Column Of Honor 12.03.05
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 12.03.2005
MASSIVE ROH “Steel Cage Warfare” Preview: Generation Next vs. The Embassy—History; Steve Corino vs. Homicide—Hatred; Joe / Lethal 2; Dragon / Romero. Plus: make up turkey!
Well…it looks like I goofed last week in trying to bring to you some holiday joy. Instead of the Mid-Column Olay, I wanted to bring to you a mid column TURK-EY. Problem was the pic didn’t load and I didn’t double check, as I was in the middle of a BUSY weekend (when aren’t I in the middle of a busy weekend?). So here you go, as a make good, the mid column TURKEY. Everyone sing along!
Its not Christmas carols sung off key, but it will do for now…
Warfare At Any Cost: ROH Steel Cage Warfare 12/03/05 Manhattan NY Preview
Strap yourselves in, this will be my biggest preview yet, and since it is the biggest and most buzz worthy card for Ring of Honor since Joe vs. Kobashi 10/01/05, it is well deserved. Poor Final Battle cards, almost every year they seem to be overlooked in favor of a huge show that seems to come right before it. Last December almost one year to the day, All Star Extravaganza 2 in Elizabeth, New Jersey featured then champion Samoa Joe against CM Punk in their third match in their 2004 series as well as the Bobby Heenan vs. Jim Cornette face off in a unique, first ever managerial conflict between the two legends. That show’s hype eclipsed the attention given to Final Battle 2004, which while it would go on to be an extremely noteworthy show for Austin Aries’ win over Joe for the World title, didn’t seem to blow everyone out of the water. This year’s Final battle features a tremendous attraction with popular Japanese wrestlers KENTA and Marifuji fighting ROH wrestlers in championship matches (a nice symmetry to the ROH vs. AJPW series at Final Battle 2003). However, the attention of many fans seems to be not on that show but rather this one, which features a deep four main event caliber card, a new and bigger location for the company and a Steel Cage Wargames style match, you know the kind of match that seemingly everyone on the internet at one time or another has asked to see return. Yeah, it’s not too difficult to forget about everything else for right now but this evening in New York City.
RING DETAIL—THE QUAD MAIN
Steel Cage Warfare: Generation Next versus The Embassy: All Scores Will Be Settled, Old Scars Will Resurface, New Scars will Be Inflicted
What is the price you pay in order to rise to the top of your profession…to be the very best? Generation Next was formed in 2004 by (at the time) four very much up and coming independent wrestlers. They wanted to be the best and they wanted to be the best now. So Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong and Jack Evans created their own little club dedicated to achieving those goals…but they were not going to wait idly by while the big guns like Samoa Joe, CM Punk and AJ Styles were jamming up the main event spotlight. They were going to cut corners; cut out the middle man on their way to the top of the ranks. They didn’t just want those top spots; they were taking them, and what were you going to do about it?
Prince Nana is one of the founding fathers of Ring of Honor that most everyone, from the fans to the company employees, would have rather wished he wasn’t there. He was arrogant, annoying and a bully. He got his just deserts when the then pure of heart Low Ki knocked him out with one kick at Road to the Title in 2002. Nana was gone from ROH for a while and everyone thought they might have been rid of the annoyance and the trouble…but like that pesky fly on the wall, he returned to buzz around and bother ROH so more. This time, he had a plan. He had his money from the banks of his government, slush funds, the family treasury, all that gold bouillon in the vaults and all the diamonds in the royal mines. If he wasn’t going to be accepted by this company, he would buy his way to the top until he owned the best talent and all the top spots in the company. Slowly but surely Nana was able to collect some of the underappreciated, underutilized workers of Ring of Honor and incorporate them into his Embassy. It started with Jimmy Rave, a young pup short on wins and prone to jealousy over his mentor, AJ Styles’s success. Nana had his crown jewel, and he was going to rise to the top of the company, with the support of a rotating band of stable mates. And there was nothing ROH was going to be able to do about it.
For Generation Next, it was a brilliant plan, and it worked to perfection. They would amass wins and attention, one factor helping to enhance the other until the group was undeniable in its status. You had to pay attention to the skills of these men, or they would beat you up until you did so. In 2004, these four men made their marks on the company. In December 2004, Austin Aries would become champion…but not before he and Roderick Strong betrayed one of their own. Alex Shelley has begun to miss shows more frequently…he wasn’t there for them when they needed it. He had forgotten his “place” in the order of things, and now Aries wanted it all—the ROH World Title—the spot seemingly designated for Alex Shelley. Now Aries wanted that spot and there was nothing Shelley could do about it.
