Column of Honor: 12.23.06
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 12.23.2006
The ROH Final Battle 2006 Preview Issue. Then, get into the HOLIDAY SPIRIT with Delirious! Plus, 12/22 Hartford CT results and thoughts, debating the one hour draw and Sweet and Sour!
Welcome everyone and happy holidays. I am super jazzed up at this time of the year—especially today of all days, because as you ROH fans know, it's time for Final Battle 2006, right here in New York. We'll get to that in a minute, but first of all let me extend my wishes of Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all the readers out there.
ROH Results: Hartford, CT 12/22/2006 Matches
-Jason Blade defeated Pelle Primeau via pinfall.
-Austin Aries defeated Eddie Edwards with the 450 Splash.
-Adam Pearce defeated Delirious via pinfall after using brass knuckles.
-BJ Whitmer and Daizee Haze defeated Jimmy Jacobs & Mercedes Martinez.
-Colt Cabana defeated Brent Albright via roll up.
-The Kings Of Wrestling of Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe via pinfall (Hero rolls up Jay).
-Bryan Danielson defeated Nigel McGuinness in a a Four Corner Survival match that also included Jimmy Rave and Homicide
-FIP Champion Roderick Strong retained his title by defeating Davey Richards via count out.
-ROH Tag Team Champions Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal retained their titles by defeating CIMA and Shingo with the BME / SSP combo on Shingo.
Angles and Issues
Mercedes Martinez Injured: After taking a header off of a BJ Whitmer exploder suplex, women's wrestler Mercedes Martinez was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. She was diagnosed with a severe concussion, but according to Gabe Sapolsky her condition has improved in the last several hours. This was a pretty scary bump according to many fan reports from the event, so let's just hope for a speedy and safe recovery and that everything that needs to be done for recovery is done the right way.
SWEET N SOUR for EVERYONE! "Sweet and Sour" Larry Sweeney made a surprise debut for Ring of Honor tonight in Hartford by becoming involved in the Kings of Wrestling vs. Briscoes match. He punched Jay and caused havoc leading up to a shocking Kings of Wrestling win. In fact, it was a night of surprise outcomes as Pelle lost his match to infrequent wrestler Jason Blade and Dragon defeated Nigel again (I had guessed a challenger would win to set up a future title shot).
Who is Larry Sweeney? For those that don't know, the dude is awesome. His wrestling isn't the best comparably with ROH's top stars, but his gimmick and his promos are top notch. He works a sort of old school Memphis wrestling gimmick from the late 70's / early 80's. He is also the current 17 (or is that 18 by now?) times IWC-IWCA Tex-Arkana Television Champion. He "defends" "the belt" that represents the wrestling loop of Texas to Arkansas against all comers. It's a great gimmick and I think he has a ton of potential to do some good in ROH, if indeed he is coming in on a regular basis. He teams with Hero and Claudio in Chikara, so if he continues to be involved with Hero in ROH in an alliance, that would also be cool.
According to Gabe Sapolsky, he had "no idea" Sweeney was coming in tonight and that maybe we will "get some answers" tonight in Manhattan. Hmm…at Claudio's farewell maybe?
More Words For Joe and Nigel: With Joe unable to compete, Joe cut a show opening promo to hype the crowd, but then returned later to check on Homicide when Dragon hurt the challenger's shoulder during the four corner survival match. This distracted the ref enough for Dragon to pin Nigel, after Nigel was rolling up Rave for the win. to defeat. Joe has now, incidentally or not cost Nigel McGuiness a win and future title shots. The animosity between the men certainly is building up now.
Stu Done Two Ways:
For those of you who want more detail about the in-ring action from last night's show in Hartford, you can check out Stu Carapola's live report, as he was in attendance from the show. Stu was also kind enough to email me some more thoughts that weren't in his report and I shall print them below:
-Jason Blade beat Pelle Primeau
Kinda weird that "COME ON BABY!!" gets put over the new pet project from the
ROH school, wouldn't you say? Blade's green as Oscar, I really have to
question this one. I mean, he can stick Tank Toland but not Jason Blade?
If I recall, CT may be Jason Blade's hometown area, so they may have given him to win out of respect for that. Other than that I'd agree with you—Pelle should be positioned as someone who is getting more serious in training and is therefore getting more wins. They can do something with Pelle here, but little drib and drab losses could take the momentum out of his sails.
-Austin Aries beat Eddie Edwards
Eddie reminds me of my friend Rob Robson. He has a unique look, but nothing
there. Just a blip on the radar for Aries.
It's a battle of alliteration here Stu and you just added your own unique contribution. What next, Peter Parker vs. Bruce Banner vs. Reed Richards in a three way dance?
-Adam Pearce beat Delirious
Hard for me to believe that I was predicting Pearce to be the ROH Champion
before the end of the year. Boy, has he dropped down the card, or what?
The loss shouldn't hurt Delirious. Pearce got him with knucks, then Pelle
ran out and Delirious piledrove Hagadorn.
-BJ Whitmer & Daizee Haze beat Jimmy Jacobs and Mercedes Martinez
Much better than I expected it to be, with lots of man/woman mixing.
