Column of Honor: 04.29.06
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 04.29.2006
BETRAYAL!
It's been an amazing and exciting week in the world of professional wrestling. Coming off of TNA Lockdown, the announcement of the return of ECW in some form or another, WWE Backlash on PPV this weekend (although it's not particularly exciting for me it may be for some) and of course the latest in ROH action from last weekend, this weekend and next weekend. I can't catch my breath for a minute on this thing! Plus we have a ton of new columnists and writers for 411, and I'll be debuting some new features to this column NEXT week.
First of all, let's catch everyone up on some results, including last night in Dayton. I miscalculated last week and thought the shows this weekend were Saturday and Sunday, thus I would do a preview of those shows in this column. However, the first night of the double shot was yesterday, so instead of a preview I've got results and impressions for you. First, though, we deal with the shocking centennial show for Ring of Honor, which didn't go exactly the way the company had planned.
ROH Results: 100th Show, Philadelphia PA 4/22/06 Matches
-"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels defeated "Double C" Claudio Castagnoli via rollup.
-Delirious defeated Jimmy Jacobs, Jimmy Yang and Jimmy Rave in a Four Corner Survival.
-ROH Tag Team Champions Generation Next of Roderick Strong and Austin Aries defeated challengers The Rottweilers of Homicide and Ricky Reyes to retain the belts.
-ROH World Champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson retained his title by defeating Colt Cabana in less than five minutes via pinfall.
-Eric Dempsey defeated Pelle Primo in a Top of the Class Trophy match.
-ROH World Champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson retained his title in a second defense by defeating Delirious via submission.
-The Briscoe Brothers defeated AJ Styles and Matt Sydal when Sydal was SPIKE JAY DRILLERED for the pinfall.
-Jim Cornette demolished and trounced Zandig in a verbal debate, which led to the six man tag match.
-CZW's Army of Chris Hero, Super Dragon and Necro Butcher defeated ROH's Army of Samoa Joe, Adam Pearce and BJ Whitmer when Adam Pearce was pinned.
Angles & Impressions
Handshake!: Christopher Daniels officially shook the hand of Claudio Castagnoli, ending a four year long standing operating procedure of "The Fallen Angel" not to shake anyone's hand. Daniels put Claudio over as the "future" of Ring of Honor, but how wrong he would turn out to be…
Turned: Claudio Castagnoli, from ROH to CZW alliance. Claudio pushed Joe out of the ring in the main event and turned on Ring of Honor by helping CZW forces with the Six Man War. More on this later in the column
Bloodied: Delirious sliced.his hand open in the ROH World Title match and Pearce had a "H" shaped gash on the top of his head after tonight's show. The pictures aren't pretty at all, I mean these guys were horror movie bloodied up.
Denied!: ROH fans from seeing what was under Lacey's shirt (from a shoot at ROH Videos.com) when Jimmy Jacobs refused to win his match. He wanted to deny fans everywhere the right to see Lacey "naked". Many Ring of Honor fans and wrestling nerds burned their computers in disgust when hearing of this result.
Dangerous: Super Dragon was apparently involved in multiple alteractions with ROH fans. Some of these physical incidents were instigated by the fans themselves, which is pretty damned stupid—no matter what the reason or who the heels are, you just don't involve yourself in physicality with the wrestlers. Unless you have some sort of death wish. Now Super Dragon ain't no great shakes with the fans of ROH to begin with—but even he has the right to defend himself if he feels he is threatened. Leave the damned fighting to the ROH wrestlers, since the feud is far from over.
ROH Results: "Weekend of Champions Night 1" Dayton, OH 4/29/06 Matches
-Colt Cabana defeated Jimmy Jacobs via pinfall with a power bomb.
-Irish Airborne defeated Jay Fury and Spud (FWA).
-Jimmy Rave and Delirious fought to a fifteen minute draw.
-ROH PURE champion Nigel McGuiness defeated challenger "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels via count out to retain the PURE title.
-Flash Flanagan defeated Apocalypse via pinfall.
-ROH World Champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson retained his title by defeated challenger Jimmy Yang via submission to the crossface chickenwing.
-ROH Tag Team Champions Generation Next of Roderick Strong and Austin Aries defeated challengers Samoa Joe and Matt Sydal to retain the titles.
-In a "fight / street brawl / whatever", CZW's Army (which included Claudio, Super Dragon, Necro Butcher, Nate Webb) defeated ROH's Army (which at several points included Samoa Joe, BJ Whitmer, Adam Pearce, Colt Cabana and Ace Steel). Claudio pinned Ace with the muscle buster.
