Column of Honor: 07.29.2006
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 07.29.2006
Another column on 411 during my birthday…we celebrate with: ROH news, 7/28 War of the Wire 2 Results, 7/29 in Cleveland and 8/4 in Long Island previews, The Apocalypse is Not Happening thanks to less Samoa Joe, the must see moves live, and the ROHbot Arm is coming! Just what I’ve always wanted!
So it finally happened. There were a few teases here and there, but I was in denial. At the moment of truth, it was outright blatant. My iPod turned heel on me.
Corruption of the DB file, complete fuck up, complete frustration. Oh sure, on screen display it showed the memory as being there, but none of the songs on the screen.
I had to spend an entire day trying in vain attempts at rescuing those songs and trying to correct the disc error, only to helpless and ultimately come to the conclusion that I needed to reformat. Wiped all of my songs off the drive. All the videos. Gone.
At least I had about a third of my songs on my computer's hard drive, so I have an emergency back up supply of songs. But dammit, I've got to restart the importing, which I long thought was done, all over again.
And I'm left asking myself the age old question, "Why, iPod, Why?"
Welcome to the Column of Honor. I promise not to turn heel on you. But… can I be in your corner for your big title match? Just… to provide a level playing field. Yeah. That's it.
ROH Results: "War of the Wire 2" 7/28 from THE OVEN in Dayton, OH with BJ Whitmer vs. Necro Butchered in a No Ropes Barbed-Wire Match
Matches
-Jimmy Jacobs defeated Trik Davis via pinfall in a ROHVideos.com match.
- Davey Richards & Jerrelle Clark defeated. The Embassy of Jimmy Rave and Sal Rinauro via Richards submission on Rave.
- ROH PURE Champion Nigel McGuinness retained his title by defeating Colt Cabana via count out. McGuinness feigned a n injury and KO'ed Cabana with a microphone for the twenty count.
- Matt Sydal defeated "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels Daniels via pinfall
-Irish Airborne defeated Pelle Primeau and Alex Payne via pinfall.
-Austin Aries pinned ROH World champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson in a Four Corner Survival match also involving Homicide and Delirious.
-The Briscoe Brothers defeated Roderick Strong and Jack Evans via pinfall with the Spike J-Driller on Roderick Strong (why is it always Roddy taking that move? Poor Roddy).
-BJ Whitmer defeated Necro Butcher in a No-Ropes Barbed Wire Match with an Exploder Suplex onto thumbtacks.
Angles and Issues
Wired and Out of Control: Reportedly a match of the year contender, BJ Whitmer and Necro Butcher looked to have gone all out for their match. There was a ton of chaos before the match as CZW loyalists Claudio Castagnoli and Nate "Spider" Webb made their way to the ring to support Necro. Ace Steel and Colt Cabana chased them away and we were left one on one with BJ vs. Necro. BJ wins in his home area and certainly that settles the grudge against Necro and also gives him a big boost up the card for a possible title shot. And needless to say this is sick, with reports coming out that BJ at one point planted Necro feet first onto the thumbtacks (and of course Necro is barefoot), so good lord…that is going to be one to watch.
Title Shots Given and Denied: Austin Aries has earned himself another ROH World Title shot against Danielson or whoever the champion may be at a future date. The Four Corner Survival match had interesting stakes where whoever pinned Aries or Dragon could earn a title opportunity for their respective title (Tag or World), but if a champion won the match, whoever they got the fall on could not get a title shot for that belt during said champion's current reign. This could have been very interesting had say, Homicide been pinned by Dragon and therefore Homicide had to wait out Dragon's title reign for his world title shot. That doesn't look to be the way that angle is going though and instead this sets up a rematch for Aries, presumably for the next show in Dayton or the Dayton area.
Tag Team Opportunity: After Matt Sydal finally defeated Christopher Daniels in a one on one match, Christopher Daniels shook his hand and offered his services to Sydal as a tag team. Could this be the pairing that finally gives Sydal the tag title win he has been searching for this entire year?
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 7/28/2006 (after War of the Wire 2)
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, 15 successful defenses)*
ROH World Tag Team Champions—Austin Aries and Roderick Strong (champions since 12/17/05, 12 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.
***Aries and Strong make two successful defenses in Japan, thus turning the ROH tag team titles into WORLD tag team titles.
SAVE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST…?
