force with The New Nexus on Monday Night Raw. Needless to say, WWE gained much of the wrestling buzz around the internet (ROH's best promotional tool). ROH's build to this show on both the internet and their HDNet show doesn't compare well to their near four-month build to Final Battle 2010. While both events had their cards set well in advance (the top four matches of tonight's show were leaked from December's HDNet tapings), the matches haven't captured the fan's attention like the latter show (judging from many comments on different boards) and ROH just didn't push as hard for this show as they did Final Battle 2010.

Also of note is that this show takes place on the same night as a UFC Pay Per View featuring an important BJ Penn fight. That could be the real killer, at least as far as "first-night" live purchases, though those who watch the UFC show first could always buy the ROH iPPV replay through Go Fight Live (which are generally of higher quality in streaming and video compared to the initial live feed, not to mention any technical issues have been dealt with by that time).

That's not to say this isn't a good card or that there aren't matches worth the price of admission. However, at first glance, those matches don't seem to be the main events, but rather the undercard.

The two title matches, Roderick Strong versus Homicide for the ROH World Title and Kings of Wrestling versus All-Night Express for the ROH World Tag Team Titles, seem more like way-stations rather than the terminus of the respective championship runs. The results seem predictable and therefore some of the relevance and "oomph" is missing to what are usually very important positions on the card.

Meanwhile, Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin match up against The Briscoes in a first-time ever dream match pitting two very high caliber athletes (with accomplished amateur credentials) up against the home promotion heroes that love to fight. Then Christopher Daniels defends his relatively newly won Television Title against former champion Eddie Edwards in a two-out-of-three falls rematch. These two have gone two-for-two in terms of producing technical wrestling excellence in the ring against one another and there is little doubt they can do it again here.

Those two matches have the potential to be incredibly exciting and potential ROH classics-in-the-making. However, these two matches also suffer from the same sense of predictability as the title bouts. The Briscoes have been the challengers to the ROH Title throughout 2010—their receiving another title shot in the near future would be redundant and boring at this point (no knock on previous KOW vs. Briscoes matches, mind you). It seems likely that Haas and Benjamin will win here en route to their first title opportunity in a rubber match against Hero & Castagnoli. As far as the ROH TV Title match goes, there are definitely question marks surrounding the future of the that belt without a presence on HDNet. That instability removes some of the luster of fighting for what is essentially a surplus title come April. Further, Daniels versus Edwards also has predictability issues in that Daniels did appear with the title at the last HDNet tapings (his defense against Devon Storm was fit into this week's episode, before the iPPV). Sure, ROH and HDNet could choose not to show Daniels with the belt in entrances or in the ring if Edwards wins the title here, but the odds are against it.

Now predictability isn't necessarily a negative, as WWE's Elimination Chamber PPV last week was awesome despite the predictability of who won the top matches. ROH prides itself and puts the emphasis on match quality for its shows. The undercard should deliver in that respect, though the ROH World Title match doesn't scream "work rate excellence" given Homicide's shaky and uneven last few months. He's had some good matches, mind you, but there have also been below average efforts where it was clear that he wasn't able to deliver as well as in years' past with ROH. Homicide versus Strong can be at least a "good" match. The thing is, ROH doesn't put the onus on "good" matches. It promises and usually can deliver "great" matches.

This show will also be the biggest test for Kenny King and Rhett Titus. This will be their first real shot in the spotlight of a main event title opportunity. They did deliver back in December at Final Battle 2010 against O'Reilly and Cole. Certainly Hero and Claudio are at a peak with their wrestling abilities, but it will be curious to see the heel vs. heel team dynamic works out or if that weighs down the match.

Further down the card, Davey Richards looks to rebuild momentum after losing the ROH World Title match at Final Battle 2010 against Colt Cabana. That should be a solid wrestling match, with the emphasis on competition and technical ability. Sara Del Rey fights MsChif and while that is not a new pairing for veterans of the independent scene, it has been a while since they've wrestled in ROH. The new build of MsChif on HDNet where she attacked Daizee Haze has been strong enough to add some intrigue. Also, Michael Elgin will be put to the test against El Generico while a Four Corner Survival sees Steve Corino and Mike Bennett in opposite corners after their recent communication breakdown at the HDNet tapings where Corino tried to warn him about going down the wrong path and Bennett refused to heed those words.

So all-in-all, will this show be worth your time and money? In the end, likely yes due to the good-to-very-good wrestling (and the always welcome low price point of $14.99). I can't give it the highest recommendations and one shouldn't expect anything earth shattering or on the level of the double main event from the last iPPV. If you're waiting for that I'd suggest waiting for the next iPPV shows after this one, a double shot on April 1st and 2nd in Atlanta.







The set-up for this title match was a great idea-Roderick Strong finally has his crowning moment as ROH World Champion at Glory By Honor IX after five years of working up the ranks, only to be interrupted by Homicide's return to Ring of Honor. Homicide is hailed with a Hero's Welcome from his hometown fans in New York City and claims he's back to win the ROH World Title, all the while stealing the spotlight from the new champion. Homicide doesn't qualify for an immediate title shot, so he works his way up the ladder, going undefeated from his September return through January 15th, 2011 (Only the Strong Survive, where he lost but was not pinned in a Four-Corner Survival match). That earns him a title opportunity against the guy he insulted in the first place.