Mercedes took a bad bump on a double exploder from BJ on both of them and
wasn't moving much. Hope she's okay, she's got a good look and plenty of
fan support.
-Colt Cabana beat Brent Albright
Like I said in the live report, I would not ever want to fight Brent
Albright. The dude is jacked and works really stiff and smooth. If he
doesn't get picked right back up by WWE or TNA, I can see him going places
in ROH.
Albright can be a scary, scary man in the right context.
-The Kings Of Wrestling beat Jay & Mark Briscoe
I did not expect this. I totally figured they'd put the Briscoes over on
the way out. Yes Chris Hero used the freakin' cravate. Some dude I didn't
recognized interfered and gave the KOW the win.
SWEENEY! Also, this win is a huge shock on my part and also doesn't jive with what I expected to happen tonight (basically Hero blaming Claudio for the loss leading to a singles match) so I don't know what's going on here.
-Bryan Danielson beat Homicide, Nigel McGuinness, and Jimmy Rave in Four
Corner Survival
Danielson was clearly saving himself for tonight. His shoulder's gotta be
in real bad shape by now, and although I'm going to be across from you and
supporting my champion, I'd be real surprised if he didn't lose the title
tomorrow, fun booking possibilities notwithstanding.
-Roderick Strong beat Davey Richards to retain the FIP Title
This match featured the standard dickheads in the crowd who were running
down both guys. Too bad, it was the best match of the night. I mostly
tuned them out by coming up with clever ideas for what else FIP can stand
for. Richards basically killed the crowd heat by going "Let's hear it for
the guy who's trying to get himself over!" and held the ropes open for him.
The guy put his stuff down and took off his jacket...then sat down. That
may have been the smartest thing he did all night. Countout finish was a
bit of a drag, but it establishes the FIP Title as something other than a
second tier title from a second rate promotion, whether Gabe books it or
not.
Sure it establishes the FIP title as something other than a second tier title from a second rate promotion. It establishes it as the Pure title.
I don't blame Richards for saying what he said to the crowd for one second. In fact, Colt Cabana did the same thing in his match against Spanky back in August of 2005 (which just by happenstance is covered in this week's Independent Mid Card column…coincidence? Or just a well timed plug?). Wrestlers should shoot back if a fan is giving them a hard time, and I'd be pretty sure Richards speaks for many of the wrestlers with what he said.
-Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal beat CIMA and Shingo "I'm Just Here To
Take The Fall" Takagi to retain the ROH World Tag Team Title
I never realized how much personality CIMA has and how funny he is. I
became a CIMA fan tonight. Good match, although Shingo's a bit of a slug.
Just like his nickname says, he took the fall after the BME/SSP combo from
the champs. I think it's great that ROH has built itself in such a way that
either ROH Title can main event a show, and same with the Pure Title when it
was around.
CIMA was voted in as Japan's "Technical Wrestler of the Year" but he certainly adds a ton of pizzazz and energy to the word "technical wrestler". I actually would think that term is a misnomer or at least doesn't jive with what we in America consider "technical wrestling" to be. CIMA can certainly go aerial and spot fest style and in fact that is how the Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation 6 Man tag match went down earlier in the year. As far as Daniels and Sydal go, I think people are really going to be surprised at how well they will carry the division into 2007. Sydal just needs that big win against Aries and Strong to give that last "official" status mark.
Honorarium
The Stu Carapola Edition
-As always, thanks Stu for going the extra mile and delivering his thoughts to me via the internet superhighway. Stu is all over the place on 411 today. You can check out his That Was Then and Friendly Competition columns, as well as the fill in he did for the Heat report.
-After watching the TNA Turning Point PPV and watching AJ Styles taking a header off of a mail box, I don't think anyone can accuse him of "mailing it in" any time soon.
That's not going to stop Stu from trying to stuff AJ in that mail box light a firecracker and throw it in and watch the whole thing go BOOM! Sorry Stu, was the next week's execution of AJ Styles?
-I also want to continue to praise Delirious and Matt Sydal. These two are really showing off what they are capable of doing when given the ROH spotlight. What's even better is the interactions these two have against each other. Sydal ratchets up the cockiness (which obviously came in handy when he played the "calendar model" gimmick for upcoming Wrestling Society X) while Delirious does the same with his wackiness. Sydal's antics when trying but not really wanting to shake Delirious's hand at ROH Suffocation (See below) are terrific. Plenty of nice touches given the amount of times they've wrestled each other.
-I had a dream the other night where Claudio was finally making his big time WWE debut…and it was…in ECW. So actually, the dream was more like a nightmare. Man, I'm freaking dreaming of wrestlers, that's the real scary part. Well, at least it wasn't Necro Butcher in my dreams.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 12/23/2006 (Heading into Final Battle 2006)
ROH World Champion—American Dragon Bryan Danielson (champion since 9/17/05, 35 successful defenses)*, **, ***
ROH World Tag Team Champions—Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal (champions since 11/25/06, 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
Samoa Joe Pulled from 12/22 and 12/23 Shows, Nigel's Opponent Still Mystery
We are sorry to announce that Samoa Joe will not be able to wrestle on this weekend's events due to a knee injury. We apologize for the lineup change. Joe would also like to apologize to the ROH fans. Joe wants everyone to know that if there is anyway he could wrestle he would. Joe was told to stay home, but Joe insisted on coming to ROH's Hartford debut since it is an important show. Joe also said he would not miss Homicide's World Title Match for anything. Joe will still be in attendance in both Hartford and Manhattan and will still appear on the live shows. What role will he play on the shows?