Last week I ran an opinion piece that called for Ring of Honor to save the Survival of the Fittest annual tournament. I loved both editions of the tournament and want to see it continue onwards in ROH in spite of the news that there would be a downplaying of so called "gimmick" matches after the Cage of Death this past July.
I'll be honest; response was a bit less than mild to my call out to Save Survival of the Fittest. First let's get to those responses:
From 411mania: Will 007 responds: How else will Delirious claim to be the best?! SAVE SOTF!
Yay Grr !!1 responds: My only real "beef" with ROH is that a lot of the cards (even though they're almost all of really high quality) sorta feel like the same thing. The company running too many shows is obviously the problem here; but I can't really blame them since they need to make money. But special tournaments and stuff like this helps certain shows stick out and break up some of the monotony. I don't really care about Survival of the Fittest in particular, but ROH should keep around "special" events to help give shows variety.
From F4Wonline: Mackem Man responds: I knew that ROH was trying to steer away from one off gimmick matches, but why scrap one of the few concepts that they "made"?
(I put the quotes around because I'm sure someone else will say that the concept was popularised in the past and ROH are just reviving it)
Alan4L responds: I LOVED the first one, HATED the second one. The crowd at that show was abysmal. The should never go back there again.
Thanks to the above well known posters at each board for their voice and their honesty. From reading those 4 responses, that's more like 2 and a half, three votes FOR SOTF. Now, besides creating posts on two threads, one on Figure 4 Weekly's board and the other right here at 411mania., those responses were it. A grand total of… 4 responses. TOTAL. Now, last week we had two really big emails of support from my fellow 411 writers, Brad Garoon, who got this rolling, and Stuart Carapola who were both very passionate in their support. I also asked people to email me, to which I got a whopping ZERO responses
Readers, where are you? This is your last week to let me know…if I get no further responses, then I'll accept the voice of the readers and drop the subject. Let me know if you want to SAVE SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. Or—let me know if you could care less about SOTF or other ROH tournaments. I'll post what I get (if I get) anything here.
ROH News (via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed
OH… MY…GOD!!!! The ROHbot arm is coming soon.
Everyone look the fuck out… the ROHbot arm is coming soon! It's gonna take over the world! Ok, ok, seriously now. Presumably this is either one of two things: a. either a typo or b. ROHk Em Sock Em Robots is coming soon to ROH. Ok, ok, seriously now. Whether or not this was a typo and it's supposed to be "arm" or "army" or some other such, then perhaps this is some long awaited fan club or street team for Ring of Honor. It's also interesting to note that no matter what this ROHbot arm turns out to be, it is a great move on the part of ROH management to embrace the term "ROHbot" , which I discussed two weeks ago has often been used as a derogatory remark about devoted ROH fans. Hey, why not turn a negative into a positive? Just like Randall in Clerks II, WE'RE TAKING IT BACK!
Cabanamobile is a Rockin… The gossip and buzz in the ROH locker room is all about who Colt Cabana was in the car with at the end of the last ROH Video Recap.
Dayton will also see perhaps the best pure wrestling rivalry in ROH re-ignited as Nigel McGuinness defends the Pure Title vs. Colt Cabana. These two had many memorable matches in 2005 and now they will collide one more time. This will be the first time the Pure Title is on the line between these two European style experts. Cabana and McGuinness both agreed that this will be the only match between them this year and this will not be the start of a feud. They are going to find out who the better man is this Friday in Dayton. This will be pure wrestling at its best. Can McGuinness make it to one year as Pure Champion?
Colt Cabana was supposedly in a car, "getting funky like a monkey" so to speak, with a mystery lady (or perhaps man—hey its 2006 y'all—get over it!)… early speculation is on Lacey as on a recent show Cabana was making with the flirty flirt to the lovely lass during his match with Jimmy Jacobs. Hey, we all know Cabana is quite the cool cat, so if it is Lacey (or another ROH female like perhaps Allison Danger) he was macking, then this could go to some interesting places.
As far as Nigel-Cabana, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be too happy if someone knocked me over the head with a microphone in order to win a match. This may not be the "start" of a feud, but I wouldn't be forgetting this incident anytime soon.
Recap THIS! Everyone is raving about the new ROH Video Recap that is now up for free at ROHvideos.com. Check it out for one of Jim Cornette's most intense promos ever, highlights from Cage Of Death and a complete rundown of the shocking incident between Cornette and Homicide. This isn't just a must for all ROH fans, but for all wrestling fans. If you've never seen ROH before this is a great chance to check it out for free. Also now at ROHvideos.com is the Delirious vs. Seth Delay match from 7/15.