On paper, that's a very strong start (no pun intended), but the push to this title match from Final Battle 2010 onwards has been anything but compelling or effective. Homicide and Jim Cornette had their verbal confrontation on HDNet where Cornette essentially admitted that he was wrong all those years ago when he tortured Homicide on the path to his first World Title. Cornette said that wanted bygones to be bygones and ‘Cide has certainly earned this title shot against Strong on2/26. However, Homicide rejected the apology, essentially saying that he still hates Cornette. While that stays true to his character's roots and history in ROH, his actions also blurred the face / heel line too much. That won't help when he wrestles against Strong, who was plagued with a summer 2010 heel turn where he was fighting heels more than faces (even being out-heeled by the departing Tyler Black). While that has been corrected somewhat since 2011 there is no need for confusion and actions such as still harboring a grudge against a boss while receiving everything one asks for from said boss certainly creates confusion.

Strong demanded an apology for the Glory By Honor IX interruption during a major confrontation with Homicide on a recent episode of HDNet (see the video above), but the brawl that emerged from that was awful, with Strong hitting Homicide repeatedly with a shoe (thus "The Notorious 187" is notorious for being taken down by a loafer—not so hardcore) and Truth Martini getting more physically involved than he's ever been by beating and scratching the hell out of ‘Cide (thus making the challenger look like he can't even beat up a manager). It ended with a very lame moment right out of the "sports-entertainment" playbook where Homicide pulled Strong's pants down, exposing his underwear with Strong running away and cowering on the ramp. It makes no sense to me why Strong would become embarrassed by his underwear being exposed when he wears short tights in the ring all the time? And who in the back is obsessed with "pantsing" wrestlers? First Shane Hagadorn at Glory By Honor IX and now Strong. Bottom line, this angle didn't work and this program has felt cold for weeks.

Another limiting factor may be the reaction from the Chicago crowd—not that they won't cheer for Homicide, but rather, they will likely be split with vocal supporters for Strong here in Chicago without a hometown guy to polarize the fan base against him. The atmosphere and intensity would have been far stronger if Homicide received his first shot at the ROH World Title in his own hometown of New York City. Now, I don't write that as a NYC homer—it's just obvious. He has always been the most over in New York City. If I had my booking druthers on, El Generico should have received this World Title match (in addition to the one from the 1/28 LA show) in order to capitalize on his momentum from Final Battle 2010 (and after a match like the one against Steen no doubt he "deserves" several title opportunities in storyline).

As a last-minute change, Ring of Honor announced this past Monday that the title match would now be a "No Holds Barred Barrio Street Fight"—essentially making this a hardcore, no-disqualification match. That certainly helps how the match itself will play out, as Homicide does very well in hardcore, weapons-match style brawls and Strong "bleeds" very well (see his title match against Jerry Lynn in 2009). Still, this stipulation may be "too little, too late" in terms of adding heat to the match or enticing last minute purchases.






The All-Night Express earned a tag team title shot at Fate of an Angel II back in November by winning a match against the team of Colt Cabana and El Generico. Since then, they have talked a whole bunch about their road to the titles, but they've backed up their words with some of the best ring-work they've had since they formed as a team. The storyline claim is that The Kings of Wrestling have ducked them, while Hero and Castagnoli have been essentially dismissive of them in their trash talk as not being ready yet for the titles. However, the KOW did get involved in ANX's bout against Haas and Benjamin, resulting in a loss for King and Titus, which suggests they are on The Kings' radar after all.

I'm not expecting a title change by any means, though this is a huge spotlight opportunity for King and Titus as far as a main event spot in the tag division. Win or lose their performance and how the fans react to them will reveal a lot about their upward mobility in ROH for this year. King has been talked up by the likes of Mike Hogewood and Dave Lagana and there have been multiple flashes of being able to deliver in that regard over the last few years. Meanwhile, Rhett Titus has wavered between "Serious Titus" and "Wacky Titus", to mixed results and mixed messages about his character direction in 2011. I'm not sure which Titus will show up to this one.






Haas and Benjamin are two-for-two in delivering great main event matches against The Kings of Wrestling, but now they fight a different team, one that places a focus more on brawling and tag team impact moves. I'm sure WGTT will be able to match the brawling style and the pace of such a match, but this is a test for them as well in matching up with THE team that defines the Ring of Honor tag division. Jay said it best in his promo setting up the match—The Briscoes set the bar (and drink from it) and WGTT needs to match or better them here. The X-Factor is the fans, who will be obviously splitting support between two babyface teams. Will there be a heavy amount of booing for Haas and Benjamin? Are fans going to view WGTT as "WWE Outsiders", despite their commitment to wrestling for ROH in 2011?


World TV Title Match- 2/3 Falls with a 30 Minute Time Limit-Christopher Daniels defends vs. Eddie Edwards

Daniels is two wins and zero losses against Edwards, with a win at Supercard of Honor V last May and defeating Edwards to win the TV Title in December (a match that aired at the end of January '11 on HDNet) . One of the great "wrestling stories" that ROH has done well with is when one wrestler "has the number" of the other in the rivalry and there is a challenge for the losing wrestler to prove he can win in the end. I expect this one to really simmer and sizzle, with great technical wrestling to start and a fast pace with big impact moves at the end. The 30-minute time limit is sure to be tested. There is not at all a doubt in my mind that this could be the best match of the show.