For Prince Nana, it was a brilliant plan and it worked to perfection. Perhaps the road to the top was longer in the travel, but he had every confidence that his men would get there. He had all the money in the world to ensure that; he had all the callous disregard for morality and ethics to make his domination inevitable. When Jimmy Rave hit a bump in the road and failed to win the ROH Pure Title in December 2004 from “Hurricane” John Walters, he simply bought the title and its champion, who had fallen victim to the hero’s tragedy—the fans that were once supporting him had now turned their backs on him and wanted to see him fall. Nana assured Jimmy Rave that he was still the top man in The Embassy, and Rave believed him. Together, this group would grow in confidence and success, until Jay Lethal defeated John Walters in March of 2005 and Walters left soon after. It was no matter for Nana, he simply would have to buy more men to get the job done. Nana would reach out to CM Punk, but Punk laughed in his face…and Jimmy would Rave use bug spray to CM Punk’s face in return. The next rivalry was on and there was nothing Punk could do about it.
What is the price the mind and the ego of a person pays for the sins of their past? It makes a person who is really thinking deeply, tracing back the path he took, to look for something else for an answer—personal redemption, personal pride, personal Jesus? Alex Shelley did not seem to think that Austin Aries was that at all, despite the theme song. Shelley needed to find his own path to redemption and he did so by apologizing to anyone and everyone who would listen. No one in the locker room was listening, and only some of the fans would truly accept the seemingly heartfelt mea culpa of the deposed former leader of Generation Next. Trust was simply the issue; with rumors and fan speculation that Shelley could restart or rejoin The Prophecy faction, no one could simply trust Shelley to do the right thing, even though he was trying so hard to do it.
Meanwhile, Austin Aries was building up a successful run as the new big thing in ROH, the man who deposed Samoa Joe. The king was dead, long live the king—and Aries was living out his reign as champion by defending the belt all over the world. Surprisingly, even though Aries was the “bad guy” in the situation, he one who wronged his own man, he was still receiving a number of cheers and support from the fans. He wasn’t doing too much to discourage those cheers either despite harsh rivalries with Colt Cabana and James Gibson. He made a promise to Samoa Joe to hold up the reputation of the Ring of Honor World Title, and he was doing so. Fans would react extremely positively to his entrance, consisting of a blue light strobe effect, Aries body shadowed by the light, and the strains of Marilyn Manson’s cover of “Personal Jesus” thrashing in the background. Aries would encourage fans to clap in anticipation of some of his big moves, including his Austin Arrow missile dropkick into the corner. Surprisingly, Aries partners in crime, Jack Evans and Roderick Strong were building up quite the fan following as well. They were embraced in the tag ranks, due to Strong’s awesome offense of chops and backbreakers and Evans’ aerial insanity of flying maneuvers and flips. Could these three men have secretly started to like being cheered and appreciated by the fans? After all, their search for the top spots in the company was also a search for appreciation. The fans appreciated these three men, and there was nothing that they could do about it.
Jimmy Rave was a smug and arrogant kid when he first joined with The Embassy. He stole AJ Styles’ “Style Clash” as his own finisher, and would steal a victory over his former protégé in February of 2005, leading to an eventual months’ long rivalry with Styles. At the same time, Rave also rubbed someone else the wrong way and stole a victory from him. Rave’s rivalry with CM Punk began with Punk as the punch line to Jimmy Rave’s big weekend in February at Third Anniversary Show Part 3. It stretched over several months and saw Rave dominate and humiliate the “straight edge hero” many times over. No matter what Punk did, Rave kept winning, driving Punk further to the edge of insanity. Rave and The Embassy were on a roll, and they guaranteed they would destroy that fool for daring to insult Nana and his men. They bloodied him, blinded him, and scarred him physically and emotionally by trying to remove his stomach tattoo and by attacking his girlfriend Traci Brooks. CM Punk would vow to kill Jimmy Rave. The feud would come to a head at Nowhere to Run, where Punk would stop the win streak of The Embassy and achieve final retribution in his hometown of Chicago. It would be the last huge win of CM Punk the hero in ROH. And now The Embassy was at a crossroads.
Over the course of the next few months, Generation Next would wage war with Alex Shelley, climaxing in a title match at Manhattan Mayhem. Shelley, despite his best efforts and his own opportunity to seize what should have been rightfully his, was not successful. Shelley would come down from the disappointment of that huge loss by winning some matches against Generation Next and in particular Roderick Strong. These wins were not nearly as important as that one title match against that no good backstabbing bastard Austin Aries, mind you, but it was some small measure of justice. Some. Small. Measure. Generation Next would respond, however and they would do so with violence, attacking Shelley after a match with Strong at New Frontiers on June 4th in Buffalo, New York. The attack was so harmful Strong had to be placed on a stretcher, but Generation Next would return and tip over the stretcher many times over the course of that event. Shelley was too hurt to fight this battle alone, and any time previously he had asked for a tag partner, his offers were rejected. The ROH locker room STILL had not forgiven him, after all that time and all that apologizing. What did they want from him? He said he was sorry! And yet no one would help him against his rivals, some of the ROH locker room’s rivals as well. He had to get Delirious from a bathroom to tag with him, for God’s sake! And now Alex Shelley was at a crossroads.