Angles & Impressions
Joined: Colt Cabana, aligning himself with Jim Cornette and the ROH forces, although he would regret it later by taking a huge hit to the floor, which from reports seemed to hurt Cabana quite a bit.
Spotted: Al Snow, watching the show and talking to some of the ROH talent. Internet rumors have Snow set to take over the OVW booking should all this ECW stuff go down soon.
Attacked: BJ Whitmer, injured and hurt after 4/22, was further victimized by Claudio Castagnoli, Super Dragon and other CZW wrestlers at last night's show. In the main event brawl, it looks like CZW forces picked apart the ROH wrestlers one by one, really laying in some damage. Joe was chased to the back.
Injured? Colt Cabana took a hard bump in the main event going through a table without it breaking his fall. No details other than fan reports from the message boards are coming through, so word of anything "legit" is going to have to wait.
Betrayal Most Unkind: Castagnolli Turns on ROH, Costs Match on 100th Show
Well, why on earth should we have trusted a Swiss money making man in the first place?
That must be the question running through the Ring of House roster in the aftermath of the 100th show, where ROH took it's most damaging loss to date in its war against Combat Zone Wrestling.
It was a betrayal that some fans in the ROH message forums could see coming, but there were many who were in denial (including this writer) that CZW could even be smart enough to try to place a "mole" within the company. Well, whether or not CZW is smart enough is up for debate, but there is no debating the intelligence and the strategy of one Chris Hero. Hero's machinations, including his tag team partner on the independent scene, came to a head last weekend in Philadelphia. The price paid was not on CZW wrestlers Super Dragon, Necro Butcher or Hero himself, but on the bodies and minds of the Ring of Honor wrestlers and fans.
How on Earth did that happen? Did it really happen?
That must have been the question of ROH fans as they shuffled off into the night in silence, while the CZW fans and wrestlers frolic in joy and victory. The fans expected the rivalry to be put to rest after that night's events, and put down decisively. After all, ROH had the captain of its ship and the current baddest man in professional wrestling Samoa Joe. It had perennial tough guys Adam Pearce and BJ Whitmer, each of whom had shown tremendous heart, loyalty and willingness to endure pain for the opportunity to defend this company and beat on some so called ultra violent wrestlers. There was no way Ring of Honor would lose tonight.
How on Earth could it have been this easy?
That must have been the question of CZW wrestlers after enacting and effectively creating one of the most heart breaking moments in Ring of Honor history. As it were, it was good enough payback for ROH daring to compete with them at their own turf. Ring of Honor had come to their house, the former ECW Arena, in March, and CZW had beaten them down. Now they had come to ROH's house…and once again had beaten them down. It all happened, no less than on the anniversary of one hundred shows for the company, one of the biggest milestones for the company.
I said in a previous column that in every war, there are casualties. I was referring to the Generation Next / Embassy feud at the time, which had really gone full swing. In that rivalry, Daizee Haze changed allegiances, switching from Matt Sydal to Prince Nana and The Embassy. It was a betrayal that hurt Sydal and it cost Generation next the advantage in Steel Cage Warfare. This betrayal of Claudio Castagnoli hurts far worse and has implications that are far more dangerous for the future of Ring of Honor. It has cost Ring of Honor the advantage in this war against Combat Zone Wrestling.
Castagnoli had come in from other American independents as well as from success overseas (in Germany's WXW and all over Europe) with a great reputation. He was an accomplished wrestler and every bit as flamboyant in his dress and was his attitude. He quickly impressed the fans with his moves and his talent; his chant of "Hey!" every time he hit a European uppercut became a crowd favorite chant along. He slapped hands with the audience, led them in "Hey…Ho!" chants…did just about everything but kiss babies and fly the American Flag. It seemed he was a fun loving and entraining guy, and he laughed along at his opponents while we laughed along with him.
Well, it turns out that the joke is on the fans…and no one in Ring of Honor is laughing with Claudio anymore. While we cheered for Claudio, his intentions were always to win…and when he couldn't win the PURE title against Nigel McGuinness despite multiple chances, that must have been when the seed was planted…although we can't say when or how, Chris Hero must have gotten to his friend. Hero must have spent considerable time sowing the seeds of betrayal; Hero understood that if he could use Claudio, then that could be all the difference in the world in his vendetta against Ring of Honor. Hero's bitterness for not being hired by Ring of Honor to wrestle for the best independent company in the United States is well known. It eats away at him like a cancer…and that cancer was spread on to his good buddy.