Special Attraction-Colt Cabana vs. Davey Richards

Cabana wants honorable competition and sportsmanship, while Richards has wrestling in the blood and competes to be the best. So needless to say, Colt has his hands full in this one and may take a beating. Richards is working his way back up to a title shot, but I could see Cabana take an upset win here—after all, he is in front of his hometown crowd and he has plenty of tricks and traps that can catch an opponent unawares.

Special Challenge Match-Michael Elgin with Truth Martini vs. El Generico

A powerhouse versus a speedster—a classic wrestling match-up. If you've seen Erick Stevens or Claudio Castagnoli versus El Generico then you know the generic luchador specializes in big man-little man situations. I think Generico won't be bullied around easily, given he has "toughened up" thanks to the brutality of the Fight Without Honor against Kevin Steen. However, Truth Martini's presence gives Elgin an edge and Truth may insert himself here to assist his young acolyte.

Women of Honor-Sara Del Rey vs. MsChif

MsChif defeated Daizee Haze on HDNet and burned her with green mist after that match. Then she claimed to have her sights set on Del Rey, who has been the dominant female wrestler on roster. Del Rey has pretty much run over everyone on HDNet, but MsChif is a very even match for her. MsChif has high impact moves and a malevolent mind. She won't hesitate to get down and dirty, cheating or using that mist if necessary. This could be a hit if it given enough time and an engaged audience.

Four Corner Survival-Steve Corino vs. Kyle O' Reilly vs. Grizzly Redwood vs. "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett with Brutal Bob

Steve Corino gave his endorsement to Kyle O'Reilly during the ROH on HDNet 2011 Top Prospect Tournament. Mike Bennett was not thrilled at Corino poking his nose into this tournament and made it very obvious that Corino's advice was not welcome. O'Reilly is an excellent young talent whose tag matches with Adam Cole have put him on notice already with the ROH fan base. I think he will be given plenty of time to shine here. Corino's reformation tour will continue and I'm sure they will play up his trying to do the right thing. It will likely bite him because Mike Bennett has no such compunction. Don't overlook Redwood as he's shined in several Four Corner Survivals over the past few years. He can choose his moments, do some cute interactions with his opponents and also pull out some crowd pleasing dives. I don't think he'll win, but he'll keep it interesting.

---

As of 02/26/11


=ROH World Champion=
Roderick Strong

Champion since 09/11/2010 | 4 successful defenses
Glory By Honor IX defeated Tyler Black in New York, NY to win the championship.
Next Defense vs. Homicide in Chicago Ridge, IL on 02/26/11.


-Roderick Strong defeated Christopher Daniels in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada on 11/13/10.
-Roderick Strong defeated Davey Richards in New York, NY on 12/18/10.
- Roderick Strong defeated Jay Briscoe in Charlotte, NC on 01/15/11.
- Roderick Strong defeated El Generico in Los Angeles, CA on 01/28/11.


=ROH World Tag Team Champions=
The Kings of Wrestling: Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli
Champions since 04/03/2010 | 8 successful defenses
The Big Bang defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe in Charlotte, NC to win the championship.
Next Defense vs. The All-Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) in Chicago, IL on 02/26/11.


--Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin by DQ after The Briscoes interfered in New York, NY on 5/8/10
--Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe in a No DQ Match in Toronto, Ontario on 6/19/10
--Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe in Philadelphia, PA on 8/21/10
--Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe, The All-Night Express and Dark City Fight Club in Ultimate Endurance in Charlotte, NC on 08/28/10
--Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defeated El Generico & Colt Cabana in Plymouth, MA on 09/10/10
--Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Christopher Daniels & Davey Richards in Dayton, OH on 10/15/10
--Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Kevin Steen & Steven Corino in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada on 11/13/10
--Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defeated The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) in Plymouth, MA on 12/17/10



=ROH Television Champion=
Christopher Daniels

Champion since 12/10/2010 | 4 successful defenses
ROH on HDNet defeated Eddie Edwards in Louisville, KY to win the championship.
Next Defense Two-out-of-Three-Falls vs. Eddie Edwards in Chicago Ridge, IL on 02/26/11.

--Christopher Daniels defeated Claudio Castagnoli in Charlotte, NC on 01/15/11.
--Christopher Daniels defeated Devon Storm in Philadelphia, PA on 01/21/11.
--Christopher Daniels defeated Kenny King in Philadelphia, PA on 1/22/11.
--Christopher Daniels defeated Mark Briscoe in Los Angeles, CA on 1/28/11.

---

-Results from last night's show in Dayton, Ohio can be foundhere.

-ROH released information about the next two challengers for the ROH World Title after tonight's bout. The winner of ‘Cide vs. Strong will meet up with Eddie Edwards at Manhattan Mayhem IV, the matinee show in New York City on March 19th. Whoever is champion then wrestles against Christopher Daniels on the April 1st internet Pay Per View in Atlanta, Georgia. Edwards earned that title shot from his Survival of the Fittest 2010 tournament win. Daniels has the leverage (for now) of being the ROH TV Champion and has several high profile wins against Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli.

-New T-shirts are now available at the ROH store for Christopher Daniels and Eddie Edwards. I'm not liking the Daniels one but the Edwards one works, plus it can also count as a Davey Richards / American Wolves shirt.

-I don't know why, but I just got an idea in my head that it would be an awesome entrance if Roderick Strong came out to Kanye West's "Power". It just seems to fit, really.

-Well, with TNA getting in on the act this past Thursday, all we need now is ROH to jump on the M-DD-YY mystery video bandwagon. They need to shoot one complete with rain, thunder, black boots & trench coats and we'll have hit the trifecta. As for the date and subject? I nominate 7-11-11 for Bobby Dempsey.