So we come to that fateful July night at The New Yorker, when Alex Shelley, in his continuing and intensifying efforts to destroy Generation Next, “took” the spot of Roderick Strong in a four corner survival match. Something strange was happening in the match—Alex Shelley and Jimmy Rave were ganging up on James Gibson and Azriael, even though they were seemingly on opposite sides of the heel-face fence. It could have been explained away as just one strategy to win the match and it would have been understood. Later that night, Prince Nana interrupted an ROH Pure Title match, another title match between Samoa Joe as champion and Austin Aries as the challenger. Prince Nana wanted to talk business with Aries, a merger of sorts perhaps between The Embassy and Generation Next. Nana may have gotten this idea from spending some time with Aries during a WB channel 11 morning news broadcast in May that featured both of them (as well as Lacey and Azriael) promoting the company. Aries, however was visibly upset that nana chose this time of all times to approach him. He was psyched up and ready to wrestle in a title match and Nana wanted to talk business? Aries told Nana that if he wanted to do business with him, he should draw some bathwater for him. Nana took this as an insult; Nana’s servants drew bathwater for him and he would not draw bathwater or serve ANYONE. Nana was upset—no one insults him or The Embassy without paying a price.
Next week, in Philadelphia at The Homecoming, Alex Shelley accepted Nan’s offer to join The Embassy. And the look of the game changed again. Now Shelley would have his revenge; now the fans steadfastly chose to support Generation Next over Shelley; now there would be war; now there would be casualties.
Jack Evans left ROH, feeling he let his team down when it counted the most. Prince Nana hired Abyss from TNA wrestling to be his muscle man, a dangerous new weapon of destruction for the Ghana prince. AJ Styles became an ally of Generation Next because they had mutual enemies. Matt Sydal also had a score to settle with Jimmy Rave. He was accepted into the group and earned his stripes. Generation Next won the opening contests between the two groups, but The Embassy laid out Generation Next after each match. Then a return of Jack Evans to the fold, and a miracle of miracles as indentured servant to Nana, Jade Chung., threw off the chains of servitude and embraced Roderick Strong. And Strong offered up this proposition to Nana: Steel Cage Warfare, in Manhattan, December 3rd, 2005. Finally, a betrayal from another woman, but this time one that caused harm to Generation Next—as Daizee Haze turned on her longtime man Matt Sydal and joined up with Nana. It cost Generation Next the advantage in the biggest match of their tenure and for Sydal, a whole lot more.
So we come to this faithful frosty December day at The Chelsea Piers, when Generation Next and The Embassy seek to settle all issues and answer all the questions left unanswered between the two groups, between Alex Shelley and Austin Aries. It began with them and it should end with them tonight in Manhattan. In a steel cage elimination warfare match resembling old school wargames style Cage matches, two teams enter and one team leaves dominant.
Here are the rules of the event as stated through rohwrestling.com:
STEEL CAGE WARFARE
Generation Next of Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jack Evans & Matt Sydal vs. The Embassy of Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley, Abyss & Prince Nana
The rules of Steel Cage Warfare are:
-One wrestler from each team starts the match.
-Every five minutes one team sends a wrestler into the match. The Embassy will have the advantage due to winning the eight man tag on 11/5.
-The only way to win the match is to pin or submit everyone on the opposing team.
-Pinfalls and submissions can happen at anytime in the match.
-There are no other rules.
With Austin Aries starting off the match for his team, Generation Next can either get off to a really hot start; or if The Embassy makes the most of their advantage then they could be without their caption very quickly. It is a risky strategy by Gen Next and there doesn’t seem to be much pay off. Unless Aries can quickly eliminate whoever is in their first with him, it will be a long ten minutes until one of his partners can enter.
Jack Evans has thrived in cage match situations, performing spectacular and exceptionally dangerous flips and dives during Scramble Cage matches over the course of the last two years. Evans will risk everything from his body in this environment, and his teammates will need him to make that sacrifice. Mass enhanced with speed and distances gives you velocity, and Gen Next needs Evans’s velocity to create momentum. His dive on top of Abyss through a table at a recent show is proof that if Evans gets the opportunity, he can make the biggest of differences in this struggle.
Matt Sydal is the most recent member of the team, and like Evans, he adds a lot through his willingness to take risks. His high impact moves like the “Here It Is!”(pump handle) Driver and the top rope overhead Belly to Belly Spanish fly move are two great offensive moves which show that Sydal can hit a big home run at any moment. The problem with Sydal is inexperience, especially in the main event and high pressure situations. Although he has been getting a taste of it in recent months, it is certainly a worry for his team whether or not he become too nervous and freezes in his big moment. There is also the factor of Daizee Haze, his former valet who turned her back on him. If Sydal can tap into the anger from that incident, then it will help him overcome any butterflies. Sydal is the biggest question mark in the group.
