Column of Honor: 11.04.06
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 11.04.2006
Bryan Danielson can breathe fire, Claudio Castagnoli buys his suits at a rummage sale, Colt Cabana is a nine toed fairy, Delirious isn’t really insane and other lies.
We're packed to the gills and I'm fighting page limitation so I'll just say hi and on with the show!
ROH Results: Chicago Ridge, IL 10/28/2006 Matches
-Adam Pearce & Shane Hagadorn defeated Irish Airborne with brass knuckles by Hagadorn and a piledriver by Pearce.
-Shingo defeated Roderick Strong via pinfall with the Last Falconry (variation Angle Slam).
-Colt Cabana & Jimmy Jacobs beat Jimmy Rave & Sal Rinauro
-Steve Corino defeated Delirious.
-Christopher Daniels defeated Austin Aries.
-Brent Albright defeated Trik Davis via submission with the Crowbar.
-Matt Sydal defeated Jay Briscoe via roll up.
-Davey Richards beat Mark Briscoe.
-Samoa Joe beat ROH World champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson in a non-title match when he reversed being choked out with a belt and choked out Danielson.
Angles and Issues
Reverse the Reverse: After a finish fraught with interference, ROH senior referee Todd Sinclair was going to reverse the decision to the Steve Corino v. Delirious match and award it to the Big D. However, ROH commissioner Jim Cornette came to ringside and threatened Sinclair with his job if he didn't reverse the reversal of the decision. Sinclair backed down and gave the match back to Corino. Just another example of Cornette's corruption of his office duties.
Like Sands in the Hourglass: So are the days in Jimmy Jacob's life. In one of the more dramatic moments of the evening, Lacey invited Cabana to join Lacey's Angels. Cabana turned down the offer. Then he turned down Lacey by saying he'd discovered that she is a bitch. So Cabana and Lacey are no more. Things took quite the twist as Jacobs was going to attack Cabana, but the Coltster told Jacobs to get rid of Lacey—that she was no good for him. After asking for just one hug, Jacobs was admonished by lacey—"you disgust me!" Yet, even though at first it seemed Jacobs was going to leave Lacey, NO! Jacobs choose to remain with Lacey, viciously attacking Cabana until being chased away by BJ Whitmer.
Chicago Spectacular Challenge: after choking out the champion, Joe challenged Danielson to a title match when ROH returns to the Chicago area for a special double shot of shows. Joe wants the match….in a cage!
ROH Results: Braintee, MA 10/28/2006 Matches
-Nigel McGuinness defeated John Walters via pinfall with the Tower of London
-Mercedes Martinez defeated Daizee Haze
-Christopher Daniels defeated Chris Hero via pinfall with a rollup.
-Matt Sydal defeated Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall with the Shooting Star Press.
-Steve Corino & The Briscoes defeated Homicide, Samoa Joe & BJ Whitmer.
-Colt Cabana defeated Jimmy Rave. Jay Driller on Homicide for the win.
-ROH World Champion "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson retained his title by defeating Delirious via pinfall.
-Main Event: Austin Aries & Roderick Strong defeated KENTA & Davey Richards when Aries pinned Richards with the 450 splash.
Angles and Issues
Lacey's Angle: After the SHIMMER match, Lacey came out, confronted and slapped Daizee Haze. It looks like the women are going to get some of their own angles in ROH now.
Special Delivery!
Live from the Road with Stu Carapola Hey Ari,
Just got back from the ROH show in Braintree, and it was definitely worth
the four hour trip each way from New York. Here's my thoughts on what went
down:
-Nigel McGuinness came out early on and announced that his open challenge
would be accepted by Boston's own John Walters. Walters got a welcome back
chant, and looked really good. He kicked out of all of Nigel's signature
moves, including the Tower Of London. A second Tower Of London put him
away, and afterward Nigel put him over and said that he hopes to see more of
Walters in ROH. It looked like Walters was being booked strong even in
defeat to help get him back in the swing of things in what looks like it's
leading to a full time return by Walters.
So, one Tower of London can't even put away John Walters? Jeez. That move is so harsh and looks so deadly thanks to the angle the wrestler drops on his head (!) and the velocity Nigel puts on the move. Why has the move been treated with such disrespect? At least Prazak should call the move Nigel has been doing as a finisher now (a closeline to an opponent on the ropes) by the name propositioned by the message board—"Off With His Head." That would help make up my hurt feelings. Also, I don't mind if John Walters is returning, part time or full time—it's been enough time and Walters could help be a part of a rejuvenation of the mid card. Especially if he dresses up in that genie outfit.
Kidding. Maybe.
-Mercedes Martinez defeated Daizee Haze. Haze seems to have turned face
without Nana around to pamper her, but it didn't help her here.