It was a betrayal of the fans and a betrayal of this company. But really, Claudio never betrayed the one man who has been true to him all this time, his good buddy Chris Hero.
Now how on earth could Ring of Honor not have realized that before it was too late?
How We Got There: The Clues of Double C's Turn
Well, there were plenty of clues that would have indicated where Claudio Castagnoli's loyalties really were all this time. Let's take a look back.
-At Arena Warfare, Bryan Danielson makes a remark about how Chris Hero escaped to Mexico with his "buddy" Claudio Castagnoli. The fact that he implicated a sexual relationship between the two is denied by Danielson but patently obvious.
-At The Best in the World, Hero attacks Adam Pearce and invites his "best friend" Claudio to make his intentions clear. Claudio comes out and hits Necro Butcher, then chases away Hero. Although there is a light punch thrown, there is little physical contact between the two.
-Despite Claudio stating his intentions to fight for ROH, he still teamed up with Hero on the independent scene as "The Kings of Wrestling", including for CHIKARA's Grand Prix tag tournament.
-That same night, Claudio loses his last PURE title shot against Nigel McGuiness, frustrating the Swiss national.
At the Triple Shot weekend, Hero and CZW allies would continually interrupt the ROH shows, whereby Claudio would also help clear the ring.
-Finally, Christopher Daniels shakes Claudio Castagnoli's hand after their match on the 100th Show, the foreshadowing of the betrayal of the code of honor at Castagnoli's hands later that night. Castagnoli is wearing a jacket bedazzled with the initials of this company, but it would be an ironic statement given his actions that night.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 4/28/2006 (After "Weekend of Champions, Night 1")
ROH World Champion—American Dragon Bryan Danielson (champion since 9/17/05, 17 successful defenses)
ROH PURE Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 8/29/05, 10 successful defenses)
ROH Tag Team Champions—Austin Aries and Roderick Strong (champions since 12/17/05, 6 successful defenses)
ROH Top 5 Rankings: April 2006 (Released Week of 4/2-4/8/06)
1) Colt Cabana
2) Christopher Daniels
3) Samoa Joe
4) Jimmy Yang
5) Roderick Strong
Rivalry Scorecard: Week Nine
Generation Next / Matt Sydal: Matty, Matty…still refuses to get it in his head that he shouldn't face off against his very own teammates. Teaming up with AJ Styles against them = loss. Teaming up with Samoa Joe against them = loss. I don't think he could beat them if Kenta Kobashi himself came in from Japan to team up with him. Don't get me wrong, I like Sydal a lot and he has made some incredible impressions upon the ROH crowd so far in 2006, but this tag title situation needs to resolve itself or it could get very ugly and very soon.
ROH News (via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed
5/13—Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher Signed
From the Boards…
In late breaking news a huge match has been signed for ROH's return to Edison, NJ on 5/13. Samoa Joe called the ROH offices last night and made his goals clear:
1) Win the Tag Titles in Dayton on Friday and become the first ever grand slam champion in ROH history
2) Maim Claudio Castagnoli on Saturday in Cleveland
3) Get back in the World Title hunt
4) Kill Necro Butcher
Samoa Joe wants to fight Necro Butcher one-on-one. May 13th in Edison, NJ will be the date.
Well, this is a match that many, many fans wanted to see. This is not just Ring of Honor fans, but also WRESTLING fans who know of their reputations as hard hitters. These two have fought each other twice before outside of Rig of Honor, and now finally the fight moves to Joe's home field. Each time these two have fought it has been a crazy environment and atmosphere…AND JOE HAS KICKED NECRO BUTCHER'S ASS… ahem…sorry, I'm going to try to regain my "journalist" like professionalism here.
Vengeance Is Ours Claudio Castagnoli will be the first to pay. This Saturday, April 29th, in Cleveland will see a one-on-one match as Castagnoli will be faced with a very angry Samoa Joe.
Both Adam Pearce and BJ Whitmer were forced to go to the hospital after last night's chaotic main event. Pearce needed 12 staples to close an "H" shaped gash on his head as a result of a Necro Butcher chairshot. Whitmer's injury was even more serious as it is believed he suffered a very bad neck injury at the hands of Super Dragon and the Psycho Driver from the ring through a table. Whitmer felt tingling in his left arm. Both Pearce and Whitmer are listed as doubtful for next week.
As many of you know, BJ Whitmer was seriously injured at the hands of Super Dragon during last Saturday's insane main event. Whitmer called commissioner Jim Cornette and demanded that Super Dragon be added to this weekend's cards so he can go for revenge. The problem is that Whitmer is not cleared to wrestle and in a neck brace. However, Cornette has still challenged the controversial Super Dragon to show up this weekend to fight any ROH competitors. Super Dragon's camp has sent word that Super Dragon will be in Dayton on Friday and Cleveland on Saturday. The war will continue in Ohio this weekend!!!