=ROH on HDNet Thoughts=

Episode 93: January 31st, 2011

Remember what I wrote two weeks ago about toning down the over-the-top cartoony characterizations for the ROH product? Yeah, well, Mike Mondo goes the complete opposite route in his opening promo. His eyes bulge and his muscles seem to ripple and expand with every passing second. He's like a living Popeye as he "Hulks Up" with spinach. I want to hit him with a frying pan, send him off a cliff with an Acme explosive and then put him in a stew with some carrots until he notices it's getting hotter in the room. Total 1996 WWF Superstar jobber to the stars act right here.

Oh good, he's facing Colt Cabana, so its cartoon character vs. cartoon comedian here. Cabana sells for a handshake by dropping to his knees and gives the "just kidding". Oh boy. Prepare for the Cabana who treats everyone like a fool tonight. He literally wrestles circles around Mondo for the first two minutes. Mondo gets some weak offense and then freaking uses Marufuji's Snapmare Driver (also known as the "Mindtrip", used by Daizee Haze) as a transition move. Good lord that is dumb. A flying headbutt glances Cabana's body and I'm surprised it was sold at all. I liked the roll-through sequence in the middle of the match here and Mondo goes for the headbutt again and gets two boots to the head to spark Colt's comeback. Boom jabs and Bionic elbows to follow, Mondo cuts him off and wants a top rope superplex, but Cabana blocks it and transitions to that HUUUUGE gut-buster drop on the turnbuckle, followed by Bill Goat's Curse for the win. No alarms and no surprises that this match became better once it grew more serious in tone. I can do without seeing Mondo on an ROH show ever again though-he just doesn't do it for me.

Recap of last week's Cornette and Homicide tete-a-tete. Wipe to Truth Martini in the ring, who immediately comes up with some good and easy heel heat by stretching out a "Shut up" and telling the fans to "trust me". He introduces Michael Elgin as his new member of The House of Truth. He's passed all of Martini's tests, but the final test will be to earn Roderick Strong's approval. Elgin is already sporting tights and a ring vest that matches Strong's baby blue color palette, so something tells me that Strong is going to be a-okay with him. He teams with Strong and will be fighting against Anderson Silva and Christy Hemme….WOAH, wait a minute, my mistake, that's Alex Silva and Chrisjen Hayme. Still, I think he can take them.

Elgin gets some cool bruiser power offense, Strong is in for a quick minute for some chops, tags back to Elgin for more domination, Hayme tags to Silva for a quick comeback with a flying dropkick and running busaiku knee, then Elgin kills him dead with a running bucklebomb and spiral bomb for three. Uh, yeah Strong, he's a keeper.

Recap of WGTT vs. ANX from last week and The KOW interfering against King and so he's SOL. AWWW.

Recap of MsChif spraying mist into Daizee and stating Del Rey would be next.

Sara Del Rey vs. Taelor Hendrix. Could have sworn we saw this about three months ago, but Taelor is a spicy hot little redhead, so I'll allow it. Three minutes of the cat batting around the mouse toy later (with some downright mean and vicious kicks to every single part of the body imaginable) and this one is mercifully over thanks to the Gory Special into a backwards drop (almost like a variation of the Shell-Shock) for three. Get Well Cards and flowers can be sent to Ms. Hendrix care of Ring of Honor wrestling.

Main event for the next episode is The Briscoes & The World's Greatest Tag Team vs. The Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Express. That leads to the video package where all the teams give their thoughts about the others.

That leads to the main event for this episode, Christopher Daniels vs. ROH World TV Champion Eddie Edwards with the title on the line. This was the definition of an ROH style main-event: serious, wrestling-oriented, great psychology and terrific drama at the finish (well, both of them). Much credit to Mike Hogewood because his call was on-point, especially down the stretch, and he made the celebration after winning the TV Title come across like the victory meant everything in the world to Daniels (who, to his credit, sold the emotions of winning big time, raising his arms, tearing up, and jumping onto the top turnbuckle with belt in tow and calling out to the fans).

The match began with some fantastic grappling and chain wrestling, including Edwards getting a smart waistlock takedown just as Daniels finished a handspring over him. The major psychology early was Daniels working Edwards arm and shoulder (which makes sense with his well-documented history of injuries and pain to that limb), but the limb work shifted around a bit during the match (maybe too much). Daniels hit a DVD onto Edwards' neck and began to work that area. Meanwhile Edwards tried to fight back with shots to the head, including a jumping enziguiri, knees to the head and several hurricanrana takeovers. Unfortunately, Edwards hit an Asai moonsault to the outside that landed on Daniels but also banged his ankle against the guardrail. Prazak and Hogewood tried to claim Edwards was limping and slowing down because of it, but Edwards wasn't selling it that much until the very end of the overtime period and Daniels never made any real effort to concentrate an attack on that body part.

Instead, there was a very dramatic build to the final three minutes in the fifteen-minute time limit (kudos to the HDNet production crew for remembering to use the timer graphic as the end drew near). During the last minute Edwards has on the Achilles Lock for a submission finish tease, but Daniels maneuvered out of it and into the Koji Clutch, placing Edwards in danger of losing in the final thirty seconds. Alas, the bell rang to signal the time limit draw, indicating Edwards had retained the title.