-Christopher Daniels pinned Chris Hero. Hero and Claudio came through the
crowd and walked right past me. They're both really really tall. End came
when they were reversing pinning combinations on one another and Daniels
reversed a sunset flip into a Peterson roll for the win. And yes Chris,
Hero used the freakin' cravate. Just once though, thank god. Claudio and
Sydal jumped into the ring and Daniels and Hero brawled out the front,
leading to...
-Matt Sydal pinned Claudio Castagnoli. This comes as no shock as it seems
there is a strong chance that Claudio will be working for WWE very soon.
I'll go on record as saying I was not sold on Sydal when he first joined
Generation Next, but I happily admit I was 100% wrong about him. This kid
is amazing, he is so smooth with everything he does, and he improves in
every single match. I'd even go out on a limb and say he's among the best
workers in the company right now. The only thing is that most of his
matches have been with generals like Aries, Strong, Daniels, Styles, and
others with a good amount of experience. It will be interesting to see what
he can do when not paired with a veteran and is put in a position where he's
leading the match. But I suppose that's what they're working on with him
right now by putting him in these matches. WWE take note. Sydal wins with
a shooting star press.
-Steve Corino and the Briscoes defeated Samoa Joe, BJ Whitmer, and Homicide
in the Six Man Tag Team War. Briscoes hit the spike Jay Driller on Homicide
for the win. Afterward, Corino gets on the mic as the Briscoes are beating
Homicide down and says that tomorrow night in Philly, he's not just going to
beat Homicide, he's going to kill him. By the way Ari, you're a teacher,
right? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Delaware a Union state? What's
with the Confederate flags on the Briscoes?
That's just the American education system for you Stu. These kids today, they don't learn anything right. Also, the Briscoes maybe got a few too many knocks on the noggin during high school football practice at Southern Delaware High.
-After intermission, Colt Cabana defeated Jimmy Rave in a bonus match. It
looks like Jimmy Rave's going to go on a losing streak now that Nana's gone
and the Embassy's a thing of the past. Bold Statement By Stu: They should
turn Jimmy Rave face by having him start cleanly beating EVERYBODY. I
haven't worked out the details, but I think it'd work. Call me crazy.
YOU'RE CRAZY STU!
-Bryan Danielson defeated Delirious to retain the ROH World Title. It is SO
obvious that they're working really light with Danielson to protect his
shoulder. This barely went 20 minutes and, while good, wasn't as blowaway
as their first two matches were. Slow paced match with Danielson mostly
dominating, but Delirious fought his heart out like always and got his Cobra
stretch, but Danielson got to his feet and used the Bret Hart Reversal,
kicking off the top rope and rolling over Delirious's shoulders for the win.
The Bret Hart turnbuckle walk up is one of my favorite match enders of all time—it's so simple and yet it works so well.
-Main Event Time: Austin Aries and Roderick Strong beat KENTA and Davey
Richards when Aries pinned Richards after a 450 splash. This was one of the
stiffest matches I've ever seen live. All four guys beat the CRAP out of
each other, it was brutal, especially the kicks KENTA and Richards were
dishing out. There were a couple of pretty scary spots in this one. The
first had Strong catching KENTA coming off the ropes and appeared to be
trying to hotshot him, but overshot the top rope and dumped KENTA headfirst
on the apron. The second I forget the actual move, I think it was some kind
of throw by KENTA, but Aries came down right on the top of his head and
looked to have taken a nasty knock from the move. Both men were okay, and
after the match Aries got on the mic and said that tomorrow night in Philly,
they're getting their titles back from the Kings Of Wrestling. Given
Claudio's future employment opportunities, I'd say that's a good possibility
of happening.
I'm lousy at gauging crowd size, but they look to have done something in the
six or seven hundred range. In other interesting encounters, I found myself
standing next to Mark Briscoe at the concession stand. I asked him how his
mouth was and he said he's doing better, and he's looking at having
permanent replacements for his teeth put in this week. Right now he's got
the Bushwhacker Luke look going. I asked him if it hurt a lot, and he said
not as bad as he would have though, and as it turns out, two of the teeth
got knocked out and one actually got rammed up into his nasal cavity. I
winced, then asked him if he was knocked out at all and he said no. He was
actually a pretty approachable dude, which I thought was interesting given
the character he portrays. On the way home, I bumped into Colt Cabana at a
service area on I-95 in Connecticut. I told him I was glad he got to keep
his toe, and he said "Yeah, it's a good thing to have." I said good show
and he said thanks for coming, and he left while I grabbed a double
cheeseburger.
Tomorrow, I'm off to night two of Stu's insane ROH road trips in
Philadelphia. I'll make sure to send you something when I get back.
Stu
Thank you so much to Stu for his live reports—always entertaining and fun analysis from a man ripping the pavement.
Colt Cabana's Not So Excellent Adventure of The Best Week Ever!