Unfortunately I have a feeling that Joe being unable to compete due to injury will become a more common occurrence in 2007. Given the demands of TNA, Joe will be on a busier schedule than ever (when common sense would dictate that he take as much time off as humanly possible). Even though he's not wrestling, just appearing at these shows gets in the way of rehab time. I think TNA needs to be real smart with their booking of Joe and using him in matches…but let's face it "smart" and "TNA" go along together about as well as caviar and peanut butter.
Last year there were a few who expressed their concern of Joe not being in the ROH and I wrote an article detailing why it wouldn't be the end of the world for the company. So we enter Final Battle and most of the attention is on Dragon vs. Homicide (as it should be). I don't think Joe's injury hurts the card overall although it does deprive us of what would have been an excellent match. Yet in some ways I think Joe not wrestling in Hartford and in Manhattan may be more of a blessing for Joe and for ROH. We get to see just how far some of the more recently pushed talent has come along.
As Goes Joe, So Goes The World Jimmy Rave will take Samoa Joe's spot in the Four Corner Survival this Friday in Hartford. The non-title match will have ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. Homicide vs. Nigel McGuinness vs. Jimmy Rave. There are a lot of issues in this one. It will be very interesting to see what happens with Danielson and Homicide in the same ring the night before their World Title Match. Make sure to watch the new ROH Video Wire to see what happened between Rave and McGuinness at "The Chicago Spectacular."
There is no news on Nigel McGuinness' new opponent for Manhattan. No new talent will be added to take on Nigel and the card will just see a lineup change. With no opponent for Nigel and Chris Hero's mystery farewell for Claudio Castagnoli, the show is taking on an unpredictable tone.
As reported, the Hartford match did take place with Jimmy Rave in the mix, thus continuing his feud with Nigel. Now the news was that "no new talent" would be added to the Manhattan line up but clearly someone was hiding the surprise appearance of Larry Sweeney. Will Nigel face Sweeney? Will Nigel become involved in Claudio's farewell? After all, he was Claudio's most memorable feud.
Shoulder to Shoulder We have important late breaking news concerning this Saturday's World Title Match pitting Bryan Danielson vs. Homicide. We have learned that Homicide's shoulder injury has been re-aggravated and has been causing him immense pain. Danielson paid Brent Albright to injure the shoulder on the first night of "The Chicago Spectacular."
The shoulder vs. shoulder issue adds the in-ring psychology for the title match, most likely who's shoulder "breaks" first as far as taking punishment will go a long way towards determining the victor.
Danielson's Epic Promo on Video Wire
Well, if he's losing the title…he's going out on a high note. Danielson cut a hell of a promo building up to the title match tonight in New York on the latest ROH Videowire. In addition to providing expert commentary and analysis on his injured shoulder vs. Homicide's injured shoulder, Danielson also attacked the New York fans for their support of The Notorious187. Basically the guy double dog dared a bunch of fucked up looney New Yorkers to riot if he ended up retaining the title after his match against Homicide. Because HE IS A ONE MAN RIOT SQUAD! …sorry bout the caps lock, but he did shout it…twice. It was excellent.
I don't know though, he shouldn't go around trying to bully us New Yorkers, after all we did riot after the One Year Anniversary Show when homicide was choked out by Steve Corino...okay maybe those were mostly Homicide's students but I'm SURE at least some rowdy fan was kayfabed into getting down…THIS TIME, IT'S REAL…It's DAMN REAL!
Semi Final Battle The main event of Manhattan will obviously be Danielson vs. Homicide. ROH officials decided yesterday that the semi-main event will be Dragon Gate Rules action with CIMA, Shingo & Matt Sydal vs. Delirious, Austin Aries & Roderick Strong.
See preview below for my thoughts on this match.
Aliteration Helps Wrestlers in Need of Names You'll notice in the Hartford lineup that Eddie Edwards is set to make his ROH debut. Edwards looked great on the November NOAH tour that Bryan Danielson was on. ROH officials have high hopes for Edwards and he will get a chance to make a big splash as he takes on Austin Aries. If Edwards can defeat Aries he will immediately earn a roster spot.
Well, so much for that.
Happiness is a Warm Gun The feud pitting Jimmy Jacobs & Brent Albright vs. BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana will explode in both Hartford and Connecticut. This is one of the deepest feuds in ROH. Friday will see Jacobs team with Lacey's paid assassin Mercedes Martinez in a mixed tag vs. BJ Whitmer & Daizee Haze. Whenever Jacobs and Whitmer are in the same match something insane happens. Lacey wants Martinez to take Haze out. Hartford will also see Cabana vs. Albright. The story behind this one is simple. Albright, now known as "The Gun For Hire" Brent Albright, took Lacey's payday to attack Cabana. Now Lacey has offered a bonus if he can finish the job. Manhattan will see a huge grudge tag team match with Whitmer & Cabana vs. Jacobs & Albright. Last time in Manhattan, Jacobs defeated Cabana after a low blow. Since that time Jacobs has refused Cabana's friendship and bloodied him. When you put these four in the same match with so many issues there is no telling what will happen. Hartford and Manhattan make this a huge weekend for ROH's hottest feud.