Chris Hero has sent word through his live journal at ChrisHero.com that Necro Butcher will also now be in Dayton on Friday and Cleveland on Saturday. This means CZW will have an army featuring Claudio Castagnoli, Super Dragon and Necro Butcher in Ohio this weekend. ROH Commissioner Jim Cornette is taking this very personally as Ohio is where this feud really kicked into high gear in January. BJ Whitmer, despite having to wear a neckbrace, is begging for clearance to fight Hero's crew this weekend.
BJ Whitmer insists that he will be ready to fight this weekend despite being in a neck brace. Whitmer does not have clearance to wrestle though. Adam Pearce will be unable to compete due to the staples in his head. Ace Steel has volunteered to be part of the ROH army since the CZW guys interrupted Ace's match last time in Dayton. There is no telling what will happen this weekend in Ohio.
You can see the progression of injury reports on Whitmer and Pearce. Both of them wrestled last night despite the injuries and will very well fight again tonight for their own sake and personal pride, as well as that of Ring of Honor. Super Dragon and Necro Butcher seem to be the CZW regulars who will be fighting alongside Claudio and Hero for now.
Good Times Great Memories On The Road?
In an interview with Colt Cabana from Figure 4 Weekly, Cabana stated that the "Good Times, Great Memories" backstage interview segment that ran on ROH releases between 2003 and2005 may return soon. He also indicated that he was also planning some sort of video project elated to GT, GM outside of ROH releases. A travel edition, perhaps, of the hippest talk show in town? One can only hope.
Colt Cabana wanted to send an apology to all the ROH fans at last night's show. Cabana feels that he really let the fans down. Cabana told ROHvideos.com that his wrestling game is off after months of brawling against Homicide and fighting The Rottweilers. This led to Cabana losing to Bryan Danielson in just 5 minutes last night. Cabana says he wants to start in the opening match and work his way back up to the card to earn another World Title shot. Cabana will begin this Friday in Dayton against Jimmy Jacobs, who also needs a win. Cabana will then face Flash Flanagan on Saturday in Cleveland. This is an important match for Flanagan, who is still trying to earn a fulltime spot in ROH.
Cabana is rebuilding himself from the bottom up, so to speak, and while that's not something I personally agree with, it nonetheless is a time tested storyline to work with. When Cabana returns to contendership, hopefully by summer of '06, he may very well be the most serious threat to whoever is the champion at that time.
Wound and Sanitary Care Delirious suffered a deep wound on the inside of his hand when he was cut on the cornerpost of ROH's new ring. Delirious' head was also lacerated and his mask was torn by ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson. Delirious wants another shot at Danielson and revenge for Danielson ripping open his mask.
In Other News A grudge match has been signed for 5/13 in Edison, NJ. It will pit Jimmy Yang vs. Jimmy Rave with Prince Nana & Daizee Haze. The issue between Yang and The Embassy continues to grow.
ROH Commissioner Jim Cornette will have a major announcement about his future in ROH at this weekend's events.
CK3 will be teaming with Colt Cabana vs. Irish Airborne in the opening match of the Cleveland event.
Reports have Cornette needs knee surgery, so it could be about that…or it could be about his possible return to OVW. We shall learn of this tonight I guess. I'm excited to see Yang vs. Rave continue, as that is a very solid mid-card program, but I'm even more excited to see Conrad Kennedy the Third make his debut and get his opportunity within ROH. Having seen some of his work through BCW, I have the distinct feeling that this guy could really go places in ROH
.
Your Mid Column Olay
source: slam.canoe.ca
OLAY OLAY OLAY OLAY….
OLAY, OLAY…
OLAY! OLAY, OLAY, OLAY…
OLAY, OLAY…
This has been your Mid Column Olay!
ARRIBA~!
Dear Delirious:
BAH! BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH! LETTERS BLAH!
Well, it looks like my good buddy (how we became good buddies will be sealed and confidential information forever…but FYI it does NOT involve ANY strange encounters in bathrooms…although there was that rumor about Delirious, Ron Gamble and Steve Cook at yesterday's show in Dayton-hey now!) is ready for some more letters and more dispensing of sanity-questionable information. Hey Delirious, what's cooking pal?
BAHBAH-BAHBAH!