I'm having a tough time deciding on whether or not Colt Cabana would make it onto VH1's "Best Week Ever" for all the things that have happened in his life this weekend.
Maybe "Weirdest Week Ever"?
It all began during last weekend's ROH shows, when Cabana, Adam Pearce and Dave Prazak (Chi-town traveling buddies) were involved in a car accident after the Dayton, OH show. The car they were traveling in spun around several times and the car was totaled. Car accidents are of course very unfortunate—however, the story does not end there.
Cabana, or someone we were led to believe was Cabana, posted a message on his myspace wherein he explained the story. Cabana also claimed that due to the fact that he always drives barefoot, he lost a toe because of the accident. The doctor, we were informed, had to amputate.
The collective internet world let out a gasp and an "ouch" in sympathetic pain. The story had caught fire and spread around to the entire internet, including websites large and small as well as those short and tall.
Would a wrestler with nine toes be able to continue working in this tough and grizzled industry?
Well, we wouldn't have time to find out (and besides, just look at the example of Zack Gowen and you can see the ridiculousness of such a question) and just a day later the real Colt Cabana hopped onto the thing which we call the internet and posted a retraction of the "missing toe" story—he wasn't missing a toe. Actually that was just a rib played on him by Kip, one of his friends. See, Cabana didn't have access to the internet at that time and asked his buddy to type up the message for him. Of course, the buddy added the part about the missing toe. Cabana, we were told, was fully toed. What a relief.
Insert toe in mouth, so to speak.
However, "Toe-gate" scandal aside, Cabana was not done with his weird and wacky week of wrestling (alliteration babyee!). Cabana had earlier last week made his way to the Smackdown / ECW tapings. Cabana sometimes wrestles for WWE on Heat tapings and in fact was also at the Raw show last week, where he put over Hacksaw Jim Duggan (HOOOOOO!). However, Cabana's payday with the E was not done this time around.
Lo and behold on the ECW on SciFi show this past Tuesday, who we fans see on television but our good time pal Cabana. Of course, on this very special Halloween episode where Paul Heyman dressed up as a Gorilla (not much of a difference if you ask certain people, not me mind you but certain people), here was Cabana, on national cable television, dressed up in costume as well.
He was a fairy:
To conclude the wild days events, the hugest irony of all—Cabana appearing on national television, cheering on his good friend CM Punk, who saved the day and Kelly x 2 before making his way to a special appearance on Ghost Hunters Live!
Cabana and Punk reunited on WWE programming. It turns out Halloween was a very appropriate day for all of this to go down. Who would have thought the Second City Saints would rule the day on Sci Fi?
Fighting Hacksaw, getting involved in a car accident, dumping Lacey, appearing on TV in costume—what a week.
Honorarium
-Short and sweet: TNA: one step forward, four steps back.
-I eagerly anticipate Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle. Everything else, not so much.
-Not even CM Punk could get me to watch more than half an hour of that Ghost Hunters (LIVE!) show that he appeared on after ECW this past Tuesday. Apparently Punk told some funny stories without naming names about Samoa Joe and Colt Cabana (okay, actually he called Cabana by his real name). People on that shows message board had the temerity to call wrestling fake while enjoying that show. It's all like "ooh the temperature in this spot dropped by .1 degrees, no, now it's .2 degrees! This could mean something! Maybe the ghost of Patrick Swayze's career is here!" "Don't touch that piano! You don't want to disturb the ghost of St. Elmo's Fire" Then, when nothing happens: (Hmmm, wonder what will happen if I start to play this piano!) HEYYY SHAGGY! OOOOOkay Scoobs! Let's get the Mystery Machine and make tracks, like quick! Puh-friggin-lease.
-The good news is that thanks to the power of the Punk, Team Ghost Busters had it's BIGGEST Neilson's score ever. Do you hear that WWE, CM PUNK = RATINGS!
-Something positive that fans who were grumbling about the large amount of one hour draws back in August may not have thought: not only do these matches show that Samoa Joe and American Dragon can go an hour, (which we have seen before) but it also shows Colt Cabana AND Nigel McGuinness can go an hour if need be. There are at least four people, maybe more if you include those who have went almost or over an hour (Roderick Strong and Austin Aries) and this is a solid advantage that the ROH roster can have over other companies who cannot do the same, or just plain out refuse to do the same. I would rather see sixty minutes of wrestling than two minutes of mind numbing, confusing action.
-ROH finally gets rid of the techno music on it's DVD menus just as I was coming around to it. Irony.
-Finally in the Honorarium this week, ROH has a ton of new releases out, including the UK shows, the hour draw shows but NOW they have released Glory By Honor V weekend. I COMMAND YOU ALL, go out and get Night 2, featuring the two of the best matches of the year in KENTA v. American Dragon and Nigel McGuinness v. Naomichi Marufuji. As it is, the whole card is packed with good to very good to great matches and the crowd is loud and jacked. You all get to see Joe and Morishima collide! And if that isn't enough, BRUNO SAMMARTINO! I don't have to say any more; I know you guys and gals are already on your way to buying the damn thing. Enjoy.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 11/04/2006 (heading into tonight's show in Philadelphia)
ROH World Champion—American Dragon Bryan Danielson (champion since 9/17/05, 34 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.