However, Eddie immediately waved Sinclair to come to him as he sat on the turnbuckle, breathing heavily and selling the battle. He claimed he did not want to win this way, and demanded (along with the fans) the match be restarted with five more minutes on the clock. "I know I can beat you!" He growled to Daniels. Famous last words.

Daniels wasn't about to decline a second opportunity to win his first singles belt and since the champion was fine with a restart, Sinclair called for the bell to begin the Overtime period. It wasn't long before both men were on the floor after a double closeline. They went punch-for-punch until they realized Sinclair was up to nineteen of the twenty-count. They looked at each other, stopped fighting and simultaneously rolled in the ring to stop the count. Nice moment of mutual sportsmanship. Throughout the overtime each was selling being tired and weighed down from the long match—but Edwards unleashed a volley of his trademark moves, including the jumping Codebreaker and the back Suplex throw to facebuster. It was a close count but Daniels kicked out. Finally, Daniels reversed out of a powerbomb attempt with one minute to go and floated into a beautiful version of the Angel's Wings for the three-count and the TV Title win.



Tag Title Classic II DVD Thoughts

This is December 17th, 2010 from Plymouth, Massachusetts, the night before Final Battle 2010. Before writing about any of the matches I should note about how awesome the front cover AND the DVD label art look on this one. Pristine, pixel perfect digital artwork on the disc. Maybe that doesn't mean much to some, but for me, it's the little things that count.

It should be noted though, that Prazak and Kelly are low in the mix on commentary, which is better than being too high to the point that one can't hear the crowd(as its' been on many DVDs from the past two years). The fans come in loud and clear. The picture on the stationary camera and handheld cameras are excellent and OH MY GOD there is almost no whitewashing of the wrestlers. What is this wrestling promotion and what have they done with my ROH DVDs?

The Plymouth venue is HUGE, with two balcony levels, though the top balcony is empty. ROH actually sold much of the 1st tier level, though a bank of empty slots closest to either side of the stage is very noticeable for much of the show. However, the fans are loud and the acoustics carry, so that's a plus.

Adam Cole vs. Kenny King is the opening match of the show and it's a good one. Their singles match sets the stage for the next night's All-Night Express versus Kyle O'Reilly & Adam Cole tag match. Cole displays some excellent chopping skills and has the crowd popping for his babyface prowess. King gets the advantage by closelining Cole to the floor off the top turnbuckle and then smashing Cole's head into the turnbuckle, taking some time to bow afterwards. Good heel tactics are much appreciated. King is on-point physically as well during this one, of all things using an upright variation of The Muta Lock (I believe AJ Styles also used to do this back in the day). Cole pops the crowd several times during this section with multiple backslides and sunset flip near-falls, with one roll up in particular having them buy into a win.

King dumps him outside again, but Cole gets air with the flying enziguiri to the head. He heads up top, but King catches the flying body press (perfect form in the leap and the catch), lifts him up to fireman's carry position and then down with the Royal Flush for three. Cole continues to make himself memorable to the fans even though he is just a few shows in at this point and King was there every step of the way. Good start to the show.

Next up is "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett vs. Colt Cabana. Cabana completely outwrestles Cabana with his chain sequences in the opening moments and Bennett has to go to his manager "Brutal" Bob Evans for advice. Colt wants a lock-up but Mike kicks him in the gut. Really doesn't help as Cabana wins another pass-through using a doe-see-doe with the referee and rolling Bennett up for two. Bennett has to get out of dodge again. Evans is on the apron to provide a quick distraction and Bennett pulls Cabana off the middle turnbuckle to establish the heat. Bennett takes some basic moves to maintain the advantage, but gets cocky when he blocks a sunset flip (plenty of those so far on this show) and is brought down with a second effort for two. He quickly pounces on Cabana and regains control with…a chinlock. Swinging neckbreaker gets two…and back to the chinlock. Fans chanting "You Can't Wrestle" at Bennett which isn't accurate or fair. I mean, he's not exactly The Great Khali in there. Bennett can wrestle, just not how the fans want him to wrestle, which I guess is the more hard-hitting and athletic ROH style, like you know, Tyler Black. Oh wait, I forgot, many fans didn't like him either. However, since Bennett is a heel, that's not a big deal.

Cabana makes the comeback with the bionic elbows, flying a**hole and the rabbit closeline-takedown for a close two-count. Bennett with the Double-A spinebuster to get to a double-down. Bennett volleys into the ring but is caught with BIlly Goat's Curse. Bob Evans provides distraction with his towel, wrapping Cabana up and Bennett pounces from behind with a roll-up for three. 1980's NWA heel finish there. Some fans serenade Bennett with the "You Can't Wrestle!" chant on the way out. What they meant to chant was "We don't like how the finish was booked!", but I don't think you can get the right cadence on that. Cabana asks if it's too much to ask for a little honor in wrestling and in a fan responds back to him "Not at all". A cute bit there at the end. One of Bennett's better performances with this new gimmick.

Andy Ridge recounts his previous four Trial match series, which he's given hard-efforts but come up short. He wants to win tonight against Christopher Daniels in his last trial match. Basically an extended Rookie "Determination" promo here, which was fine, if a bit stilted because Ridge was trying very hard to be super serious about it, which makes sense but perhaps will come across as being too melodramatic for some.

