Column of Honor: 06.10.06
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 06.10.2006
Destinies revealed ($4.99 / min), Jeff Hardy is shamed, and hard sells for the ROH Milestone Series.
With all my heart and soul, I love Ring of Honor…and if you've been watching the Milestone Series DVDs, then you know exactly why. A warning then, the first and last third of this column is going to be very RAH RAH sis boom bah for ROH (i.e. cheerleading and homerism)…but don't worry, in between the Oreo cookies of homerism there is a creamy filling of bitter vitriol and criticisms. Mmmm, creamy bitterness…
ROH Results: Destiny, East Windsor, CT June 3rd, 2006 Matches
-Davey Richards defeated Jimmy Rave via pinfall with a side-Jay Driller.
-: Shane Hagadorn won the Top of the Class Trophy by defeating Derrick Dempsey via submission
-Sara Del Ray defeated. Daizee Haze via pinfall in a SHIMMER attraction match.
-Colt Cabana defeated Jason Blade, Adam Pearce, & Delirious in a four corner survival match. Cabana now has an ROH World Title match in Chicago on June 24th.
-Christopher Daniels defeated BJ Whitmer via pinfall with an Angel's Wings / BME combination.
-Shingo Takagi defeated Ricky Reyes via pinfall.
-ROH World Champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson retained his title by defeating Homicide via referee stoppage (repeated elbows to the head).
-ROH Tag Team Champions Austin Aries & Roderick Strong retained the title by defeating Jay & Mark Briscoe via pinfall.
Angles and Issues
Destiny Denied: Both The Briscoes AND Homicide did not win titles in their respective matches. The hype was big on having a title change at this event, but by the end of the night, we have the same champions intact as we did at the close of 2005.
Richards Shocks The World: In his debut match for ROH, Davey Richards impressed a lot of people (as expected) and got the upset win against Jimmy Rave. This immediately positions Richards as someone to watch in future ROH events.
Offered: Joe's hand to shake to…HOMICIDE? Of all people, Samoa Joe has decided to forgive Homicide's actions back in 2004 and 2005 when the two had a very bitter rivalry. Homicide burned Joe with a fireball, tried to choke him out various times with a noose and then in 2005 he and The Rottweilers went after his protégé Jay Lethal. Yet, Joe decided to offer his hand to Homicide in support before the title match. Joe's rivalry with the American Dragon apparently takes prescience over any long standing issues with the Notorious 187.
Homicide Flips the Switch: Homicide was livid at the referee stoppage and when Lt. Commissioner Adam Pearce came out, there was a chance the match could be restarted. Well after Pearce talked to Jim Cornette on the phone (allegedly) and said the referee's decision would stand
Generation Next No More: I'm sure the people who just purchased the new Generation Next "The Dominant Force" T-Shirt from a few months ago will be extremely happy with this news. After the tag team match between Gen Next…er, Aries and Strong and The Briscoes, Aries decided that the Generation Next name no longer applies to them now that they did what they wanted to accomplish in ROH and that was to take the top spots in the company. At least the name has been thrown away, although we don't know about the future of the group.
Prophecy Reconciled: Whitmer before and after the match stated that he had come to the realization that since his issue with CZW, he knows what true hate is all about. He emphatically stated that he did not hate Daniels. That statement in the beginning of the match hurt the heat for what was supposed to be a "Grudge match" between the two, but the real story is what happened after the match, when Daniels and Whitmer shook hands and officially reconciled their differences. They even gave The Prophecy signal. That may or may not mean a rebirth of The Prophecy down the line, but for now, it was just a symbol of peace exchanged between two men with a shared history.
Dragon Attacks Joe: In the chaotic aftermath of the ROH World title match, American Dragon chop blocked Joe, solidifying his position in this rivalry as the heel and giving Joe a real legitimate issue against Dragon besides taking the ROH World Title from him.
Destiny Applied: So what role did Destiny have to play in this event? It was the destiny of many individuals to put their pasts to rest. Whitmer and Daniels reconciled, Joe and Homicide seemingly ended their beef, and Generation Next is not "next" anymore.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 6/10/2006
ROH World Champion—American Dragon Bryan Danielson (champion since 9/17/05, 20 successful defenses)*
ROH PURE Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 8/29/05, 12 successful defenses)*
ROH Tag Team Champions—Austin Aries and Roderick Strong (champions since 12/17/05, 9 successful defenses)
*4/29/06 champion v. champion match results in no title change and therefore should be considered successful defenses of the respective titles.