Roderick Strong should idealistically be the last man of the group to enter the ring. He has become a go to guy, a clean up hitter, a closer. Strong’s offensive firepower and willingness to endure pain (see: his title matches against Danielson) can help Generation Next make the final push towards eliminating members of The Embassy in this match. He is an inspirational focal point, and he also has something to fight for now that his girl Jade Chung was viciously assaulted by The Embassy. He, like Sydal, must tape into the righteous indignation and fury that comes with the territory of that sort of incident. It will help him survive the toughest of moments in the match.
On the other side of the coin, Alex Shelley should idealistically be the first man in to match up against his former ally in Aries. Shelley has been a great acquisition for The Embassy and has paid dividends; but this started off as his fight and now he either finishes it or it finishes him. Shelley will come out looking to hurt anyone who wears GN colors, but Aries would be the primary target. Some bad intentions can lead to bad realizations. A Shellshock using the cage could be too vicious for anyone to withstand.
Prince Nana finally returns to the ring in an official in match capacity and at the most critical of times for his unit. Losing a bunch of weight over the years will help Nana keep up his stamina and speed in the match, even though he might experience some ring rust. Nana will support his men by kicking everyone else while they’re down, probably using chokes and kicks and directing traffic for his team. He’s also quite ruthless and merciless, we have seen how abusive he can get (see: Jade Chung) but I’m not sure we have even seen the limits to his depravity, which could come out tonight in Manhattan. Although Nana might appear to be the weak spot on The Embassy’s team, I think he could surprise everyone and hold his own. However, there is also the possibility that Nana is eliminated early, and his team losing the brains behind the outfit. If he is forced to stand outside the conflict while watching his men fall down around him, it could be the sweetest justice available for Ring of Honor fans.
Abyss is the hired big gun of his group and he too has paid off when it counts. With each member of Generation Next having a bounty on his head, Abyss will look to dominate and destroy. There is that old cliché about a one man army; well Abyss is a one manned military. Nana’s strategy should be to use Abyss as the second or third man because Abyss’s mass and power will be a tremendous momentum shifter in the match. Anything that Gen Next can muster against The Embassy could be deflected away by the monster.
Finally, I see Jimmy Rave as the closer of the team, giving his side one final push with “the crown jewel”. Rave is sneaky and lacking in remorse and a steel cage environment is like a wet dream for those kinds of people. The tick in the skin for Rave though is the last time he was in a steel cage match; he had his ass whipped by CM Punk. Now, I don’t see any post traumatic stress disorder occurring for Rave, but this is war people! Rave’s lack of success in this environment could make or break his team. Desperation will set in and quite frankly I don’t think Rave is prepared to handle Roderick Strong. Rave will have to cheat to get the upper hand, but then again, I don’t think he really has a problem with that.
After at least thirty five minutes of grueling warfare, with these eight men battling it out (and possibly Jade and / or Daizee making an impact as well), casualties will be suffered, new injuries and scars created. There may even be a Benedict Arnold or two in this match—it is possible. After all, this whole war began with betrayal and betrayal has run through the whole proceeding. Will there be one more tonight?
At the end of it all, what is the cost of victory? It may hurt more to win than to lose in this match, but winning has always been everything for these men. Tonight holds the same truth, waiting to be revealed on the freezing cold New York City streets.
Homicide versus Steve Corino IV: Violence for the Sake of Hatred Returns, This Time What will be the Price?
It’s ironic that I’m a pacifist at heart who watches wrestling for a pasttime. You can call me an idealist, but of course I know most of the time life is tough and gritty and often involves crime, war and injustice. So I prefer to think of myself as an idealistic-realist. I don’t believe that violence is the answer. These men do.
Homicide and Steve Corino have been connected and linked to each other in some way or another since September of 2002, when homicide needed a tag team partner and Corino was there to offer his services. One miscue during the match, and their partnership was thrown away. It’s easy to break a rubber band if you stretch it too thin; these two cut that rubber band in half with one pull. Corino got stabbed in the eye by Homicide in the locker room for his troubles, and the hostility, the hatred all congealed.
There was no room for understanding, no room for peace negotiations. Instead, there were riots, oh were there riots between Corino as his Group and Homicide and the thugs who would later come to be known as The Rottweilers. There was violence and blood, lots of blood, so much of it you could fill a kiddie pool and do some laps. Then with a slap to the ear, Homicide took something else away from Corino besides his blood—he took his ability to hear out of one side of his head.
The barbed wire encounter these two had in late 2003 was the most sickening display of torture in the company’s history. Both competitors were seeing red: red from their anger at each other built up over time; red from the blood on their hands, head, arms and bodies from the onslaught during the match. When Corino stood victorious, Corino extended his hand. He was done with the madness, with violence. But Homicide chose to walk away, chose to keep the fires of hared stoked. There would be no room for understanding, no room for negotiations. And ever since then, the fans have been asking: when do we see Corino-Homicide IV, one more time between these two? The fans have been demanding for Corino-Homicide IV, one more party of violence and bloodshed and hatred and anger for the sheer want of all of those things. .
