Column of Honor: 03.03.07

BREAKING NEWS: According to Wrestlemag.com and as reported on the rohwrestling.com homepage, Jay and Mark Briscoe have LOST the ROH World Tag Team Titles in their very first defense at the 03.03.07 show in Liverpool. Naruki Doi and SHINGO are now the NEW tag team champions and will defend tomorrow night, 03.04.07 against the No Remorse Corps of Roderick Strong and Davey Richards.

Meanwhile, Jay and Mark Briscoe will fight one on one on the 03.04.07 show in an effort to “toughen themselves up.”

This is a huge development that places all of ROH titles in peril. Unless Strong and Richards win the belt in Doi and SHINGO’s first defense, all of ROH’s champions will be from Japan and appearing on an irregular basis (SHINGO has performed regularly with ROH since October, but this was Doi’s first appearance since Better Than Our Best).

Whoever is the champion at the end of the Fifth Year Festival will put the belts on the line against the Briscoes March 30th in Detroit, MI.

Full results and analysis of this and tomorrow’s show in England next week in the column.

**

What up? “This is Ruck-us. I’m-Slymm. We Keeping It Gang-sta.”

Damn does it suck that WSX is going down the tubes. I was having a great time watching that show. Goes to prove, that just because the quality is in the indies, doesn’t mean the indies can get quality ratings on MTV. Or maybe it goes to show that what we need is MORE EXPLOSIVES!

Let’s get a move on to some of the latest ROH news and results:

ROH Results: Fifth Year Festival Night 4: 2.24.07, Chicago, IL

Matches

-Brent Albright defeated Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall with a half nelson suplex.
-The Dangerous Angels of Sara Del Ray and Allison Danger defeated MsChif & Serena Deeb via pinfall with the Butterfly Lock Suplex.
-Matt Cross defeated Shingo and Trik Davis and C.J. Otis in a Four-Corner Survival match with the shooting star leg drop(!).
-Jimmy Rave defeated B.J. Whitmer with via pinfall with a roll up and feet on the ropes.
-Challengers The Briscoe Brothers defeated the ROH World Tag Team Champions of Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels to become new champions.
-Austin Aries and Matt Cross defeated The No Remorse Corps of Davey Richards and Roderick Strong via pinfall when Aries hit the 450.
-“Classic” Colt Cabana defeated Jimmy Jacobs in a bloody Windy City Deathmatch with the Colt 45.
-Nigel McGuinness and ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima defeated Samoa Joe and Homicide when Nigel hit a rebound lariat on Joe for the pinfall.

Angles and Issues
-In order to prevent getting beaten down by the hired gun Brent Albright, Claudio Castagnoli offered to double Albright’s payment from Larry Sweeney. Claudio would have the financial resources for this. Albright was looking to like the offer but Sweeney interrupted the proceedings and threatened a lawsuit if Albright didn’t deliver the promised services—a cute and clever twist in the proceedings.

-As expected, Austin Aries was impressed by Matt Cross’s outing in the four corner survival match. Aries asked Cross to join his stable and the invitation was accepted by Cross. This led to Davey Richards and Roderick Strong launching an attack on Cross and Aries until Delirious (still smarting from the concussion he suffered at the hands of Strong 2/17 in Philadelphia) made the save.

-After losing the ROH World Tag Team Titles, Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal teased a heel turn by taking the belts. However, they changed their minds and clipped the belts around the waists of The Briscoes as a sign of respect.

-In the NRC vs. Aries and Cross match, Cross scarped on the ring rail doing a dive, apparently hitting his legs after over launching on the Sasuke Special. No word on his condition at this point. After the match, the NRC once again proved their moniker’s correct by attacking Aries and Cross and Strong hit a Tiger Driver onto a guardrail on Cross. Delirious made the save again.

-In the Windy City Deathmatch, Cabana finally got revenge on Lacey and all the times she nailed him in the groin with her heel (…OUCH!) when he hit her with Colt 45.

-After the tag team main event, the fans and the wrestlers said goodbye to Joe in ROH. Joe received a five minute standing ovation before the match even began, some of which can be seen on the new ROH Video Wire.

Return Date: April 28th, 2007

Honorarium

-I was able to catch up with a few DVDs on my “To Be Watched” List…although it seems like for every one that comes off the list, another one goes on the list. I used to have a stack of DVDs a mile wide…now it’s only a half a mile wide, but it’s still a imposing pile nonetheless.

So I finally watched a version of what is widely considered of the biggest tournaments, the ECWA Super 8 Tournament. I ordered the 2001 and 2004 tournaments, but only had time enough to check out the 2001 show. That show of course had what would become a pretty decent “who’s who” list of present and future Independent wrestling stars, such as Bryan Danielson, Low Ki, Spanky, Reckless Youth and Tony Kozina.

Here are a number of observations I made while watching the 2001 version on DVD-R, which looks like it comes off a less than state of the art VHS transfer.

-Thank god for digital recording and the DVD process. This was right at the cusp of the change towards DVD media and god, has that made the quality of the video ever unbearable at times. For as much as ROH gets knocked for some of their visual and audio shortcomings (rightly pointed out mind you), there is still a world of difference between their production values and many other independent promotions.

-Watching old school Ki, Spanky and Dragon was a heck of a trip. All three of those wrestlers changed up their style and look over the years. You talk about an anachronism—if these wrestlers were dropped into 2007, even just six years later they would look out of place. Also, fashion sense has come a long way. Red Gi Dragon? Nausea inducing. Danielson may not be a fashion plate, but he looks a lot better in the modern Bob Backlund look as opposed to the old school Dragon Steamboat look.

-That being said, watching these boys work has me almost yearning for some of the aspects of old school Ki and Dragon. They’ve grown into being smarter with their moves and taking fewer risks in the ring, watching them pull off flying moves and risking it all just to wow the crowd was something else. I’d love to see Ki bust out a Tidal Crush once in a while. His Ki Krusher also looks god damn devastating, as he’s moving with the downwards movement, practically throwing people down to the mat. At one point Danielson does a HBK-esque blind Moonsault to the floor (!)… while I’d fear for Danielson’s shoulder, just imagine the pop he’d get for busting that out in a match.

