Column of Honor: 10.14.06
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 10.14.2006
Ring of Now Hiring, 10/7 Detroit results and the five questions that you need the answers to about the Fall of ’06 in ROH . It’s honortastic!
Hello everyone, what is up? It is a sunny and slightly breezy cool Saturday here in the Big Apple, as Fall finally seems to be creeping in with the weather. Today is my sister's birthday, so right off the top I want to wish her a happy and a healthy.
Before we kick things off, I'd like to make a correction from last week regarding my five first time matches feature. Apparently, Delirious v. Colt Cabana HAS already taken place, at Back to Basics in March of last year. I should have known that, but I guess my ROHbot detection sensors were malfunctioning that day. I checked the past results feature but I guess not hard enough. However, I still would absolutely love to see these two hook it up again, especially now that D has been legitimized in the eyes of the fans and has a realistic chance of winning. Anyway, thanks to bmjodoin and Brad Garoon for pointing out the error. I will take my forking like a man.
ROH New Talent Initiative-Now Hiring
All of a sudden, it's a brave new world again in Ring of Honor. Delirious had the upset of all upsets last week in winning Survival of the Fittest—and then Matt Sydal defeated FIVE men in the span of two nights. However, these are not the only changes that have occurred this week. The ROH roster has been added onto with new additions and special appearances signed for the next few weeks. There have been lots of discussion coming off of these announcements, some buzz, some hype, some controversy and some anger. Let's take a look at the new hires.
Konnan
Return: Konnan, who had a two show run back in 2002, is coming back to Ring of Honor on the November 4th, 2006 show in Philadelphia PA. However, this isn't lucha Konnan or even nWo Wolfpac Konnan coming in, this is the LAX leader Konnan. Apparently Ring of Honor has decided to capitalize on TNA's hottest act by incorporating the name and the men involved into Homicide's current storyline against Jim Cornette.
Pros: Konnan is not wrestling, but rather will only be in the corner of Homicide in his match against Steve Corino and also probably in a war of words against the commissioner. Konnan is one of the top mic men in the game right now and if anyone can give it to the commish, it's Konnan.
Cons: Hooo boy, this announcement was the one that stirred up the most debate on the message boards this week. You see, when Konnan was here last time in ROH, his in ring wrestling was absolutely horrible. It was a debacle of epic proportions, as it was obvious that Konan was blown up in a major way. He also didn't seem to be into the match all that much, showing a decided lack of fire and emotion. The fans began to boo him thoroughly and even gave him the dreaded "Don't Come Back" chant. Now, fans are upset that he is back. There is also the point to be made that by bringing in LAX into a Ring of Honor storyline, the lines between TNA and ROH are being unnecessarily blurred. What happened to the policy of keeping ROH issues separate from TNA? If fans decide to boo Konnan, it also takes the wind out of the sails of Homicide big match against Corino. After all, LAX are heels in TNA, but right now Homicide is the biggest face in ROH, and arguably in his biggest match of his career (until the title match in December).
Prognosis: Bringing Konnan in is a pretty significant risk to take. However, this is probably only a one time appearance and I am going to give the benefit of the doubt that all that will be done with Konnan's appearance will be in support of pushing Homicide and making him an even bigger star.
Zack Gowen
Debut: The former Tenacious Z and WWE signee made his debut last weekend in his hometown of Detroit. A new video wire is up now on rohwrestling.com that shows his first interactions with Commissioner Jim Cornette. Apparently Gowen, looking more like Clay Aiken than ever before, wants to bring sports entertainment back into Ring of Honor. No thanks, Zack. He also says baby like Austin Powers a lot. The videowire sets up his match with Delirious from last weekend, which will be shown online next week.
Pros: Gowen can do some amazing things on one leg. He's a high flier; the kind of wrestler ROH could use more of in the absence of Jack Evans. As evidenced by his interview online, this new character he has is filled with tons of potential, as he's already under my skin with this sports entertainment business. This could possibly go somewhere in a storyline—or it could just be used to squash Gowen over and over and over again. I'd like that.
Cons:Gowen had a bit of a reputation for being immature in his stay in WWE. I'd have hoped he's grown up a bit since then. His promo skills from that online bit were less than impressive, as he came off flat and nervous, including tripping over a line or two. This actually is a great criticism of ROH—why is it that they never do retakes when someone messes up? You guys are a TAPED program…it's not a bad thing to go back and do something over. Anyway, back to Gowen. As much as it's great that he battled back from Cancer and has been doing what he can with one leg (which is quite the compliment), there is just not a lot of long term potential in Gowen unless he's protected a ton. Maybe if he gets a sports entertainment goon squad to back him up, but otherwise…
Prognosis: I hope Delirious eats his leg.