ROH News (via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed
WARFARE Samoa Joe, Adam Pearce, BJ Whitmer & Ace Steel are calling out CZW for July 15th in Philadelphia. We want a CZW team in STEEL CAGE WARFARE when ROH returns to Philly. Are you going to answer the challenge CZW? We dare you to give us an answer this Saturday when you return to Philadelphia for a "Strictly CZW" show. We want the fans to go to this show so you will be forced to give us an answer.
May I just say…OH HELL YES! While it's surprising to see this match come up so quickly (I expected this and Cage of Death in December would close out the CZW war), the hatred and the intensity of the issue certainly calls for the need of this type of match. Wargames matches always get the blood boiling—two factions fighting against each other in an environment bred for violence and only one side comes out the winner. Who wouldn't love that? The Steel Cage Warfare match between The Embassy and Generation Next at the self titled event back in December was an awesome and fitting conclusion to an intense feud. A thought strikes me that perhaps CZW will decline the offer, knowing ROH's reputation in that match—or perhaps counter offering for the Cage of Death in their own environment. With the no ropes barbed wire match between BJ Whitmer and Necro Butcher and American Dragon's open title match against a CZW wrestler, the war is continuing to move along at a break-neck pace (perhaps literally).
Homicidal Negotiations Homicide has been MIA since walking out of last night's show. We hope to have an update on him and if he is really done with ROH this week in the ROHwrestling.com Newswire. Homicide feels he was ripped off in the finish of the World Title match last Saturday and quit the promotion. He didn't even return to the locker room as he walked straight out the front door from the ring after the match.
ROH officials had a long discussion with Homicide. ROH officials have promised Homicide an open contract for any match he wants on 6/17 in Manhattan. Homicide said he will return to New York City because it is his hometown and his people. Homicide will still wrestle Claudio Castagnoli on 6/23 in Detroit. In exchange, Homicide will receive a title shot in Chicago on 6/24. Since Colt Cabana is already scheduled to go after the World Title in Chicago, Homicide will receive a shot at Nigel McGuiness for the Pure Title on 6/24. Can Homicide finally win his first ever ROH Title?
Homicide's stability and loyalty to ROH is the wild card of the CZW war. It's quite the drama actually—will Homicide be around when the home team really needs him? Officials having to appease Homicide by throwing title shots his way and allowing him to challenge anyone he wants is great—but how much can they offer him before he finally tells them to fuck off for good? This will be an especially valid question if he gets screwed continually by referees and officials, whether it is intentional or not.
KENTA Losing Out KENTA lost the GHC Jr. Title last week in NOAH. This makes the one fall, non-title three-way on 6/17 even more interesting. It will be arguably the three best wrestlers in the world in one match. Right now everyone is trying to pick a winner in the match pitting ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe vs. KENTA. Since KENTA no longer holds a belt this frees him up to go after the ROH World Title. KENTA has already defeated Danielson once. Danielson has stated that NOAH already used their contract for a title match last December so KENTA will not get a title match. If KENTA scores a fall over Danielson again on 6/17 he is definitely due a World Title shot and Danielson won't be able to deny that. The issue between Danielson and Samoa Joe escalated last weekend when Danielson chop blocked Joe's bad knee. If you saw the "Best In The World" tag bout with Joe and KENTA on opposite teams, you know about the intense rivalry between these athletes. Everyone in this match has an issue with each other. Who can claim to be the greatest competitor in ROH?
Well, this has NOT been the best week ever for KENTA—losing the GHC Jr. title and losing out on the potential for a future title match—unless he comes up with some big wins in his upcoming tour of shows. Thee is a lot that KENTA can do here in ROH—many US wrestlers to put him up against. I have a feeling one of the two matches he has on 8/4 and 8/5 that haven't been filled yet may end up being that title match against Dragon or whoever the champion will be at that time.