Wonderful? Great to hear it..especially after the news that you got your hand sliced up at the 100th show…but a hurt hand won't get in the way of some strong words of advice. Here's today's letter:
Dear Delirious,
I am LIVE HERE in CHICAGO, ILLINOIS and it is time for GOOD TIMES, GREAT MEMORIES…well, except my deliriously delirious little buddy…times have not been so good as of late and memories have not been so great…hey, I'm a poet and didn't even know it! Anyways, listen man, I had this totally out there hardcore feud with Nelso…I'm mean Homicide… and now I've seemed to completely forgotten how to wrestle. I know you're on a bit of the winning streak as of late and I was wondering if you could dispense ya know…a little advice on what I should do get back in the swing of things.
Later Daddy D.
-Cabana-less in Chicago-
BAHBAHABAH…YOU BAHBAHBAHABHA KEVIN BACON BAHBAHABH!
Kevin Bacon? Oh I see Delriious… speaking of getting back into the swing of things, Cabanaless in Chicago, Delirious is sorry about the loss of your wrestling abilities. He suggests that you should take on the help of a wrestling tutor, someone who can help Stella, err, Colt get his groove back. Like Kevin Bacon's Ren McCormack helped out Willard Hewitt (the late Christopher Penn) in the 1984 movie Footloose, you need someone to help you cut loose, foot loose, kick off your Sunday shoes. Please, Louise, pull me offa my knees. Jack, get back, c'mon before we crack. Lose your blues, everybody cut footloose!
BAH!
Umm…where were we? Oh right. Sorry Delirious. Anyway, that's all we have for this week…so until next time, BAHBAHBAH!
ROH Preview: "Weekend of Champions Night 2"—Cleveland, OH 4/29/06
World Title vs. Pure Title (To Be Contested Under Pure Rules)
Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness
This is a very intriguing situation that could potentially change the face of Ring of Honor in 2006. There is no doubt Bryan Danielson has been on top of the game since winning the ROH World strap in September of '05, but Nigel has had similar dominance within the PURE division. Both are experts at the technical game, both know how to get in their opponent's heads and both don't give a damn what the fans have to say about them. Both titles are on the line—so the question is will there be a double champion at the end of the night? It wasn't too long ago that Danielson added the Full Impact Pro title to his current resume, and it was at an ROH event. Danielson could definitely take someone else's title and grab even more gold. What can put Danielson at a disadvantage is the same thing that has put out just about every opponent McGuinness has face over the last nine months. Nigel knows the PURE division rules in and out; his opponent does not. In a match contested under PURE title rules, Danielson loses the World Title advantage. In the PURE rules, a title can change hands on count out or disqualification; will the World title be subject to those conditions during this match? So many intriguing possibilities and while a draw or non finish (C…Z…W…) are possible, this is without a doubt a line in the sand for both singles champions in Ring of Honor.
Tag Team Title Match
Austin Aries & Roderick Strong defend vs. Jimmy Rave & Alex Shelley
After disappointing results in their respective singles title opportunities against Bryan Danielson, rave and Shelley hop that together they can give DAH EM-BAH-SEE it's long awaited title gold…or is that silver…hmmm… anyway Strong and Aries are enjoying a dominating run at the top of the tag division despite stiff competition; however Shelley and Rave are old and well known enemies and together present Generation Next's toughest opposition to date. Shelley and Rave know how to team up with each other, can cheat to their heart's content and with Prince Nana by their side, well, that could be a ton of trouble for the champs.
Grudge Match
Samoa Joe vs. Claudio Castagnoli
After Claudio's heartbreaking betrayal, there will be hell to pay. Claudio's further insult of the Muscle Buster use at last night's show is sure to push Joe, who is already in a very foul mood, over the edge. However, an angry Joe just might be in Claudio's best interests; no doubt CZW forces will be there to help the most money making man and if they get involved, Joe's anger will be submerged by the numbers game. If Claudio can resist Joe's nuclear bomb like offense and take the advantage, ROH will once again be denied its proper vengeance.
Jim Cornette will lead ROH against Super Dragon & Necro Butcher
It seems like this will be the same three from yesterday involved in this fracas, but unfortunately, Pearce and Whitmer are injured and hurt, putting ROH in a definite disadvantage. All credit in the world to Dragon and Butcher…they might not be the brightest bulbs in the bunch or the best "wrestlers" but their attacks have hurt and weakened their enemies. I don't think we're going to see a happy ending for Ring of Honor this weekend when it comes to taking on the Combat Zone Wrestling forces.