-Sara Del Rey has indeed been trained by Danielson, as I just saw her current finishing move, a butterfly submission into suplex, being used as a middle of the match move in Danielson’s opening match. Taking that sequence out of the mothballs and giving it to Del Rey was a great move.

-You should not see the computer technicians and other personnel at the same time as a wrestler’s entrance. It really makes things look bush league. ECWA has done this on every video of theirs I have seen and for the life of me I don’t understand why it’s done that way. It’s only a minor complaint, but it is a pet peeve of mine.

Another DVD release I was able to watch was the more recent ROH-FWA-IPW:UK combined show, Frontiers of Honor 2. This was shot about one week after ROH’s United Kingdom tour stop during the Summer of 2006. It was positioned as a three way contest between the US promotion and two of England’s independent promotions, although the crowd is very clearly pro IPW (I don’t know for sure, but maybe it was filmed in one of their home venues). While they’re mostly receptive to Ring of Honor wrestlers (well, they boo Jimmy Rave, but that’s to be expected), they are very hostile to FWA workers, even a guy like Doug Williams doesn’t get nearly the pop he gets from other UK crowds.

A lot of observations on this one as well:

-The divide between levels of talent was very clear. The opening matches were horrifically indie—with botched moves, chaotic sequences, and high spots-o-rama without ANY psychology whatsoever. There were a few cool moves here and there, but god did it get ugly sometimes. BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Rave seemed particularly uninspired by being booked in a match with four younger indie wrestlers. Maybe I take back what I said a few paragraphs above about wanting to see the old school Low Ki and Bryan Danielson come back.

– Matt Sydal is not only a tag team whore, but he’s a PROMOTION whore as well. He came in with the ROH troup, wore his Dragon Gate track jacket to the ring and represented IPW:UK in the battle of FWA, IPW and ROH. Talk about selling out for the next cheap pop!

-Too many damned commercials. Seriously, I don’t know who was behind this DVD (probably Alex Shane, since he seems to be the big cat in UK nowadays) but running a commercial after EVERY match was annoying. Especially since most of the commercials were the same style—montage after montage, some in slow motion even, set to ear screeching trip hop or rave or some other abrasive sound. Maybe if you played the commercial backwards it plays satanic messages such as “Vince Russo is God” and “Bobby Lashley has decent workrate.” Thank god (not Vince Russo) for fast forward and the skip button

–JC THUNDER! JC THUNDER! JC THUNDER! Here is maybe the next best comedic find in the wrestling profession. Dude looks like an older Eric Young and perhaps just as discombobulated. “This is my house…and THE STREET…STARTS…HERE!”

-ROH just had its own problems at its venue by having to deal with soccer whistles and games being played at the same time and in the same place as their show. A few months back, Bobby Cruise was forced…errr…”suggested politely” by a U.S. Military personnel to announce in the MIDDLE of a match that someone’s car was blocking important U.S. Military matters and needed to be move. Yet I bet ROH has never had to deal with “Female Disembodied Bossy Voice”. Oh yes, this nameless, faceless British woman would constant talk over the PA, during the matches and during the promos. Perhaps during intermission she was the DJ, who knows. Oh and she was BITCHY; at one point asking JC Thunder to get on with his interview. At least Thunder and earlier Austin Aries were able to play off of that woman to get pops from the crowd. Thunder’s reaction of asking “God? Is That You” in plaintiff tone was an LOL moment. That’s independent pro wresting for you!

-I’ve never been all that high on Jody Fleisch or Jonny Storm and I don’t think I’ll ever be. Fleish has no clue whatsoever about selling or psychology and he damn near killed himself like three times in his match against The Briscoes. Storm is decent when he is singles or paired up with a bigger guy, but wrestling with Fleisch seems to bring out the worst in his wrestling. He completely gets dragged down in the highspot style of wrestling. I’m not saying wrestlers should never do that kind of match, but Flesich and Storm definitely irk me with how they often disregard the basics like selling damage and working towards the hot tag. I do like Storm’s Wonderwhirl move (variation Ki Krusher) and mark out whenever he does that one, at least there’s that much.

Overall, both DVD’s get added to the Independent Buy In list, but with some reservations. Get the ECW Super 8 2001 for the chance to see three Low Ki and American Dragon matches, including their finals match as well Dragon vs. Reckless Youth and vs. Spanky. Just be aware of the low video quality and some minor technical glitches that don’t really get in the way of enjoying the event. Meanwhile, a great match between Matt Sydal and Davey Richards, Danielson and Robbie Brookside dismantling Martin Stone, and the hilarity that is JC Thunder vs. Nigel McGuinness (under World of Sport rules) highlights Frontiers of Honor 2. There is also a triple threat tag match involving Aries & Strong, Williams & James Tighe and The Untouchables. The latter team is blah, and there are some botches, but Aries and Strong put on a great show. You can take a chance on the DVD if you have the spare cash and after you have already purchased the more recent shows. Otherwise, wait for a sale and then cash in.

-I finally bought a Colt Cabana shirt off of Colt’s myspace I’d always look for the damned thing at ROH shows, but they apparently don’t carry it.

ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 03/03/2007 (heading into 5YF Night 5)

ROH World Champion— Takeshi Morishima(champion since 02/17/07, NEW CHAMPION1 successful defense)

Next Defense: KENTA 3/04/07 Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan

V.1 defeated BJ Whitmer via pinfall / backdrop driver (2/23/07 Dayton, OH)

ROH World Tag Team Champions—Jay and Mark Briscoe (champions since 02/24/07, NEW CHAMPIONS)

Next Defense: SHINGO and Naruki Doi 3/03/07 Liverpool, UK

ROH News
(via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed

Away from the wire:

Confirming the Obvious
According to a news bit from Pro Wrestling Press (run by 411 alumni Nate Stein), “TNA has made the decision to not allow their talent to work for ROH anymore on a regular basis. ROH is believed to still be allowed to use certain TNA talent on rare occassions for big shows but that remains to be seen at this point.”