The Colt Cabana/Lacey feud intensified in FIP when Lacey hit Cabana with a low blow to cost him a match against Larry Sweeney last Saturday. Lacey will not be in attendance this weekend, but is spending lots of money on opponents for Cabana, BJ Whitmer and Daizee Haze. Lacey wants to see these people injured and has hired Brent Albright and Mercedes Martinez to help Jimmy Jacobs.
Poor Colt Cabana, too many low blows for him at this time of the year. What, is it because he's Jewish and he doesn't celebrate Christmas? Shame on you Lacey, you are a racist ma'am.
The Last Final Battle…Lastly One more match has been signed for this Saturday's event in Manhattan. Adam Pearce puts some of the blame on The Briscoes for the fact that Homicide was not eliminated. Manhattan will see The Briscoes vs. Adam Pearce & Shane Hagadorn!!!
Well, this will only extend the ROH fans philosophy of cheering the heels, well, because at this point this IS a heel vs. heel match, so there is no choice here! Go Briscoes! MAN UP!
A Longer Winter Vacation Than Most Teachers Get Another reason why this weekend is so important is because ROH will take a five week break from live shows after "Final Battle 2006" before returning to action on 1/26 in the Boston area and 1/27 in Edison, NJ. This weekend in Hartford and NYC will be the entire rosters last chance to try to position themselves for a big 2007. There has to be a strong buzz going after this weekend to carry ROH to the final weekend of January. The first matches for Boston and Edison, including main events, will be announced after Christmas.
five…FIVE…FIVE weeks? Geez, what the hell am I going to talk about for that length of time? THANKS ROH, you're a pal!
Actually, five weeks off is a real good thing as it will give some space between the new year and the past year as well as help save some cash in my wallet because I won't have to buy eight DVDs in the month of January. Wait…HOW MANY shows are there in February? …DAMMIT!
No Hero's Sandwich again this week…and to tell you the truth…I'm getting kind of worried about it. It's quiet…a little bit too quiet if you know what I mean. I get the feeling young Chris Hero is biding his time, waiting until his farewell ceremony for his good friend Claudio Castagnoli. I may have to boost security for Final Column 2006, I don't want any uninvited guests to show up…
Monday Night ROH
The wrestling television and shows that I tuned in for during the week:
Monday 12/18/06:WWE Monday Night Raw Ok so here's the deal—they got me. They suckered me in with that Battle Royal, and they got me to stay for the whole show. Dammit, I hate when that happens. The whole Cryme Tyme / George Bush debacle of a skit aside, this was a very good Raw, maybe the best one of the past half year or so. Of course in a horrible year that was overall for WWE as far as quality weekly programming, this was not that much of an accomplishment. At least it was something though. I loved how Edge won the Battle Royal and especially how he tossed out HBK—innovative and logical, but most importantly it was something I had never seen before. Also how about a little what goes around comes around for HBK considering his actions back at Royal Rumble 1995 when he tossed out British Bulldog? John Cena and Edge continue to show they have some of the best chemistry in the main event scene—it's almost like they can't put on a bad match. The fact of the matter is that Kevin Federline is like a bat out of hell—he's come along at the right time and he is a natural for professional wrestling. He's a great heel and I for one would love to see Federline (not K-Fed anymore bitches) have a consistent role in 2007 as Cena's Andy Kaufman-esque rival.
Wednesday 12/20/06:ROH Suffocation (Richards v. J. Briscoe, Delirious vs. Sydal) Richards and Jay Briscoe was a miss—I don't know if it was the crowd that wasn't into it or the wrestlers had an off night or whatever, but the end result just didn't seem to work out too well. The crowd was into Delirious a lot for his match but the match was missing a certain something to really put it over. They were deathly quiet for most of it and the "That Was Awesome" chant after it was over smacked of hypocrisy. Too little, too late guys.
I dunno…readers, am I being too hard on the ROH crowds and how they come off on DVD? Or is there really something to what I'm expressing here? Let me know.
Yes, really that's all the wrestling TV I watched this week…really, it should have been more, but I just wasn't in the mood to deal with TNA or ECW.
Man, I need something to get the grinch out of me. Hmmm…*DING* YES! I know!
Dear Delirious:
That's right, it's time to get into the holiday spirit with a little bit of help from our green (and for this night only, red nosed) friend DELIRIOUS!
BAHHolyBAH, TheBAH DABAH BAHDEE…
Indeed! It's time to have ourselves a merry BAHBAHmas right now with column of honor's closest living connection to Ann Landers…that I know of anyway! We've received a few letters fit for the holiday season…a few of them addressed to Santa Claus…but I guess we must have gotten the North Pole's letters mixed up. You know since the Edge of Sanity is neighbors with the North Pole, that happens a lot. The US post office really can't get their act together, huh? Anyway time to get the advice from Santa Delirious instead!