Go check out the FREE videos, as they are definitely worth your time. Seth Delay makes quite the impression in that free match, including a hell of a flipping bump off a missed splash. As mentioned, Jim Cornette's justification for flipping on Homicide is given during the recap and it is a doozy of an explanation. Also you get a bit of Christopher Daniels and Christian Cage hyping up their match for tonight in Cleveland.
Last Dance with Generation Next [W]e talked about Generation Next's last dance as Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Matt Sydal and Jack Evans wrestle under the Generation Next name one last time this Saturday in Cleveland when they face top prospects Davey Richards, Jerrelle Clark & Irish Airborne. They are dropping the Generation Next name because Aries, Strong, Sydal and Evans are today's stars so the Gen Next name no longer fits. They want to go out in style by following the tradition of great, athletic and innovative Generation Next tag matches. All four men have recently returned from the Dragon Gate promotion including a several month stay for Sydal and Evans. In order to make this the most exciting and explosive match possible the Gen Next team has requested that this match follow Dragon Gate rules, which means that no tags are needed. These are the same rules as the five star match of the year candidate Dragon Gate six man from "Supercard Of Honor." Don't blink during this eight man or you will something when these eight spectacular athletes collide in a Dragon Gate rules match!!!
I've always been fifty-fifty on the whole "no tags are needed" concept in these lucha style matches, but with the amount of guys involved I'm sure this will be a fun and quality match regardless of the rules. The things to look out for are any storyline hard feelings between Aries, Strong and the pair of Sydal and Evans who are back from Japan. I don't anticipate Richards, Clark and the Crists to rechristen themselves as "Generation Next" after the match or for a sort of "Generation Now" spin on Aries and Strong's team…but you never know. More below in the preview.
UK AHOY Right now the buzz in the ROH offices is about the trip to England that will see authentic ROH shows on 8/12 in Liverpool and 8/13 in Broxbourne. The first match has been announced for the sold out Broxbourne event and it will be Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Rave. The Broxbourne event will focus more on international dream matches while the Liverpool show will feature all of ROH's hottest feuds and rivalries.
Cabana and Rave have fought a few times in ROH, including back during the Field of Honor tourney and also last year at The Future Is Now show at the Supper Club. My favorite moment of that match is when after Jimmy Rave is pants-ed, he breaks the string on his tights and can't tie them together. He mutters to the fans next to us that "they're broken." Funny times.
Cage of Death Before Dishonor DVD Production is almost finished on the "Death Before Dishonor IV" DVD and then it will go into duplication. The Cage Of Death match will be a three camera shoot so you will see all the action and not miss a thing. The crowd was super intense and the story speaks for itself so there will be no commentary on the Cage Of Death. There will also be a number of highlight videos throughout the DVD so you see the history behind the match.
Needless to say this should be an automatic pick up for everyone—faithful ROH fans who buy every show and the casual fans who only pick up the major shows. Believe me, this was a major show, with the main event and post match events being a must-see in the same way as Aries-Punk and the return of Christopher Daniels was during last years Death Before Dishonor III.
Dragon's Road to Ho ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson has a hectic schedule coming up. It will be Danielson vs. Samoa Joe on 8/5 in Edison, NJ whether Danielson is champion or not. If Danielson gets past McGuinness on Saturday then 8/5 vs. Joe will definitely be a World Title Match because 8/4 in Long Island will see Danielson in a non-title match. 8/4 in Long Island will have Danielson vs. Jack Evans!!! It is always entertaining when Danielson and Evans are in the ring together and they will collide again on 8/4.
All I can say is for anyone who has seen Survival of the Fittest and the one on one match between these two, you know that this match will get entertaining in very sick and torturous ways. Jack Evans is almost a contortionist in the ways his body can twist and bend (Chris calls him Rubber Band Man). With Evans's improvements in style and move set since 2004, there is a ton of added attraction to this match up.
Every Ring Has Four Corners A big Four Corner Survival has been signed for 8/5 in Edison, NJ. It will be ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Jay Lethal vs. Claudio Castagnoli.
The August 5th card just keeps getting more and more stacked. This is a huge card that is being built up and this combination of wrestlers for the now tradition four corner survival match is probably as good as you can get by mixing and matching those who haven't been announced in an official match. The big issue in this match will be Daniels and Claudio in the ring against each other for the first time since Daniels misused his first handshake in ROH by shaking the hands of the man he declared "the future of Ring of Honor" who on the same night betrayed ROH for CZW. McGuinness and Lethal also have a bit of an issue as last time in Edison it was Lethal who made a surprise appearance and fought McGuinness, ultimately losing after two Tower of London cutters.