Homicide had turned his life around, and was doing the wrestling thing for his family and for his fans that appreciated him. That is, until, Homicide came to a realization, one that was perhaps in the back of his head for the longest time and finally came screaming out—the fans did nothing for him. It made him weak, less bloodthirsty. He had the fans and never got the title. He fought Samoa Joe and did not prevail. He bloodied Corino and nothing had come of it. So fuck them, fuck the fans, and fuck what they want. Homicide told Corino as much when they next met in an ROH ring at Glory By Honor III. This time it was Homicide with his hand extended, this time it was Corino who did not shake hands.
Steve Corino has never had an easy time with the Ring of Honor company—its employees and one particular booker. Either man would tell you that straight out, there were good times and there were definitely bad time (and bad feelings) between them. And yet Steve Corino knew in the back of his head, for the longest time, that he would need to come back to ROH at some point, because one more time he needed to face Homicide.
The fans wanted it; the fans asked for it; the fans demanded it. Now they have it. The grudge has been resurfaced; old wounds never heal right anyway. More blood, more violence, more Corino-Homicide. And this pacifist can’t wait
To read more about the history between Steve Corino and Homicide, read ROH’s preview of the story here.
Jay Lethal versus Samoa Joe II: A Tale as Old as Time: Protégée vs. Master
Teacher vs. Student—as much as you want to see these two types of people work in harmony, it’s the system that dictates the results. I would know better than anyone, being a teacher myself. I try not to take it personal, but rather take it professional when a student gets rebellious and disrespectful. After all, I was there before, I understand why they’re doing it, but I can’t help the position that I’m in. It is easier said than done not to take things personal.
Jay Lethal used to known as Hydro, a drug user and abuser who was part of the faction known as Special K. Everyone knew he had a lot of promise, a lot of potential. He was better than this. Samoa Joe knew it too, and soon convinced him to abandon his Specoal K ties. Joe took Lethal under his wings and gave him purpose. He put him through training and gave him focus. He talked with him on the road to ROH shows and gave him determination.
Jay Lethal became a champion, just like his teacher. He won the PURE title in March of 2005. He LOST the title two months later. To Samoa Joe, his teacher.
What is it about the competitive fires between a teacher and a student, between a master and a protégé? The student trying to show the teacher how much he has accomplished, the teacher trying to show the student there is still much yet to learn. Joe’s quest to win all the gold put him directly in the path of Jay Lethal. Lethal put up a hell of an effort at Manhattan Mayhem but it was just not enough to outlast the ROH’s very best in Samoa Joe.
The first match was tremendous, and now we get the rematch. It should live up to all the expectations. This time the challenge was made not by Joe, but by Lethal. In between the then and the now, Lethal and Joe have continued their relationship, have continued their bond. And yet increasingly Lethal has wanted to stretch out on his own, to accomplish for himself.. After taking shot after shot in his war against Low-Ki and coming close several times, Lethal FINALLY won at Glory By Honor IV, taking the rarest of rare pinfall victories against the dangerous first ROH champion. It is something that Samoa Joe has NEVER done in ROH. Lethal pushed Joe away at that show so that he could get face to face with Low Ki, and Samoa Joe’s look on his face was one of shock At Survival of the Fittest 2005, Lethal and Joe made it into the finals and looked to work with each other to eliminate everyone else. Samoa Joe was eliminated first in the match, the second time in two years. Lethal stayed in longer, but was also soon eliminated by Generation Next. In a recent rematch against that team, Lethal and Joe again lost. This is why Lethal has in part challenged Samoa Joe. Is Joe letting down his pupil, falling away from his side of the bargain?
Lethal has explained in a video promo done exclusively for the ROH website that he is questioning his status as a protégé. He wants to show Joe that he shouldn’t be a protégé anymore, but perhaps an equal. This is a road most wrestling fans have seen before, and the results… Larry Zbysko- Bruno Sammartino is the first example that comes to my mind. Teacher vs. student, betrayal and enmity followed. Is this the same fate that will befall Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal?
At first it’s hard to give Lethal a chance in this match. Just like the first encounter they had, Lethal walks in the underdog. Samoa Joe got taken to his absolute limit by Kenta Kobashi in October, but Jay Lethal is not Kenta Kobashi and he can’t fight Joe the way Kobashi fought Joe. However, he can use a similar strategy. Lethal will need to be smarter in this match, and work harder and with more urgency. He needs to work on Joe with his chops, but not get into a strike war. He should let Joe tire himself out. Flash pins won’t work so much against Joe anymore and Joe has shown his stamina in longer matches. Lethal did get a few series of effective moves against Joe in their first encounter, but Joe kicked out of the Dragon Suplex. Lethal will probably need to use the Super Dragon Suplex from the top rope or some new move Joe doesn’t even know Lethal has in his repertoire to get the win.
If Lethal can get the win in this match, he proves himself the equal of Samoa Joe, a very amazing feat. If Lethal cannot get the win, a moral victory of good effort may not be enough to stop jealousy and envy from emerging in Jay Lethal. And if this possibility occurs, Samoa Joe may take it both professional and personal.
