Column of Honor 07.08.06: Death Before Column of Dishonor
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 07.08.2006
Austin Aries and make up, Gabe Sapolsky and main events, CM Punk and July 4th havoc and Delirious and Delirious.
What's up everyone? It's been a quasi busy week for me as my lazy ass was dragged out to take that five hour driving course (being an NYC commuter all my life, driving isn't exactly necessary) and boy what an experience that turned out to be—especially as a wrestling fan and understanding what a "work" is all about. Half of that time was an advertisement for driving lessons and working people for more money! It's like going to the Coney Island freak show, getting charged for entry and then being asked for more money to get on stage to see the contortionist inside the box with twenty four saws sticking into her! Freaking carnies.
Anyways, I ended up busting my big toe on my left foot (facing me)—I don't know how. Meanwhile it's been giving me annoying (but not life threatening obviously) levels of pain and somehow I can't walk properly. Well, at least humans don't type with their toes—but if I was a monkey I might be in trouble.
Last item before we get underway. Next week is the One Year Anniversary Column. You might notice a pattern of me sometimes naming columns based upon Ring of Honor show names (this column and "Final Column" for instance). However, do not expect to see "Survival of the Column of Honor" or "Round Robin Column"—both names have been passed on. Also there will never, EVER be a Dragon Column B—you have my word on that. But don't complain when "Column of How We Roll Honor" and "In Your Face Column of Honor" show up sometime soon—those are GREAT column names!
On with the show!
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 7/08/2006
ROH World Champion—American Dragon Bryan Danielson (champion since 9/17/05, 24 successful defenses)*, **
ROH PURE Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 8/29/05, 14 successful defenses)*
ROH Tag Team Champions—Austin Aries and Roderick Strong (champions since 12/17/05, 10 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.
**Dragon makes successful defense of ROH title at ETW promotion in Texas on 6/10/06.
ROH News (via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed
Article with Austin Aries / Aries comments on his web site Winona Daily News did a feature on Austin Aries (a.k.a. WAIT A MINUTE DON'T CLICK IF YOU DON'T WANT ARIES'S REAL NAME TO BE SPOILED). It's a very interesting human interest (classroom of redundancy classroom) piece and a welcome positive story on wrestling in that there are relatively few insults about the business. You'll read about Aries interests before wrestling, his decision to become a wrestler, and a very realistic take on the cost of wrestling on his body.
Aries also made some very interesting comments on his own web page austinaries.com, specifically that he would be returning to TNA very shortly. Of course Aries has spent about four months now on "indefinite suspension" (what-EV) because he dared to fulfill his booking commitments, but hey, more work is more $ and if TNA has finally decided to bring him back in, they're doing something SMART for once. Of course they then had to go ahead and release Roderick Strong, but from what I've read around the net it seems Strong had wanted to leave anyway. Still, looks like TNA fans will NOT be getting the goodness of Aries and Strong in tag team action, which means only ROH fans know how truly great they have become as a tag team in the last year.
Aries also mentions he was in a "Cover Girl" commercial with former Felicity star Keri Russell. I don't know man---maybe he's taking that "Macho Man" Randy Aries persona from TNA a bit too seriously now that he resigned? Maybe he's just giving Russell a brainbuster or something. One can hope.
Interview with Gabe Sapolsky
The Observer posted a recap of an interview with ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky from WrestleMag.com. Check it out here. Some of the major items of note stemming from the interview:
-Gabe defends his booking policy of not always putting the ROH title match as the main event (a policy he's really had since day one).
-Discusses the UK tour, the possibility of another one down the line.
-Talks about who he'd like to see in the ring from the past up against the ROH champions.
-Gives his thoughts on how TNA books Joe, Homicide and Alex Shelley
-Gives some very interesting thoughts on the booking of Mick Foley and how he knew it would be a risk to try the Joe-Foley program.
How KENTA Got His Groove Back August 4th in Long Island will see KENTA team with Davey Richards to take on Jay & Mark Briscoe.