The Embassy= F- This weekend will be a big test for the new Embassy of Jimmy Rave & Sal Rinauro. They will be faced with quality opposition on both nights. Friday in Dayton will see Rave & Rinauro vs. Davey Richards & Jerrelle Clark. Rave is looking to even the score with Richards, who has defeated him twice in singles matches and busted him open with kicks. Rave will not accept letting the ROH rookie make his name at Rave's expense. Cleveland on Saturday will have Rave & Rinauro vs. the established Second City Saint duo of Colt Cabana & Ace Steel. Cabana is looking to get the pin back after dropping the fall to Rave at the last event. If Rave & Rinauro can defeat these two teams they have to considered serious threats in the ROH tag team scene.
Well, 0 for 1 on the scoreboard so far for Rave and Rinauro, as the loss to Richards shows that Rave still doesn't understand how to defeat the rising star. They get one more chance tonight against the tried and true Second City Saints (see preview, below).
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!
The Apocalypse is NOT Happening Today
The End is not near.
Once a month, this is my place and my time to tell you all out there why Ring of Honor is still doing a-okay and why even set backs are not necessarily the end of the world for the company. If I can find some reasons why the ROH fans shouldn't be apoplectic about the company's situation, I'll put it here. Once a month I'll comment on the talent roster of the company and other items of note that will help all you negative Nancy's get over your big bad dose of Ilhonoraphobia—the fear of losing Ring of Honor.
Less Samoa Joe = Not the Apocalypse
So there has been a minor hullabaloo recently about the lack of usage of Samoa Joe on recent events, most specifically that Joe only spent a short amount of time inside the Cage of Death. Some fans have attributed this to the monster push Joe has received in TNA, with many a speculation that Joe is headed to the NWA Heavyweight Title soon. With Joe as the champion and main guy in TNA, that would leave less time for Joe to spend in Ring of Honor. Even if he does appear on Ring of Honor events, he may not give us the same high level of performance we've come to expect.
Some have cried: "What has happened to the man most connected and most associated with Ring of Honor?"
I answer that he hasn't gone anywhere…and even if he did, it would not be the end of the line for Ring of Honor.
The first thing to recall is that Joe got pretty banged up a little less than two months ago, suffering some knee injuries that put him out of wrestling matches for a short period of time. Did Joe no show a Ring of Honor event he was booked on because of said injury? No. Joe appeared at the June 3rd show, Destiny and actually had a very clever role to play in the booking of the title match between Danielson and Homicide.
Joe also appeared on the June 17th show in New York, the day before a TNA pay per view, and gave a ton of effort in a three way match with KENTA and Danielson. In fact Joe was giving so much effort, the man legitimately knocked out KENTA for a short period of time during the match.
Joe continued to make his bookings in Ring of Honor, all the while getting his largest exposure ever in TNA thanks to his moving up to the heavyweight division and his feud against Scott Steiner and his teaming up with Sting.
The main bone of contention for many fans complaining that they have received less Samoa Joe in Ring of Honor is that he only, ONLY was in the July 15th Cage of Death main event for approximately eleven minutes! Well golly be! Of course, during that time, Joe was Joe, doing all his trademark moves and taking a few big blows due to the CZW opponents. This complaining by some fans even brought booker Gabe Sapolsky to make a rare break from form and discuss his booking, stating that things would have been the same in the Cage of Death match no matter if Joe was or was not involved in TNA wrestling. Some fans forgot that the idea of booking a team to have a disadvantage requires a loss of numbers; if ROH was to fall behind, they needed to lose someone big, and Joe was the elected guy.
Less Samoa Joe? Next weekend is all about the man. He main events for Ring of Honor in Long Island against AJ Styles (which, before people start wondering, was an ROH match up long before it was a TNA match up). Then the next night in Edison, Joe gets his long awaited title opportunity against American Dragon. This doesn't sound like less Samoa Joe to me.
Even if for some reason down the line we end up getting less Samoa Joe appearances in Ring of Honor or for some reason he gives us less than 100 percent effort—Ring of Honor will continue onwards. ROH has survived many losses on the roster, but there are still many draws for the company. I mentioned this idea in the first edition of this feature, and I maintain that claim today—with wrestlers such as Dragon, Homicide and Christopher Daniels as well as building up of new stars, Ring of Honor is perpetually readying itself for any loss of talent. Therefore, at this moment, less Joe is definitely not the apocalypse of Ring of Honor.