First up!
Hey Delirious old buddy,
It's your good times, great memories friend here, hey! Over here buddy, in the letter! That's right. Look pal, I have to say that for once in my life I need your help pal. You see, I've had myself a good old case of "Jingle Balls" lately, what with a certain Angel and former lady friend of mine hitting me a couple times right in the Christmas Ornaments. Actually it seems like EVERYONE wants to hit my Jingle Balls lately, going dashing through the snow on a one horse open slay and all that. But I digress, my pal, help me out with some words of advice on this here situation. Lata alligator!
The Cabanarama
Yes Delirious, but will Santa really be able to deliver a sports cup in time to Cabanarama? I guess it doesn't matter if you're Jewish on Christmas, if you need some protection, you're going to get the help you need!
NEXT!
Dear Delirious…
I've been dressed as many different things on my way to accompanying "The Fallen Angel"…I've been a nun, an angel, a cheerleader. But I've never been a Santa's Little Helper or an Elf before. What do you think I should wear?
-Ally
P.S. I've included photos with this letter to help you make up your mind. Hugs and kisses and Merry Christmases!
OHHHHHHHH! OHH! BAHBAHBAHBAHBAH! HO HO HO! BAHBAHBAH!
Yes, I concur…the Santa's little helper outfit is definitely a winner. That would make all the good little ROHbots and girls (well…maybe) very happy on this holiday season.
HEY! Delirious…wha, where are you going? Where are you taking those pictures?
BAHBAH! MERRYBAHBAH AND HAPPYBAHBAH!
Well, I guess that will wrap up this month's Dear Delirious feature…so long everyone!
The Final Battle 2006 Preview Issue
December 23rd, 2006, 7:30 pm belltime
Manhattan Center (Grand Ballroom)
311 West 34th St.
New York, NY 10001
Ring Detail: ROH World Title Match "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson (champion) vs. Homicide (challenger)
(source: obsessedwithwrestling.com) Homicide
Height and Weight: Austin: 5'10"; 220
Date of Birth: N/A
Hailing From: Brooklyn, NY
Years Pro: 13
Finishing Moves: Cop Killer, Lariatooooooooooo
(source: obsessedwithwrestling.com) "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson
Height and Weight: 5' 10"; 190 lbs.
Date of Birth: May 22, 1981
Hailing From: Aberdeen, WA
Years Pro: 6
Finishing Moves: Cattle Mutilation, Regalplex, Crossface Chickenwing, Elbow KO
History: In the six months since their last battle for the most coveted prize in Ring of Honor, there have been some significant changes to each man involved in tonight's title fight. Yet even though the roads have diverged, in reality they were made to merge once again right at the very end of this journey in 2006.
The same two competitors who back on June 3rd fought with a determined passion to prove that the night was all about their destiny seem to face the very essence of the word in this rematch—the final battle of the year.
At Cage of Death both men traveled the same road, just on opposite directions. As Bryan Danielson walked out of the most important match of the year to that point, Homicide walked in and helped put an end to the CZW invasion. In hindsight, he could have probably guessed what would happen afterwards when he was allowed to ask for three "wishes". When he got to that third wish, asking for Low Ki's return, Commissioner Jim Cornette denied and refused it and then gave him the ultimate indignity of questioning his sexuality. As Homicide he was about to open up a can of whup-ass, Lt. Commish Adam Pearce struck, which lead to Homicide being tied up and whipped inside the cage by the man who was in charge of the company he had protected, even saved only a few minutes earlier.
The attack by Cornette and Adam Pearce changed the landscape of Ring of Honor for the Fall and Winter months. Pearce and Cornette aligned themselves with longtime rival to Homicide, Steve Corino. They also brought the Briscoe Brothers into the fold, with Jay and Mark having their own past ties and past grudges against The Notorious 187. For months on end Homicide would fight in singles and tag matches against Cornette's unofficial hate squad. Homicide would find allies in BJ Whitmer and Davey Richards, but perhaps the most unlikely ally of all would be his former nemesis Samoa Joe. Joe had no axe to grind against Cornette personally (and in fact they never truly interacted at all in this feud) but Joe did have issues against The Briscoes. In Homicide he found a kindred spirit—as much as they hated each other, they had to recognize that they were very much the same person. Joe respected Homicide for helping to save ROH from CZW and now he was going to help out Homicide take out Cornette's men.
Homicide ran through all of Jim Cornette's roadblocks, including a last stand with Steve Corino. Cornette's commissionership was revoked because of his dirty politics. Homicide then successfully proved that The Briscoes were not going to stop him on his way to the title. The only thing that could stop Homicide was himself. As he claimed back in June in his hometown of New York City, if he could not win a Ring of Honor title by the end of the year, then he would walk out.
It's a funny thing though, how an unexpected curve in the road can nearly wipe you out. You see, all these months that Homicide was smashing through Cornette's forces, he forgot to check his blind spot. Bryan Danielson, who in the past six months had been fighting fiercely to retain his title, certainly didn't forget. In December 2005, Homicide severely injured his shoulder on a botched tope con hilo. He had worn a bandage dressing around the injured shoulder for months. Danielson knew that, and he came up from behind Homicide while Brooklyn native wasn't looking, and he took advatange.
