The Independent Mid-Card 04.03.07: Punk & Cabana vs. Raven & Whitmer (Part I)
Posted by Samuel Berman on 04.03.2007
Is it weird that I'm starting a series about a guy who's Straight Edge on the same day that a Jewish holiday is going to require me to drink a lot?
Welcome to a special Passover edition of the Independent Mid-Card. I'm kidding, there's nothing Passoverish about it. I am serious about it being a special edition of the IMC, though, as we're embarking on another journey this week (yes, a journey). A couple of months back, we looked at the evolution of a rivalry by dropping in on the Delirious vs. Matt Sydal feud in 2004 and then again in 2006. Over the next three weeks, we're going to be looking at how a mid-card feud (or really a feud in general) evolves over a series of shows, and to do so, we're going to be looking at the landmark CM Punk vs. Raven feud that helped put Ring of Honor on the map in 2003. Our stage is set in mid-June, with the feud already in full swing. Without further ado, I'm pleased to welcome everyone back to the Independent Mid-Card.
CM Punk & Colt Cabana vs. Raven & BJ Whitmer
The Code of Honor is Waived
Ring of Honor – Night of the Grudges – Cambridge, MA – June 14, 2003
The Wrestlers:
In lieu of the traditional look at this week's participants, I'm going to do an overview of the history of the feud.
In March of 2003, Raven was set to make his ROH debut. A legend from the old ECW days, as well as a relatively successful run in WCW in the late-90's, Raven was well known for his brawling abilities in the ring as well as his life of debauchery outside of it. A recovering alcoholic, Raven was a likely target for the straight edge Punk, who had sworn to live his life drug and alcohol free. After Punk challenged Raven to a match on his first night with the company, he was able to pull out a victory against the ring veteran in his own specialty match, a Raven's Rules ("anything goes") Match.
On the very next show, Raven teamed with longtime Punk rival Colt Cabana against Punk and his trainer Ace Steel. Though Raven and Cabana were victorious in the match (Raven pinned Steel), Cabana immediately turned on Raven after the bout, joining with Punk and Steel (who had also trained Cabana) to form the Second City Saints faction (a reference to the three men being from Chicago). Raven now had a much bigger problem with Punk having near-constant backup. Ironically, it was Punk himself that would change that, as continuing to run his mouth helped the list of Punk's enemies to swell. The next event had Punk facing off with fellow up-and-comer BJ Whitmer in a singles contest. The two had a solid back-and-forth match going, but the bout abruptly ended when Punk hit a German suplex that sent both men from the ring apron crashing through a ringside table. Neither man was responsive and the match was thrown out. Later in the evening, Punk commented to Whitmer that he should toughen up and not give up on the fans next time. Whitmer was understandably irate.
Though Punk's attention would be elsewhere over the next few shows (he lost a match for the #1 Contender's Trophy to Homicide and then rebounded by winning a Tag Team Scramble match with Cabana as his partner), he never lost sight of his goal to finally defeat Raven and put him out of the wrestling business. Though Punk was fond of reminding everyone how much "better than them" he was, it was as yet unclear why Raven was so singular the focus of Punk's rage.
When Raven returned to Ring of Honor in June, he was allowed to choose his own partner to face off with Punk & Cabana. It didn't take long for Raven to recruit BJ Whitmer, who was still steaming over his altercation with Punk from two months prior. In one final wrinkle, the Code of Honor was announced to be waived for the impending tag team match, making it clear that this contest was not going to be about the spirit of competition, but rather the heat of revenge.