No, the OTHER leg.
M Dogg 20
Debut: M-Dogg 20, also known as Matt Cross, is a veteran on the independent scene. He finally made his ROH debut last weekend in Detroit, participating in the Six Man Mayhem match (replacing Delirious). He impressed with his performance and will be brought back for more action.
Pros: Cross is a small, lean but fit guy who can do both technical wrestling and is also an amazing flier, which again is needed in the absence of Evans. He's got some sizzle and he's got some steak in his moves. He's relatively young but well traveled across the independent scene (being a former backyard wrestler made good). Quite honestly, he should have been here in ROH sooner.
Cons: Not much in the way of negatives here by bringing Cross in. However, the one thing I can say is that I'd love to have seen his tag team partner Josh Prohibition brought in with him. Together as the Burning River Brigade, Dogg and Prohibition have great chemistry and some of the most exciting double teams. They also have one of the coolest tag names ever—completely original and it really accesses your visual imagination. They are a great as a baby face unit and would easily fit in with the top guys like The Briscoes and The Kings of Wrestling in the tag division. ROH will be missing out if they don't at least give the BRB a chance as a tag.
Prognosis: I'm excited to see M-Dogg in Ring of Honor. There's a ton of potential here with him in the ring.
"The Shooter" Brent Albright
Debut: On the same day that Albright's release from WWE contract, ROH announced they were bringing "The Shooter" in for a tryout. He makes his debut on October 27th in Dayton, OH. Dayton is a great city to bring him in as that crowd is totally appreciative of great wrestling, which is what the Shooter is best at doing.
Pros: Technical wrestlers are in need in Ring of Honor again—and quite frankly Albright fits the bill one hundred percent. Albright ostensibly works his match the same way as Benoit—lots of suplexes and submissions. However, Albright's chain wrestling is what differentiates himself from The Crippler. Benoit doesn't chain wrestle so much unless he's in the ring with William Regal, but Albright will go at it with anyone.
Cons: Albright's personality was not well highlighted at all in his short run on WWE Smackdown. However, Albright did get to show off a bit of old school wrestling character in his heel run in OVW up against CM Punk. He was fun as the Harley Race style wrestling villain who wanted to take the good guy out at all costs. Albright was also Mr. OVW for the longest time and can play the winning baby face very well. Nonetheless, some people are going to zone right in on Albright's weakness of personality and proclaim him to be boring, over-rated and not worth bringing in.
Prognosis: Will Albright go down the route of James Gibson or of Matt Striker? Gibson was one of ROH's top technical wrestlers in 2005 and was extremely successful. Striker was initially brought in with much success, but eventually the fans became bored and annoyed with his presence and he faded away. It's a wait and see situation to see where Albright fits in on this dichotomy, but I hope the ROH fans take to him because if he gets traction he could become the next big thing.
Tank Toland
Debut:Tank Toland, better known as one of the Dick brothers on the Smackdown program, is going to get a tryout with ROH on the upcoming Dayton show on October 27th.
Pros: Tank comes in as a different sort in ROH—someone more built up and more of a powerhouse. He definitely can fill a need in that area in the same way Mike Kruel might have had he been kept around. Tank also has some nice offense maneuvers, including the Tank Turret, which may help to impress the hard to impress crowd.
Cons:Tank has some baggage coming in, as ROH fans have long memories and may just decide to dump on him because he was a Dick.
Prognosis: Toland was a hard worker in OVW and will try his best to impress. However, his musculature may ironically be a detriment in the long run—as most muscle men don't last too long in ROH.
So there you have it—tons of new faces and one old one coming back. It's interesting to note that with the exception of M-Dogg (and Shingo Takagi, who makes his return as well, see below), these wrestlers are coming from being known as WWE and TNA entities. This could just be a pattern here and not the rule of the day. These guys are all coming in at least for now as a part of the lower card and it looks like they will have to work their way up. The one thing for sure is that ROH is taking risks again and it takes balls to do that and not just to stand pat on what has come before. They are risking fans acceptance and anger at some of these choices. In all likelihood however, most of these moves will work out for themselves.
ROH Results: Detroit, MI October 7th, 2006
via 411mania's own Brad Garoon:
Match 1. Delrious def. Zack Gowen. Gowen wrestled as a heel but performed an amazing dive (for a one-legged man) in the first minute of the match.