At the Chicago Spectacular, Danielson paid off a hired gun in the form of Brent Albright. In what began as a competitive and sportsmanlike match, Albright soon went full tilt at Homicide, including using his crowbar finishing move to re-injure the shoulder. The damage had been done and now Homicide stands weakened, possibly too injured to capitalize on his biggest opportunity in six months.
Bryan Danielson is acutely aware of the pain a shoulder tear can do to a man. He's been wrestling with one arm hurt ever since late August, when he tore his own shoulder in a match against Colt Cabana. Danielson was hurt early on in the match but went on to wrestle through the pain for fifty more minutes. He has clearly shown his toughness and his ability to work through hurt limbs. In fact, in the last four months Danielson has retained his title in several spectacularly well played matches. Danielson has survived title matches with KENTA, Samoa Joe and Delirious. Each time he has come very close to losing the title, but Danielson has proven his championship ability by surviving through means both legal and illegal. All this time he knew that this date would come, this rematch with Homicide.
People talk about a "Curse of Homicide", that Homicide has never been able to win the title for some reason or another, but really a curse indicates every thing in this issue between Homicide and his chase for the title has been up to fate or luck. This is hardly the truth. What this is really about is skill and ingenuity. Danielson had the wits about him to try to get Albright to injure Homicide. Danielson has the skill to take the rest from there. The question is does Homicide have the skills and the smarts to do the same to The Dragon?
Now Homicide and Danielson are on a collision course. They have traveled parallel roads, crossing over at several times but never coming to a full stop until this very night. If Danielson loses, then a legendary run with the Ring of Honor championship will be over. If Homicide loses, then a legendary run with Ring of Honor will be finished.
Strategy: In working through the pain, Danielson's shoulder has almost become calloused—able to withstand massive amount of damage—or so Dragon claims. In the recent videowire, Danielson claimed his shoulder won't be a factor because he is used to working with it, but Homicide has not adapted to the pain. If this is the truth, then Homicide may be at very large disadvantage going into the match. Homicide has to work through the pain and do everything he can to make Danielson feel it instead. It will be very difficult to take out Danielson for the title. Homicide has to keep attacking the shoulder and the neck area and not let up for one instant.
The fact of the matter is, Danielson may have already taken much of what Homicide has to offer as far as offense goes. Danielson has been able to sustain the damage; Homicide has not. The one move we have not seen from Homicide in the matches against Danielson is the Cop Killer. It is, no pun intended, a killer move. If Homicide can get the move, The Cop Killer becomes the Dragon Slayer and we have a new champion.
It's pretty clear that in softening up ‘Cide's shoulder, Dragon is going to focus on that during the match. A majority of Danielson's finishers concentrate on the shoulder and neck, especially the Cattle Mutilation maneuver. If Homicide's shoulder is really hurt, then this may be an easier match for the champion than anyone anticipated. If Dragon can counter or reverse the Cop Killer (and he is capable of doing so), he can bide his time until Homicide makes the ultimate mistake, and then it will be over.
Intangibles: It's shoulder vs. shoulder and it's curse or no curse. It's also Homicide's prime moment—his hometown, his fans, his time to shine. It is either his best chance to win the title, or it is the end of his career. How such things affect a man are the true intangibles leading into this match.
Prediction: I said it a few weeks ago and I will say it again here. The time is right and everything is aligned for a Homicide title win. It will be a great moment for him and for the New York crowd.
That said, anything can happen. People think the match outcome is too obvious, others think that obviousness is a giveaway something crazy could happen. I think if you think about it too much, you'll just go crazy and really want to commit a homicide. Instead, let's just enjoy the match tonight, come what may.
Also on the card…
Dragon Gate Rules
Austin Aries, Roderick Strong & Delirious vs. Matt Sydal, Shingo & CIMA
This is going to be an exciting reprise of Generation Next and Dragon Gate stars tearing it up against each other like they have all year. CIMA will likely have a hot crowd behind him wanting to see him do his thing. Add in Sydal (always trying to one up Aries and Strong) and Delirious for a dash of unpredictability and you've got the makings of a great "last call" for the tag team division. Sydal could finally get the win in this match over Austin Aries, ending a great year for Matty on a high note.
Grudge Tag Team Match
BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Brent Albright
Why Hold A Grudge?
-Lacey is out because of the dreaded spike to the face by Whitmer
-Cabana had previously spiked something else in the face of Lacey.
-Jimmy hates Whitmer and Cabana.
-The feeling is mutual for BJ Whitmer and Colt Cabana.
-Brent likes the money.
Four Corner Survival Match
Christopher Daniels vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Davey Richards vs. El Generico
4 Things You Need To Know About This Match:
1. Jimmy Rave is now a real threat to win the match given he has a new finisher—a hybrid of a single leg Boston Crab and an Ankle lock. That could be the end of anyone in this match.
2. El Generico will make his New York ROH debut with this match and that is certainly something to Ole about!
3. Christopher Daniels is a tag team champion and yet is once again placed in singles competition. It's a bit strange to me.