The Match:
The Second City Saints enter to Cabana's music (Barry Manilow's Copa Cabana) for whatever reason, even though Punk was already the bigger star and the leader of the faction. Punk has a trusty steel chair with him already, rightfully anticipating that he's going to want to have it nearby. We quick cut to the Saints in the ring, with Punk having already put the chair to use by having Cabana sit on it while Punk cuts a promo for "his people". By that, he means those few straight edgers in the crowd, who he affectionately refers to as his "soldiers". Punk then directly addresses the folks watching at home and goes about comparing himself to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, saying that he is shouldering the responsibility of taking care of the minority (in this case, people who are drug and alcohol free). He goes on to call himself a "thorn in the side of a poisoned America". Punk promises that his revolution will destroy Raven's in Boston. Great mic work from Punk, as he was already a master at his Straight Edge promos by this point.
Raven and BJ Whitmer enter together to The Offspring's Come Out and Play and Raven poses on the second turnbuckle before we get another quick cut to him sitting in the corner cutting his own promo. Raven admits his earlier mistake was coming to Ring of Honor in a good mood. Now, however, he's miserable, and because sometimes in life there is no other choice, he's back to take his revenge on Punk. A Punk fan shouts obscenities at Raven, but is quickly shouted down by the crowd, who quickly start a "Raven" chant. Punk throwing a tantrum on the top rope is pretty funny. No handshakes, as the Code of Honor is waived, so the bell rings and we're off.
Raven starts with Punk, who puts his steel chair in the corner for safekeeping. Punk circles around his nemesis and then they lockup with Punk forcing Raven to the corner. Punk gets a flurry of strikes and stomps Raven down. Punk backs off as Cabana talks trash to Raven, and stretches in the opposite corner. The two men circle and lockup again, and again Raven is forced to the corner and stomped down by Punk. Punk celebrates once too often, however, and Raven pulls him into the corner and stomps away himself. Raven poses and then gets a series of kicks to Punk's midsection and one big shot to the head. Raven whips Punk to the ropes and gets a kitchen sink knee to the gut. Punk gets a jawbreaker to come back, but Raven ducks a clothesline and gets a falling superkick to put Punk down. Punk scurries to the corner before Raven can capitalize and tags out to Cabana.
Raven also tags out, bringing Whitmer in to face the "Classic One". Both men are tentative about grabbing a knucklelock and Cabana backs off to receive encouragement from Punk in the corner. Whitmer and Colt try another knucklelock and Whitmer gets a drop toehold and grabs a front facelock. Colt bridges into an armbar wristlock, but Whitmer headbutts Cabana's arm and reverses to a wristlock of his own. Cabana gets a single-leg takedown to break and they go into a long leapfrog sequence that ends when Colt grabs the ropes to stop suddenly. Cabana struts around to celebrate the fake-out, but walks into a kick and Whitmer hits a brainbuster and goes for a cover. It gets two, but Cabana gets his foot on the ropes. Whitmer complains about the count, but turns around right into a stiff chairshot from Punk. Punk celebrates his craftiness, but the recovering Cabana turns right into a chairshot from Raven. Punk and Raven are now left standing in the ring with their chairs, but Raven is obviously at an advantage in that environment, so Punk drops his chair and hightails it to the back.
Raven follows and catches up with him behind the curtain, but it's dark and hard to see what exactly is happening. Cabana and Whitmer are shown still knocked out in the ring, and then we see Raven toss Punk out from the back, following with a trashcan. Raven hits Punk with the can and Punk is just bleeding everywhere. Raven gets a few more shots in as Punk staggers around ringside. Raven hands the trashcan to some fans and then slams Punk's head into it. We get a gratuitous close up of Punk's blood on the can. Raven hands another can to some fans and they repeat the spot. Raven smiles as he tosses Punk over the rail and into the crowd. Whitmer, who is also busted open, and Cabana are starting to stir in the ring. Raven and Punk brawl through the crowd and Raven whips Punk face-first into a wall. Back in the ring, Whitmer gets a Cactus Clothesline, sending both he and Cabana over the top to the floor. Raven tosses Punk onto a group of chairs as the two men continue to fight through the audience. Raven calls for Whitmer to bring Cabana over to him, as all four men are now brawling in the crowd. Punk and Cabana get whipped into each other, and then Whitmer whips Cabana over to Raven who gets a drop toehold on a chair. Raven then returns the favor, whipping Punk to Whitmer who drop toeholds him on a chair. Whitmer tosses Cabana back over the guardrail and rolls him in the ring as Raven works over Punk at ringside. The Saints begin to make a comeback, though, as Punk crotches Raven on the guardrail and Cabana gets a running forearm to Whitmer on the ring apron. Punk gets some punches in and whips Raven into the barricade as Cabana pulls Whitmer into the ring.