So basically this just confirms what most of us already knew, both consciously and in the back of our minds. With Samoa Joe gone and TNA pulling rank, it was and is just a matter of time before Daniels, Homicide and Aries will end their runs with the company. However, note that it says a “regular” basis, so appearances on an “irregular” basis might still be in effect. Looking at the line ups for the 4/13 and 4/14 cards (see below), you’ll note some corroboration. Aries and Homicide are listed for the 4/13 Long Island but will NOT appear in Edison the next day. The likely reason why? TNA Lockdown is on pay per view in St. Louis on Sunday April 15th. TNA wouldn’t want any airplane foul ups preventing the talent from appearing on the card or any fan events.

Now I’m kind of regretting convincing my friend to go to the Edison show instead of the Long Island show…well, not really all that much. It is a Long Island show after all. When it comes down to it, I’d rather escape the black hole of death than see Aries and Homicide. Oh wait, Edison has the Grannies and the fat guy who takes off his shirt. Damn it. Caught between silence and horror. And oh, the horror.

Wrestling Observes Honor
Some newsbits from a recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter about ROH:

-Confirms that Christopher Daniels is finishing his current run in the company, but there is no last date listed (again confirms the obvious).
–Takeshi Morishima as champion was decided upon in September (I Had a feeling for a while this was the case).
– The original plan, as of the summer, was a title win by Homicide, followed by a title run through March, building to a rematch during the Detroit shows where Bryan Danielson would once again win the belt. When Danielson hurt his shoulder, this was changed up and Morishima’s win was scheduled (so much for any chance at all of an elongated Homicide run).
– Homicide was never considered long term for a run as champion (so much for any chance at all of an elongated Homicide run).
– Morishima will be booked for 20 minute and under brawls ala Stan Hansen’s run in Japan (get ready for a long ass title run and short ass title matches)
– Samoa Joe will be booked on “rare occasions for major shows”, and “the idea of a Morishima vs. Joe title match at some point this year fits into that category” (Morishima: Champion until 2010).
-NOAH wants to start sending younger guys to America to make their name. KENTA was last year’s star and now NOAH wants ROH to focus on Naomichi Marufuji and Takeshi Morishima (no problems with this as Marufuji is quite deserving and has legitimized himself to ROH fans after his match with McGuinness. Morishima was a given. Champion until 2014).

Interview-o-Rama

Gabe Sapolsky also appeared on the Dr. Keith Lipinski Show and you can read this detailed show run down for more information on that appearance. Lots more tidbits and good info, plus if you get the radio show download you can hear promos by Larry Sweeney hyping up a fight with F4W’s Bryan Alvarez! Sweet! And Sour!

SLAM! Wrestling has a great interview with Nigel McGuiness by Jason Clevett. If you’re wondering whatever happened to the iron or the “In It To Win It” catchphrase, look no further, for the answer awaits.

Running Without The Devil, or Hero, or Nigel, or Strong, or Sydal

Ring of Honor is running Chicago, IL on April 28th, but will have to do without a shocking number of its regulars. The King of Europe Cup tournament is running that same weekend and there will be a ton of representatives from the States wrestling there and not for ROH. Chris Hero will be the representative for CZW. Nigel McGuinness (ROH), Davey Richards (PWG), Matt Sydal (IWA-MS) and Roderick Strong (FIP) will also be wrestling in England.

In my mind this is quite the risk to take as those are five guys who fill out a card and can give you quality matches. This might be the weakest show of the year, unless there are some major tricks up their sleeve. This could play out as a “Do or Die” style show for many new talents, a few of them making their debuts in early April.

From the newswires:
If At First You Succeed, Try, Try Again
March 31st, 2006 saw ROH present one of its best shows ever with the first “Supercard Of Honor” in Chicago. The event will be remembered for the pure Dragon Gate six man match pitting Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation that won match of the year in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Exactly one year later ROH will present “Supercard Of Honor II” in Detroit on March 31st. The card will once again feature a pure Dragon Gate six man.

This year in Detroit will witness CIMA, Shingo & Susumu Yokosuka vs. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito & Masaaki Mochizuki. If you thought last year was something wait until you see what these Dragon Gate athletes have in store for Detroit on March 31st. They know expectations will be high. They are coming once again to try to steal the show.

A sequel to the original, highly touted six man tag match is a natural fit for this show and I think there is a VERY good chance they will indeed have the best match of the night. There are some new combinations and new additions to the teams, so we have a different group already in there, which will prevent a certain amount of staleness or “been there, seen that.” It remains to be seen if they can whip the crowd up into a frenzy in the same way the DG wrestlers did so last year. A “please don’t stop” chant has not been heard since then.

Given Back Their Bullets
Jay & Mark Briscoe defeated Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal last Saturday in Chicago to become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions in an excellent match. There will be highlights in this week’s ROH Video Wire. This is the third time The Briscoes have held the belts, but the first time they have captured them since they have become World Tag Titles. The Briscoes will bring the straps to Liverpool this weekend and add to their world title status. They will defend the titles against the Dragon Gate duo of Shingo & Naruki Doi on Saturday in Liverpool. If The Briscoes make it past night one in Liverpool with the titles, they have challenged any team in Europe to try to take them on Sunday in Liverpool. Doi & Shingo have sent word that they will defend the belts on Sunday vs. Roderick Strong & Davey Richards if they win them on Saturday.