****Kings of Wrestling put the ROH tag titles on the line during a tournament on a CZW show 10/14/06. However, ROH officials are not recognizing this match as an official title defense.
ROH News
(via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed
Cabana's Toe, Briscoes Teeth--now we just need some eyes and a nose
Of course we now know that reports of Cabana losing his pinkie toe are completely false. However, there is a member of the ROH roster who is missing some of his usually permanent body parts is Mark Briscoe. Something I neglected to mention last week is that he lost his front teeth (see Stu's report above for an update). Here is the original report from Mike Johnson of PWI:
Mark Briscoe was injured last night while wrestling in the first round of the Pro Wrestling Unplugged Public Enemy-Pitbulls Memorial Tag Team tournament in Philadelphia, PA against the Krash Krew. Mark was injured after his brother Jay swung backwards to use a chair steel chair, catching Mark (who was behind him) in the mouth, knocking out his four front teeth and ripping up his gums in the process. Mark finished the match and was then taken for medical attention.
In an ironic twist, this may actually make Mark Briscoe more handsome. I kid, I kid. I avoid trips to dentist at all costs, but if that happened to me, yeah, I'd probably go visit my local dental practitioner.
Claudio Castagnoli Offered WWE Developmental Deal
From 411, also via PWI
ROH Tag Team Champion Claudio Castagnoli has been offered a WWE developmental deal. WWE was impressed with his tryout in Deep South Wrestling a few weeks back. Whether he accepts the offer remains to be seen.
The buzz continues to be built up as to whether or not Claudio will go to the E. My guess is he will, but not before closing out his business with ROH and other companies. I don't think the KoW will lose tonight in Philly, but I can see them dropping the straps to Sydal and Daniels at one of the two Chicago Spectacular shows. It wraps up the just developing issues between those two teams and it's the big tag title win Sydal has been looking for all year.
Bryan Danielson Tours NOAH
Via the ROH messageboard:
NOAH announced the list of freelancers and outsiders for their upcoming Winter Navigation 06. Along with Bison Smith, Doug Williams, Eddie Edwards & Wade Chism, ROH champion Bryan Danielson will be touring with the company.
Danielson's strong showing against NOAH competiton gets him the respect he deserves and a huge opportunity in NOAH. I have a feeling the title match against KENTA put him over the top. He won't miss much or any ROH action because of the trip.
Whitmer Comes Back, Strong is Angry BJ Whitmer has progressed faster than expected in rehabbing his ankle injury. Whitmer is itching to get back to action and will this weekend. Friday in Boston will see a six man war with Homicide, Samoa Joe & Whitmer vs. Steve Corino & The Briscoes. Saturday in Philly will have Whitmer join the Four Corner Survival vs. Colt Cabana vs. Tank Tolland vs. Pelle Primeau. Whitmer will test the ankle in these matches and then he will be ready to get revenge on Jimmy Jacobs. It will be Whitmer vs. Jacobs on 11/25 in Edison, NJ!!!
We already announced this week that BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs with Lacey in a Grudge Match has been signed for 11/25 in Edison, NJ. Now another Grudge Match has been added. In a rematch of last Saturday's Chicago show, Roderick Strong will take on Shingo. Strong is very upset that Shingo used a table in what Strong thought was a Dragon Gate style match based around sportsmanship. The two got in a locker altercation later in the night, which will be seen on the DVD. Now on 11/25 it will be Strong vs. Shingo when ROH returns to New Jersey.
Whitmer is back early, but I don't know if that's such a good thing. I think one or two more shows off wouldn't have hurt Whitmer all that much. However, he has plenty to do story wise now that he is back. He has personal issues with Jimmy Jacobs, and as seen by the above newswire, he still holds a grudge against Pearce and Corino for attacking him over the summer (Fight of the Century). As far as Strong vs. Shingo, this looks to be a developing rivalry, which is good. It will hold Shingo for a while (so he doesn't get too over pushed like some fear) and give Strong something to do if he is unsuccessful in winning the tag titles tonight with Aries.
Chicago Spectacular is Espectacular "The Chicago Spectacular" has been announced for 12/8 and 12/9 at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, IL. Both these shows will be loaded. Already signed for the weekend is Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe in a Steel Cage and if Danielson is still ROH World Champion the belt will be on the line, Homicide vs. Adam Pearce, Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong and Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Jacobs. It will be announced which matches are taking place on which night next week. The already mentioned athletes will be on both nights. Also signed for both nights are: Jimmy Rave, Delirious, Davey Richards, Jay & Mark Briscoe, Shingo, Nigel McGuinness, BJ Whitmer, Tank Tolland, Matt Cross with more to be announced. Brent Albright will be on 12/8 only. Tickets are now on sale at ROHwrestling.com or by calling 215-781-2500.