Short Takes
-ECW, you almost had me. You almost got me to buy tickets to the upcoming Hammerstein Ballroom show for the debut of one young man, CM Punk. Punk's in-ring debut for WWE / ECW, plus the return of Kurt Angle and the main event of Big Show vs. Batista (what's next? Show vs. HHH? Naaah). However, I got to thinking, why would I want to give any more of my money to Vince McMahon than was absolutely necessary? If I can catch Punk's debut from the comfort of home, so much the better. Sure I'm interested in discovering the reaction the ECW fans will give to the product (especially for such an "ECW" worthy main event of Show vs. Batista), but well, not that interested. After all, if they boo or catcall, they're just inviting McMahon to take it out on them even more in the booking. And if they cheer for the new ECW, well then the "hardcore" hardcore fans are just being hypocritical and after all, that would just end up being, to use the ECW fan's favorite catchphrase "Same Old Shit."
-Super Blue Cross # 6 and Somolian Joe…I have laughed harder in my life, but not with more gusto than I did for this segment. Bravo Alex Fucking Shelly, bravo.
-Homicide is on the tear of his career right now. He has hit another new peak at the very least with incredible performances both in the ring and with his character during such shows as Ring of Homicide, Destiny and Death Before Dishonor IV. His segments are some of the great moments of the last few months and I recommend any TNA fans or casual ROH fans who are remotely piqued by the recent stuff with Homicide, lay out the money and check these shows out. They are intense, captivating performances. Not only that but in his title match with Danielson, Homicide shows incredible scientific wrestling and shows that there is more to him than the "thug" exterior he often exudes.
The Must See Moves Live
In my ROH DVD viewing I've come across tons of great moments in various matches. The wrestlers on the roster have something unique or cool to offer in their match. I believe these are some of the great moves you should look out for if you are some of the lucky fans who attend the shows live. They make for a better, more entertaining wrestling experience.
-Austin Aries: knee drop / rewind knee drop sequence
-Aries and Strong: double back breaker connected to a chop / brainbuster combination
-Nigel McGuinness: running soccer kick to opponent stuck on and facing turnbuckle, transitions into a downward forearm strike.
-The Briscoes: "Hut Hut!" double shoulderblock
-The Briscoes: Spike Jay-Driller
-American Dragon: heel tactics and "I have until 5!" shout
-American Dragon: UFC finishing elbows
-Delirious: The BAM! Leaping Lariat
-Delirious: 20 short arm closelines in corner followed by a bulldog)
-Jimmy Rave: gutbuster to spike DDT
-Davey Richards: stiff kick combo
Main Event #1- ROH World Title Match
World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness
The last time these two duked it out in Cleveland, they stole the show. Even with a count out finish and the fact that these are two guys who share the same strength (technical wrestling), they had the crowd up and psyched and into the match. I expect no less than the same thing in this rematch, albeit this time ONLY Danielson's belt is up for grabs. This makes it put up or shut up time for McGuiness, who for months on end has claimed that he is the better wrestler and the "real" World champion. If he beats Dragon and unifies the World and Pure titles, then he will have proven exactly that. Also of interest is the fan reaction to Dragon, as last time Dragon was almost a total babyface in contrast to Nigel's total heel act. Will the fans cheer for Dragon now that he has cemented his heel status at the last few shows? Will the fans cheer Nigel? I have to say that surprisingly Nigel has had his fair share of supporters throughout his title reign. I can't understand why anyone would cheer such a dastardly man, but these are indeed strange times. A highlight of their first encounter was an exchange where Nigel was looking for the Tower of London but Dragon slid off the top of the turnbuckle and transitioned into the Cattle Mutilation. Certainly both wrestlers will be looking for similar moments of opportunity where moves can be reversed or transitioned into other moves. This could ultimately turn out to be a hell of a chess match between two grand masters. The winner walks away with the top prize in Ring of Honor.