ROH World Title Match: “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (champion) versus Rocky Romero: Third Rottweiler Wish Granted-Will It Be Dragon’s Worst Nightmare?
As a champion, you must defend against all comers. The big matches are going to be there and you need to prepare for them of course, but it’s always the least likely suspect that comes up with the biggest chance to take the title from you.
Rocky Romero has been away from consistent Ring of Honor action ever since May when he went to Japan for an extended tour. He has proven quite successful overseas, but now he is back in ROH for a little while longer. And he did not forget about the opportunity he was promised back in March, when he, Ricky Reyes and Homicide won the Trios Tournament 2005. The winning trios team was able to choose whatever match they wanted, against whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Giving the guys in The Rottweilers carte blanche like that is scary, but they earned their way to it. Homicide almost immediately cashed in his chips for a ROH World Title shot against Austin Aries (Best of American Super Juniors Tournament). He was not successful in winning that match. Ricky Reyes cashed his ticket this past October for a tag title match with Homicide (Buffalo Stampede). He was not successful. Now it is the last payday for this group, and Romero has the golden ticket into Willy Wonka’s mansion.
He goes one on one with Bryan Danielson tonight in what is being hyped as an Mixed Martial Arts style fight. The stake are not any UFC or Pride title, but the biggest prize for Ring of Honor.
Danielson should be ready for such a demanding encounter. He has been brutal in his demeanor and actions in his last few title matches. He has taken out Christopher Daniels with a stiff forearm shot, knocking him out and giving him a concussion. He won an intense fight against Roderick Strong by just unleashing an unstoppable flurry of elbow strikes to the head. These are MMA tactics for sure and show that Danielson should not only be considered among the best technical wrestlers in the world today, but that he can strike and fight with the best of them.
Rocky Romero will put this ability to the test tonight, but if he for one second underestimates Danielson’s abilities, he is done. Danielson has three devastating submission moves to go to when he wants: the Crossface Chickenwing, the Cattle Mutilation, and his version of the Strong Hold Boston Crab. If any of these moves are applied, it will be a dangerous situation for Romero.
Likewise, Danielson must avoid Romero’s big moves, especially his flying knee which has knocked out many opponents in the past. Romero also has submission skills, arm locks and leg locks, which can do severe damage to an opponent.
Bryan Danielson is putting together quite the run for his first ROH World Title. We may certainly remember matches like this one when it comes time to compare title reigns. The question is, will this be the match we talk about because it was the one that ended it all?
The Rest of the Card
ROH Tag Team Title Match
Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro defend vs. Colt Cabana & Milano Collection AT
It’s the Jewish-Italian connection up against the Italian-Italian connection. Colt puts his issues with homicide on the back burner for this opportunity to regain the tag gold which he last held as a member of The Second City Saints. Mamaluke and Rinauro return to defending the title, with Mamaluke returning from injury. They have slowly built up momentum in their run, but there has been the question of whether their wins have been more fluke than substance. They work well together as a team, but remain underdogs due to their size and relative inexperience. However Cabana and MCAT have no previous tag experience, and that is not a good thing for a championship opportunity. Cabana could still be worried about Homicide and that may distract him in the match, or we could get the return of full out silly / fun Colt and that could be the key to his victory.
Must Win Tag Action
Dunn & Marcos vs. Jason Blade & Kid Mikaze
Blade & Mikaze have had two matches in ROH but need this one to continue being booked in the company. This will be the first time I see them at all, so I can’t make many informed judgments on their talent or what they can bring to the ring. Dunn and Marcos have made infrequent appearances but have also become legitimate as far as their capabilities in the ring. We know what they can do and so do they; they just need to implement their strategies to get the win. They defeated Blade and Mikaze before, they can do it again.
Top Of The Class Trophy Match
Davey Andrews vs. Pelle Primeau
Davey took the TotC Trophy and will look to begin defending that award against other ROH students. It’s a good way to give Andrews something to do in the company without facing some of the bigger fish just yet, and it also gives more exposure for the young guys to the ROH crowd.
Lance Storm will make a special appearance
This should be a nice crowd pleaser showing, but its just about overlooked every time I think about what is on the card. There is just so much going on tonight that Storm’s appearance gets swallowed up by the rest. Storm should nonetheless get a great crowd reception, as he’s an internet favorite—someone many of us on here always believed didn’t get enough of a due or enough of a chance to make a mark. Maybe he gets involved in some storyline as we have seen other guest stars have done in the past.
Preshow starts at 6:50 featuring wrestlers from Pro Wrestling Iron
More wrestling and more wrestlers = GOOD. Bring on the matches!
Plus more to be added on the night of the show!!!