On August 5th in Edison, NJ KENTA will really get to test Richards. It will be KENTA vs. Davey Richards. The newcomer Richards has already proved himself against Jimmy Rave. On August 5th he will be faced with the biggest match of his life.
Well, these two matches certainly put KENTA in a different direction than his main event programs with Joe and Danielson. It looks like the Japanese hard hitter is rubbing a ton people the wrong way, including The Briscoes. KENTA vs. Richards will be an unique match –certainly high quality, but this is more clearly a measure to see how Richards stacks up against one of the best in the world. He's getting a ton of opportunities to prove himself in ROH, including the match with Styles on 7/15.
ROH comments on Kobashi NOAH announced last week that the legendary Kenta Kobashi has been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Kenta Kobashi gave ROH one of the most memorable and historic weekend's in company history. ROH was fortunate enough to bring Mr. Kobashi to New York City for "Joe vs. Kobashi" featuring the five star Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi match and to Philadelphia at "Unforgettable" for the epic tag featuring Kobashi & Homicide vs. Samoa Joe & Low Ki. ROH officials were in negotiations to bring Mr. Kobashi back to ROH later this year for a rematch against Samoa Joe. However, we have been told that Mr. Kobashi will never make another trip to the United States again. It looks like 10/1/05 and 10/2/05 will go down in history as the highest profile matches of Mr. Kobashi's career in the United States. It was truly an honor to have hosted these bouts. We hope Mr. Kobashi a speedy recovery and we are sure he will return to the ring in Japan at somepoint. It has been proven that this man is a warrior and will win the battle with cancer.
So, along with the well wishes, we get confirmation that there were plans for a rematch between Joe and Kobashi. While it's certainly disappointing to know we will not get to see this match again in all likelihood—you really can't blame NOAH officials or Kobashi himself for their perspective on this situation. Although recent news suggest that the operation to remove the cancer was successful, it's still a long ways away from the end of the battle.
Death Before Dishonor IV News and Views One more match has been signed for 7/15 in Philadelphia. It will be a first ever match pitting Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Irish Airborne. Can Irish Airborne's exciting high-flying style earn them the biggest victory of their career?
Chris Hero showed his hand in his latest live journal entry at ChrisHero.com. Hero announced that Nate Webb would be the fourth member of his team for Cage Of Death on 7/15 in Philadelphia. However, Hero then raised the stakes and said that the CZW team would have a mystery fifth member. This means that the ROH team of Samoa Joe, BJ Whitmer, Adam Pearce and Ace Steel will now need another member. ROH Commissioner Jim Cornette, who will make his return to ROH on 7/15, has already tried to contact Homicide about being the fifth member. However, Homicide is not returning any calls to Cornette or anyone else in the ROH offiices. Homicide walked out of the company after his controversial countout loss in a Pure Title Match on the last show. One thing has been proven and that is that ROH needs Homicide to fight CZW and Homicide is the only one on the ROH side to have any success against the CZW wrestlers. We will have more on the Homicide situation in the upcoming days.
We have more major news on Cage Of Death. Cornette has signed legendary manager JJ Dillon to be a consultant to the ROH side since COD will have a similar format to the old War Games matches in NWA. Dillon brings years of experience with this type of format to the ROH side and will be important in helping ROH devise a strategy. Dillon will also be in charge of the cage door. Dillon and Cornette will both be available for autographs on 7/15 when ROH returns to the National Guard Armory in Philadelphia.
I'm looking forward to The Briscoes vs. Airborne tag match. This is a solid veteran vs. up and coming tag combination match up and could really go along way towards helping Airborne as far as experience and fan acceptance. I feel they set themselves back a bit by their performances (and the fan reaction) to their matches back on June 17th in NYC, but these guys ARE still young after all and could rebound quickly with a good show here.