Main Event #2- Special Challenge Match
Christian Cage vs. Christopher Daniels
Well, it's no shock at this point to say that Christian has his fair share of detractors from the ROH audience. He certainly received a mixed reaction during his debut at How We Roll. Now he faces Christopher Daniels and I'd say that he is still in the same place as before. Some fans will accept him and others will boo him out the building. This is interestingly a very similar situation that Matt Hardy faced last year when he fought Christopher Daniels at Fate of an Angel Daniels at that time was in the middle of grand return and riding a huge wave of fan support. Daniels is just as much beloved then as he was now. What will Cage have to do to win over fans? A great showing here in the ring against Daniels could help. If Cage wrestles "ROH style" as opposed to "WWE style" and gives 110 percent effort, fans might appreciate him. But who are we kidding here? People who want to boo him will boo him and those who want to cheer him will cheer him.
Generation Next Together For One Last Time
Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jack Evans & Matt Sydal vs. Davey Richards, Jerrelle Clark & Irish Airborne
So it's down to this—the last match of the Generation Next era. I'd say those cats did pretty well for themselves under that moniker, but Austin Aries is right—they have accomplished what they set out to do—so the name doesn't really apply anymore. They are Generation Now, and my belief is that this match will validate that very idea while at the same time showing us a glimpse at some of the wrestlers ROH hopes can take the next step Aries, Strong and Evans and even Sydal have taken in the last few years. Richards and Irish Airborne especially can have a breakout match here and turn a few heads. You also can't rule out some heel turn possibilities—after all there are eight faces in this match—which is a rarity. If I were a more conspiratorial guy, my spider sense would be tingling. Or this could just be a very pleasant way to send off a concept that helped carry ROH over the last two years. We shall see what hand destiny (and booking) shows these eight men in this match.
Singles Action
Mark Briscoe vs. Homicide
Another interesting match up that harkens back to the Ring of Honor of 2004. Back then, The Briscoes and The Rottweilers were just about to heat things up with a huge tag team feud. The Briscoes and Homicide clashed (guess where) during the Survival of the Fittest Finals. Then Homicide defeated Jay Briscoe at Death Before Dishonor 2 Night 2 Now we come full circle as Mark takes his shot at Homicide. ‘Cide is all the way on the top of his game and is in an ass kicking mood. I wouldn't want to be Mark Briscoe for this one.
Singles Action
Jay Briscoe vs. Jimmy Jacobs
This combination is reminiscent of the early ROH era of 2002, where Jay Briscoe vs. Spanky was a surprise of a match. Spanky and Jacobs are smaller, thinner guys who both use the Sliced Bread # 2 match and I have a feeling the similarities won't end there. This should also be a surprise of a match for tonight's action.
Tag Team Special Attraction
Jimmy Rave & Sal Rinauro vs. Colt Cabana & Ace Steel
The newly focused unit of DEE EM BAH SEE (heh!) need a win coming out of this weekend. Rave somehow can't win against Davey Richards, but he can win against Colt Cabana, as seen in the tag match at 7/15. I expect Rave and Rinauro to prove that they have Colt's number once again.
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Delirious
Claudio's placement in Ring of Honor so far is up in the air—he is a pariah, a man without a country. That is not a good place to be especially when matched up against the lizard man the fans have rallied around. Delirious is more dangerous than ever before and I don't think Claudio has any idea how to deal with him. Don't forget to chant "BAH!" during the closeline in the corner sequence as well as "BAH BAH, BAH BAH (CLAP CLAP, CLAP CLAP CLAP) to rally around the Delirious one.
BJ Whitmer vs. Chris Cage
No, this is not a typo—I believe this Chris Cage is the former OVW wrestler (and WWE developmental guy) who had some shall we say "legal" troubles which ended his run there. I guess he is getting a chance to show his abilities against BJ Whitmer. Is it a coincidence he is on the same show as Christian Cage? Things that make you go hmmmm.
ROH Preview: Long Island, New York August 4th, 2006
8pm start
Sports Plus Entertainment Center
110 New Moriches Road
Lake Grove, New York 11755
Tickets are available right here at ROHwrestling.com and by calling 215-781-2500.
Main Event
Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles
Well, we've certainly had plenty of this match in both TNA and ROH over the years as well as other independents, but I would never ever turn down the opportunity to have one more go round between these two. And while there is no grudge in current ROH storylines nor is there a title on the line, make no mistake in understanding that this is a main event level match up. I'd have to think that Joe and Styles are aware that they are highlighting this event and will bring their performance up a notch to suit that expectation of performance. At the least, since this match hasn't been set up by other storylines or such, this could be a sleeper hit in terms of discussion of the year's wrestling matches. I do have to think that Dragon will have some sort of say in this one, considering that he does defend the belt against him the very next night.