Match 3. Claudio Castagnoli def. Davey Richards after Chris Hero hit Richards with a briefcase to the head.
Match 4. Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels def. Jimmy Jacobs & Colt Cabana. This had a lot of spots with Lacey involved, upsetting Jimmy Jacobs long enough to get pinned. BJ Whitmer attacked Jimmy Jacobs after the match.
Match 5. Matt Sydal def. Chris Hero. For a match booked the same day (Strong was injured the night before) they sure did put together a logical angle to get to it and a solid match as well.
Match 6. Pelle Primeau def. Jimmy Rave, Jake Crist, Dave Crist, M-Dogg 20 & Shane Hagadorn by pinning Rave. Pelle's reaction to winning was actually heart-warming. The crowd surfing and general happiness felt is something I'll probably remember seeing live for a while. Very impressive considering I don't really care much for most of the ROH students.
Match 7. Brian Danielson def. Austin Aries to retain the ROH World title with a roll up. The usual very good match between these two. I believe both are nursing injuries so it was pretty impressive.
Match 8. The Briscoe Brothers def. Homicide & Samoa Joe in a Detroit Street Fight when the Briscoes hit the spike Jay Driller on Homicide. The match saw Mark Briscoe take Joe out of the match after the action spilled outside and Mark hit Joe with a shooting star press off of the equipment truck. Pure insanity all the way around.
Angles and Issues
-Sydal Suckers Hero: Matt Sydal managed of all things to con Chris Hero into a single s match where if Sydal won he and his tag partner Christopher Daniels would get a future ROH World Tag Team Title shot. Guess what? Sydal won again and secured his team a title match. Sydal has certainly become a world beater in record time.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 10/14/2006
ROH World Champion—American Dragon Bryan Danielson (champion since 9/17/05, 33 successful defenses)*, **, ***
ROH World Tag Team Champions—Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) (champions since 09/16/06, 1 successful defense)
*ROH World and Pure Titles Unified on 8/12/06, Pure Title is folded
**Dragon makes successful defense of ROH title at ETW promotion in Texas on 6/10/06.
***Dragon retains the title in defense of ROH title in Connecticut on 9/30/06.
ROH News
(via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed
AJ Done with ROH?
According to advertising done for the 8/4 "Time to Man Up" DVD on the ROH newswire, that show is AJ Styles' "final match." Beforehand, it was assumed that AJ would not be back for ROH shows until December. As it was, he had been making infrequent appearances this year. This is the first time that ROH is informing fans that AJ will not be back. Of course this final appearance is probably as "final" as anything gets in wrestling nowadays, which is: not final. Corino came back many times. Lethal has come back during this year. Christian Cage made a second appearance after his shot in May was billed as his "only" appearance. So, if anything it could just as well be that AJ WILL be back in December or sometime in 2007.
You know who I blame for this? Stuart Carapola and his column that revealed AJ to be a stinking commie pinko bastard. If it wasn't for Stuart, AJ would still be here right now!
News from Mike Johnson—Loss of Cleveland, Injuries, More
From PWinsider.com:
Ring of Honor's return to the Midwest over the weekend was met with mixed results. The company was happy with the in-ring quality of the actual events, but attendance was not strong either night. It was decided that Friday's Survival of the Fittest event would be the last show in the foreseeable future for Cleveland. The market never drew well for the company and they had tried several different ideas to build it. The feeling was that if the city had shown any growth, they would have continued with the market, but it was not to be.
ROH ended up the victim of bad timing as Saturday's event in the Detroit market turned out to be the lowest attended ROH event in some time. They went head-to-head with not just the biggest local college football game of the year, Michigan vs. Michigan State, but the Detroit Tigers advancing in the Major League Baseball post-season playoffs for the first time in 19 years. There were even tickets sold for Detroit that were never used.
I don't know if I buy that tried several different ideas bit. ROH has run solid to very good shows there, but they never had an insanely awesome, "marquee" main event before this particular Cleveland show. Now I love Dragon-McGuinness as a match up, but before the first match was given such glowing and positive reviews, how much of a draw was that particular match for that relatively new crowd? Then they run the same match on top the next time out. Now the bottom line is, Survival of the Fittest should have drawn much more than it actually did—as the matches were huge, particularly Danielson v. Joe. I can understand the decision to pull the market after promoting this show with the huge match and the SOTF concept and not having produced improved ticket sales. As far as Detroit goes, call it bad timing or bad luck. Detroit has made it into the playoff for the first time in years and they have a real shot at going to the World Series. It's hard to get people to come to wrestling when very important games are being played. I'd have to think this was an aberration and that Detroit will rebound in time for Wrestlemania weekend. It's a great wrestling city—otherwise TNA and WWE would not be going there for their mega events.