Cabana slugs Whitmer down and whips him off the ropes, catching him in a backbreaker. Cabana holds him in the move and Punk comes in with a slingshot senton and covers for two. Punk chops Whitmer down and tags out to Cabana. The Saints whip Whitmer to the ropes and get a double shoulderblock to put him down. They then go for a double elbowdrop, but Cabana tries to add some flair to it and Punk becomes frustrated and confused. Punk goes back to the corner and Cabana continues the assault with a kneedrop. Cabana snapmares Whitmer and punches away at his bleeding forehead, but breaks to clothesline Raven on the apron. Cabana goes back to work on Whitmer and then tags out to Punk. Punk whips Whitmer cross corner and follows him in with a knee strike. Punk then whips Cabana into Whitmer with a double knee strike and then Punk follows up with a backdrop suplex. Punk covers for two. Punk kicks away at Whitmer's knee to put him down in the corner and then gets some boot scrapes and a running facewash. Cabana comes in and they try an assisted Irish whip facewash, but Whitmer moves and Punk goes flying to the outside Whitmer goes for the tag, but Cabana pounds him down. Cabana whips Whitmer off the ropes and gets a back elbow for two. Cabana tags out to Punk and then goes to hold Whitmer, but when Punk comes off the second turnbuckle, Whitmer ducks out of the way and Punk ends up hitting Cabana with a flying hurricanrana. Whitmer crawls across the ring and gets the hot tag to Raven.
Raven comes in and gets punches and clotheslines on both Saints. He whips Punk into a back body drop and whips Cabana cross corner into his inverted bulldog. Both Saints end up on the receiving end of kneelifts and then whips Punk cross corner. He hits Punk with a corner clothesline and then bulldogs him down, hitting Cabana with a clothesline mid-move. Raven covers Punk for two, but Cabana breaks it up. Cabana punches Raven, but Raven reverses an Irish whip. Raven drops his head and gets kicked, but Cabana comes running and Raven hits a drop toehold that sends him crashing through the ropes to the outside. Punk grabs Raven and goes to whip him to the ropes, but Raven counters and hits the Raven Effect DDT (formerly the Evenflow DDT). Raven covers, but Cabana pulls him to the outside at two. Whitmer comes out of nowhere and hits a diving headbutt from the top rope. He goes for the cover on Punk, but this time Cabana pulls the referee out of the ring at two.
Whitmer pulls Cabana up to the apron and brings him in with an exploder that lands him right on his head. Whitmer goes for the cover, but there's no ref. Whitmer pops up to complain, but he turns right into a chair-assisted Shining Wizard (running knee strike) from Punk. Punk rolls Cabana onto Whitmer and ducks out of the ring with the chair (not that it would have mattered), but there's still no referee. Finally, the ref crawls back in the ring and makes the count, but by then Whitmer has recovered enough to kick out at two. Raven has also crawled back into the ring, so Cabana kicks him out and hits Colt 45 (double underhook over-the-shoulder backbreaker) to get the pinfall at 16:50. Punk laughs into the camera and gloats at ringside.