Generation Justification ROH Tag Team Champions Austin Aries & Roderick Strong surprised everyone when they dropped the Generation Next name. Aries and Strong felt that the name didn't apply to them anymore. The original goal of Gen Next was for four upcomers to get aggressive about taking all the spots and getting to the main event. All the members of Gen Next, especially Aries & Strong, have accomplished that so the name simply doesn't apply to them anymore. We are not sure if Aries & Strong will remain a faction with Jack Evans and Matt Sydal. We also don't know how Evans and Sydal will react to the name being dropped. We will have to wait until Evans and Sydal return to ROH on July 28th in Dayton to find out what Evans and Sydal think of this whole situation.
Again, it was a bit of a shock to hear that Gen Next was dissolved (at least thus far in name only), but the explanation is pretty reasonable and logical. Really, shouldn't they be able to just call themselves Generation Now or something like that and it would be good enough? Maybe Sydal and Evans take offense at the dissolution of the group and go after the tag titles together.
Davey Richards Has a Rocket Strapped to His Ass (OWWWWWCH!) We have two huge matches to announce for "Death Before Dishonor IV" on July 15th in Philadelphia. Davey Richards made a very successful ROH debut last Saturday when he defeated one of ROH's biggest stars in Jimmy Rave. Now Richards is focused on another ROH veteran and a special challenge match has been signed for 7/15. It will be AJ Styles vs. Davey Richards in Philly!!!
We have another big match to announce for 6/17 in Manhattan when ROH returns to the New Yorker in Manhattan. It will be a rematch from last Saturday as Jimmy Rave will face Davey Richards. Rave states that he is a ROH veteran and he is not going to let a newcomer like Richards make his name at Rave's expense. Rave has challenged for a rematch and Richards has accepted. Can Richards make it two in a row against an established ROH star like Rave?
Davey Richards, mark my words, will be HUGE in ROH. His match against Styles is going to be a big test to see if he can cut it and be a big draw for the company. I think he can do it.
Many More Matches Made Known Chicago's own Colt Cabana will challenge whoever is the World Champion when ROH returns to Chicago Ridge, IL at the Frontier Fieldhouse on 6/24. Can Cabana win the big one in his hometown?
ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness has announced his partner for 6/17 in NYC. It will be McGuinness and his former rival Colt Cabana challenging Roderick Strong & Austin Aries for the Tag Titles!!! Of course, Aries & Strong must first make it past this Saturday in Florida. Could Cabana leave NYC a double champion?
Dragon Gate's Shingo Takagi impressed last Saturday. Now there will be another ROH vs. Dragon Gate Challenge Match on 7/15 in Philly. It will be Takagi vs. Delirious!!!
ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson has an open contract to defend the belt against an English competitor on either the August 12th event in Liverpool or August 13th event at the Broxbourne Civic Hall.
Colt's getting a huge title push now, challenging for the World and Tag titles…guess he worked his way back up the ladder really fast. He remains a strong contender…but I don't think he'll take the title away from Dragon on the 24th. My guess is that he will give a much longer and stronger showing this time as opposed to his five minutes at The 100th Show. McGuinness is also getting a very strong push, not just as the long standing and impressive run as PURE champion, but now as being considered as a threat to the ROH World and Tag Team titles. Interesting that he would pick Cabana as his partner a man who was a rival for much of 2005. I guess opportunity makes strange bedfellows, fellows. Delirious has shown in the last few months that he has the ability to win at any moment and taking a loss will not hurt him. My hope is that Takagi puts him over but I doubt it. Dragon going to the UK to defend the ROH title I would say is a definite as his run as champ is legitimate and he is looked at as strong in his current "Best In The World" character.
Honorable Impact Attention ROH fans in Florida!!! There will be a ROH style show this Saturday in Orlando, FL when Full Impact Pro presents "Impact Of Honor" at the Downtown Orlando Recreation Center. The event will feature a Bryan Danielson ROH World Title defense against an opponent that will be named later today and a ROH Tag Title match as Austin Aries & Roderick Strong defend vs. Fast & Furious of Jay Fury & Jerrelle Clark plus Davey Richards vs. Shingo Takagi and much more. FIP is in Inverness, FL on Friday as Danielson defends the FIP Heavyweight Title against Sal Rinauro and Takagi takes on Erick Stevens. Check FullImpactPro.com for all the building and ticket info. There will be tickets available at the door on both nights.