A lot of the crew are currently banged up as well. Danielson continues to work through a lot of pain from his shoulder tears. Roderick Strong injured his back Friday working against the Briscoes when coming down on Mark's knees and was held out of the ring Saturday.
Not good on all accounts…injuries are beginning to pile up on the indie scene, catching up with even the best wrestlers. I think it's high time the ROH wrestlers take their time and patience when healing up. Otherwise the vicious cycle of wrestling, injury and addiction can easily establish a foothold on the scene. I really wouldn't want to see that happen. We still don't know any more about Aries's knee injury (hasn't been updated since it was first announced), Danielson is still going out there and giving it his all, Joe is beat up, BJ is making appearances when he probably should still be taking some time off. Even Jimmy Rave in his live journal was reporting being banged up on his overseas travel. It's getting a bit scary out there for an ROH fan seeing the roster getting shaken up so much by injury.
Everyone has been raving about the Samoa Joe & Homicide vs. Briscoes Falls Count Anywhere match from Detroit. For those wondering, the climax of the match featured Joe doing a tremendous job selling, not him suffering a legitimate knee injury. The Delirious vs. Matt Sydal match in Cleveland was also getting high marks, as the Survival of the Fittest event was part of a major push for Delirious.
Quite frankly, all reports and description of this match has made this a must see match, not just for that one moment but for However, is it a bit scary to think that ROH essentially used a backyard federation / garbage spot after almost six months of decrying the garbage spots of another promotion?
Ring announcer Bobby Cruise missed the weekend due to family commitments and will return with the next set of events.
The fan speculation was going towards Cruise getting a job with WWE after doing a try out on a recent Heat appearance. I'm glad to hear that the best announcer in the biz will be coming back to ROH soon.
Hard Knox
Unfortunately there is some more very serious injury news to report. Independent women's wrestler Rebecca Knox sustained a very serious head injury and has had to cancel her future booking dates. This includes a just announced one hour Iron Woman match between Knox and Daizee Haze that was to take place at the upcoming SHIMMER tapings. Of course that match won't occur. Here are Rebecca's own words on the subject via www.rebeccaknox.net and they're pretty upsetting:
hey all,
I am so sorry I have not been in touch in a while. I have been in and out of
hospital and have not been able to get access to the internet in over a
week.
I am very upset I have to write this email because I have to cancel all
future dates until December. I am not sure if you had heard about the knock
to the head I got in Germany a few weeks ago or not, but I got a bad cut
above the eye and it was stitched up and all seemed fine. But after a few
days I was getting extremely painful headaches, loud buzzing in my left ear
and my vision in my left eye is completely blurred. The doctor has told me
it may be damage to the 8th cranial nerve and I am waiting for a ct brain
scan and have been adviced to stop wrsetling for the next few months. It
could be permanent or it could go away by itself. but untill all signs have
been allevated I will not be able to engage in any heavy physical activity
This breaks my heart as the main reason I am in Florida is to wrestle and I
am so upset that I have to cancel my upcoming dates, This is the first
serious injury I have had and I am disappointed that I have to let you down!
I apologise sincerely and hope you have great shows, I am so sorry I wont be
there!
Yours sincerely,
Rebecca
Please leave your "get well" wishes here or send them to GET WELL REBECCA and we will forward them to her. This is very serious and my prayers go out to Rebecca for a quick recovery.
Knox has been one of the best women's wrestlers of the year and at her young age of 19 that is truly saying something. Her moves in the ring are smooth and personality is boisterous and bubbly. She has so much potential to truly be something in the ring that it is a shame that it might all have to come to an end due to this injury. I certainly wish her the best in recovering from this and getting it all sorted out.
Deliriously Happy Congratulations to Delirious for capturing Survival Of The Fittest last Friday in Cleveland. Delirious and Matt Sydal took their rivalry to a new level as the final two in the tournament. Delirious won the state-of-the-art encounter that had every fan in the building on their feet. Now Delirious will receive a ROH World Title shot. It will come vs. ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson in Boston on 11/3.
If Delirious wins the world title on November 3rd I will spend one entire day speaking in lizard tongue.