I was actually a bit shocked that ROH would come back to Chicago a scant five weeks after running the 10/28 show, but Chicago right now is hot hot hot for ROH and there is precedent. Back in 2004, ROH ran the Rex Plex back to back for Weekend of Thunder: Night 2 and All Star Extravaganza 2. Huge matches were in the main event slot of both of those shows, and with the Joe / Danielson cage match on deck, you can certainly say the same for these shows.
Gauntlet Returns (not the video game, although that was kinda fun) The Gauntlet Series is back!!! ROH is bringing the concept to the 11/24 event in Long Island. The Gauntlet Series is a series of singles matches. The winner of each match advances to face the next man in. The last competitor standing is the winner and will receive a future title shot. The participants are Nigel McGuinness, BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Jacobs, Brent Albright, Jason Blade and Pelle Primeau.
I really liked these style of matches in the early ROH DVDs. it gave me a great look at some of the wrestlers I wasn't too familiar with at the time. I always like a gauntlet format because it's a sort of mini tournament / survival match at the same time. Blade and Pelle are conspicuous by their presence, but conceivably any of the other four could take the match.
Her—OHHHH no he didn't! ROH World Tag Team Champion Chris Hero was back running his mouth (or typing on his keyboard) in his live journal at ChrisHero.com. The question is what kind of atmosphere will there be in the National Guard Armory when Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defend the belts against Austin Aries & Roderick Strong. Will the CZW fans come out and support their hometeam? Here is what Chris Hero had to say:
"The ROH "office" isn't too pleased with the KoW. We decided to put the ROH belts on the line at CZW and I see no problem with that whatsoever. WE won the belts so they're OURS. We can do with them as we please. If we want to defend them against DeeJay Hyde and Rick Feinberg, we will. We do what we want, when we want. Especially this weekend. We're in OUR home. Philadelphia....Philly wants to see the KRS-1 and who are we to let them down? It's gonna be an electric atmosphere that only WE can bring to ROH in Philly. Get your tickets, bring a friend. You don't wanna miss when the best tag team in all of wrestling delivers the best tag team finisher in the HISTORY of wrestling to Aries and/or Strong. Do yourself a favor, see it live."
The big F-I-V-E An announcement about ROH's fifth anniversary will be coming very, very soon.
How fast these kids grow up nowadays.
There are plenty of possibilities as to what to do with the fifth anniversary. You could spread the celebration over a series of shows, like during the third anniversary. You can do shows in the major venues (NYC, Philly, Chicago) and go all out. Or you can make it one very, very special show. Or as some have speculated, make it an entire month worth of partying—sort of like ROH's version of Mardi Gras. Except the Carnage Crew aren't around to get drunk on the booze and I don't think lacey will do much to earn any beads.
…Now it's time for Hero's Sandwich
Chris Hero presents:
Claudio: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Switzerland
chello, my name is claudio…castagnolli. I am from Switzerland. I am friend with the great Chris Hero and che chas hasked me to …yes, write this column for him. I, the most money making man, am chappy to choblige.
people hask me, "claudio, how do you make so much money?" I tell them "shut up, I am not tellink you!"
….HEYYYYYY!
Come to Switzerland. We have Swiss cheese.
people hask me, "claudio, how do you wear such nice looking suits?" I tell them "shut up, I am not tellink you!"
…HEYYYYYY!
Come to Switzerland. We have Swiss Miss.
In America, people say its land of opportunity. People hask me, "claudio, will one day you make movement to the double U double U e?" I tell them "shut up, I am not tellink you!"
…HEYYYYYY!
Come to Switzerland. We have Swiss women.
…HEYYYYYY!
That is all. For today. Good bye!
This has been Hero's Sandwich.
American Dragon =VS= American Dragon
There are two American Dragons.
It's the deep dark secret that all of Ring of Honor has been trying to deny. No official comments have ever been released, nor press releases sent out. No interviewers have dared to question the wrestlers or the company involved, because they are afraid to have their access to Ring of Honor news and interviews removed forevermore. Nonetheless, this intrepid reporter is willing to damn the consequences and expose the realities of this situation. The truth is out there, and one just has to be brave enough to turn and face it head on.
Or just click on the Disney channel and its related affiliates.
Allright, I'm making this out to be much too dramatic than it needs to be, but you'll have to excuse the indulgence. Of course when I say there are two American Dragons, I don't mean that Bryan Danielson has found a way to clone himself, or there is an Underfaker like imposter. No, I'm merely referring to the other so called American Dragon—the one that if you asked most 6 to 15 year olds about, they'd identify by name in a heartbeat. And sorry, it isn't Bryan Danielson they would know.