Now, as far as all the additions to the Cage of Death match…a mystery fifth member, lack of Homicide AND JJ Dillion all added to the equation? I'm starting to feel both queasy and uneasy. As Shakespeare once wrote, "something is rotten in the state of Demarkk." I don't know about you, but I trust Chris Hero about as far as I can throw him…and I trust Dillon even less. Of all people, the former manager of the FOUR HORSEMEN is controlling the cage door? I might have to go back to calling ROH management the Keystone Kops, because they certainly are making less than brilliant decisions about who they trust and put their faith in. Instead of "Katie, bar the door" it will be Dillon barring the door—from ROH wrestlers entering!
More Matches for The Brits
From ROH's page on their UK tour:
The next match for the Liverpool leg of the upcoming ROH UK tour has been announced today. UK wrestling legend and Liverpool's own Robbie Brookside will take on ROH competitor and regular UK visitor Chad Collyer. Brookside and Collyer are no strangers to each other having met multiple times for Brian Dixon's All Star wrestling (also based in Liverpool) where Brookside has always had the home advantage. Although Robbie will have the same advantage this time he is massively disadvantaged by the fact that this will be the first time he has wrestled under Ring of Honor rules and in front of an ROH crowd, a situation where Chad is far more comfortable. If Robbie, the personal favourite UK wrestler of ROH champion Bryan Danielson, can impress here it is almost certain that it will open up the door for him to compete for ROH in the US as a result.
For over 14 years since BBC's highly acclaimed Video Diaries documentary following the former Liverpool lad's quest to conquer America, UK fans have rooted for Williams Regal's former tag tem partner to do just that. However, due to the ever changing nature of the wrestling business the physical demands are now a lot tougher than they were in the early 90's. With this being the case critics claim that time is running out for "The Wildcat" and a win for Collyer here could put an end to what many feel is Brookside's last chance to prove those same critics wrong
Special Attraction
Robbie Brookside Vs Chad Collyer
This match for Liverpool can now be added to the five matches already announced for the show. These matches are:
ROH tag team title match
Austin Aries and Roderick Strong (Champions) Vs Mark and Jay Briscoe
ROH Vs CZW grudge match
Claudio Castagnoli Vs B J Whitmer
ROH tag team title contenders match
Doug Williams and Jody Fleisch Vs Team NOAH
Although the team representing Pro Wrestling NOAH has not yet been announced we can confirm that the winner of this match will receive an ROH tag team title shot the following night at the Broxbourne Civic Halls.
Four corner survival match
Colt Cabana Vs Matt Sydal Vs Jonny Storm Vs Spud
Grudge Match
Davey Richards Vs Jimmy Rave (with Prince Nana)
Also on the card in yet to be announced matches will be:
- ROH World champion Bryan Danielson
- ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuiness and more
Damn these mother fucking press releases can be longwinded. So essentially, what I'm understanding here is that Chad Collyer will once again be doing the favors and Brookside will probably make a few appearances for ROH on American soil in the fall. The under card for this show is shaping up nicely and whenever the two title matches get announced we could have a very noteworthy show on our hands.
Danielson and Cabana To Be Honored ROH stars honoured at UK wrestler reunion
ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson and Colt Cabana will be honoured at the 2006 UK wrestler's reunion. The annual event, which attracts fans and wrestlers from around the globe, is the most respected of its kind in Europe. In an unprecedented move Ring of Honour ambassadors Danielson and Cabana will be honoured for their love and dedication to the UK and its style of wrestling whilst flying the flag in the US and around the world. Both men have left their native country of America to spend prolonged periods in the UK in an attempt to learn the British style of wrestling over the last 3 years. As a result both men are now considered two of the best young wrestlers in the world by the fans and their peers alike.