Then we get the match, which…well, there's not too much to speak of. Essentially an elongated version of the previous four Ridge matches, with the veteran completely dominating the first half until Ridge starts to counter and finds little moments to fire back. The first half is rather generic, but begins to simmer when Daniels counters a suplex into a small package and then a sunset flip (there it is again) for two. Ridge, as stated, starts firing back with kicks and his speed. Ridge smartly catches Daniels leg before he goes up for the BME, kneeing him right in the head and hitting the superkick, but Daniels rolls out of the ring and Ridge rolls him back with too much time having passed. It gets a two-count. Ridge fires up a kick, but Daniels ducks it, rolls through and into a crushing Angels Wings for three. Side note: Daniels has the TV Title and is recognized as the new champion. He puts over Ridge after the match saying he has heart and that he needs to stand back up and fight another day. There was some hype for this match after the show, but I was underwhelmed.

The Briscoes fight Steve Corino and a near over-the-edge Kevin Steen (just one night removed from his final battle against El Generico) in what is a rematch from the Pick Your Poison show from April 2010. I mean, dude is seriously off-the-reservation here but not manic, more that kind of calm, zombie-like state of serious that you know is even worse than if he would be screaming and yelling. Doesn't take long after The Briscoes come out for both teams to start brawling and the beginning of this one is all over ringside. Steen puts on the Briscoes' confederate flag bandanna but Jay and Mark punch him down. In the ring with a double side-effect slam for two.

The Briscoes dominate both Steen and Generico with their double chops and double shoulderblock trademark combos, but Steen and Generico cheat to get the heat. Corino chokes Jay from behind with something that looks like a belt or rope. Double team Colbyshock and enziguiri gets two. Crowd chants "Ole!" to drive Steen mad, but he uses it to power through and closeline Jay. However they keep chanting it and it distracts Steen enough for Jay to avoid another and get a blockbuster. Hot tag to Mark while Steen tags Corino. Redneck Fu and a big running boot, then a huge flip dive to the outside on BOTH Steen and Corino. NICE. Sidewinder leg drop and slam from The Briscoes, but Steen is in with the powerbomb and Steenalizer. Corino with the Northern Lights Bomb but Jay stops the count with a superkick to Corino's face. Steen goes shoulder first to the post and then Corino rushes right into him with the thumb exposed and OH NO! Steen gets a thumbs-up to the butt for his troubles. Crowd pops for seeing Corino get it wrong. Frog Elbow Drop by Mark for two. The Briscoes set up for a Spike Cutt-throat Driver but Steen blocks the move by crotching Jay on the top rope. Steen slips in for the Package Pilderiver and then throws Corino on top of Mark for three. Jay slid off the top turnbuckle but couldn't get to the pinfall attempt to stop it. Quicker match than one would think but a good finish and interesting win / loss scenario for both—The Briscoes don't lose too often (except to The Kings of Wrestling) but Steen and Corino pick up a win heading into the main event of the last show of the year. Speaking of which, Steen promises that Generico dies at Final Battle 2010. SPOILERS, KEVIN! Jay takes the mic to hype up their six-man tag against The Kings, when Papa Briscoe will be in the house.

Promo from Grizzly Redwood, who's concerned about the Four Corner Survival. He's worried about Reyes and Titus being bad dudes, but he's even more concerned about El Generico, because he's in a dark place mentally with the Steen feud. He vows to win the match regardless. Good way to get over Generico's mind-set to have a fellow babyface worried about his condition and what he's capable of.

Oh wait a minute—this means I'll have to watch a Ricky Reyes match, doesn't it? DAMMIT. Fine, but I'm going to do it under protest. Needless to say, Dark Generico is the highlight of this match—the entire backstretch is a spotlight for him and the fans go crazy for his offense. He is super aggressive and it's really entertaining to see him go after everyone. Titus is too excited and flubs a closeline (or spear?) on Grizzly, but that's negligible once the match gets on a roll and everyone become wrapped up in Generico's situation. Titus tags Generico from behind and takes him out of the match, but he can't get the win during this stretch and Generico returns the favor with a blind tag of his own. Generico KILLS Redwood with the Yakuza and the brainbuster for three. Unfortunately, Grizzly predicted his own demise. This was actually decent for the "first-match-after-intermission" spot, but mostly for Generico and Redwood's time in the ring.

Generico picks Redwood up again and actually looks to drop him with a Package Piledriver. Corino stops Generico, saying Redwood has nothing to do with this. He says he just wants to talk and tries to calm him down. Is Corino actually showing signs of remorse? Hmmmm. Well, not yet, because he heels it up by blaming the fans for the reasons behind this entire feud, Steen going crazy and them wanting to see Generico hurt people in response. Corino then lays a guilt trip by saying they need this job because they have children and Generico doesn't—so he can go elsewhere and be fine, but they need to stay in ROH. Well, Generico does have his orphanage to think of. Corino wants Generico to give him the mask. Generico feigns unmasking, and as Corino thanks him for saving his life, he destroys Corino with a Yakuza. So much for giving peace a chance. Generico goes outside to grab a chair, but the Goof Troop is out to block him and Corino rolls out, saying "I can't help you anymore."

Kyle O'Reilly versus TJ Perkins: "Rufio" chants for TJP…heh. He kinda does have the hair for that part. This is a wrestling match, emphasis on wrestling. There are lots of intricate grapples and exchanges and reversals into submissions, so your enjoyment will vary on if you enjoy that sort of match. I really dug most of the sequences—some very innovative stuff on the part of both men. There is a sort of flow to it that definitely impressed me. A lot of it is really cool; some of it comes across as contrived. Most of it goes over the heads of those in attendance, who are more content to shout "Rufio" over and over, which is a shame. They do like O'Reilly's chained Butterfly Suplex series and they do clap and stomp for the backstretch, but really, this match should have been more over.