Meet American Dragon Jake Long.
Yeah, I know he looks like an ordinary kid, one of those goofy anime type things that are all the rage these days no doubt. However, Jake Long is hiding a secret from the rest of the world (well, except his ancient and knowledgeable grandfather, and many of his closest friends…geez the kid could give Flash, Batman and Daredevil a run for their money in this department). The secret?
He REALLY IS a Dragon.
That's right, Long has the blood of the ancient Chinese Dragon society something or other and that gives him the power to transform into a DRAGON!
Now, I know this sounds cool and all that, but really the thing I know you ROH fans are all saying: Danielson could take him.
And to that I say, a professional wrestler verses a dragon? Bring that shit on.
Let's see just how well these two Dragon's match up in a tale of the tape. It's time to find out who would win in all out war!
vs.
Tale of the Tape
First and Last Name
ROH Dragon: Bryan Danielson—spelled with a "y", not an "I'. Get it right!
Cartoon Dragon: Jake (Jacob Luke) Long –possibly the first Jewish Chinese person I've ever met. Well, Jacob IS a Jewish name you know.
Edge: Danielson
Ethnicity
ROH Dragon: Caucasian American—and you can tell.
Cartoon Dragon: Chinese American—although you can hardly tell by the animation. He looks more Mexican to me. Look, I'm just saying the animators need to do a better job!
Edge: It's a Wash
Skin Color in Dragon Form
ROH Dragon: Still pasty white
Cartoon Dragon: Turns into a bright flame red
Edge: Long
Hair color
ROH Dragon: Light brownish
Cartoon Dragon: Black with green highlights
Edge: Danielson
Affiliations
ROH Dragon: ROH (World Champion), ROH Wrestling School.
Cartoon Dragon: The Order of the Dragon, "Team Dragon"
Edge: Danielson
Nicknames
ROH Dragon: "Am Drag", "The Best Wrestler In The World", "Mr. Small Package"
Cartoon Dragon: The Am-Drag", "Jakey", "Beyonce Timberlake: The Canadian Dragon" (wha?)
Edge: Danielson
Is owned by
ROH Dragon: Nobody! No one owns Bryan Danielson!
Cartoon Dragon: Disney
Edge: Long (always good to have corporate backing)
Is fighting for
ROH Dragon: Steel workers, mill workers, the independent mom and pop stores all across America
Cartoon Dragon: The safety and security of the world, the pride of his family
Edge: Long
Strengths
ROH Dragon: Superior technical wrestling ability, strikes, submissions. Has excellent stamina. Known for Cattle Mutliation submission, MMA elbows, Crossface Chicken Wing. Can fly through the air with a diving headbutt or flipping driving into the crowd.
Cartoon Dragon: Primarily "Dragon Powers": Shapeshifting into a dragon form (and other latent transformation abilities), super-strength, flight, enhanced vision and hearing, fire-breathing, creating "doppelgangers".
Edge: Long (creating doppelgangers? WAY cool!)
Weaknesses
ROH Dragon: Shoulder separation from match in August.
Cartoon Dragon: Overconfidence, naivety, makes mistakes and errors in judgment and sometimes doesn't learn from them.
Edge: Danielson
By the narrowest of margins, OUR Ring of Honor American Dragon, Bryan Danielson, come out the victor here with a score of 5 – 4.
Of course, when it comes to saving the world and all that, maybe we shouldn't rely on Danielson…after all he might just knee clip his allies just to make a point.
Oh and Long has the advantage in one other modern era aspect. He has his own video game:
I don't think Danielson can beat that!
ROH Preview: ROH in Philadelphia, PA November 4th, 2006
November 4th, 7:30pm belltime
Pennsylvania National Guard Armory
2700 Southampton Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19154
Fight Without Honor
Homicide with Julius Smokes vs. Steve Corino
Five years of hate and history all comes down to this one match. It started with a miscommunication in the ring and ever since then it's been personal. They've made each other angry, made each other bleed and made each other hate. Homicide slapped the hearing out on one of Corino's ears. Homicide had a major injury by hurting his shoulder in their last singles match at Steel CageWarfare back in December of '05. I'm thinking everything is going to happen here and we'll get reprises of some of the most intense moments of their feud. Expect chairs and tables and maybe even barbed wire. I'd also expect Cornette and his henchmen to get involved (it's a no DQ match). On ‘Cide's side, expect Julius Smokes and Konnan to help out when needed. This is supposedly the blow off to the rivalry (although I have my doubts) and there should be a clear cut winner.