The new ROH Video Recap is up at ROHvideos.com. If you saw the backstage confrontation between ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson and Colt Cabana on the new Recap, then you know the surprising news. Cabana will not have to wait until June 24th in Chicago to get a ROH World Title shot. It will be Danielson vs. Cabana for the ROH World Title this Saturday when FIP presents "Impact Of Honor" in Orlando, FL.
Let's not forget how awesome Dragon is that he can be an effective champion for not one, but TWO promotions…albeit two sister promotions yes. Again we're seeing some blending between the companies even though each has separate and distinct personas for the same wrestlers…sort of like the mirror universe in Star Trek. And I know the name "Fast and Furious" is based off of that horrible series of movies, but I still mark out for the name…it fits Clark and Fury like a glove.
Honorable Commitments Jay & Mark Briscoe have committed to be on every ROH show this year. The Briscoes have challenged Austin Aries & Roderick Strong to defend the Tag Titles against them one more time. Do The Briscoes deserve another shot at the belts?
Davey Richards made a huge impression in his ROH debut last week. You can check out highlights in the new ROH Video Recap. Richards has signed on for every ROH event this year. He will also be a regular in FIP.
It's kind of weird how The Briscoes choose to no-show a bunch of matches in PWG and some other indies, but they've committed to every ROH show for the rest of the year. Will they start no-showing ROH? Look, I know they're talented and in the ring I think they're great, but when you make bookings, you need to make the commitment to appear at them. Richard's commitment to ROh is a no-brainer given the hype and reaction to him. He's tailor made for ROH.
DANGER! Lacey vs. Allison Danger from last Saturday's preshow is up at ROHvideos.com. Watch this women's match for free!!!
Haven't had to time to see this match yet because I've been busy writing the column, but for Lacey and especially Allison, I'll watch it ASAP. You should too—FREE MATCHES! Not only that but FREE (GOOD) WOMEN'S MATCHES!
Christian To RETURN? Christopher Daniels surprised everyone with his challenge in the new ROH Video Recap at ROHvideos.com. We will have a follow up to this next week.
And finally we end with this news item…the name was not officially dropped in the newswire but it is Christian Cage who is being challenged by Christopher Daniels for a one on one match sometime down the road…perhaps at 8/4 in Long Island, where Cage made his (then one time) appearance. This announcement then led to a while freaking thread of bitching by some ROH fans who just HAVE to whine about Cage and every other non-ROH wrestler from TNA or formerly from WWE who they feel does not belong or is worthy / deserving enough to wrestle in front of them in an ROH ring (see below for the Ring of Shame). Bitches, PLEASE. Stop being such hyper-analytical whiny douchebags. So what if Cage isn't on the same level as "American Dragon" when it comes to work rate…Cage can contribute plenty in other areas. Plus he's got a hell of a chemistry with Colt Cabana, and I'd love to see that continue at some point. And for those complaining that Daniels vs. Christian is a "TNA" match, I laugh—hahhahahaha do I laugh at you. We're not going to get Daniels vs. Christian in TNA for quite a while and not for the foreseeable future. This is a unique, first time match up. It's also a great fit of two characters and it will be great to see this
Your Mid Column Olay
source: tnawrestling.com
OLAY OLAY OLAY OLAY….
OLAY, OLAY…
OLAY! OLAY, OLAY, OLAY…
OLAY, OLAY…
This has been your Mid Column Olay!
Short Takes
-Jimmy Yang was dressed up as a cowboy wearing a confederate flag in a dark match against Tatanka at the WWE vs. ECW Head to Head show. So that means recent ROH wrestlers who have gone to WWE have been cowboys, pit bulls, and really dorky guys who wear really creepy masks. Good work there, WWE. Well, at least he isn't dressed up in a crown and claiming to be a Ghana prince. Oh wait.
-DAH EM BAH SEE!
-I'll admit it…I've ordered an Alex Shelley T-Shirt. The war is officially over. I can't compete with Shelley in the verbal war, so if you can't beat ‘em, join ‘em
-So Low Ki ended up being the man who knocked Jim Cornette's tooth out…eh. Okay I guess-it does set up the reason for why Ki isn't coming back and why The Rottweilers are down one man. Really though it should have been one of the CZW guys who was revealed to have done the deed so Corny could have sent Pearce or Steel after them for some revenge. Why put heat on someone who isn't with the company anymore?