Guess what though? Sunset flips a-plenty in this match. TJ Perkins has very cool variation of the sharpshooter he does with the torque in a more forward position, almost on the ankle bridge of O'Reilly's foot. O'Reilly lifts a page from Daniel Bryan Danielson with the triangle choke and elbow combination. Perkins is able to roll out of it in a unique contortionist style trick, but O'Reilly slips it back on and so Perkins finds another impressive athletic move, hopping over and breaking the clutch. The finish is O'Reilly seemingly about to win with a knockout kick and La Majistrol cradle, but Perkins stops the momentum of the roll-up and holds O'Reilly down for the three-count.

Sonjay Dutt has a New York Yankees snowcap on, I guess in hopes of earning some really nuclear heat from the Massachusetts crowd…but he gets…a whole bunch of apathy from most with a smattering of golf claps on the side. Freaking Roderick Strong gets more applause and he's a heel at this point. However Strong and Truth do an amicable job of playing heel that the fans actually do root for Dutt for most of this one.

This is a non-title bout for Roderick, who puts it on the line the next night against Davey Richards. Sonjay gets a momentum based turn off a hurricanrana into—what else?—a sunset flip! Man, I like that move, but this is becoming a Manassas-style running gag, but without the fan request. Dutt is actually on his game during the start of this one, with a cool duck-and-dodge sequence that ends with him wrapping Strong in a tarantula hold on the ropes. A few moments later he kicks Truth on the outside, biels Strong out and then planchas onto both to a very nice pop. He grabs' Truth's glasses and puts them on—OH MY GOD ITS CHEECH HERNANDEZ! Cheech takes the sunglasses off and becomes Sonjay Dutt again.

Strong regains control in the ring and punts him in the gut, the rides him down. Daniel Bryan Danielson elbows to the head and then a key lock as Strong grinds the pace down. The fans do get behind Sonjay riding out of the position. Strong's chops are about a 0.7 Roderick tonight. Dutt is up top and gets a Marc Mero-ish jumping sunset flip (AGAIN! What is it with this move on this show?), rolls through and throws down some forearms to the head. Strong pulls him from behind but Dutt gets a bulldog headlock to the corner and then throws the kicks to the head, springboard leg line and springboard splash for a close two-count. Dutt follows it up by getting the Ace Crusher to the Camel Clutch but Strong rolls off, boots and enziguiris him. However, Dutt returns fire with a hooking superkick (looked great) and a standing Sliced Bread # 2 for a close two! Dutt crashes and burns and Strong rolls through to a superkick to the head for two! Uranage Backbreaker and Dutt barely kicks out! Multiple forearms to the head from Strong, Gibson Driver floated out of AND INTO A SUNSET FLIP (REALLY? REALLY? COME ON NOW) for a close two-count. Okay, all kidding aside about the sunset flips, that looked very cool. Unfortunately the kick out looked more like Dutt decided to roll out of the move rather than Strong exerting any strength to push his shoulders off the mat and stop the count.

Double Knee Gutbuster IS COUNTERED IN MID-AIR to a hurricanrana for a close-two! That was impressive, but the MA crowd doesn't respond much to it…mostly anywhere else and that would have received a huge pop. Tombstone position but Dutt flips out and over and INTO ANOTHER SUNSET FLIP!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I'm pulling my hair out at this point. Superkick to the head and ORANGE CRUSH BACKBREAKER and that's three. Strong quotes the evil witch from Snow White on the way out. Does that make Grizzly one of the seven Dwarfs? Kidding, kidding.

Strong and Dutt have proven that they have really good chemistry against each other. This one was a hair below the Manhattan Mayhem III bout from mid-2009, but that's a compliment more than anything else since that match was surprisingly aces.

Main event is the ROH World Tag Team Title match between champions The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli with Sara Del Rey and Shane Hagadorn) against The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards). The Wolves are of course the clear babyfaces, helped by Edwards' Boston roots and their love of Davey Richards killing b**tches dead.

There is some nice grappling early on by Richards and Claudio, with Richards immediately looking for the leg hook and ankle lock, but Claudio reversing position and looking for the gutwrench, only for Richards to lock onto Claudio's leg and stop the attempt (he'll succeed at it later on). Also, Chris Hero is my hero for blocking a sunset flip attempt.

There are plenty of highlights in this long (nearly forty minute) match, so here are just a few that stood out to me. There was a knee to the jaw from Castagnoli to Richards that looked like a killer knock-out. Claudio has an awesome dragon screw (Richards selling it well) and uses that to move right into a one-armed giant swing (which he beautifully used against Kevin Steen back in late 2009) and then transitions into the single leg Boston Crab (apropos of the location of course). Of course Edwards gets him back for that by applying the Achilles Lock on Hero (a similar move to the single-leg crab), which Claudio is forced to break up.

Unfortunately there were some moments in the middle of the bout that one could readily "see-through the work", like Hero and Claudio waiting on the apron for running double kicks to the spine from both of The Wolves, or Claudio standing on the turnbuckle so Edwards could do his wacky hurricanrana variation. Also at one point late in the match Sinclair was obvious in his hesitation in counting a fall on Richards so that Edwards could stop it in time. Still, the fans at the show live didn't notice or get caught up by it, just me because of the camera angles that were shown. The fans were actually super-responsive throughout the entire match and buy into the drama of the close near-falls, the timing of the double teams, and the three-count saves and that response is ultimately what counts in this match succeeding for the live crowd.