The Last Match on Earth
The big news keeps coming. Last weekend was very emotional for Samoa Joe as his farewell tour continued. The responses in both Dayton and Chicago was something really special. It will all come to an end this weekend in Liverpool. Samoa Joe’s final ROH opponent will be Homicide this Sunday in Liverpool. Joe requested Homicide as his final opponent due to the storied history between these two.

PAC Your Bags to England
This is going to be a huge weekend for the United Kingdom’s own PAC when ROH returns to Liverpool for a two night stand this Saturday and Sunday. PAC is one of the most gifted high-flyers to ever grace the squared circle and he will be tested this weekend. PAC has a chance to secure bookings in the United States and make international headlines when he challenges Roderick Strong for FIP Heavyweight Title on Saturday. Anyone familiar with PAC’s style knows how great this match against Strong will be. Sunday will see PAC against another athletic competitor when he battles Matt Sydal in a battle of aerial artists. If PAC wins the FIP Title on Saturday he will put it on the line against Sydal. PAC has an opportunity to become a star in ROH and the top guy in FIP in one weekend. It is all on the line for the UK’s newest sensation!!!

See below for a preview of these matches.

ROH World Title Rainfall for NOAH
Takeshi Morishima made it out of the United States with the ROH World Title. Morishima’s next defense will be perhaps the biggest World Title Match in ROH history. Morishima will defend the World Title in Tokyo on 3/4 against KENTA. This will be one of the most featured matches on NOAH’s huge Budokan Hall show. The Morishima vs. KENTA winner will return to ROH in April to defend the World Title.

KENTA needs a pimp cowboy hat of his own. That way we can have a Battle of the Japanese Cowboys!

Hit in the Crossfire
Matt Cross was taken out by the No Remorse Corps of Roderick Strong & Davey Richards last Saturday in Chicago. Austin Aries selected Cross as his tag partner against Strong & Richards earlier on the card. After the match, Strong attacked Cross. Strong powerbombed the already shaken up Cross on a guardrail that was flat across the entrance ramp. Strong has truly showed no remorse recently with his attacks on Aries, Delirious and Cross. It is obvious that Delirious wants revenge on Strong as he chased him in both Dayton and Chicago. This situation is just heating up.

These men…have NO REMORSE!

Anticipated Sequels
The 3/30 Detroit event featuring an autograph session with Bruno Sammartino will be named “All Star Extravaganza III” due to Bruno, the seven Dragon Gate stars and all the other great talent signed for this event. The 3/31 Detroit show could only be named “Supercard Of Honor II” as it comes exactly one year after the original “Supercard Of Honor” featuring last year’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter match of the year pitting Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation. It’s not too hard to figure out what one of the main events will be this year!!!

I’m sure this one is going to give fits to people obsessed with ROH show names. “They can’t keep naming shows ‘…of honor!’ Blasphemy”

Delirious Cleared By Doctors—Given Bill of Non Mental Health
Delirious has been cleared by doctors to wrestle this weekend. This Saturday in Liverpool is going to be a special night for Delirious and Matt Sydal. They came up in the wrestling business together and made their reputations against each other. They have wrestled each other in the most out of the way towns with small crowds all the way up to stealing the show in the Survival Of The Fittest finals last year. Now the rivalry will go international when they square off in a 2/3 Falls Match in Liverpool on Saturday. This one has all the makings of a classic.

And all the squirrels and chipmunks that took care of Delirious in the enchanted forest while he was injured shouted out loud and wept tears of joy.

Talent Rosters
Tickets are now on sale at ROHwrestling.com for ROH’s return to Long Island on 4/13 and Edison on 4/14. The first talent list has been released for that big weekend. Already signed are: ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe; FIP Heavyweight Champion Roderick Strong; Doug Williams makes his return to ROH; Nigel McGuinness; El Generico; Brent Albright; Jimmy Rave; Claudio Castagnoli; Shingo; Colt Cabana; Delirious; BJ Whitmer; Davey Richards; Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney; Rocky Romero; Jack Evans with more MAJOR names to be added. Austin Aries and Homicide are signed for the 4/13 only.

ROH is set to return to St. Paul on 4/27 and the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, IL on 4/28. This is sure to be a huge weekend. Just look at the talent already signed: ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe; FIP Heavyweight Champion Roderick Strong; Jimmy Rave; Adam Pearce; Jimmy Jacobs with Lacey; Shingo; Colt Cabana; Delirious; Austin Aries; Homicide; Christopher Daniels with Allison Danger; BJ Whitmer; Brent Albright; Jack Evans; Rocky Romero; Daizee Haze and making their ROH debuts Gran Akuma, Jigsaw & Hallowicked. There will also be more BIG names added to this weekend. Tickets for both shows are now at ROHwrestling.com.

Kevin Steen impressed ROH officials with his tremendous match in Philadelphia and has been added to 4/13 in Long Island, 4/14 in Edison, 4/27 in St. Paul and 4/28 in Chicago.

Even though the talent lists Strong on the 4/27 and 4/28 cards its more likely he will just be on the 4/27 show (see KoE news above). Okay so here’s where the interesting parts come in as we see the debuts of Gran Akuma (as I predicted last week) as well as Jigsaw and Hallowicked, who have also been wrestling for FIP. All these men come out of the Chikara school and have done well for themselves. ROH needs talent and these men have a shot at making it. I’m also excited that this could mean a possible booking or two for Mike Quackenbush, who is one of the few “super indy” names left who hasn’t ever done anything for ROH. I would love to see it happen. As far as Jigsaw and Hallowicked and those doubting the ability of masked grapplers, to make it far in ROH, look no further than Delirious, El Generico to see that there IS a place for these wrestlers in ROH. Masked Chicago Superstar who? Weapon of Mask Destruction number what? Never heard of them.