Spokesman for the reunion Frank Rimmer said yesterday "Even though the reunion has always been about remembering the legends of yesteryear it has become increasingly import to us to introduce new fans to what British Wrestling was and in many cases still is about. Both Bryan and Colt have worked harder than almost all I can think of in the last 5 years to learn our art and expose fans overseas to what makes British wrestling so special. They are both truly great ambassadors for not only their country but for the British style and for that the reunion and its members feel's it is only right to reward them on August 13th and show our appreciation to them just like they have spent the last few years showing their appreciation us"
He continued "Ring of Honour is all about wrestling and is the closet thing the US has to the old World of Sport style. We are flattered that the company itself and its biggest stars are so respectful of the UK style and its wrestlers. To see today's top names idolising wrestlers that were wrestling before most of them were even born is so encouraging for all of us who wish to keep the heritage of the UK scene alive today"
ROH spokesperson Alex Shane commented "This is a huge honour for both the wrestlers in question and ROH itself. This speaks volumes about the fact the Ring of Honor really is a wrestling company that wrestling fans and wrestlers alike, new and old, can be proud of. What a great way to finish off such an exciting weekend in the UK."
The awards will be handed to them by hero's of Cabana and Danielson, Jonny Kid and Jonny Saint respectively. Other stars on hand will include "Rollerball" Mark Rocco, Mick McManus, Pete Roberts, Wayne Bridges, Robbie Brookside, Mal Sanders, Ringo Rigby, "Goldbelt" Brian Maxine, Klondyke Kate, "Butcher" Dave Bond, Bobby Barnes, Mitzi Mueller, Dave Prowse OBE (Darth Vader in Star Wars) and over 350 other guests from the world of wrestling old and new.
The event, which is open to anyone and free of charge, begins at 11am on Sunday August 13th (the day of the ROH Broxbourne event) at:
The Bridges Public House,
Horton Road,
South Darenth,
Kent
(Nearest Train Station Farningham Road BR)
For inquires call: 01322 860 588
Fans are encouraged to come and show your support. The event will be over in time for fans to make it to the Broxbourne Civic Hall in time for the evenings ROH event.
ROH Camera's will be at the event filming the history making ceremony. We hope to see you all there.
Like I said—long winded. Can we get it to under 250 words? Anyway… Danielson and Cabana HAVE done a ton of UK touring over the last two to three years, and really it's helped both men immensely. Cabana especially came back a different wrestler in 2004 after touring England, and his in ring style has really flourished and deepened. Their efforts should be recognized.
Endurance Test Ultimate Endurance is back in August. The rules are simple. There are four teams that compete in an elimination style match. The first fall with all four teams is Tap Out rules only. The second fall with the three remaining teams will be under Tag Team Scramble rules. The final fall with the remaining two teams will be for the Tag Titles. If Aries & Strong lose the Tag Titles on 7/9 in Japan, the final fall will be Anything Goes.
8/4 in Long Island at Sports Plus will see an Ultimate Endurance featuring ROH Tag Team Champions Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. The Embassy vs. BJ Whitmer & Adam Pearce vs. The Rottwielers (we aren't sure of who will be on The Rottweiler team due to Homicide being MIA, but we do know Ricky Reyes will be on the team).
8/5 in Edison, NJ will see the second Ultimate Endurance of the weekend. It will have ROH Tag Team Champions Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Matt Sydal & Jack Evans vs. Irish Airborne.
I'm exceedingly impressed by the booking of these two matches, especially the one on 8/5. That particular match features three regular tag teams who have been getting constant attention, as well as Sydal finding what may end up being his perfect partner in former Generation Next stable mate Jack Evans! This could lead to quite a few Gen Next vs. Gen Next tag title matches and I would be fine with that.
Cabana vs. Nigel set for 7/28 Dayton It will be an old feud renewed as Nigel McGuinness will wrestle Colt Cabana and if Nigel is still Pure Champion the belt will be on the line. Nigel & Cabana recently teamed, but neither liked the result. Now they will have one last match and the Pure Title could be at stake!!!
It has been eleven months since their last match at Night of the Grudges II but it will be a fresh match if it ends up being for the PURE title.
Bus Trip from Boston to Death…Dress Lightly BostonBusTrips will be running a trip to the ROH/CZW Cage of Death show in Philly. The cost of the trip is $75 and includes Rental of the bus/tip for the driver, GA admission Ticket, First entry to the building before the doors open to the public, Special Meet and great, Rare cd from ROHWayne, ROH's sound guy with rare and exclusive tracks, and some surprises along the way. Pickups so far are the Dorchester Armory and one pickup off of I-84 in CT. Email MikeMongoose@gmail.com for information.