This means a Ricky Reyes SQUASHEROOOOOOO. Count on it. I’ve got fifteen seconds in the pool tonight.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 12/02/2005
ROH World Champion—American Dragon Bryan Danielson (champion since 9/17/05, 5 successful defenses)
ROH PURE Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 8/29/05, 6 successful defenses)
ROH Tag Team Champions—Sal Rinauro and Tony Momaluke (champions since 10/01/05, 3 successful defenses)
Top 5 Rankings—announced via ROHwrestling.com on 11/10/05
(tie) 1) AJ Styles
(tie) 1) Christopher Daniels
3) BJ Whitmer
4) Roderick Strong
5) Samoa Joe
Just missed: Matt Sydal, Jay Lethal, Claudio Castagnoli, Austin Aries
We’re waiting on a new Top 5 for December to be announced and I’ll bring it to you next week if it is posted within that time period.
Your Mid-Column Olay
OLAY OLAY OLAY OLAY….
OLAY, OLAY…
OLAY! OLAY, OLAY, OLAY…
OLAY, OLAY…
This has been your Mid-Column Olay!
ROH News (via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed)
Manilow’s Revenge Commissioner Jim Cornette has decided that Colt Cabana and Homicide will face each other in one more match so they can settle their feud. It will be Cabana vs. Homicide on 12/17 at "Final Battle 2005" in Edison, NJ and there will be no rules, but there must be a winner!!!
Commissioner Jim Cornette has informed both Colt Cabana and Homicide that they will be heavily fined if they have any interaction with each other tomorrow in Manhattan. Cornette told both that they can settle their issue on 12/17 in Edison, NJ. Homicide says he has no problems with this since he has his mind set on archrival Steve Corino. Cabana will be focused on winning the tag titles tomorrow night alongside Milano Collection AT. Cornette has assigned referee Mike Kehner to the Corino vs. Homicide match. Cornette told Kehner to basically let everything except outside interference go. Cornette wants to insure that you will see a winner between Homicide and Corino in a 1-on-1 match.
It’s been an intense stand both of these guys have made against each other, so its hard to believe one match will solve anything between them. Then again isn’t that the way it always is with Homicide? The man is a walking hate machine and has made enemies and bitter rivalries whenever he wrestles. Cabana is still outnumbered in this match unless Cornette follows up and says members of The Rottweilers are barred from ringside. I don’t think for a second that Cabana will not want a piece of Homicide tonight—sanctions couldn’t stop Bryan Danielson and Homicide from fighting it out, and neither will it stop a fracas from occurring now.
The Price of Victory
A quick follow up to our feature story; the stakes of the game: Prince Nana is very confident that he has a sound strategy that will lead The Embassy to victory this Saturday in Steel Cage Warfare. Rumor going around is that Nana has even had phone conversations with some veterans of War Games to get strategy tips. Word going around is that Nana assembled a few highly paid advisors to come up with the perfect strategy for this match. Nana feels that The Embassy of Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley & Abyss will claim their spot as the top faction in ROH with a victory on Saturday at Basketball City on the Chelsea Piers. Prince Nana confirmed that he has offered bonuses to each member of The Embassy for not only winning the match, but for injuring members of Generation Next. There is even an added bonus if you make a member of Generation Next bleed. Nana feels his soldiers are ready for war!!!
Generation Next of Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jack Evans & Matt Sydal are not concerned with Nana's bonus system and high priced consultants that we talked about in yesterday's ROHwrestling.com Newswire. These four athletes are going to be running on adrenaline that will be fueled by hatred when they enter Steel Cage Warfare vs. The Embassy on Saturday in Manhattan. All four men are willing to do anything to destroy Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley, Abyss & Nana. They will not be stopped. Generation Next are so confident that they will get revenge that they are even making their strategy public by announcing right here that Austin Aries will be the first man in the cage.
Video, Video (…oh, that’s not the Elvis Costello song?) There will be lots of new videos up at ROHwrestling.com this week including "Samoa Joe: ROH Legend" and a video where Jay Lethal explains why he challenged Samoa Joe to a match for this Saturday in Manhattan. ROHwrestling.com will also have its first complete match on the site. You will be able to see Bryan Danielson vs. Azrieal from 11/19 for free at ROHwrestling.com this week!!!
Well, the Dragon vs. Azriael match is not up on the website yet, so that’s a downer. I do give full recommendations to check out the respective Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal videos. Jay needs to be less nasal with his voice, but this promo and more specifically what and how he says things have definitely improved. Lethal’s motives are clearer now for this rematch. The Joe video is just nine minutes of awesomeness—so many freaking highlights from his career in such a short period of time. JOE JOE JOE JOE! Sorry…couldn’t help it.
FREE TICKETS! Don't forget about our contest where you can win free tickets to Wrestlemania and both nights of ROH's Chicago double shot on Wrestlemania weekend plus airfare and hotel. Check the pinned topic on the ROHwrestling.com message board for more details.
Yeah, you’d just about have to start to give away tickets to a WWE event to get me to go now, even Wrestlemania. What, don’t look at me like that. Oh wait, you can’t look at me, right…sorry. Don’t look at your screen like that. Yes there’s some good stuff in that other company, but I ain’t paying shit to see it. Randy Orton vs. Batista? Austin vs. Hogan five years too late? CAN’T FREAKING WAIT. However, ROH is footing the bill on this and there’s nothing better than free, so good luck to everyone in the contest and here’s hoping that you win.