4. Davey Richards and Jimmy Rave in the same ring again…maybe Jimmy Rave won't win after all?
Tag Team Attraction
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Adam Pearce & Shane Hagadorn
The Briscoes are well appreciated in New York—and both Pearce and Hagadorn are well hated in New York.
Chris Hero's farewell to Claudio Castagnoli
What the Hero / Claudio Farewell Ceremony WON'T Include:
- The Burger King feeding fans and Claudio delicious Whoppers.
- Midgets and Munchkins…excuse me, they don't like being called that, make that "little donuts."
- And of course, Live HOT, TORRID, Sex…but don't we all wish?
Nigel McGuinness Will Be In Action
Since the Joe-Nigel match was scratched, Nigel may be placed into another match or someone else may be pulled out to fight him. Or maybe he'll fight Claudio. Who the hell knows? It is intriguing to say the least.
Going Home
Ringtones
HEY READERS! I'm sending out a call for YOUR 2006 ROH memories and greatest moments of the year! Send in your thoughts about the last year of Ring of Honor action and I'll include you in my Final Column 2006 feature. Go on then, email me and lay it down big man (or woman), lay it down!
Now onto this week's letters:
Nelsonad22 on my comments on AJ Styles' "faux leg injury": I'm surprised you didn't mention the fact that AJ owes a big thanks for his win at Turning Point to Rebecca Knox. People on another forum I go to completely bought into him being injured, but if I'd been watching, I might have had a hunch that he was faking it.
And my response: Good point. I completely saw right through it though not because of Ms. Knox (although you bring up a very good example of that trick being done right). It was just too freaking obvious to me. I actually posted in another message board that I couldn't believe the fans in the impact zone bought into that.
Of course, had AJ done that act after taking the header on the mail box earlier in the match...then I would have believed it.
And a response to the response:
Part of what made her doing that spot in Shimmer so great is that it wasn't really a heel turn. Everyone just assumed she was a face since she didn't badmouth the crowd on the way in. There was one hint that she was a heel during the mat sequence that I keep meaning to send in to Hidden Highlights, but she led Danger and the fans on until the time was right.
Gohan 6482 writes in with clarification on the Kings of Wrestlings vs. The Briscoes:
KoW and Briscoes were supposed to fight in a triple threat tag in PWG once, not too long ago, but it got changed because Briscoes no showed. So it was planned, but the match never happened.
Thanks for the info bro!
Lastly a BIG letter and big debating point on one hour draws from long time emailer marklkohn:
Happy Chanukah,
I am very much looking forward to your year end column. I was wondering your
thoughts on something. What do you think about one hour draws?
I watched Bruno Sammartino talk about how impressed he was with ROH having
guys who can go an hour and know that the dragon alone has had three one
hour draws himself, (Joe, Nigel, Colt) Joe had two others, both with CM Punk
and then Punk had another one with Daniels.
I accept that wrestling for an hour is an impressive thing to do. But, when
it only leads to a draw, be it a 2 out of 3 falls match or just a regular
match that is when I believe it is really a waste. First, most of the time
there is a reasonable part of the match that ends up being mostly restholds,
because they know they are going 60 min. Second, a draw in essence means
nothing happened, it is as if the match never happened. Especially when they
had the top 5 or even the contender's ring as they once did. Thirdly and
almost the most embarrassing but inevitable part is the fact that most of
the fans live at the event will give a long chant of "five more minutes." To
me if I were the wrestlers that would really suck. I just went 60 minutes
which is a pretty difficult task and the only thing I hear is that I should
go more. But, from the fans side, I think if the wrestlers can go 60 minutes
why is it too much to ask for them to go another 5. The main reason is
because I want to see a winner. ROH, of all the major companies I know,
prides itself on having winners and losers. A draw to me is pointless.
I realize there is the theory that a challenger needs to beat the champion.
In essence once someone becomes a champion they never really have to beat
anyone. As long as they never lose they will be the champion. Well, I can
understand that in general. But ROH definitely is not a company where the
champion goes in with that mindset. I realize as Nigel (pure champion) and
Dragon (world champion) as heels it sort of makes sense that they would
actually take on that mentality. Almost like Flair when he was NWA champion
(as he would get disqualified a lot).
I think for me and many fans, especially live at an event. When you watch
and cheer or boo and clap for that long amount of time for one match, you
have so invested your emotions that to have it end in a draw is almost like
a punch to the gut. I would prefer even if the wrestler I supported lost in
the last five minutes of the 60. Strong v. Dragon at Supercard of Honor is a
great example of this. The loser still looks very strong (sorry - can't help
that is his name) and I think would definitely deserve a rematch.
This might sound lame, but if you need to have a draw, which I think is
actually never necessary, especially in a company where one of its strengths
is how the winners so often allow and make the losers to look so good, it
should only last 30 or maybe even 45 (although that is an odd number).
I happen not to really have a problem with one hour draws. Relatively speaking, they are a rare occurrence even in Ring of Honor (aside from the 3 draws in a row back in August and the 20 minute Joe-Danielson match at SOTF '06, only the Cage of Death Match and Danielson-Strong III come close as far as length of a match for this year). When used effectively, the hour draw can really get over a lot--including the prowess and stamina of the wrestlers and the fact that it is not easy to win a wrestling match.