Sounds like a good deal all around—I'm heading into Philly on one of these bus trip thingies. At the least I'd recommend looking into it if you have transportation issues but are obsessed with seeing CZW vs. ROH in the CAGE OF DEATH!
Rare Styles AJ Styles is looking forward to his ROH return next week when he comes to Philadelphia on 7/15 to take on Davey Richards. Philadelphia has waited a long time to see what Richards brings to the table and he is sure to be pushed to the limit by Styles. This will be a rare ROH appearance for AJ as he is booked for this event and 8/4 in Long Island. Styles will not return to ROH until December after these dates.
It's a bit of a disappointment to realize Styles is being booked as a "special attraction" and his time as a part of the regular roster is probably over. Styles certainly goes back a long way in the company's history and rare bookings like this are a bit of a disservice to those who have followed along for all that time.
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
-I want to send out a hearty thanks to Brad Garroon as he sent me a link to the thirty second clip of Punk's debut in ECW—a debut I'm almost ashamed to admit—I missed. Yup. That's right—I didn't get to see Punk's return or any of ECW this week due to the 4th of July holiday. Well really, thanks to some STANDSTILL traffic on the Long Island Expressway coming home from the party the family attended. I believe my message on the 411 staff forum went something like this:
I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE I MISSED CM PUNK'S DEBUT ON ECW TV BECAUSE WE WERE STUCK IN FUCKING TRAFFIC ON THE FUCKING WAY BACK HOME FROM JULY 4TH DINNER WITH FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY!!!!! FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!
Regards,
Ari
Yup…I was pretty angry. Turns out there was a HUGE accident (no doubt caused by staring at the fireworks in the skyline) on the highway and we had to wait an hour to get off the highway to a detour. And in that time, Punk had his debut promo. Now I say personally I am ashamed because I waited almost a year for that moment…and missed it due to some stupid holiday. I mean, July 4th? What the hell is so important about that date? CM Punk is on my damn television!
Anyway, Brad hooked me up quickly with the video and I proceeded to watch it about four or five times in a row. If you haven't seen it yet or want to take a look, here's the: A HREF=http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/tvshows/ecw/3004456/3004462/e070406cmpunk?section=/>link .
-I finally understand why Chris Sabin was aliens on his tights! He's not a xenophobe! He likes Alienware computers! Dude's a gamer!
-Quick takes on the Weekend of Champions events—very solid shows. Of course you're going to get a slight slowdown compared to the frenetic pace of the Milestone Series, but the matches are still good quality where it counts—in the marquee matches. Night One especially took me by surprise at its quality, especially the tag title match between Aries / Strong and Sydal / Joe. Non stop action and well worthy seeking out. The ROH title match with Yang / Danielson also was good—far better than I anticipated. It had a different feel and a different pace than most of Danielson's title matches--that's good because you don't want to feel like you're watching the same thing every time out. Night two was good as well—even better to see ROH finally get back a bit in their war with CZW. A final note to make is that the lighting and sound have really been top notch—its gone to a whole new level ever since the Milestone Series and its very noticeable. Kudos to those guys.
Dear Delirious:
BAHBAHBAHABHi'MBACKBABAHBAHAHAHAH!
He's the Dear Abby and the Ann Flanders of this column all in one—Delirious is here to answer all your letters and dispense advice from the edge of sanity. Now, please don't hold myself or Delirious legally culpable for any advice that somehow goes wrong—that's the risks you take when listening to the reptilious one. Look, its all in the legalese below—read the fine print if you can and make sure to dot the I's and cross the t's. Whose got questions this month? Let's open up the mailbag!