-Lance Storm vs. American Dragon...watch it. Now. If anyone ever says that either man is boring in the ring, show them this match. Well, first slap them upside the head with the DVD box, THEN show the match. While this was Storm's first match since June of 2005, it looked like he has been wrestling constantly since then. He did not lose a step, in fact he actually GAINED a few, showing off some great reversals and grapples out of Dragon's submission moves. I'm really impressed with Storm in this match and hope he considers seriously the possibility of doing some more work with ROH and its wrestlers.
The Ring of Shame
While I remain one of the more positive Ring of Honor homers on this here website, I have to admit…sometimes ROH has gotten it wrong. While I usually choose to look on the sunny side of all things honorable, once a month I will take a look at an incident or a match that has occurred in Ring of Honor that…well, wasn't quite honorable. In fact, these incidents are far from what I expect out of Ring of Honor, but more like a company that was named…Ring of Shame. Hence, I give to you the column of honor equivalent of Wrestlecrap, the headshaking, fist wagging, embarrassing moments in ROH history, all bound together in one volume known as The Ring of Shame.
By the governing body of the New York State Honorability Commission, elected into the Ring of Shame for June 2006:
Jeff Hardy Comes to ROH (Death Before Dishonor, July 19th, 2003)
…and gets BOOED out of the building, to finish that title.
You see, even though Ring of Honor had a reputation early on in its life as bringing in the best of the independent scene, it was almost right from the start that many "name" talents appeared, especially those who were known for their time in the WWE. Of course these star appearances began with Eddie Guerrero on the first show, but before long other once and former (or even current) "superstars" would be appearing in ROH. Raven came in and had his great run with CM Punk. ECW alum and WWE office honcho Tommy Dreamer made several special and surprise appearances, blowing the roof off the place in Phily. He also made an incredibly memorable appearance at Death Before Dishonor I, assisting Raven in gaining vengeance on CM Punk by forcing the Straight Edge hero to drink (gasp!) beer. The (at the time) record crowd in Elizabeth, New Jersey gave a thunderous reaction to that moment. Earlier in the night, they gave a less than thunderous reaction to one other former WWE wrestler, a man who at that point (and even still) was mired in controversy. That man was none other than Jeff Hardy.
In the Hardy Boyz book that was released around 2003, Jeff explained his passion for many other interests including his band. The rumor going around the internet at the time was that Hardy had lost his passion for wrestling—that he had lost his confidence in the ring. There were also rumor (well, mostly just fans and IWC writers engaging in sensationalism) of drug abuse / addiction. No one really knew what the deal was with Hardy or when he would resurface. When Ring of Honor announced Hardy's appearance in New Jersey, his presence became one of the focal points for the show. What kind of condition would he be in—would he wrestle a decent match?
Well, the answers would soon be revealed…and they would go on to live in company infamy forever. Hardy's match was to be a Triple Threat match with good friend (ECW alum and current WWE wrestler / victim of MNMs breakup) Joey Matthews and… Krazy K. Krazy K was a trainee of Jeff Hardy who Hardy wanted to show off. It would be safe to say that Krazy K was not indeed "krazy" (with a K, in the same vein as Hardy Boyz was always spelled with a "z"). In fact, he looked quite indie-rrific, sporting a baseball jersey with the number "69" (how droll), trademark indie vinyl pants and a doorag. Hooo-rah.
From the very moment that Matthews left the ring, something unique and unexplainable happened. The crowd started to boo…well not just boo, but they booed vociferously. Then the chants: Fuck You Hardy… CLAP, CLAP, CLAP CLAP CLAP. While it was just a few fans near the hard camera at first…the number of people chanting that phrase would grow as the match wore on. In fact the turn in the crowd's reaction seemed organic, as if the 1,000 people in attendance had unconsciously decided that they wanted to boo this man. Hardy had no chance. He was a dead man walking…eer, running weirdly around the ring
In an entrance that cried "pure spectacle" or perhaps a desperate cry for help, Hardy entered…dressed up as his former independent gimmick Will O the Wisp. Let me repeat, Hardy did not dress up in his WWE gear, as many had been accustomed to, but as a relatively unheralded costume gimmick character he had invented in Cameron, NC. He eventually did take the mask off during the match, but it did no good. With Hardy shucking and jiving in costume and doing his spastic motions around the ring, the boos increased in mass, like a heavy fog of noise coming over the Rex Plex. Only scattered female screams broke the wave. People were not impressed. In fact, the booing was so bad, it HAD to be acknowledged by Chris Lovey on commentary.