Upgrade the Grade Up a Grade
At ROH we like to say that we always put your money back into the product to make the product better for you. It is your support that makes us grow. As a thank you for a great 2006 we have made production upgrades for 2007. You will now see increased lighting that will be much clearer with less glare on upcoming DVDs. We have addressed one of your long running critiques of needing better sound on the shows. As evidenced in recent ROH Video Wires, all audio in the ring mic will now be crystal clear. As always, we strive to bring you the best talent from all over the world and that will continue with Doug Williams returning in April and even more stars from NOAH and Dragon Gate. These are only a few of the upgrades you can expect. Thank for you for a wonderful 2006 and here is to an even better 2007!!!

To this I say…THANK GOD! Fans have been clamoring for these improvements for quite a while, and now ROH has finally done it. I actually did see these enhancements at the last Manhattan Center show, as lights were better and there was in fact less glare from the lights. Good stuff all around.

Alright, so before I let you-know-who begin his you-know-what, I was sent an email by one “Sweet and Sour” Larry Sweeney consisting of press pictures of Hero’s “domination” (as he called it) in England. I have been told I must post these pictures in concordance with the contract Sweet and Sour Int. and 411 had signed. These pictures show Chris Hero one on one with Takeshi Rikio, and well…see for yourself.

Hero’s Sandwich

**DISCLAIMER** The words and thoughts of “Chris Hero” do not necessarily reflect those of Column of Honor, its staff or that of 411 and its staff.

Greetings and salutations my friends, it is I, the greatest wrestler alive today, Chris Hero, back again for another installment of your favorite segment in this low brow column, its time for your Hero’s Sandwich. Well, as you all might know, I am just about ready to wrap up my stay here in Japan, and return to my homeland (unfortunately), as well as to Ring Of Honor pro wrestling. My time here in Japan has been unbelievable, and I look forward to returning to this great nation. The people here are first rate, the wrestlers here are without a doubt the best in the world, and Pro Wrestling NOAH is clearly the best wrestling organization going today. If only they would offer me full time status on their roster. I know that would make Ari happy, so I guess I must return, to compound the misery that is his life.

Now, onto squared circle related discussions. I am extremely excited to head to the Budokan show this weekend to see the honorable Mr. Takeshi Morishima defend the ROH world title against KENTA. In my opinion, Mr. Morishima will reign as ROH champion for an extended period of time, at least until my training with Larry and Tank, as well as with many other true professionals, whose names I will not divulge at this time, is complete. “Godzilla” Morishima is just too much for the ROH roster to handle, especially now that my good friend Sloppy Joe is moving on to greener pastures, just like a bovine should. When I combine all of the new skills and maneuvers that I have learned and dealt with during this glorious stay here in Japan with my already extensive knowledge of in ring tactics, I will truly be UNSTOPPABLE. I know that all my “hero-ites” are just counting the days until this all comes to pass. And I promise you all, it will. Patience, my friends is a virtue, and I am one of the most virtuous men you will ever meet. I must admit, I can’t wait to get the vibe from the locker room when I return to ROH. To see how demoralized all of the boys are, what with their precious title firmly in the grasp of a man that no one (besides me, of course) can defeat. I have heard from my sources that both Cary and Gabe are wandering around the streets of Liverpool, with blank stares on their faces, not knowing what to do next. This is great news for me, as it will force these nimrods to realize what they have in me, Chris Hero. They will finally see that guys like Homo-cide and Old Man Daniels really have nothing to offer them anymore, and that other guys like Aries and Whitmer really don’t have that little bit extra to be the man to carry the ROH torch. I am that man, and they will come to their senses sooner or later. As I said before, I have patience.

It was also another excellent week for me in the ring working with the NOAH talent roster. I have extended my long undefeated streak once again, this time teaming with Rocky Romero to defeat Akira Taue & Tsutomu Hirayanagi. Rocky is a good guy, and he expressed to me this week that he totally agreed with all of the things I’ve said about Homo-cide, here in the segment. He also said that I might just be the greatest tag team partner he has ever had, and that he might like to work with me again, whether here in Japan or back home in the states. I greatly appreciated these comments, and welcome that opportunity. Romero, unlike his thuggish former allies, is a high quality individual, and also a man of high virtue. He is a man to keep your eyes on this year.

As my stay here winds down, I must describe to you one of the proudest moments of my life. Earlier this week, as I was dressing in the locker room at the Mito Civic Gymnasium, I was approached my both Mr. Misawa and Mr. Kobashi. They wanted to tell me that they saw me as the future of gaijin wrestlers in Japan, and that they would completely back my rise to the top of the wrestling world. Mr. Misawa told me that I was his new favorite American talent, and that he was beginning to see me as the son he doesn’t have. He asked me if I would help him get over with the crowd that night, and I told him that due to my high level of respect for him, I would do whatever it was that he needed from me, so I allowed him and his partner, Akira Taue, beat me that night. After the match, Mr. Kobashi greeted me and told me that he wishes that it was me he faced when he came stateside 2 years ago, not “Stinky Joe”, as he called him. It was a great night. After the show was over, we all went to an excellent sushi/hibachi joint, and drank so much sake, I think Kobashi, with that one kidney and all, might still be drunk.

Oh well, its time for me to get in my training for the day, and then to head off to have lunch with Rocky and Godzilla Morishima, where we will discuss our mutual disdain for all things related to ROH. Since his triumphant return to NOAH last night, all Morishima has wanted to do was get a cheese steak, or at least that’s what I think he wants. I’m not going to argue with him, and I’ll see what we can round up for the champ. I’m honestly afraid that if we don’t find what he wants, he might eat Rocky. Until you all cheer my glorious homecoming next week, this is Chris Hero, signing off one last time from the land of the rising sun. This has been your moment of enlightenment, your Hero Sandwich. Sayonara, suckers!!

…This has been Hero’s Sandwich.

You know, I did some searching around the internet of my own…and I found a picture that wasn’t sent to me. Somehow I guess Hero and Sweeney forgot this one…

Hmmm…it certainly seems that Hero is not as successful as he suggests.

Yeah, yeah, I’m sure I’ll hear about this next week.