Pre Fight Comments There was a behind the scenes war of words this week between the camps of Bryan Danielson and Rocky Romero. It will be Danielson defending the ROH World Title vs. Romero this Saturday in Manhattan. Romero said he will leave behind his Rottwieler roots for this match and will showcase his MMA roots. Bryan Danielson is not intimidated by this and is ready to fight. These two do have an issue in ROH that was never resolved as Romero was part of The Rottwieler attack on Danielson at "Weekend Of Thunder: Night 2." This is going to be one unique World Title match and Romero is a real threat to score a knockout or tap out victory on Danielson.
This time around, I believe Romero has a shot of winning the belt…good hype for a match does that for you.
**The Independent Buy In**
Support independent pro wrestling, ROH or non ROH, I don’t care. But if you out there are spending so much time complaining about how WWE sucks, then dammit, spend some money so you won’t have to spend so much time complaining. This list stays in the column and will be added to as the year goes on. Remember: don’t bow out, BUY IN!
Recommended for purchase:
**IWC No Excuses (Styles vs. Matt Hardy, John McChesney vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jason Gory vs. Shima Xion)
**FIP New Years Classic (Strong vs. Joe, Homicide vs. James Gibson)
**Hardcore Homecoming (2 Cold Scorpio vs. Kid Kash, 3 Way Dance Barbwire Match Funk vs. Douglas vs. Sabu)
**TNA Lockdown (AJ Styles vs. Abyss, Daniels vs. Skipper, Lethal Lockdown 6 Man Tag, AMW vs. Team Canada + Bonus Chris Candido tribute)
**ROH Fate of an Angel (James Gibson vs. CM Punk, Christopher Daniels vs. Matt Hardy, Roderick Strong vs. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe vs. Jimmy Rave)
**TNA Anthology: The Epic Set (available only through Walmart and Walmart.com at a ridiculously cheap price) (Victory Road 2004, Turning Point 2004, Lockdown 2005)
**ROH Redemption (4 Way Title Elimination—Punk vs. Gibson vs. Joe vs. Daniels, Matt Hardy vs. Homicide, Gen Next of Aries, Strong and Sydal vs. The Embassy of Rave, Shelley and Abyss)
**ROH Punk: The Final Chapter (CM Punk vs. Colt Cabana plus post match celebration, Matt Hardy vs. Roderick Strong, Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal vs Low Ki and Homicide, Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Rave)
**IWC Summer Sizzler 2 (AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe, Steve Corino vs. Shirley Doe, Glen Spectre vs. Chad Collyer, Shima Xion vs. Nigel McGuinness)
**ROH Glory By Honor IV (Dragon vs. Gibson, Styles vs. Rave, Low Ki vs. Jay Lethal) **ROH Joe vs. Kobashi (Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi, Christopher Daniels vs. Matt Sydal vs. Azriael, Gibson vs. Yang)
**TNA Best of the X Division MATCHES Volume 1 (Joe vs. Sabin, Ultimate X AJ vs. Williams vs. Sabin, Ironman match: AJ vs. Daniels) **FIP Bring the Pain (Punk vs. Danielson 2/3 Falls, Aries vs. Strong) (NEW ADDITION) **OVW October 2005 Television Showcase (Ken Doane vs. Brent Albright III, Johnny Jeter vs. Matt Cappotelli, and CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk… see next week’s column for more on OVW) (NEW ADDITION)
ROH @ 411 Nick Marsico once again takes the time out of his day to report on the ROH and the TNA news, so he gets the plug here.
Honor Bound Links Double M heads up today’s news report, but I think we need to get him some medical help; he’s becoming schitzophrenic—he thinks he’s Ric Flair. Of all people to think you are right now, I wouldn’t be him.
I owe JT an apology… I erroneously stated that he recaps Heat when in actuality he reports on Byte This. So basically I mistook one useless internet show for another. What worries me is that even he didn’t email me to correct me on this. So it looks like our total readership is about 1 JT. We should both hang our heads in shame. JT also does The Hidden Highlights column with JP Prag and keeps busy with plenty of stuff in the movies zone.
Also thanks to Scott Rutherford for the very classy note he left in the Music Zone Roundtable…I really tried to give my all with it, but time constraints got in the way. I hoped to participate in this month’s new one, but, well, see last sentence. At any rate, check it out, some great stuff in there, lots of funny pictures. Pictshoores rule.
Final Column 2005—4 weeks and counting, with the Column of Honor end of year awards, including ROH Wrestler of the Year and MVP of the Year. Plus my Top 20 ROH matches of 2005 and so much more!
And with that I am off to front row seating for tonight’s ROH show. Hope you’ll be there to see it or if not, check out the results on the appropriate news sites. Brooklyn!
--Ari--