Tag Team Challenge Match
KENTA & Davey Richards vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe
This match has been brought about by KENTA's last appearances in ROH where The Briscoes involved themselves in his singles matches against Aries and Strong. Richards is in there as a dream partner of sorts for KENTA and also as a set up to their one on one match the next night in Edison. This should be the epitome of hard hitting action—lightning quick tags and great combo moves. Ultimately perhaps some mistiming by Richards and KENTA could be their undoing. However, I wouldn't expect KENTA to take the fall.
Non Title Match
Bryan Danielson vs. Jack Evans
Again, no real reason for these two to fight-but these two SHOULD fight because they are a great combination in the ring. Expect Evans to be bent more than a back alley Asian prostitute (hey now!) and expect it to be gruesomely entertaining.
ROH World Tag Team Title Ultimate Endurance Match
ROH Tag Team Champions Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. The Embassy vs. BJ Whitmer & Adam Pearce vs. The Rottweilers
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.
Ultimate Endurance is spotlighted on this card and the next night and this combination of tag teams can prove troublesome for the champions. Tap out rules may favor The Rottweilers, as Ricky Reyes's dragon sleeper has not been denied. Austin Aries especially has fallen victim to the sleeper many times in their singles matches (although he hasn't tapped to it). The Embassy are dangerous and the other three teams may be overlooking them. The interesting pairing right now is BJ Whtmer and Adam Pearce given the outcome of the Cage of Death match and Pearce's attack on Homicide. Will Whitmer be loyal to Cornette and Pearce, or will he have his own agenda in the match? Homicide may not care either way and may let his temper get the best of him. Again this match sets up the next night (that seems to be a habit on this card), but the in ring action of this three fall match should be memorable enough on its own.
Pure Title Match
Nigel McGuinness (if still champion) vs. Delirious
Here could be the real sleeper of the under card. I've said previously that Delirious as Pure champion would be great irony and very appropriate given how far the big D has come this year. A title change may happen here, or perhaps a close loss to set up a future rematch. While McGuinness has defeated Delirious before, he may not realize how improved the lizard man has become over the last few months.
Also signed are: Christopher Daniels; Matt Sydal; plus many more top names to be announced.
**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)
**IWC Super Indy V (Low Ki / Abyss, Sydal / Petey Williams, Delirious / Sydal, Shelley / Reyes, Gambino Bros. Moving Co. / Burning River Brigade—M Dogg 20 and Josh Prohbition)
**Hardcore Homecoming: November Reign PLATNIUM EDITION. (Lynn / Polaco Cage Match, Douglas / Pitbull Gary Wolfe Dog Collar, Matt Hyson / CW Anderson. Bonus DVD: Sabu / Al Snow, Chris Benoit / 2 Cold Scorpio, Psicosis / Rey Mysterio Jr., Lynn / Polaco)
**UWF-TNA Hardcore War July 9th, 2006 (Styles / Joe / Daniels, James Gang / AMW / Team 3-D (No Finish), Jarrett / Rhino, Lynn / Williams, Lethal / Dutt, Abyss / Runt) (NEW ADDITION)
**UWF-TNA Monster's Ball July 10th, 2006 (Rhino / Joe / Abyss, AMW / Daniels & Styles, Homicide / Lynn, Lethal / Jarrett) (NEW ADDITION)
These are the UWF run house shows for TNA talent and in particular these were the events UWF-TNA ran during the weekend of ECW's second One Night Stand. The Hardcore War had an excellent main event three way dance with Joe, Daniels and Styles—these two put on a PPV level match for the house show crowd and got everyone on their feet. It's not quite the level of their best 3 way PPV Dance, but a worthy addition to their legacy nonetheless. This main event actually segues into an "impromptu" three way tag team brawl between Team 3-D (coming through the streets and receiving a hell of a n ovation from the crowd), The James Gang and America's Most Wanted. The thing to look for during Brother Ray's pre-match spiel is one—his all out pwning of both James Gang and AMW but also his interaction with Hat Guy Fan and his 10 count verbal KO of the Green Lantern Fan. It is absolutely brilliant and one hell of a cathartic moment. What he says I cannot reprint here in the column as this IS a FAMILY Column of Honor—but let me tell you, it's highly blue in language and worth picking up the DVD just to see that. So yes folks, GLF has become a reason to buy a DVD—lord almighty. . Even better is GLF's "Why Me?" reaction to the whole thing, which is undermined by the announcers saying "Everybody hates that guy!" Other great matches included Jerry Lynn making a house show appearance to fight Petey Williams and Rhino vs. Jeff Jarrett, with Jarrett obviously drawing white heat for being, well double J inside the former ECW Arena. Abyss and Runt (Spike) also have a hell of a deal, as Runt was obviously trying to be at the top of his game for the faithful Philly crowd. There are a ton of great moments on this disc, but I should also note that there is some great post production work done on the show. This includes the "TNA-tron" entrance screens spliced in between many of the TNA wrestlers entrances. The editing of the camera work is very strong and well done, especially during some of the more chaotic moments of the hardcore three way brawl.