ROH Preview: Fifth Year Festival—Show 6: 3/04/07—Samoa Joe’s Last Match in ROH—Liverpool, UK

(For a preview of tonight’s show in England, see last week’s column.)

5:00pm belltime
The Liverpool Olympia
West Derby Road,
Liverpool
L6 9BY

Samoa Joe’s Final ROH Match
Samoa Joe vs. Homicide w/Julius Smokes

One of the longer standing rivalries in Ring of Honor looks for some resolution here. Both men are faces and with the added emotional situation regarding Joe’s last match, I don’t expect anything but an honorable and final face off beween Joe and the 187. ROH loves to end a wrestler’s tenure by looking up at the lights for three seconds, but there are many who believe that Joe should go out on top given everything that he has done in his career for the company. I believe this match is going to be a “make good” for the 1/27 match in Edison, New Jersey. That one didn’t go as planned and both men were thrown off by J-Train and his tete a tete with spetupgenarians. Barring a Son of the Invasion of the Grannies in England, I think they were make this a great match and a fitting final note for Joe to go out on. This will be the match they wanted to give the ROH fans on 1/27 but couldn’t.

Fight Without Honor
Nigel McGuinness vs. Jimmy Rave

In one way or another, these two have been at each other since November. It’s certainly time to end this grudge feud, and ROH does that by using its “Fight Without Honor’ format. There are no Disqualifications and pretty much anything will be legal in or out of the ring. McGuinness and Rave will no doubt look to bring that aspect of the rules into play, so expect some ingenuity with chairs and tables, perhaps even the return of Nigel’s iron. Nigel is hoping to use this weekend as a chance to break through to another ROH World title match and my guess is he will succeed in doing so.

Jay & Mark Briscoe challenge any team in Europe and they will defend the ROH World Tag Team Titles if they make it past Saturday in Liverpool with the belts.

I predicted in the ROH Roundtable that this mystery team will be Doug Williams and Jody Fleisch, who are owed a title shot from the first UK tour back in August of 2006. Others are predicting Fleisch and Storm, who regularly team up as well. It could be either of those teams or a combination no one sees coming. Either way, The Briscoes are pretty much a lock to carry through this weekend as the tag champs. They are the pretty much face of the promotion, not so pretty mugs, yes. Nonetheless their matches are a major selling point for the next few shows and ROH needs them in a strong position. The Briscoes will win out in the UK.

ROH vs. Dragon Gate
Roderick Strong & Davey Richards vs. Shingo & Naruki Doi
*if Shingo & Doi win the ROH World Tag Titles on Saturday they will put them on the line

SHINGO (still have to capitalize the name and maybe give him a visit to the Divas’ last name foster home) has upped his game in ROH over the last few shows. It all seems to be clicking for the Mullet man. He and Doi have a title shot the previous night that I don’t expect them to win, but they may get the win here due to interference from Delirious or someone else joining Aries’ faction. Look for stiff chops and kicks from Strong and Richards and the beginning of a developing cohesiveness should be formed as they team up. SHINGO and Doi will have to counter with fierce attacks of their own and may need to rely on something else besides the power game since the No Remorse Corps match up well in that regard. Some fans suspect a turn on SHINGO by Doi and for Doi to join the NRC, and that is a possibility to keep in mind.

Falls Count Anywhere Match
BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs

Ah, the Itchy and Scratchy of ROH (or the Tom and Jerry for those in the “getting older” category such as myself). Anytime these two get in the ring together something violent and barbaric happens and it seems to be endless. Although quite entertaining in a sick and twisted way—I mean these guys have spiked each other, thrown each other through tables, smashed chairs and everything. The bloodshed will be flowing for sure—these two have shed so much blood that they should have their own hospital beds for transfusions ready at ringside. What else can be done? They’re taking it to the streets! Well the proverbial streets anyway—that would be around the ring and in the building.

Battle Of The High-Flyers
Matt Sydal vs. PAC

Well, the title for this match says it all as this is the proverbial “Flash” vs. “Superman” battle. Not that Sydal and PAC will be running around the world, but rather this is a strength vs. strength match. Expect flying moves galore and both men will likely bring their “A” game in that respect. If PAC impresses, perhaps we can expect future dates in the U.S.A.

Bonus Match
Colt Cabana vs. Delirious

On Cabana’s Myspace, the Coltish one has hinted at something really wacky involving this match and World of Sport rules (European rounds rules—six rounds, three minutes each and two pinfalls to win). I shiver in antici…pation at the comedy hilarity that can ensue of Cabana vs. Delirious in W.O.S. rules.

SHIMMER match with Allison Danger & Sara Del Rey

It’s still unclear whether or not these two will fight in a rematch from night one or if they will team up to face some combination of a UK women’s team. Either way, Danger and Del Rey should be a fine undercard attraction match to round out the card.

The Divas’ Last Name Foster Home

Hello and welcome to The Fabulous Moolah House for Divas’ Wrestlers Last Names. Since 1982 we have been taking in and finding new homes for these special children. If you are a prospective diva who has found herself lacking and in need of a final appellation, then you have come to the right place. We have a myriad of options—lots of wonderful, vibrant and interesting last names who need a home that only you can give to them.

Founded by Mae Young and named in honor of her best friend who never was able to have a last name of her own, Moolah House takes applicants both in person and online. It would be most easiest to reach us during Divas Searches and Divas Bikini Contests, but we can also be located during any backstage segment in the female locker room or women’s shower.

Currently we have a wide crop of options for last names available, including but not limited to: Marshall, Oulett, Zidan, DiPietro, Kanellis, Perez, Wilson We also have a classic last name in Mero, who has not been able to find a home in years. Truly this is a sad story of woe and loss. In addition, we have just found and took in a new foster name in Deeb, formerly belonging to SHIMMER wrestler Serena. It appears she no longer wants or needs a last name, but perhaps you out there need hers.

