Column of Honor: 11.18.06
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 11.18.2006
Samoa Joe vs. the entire population of Japan, ROH returns to Long Island and my thoughts on Jack Evans in 2007, possibilities for an ROH cruiserweight title, ROH news and more.
Joe vs. Japan: A Burgeoning World Crisis
Kobashi. KENTA. Morishima.
Why has Samoa Joe decided to target the best wrestlers from the land of the rising sun?
Over the last year, it seems that Joe has found a fetish in fighting Japanese wrestlers, or at the least challenging them—to test their mettle against his. So far Joe has taken on some of Pro Wrestling NOAH's finest, shiny examples of Puro ability. He fought against Kenta Kobashi last October in Manhattan—a match that is almost first on the tongue of every ROH fan when considering ROH matches ever. Then Joe challenged the junior heavyweight elite in Kobashi's protégé KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji (current GHC Heavyweight champion) in March this year, and fought KENTA again in a triple threat match along with Bryan Danielson. Just recently, at the Glory By Honor V Night 2 event, again in New York City, Joe lost his cool when he and Takeshi Morishima couldn't decide who would first leave the ringside area after a tribute ceremony to Bruno Sammartino. An exchange of pleasantries right quick turned into an exchange of vicious forearms and elbows. Both men had to be separated by the rest of the ROH roster and the rest of the NOAH contingent that was visiting the promotion at the time.
Joe's pattern of behavior is as clear as his agenda—he wants to take out the Japanese wrestlers and prove to the world that not only is Ring of Honor better than them, but Joe himself is better than Japanese professional wrestling. It seems as if this is a matter of honor to him, to show that wrestlers from other countries can't just come in and expect to dominate the rest of the promotion. The answer lies within what he shouted out in the opening moments of his encounter against Kobashi in October of 2005—"this is my house!" It is a guiding principal upon which he rests his actions. Joe is Professional Wrestling, and that means that he is also Ring of Honor. This is the smash mouth, "not in my house" mentality that has guided Joe throughout the last year, in his attacks on the NOAH wrestlers.
It is a somewhat appreciable goal—the only problem is that Joe hasn't been able to win. Not once against KENTA. He lost the huge "clash of the titans" style match against Kobashi and found himself on the losing side of the dream tag match against Kobashi the next night. A match with Morishima seems likely for 2007 but given past history, a win by Joe doesn't seem to be in the cards. He could not even dominate Morishima in their pull apart brawl—there was no clear winner or loser in that encounter.
That these incidents seem to occur always in New York is no coincidence. NYC has quickly become home base of ROH operations—where some of the biggest and major matches occur. Just this past September, it was KENTA and Marufuji taking spots in the top two matches on the card, while Samoa Joe and Homicide were in the featured match before intermission. NOAH stars have made their mark in the Big Apple—and they remain viable attractions at the top of the card. Joe knows this—and it probably eats at him, even if just a little.
This burgeoning war between Joe and the Japanese could blow up in Ring of Honor's face. ROH has a lot to gain with a good friendship to NOAH officials and wrestlers. More wrestlers could come overseas and become drawing cards, and vice versa. Joe's constant badgering of Japanese wrestlers could become a deterrent for others to participate in these crossovers of talent. Joe will no doubt demand that he be allowed to fight one or more of these men, either in America or overseas. This could potentially lead to tense discussions between ROH and NOAH officials, which could create further problems down the road. Additionally, if Joe decides to recruit more ROH wrestlers to his cause, there could be a mobilization of forces on each side, and we could wind up at the precipice of an all out war. There is a lot to risk by allowing Joe's reckless behavior to stand unconditionally and without reprimand.
Joe did not stop his assault on Japanese wrestlers with his attack on Morishima. He sent a clear message to Japan when he slapped KENTA in the face two weeks ago in Philadelphia. There will be showdowns with Morishima, and KENTA, and maybe even Kobashi once more. Joe will want to make them all pay for the perceived slights he feels they have done against him. It is clear he is not done in this personal war he is waging against NOAH. The question is, what price will the rest of ROH pay by allowing it to happen?
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 11/18/2006
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, 2 successful defenses)****
*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
Strong new FIP Champion Roderick Strong defeated Bryan Danielson to win the FIP Heavyweight Title last Friday in Inverness, FL. The emotional match saw Strong make Danielson tap to end Danielson's almost 11 month reign. Strong stated that his main goal now is to raise the prestige of the FIP Heavyweight Title.