Cabana's music begins to play, but Punk climbs back into the ring and goes to work on Raven. Punk gets a series of strikes and then hits a standing legdrop. He gets in a mount position and punches away as the bell rings over and over. Punk stomps Whitmer and then grabs a chair. Punk hits both men with the chair and tries to choke Raven with it. He tosses Raven to ringside where Cabana rolls him onto a table. Punk continues to assault Whitmer in the ring and leaves him laying. Punk climbs to the top rope and then elbowdrops Raven through the ringside table. A bunch of referees check on the various participants and the Saints head to the back. On their way, they have the following exchange. Punk: "What'd I tell you? That's why we're better than them!" Cabana: "Now that I think about it, we are… We ARE better than them…"
The Analysis:
If the goal was to prove that the Punk vs. Raven feud could produce great brawls, then this match delivered in spades. Please don't misunderstand that I'm calling this match an all-time classic or anything, but Raven and Whitmer overcame their unfamiliarity (especially compared to stablemates and best friends Punk & Cabana) by simply out muscling them during the brawl in the crowd. Raven was able to hit most of his signature spots, even connecting with the Raven Effect DDT, but was unable to put Punk's shoulders to the mat for a three-count at least partially because of Cabana's ring presence in pulling Raven to the outside. Whitmer more than held his own as Raven's partner, hitting the match's most memorable move, the exploder that brought Cabana into the ring from the apron.
Though Punk's chair-assisted Shining Wizard wasn't enough to put Whitmer down because of the long delay before the referee's count, it was still clearly the setup blow that allowed Cabana's Colt 45 to finish moments later. It's also important to note that Punk's post-match attack on Raven was obviously premeditated, as the table that was used had been laying on the floor for much of the match.
The bout as a whole did a lot to legitimize and validate Punk as Raven's equal. Though Raven is the veteran of the pair, Punk showed more than his share of toughness, determination and psychology. Punk was smart to bring a chair to ringside and smarter still to lay Whitmer out with it in the early going. In a lot of matches with no disqualification stipulations (which was implied with the Code of Honor being waived), participants wait for a while before using chairs and other objects. Instead, Punk simply looked for the first reasonable opportunity and just laid into Whitmer with the chair.
The Aftermath:
Later in the show, it was announced that Raven would be allowed to pick a partner of his choice to face Punk & Cabana at the next show. It was unclear exactly who the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion would select as his teammate, but with Punk's growing list of enemies, it seemed likely that someone would step up.
The Final Word:
Next week, this IMC Special Event is going to continue with a look at the tag team match mentioned above. Though the results are obviously available elsewhere, I'm not going to "spoil the surprise" of who Raven selects as his partner for that contest. Suffice to say it's someone who becomes incredibly important to Punk's ROH tenure.
If you'd like to see this week's match, Night of the Grudges is available at rohwrestling.com. The show also features one of the best and most-talked-about matches in Ring of Honor history, as AJ Styles and Paul London face off for the #1 Contender's Trophy. That match was generally regarded as the best match in ROH history until the second Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk match a year-and-a-half later. Definitely worth checking out if you've never seen it.
This week on 411 there's a bunch of other columns and reviews that you should be sure to check out. First off, make sure to stop by Ari's Column of Honor (though this week, Chris Hero seems to have hacked into his account) and Stu's Friendly Competition. J.D.'s review of ROH's Glory By Honor IV is also up, and features the very beginning of Bryan Danielson's epic ROH World Title reign. Also, be sure to check out Bayani's Truth B Told. Oh, and for the record, if BD wasn't such a jerk, he'd realize that I don't have to buy the guys soda at all and that complaining about it being Shasta just makes him seem inelegant.
I'm including a special plug section this week for some of our newer writers. Two that I think deserve special note are Rob Halden of the awesomely titled You're An Idiot And Here's Why and Joe Estee of Keys to the Game. Both are well written columns and Rob and Joe have tons of potential.
Oh, and in a fun personal note, my concert review for Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers got posted on their website, so huzzah for outside press. If you're curious, it's the second listing under ‘Presskit' on their site.
With all of that said, I'm off to seder. Brewers in '07! Peace.