No One Can Stop Shingo Shingo Takagi will have an extended stay in ROH for the next few months starting on 10/27 in Dayton and 10/28 in Chicago. Takagi will face Jimmy Rave on 10/27 in Dayton and Roderick Strong on 10/28 in Chicago.
Shingo was improving his skills before being injured, but now that he's back he is being put into big matches right away. The Strong match is the big one for right now, as it puts a nice power for power match up on the card.
Cross Roads Matt Cross, also known as M-Dogg 20, impressed ROH officials in Detroit and will get a chance to earn a full time roster spot in the future.
It's interesting that Cross is being referred to by his given name as opposed to his IMwrestlerscreenname that he likes to go by. He has wrestled under both names at different times. Actually, I like the name M Dogg 20 over his given name—it's got a zing to it, a personality and is different from over names on the ROH roster. It stands out, and something that stands out in the wrestling biz is something to hold onto.
Whitmer? I Barely Know Her! BJ Whitmer continues to rehab his injured ankle. He made it clear last weekend that he will be Jimmy Jacobs' shadow with the ultimate goal of injuring Jacobs.
If his ultimate goal is to injure Jacobs, then he should just try hooking up with Lacey.
Latin American X-OVER We have a very surprising announcement. LAX will merge with The Rottweilers on 11/4 in Philadelphia as Homicide is bringing Konnan to ROH. The odds are against Homicide as the man in power, ROH Commissioner Jim Cornette, has been trying to make life hell for Homicide as he heads to his 12/23 World Title shot in Manhattan. Now the leader of the LAX revolution is coming to even the odds. This won't be like Konnan in 2002, this will be a militant powerhouse in Philadelphia. What will happen with Cornette and Konnan in the same building without the limitations of television?
ROH Commissioner Jim Cornette was very upset when he heard that Homicide was bringing Konnan to Philadelphia on 11/4. Cornette says that he has a few choice words for Konnan. To clear up confusion, Julius Smokes will be in Homicide's corner for the Fight Without Honor against Steve Corino. Konnan will be in the building to make sure that Cornette will not play a factor in this match.
As mentioned above, this announcement created quite the large amount of controversy and discussion on the message boards. It's good that Smokes will still be in ‘Cide's corner, as he has been there since the start of the Homicide-Corino feud and he should be there to back up his man when it ends.
Coup On The Kings? ROH World Tag Team Champions Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli will make their next defense on 11/4 in Philadelphia. Former World Tag Team Champions Austin Aries & Roderick Strong will get their rematch on 11/4!!! Aries was coughing up blood after Castagnoli hit him with a Haliburton leading to the pinfall that won The Kings Of Wrestling the belts. Now Aries & Strong aren't just coming for revenge, but they want the titles they made into world titles back. This match is sure to produce the intense atmosphere we've seen in Philly this year as this can be considered CZW's Hero & Castagnoli homecoming with the ROH World Tag Team Titles. We expect many CZW fans to come out and support their champions. Aries & Strong are sure to have the ROH crowd firmly behind them. This one is going to be red hot!!!
The question will be if CZW fans will come to the show to support CZW wrestlers now that the ROH v. CZW storyline has finished. I'd almost have to expect that there will be lower attendance now that the heat from the rivalry has died down. The interesting thing here as far as the title shot goes is that the Kings can have four of the top indy tag belts by the time they head to Philly, including ROH, Chikara, CZW and PWG tag belts. Conceivably if this happens, they can be called to as the true Kings of Kings on the independent circuit.
Mercedes Benz vs. the Mystery Haze Machine New England's own Mercedes Martinez returns home on 11/3 when ROH finally returns to the Boston area. SHIMMER will present a special challenge match that night as Martinez takes on Daizee Haze.
Martinez was a huge hit in New York City and really impressed with his effort. Haze has looked very good on recent SHIMMER releases. Women's wrestling in ROH does not always work out the way it should—it will be interesting to see what wins out here.
ROH: NTI Redux ROH officials are looking to bring some new talent to ROH to shake up the roster. Three new talents will be given a shot when ROH returns to Dayton on 10/27. "The Shooter" Brent Albright, Tank Toland and "M-Dogg 20" Matt Cross have all been added to the event. We will announce their matches soon. There are only so many spots on a card so these guys need to impress if they hope to join the ROH roster. The ROH veterans need to take their game to the next level as these newcomers could replace them. The level of competition in ROH is about to rise as jobs will be on the line!!!