ROH World Tag Team Title Match
Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defend vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong
Rumors of Claudio's demise may be exaggerated…or they may not be. No one really knows except for Claudio and that makes this match one of the more intriguing stories going into tonight's show. Aries and Strong want their belts back in the worst way, but did they give away too much in last night's top notch match against KENTA and Davey Richards? If there's nothing left in the tank, the Kings will win this easily. My guess is Aries and Strong give the Kings a run for the money, but Chris Hero's mind will work towards coming up with something ingenious that will help seal the victory.
KENTA's Farewell To ROH
KENTA vs. Matt Sydal
Matt Sydal has been built up in Ring of Honor these last few months with huge victory after huge victory. All this was done to get him to where he needed to be in this match against KENTA. Guess what? It has worked. Sydal may not look like it at first glance, but he is one tough customer and has worked hard to improve himself to get here to this match. It is KENTA's last stand in Ring of Honor for sometime, so look for him to give that something extra special in this one.
Tag Team Grudge Match
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Davey Richards & Delirious
Davey Richards is not done on his revenge tour against the Briscoes, despite racking up singles victories and beating up both Briscoes something good. Richards needs a tag win against the Briscoes to move on in his ROH career and Delirious may be the most unassuming partners available to get the job done.
Dream Partner Tag Match
ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson & Jimmy Rave vs. Samoa Joe & Nigel McGuinness
Samoa Joe and Nigel McGuinness had a nice series of matches against each other in 2005, including battles over the ROH Pure title. Each knows what the other is capable of and that is why Joe has turned to Nigel in this dream partner tag. For Rave, it's all about being a winner, and if he is a winner by association, well that's all the better for him. There's nothing better than getting along with the champion—and this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship for those two. Nigel has yet to defeat Danielson straight up in a singles match, but even if he did, by the rules of their match at Epic Encounter II, he cannot receive another ROH World title shot during Dragon's reign. So this one is for Nigel's pride, and Samoa Joe's pride as well.
ROH Commissioner Jim Cornette Will Be In Attendance
Konnan is bringing the LAX attitude to ROH In Philly
Let's talk about these two items together. It has been foreshadowed in ROH newswires that Konnan is on a collision course with Cornette, and that will happen tonight. Konnan is here on behalf of Homicide. Cornette hates Homicide. I don't think I have to draw a diagram to get you to see where this is heading. Someone is getting their ass handed to them in a verbal battle and probably in a physical encounter as well.
Bonus Attraction Match
Christopher Daniels with Allison Danger vs. "M-Dogg" Matt Cross
Daniels took on and defeated ROH rookie Brent Albright last week in Dayton and now he shows his stuff against another ROH newcomer in Matt Cross. This one will be be a balance of the fast and frenetic action as well with the technical and ground game that both can bring. This could be an under card show stealer.
Four Corner Survival
Colt Cabana vs. BJ Whitmer vs. Tank Tolland vs. Pelle Primeau
Colt's ten toes and Whitmers two ankles will be there in all their glory. Tank gets another shot in a four corner survival match while Pelle continues to become ROH's guilty pleasure.
Plus more with Lacey, Daizee Haze, Shane Hagadorn and others!!!
Dear Delirious:
He's been a busy man recently, what with winning the Survival of the Fittest tournament and just competing against Bryan Danielson for the ROH World title, but he managed to fit us in right under the wire. He's the madman himself… DELIRIOUS!
Right. Let's get to the letters before he starts to eat them.
Dear Delirious You Sick Mask Wearing Freak,
You and I have had our differences in the recent past, but reluctantly I turn to you for help in my time of need. You see, I have a…friend, a personal…manservant if you will. On a recent past ROH event, this friend, you can call him "Shane", well, after we won out match, he expressed his joy in a rather…outlandish manner. You see, he hugged me. Now, I don't know what's going on or what this man thinks, but this relationship, er, friendship is purely simpatico. How can I make sure this friend thinks the same?
Sincerely,
The Office of the Lieutenant Commissioner
BAGELBAGELBAGELBAGELBREAKFASTHANDSHAKE!
Ah yes you see, dear sir, Delirious suggests you take this friend out to breakfast, explain the rules of your relationship, er, friendship and just go from there.
Next up, postmarked from Huntington Beach, CA:
Hey Daddy D,
I think people get the wrong impression of me sometimes. I'm a very laid back, cool individual. I like to have fun, party, get with the women, and wrestle. Yet, I know that everywhere I go I hear that people say that I'm going to kill. I don't know how they get that idea. I'm no killer. I hope people don't get the wrong idea of who I'm about.
Talk to ya,
The Samoan Guy
BAHBAHBAHNEWCHANTBAHBAHBAH"JOE IS GONNA BE YOUR FRIEND" BAHBAHBAH
Well, that's pretty straightforward I think.
BAHBAHBYE!
That's all the time Delirious has for letters this time around, but keep sending them in—we'll keep getting Delirious's great advice in this very column.
Going Home
Ringtones
Repeat Offender emailer Tom Geddes is back with some comments about Spud, who I was asking about last week.