Rematch From Last Time In Cleveland
Christopher Daniels with Allison Danger vs. Matt Sydal
Last time in Cleveland these two were dancing together real well, establishing an early groove in the match and then… Daniels knee got hurt and the rest of the match was a great example of guts and toughing it out as well as how to adjust when things don't go as planned. This time around, Sydal and Daniels will hopefully once again find their groove against each other and keep it the whole way through.
Special Challenge Match
Chris Sabin vs. Delirious
Ah ROH, you are such a tease with Chris Sabin…he needs to be brought to the East Coast, Tri-State area immediately! Sabin is top-flight right now and while Delirious has been taking matches more seriously as of late and has provided stiffer competition in his matches, Sabin's offense and stamina may be too much for him in this match.
Six Man Mayhem
Jimmy Yang vs. Jimmy Jacobs with Lacey vs. Jay Fury vs. Spud vs. Trik Davis vs. Flash Flanagan
What is an ROH card without one of these doo-dads included on the card? This should be your usual assortment of high spots without much psychology. The main thing to look for will be to see how the newer talent to ROH performs, particularly the effort given by Spud, Davis and Flanagan.
Bonus Tag Team Attraction
Irish Airborne vs. Colt Cabana & Conrad Kennedy III
It's great that CK3 finally gets an opportunity to make an impression with the ROH crowd. His physical and facial appearance remind me of a young Simon Diamond, and the man has the natural charisma and the moves to boot. The team up of Cabana and Kennedy is interesting as well, as CK3 is a natural heel and Cabana is a straight up face. If they don't get it done against the up and coming and very impressive Irish Airborne, then will we see a min-feud develop between those two?
Jim Cornette Will Be Available For Autographs
Plus: Adam Pearce, BJ Whitmer, Ace Steel, Chad Collyer and more!!!
ROH Preview: Christian Cage Debuts—Long Island NY 5/12/06
While this event doesn't have much of it's card set (that should occur in the newswires for this week), here is a preview of what has been already announced, including the "one time only" (we'll see about that) appearance of the Captain of Charisma in a Ring of Honor…er, ring.
Dream Partner Tag Match
ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson & ??? vs. NWA World Champion Christian Cage & ???
Although the names of the dream partners haven't been released yet, most logically it would be AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. This should be a tremendous tag match though no matter the partner. Previous dream tags involving Jushin Liger and Kenta Kobashi have not disappointed. ROH has figured out a very comfortable format involving guest star wrestlers coming in and each time it has been a treat for the fans. Long Island has been said to be a "TNA fan stronghold" (although how this could be corroborated I have no earthly idea) so fan reception to Christian should be strong even with the "stigma" of being NWA-TNA World Champion (if such a stigma still exists). Maybe it would be different if it was strictly NWA champion vs. ROH champion in a singles match, but politics obviously won't make that work. In the ring this should be as far away from politics as possible; the wrestlers should have fun and be a bit light hearted and that will translate to the fans attitude. I personally am looking to seeing Christian in an ROH ring…I think his in ring skills will flourish here.
Grudge Match # 1
Austin Aries vs. Jay Briscoe
This is the first of two singles matches between champions (as of this writing) Generation Next and perennial contenders The Briscoes. Jay & Mark truthfully believe they are the rightful tag champions and who are we to tell them otherwise? They are three time champions, after all. The Briscoes have always been great in singles matches as well as tag matches, so I expect Jay to be able to bring it in this one with Aries also at the top of his game. This should easily be one to be remembered.
Grudge Match # 2
Roderick Strong vs. Mark Briscoe
Don't sleep on the other half of this tag team feud. Mark has also been a strong and credible singles opponent, and because he's lankier than Jay is also one great aerialist. It should be interesting to see if Mark goes with the air game to keep away from Strong's well built chop, back breaker and submission attack. Strong's chops have always been nauseatingly loud and painful; maybe Jay should consider himself lucky it is his brother who will have to take them this time instead of him.
Plus much more to be signed with:
-ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness
-The Embassy of Jimmy Rave & Alex Shelley with Prince Nana
-The Rottweilers of Homicide & Ricky Reyes with Julius Smokes
-ROH Legend Samoa Joe
-"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels with Allison Danger
-"Classic" Colt Cabana
-Jimmy Yang
-Delirious
-Plus more to be announced!!!
Straight Shootin Super Shorthand Buyer's Guide
Over the last several months I've gone through some of my favorite ROH shoot interviews of the last few years. I looked at the shoots with Christopher Daniels, Steve Corino, Samoa Joe, and the Joe-Punk shoot. This time I'm looking at a trio of the most recent ROH shoot DVD releases in order to see if you should buy or pass on them when the next opportunity arises.