These wrestlers all join the roster in the middle of developing storylines and a card that has it's top half pretty much already filled out (Corino & Pearce vs. Homicide & Joe, Sydal vs. Delirious, Jay Briscoe vs. Davey Richards, Aries vs. Claudio, Rave vs. Shingo). I'm just speculating but Mark Briscoe, Roderick Strong (if healthy) and Shane Hagadorn should be available and could provide some nice match ups. No official word yet on the actual matches though.
Rain Check on the Title Shot It was revealed in the new ROH Video Wire that ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson will not put the belt on the line against Samoa Joe on 10/28 in Chicago. Danielson is only required to defend the belt once a month and he defended it last weekend against Austin Aries. Danielson will limit his World Title defenses due to his shoulder injury. However, we will make sure the fans in Chicago get more than their money's worth. You will still see Danielson vs. Joe on 10/28 and it will be a No DQ, No Time Limit, Must Be A Winner Match. These two have fought to two draws in 80 minutes this year, now we will finally see a winner in Chicago.
Now that Danielson is hurt and backed against the wall, he is resorting to the old rule of one title defense a month to get by with the title. Truly this is a cheap move on his part and shows a decided lack of honor among the champion, who used to be willing, able and eager to take on all comers. I guess when you find out that you can't beat a man fair and square in the ring even AFTER you take cheap shot after cheap shot in the weeks leading up to the match, the only thing left to do is tuck your tail between your legs and hide the title shot. What a crock.
…Now it's time for Hero's Sandwich
This week, I wanted to take this precious time out of my life to give you plebeians some fashion tips, because quite honestly, you black T-shirt wearing internet geekazoids need all the help you can get. Now as far as the hip shirts and ties, I'll leave all that to my good friend Claudio. However, today I'd like to work on accessorizing. To me, nothing says "I mean business" like a good accessory, like say…a Halliburton briefcase. I mean just ask Austin Aries or Davey Richards. So if you're interested in adding a little bit of chrome class to your person, I'd suggest you go here and hook your worthless self up. You might just thank your Hero for the help.
Later Zeros.
…This has been Hero's Sandwich.
Honorarium
Time to Man Up edition:
-I want to commend Delirious's effort in his Pure title match August 4th against NigelMcGuinness. I thought he played up his character perfectly for the match. For those who have not seen it, I don't want to give too much away, but look for his early expenditures of rope breaks—does he even understand what the BAHBAHPuretitleBAHBAH rules are? Also, check out his reaction to Bobby Cruise announcing rope breaks as he looks around wondering what that disembodied voice is all about. That is GENIUS character depth.
-On the flip side, there was something that got me a bit upset in this match. McGuinness is killing the Tower of London cutter by using it multiple times for repeated false finishes. The move is just nasty looking and incredibly realistic—it LOOKS like if you get hit with it, you're dead. However, in this match and also in other McGuinness matches it's being used up. I hope the move becomes better protected in the future.
-After viewing the video evidence, AJ Styles absolutely did NOT tank it in his "last" appearance. Sorry Stu my buddy, but I think you got it wrong. Styles and Joe went all out and aside from the abrupt finish, the whole thing was terrific.
-Corino's return and subsequent interview was one of the hottest moments of the August 4th Time to Man Up event. Corino knows exactly how to rile the crowd, and that's by being 100 percent on the money. He called the LI crowd quiet and soft and called the ROH fans spoiled because they had too much wrestling. Unfortunately, Long Island has always had its reputation for having apathetic and quiet crowds (here and in other wrestling companies, although to be fair, they came off pretty decently this time around, Jeff Jarrett Rules guy aside) and after some of the one hour draw debates, you can't rule that ROH fans spoiled issue out of the question. Of course, the fact that Corino has to be such a dick about it makes him easily hated…although his hate for Green Lantern Fan makes him easily loved…it really is a conundrum.
-Speaking of, with GLF at the mercy of the mic of Corino and incurring the wrath of Joe (who kicked the guardrail in front of greeny since he was cheering for AJ Styles), I half expect GLF to get in the ring one of these guys and become the very first superfan wrestler! Think of the marketability!
-BAGEL BAGEL BAGEL BAGEL BAGEL. It's a Delirious thing.