Recent success stories include: Mickie James, Rebecca Knox, Allison Danger, Sara Del Rey (A interesting and recent donation from male Diva “Giggalo” Jimmy Del Rey), Shantelle Taylor and Amber O’Neal.

We are currently finding the right last names for the following clients: Nikita, Cheerleader Melissa, MsChif and ODB (Old Dirty Bitch). That last one is particularly difficult.

Please, for the sake of these last names, come and visit us today. A last name who needs your love, support and protection can be yours. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you can give these last names a new home.

Going Home

Ringtones–ROH DVD Advice Edition–

Call me Mr. Goodbuy! I got tha dealz to make the stealz. Or something. This week I’m dispensing some suggestions on what newer fans to ROH should spend their hard earned bucks on. For instance, thegonzo would like some advice on purchasing ROH DVDs:

Hey Ari, You seem to be 411Mania’s resident Ring of Honor guy, so I
guess this question should go to you:

I want to get into RoH, and I was wondering which DVD’s you suggest for
a fan new to the promotion?

I would want to start with some
really good matches, preferably from within the last year or so.

I guess it’s also worth pointing out that I saw an Alex Shelly tribute
video the other day and I was impressed. A friend of mine told me that a
lot of the clips were from Ring of Honor, and that there were lots of
wrestlers there who worked that kind of style. So I guess I’m really
looking for some really good matches in that style. Here’s a link to the
video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QTYevkty1glo

Okay, here are some suggestions:

2005
Manhattan Mayhem— a show with a little bit of everything and a great Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley match with the style you were discussing in your email. Also CM Punk vs. Jimmy Rave in a bloody dog collar match and Evans/Strong vs. Whitmer/Jacobs in a hell of a tag match. I’m not even mentioning Joe vs. Jay Lethal, which is also a great watch. One of my favorite shows ever, and it sill holds up even now.

2006
Supercard of Honor–Nice fast paced matches including Rave and Shelley in an under looked tag match against Claudio and Jimmy Yang, AJ Styles and Matt Sydal vs. Jack Evans and Austin Aries, the much talked about Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation six man tag (Super fast, lots of cool and explosive moves). Also Danielson vs. Strong 3, one of the better technical wrestling matches during the year.

Better Than Our Best–another little bit of everything card, and everything is great. Lance Storm vs. Danielson and Cabana vs. Homicide headline, but there is some great fast paced action in the tag titles match and the Embassy + Naruki Doi vs. Do Fixer tag match. the four corner survival match is also awesome and is one of my favorite matches under that type of rule.

Final Battle 2006–the most recent show has an awesome 4CS opener, Briscoes vs. Kings of Wrestling tag match that almost steals the show, Aries / Strong / Delirious vs. Shingo, CIMA nad Matt Sydal that did steal the show, at least until the main event, the huge feel good ending of Danielson vs. Homicide.

You cannot go wrong with these choices, as each has some of the best action of the year and many matches are in the style you are looking for.

I’d also recommend “Glory By Honor V Night 2” as another must watch, and for more of Alex Shelley I’d throw in “Best in the World” (vs. Christopher Daniels), “Vendetta” (Embassy vs. Gen Next 8 man tag main event) and going way back to “Generation Next” in 2004 for the rise of that group, a lot of focus on Alex Shelley, and a nice all around card.

More DVD buying advice, as travismiller91 also is considering ROH DVDs for purchase.

First off, i love the column man. It keeps me informed on what’s going on in the world of ROH, as I have yet to see a show or even come close (I currently reside in Georgia).

I have purchased a few ROH tapes on clearance off of their site, and All-Star Extravaganza on DVD, and it really got me interested in ROH more. The problem is that I am a High school student currently without a job, and I play in a band, so the small amount of income I get goes into that for the most part. However, i just did some quick work, made an easy $100, and was wanting to purchase more ROH DVD’s. I was wondering if you could provide a short list of some shows i should purchase with this. I’ve seen the long indy DVD list on your column, but wouldn’t know where to begin sorting through what to look at and what not to, so I need some help with that. A list of about 5-10 shows should work. I’m looking mainly for ROH, but if you know anything else that would be really good, throw that in there too for me.

I was also wondering if you knew of any promotions in Georgia that run a decent show. I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for that. The only promotions I know that come close to my area is Deep South, and they’re still a good hour and a half to two hour drive (depending on traffic). So, if you could throw me a bone on that, that’d be great.

Appreciate it dude, and keep up the awesome column!

ROH can be hard on the budget–especially for a high school student. I’m lucky that I have a steady paycheck and can pretty much get every show, but others have to pick and choose.

Two ways to go about spending that hard earned cash on ROH:

The $10 sales: usually happens once a month and has a pretty extensive list of ROH shows going back all the way to 2002 and usually up through about one to one and a half years before the current time period. You can pick up a ton of the really classic shows for half the price.

Buy 3 Get 1 Free Sales–usually at least twice a month and essentially its like getting 25% off your order for every 4 DVDs. You have to specify which free DVD you want in the special notes section (don’t add it to your cart). You can rack up both old and newer shows this way.

I don’t know who your favorite wrestlers are, so I’ll just recommend some of the best of the best from 2005 and 2006.

2005:

Manhattan Mayhem (best all around ROH card maybe of all time)
Nowhere to Run

(Summer of Punk)
Death Before Dishonor III
Fate of An Angel
Redemption
Punk: The Final Chapter

Joe vs. Kobashi
Unforgettable
Steel Cage Warfare
Final Battle 2005

2006:
The Milestone Series (All shows 4th Anniversary Show through The 100th Show)
Death Before Dishonor IV (must see)
Fight of the Century
Unified
Glory by Honor V Nights 2 (night 2 is the must see show of the second half of the year)
Irresistable Forces
Honor Reclaims Boston
Final Battle 2006 (another must see show)

If you want to go for whole storylines, then you can’t go wrong with The Summer of Punk or The Milestone Series. If you want to tackle more recent stuff, then you should probably start with Death Before Dishonor IV or Glory By Honor V Night 2.