Straight Shootin' Series with Lance Storm Description: Storm goes though the ins and outs of his career, spending time discussing Smokey Mountain, ECW, WCW, WWE and his efforts post WWE, including training school. His thoughts are ironically enough "serious" and honest, often thought provoking. He is a really giving interviewee, often detailing and really explaining in details what went right and not so right in his career. The one drawback to the interview is that it seems as if it was recorded in a train tunnel or in a hotel near an airport because every so often the audio will pick up the background noise that is seemingly one or the other. Still, there are tons of very enlightening moments here that make it worth sitting through and enduring the noise. Buy If: you went to the ROH show in Chicago to see Lance Storm make his return to wrestling action. Pass If: for some ungodly reason, you think Lance Storm is "boring" (which if you give this a chance, you will conclude he is not).
Straight Shootin' Series with Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles Description: Styles and Daniels have become synonymous with each other in the 00's…seemingly married to hip as they constantly fought each other in many independent wrestling federations, especially Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling. Every (and I mean EVERY) match these two have ever had is discussed or touched upon in some way, and you're going to get a ton of details about these matches that you didn't know. Although some of the material involving Daniels is a bit derivative of his earlier shoot in 2004 (maybe 1/10th or so) , the stuff with AJ is all new, and pretty cool material. It's sometimes rare that you get to see AJ for AJ on television, but his personality really comes out in this shoot. You even get a bonus match from early ROH history—Daniels and Xavier vs. Styles and Low Ki from Revenge On The Prophecy, January 2003. A shoot and a match—great combination. Buy If: you want to know some of the background information involved in setting up TNA's Ultimate X match, the recent slate of matches between Joe-AJ-Daniels, or obviously if you are a fan of either or both wrestlers. Pass If: you are wary of repeat information on shoots or don't like doubling matches if you already the ROTP match.
Straight Shootin' Series with Jimmy Yang (DVD-R) Description: Jimmy Yang was an interesting yet risky choice of interview subject, considering Yang is so young, but there was a surprising amount of material to cover considering all that. Some wrestling fans may even be surprised he speaks English at all, considering his character has always been the strong and silent type. His angle of entry into wrestling is slightly different and his run in WCW may not have been the most watched, so I learned more about the on and off camera stuff of that time. Although to be honest to you readers out there, Jimmy repeats often that he stayed away from the political stuff, so there really isn't anything juicy in that regard. Also slightly annoying is that Yang, like many "young uns" nowadays (and I say that at the old, old age of 25) seemingly doesn't care about being grammatically correct in his dialogue. His "we was ___" structure of speaking is incredibly jarring to the senses, but maybe I'm being just a bit sensitive since I am an English teacher. Yang certainly isn't the Iron Sheik, after all. More disappointing is that the DVD ends before any real discussion on Yang's time (sorry about the pun) in ROH. This is inexcusable considering the amount of questions left to ask when the interview ended, including Yang's thoughts on Gibson and if he was really knocked out in his debut match. I would have also wanted to know his thoughts on Daniels, Strong, and Taimak / Bruce Leroy considering those were his recent opponents and training partner. Alas, none of those subjects are touched upon. Buy If: you liked WCW at the end of its run and want to hear about the crusiers / Three Count during this time. Pass If: you want to know about Yang's run in ROH—it's not really covered here.