Five Questions for Ring of Honor's Fall of 2006
1. Is Homicide in for a world of trouble?
It all started with Jim Cornette's treacherous attack at Death Before Dishonor IV, where Homicide was brutally and mercilessly whipped while handcuffed. It was a double ignominy that has set the tone for the upcoming Road of Homicide that the thug hero must travel to get to his December 23rd title shot at Final Battle. So far it seems that everyone has seemingly ignored the racial aspect of this storyline, but watching that whipping again brought it right to the forefront of my mind—a white southerner taking apart a minority. However, this struggle goes beyond race and right to the core of who Jim Cornette and Homicide each is inside as an individual. And it's fair to say that each hates what they other man is all about. While the storm clouds have been brewing over the last several months, the battle lines have now indeed been drawn. Homicide has an unlikely ally in Samoa Joe, his LAX partner Konnan and his long time runnin buddy J-Train. Cornette meanwhile has enlisted his lieutenant Adam Pearce, long time Homicide enemy Steve Corino and his former tag team The Briscoe Brothers. The commissioner has aligned himself with men who will get the job done and the job he wants done is the prevention of Homicide becoming ROH World champion. This means putting Homicide in compromising positions which can possibly harm him and block his way to the title. Tag matches have already taken place and more will occur, including upcoming tag matches in Dayton and the Boston area. Homicide MUST get through these two matches and the upcoming Fight Without Honor against Steve Corino in Philly to get to his hometown of New York City. If he can get there, the hometown advantage will help him get through the fight. Until, then, the hit is out on Homicide and he IS in for a world of trouble.
2. Will Jimmy Jacobs win the love of Lacey?
Love, ah love, it's a many splintered thing. Jimmy loves Lacey, but Lacey doesn't love Jimmy. Lacey likes Cabana, I mean really likes Cabana, you know what I mean? And Cabana? Hey, I'm sure he's good for the ride. However, all of this puts Jacobs in a terrible quandary—how long can he suffer seeing Cabana put the moves on Lacey? What would it take to get Lacey to love him? On the Time to Man Up DVD, Lacey once again makes it clear what turns her on are wins in the ring, not live performances of "The Ballad of Lacey." So to be honest, this lover's gambit of Jacobs is only going to come of fruition in one way—Jimmy Jacobs needs to become ROH World Champion. If he can't win the biggest belt in the company, no amount of flowers, candies or songs professing his passion will do.
3. Will Dragon's shoulder hold up?
ROH World champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson has been defending the belt for over a year, but never before has his title reign come under such danger of being over at any moment. Dragon's shoulder was torn during the one hour draw he fought against Colt Cabana, and since then Dragon has made several appearances on ROH shows. The jury is still out though on if that shoulder has healed to the point where it shouldn't be a factor in his matches. Quite frankly, it still can be a factor—as seen in his title defense against KENTA where he had to battle for his life to make it out of that match as the victor. Since then Dragon had successful defenses against Kamala and Austin Aries where the shoulder was not really a major factor in determining the outcome of the match. Still, Dragon has decided to take some desperate actions to limit the number of his title matches, so one has to wonder just how much he really trusts his shoulder to stay together when it really counts. This is perhaps the greatest reason why he is not putting up the title against Samoa Joe later in the month.
4. Who will be the next big breakthrough wrestler?
A few months ago I would have staked my 411 salary (which would be zero dollars) on Davey Richards to be the man who made the biggest waves towards the end of 2006. However, Richards has had close to a .500 record and has lost as many big matches as he has won. He has won over many fans and is popular, but it looks like his path to the top of ROH charts may take longer than expected. Delirious and Matt Sydal had huge breakout weekends with D winning the SOTF tournament and Sydal's huge win streak coming into a very important one on one match up with KENTA. Then there are all the new roster additions for the fall that will begin to make their presence known and perhaps challenge the positions of several long time ROH wrestlers. I think Brent Albright could be a huge breakout wrestler and could make an immediate impact on the rest of the roster. He matches up very well with anyone up and down the card, even with the current champion Danielson. However, no one should forget the current tag team champions Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli have come from almost out of nowhere (at least in ROH) and are already carving out for themselves a dominant run as champions. Finally, when Nigel McGuinness comes back from Japan, he could be a breakout star on two continents. Nigel has already pretty much broken out of the pack with his huge run in the summer of '06, but he could be cemented even further at the top of the pack with a compelling return to ROH.
5. Who will "man up" in the tag team division?
Aries and Strong were dominant champions but have been on the ropes with injuries. The Kings are dead, long live the new Kings of Wrestling in Hero and Claudio. There has to be some team that can come to the forefront and challenge them for the belts. So far we have seen makeshift teams and newly formed teams get the title shots, but until stable pairings such as Irish Airborne and The Briscoes get their chance at the belt, we don't know exactly the current state of the tag division other than there is a mad scramble for placement and rankings. Someone has to man up, and if it isn't the Briscoes, then hopefully it can be Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels.