Dear Delirious, So far I've fit in very well in Ring of Honor, but I have a problem…everyone thinks I'm ANGRY! People treat me with kid gloves but I don't know what the problem could be…
Yours,
Jay FURY
Um, Delirious thinks it may just possibly somewhat could be…your name. Don't hurt me!
NEXT!
Heyyyyyy!
It is I, the most money making man! Heyyyyyy!I make many investments and make much money because there is many mooolah to be made! Heyyyyyy! So, I vas vondering if Delirious had any good stock tips for me as I must continue to make money for I am the most money making man! Heyyyyyy!
Sincerely,
$
Well, it seems Mr. dollar sign that if you want stock tips you should probably go ask JBL—he seems to be really good at that sort of thing. Delirious—even though he and money have green in common—well, he just doesn't get the idea of using a paper product to exchange for material possessions. He'd just as soon eat that dollar bills as spend it.
Dear Delirious,
I can't believe I'm writing this—ewww it gives me the shakes just thinking about it. I, as the greatest female manager of all time, shouldn't even have to denigrate myself by asking for your help—but you're a freak and I need a help to deal with a freak. You see, Jimmy Jac—uh, let's call him "J" just has this huge obsessive crush on me and I can't seem to get rid of him! It was cute for a while to see him follow me like a puppy dog and I used his affection for a bit, but now---I just CAN'T STAND IT! So, please, you know freaks, you are a freak—tell me what to do about this one!
-Lovely L.
Yeah, I'd agree with that too. The big D here is suggesting you file a formal complaint with your local police department—get a restraining order ASAP. Just watch who you call a freak—after all I heard a certain rumor about a "Lovely L. and let's just say the freaks DO come out at night…
OOOOOOOO!BuRP@!
Once again that wraps Delirious up for another month or so…back to the Edge of Sanity with 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)
**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)
** ROH SUPERCARD of Honor (Danielson / Strong III, Do Fixer / Blood Generation, AJ Styles & Matt Sydal / Austin Aries & Jack Evans, Joe / Jacobs / Daniels)
**ROH Better Than Our Best (the whole damn card. No really, the whole damn card)
**SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 3 (Knox / Danger, Del Ray / Haze, Cheerleader Melissa / Shantelle Taylor)
**FIP Big Year One Bash Night 1 (Strong / Gibson, Spanky & Rinauro / Rave & Lethal Homicide / McGuiness)
New additions next week, including IWC Super Indy V and Hardcore Homecoming: November Reign.
ROH @ 411
Mike Campbell brings us another tough and hard hitting review, this time he does to the first ever Danielson-Strong title match at This Means War.
Meanwhile, The BOSS! Larry (his father let him win at golf) Csonka reviews an interesting release Colt Cabana's European Vacation II! It's Colt, Colt Cabana, Colt, Colt Ca-ba-na! You can't go wrong with a full DVD of matches from Chicago's own # 1 Barry Manilow fan.
Honor Bound Links
RVD is the topic of discussion this week at 411—everyone from Michael Melchor to Stu's This Week In Hardcore, Rajah and Sat and even Bayani have something to say about WWE POTGATE. Rob Van Dam and Sabu seem to be the Shaggy and Scoobs of July 2006 and we've got the 411 Mystery Machine covering all the bases of the story.
Meanwhile, Stuart has hit back to back homers in his That Was Then column, this time with some frank discussion on McMahon and his drug policy. And while I can't say that I 100 percent or even 50 percent agree with Stuart, he does bring in some interesting and valid points about wrestlers and the choices they make.
And finally, big ups to the three dudes with attitude in The Triple Threat, who always link me first because I'm the latest guy in the rotation when their columns come out. That or I'm just really, really awesome. Yea, it's probably not that one.
Okay, next week is the very big show! One year anniversary column—that's one year of Ring of Honor coverage and kick assery that shall be celebrated. I will have a preview of the 7/15 Death Before Dishonor IV show, The Ring of Shame inducts a new member as well as a few other surprise features in store for you all. Thanks for reading the column as always and of course feedback is always appreciated—Brooklyn!
--Ari--