As far as non ROH stuff, check out PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles 2006 (3 nights)–great stuff. Shimmer wrestling volumes 3 and 5 are also awesome for women’s wrestling.

Sorry to say I don’t know much about the Georgia wrestling scene, but you may be able to check out prowrestlingpress.com for more info on that end.

Finally a WSX correction from 411’s only man named Bayani to attend those shows (and maybe one of a select few at this point who will have watched ALL the shows since it seems the show is on the precipice of cancellation):

So…uh… Im sure I’m not the first person to point
this out, but M-Dogg 20 “Iron” Matt Cross actually is
the “Filthy” to Teddy “I’ll moonsault on whoever the
fuck I want whenEVER the fuck I want” Hart’s “Fury”.
He replaced PAC after he had visa problems, which is
legit since he actually doesn’t have a work visa. PAC
was supposed to be a British straight edge Punk. If
you watch either the pilot or 2nd episode they refer
to Matt Cross as being british, but in his promo later
with Hart he says he’s the “Best in America”.
Continuity be damned. Oh well. There ya go. Matt
Cross is “the filth” which is awesome because if
Austin Aries refuses to shave, they can be bill as
“The Filth and the Furry”.

Actually Bayani you ARE the first person to point this out to me. Oops. I guess it says something that not many people could tell the difference. I think really they should be called “The former backyarder who went legit and the no selling fuck up–is he really a member of the Hart Family?” Maybe that’s too long. How about this? Since Cross and Josh Prohibition team up as the Burning River Brigade, you can call the team the Burning Bridges Brigade (oh, and Matt Cross too!). Yeah, I like that.

**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!

2007

**PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2006: Night One (Strong / Romero, CIMA / Cross, Deliirous / Generico, 8 Man Tag)
**SHIMMER Women’s Athletes Volume 6 (MsChif / Melissa Last Woman Standing, Rebecca Knox / Allison Danger Pure Rules)
**PWG Hollywood Globetrotters (Super Dragon and Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong and Jack Evans; Cape Fear (El Generico and Quicksilver) vs. Arrogance (Chris Bosh and Scott Lost); B-Boy vs. Frankie Kazarian; Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin.)
**PWG Beyond The Thunderdome (Super Dragon and Davey Richards vs. AJ Styles and Chris Daniels); Cape Fear vs. Arrogance; Joey Ryan vs. Chris Sabin)
**PWG Enchantment Under The Sea (Cape Fear vs. Briscoes; Matt Sydal vs. B-Boy; Super Dragon and Davey Richards vs. Arrogance; Austin Aries vs. Kevin Steen)
**wXw World Lightweight Tournament 2006 (Ares / Baron von Hagen, Pac / El Generico, Quackenbush / Roudin, 5 Way Tournament Match)

**ECWA Super 8 Tournament 2001 (Danielson / Low Ki, Danielson / Reckless Youth, Low Ki / Billy Fives, Danielson / Spanky) (NEW ADDITION)
**ROH FWA IPW:UK Frontiers of Honor 2 (Sydal / Richards, Cabana / Burridge, JC Thunder / Nigel McGuinness, Danielson / Brookside / Stone) (NEW ADDITION)

If YOU (yes, YOU!) would like to contribute your own additions to the Indy Buy In list, contact me and let your voice be known!

ROH @ 411 This Week

ROH Roundtable for the Fifth Year Festival, Nights 5 and 6.

Brad Garoon and Jacob Ziegler keep the momentum of new releases going with two new reviews, first of Irresistable Forces (JOE + CIRCULAR FAN = GREATNESS) and then Honor Reclaims Boston (ARIES + STRONG + KENTA + RICHARDS = GREATNESS).

J.D. Dunn goes retro with Sign of Dishonor and Escape From New York as the Summer of Punk storyline continues in 2005.

Samuel Berman is right on top of the current Independent Mid Card scene as he reviews Cabana vs. Jacobs from last week in Chicago.

ROH/TNA vs. WWE. Who will survive in the Roundtable?

Brad Garoon continues your look at Full Impact Pro with a review of FIP Fallout 2006

Honor Bound Links

Watch “Sweet and Sour” Larry Sweeney run amuck (and with some of the best facial expressions I have seen since Daffy Duck cartoons) and shoot on Bryan Alvarez as they get set for a confrontation for the new Fight Sports Midwest promotion. Here’s the first promo, and the second.

Bayani discusses “Championship Material” throughout all the different wrestling federations.

John Meehan has the Saturday News Spectacular with your news and analysis of all the big stories.

Stuart Carapola has some Friendly Competition with your looks at WSX, TNA and ECW. Then That Was Then continues the Saga of the Macho Man.

High Road / Low Road for AJ Styles’ Heel Turn

The Ripple Effect

3R’s

Shining a Spotlight

This is the part of the column where many columnists put something personal or about their personal life as a sort of final touch, a piez de La Resistance for their column. Unfortunately I don’t have all that much to talk about—it’s just been the regular routine of teaching, wrestling, eating, sleeping, playing with the dog and so on. When doing your taxes is the most noteworthy achievement of the week, you know you’ve got nothing. Ok, I lied about the taxes part; that’s next week. See I’m making stuff up JUST to appear like something’s going on. Sigh…

Actually it was my uncle’s and my father’s birthday this week. Let’s give a happy birthday shout out to the both of them.

UFC is on tonight, with Couture’s return to fight Tim Sylvia for the Heavyweight Title. So either Couture becomes a hero (not Chris Hero mind you but close enough) or he gets his ass handed to him. So that should be fun to watch.

Next week, a tribute to Samoa Joe, results from the two night stand in England and more ROH and independent wrestling analysis. Maybe even some chocolate cookies.

Brooklyn! DAH EM BAH SEE! FOR SAMOA JOE!
–Ari–