Going Home
**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)
**UWF-TNA Monster's Ball July 10th, 2006 (Rhino / Joe / Abyss, AMW / Daniels & Styles, Homicide / Lynn, Lethal / Jarrett)
**Colt Cabana's European Vacation II - World of Cabana
**SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 4 (Rain / Sara Del Rey, MsChiff / Cheerleader Melissa Falls Count Anywhere, Daizee Haze / Rebecca Knox).
**ROH The 100th Show (Team ROH vs.Team CZW, Danielson / Delirious, Aries & Strong / Homicide & Reyes, Daniels / Castagnoli)
**ROH Ring of Homicide (Homicide / Necro Butcher, Aries & Strong / Briscoes, Daniels / Sydal, Danielson / Delirious, McGuinness / Lethal)
**ROH In Your Face (KENTA / Joe / Danielson, Homicide / Hero, Whitmer / Jacobs, Richards / Rave)
**ROH Throwdown (KENTA / Strong, Danielson / Whitmer / Jacobs, Pearce / Necro Butcher, Rave / Joe / Delirious / Richards)
**ROH Chi-Town Struggle (Danielson / Cabana, KENTA / Aries, ROH vs. CZW, Briscoes / Rave and Kennedy III)
**IWC Summer Sizzler 3 (Shirley Doe / Dennis Gregory IWC World Heavyweight Championship, Delirious / Troy Lords IWC Super Indy Championship, Kings of Wrestling / Rickey Reyes and John McChesney, McChesney / Shima Xion, Burning River Brigade / Cleveland Mafia / Gambino Brothers Moving Company IWC Tag Team Championship)
**FIP Impact of Honor (Aries & Strong / Fast & Furious ROH Tag Team Title Match, Bryan Danielson / Colt Cabana ROH World Title Match / Davey Richards / Shingo Takagi, Steve Madison / Erick Stevens)
**UWF-TNA House Show July 22nd, 2006 (Monster's Ball Rematch: Samoa Joe / Rhino / Abyss, Jay Lethal / Alex Shelley / Daniels and Styles / James Gang)
**SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 5 (Daizee Haze / Rebecca Knox 2 out of 3 falls, Sara Del Ray / Mercedes Martinez No Time Limit, Allison Danger / Cheerleader Melissa)(NEW ADDITION)
I'm going out on a limb again and will add another SHIMMER DVD on the basis of just watching three of the nine total matches on the card. I haven't had enough time to catch more than that but what I have seen is enough for the instant recommendation. Knox vs. Haze is a great match, well structured in both wrestling and storyline. There are a few hiccups here and there but for the most part it is a smoothly run, impressive match. Knox's personality is on full display here and it is just impressive to see her do her heel act. The screaming, well, I could do without that. Martinez and Del Rey do a great job building off of their excellent draw from the first DVD and Allison Danger and Melissa have a good match with the time that they are given. I'm sure that the rest of the card delivers but even if not like I said it's worth the buy for these matches alone. Another great thing to note is the DVD cover, which is beautifully designed and does something smart that not even most ROH DVDs do. They identify several of the key players and stipulations of the card right on the cover art. Great idea and great job in execution.
ROH @ 411
Steve Cook is a superstar player in 411 and adds one more column to his repertoire as the newest anchor for Ask 411. He gets right on my good side by plugging the column and oh yeah, he also does a very nice job breaking down the history of factions and stables in Ring of Honor. Check it out for the skinny.
A few weeks ago Mike Campbell was reviewing Weekend of Thunder Night One, and now JD Dunn takes a crack at it.
Honor Bound Links
I have to say that no one does biting sarcasm these days quite like Stu Carapola. This week's This Week In Hardcore coverage of Extreme Strip Poker was hysterical. Stu also goes all Hart crazy on That Was Then.
Ryan Latimer's review of the Brian Pillman DVD, which is a must own for the matches and a very good personality piece (one of the better ones in WWE's run of these presentations).
Alright everyone, I'm fighting deadline so Ring of Shame will be doubled up next week with the next upcoming weekly feature The Apocalypse Is Not Happening Today. Actually that's not a bad thing as each will have a connection to the other. Also next week I'll preview the October 27th event in Dayton. Take care and have a good day! Brooklyn and DAH EM BAH SEE!
--Ari--