In addition, Strong claimed in the new ROH video Wire that he will begin to defend the FIP title during his appearances in ROH action, beginning with his upcoming match against Shingo.
Strong also changed the rules for the FIP title, stating there would be a twenty count on the floor and that the title could change hands on a count out or disqualification. So in other words, the FIP belt has just become the ROH Pure title. Just add in the three rope break rules and you're right there. With Strong probably defending the FIP belt on a semi regular basis, this title essentially becomes the equivalent of ROH's secondary title.
Seriously, it's okay if ROH admits it made a mistake in getting rid of the Pure title and brings it back. I wouldn't mind that at all.
Rave On, Long Island Two more big matches have been signed for ROH's huge return to Long Island on 11/24. The Road Of Homicide continues towards his World Title shot on 12/23 in Manhattan. It stops in Long Island when Homicide takes on Jimmy Rave. This match pits one of ROH's hottest wrestlers in Homicide against one of ROH's coldest grapplers in Rave. In an interesting move, it was Rave who requested this match. Rave states that he wants to take on the best so he can score a huge win and get back on track. Rave and Homicide were part of teams that battled to a double DQ a few months ago in Long Island, now they will fight in singles action to determine a conclusive winner.
Another unique singles bout has been added to Thanksgiving weekend in Long Island. It will be Shingo vs. Mark Briscoe in a first time ever match.
The continuity in ROH is just awesome. It was over six months ago that the tag match mentioned in the newswire occurred, but it was an inconclusive finish. That means this match between Homicide and Rave ties up a loose end. That is some deep, deep booking man, and that is what I love about this company.
Homcidal Eliminations The Briscoes continue to be a thorn in Homicide's side. Homicide is looking to eliminate The Briscoes on 11/25 in Edison, NJ when its Homicide & Samoa Joe vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe in a New Jersey Street Fight. We have added stipulations as it will also be Falls Count Anywhere and there are Elimination Rules. This means that both members of each team must be defeated and when one loses, he is out of the match. It will also create a 2-on-1 situation, which means someone is going to get their ass kicked bad!!!
This is a very cool stipulation and one that makes sense given the propensity of The Briscoes to attack 2 on 1; they may get a taste of their own medicine here. It also adds a Survivor Series feel to Edison Main Event with the elimination aspect.
Adding onto the Chicago Spectacular The two night "The Chicago Spectacular" on 12/8 & 12/9 at the Frontier Fieldhouse is less than a month away. A grudge match has been added to each night. It will be Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Jacobs with Lacey on 12/8. The next night will see the Road Of Homicide continue as it will be Homicide vs. Adam Pearce. Both these matches have potential to get very violent.
While BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs have been going at it for months, this is just the start of what I feel will also be a long term rivalry in Cabana v. Jacobs. Emo wounds die hard you know. Homicide v. Pearce dates all the way back to Pearce trying to convince Homicide to join the fight against CZW. Pearce, as lieutenant commissioner also was a factor in not allowing a restart in the Homicide-Danielson ROH title match back in May. Finally, Pearce sided with Jim Cornette after the Cage of Death match in July and helped in the vicious attack against Homicide at that event. Yep, it's time for Homicide to exact some revenge.
Adding onto Conneticut 12/22 12/22 in Connecticut will see Hero & Castagnoli vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe and if The Kings Of Wrestling are still champions the belts will be on the line.
Don't forget, the Dragon Gate main event star will also be in a huge match in Connecticut on 12/22. The Dragon Gate star will be determined by what happens in a tournament in early December in Japan.
Claudio may be leaving at some point for Deep South Wrestoling, but the newswire keeps us guessing as to when he and Hero might drop the belts by adding on more dates and matches where the possibility exists that it might happen. Kings vs. Briscoes must definitely happen before Claudio leaves. The Dragon Gate wrestler should be interesting in that not only is Shingo around to interact with, but Matt Sydal also had a stay there. There are a lot of possible directions to take this crossover.