Being the daredevil talent that he was, maybe Hardy could have turned things around had he wrestled a clean, crisp and exciting match. Unfortunately the notion that any of the above descriptions would occur was blown the moment Hardy attempted to run and jump onto the turnbuckles for his entrance. He lost his footing and slipped, catching himself by sitting on the third rope. He may have nearly fell over the turn buckles onto the floor had he not caught himself. It was a momentary slip up that the fans wasted no time to jump on…chanting the famous "You Fucked Up!" slogan at him. It would not be the last time this would occur.
Other chants during the match: "You Got Fired!" and "We Want Matt!" Oh how ironic that would be when the ROH crowd would also somewhat turn on Hardy in his three matches for ROH—what does the Ring of Honor crowd have against the Hardyz?
And as for the match—well it was not so good. In fact, the less said about it the better. Blown spots, sloppy spots, gassed wrestlers and boos, boos, boos. Not even Joey Matthews could get this match back on track. Sure, the crowd cheered at some of the crazy flying high spots, but the overall general atmosphere was incredibly negative. The biggest babyface reaction was when Matthews pushed Hardy from the top turnbuckle to the floor. Hardy crashed down in a heap—the crowd, almost electric in their response; "YAY!"
To Hardy's credit, he handled himself like a professional—he went out there and performed his match. He took in the reaction of the crowd and dealt with it. In fact, by the time this match was over, I felt extremely sympathetic for Hardy. Any stand up comedian will tell you that no one wants to bomb during their performance. It's a heartbreaking and traumatic moment. I believe many professional wrestlers would tell you the same. Regardless of that whole "the audience has the right to cheer or to boo" whoever they want, no one wants to be booed. A person's ego can only be hurt to such an extent before they crack. Like John Cena nowadays in the WWE—the fans at Ring of Honor could boo all they want, but they could not make Jeff Hardy crack. Still, Hardy's appearance and the crowd's reaction to him will forever live in the Ring of Shame.
**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 Fourth Anniversary Show (Generation Next / Styles & Sydal, Danielson / Rave, Homicide / Cabana Ghetto Fight, CZW all out brawl)
**ROH Best In The World (KENTA/ &Marifuji / Joe & Dragon, Strong & Evans / Briscoes, Shelley / Daniels, Shimmer 4 Way)
**ROH Dragon Gate Challenge (Daniels / Joe, Generation Next / Blood Generation, Styles & Sydal / Dragon Kid & Horiguchi)
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2005 (2 DISC) (Steen/Dragon, Styles/Evans, Dragon/Reyes, Romero/Kazarian and tons more) (NEW ADDITION)
I'm not even done watching this two night event, but I am ready to put in on the list as an immediate recommendation. This was a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show that obviously took place last year (early September to be exact), but I've been trying to catch up on shows from that time period. This is a two night tournament featuring some awesome talents including Danielson (returning sans beard and sans baldness), Daniels, Romero, Reyes, Frankie Kazarian, AJ Styles, Jack Evans, Arrogance of Scott Lost and Chris Bosh, Quicksilver, Joey Ryan, James Gibson (at the time the ROH champion), Davey Richards, Kevin Steen, Super Dragon and El Generico (OLE!) There are some very unique match ups here including Ryan vs. Gibson and great Styles vs. Evans match. Plus you get some excellent non-tournament matches featuring Chris Sabin, Human Tornado, Excalibur and Disco Machine. PLUS—Samoa Joe and Nosawa vs. Kikutaro and Top Gun Talwar in a comedy special! And a PWG regular who had been MIA returns to exact some vengeance. This is just an incredibly fun tournament and a great buy, especially if you can get the two nights of shows together.