The "Monster's Ball" house show was the show I had mentioned some column's ago where I took the road trip and got there horribly late but still managed to have an awesome experience. It's good to know then from watching the rest of the show via DVD that this show was very good and certainly worthy of a purchase. The main event 3 way between Rhino, Samoa Joe and Abyss is some good hardcore fun and they brawl out to the fans and do some great stuff there. Homicide and Jerry Lynn is the revelation of the DVD, and these two just tear the house down. At this point, Homicide wasn't so heavily featured on TNA, but by the end of the match fans have switched from chanting "Jerry! Jerry!" to "Homicide! Homicide!" That says a ton about the effort of both performers. Jay Lethal also makes a great showing against Double J, with some obvious parallels from this match to their recent match on Impact. Check out both shows—great production values—great camera quality and even the commentary is pretty solid—from highspots.com
ROH @ 411
JD Dunn continues his retro ROH reviews (in as much as a DVD from 2004 can be retro, but I guess it can, so…) with a look at Death Before Dishonor II Part One (Tis the season for DBD I guess). That show has Joe-Homicide in their final title match encounter. Dunn also reviews Testing the Limit and the classic 2 out of 3 falls Austin Aries / Bryan Danielson match. Instant and immediate recommendation for each show on my part.
Brad gives us his great FIP reviews, including full graphics and win-loss standings. This time around he gives us his take on FIP Heatstroke '05 Night Two, which has Punk vs. Strong in Punk's final FIP match. I purchased this one but haven't watched it the whole way through, but I did check out the main and it was good, but obviously since its not on the Indie Buy-In I can't give it a full recommendation for purchase unless you're like a hardcore CM Punk nut. Which, it has been proven, is like one out of every three IWC readers.
Honor Bound Links Double M is back again for a Saturady Rasslin Report. It's like he never left!
Michael Weyer is stirring up a bit of controversy with his latest column, which is a review on Scott Keith's new book and a pretty much taking to task on Keith's so called "lesser qualities." Stuart mentioned in his latest column for This Week in Hardcore that he agrees with Michael Weyer 100%...well, I have to say I disagree with about 90% of what he writes in there that pertains to a negative portrayal of Scott Keith. However, I guess that is what makes 411 good—there is room to agree and to disagree. And yes Stu, I was around this here internet for the rise, fall, and humiliation (of which there was many) of Sean Shannon…although I don't know necessarily if that's something to brag about.
Clark and Rossi end The Fink's Payload, but you can still catch Chris Clarke answering questions for Ask411.
I don't know whether or not Bayani is the Andrew Dice Clay, or Carrot Top of 411. Read his Truth B Told column on new wrestler gimmicks and you decide.
Ryan Byers decides to subject himself to a whole DVD of Hulk Hogan…you can send get well cards and flowers to the Memorial Jewish Hospital in Byers's neighborhood.
Sforcina on how Great American Bash has evolved from greatness to sucktastic.
Jullian Williams has his Top Ten, which I don't usually agree with (especially when none of his top ten matches so far this year came from ROH), but he gives a lot of effort in his writing.
O'Dog takes on one of my favorite forgotten matches, which took place on one of the best forgotten PPVs, No Way Out 2001.
Andy Clark does the one thing I will NOT do during this summer, and this is fill out report cards.
It's about that time again for the paragraph where we prepare to say goodbye. I now begin a few days worth of birthday celebrations, as I say goodbye to the silver age of 25 and can now firmly stare down the barrel of a gun that is my mid twenties. And I don't even really drink so I can't alcohol away the depression. Anyway send birthday wishes and responses to the column my way and I'll be a happier man for it.
Next week we have a HUGE preview of August 5th in Edison, New Jersey and The Money Players are back in action. Until then, keep it in Brooklyn!
--Ari--