Corino Comments on ROH, Feud with Homicide
Steve Corino's decision to shave his head at the end of his blow off match against homicide in Philadelphia drew some quizzical responses from those live in attendance and the message boarders commenting at home. Corino took a moment to comment on his awesome live journal to explain why he chose to do the shaving. I've C&P'ed the most relevant parts here:
Homicide and I have been feuding for four years. In today's wrestling terms of feuds ending before 11:00pm that is like Blassie/Tolos (1969-82), Funk's/Brisco's (not Jay and Mark silly), or Dusty/Sullivan. It was forever. The difference between it is that there was a ton of real tension. There was no "work" in him taking out my hearing. It's been three years and I still can't hear out of my left ear. There was no "work" when his shoulder popped out last December. These injuries happened not because either of us was sloppy. They happened through the intensity of a real feud. Every time I fought Homicide one on one was like walking into a war. When people believe that a pro-wrestling match is more then it seems you have to hit that guy that much harder. Did it look harder? Maybe not to the naked eye, but trust me every shot Homicide and I hit each other with was a intensity I have never had to hit somebody with before. After each match I felt physically drained. Although the older I get the more drained I get after matches but these matches were different: there was a emotional drain too. I don't want to sound like I am whining because this feud kept me in the ROH spotlight much longer then I would have if I would have been a full timer. When Gabe brought up the idea of doing me vs. Homicide in Philadelphia I asked him for it to be the final time. I don't know if it is true but I had been told that Homicide asked Gabe the same. It had to end. Looking back now I think it might have been better if it had been in New York because of how over Homicide is there and how even when I was a babyface in ECW, New York fans hate me like I come to the ring with a Red Sox jersey on or something.
The shaving came as a result of showing respect. Plain and simple. After four years and countless scars, hearing loss, shoulder breaking, etc. I thought the best way to show my respect was to let him shave my head. Was it just respect for Homicide? Hell no. It was respect for him, Gabe and Cary for giving us the platform to create something real, the ROH company, the pro-wrestlers that came before me that shaved their head after an epic feud, and mostly the fans. But I guess most of the fans didn't get it or didn't want to get it. If I had the choice to do it again would I? In a second.
Will I keep the bald head? Maybe. I am lucky in the fact that my hair grows very quick. Like Bobby Cruise's back hair! Have you seen it? Disgusting. He is a big forehead away from being an animal.
Now it's time for Hero's Sandwich
What does Chris Hero do on his days off?
It's a question most of you MorROHns have been emailing me about since I began doing this feature—although how you ham and eggers even managed to figure out how to send emails in the first place to me is amazing and awe-inspiring. That is, inspires awe-ful feelings of hate and vitriol inside of me.
So what does the King of all Kings of Kings do when he does not have to displace his awesome and magnificent abilities inside of a squared circle? Does he lounge around in his living room in a wife beater and boxer shorts, munching on a bag of Doritos and some Diet Mountain Dew while watching reruns of CSI? No—that's most of you momma's basement dwelling, virginal loser fans.
Is he in the gym working hard—doing crunches, squats, lifting weights? No—he's already buffed up enough to begin with. He's all natural.
Is he at the bar, downing bottles of Bud and macking on the hot chicks? Of course not—the hot chicks come to him, not the other way around. Of course girls, it's first served, first come. You know it.
So you're asking, Chris, come on already, tell us, seriously what do you do on your day off? We, the needy, desperate for gossip and rumor and speculate, we need to know!
And in all seriousness, I'll say this—it's none of your damned business.
This has been Hero's Sandwich.
ROH Preview: ROH in Long Island, NY November 24th, 2006
Sports Plus Entertainment Center
110 New Moriches Road
Lake Grove, New York 11755
No DQ ROH World Tag Team Title Match
Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli defend vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong
This is the final rematch between these two teams who have feuded over who is the number one tag team in the company. The Kings of Wrestling control the tag team division and while they don't have a spotless singles record, they remain perfect in tag team action. Aries has shown that his temper can get to him as of late, and Roderick Strong's priority's may have changed now that he is the new FIP Heavyweight Champion. This spells distraction for the former dominant champions, and that can be costly against the expert team of Claudio and Hero. I don't expect the title change here tonight.
Grudge Match
Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe
Looking back on two years ago, Joe's run against the Briscoes was quite the well put together program. Joe would dominate the singles matches, but the Briscoes always could put down Joe and whoever he teamed up with in tag matches. Joe and Jay had one hell of a cage match in March 2004 during the At Our Best event, during which Jay bled buckets of blood in one of the most memorable visuals in ROH's history (it's shown up many times in video packages). This rematch so long in the making is as a result of the Homicide issue with The Briscoes, where Joe wound up aligning with Homicide. I expect some hard hitting and stiff action, maybe some involvement by both Mark and Homicide, and either the J-Driller or the Muscle Buster to be the key to victory.