One of the little things that really puts the show over the top is the intro screen and match line-ups. They're done alla WWE and TNA style--full motion as opposed to static shots. The art design is awesome as well, a beautiful-gritty style. Full motion bumpers are a rarity on independent promotion releases—hell, even Ring of Honor doesn't do them—so to find this on the PWG DVD is a nice little bonus. Of course, it really wouldn't matter if the quality of the wrestling wasn't there, but fortunately it is. Definite recommendation for pick up.
** ROH SUPERCARD of Honor (Danielson / Strong III, Do Fixer / Blood Generation, AJ Styles & Matt Sydal / Austin Aries & Jack Evans, Joe / Jacobs / Daniels) (NEW ADDITION)
**ROH Better Than Our Best (the whole damn card. No really, the whole damn card. ) (NEW ADDITION)
Many ROH fans on the message board were proclaiming these shows as some of the best of all time and now that they are available for purchase I can say that claim is…the absolute truth. You all have by now probably read all of the praise for Supercard, but I think very soon everyone is going to be talking about Better Than Our Best as well. From the very first match—the Six Man Mayhem between Jacobs, Irish Airborne, Sydal, Evans and Steel—through the main event of Homicide and Cabana in the Chicago Street Fight, we're talking about one of the best cards put together since Manhattan Mayhem. Everything flows together from one moment to the next—Delirious's win, the Embassy vs. Do Fixer six man tag, the great Four Corner Survival where everyone comes off as a star, the Generation Next title defense against Blood Generation, the return of Lance Storm in one of Storm's finest outings ever, everything zooms by so fast that by the time it was over I wanted it to keep going (just like the much heralded DG six man match from Supercard). Better Than Our Best is one of the most fun roller coaster ride shows this year; an easy candidate for show of the year.
And as a bonus, just to let you all in on the massive amount of shows on my "to be watched" list, here is a list of purchases from the last few months that I have not been able to watch yet.
SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 3
FIP Heatstroke Night 2
FIP Big Year One Bash Night 1
ROH Secrets of the Ring with Raven Vol. 5
ROH The 100th Show
IWC Super Indy V
Hardcore Homecoming: November Reign (Platnium Edition)
PWG All Star Weekend 2 (Electric Boogaloo) Night One
That is just a shitload of wrestling videos to watch, not to mention all the stuff I have to keep up with live, like TNA, Ultimate Fighter, whenever I catch a second or two (and no more) of WWE programming and even the new ECW show, PLUS all the work I have to do at say…I dunno…MY JOB…well, it's really hard to play catch up with my wrestling purchases…especially when I keep making more purchases. Let's just say I may soon be found dead in the living room from an overdose of wrestling programming. My eyes will be rolled in the back of my head, my mouth will have some dried drool and in my hand will be my DVD remote and a bag of Cheetos. Scratch that, I wouldn't be caught dead holding a bag of Cheetos…it would more likely be Doritos or Sun Chips.
Excuse me; I have to go make sure my affairs are in order.
ROH @ 411
If you don't believe my recommendation or those of Meltzer, Alvarez, Mitchell and Johnson) about Supercard of Honor, then Zeigler and Garoon's review…probably won't turn your opinion either. Oh what the hell are you waiting for…go and buy the DVD already! But read the review anyway and as Bartles and James once said, thanks for the support.
I dunno if I linked it last week but just in case Dragon Gate Challenge is also worth your time and money.
Revisit Samoa Joe's landmark Ring of Honor Title victory with J.D. Dunn's review of Night of Champions and the VERY landmark London-Danielson match at The Epic Encounter..
Brad goes solo with a review of the ladies ofSHIMMER and FIP Payback (Cabana vs. Punk).
Honor Bound Links That Was Then goes back to where just about everyone else is nowadays in WWE, 1998.
Okay, time to book it as it's going to be an extremely busy weekend—my cousins are coming down to the City from Albany and then we've got the ECW pay per view that we're probably gonna watch. I've also got a bunch of tests to mark and then final grades to determine for my students before the semester is out. TESTS! No one likes a Test! See you next week with a preview of the 6/17 New Yorker Hotel show (Danielson v. KENTA v. Joe) and much more. BROOKLYN!
--Ari--