They are sort of the extremes, the opposite ends of the spectrum, but I like 60 minutes matches much more than I like watching two minute matches, especially the ones that have appeared lately in TNA. I like watching wrestling and I like watching the gamesmanship in the wrestling, so I like watching one hour draws. I know some people may not be into the "human chess" aspect of prolonged matches and are all about the action and for those people, one hour matches may not be their thing.
The rest holds are a given--its very hard to ask a wrestler, any wrestler to go an hour straight of just action and high spots. I think that an hour draw built that way could probably kill the crowd as well, make them overtired and numb to the action. "rest holds" are a given, but they can be effectively worked into the match. The Joe-Danielson 1 hour draw match had some rest periods, but they worked it well enough that every so often something would happen to keep the fans on their toes, expecting more action.
I think when the one hour draw is predictable it can really hurt crowd reaction--that's why I've always had a problem with Punk-Daniels from last year and why i wasn't all that hot about Danielson-McGuinness from Epic Encounter II-the way they went about the match just smacked of "we're going long" and there wasn't anything done to change the pace / rhythm of the match and keep the fans guessing. Contrasting that was the Cabana-Danielson one hour draw from Gut Check, which started out with a shocking pin at the 7 minute mark and kept people guessing what could happen next. They lost steam in the middle section and then by the time they went brawling around the ring it looked like they were stretching for time, but the fans bought into the chaos of the crowd brawl and really got into the last fifteen minutes or so of the match. Everyone was rallying around Cabana to win the match, but when Danielson tied it, it was a great finish that told a great, gut wrenching story.
I think you make a ton of good points against the draw. I'd concede that a draw can really stymie crowd reactions especially live. It's tough to spend a lot of time supporting a match and not go to a conclusive finish--and that's why I think the 60 minute draw should be a rarity. I also agree with the "five more minutes" chant--that's a nasty fan habit that I don't think can be undone. It is sort of a slap to the face of what the wrestlers accomplished in the 60 minutes. I also think you're right in that in ROH; more often we get winners and losers. However, the draw (or to a lesser extent DQ and interference finish) has a presence in Ring of Honor ever since the big switch in the "reborn" era in 2004. And Again, if ROH uses it rarely and in the right places, then there's nothing wrong with any of those decisions. I think ROH fans are just hyper sensitive to all of that because we don't want ROH to fall into a "sports entertainment" hole like WWE and even TNA has become, with non finishes every time.
I will say this--in real sports there ARE draws and ties. Not to expect draws in Wrestling therefore seems a bit unfair. Also, I think I'd disagree with the idea that draws are a waste when it comes to the psychology of wrestler rankings and contenderships. I think it says a lot that a wrestler "can go" with another wrestler for that hour, but more importantly it provides the basis for the thought that "there needs to be another match. We need to settle this. We need to see who the better man is." Of course, that leads to selling more tickets, and that's a lot of the point of running wrestling shows in the first place.
This was also the motivation that led to the awesome Joe-Punk III match. There NEEDED to be a winner in that rivalry, so we got one more match for the effort. If Joe-Punk I and II "never happened", as you put it, then there would be no need for the third match and therefore there would not be the same dramatic impact that third match ultimately had, because the second and third matches in that series played off of past history. Just because the first match went to a draw doesn't mean it was worthless.
Conversely, Danielson-McGuinness was pretty much resolved conclusively two weeks prior (Danielson conclusively beat McGuinness in the unification match, albeit it was a knock down drag out) and Danielson-Cabana was also not so inconclusive--Danielson pretty much had Cabana beaten in all the prior matches. These matches were sort of the "last ones" in the series and saw the challenger, rather than the champion pressed for time. Issues didn't need to be settled, but rather the story was about how far either man could go to win or to retain the titles.
There's plenty to be said on both sides of the equation, but at the end of the day, I think 60 minute draws should definitely still be used in ROH.
**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 Glory By Honor V Night 2 (ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson / KENTA, GHC Title: Naomichi Marufuji / Nigel McGuinness, ROH World Tag Title: Aries and Strong / Kings of Wrestling, Samoa Joe & Homicide / The Briscoes)
ROH @ 411
One of the funniest matches in 2005 was Colt Cabana vs. Spanky from ROH Redemption, and Samuel Berman takes a look at it in his Independent Mid Card
Bayani Domingo gives the technical wrestlers of ROH and the independent scene their propers.
Honor Bound Links
It's gifts and presents galore at 411 Mania.
Michael Melchor gives you gift that keeps on giving…(must…resist…urge…to make…Lita…and crabs…joke) with his Saturday News Report.
Final Column 2006…is next week. Holy shit. I better get on that, shouldn't I? Thank god I'm on vacation this week...it's time to get the lead out. And it's also getting time to get the hell out of this column; I've got a show to go to tonight! Brooklyn's finest is about to win the ROH World title and I need to make sure I'm there to see it.
And Steve Cook thinks I'm some kind of stereotypical Brooklyn fanatic…