Tag Team Challenge Match
Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal with Allison Danger vs. Delirious & Davey Richards
Here are two teams who have done well in singles action but who have decided to pair up during the Fall to varying degrees of success. Daniels and Sydal have seemed to come together even better than expected in the tag ranks and their combination moves and quick team work are helping them to win matches. Their combo finisher of Sydal's standing moonsault and Daniels' Best Moonsault Ever is a breathtaking and effective series. Delirious and Davey have teamed up once before but they lost to the Briscoes. They get a second chance here—and if they win they can claim a stake at the number one contendership to the tag team titles because they will have defeated a top team.
Gauntlet Series- this is a series of consecutive singles matches. When someone is defeated they are eliminated and it continues until there is one winner. The order of participants is determined by a random drawing on the night of the show. Participants include:
Nigel McGuinness
BJ Whitmer
Jimmy Jacobs with Lacey
Brent Albright
Pelle Primeau
Jason Blade
The Gauntlet Series was a great gimmick match used in 2002—it allowed for different combinations of matches and gave fans a good look at the wrestlers' abilities and talents. This is a very good talent pool with four realistic possibilities for winners and two upset possibilities. Pelle Primeau has been well received by the ROH fans as its new upset king. I could see him getting at least one win in this series. Whitmer and Jacobs certainly have grudges to settle against each other, and I could see the possibility of those two mixing it up. McGuinness and Brent Albright is an exciting new technical vs. technical match up. If they tussle sometime during this gauntlet series, their encounter could very well be a preview of a newfound long standing rivalry.
Special Attraction Match
Homicide with Julius Smokes vs. Jimmy Rave
Rave desperately needs wins at this point and time, but Homicide has just been unstoppable on the road to his ROH title shot. This is a curious match, perhaps even a trap match for ‘Cide if he overlooks Rave. It certainly seems that something fluky or strange could happen here.
Bonus Match
Shingo vs. Mark Briscoe
Shingo has been on a big time roll in ROH, racking up wins against the regular roster. Mark Briscoe is on a bit of a losing end here in singles matches, but could use this match to catapult himself back up the ranks.
Going Home
Ringtones
Here's an email from Justin, who asks some very relevant questions about ROH matters of import.
hey Ari, just wanted to let ya known that i'm a big fan of column of honor.
i just have a couple question
1. What do you think is ahead for Jack Evans in 2007
2. Who do you think is gonna dethrone Homicide (since we all know he's gonna win!
3. What matches do you want to see for ROH in the UK
4. You think there's a possibility for an ROH cruserweight title
5. When do u think Joe vs. kenta or kenta kobashi will happen.
You can see me on the ROH Anarchy in the UK video as i'm in the audience with my DAD. I came all the way from Chi-town home of Colt Cabana, it was my going away present for college.
1. Jack definitely seems to be splitting his time between Japan and American indies and I think that will probably continue in 2007. I don't think he'll be signed anytime soon by WWE (although I could see them sign him up if they want to hook him up with his pal TJ Wilson who they just signed). When he comes back Evans will probably be slotted back into the mid card and there may be some things for him to do, such as mix it up with Matt Sydal, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong or maybe a series of matches against M Dogg 20. I just finished watching Evans, Cabana, Jacobs and Reyes in the 4cs from Glory By Honor V night 1. Evans is moving faster than ever and his strikes and even his aerial moves have improved since his stint in Dragon Gate. he's definitely a favorite of mine and I am in awe of his abilities.
2. I think it's a bit early to make the call on who will take out Homicide. It certainly looks like he'll be the one who wins the title at Final Battle 2006, but you never know if ROH is going to throw a monkey wrench in the works. That said, there are several options. Nigel McGuinness has taken the necessary strides to step up to the main event level and I think he definitely has what it takes NOW to be a legitimate champion. I just don't think he's the best fit to take the title off of 'Cide since their history isn't really anything unique or dramatic. Chris Hero is such a heat magnet that if he gets the ball as a singles wrestler (presuming he stays booked after Claudio leaves) he can shoot right to the top of the charts. He's someone the fans hate and they don't want to see him as champion. It's the cockroach theory--you keep trying to kill him but he comes back stronger than ever. This time when he gets squashed for the ROH tag straps he can come back and win the ROH World title, making the fans hate him even more. Samoa Joe is another extremely good fit for taking the top strap because of his past history with 'Cide. Joe winning makes him the first ever two time champion and it may set 'Cide off again. It certainly gives ROH more money drawing marquee matches for early 2007. The only thing with that is if TNA wants to put the NWA heavyweight title on Joe in late 2006/ early 2007, it would not be serviceable to have him as champion of ROH as well--too many responsibilities. So in all likelihood, I'm thinking Homicide gets the strap at Final Battle 2006, and then Chris Hero wins the belt in a shocker during the Fifth Anniversary Show.