**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)
**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)
**OVW November 2005 Television Showcase (CM Punk vs. Ken Doane (c)—TV Title, CM Punk vs. Brent Albright, Matt Cappotelli vs. Johnny Jeter (c) II-Heavyweight Title)
**ROH Unforgettable (Samoa Joe / Low Ki vs. Homicide / Kenta Kobashi, Dragon vs. Strong, Daniels vs. Yang, Cabana vs. Evans)
2006 List
*ROH This Means War (Bryan Danielson / Roderick Strong, AJ Styles / Austin Aries, Claudio Castagnoli / Alex Shelley)
**ROH Vendetta (Bryan Danielson / Roderick Strong, Eight Man War: Generation Next + AJ Styles / The Embassy, Samoa Joe / Christopher Daniels)
**ROH A Night of Tribute (Bryan Danielson / Christopher Daniels, Aries + Strong / Joe + Lethal, Colt Cabana / Homicide, Claudio Castagnoli / Milano Collection AT)
**OVW December 2005 Television Showcase (CM Punk (c) vs. Ken Doane vs. Brent Albright—3 Way Dance TV Title, CM Punk vs. Brent Albright—TV Title)
**SHIMMER WOMEN'S ATHLETES Volume 1 (Cheerleader Melissa vs. MsChif, Sara Del Rey vs. Mercedez Martinez, Lacey vs. Daizee Haze)
**TNA Bound For Glory 2005 (Iron Man 2: Styles / Daniels, Monster's Ball 2, Joe / Liger, 10 Man Gauntlet, Jarrett vs. Rhino)
**TNA Genesis 2005 (Jarrett & AMW / Rhino & Team 3-D, Styles / Williams, Elimination X: Joe, Daniels, Shelley, Strong / Sabin, Dutt, Aries, Bentley; Christian Cage Debuts)
**ROH Steel Cage Warfare (Generation Next / The Embassy, Dsanielson / Romero, Joe / Lethal, Corino / Homicide )
**ROH Final Battle 2005 (Low Ki / KENTA, Danielson / Marifuji, Claudio / Nigel, 4CS: Daniels / Joe / Lethal / Whitmer )
**ROH Tag Wars 2006 (All three Trios Tournament 2006 matches, Generation Next / Danielson and Lethal, Low Ki / Christopher Daniels )
**BCW International Incident (Jarrett / Raven, Daniels / Sabin, Petey Williams / Jerry Lynn, Bobby Roode / Abyss)
**SHIMMER WOMEN'S ATHLETES Volume 2 (Four Way Elimination Match: Daizee Haze vs. Sara Del Rey vs. Lacey vs. Mercedes Martinez / MsChif vs. Beth Phoenix / Alison Danger vs. Rain)
**PWG Astonishing X-Mas (December 16th, 2005) (Super Dragon vs. Kevin Steen / Eight Man Tag / Strong & Evans vs. Human Tornado & El Generico / Colt Cabana vs. Scorpio Sky)
ROH @ 411
From J.D. in last night's Smackdown Breakdown: "If you're a big Paul London fan, be sure to find Ring of Honor's "The Epic Encounter," if only to see one of the funniest promos in the history of wrestling on AJ Styles, Mickie James & Amazing Red."
JD, let's not forget that "The Epic Encounter" was NAMED after London's "epic" match with Bryan Danielson. So while London's "interesting" promo style is sure to be enjoyable to many viewers, you definitely can't pimp that show without explaining that London gives one hell of a WRESTLING performance as well. In fact, London was on one hell of a tear back then, going toe-to-toe with Danielson, Styles and Samoa Joe in fantastic and memorable matches within the space of a few months. It was London's last bit of time with Ring of Honor before being signed to WWE.
Jacob Zeigler and Brad Garoon are quickly catching up to the most recent video releases. This week you can read their reviews of Steel Cage Warfare, Final Battle 2005, Hell Freezes Over, and Tag Wars 2006. That's a lot of reading, but I'm sure you can get it all done while you're waiting for the results of the Cleveland, OH show.
Finally finally, the 411 Backlash roundtable is up and about and I've got my picks listed, so if you're into that sort of thing, check ‘em out.
Bayani and Larry seem to like capitalizing my name…I didn't realize I had become a Japanese heel. B-man also took a shot at Team Jew that is not participating in the World X-Cup this Sping. I don't think he realizes just how large our team really (just, not where it counts, as per ethnic stereotypes). So in an ode to Steve Corino, the following is a list of Jewish Wrestlers. We've got:
Scott Levy
Colt Cabana
Barry Horrowitz
Bill Goldberg
Delirious (he converted, although he didn't realize it)
A-Train / Giant Bernard (MESHUGGAHNATOR!)
Scotty Flamingo
Jerry Saggs
Matt Stryker
DDP
Billy Kidman
Johnny Polo
Kevin Nash
Lanny Poffo
Randy Savage (BARUCH-ATAH-OOOOH YEAH!)
Missy Hyatt (She's fun at Bar-Miztvahs and weddings)
Michael P.S. Dok Hendrix Hayes (Ditto)
Raven
Marc Mero (how he kept the yarmulke on during the Merosault I'll never know)
Paul Heyman
Boris & Dean Malenko (known for a very traditional and orthodox style of Judiasm)
Unfortunately…we also have one ROH black sheep in the family:
Rob Feinstein (lol I'll pretend you said Easter)
A full list of Jewish Wrestlers can be found here.
New Features Coming Next Week
I'm set to take on some new column features next week, doing a bit of reshuffling with the Column of Honor to keep things fresh and all that. After all, I've got to keeping it working hard to maintain my spot on the 411 roster (and in the hearts and minds of women, children and internet readers all across the land). So that all begins next week, with this bit of tease:
What is the Ring of Shame? Find out…Next Week!
Brooklyn!
--Ari--