Hello!
As a fan from the UK I thought I'd just say hello and try to explain the
whole love/hate thing going on with Spud. I think the main problem is that
the 'smarter' fans in the UK crowds dislike Spud because he's too small to
be believable as a wrestler. If I was being cynical I'd also suggest a lot
of the UK fans wanted to show the American DVD buyers how smart they are. I
think the general expectation over here was that Spud would be crucified by
the ROH fans but having seen his two appearences I think the fans took to
him pretty well. The main problem with Spud is that he rarely gets played to
his strengths. He's a decent high flyer but if you throw him in a scramble
type match with a load of other flyers he tends to get lost in the shuffle.
Stick him with a bigger heel or a technician and have him play babyface in
peril and you not only get to demonstrate his strengths (he takes a beating
like a trooper and shows pain on his face so much you want to rescue him)
but also it's much more believable. Other than that he's a really top guy
and has been in some really fun matches over here in the past.
In case you hadn't heard, the next UK guy that will make a huge impact in
the US is Pac. Comparisons with Jack Evans are inevitable but general
feeling over here is that he is much much better. His high flying is
absolutly spectacular, currently using a corkscrew SSP as his finish, but
he's built more like a wrestler and seems to be able to use his high flying
with more context within the match. He's had a great matches with El
Generico at IPW:UK and AJ Styles at 1PW and is having rematches with both of
them on an upcoming PWG show in the states. Keep an eye out!
Anyway, enjoyed your column as always
Tom
Thanks for the email and the explanation Tom and sorry I didn't get back to you personally like I usually like to do. I believe either you or someone else from overseas recommended Pac and now he's getting some run in other places. I haven't yet been able to check him out. The explanation on Spud sounds incredibly on point the more I think about it.
First Timer Scott Hardie writes in asking for information about ROH—he's come to the right place!
Hey,
Just letting you know I really enjoy your column, I've only gotten into
RoH in the last couple of months because the DVDs are pretty hard to get
ahold of over here in Australia but my tape trader started getting them
and I've been hooked since then.
Just cuirious if you thought about doing or knew anyone who does a RoH
Q&A column for those of us who've come in late.
Anyway, cheers.
Scott
Thanks for the compliments and for reading the column. It's awesome that you are getting into the product even though you're half a world away! I'd imagine it is difficult to get product, perhaps due to shipping costs and availability and such. However, ROH is definitely worth the effort.
The major FAQ resource comes from the Ring of Honor message boards. Here is the link
You can get a ton of information there about past stables, histories, match concepts, guest appearances and there are links to show results and theme songs and other odds and ends. You can access the board for free, and registration opens from time to time (although I don't think it's open right now). If you have any specific questions you can always feel free to ask myself or Steve Cook from the Ask 411 column.
Thanks again for reading the column--its awesome and very humbling to know that I have readers from all over the world. I try to do my best every week.
**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)
**ROH Death Before Dishonor IV (CZW vs. ROH Cage of Death, McGuinness / Strong, Dutt / Danielson)
** ROH Fight of the Century (ROH World Title: Joe / Danielson, KENTA / Richards, Daniels / McGuinness / Lethal / Castagnoli, Ultimate Endurance)
**ROH Unified (ROH World vs. Pure Title: Danielson / McGuinness, ROH World Tag Team Title: Aries and Strong / Briscoes, Cabana / Hero, Richards / Rave)
ROH @ 411
Bayani Domingo explores what it means to be an independent wrestler who moves to WWE. Plenty of ROH alumni are analyzed and the future of Claudio may be seen through their fates.
Steve Cook gave his run down on the October 27th Dayton show on his Thursday news report. Cook also does Ask 411.
Honor Bound Links
Nick Marsico humbled me (don't make the Sheiky joke!) the other day by plugging my column…hard (don't make the gay joke!) in his News To Start Your Weekend column. I appreciate it and thank him greatly. Did I mention lately how much I enjoy Rocketbusta Radio? It's the greatest four man combo (what did I say about the gay jokes!) in internet podcastery.
And to be up to date on the LATEST WEEKEND news, check out Double M's news column.
My comments on WWE Cyber SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY can be found in the official411 Roundtable.
Wrestling 3R's with Larry C & Co.. Filmed before a live studio audience.
And O'Dog is right on the money with saying WWF Survivor Series 1996 was one of the greatest PPV's no one really talks about anymore. Read his column and learn, you young'ns.
Let's end on another self plug for me vs. Andy Clark on 411 Fact or Fiction this week. Yes, I did indeed recommend that Stephanie McMahon return to WWE television but that's because I won't be watching it. I send a plague upon you all!
A plague is a great way to end this column. Next week—the stock market is back in action. We'll have results from tonight in Philadelphia and much more.
Final Column 2006: 8 weeks and counting.
Brooklyn! DAH EM BAH SEE!