3. I want more DOUG WILLIAMS! Williams has been the man who represents UK in ROH ever since 2002. I have been impressed with him from his first match in ROH onwards. I would definitely think a Williams vs. McGuinness dream match would be the way to go (although I know 1Pw already ran with this match). Fleisch and Storm certainly should be back--they're owed a ROH World tag team title shot from "Unified" and they should be allowed to cash in on that. I don't mind Storm in short bursts but sometimes he and Fleisch get a bit too cute for their own good--their spot / spot / spot style gets me annoyed sometimes. Oh and one more thing that ROH MUST be exposed to--Team SHAG! Roll out the fuzzy Dice for Cabana! It's cool to hear that you got the opportunity to go to England and esp. to see ROH--it's one of my favorite places to tour.
4. Sapolsky just mentioned the possibility for a secondary title. I don't know if it will be a cruiserweight belt-because really, 85 percent of the roster or more would qualify for that title. Also, the term "Cruiserweight" doesn't carry a positive reference at this point because of how badly the WWE has bungled their division. I'd rather see something along the lines of a new no. 1 contender's trophy being brought back because it would help to strongly establish contenders and challengers for the big strap. Either that or maybe a "Webcast" champion. That would work along the lines of the way the TV belts used to operate--with defenses being shown on the ROH video wire instead of on the tele. Then you could also do interactive fan polls for who the web cast champion will fight and under what stipulations. Sort of like how WWE does Cyber Sunday, only you know, better.
5. Your guess is as good as mine as to when those matches will go down. I just hope when Joe v. KENTA does happen it takes place right here in NYC, because that is where a majority of the teasing for the match has taken place. They certainly are taking their sweet time with it, but my guess is that by the end of 2007 we'll not only see Joe v. KENTA but also Joe v. Takeshi Morishima. As far as Kobashi, I think that all depends on how well and how fast he recovers from his cancer. I would NOT have him rush this recovery--it's way too serious to risk getting in the ring. However, I'd also warn ROH fans not to get their hopes too high to see any or all of these matches in America. I'm thinking NOAH is going to get to host at least one of these possible match ups.
Next, we have Aaron, a new ROH reviewer over at IP. Hi Ari, I'm a big fan of your column. I recently got a column over at the insidepulse writing Ring of Honor DVD reviews. I'm going to review every Ring of Honor show on DVD, one a week. Now, I know we're at different sites, but I'm hoping for some feedback, and if you like what you see, a plug in the Column of Honor.
As Jason Lee would say in Almost Famous, "ah…the enemy." I kid. Aaron does a good job doing the review thang, so I suggest ROH fans give his stuff a shot.
**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
Jacob Zeigler and Brad Garoon explore Ring of Honor's UK stand with the bloody brilliant event Unified.
Meanwhile, Brad explores Bryan Danielson's FIP title reign in his review of FIP Strength in Numbers.
Honor Bound Links
I don't know what happened to Nick Marsico's excellent, awesome and better than perfect News To Start Your Weekend, but Double M starts us off with the Saturday News Report..
Check out my guest host spot on The Week in Hardcore, as things get very…honorable, shall we say?
Stu may think he's cute, may think he's sexy, but he also thinks he's the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be in this week's That Was Then.
I'm jealous that Bayani got to talk to a boat load of wrestlers, but most especially Lacey during his WSXperience
Cook holds all the answers, but I change the questions on Ask 411.
Sorry to say guys but I'm running low on time this week so I'm going to push back the Ring of Shame feature and double that up with my Apocalypse Not Happening feature for the second month in a row. I have the privilege of meeting the family of my sister's fiancé this weekend (flying over from Wales no less), so it's a bit of a tight fit this weekend and I got in as much as I could. So next week I'll have that, as well as results from the Long Island show and a preview of the Edison, NJ show to boot.
Final Column 2006-6 weeks and counting. It's my largest column of the year, with awards given out to the ROH wrestler of the year, most honorable and least honorable and a whole bunch more. It's like the ROH Academy Awards, except my awards…mean less.
Be good everyone, see you next week in this column and also as I continue my substitute teacher act in The Week in Hardcore. Brooklyn! DAH EM BAH SEE!
--Ari--