This becomes a very strike-heavy bout. Richards at one point "Kobashi's" Hero, but instead of chops he does it with about twenty kicks. There are a lot of kicks and running boots from both teams throughout, plus Richards with his slaps and forearm volleys (and spin kicks). Hero of course sprinkles liberally his knock out elbows and forearms—his best comes late in the match when he pops up Richards with the axe kick and then hits two consecutive KO elbows, one to Edwards and one to Richards for a close fall.

Edwards impresses with a double stomp onto the apron on Claudio, then one in the ring to Hero. He's included that sequence more often in his recent matches and it works for him—pops the crowd big. Claudio had his running boots and running axe bombers, while Edwards had superkicks and enzigiuris, but generally speaking the strikes performed by each man were convincing and drew the fans more into the match so obviously that tactic worked.

One of the more impressive moments I thought was the Richards handspring caught by Claudio into the airplane spin (think the finish to Supercard of Honor IV vs. KENTA only not botched) into the UFO for a close two, Ricolla Bomb try is countered into the Manami Roll, which is a version of the SUNSET FREAKING FLIP ARRRRRRRRRG!

HUFFHUFFHUFF, excuse me a second…




Okay, I'm back.

The finishing stretch involves Claudio inadvertently rolling Richards into Hero who is making a cover, stopping a count. Soon after that The Wolves get the Orient Express (superkick-to-German Suplex-to rolling pin) for a close two-count. They head up top for the Doomsday Lungblower (!) and though Hero blocks it at first The Wolves get it and Edwards floats into the Achilles Lock. Claudio is blocked from entering the ring, but Hero gets the ropes.

Richards is taken outside and Claudio essentially puts him in a sleeperhold on the floor so he can't escape and stop what happens in the ring. Hero gets that vicious tornado boot that I love for a super close count. Edwards manages a few roll-ups at this point, but Hero gets not one, not two, but three rolling elbows to finish the match.

The Kings attack after the match and look to hit the KRS-1 on Richards but Edwards saves and Claudio and Hero scurry out of the ring, giving The Wolves a bit of a moral victory to hang their hat on. Richards ends the night with a promo to the fans, saying this may be the end of the Wolves as a team (again, why that is, I can't ever understand), but they are a brotherhood and will always be there to support each other.

As mentioned above I had some quibbles about some moves being a bit "loose" or telegraphed, but the run to the end of the match and the fans only growing in response to the false-finishes helps this one live up to the billing as a "classic".

Bonus content (aside from the Videowire) sees Steve Corino and Kevin Steen in the back with Corino trying to talk about Final Battle 2010 and what happens afterward. He claims that Steen's destiny is the ROH World Title and he promises to direct Steen to the ROH World Title. Steen seems more resigned about his fate and his partnership with Corino, almost losing control when he talks about Generico (not mentioning his name). Steen promises he will do everything in his power to get rid of Generico, to do it for Corino, for himself, for his family and for the good of professional wrestling. He also promises to do something to Generico which I can't in good conscience reprint here, but my god it was caustic.

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Head on over to TwitterNation and follow me at: http://twitter.com/AriBerenstein. I provide up-to-date links to my columns, major and breaking ROH news, random comments about WWE Raw and Smackdown and whatever else strikes my fancy.

If you haven't yet, be sure to visit The Wrestling Press online e-magazine and download issue number twelve FOR FREE I have written an article entitled "The World Chants ‘Ole!' for El Generico", describing the rise in popularity of none other than EL GENERICO (obviously).

If you are a fan of Prog Rock then you cannot live one minute of your life further without checking out my friends at Jolly. Hell, even if you're not a fan of Prog Rock (like me), this is great music. Their second album "The Audio Guide to Happiness (Part 1)" is available for Pre-Order NOW through their store and will drop on March 8th. You can also get their first album, "46:12" through the website.

Time to catch up on two weeks worth of links from 411 concerning ROH and the independent scene. Deep breath, here I go:

Last week's 411 Buy or Sell featured Ryan Byers and Steve Cook on CHIKARA and Puro wrestling. THIS week's 411 Buy or Sell features Michael Ornelas and Kevin Ford with a FULL preview of tonight's 9th Anniversary Show. Lots of interesting takes on the show, so check it out.

Michael Ornelas provides your weekly reviews of ROH on HDNet and here are his reviews from ROH on HDNet last week's show with the beginnings of the Top Prospect Tournament and this week's go home show before 9th Anniversary Show.

Aaron Hubbard has the line on Ring of Honor's Wrestling 4R's from last week and this week as well.

Hubbard also reviewed the awesome Survival of the Fittest 2009 as well as Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2 with the Chicago Street Fight between El Generico & Colt Cabana against Kevin Steen & Steve Corino.

Mike Campbell reviews the Glory By Honor IX internet Pay Per View.

In an interesting alpha and omega, J.D. Dunn reviews the first CHIKARA show ever while Kevin Ford checks in with his review of the first CHIKARA show of the 2011 season.


That's all for this week, next time around some long-awaited thoughts about Final Battle 2010.Till then, thanks for reading.

BROOKLYN!
--Ari--