Column of Honor: 04.21.07
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 04.21.2007
ROH Edison NJ results and live thoughts, the “Great Memories” contest, Money Players and ROH stock market report for March and April and a preview of the St. Paul, MN show. Welcome Spring in with this column!
Let this groove get you to move, it's alright, it's alright. Welcome to the column.
ROH Results: Edison, NJ 4/14/07 Matches
-Jason Blade and Eddie Edwards upset Chris Hero and Tank Toland with a sunset flip by Blade on Toland.
-Pelle Primeau defeated Shane Hagadorn via pinfall to win the ROH Top of the Class Trophy.
-Rocky Romero defeated Claudio Castagnoli.
-Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay and Mark Briscoe (non-title). Mark Briscoe replaced Erick Stevens midway through the match. Package Piledriver and brainbuster were used to pin Mark.
-Doug Williams defeated Colt Cabana via pinfall with a rollup.
-Sara Del Rey defeated Ernie Osiris via pinfall with the Royal Butterfly.
-SHINGO defeated Matt Cross via pinfall with a lariat.
-The No Remorse Corps of Roderick Strong & Davey Richards defeated Jack Evans & Delirious via pinfall via a sickening chair shot followed by DR Driver on Delirious.
-ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima retained his title by defeating Nigel McGuinness via pinfall with a second backdrop driver.
Angles and Issues
-There was a brief moment of discord between Hero and Toland after their loss in the opening contest, but the two made up and went to the back together.
-Hagadorn, as he always does, attempted to use the Brass Knucks in order to win the match against Primeau. However, Bobby Dempsey, who had past issues with Hagadorn using the weapon, pointed the illegality to the referee. This allowed Pelle the opportunity to make a comeback and get the win. Dempsey also got some licks in on Hagadorn as payback for all of his previous losses to Adam Pearce's personal manservant.
-Rocky Romero attempted to steal Claudio Castagnoli's steel briefcase after his match, although I don't have the first notion of why. I mean, it certainly isn't as valuable as Tatanka's feather.
-Kevin Steen and El Generico came up with the huge victory and can lay claim to being uncrowned champions, however not all is well with the duo. Fans of the two know they have a huge personal history together. Specifically, when the two have teamed in other promotions Steen almost always turns on Generico and they have a huge feud. Will the same happen here? The two were in disagreement about how to handle the post match issues with Mark Briscoe. Steen just wanted to leave and celebrate his victory. Meanwhile, Generico was concerned for the well being of Mark Briscoe and spent several minutes checking on him, to the disapproval of Steen. Will these types of disagreements have a larger impact in future matches?
-McGuinness and Morishima shook hands and embraced after the match, which is a sign of Morishima's respect as he had not done that with previous ROH opponents. The results page on rohwrestling.com is claiming that Nigel has already asked for a rematch.
-Edison, NJ return date is July 28th, 2007.
Live Takes From Edison
-This was just a really fun show overall. I had a ton of fun, and it seemed to me that a very large majority of fans were there just for fun (and good wrestling naturally). While there was the occasional annoying fan here or there (and a chant related to Imus, but it will go without repeating here), the vibe I got in the building was incredibly positive.
We got to the show without getting lost or taking a wrong turn (which has happened from time to time given the location of the sports club in Edison is harder to find than Nicolas Cage in a decent movie). We got there with time to spare, having even stopped for some decent pizza along the way. Yes, I know ROH serves their own in the concession stand area, but it's not so much pizza as cardboard with dried cheese and sauce served on top. No offense to the concession stand girls, who are very pleasant and even let me purchase some bottled water after the show had concluded (well, it's smart anyway considering you have to sell your inventory).
I was able to see and talk to Stuart Carapola only for a few minutes this time, as he was hosting friends. It's understandable, considering I was also hosting my friends. By the way, it needs to be said Stuart Carapola = Davey Richards. If you notice, neither of them are in the same room at the same time. 411's Michael Bauer was also reportedly in attendance. We had a grand total of six this time around, with the numbers increasing more and more each time out. Some of them even went ahead and purchased tickets for the May 12th show in NYC on the strength of seeing this one show live. The grassroots campaign continues onward.
I don't usually commentate on the merchandize stand all that much, but man, is it ever the meat market. There was lots of traffic congregating around the DVD's and especially new DVD releases but not so much around the T-shirt stand. That made getting a new ROH ski cap pretty easy. I do have to say I get a kick out of the merch stand workers—they have a great sense of humor and seem to take things in stride throughout the night. Good on them.
I should note that there now seems to be a few items exclusive to the ROH show. A new Christopher Daniels shirt with his image on the front and the words "Fallen Angel" typeset to form angel's wings, a Takeshi Morishima "Back Drop" shirt. There are also variations of the new ski caps—the Old English style now comes with a white stripe rim and the "Ring of Honor" script has a red stripe on the rim (I purchased the latter). Another good reason to attend shows live and in person—more merch!
-So the first time I actually choose to root for Chris Hero in his match and he loses! I don't know if I put the jinx on him or what, but man what a disappointment. I was hoping he and Toland would put a number on Blade and Edwards, but the Undynamic duo somehow pulled off the win. They hit the Marty Jannetty / 1-2-3 Kid style sunset flip from the outside in for the win. I have to say the rest of the crowd received Hero well, even flipping the heat and the boos onto Blade and Edwards. However, there were also still a number of fans into the baby face tandem, who actually looked decent if unspectacular in the ring. However, the star of this match was amazingly none other than Tank Toland. What a surprising well of personality this dude has simply playing into his body builder / personal trainer character. His use of muscle flexors and his motivation of Chris Hero were out of this world entertaining. Who would have thought that Toland could begin to shine like this?
-Primeau and Hagadorn did it. They had a very solid seven minute grudge match, which while still was not on par with most ROH matches, reveals a good deal of improvement for both wrestlers. There was a very telling moment, when Primeau flubbed on a move but made a very smooth transition to the point where it didn't look like a mistake at all. That is hard to learn and maybe it was luck, but hey, chalk it up to luck if you have to—he still did a great job. Now he gets to hold onto the bowling trophy for a period of time.
Here is a funny but small detail about the crowd surfing from tonight's show. Section D (Where I was located) didn't seem as into Pelle's win as the other sections across from us. By that I mean when Pelle won, a huge number of fans from the other sections began to stand up and call for Pelle to crowd surf in victory. Section D? We were like "eh. That's okay. We'll pass on that." Then when Pelle surfed through the other three sections, that was when our section finally stood up and gave in to the crowd surfing.
-Romero and Claudio had a very solid and fun match. Claudio was way over, as I expected, and this time he actually seemed to give in and accept the "Hey!" chants as a sign of the fan's appreciation and respect.
-The crowd absolutely, positively went mad upon Mark Briscoe furiously striding to the ring from the general admission section, followed up by his own mother and met at the ring barrier by security and even Cary. It was an incredibly emotional scene as Mark, who two weeks ago suffered a bad concussion after missing the Shooting Star Press and hitting his head on a guardrail. At the time, what fans did not know was that Mark Briscoe had been cleared by doctors to wrestle at the events. The events of the Long Island show, where Kevin Steen and El Generico attacked Briscoe from behind, were done to set up Briscoe putting himself in play when Jay Briscoe found himself alone and in need of a partner in his match against the Canadian odd couple. From there on in, the match was kicked up a notch.
The crowd had died when Erick Stevens was attacked by the NRC, in my opinion most likely because they didn't buy into the attack's severity. A simple powerbomb into a guardrail? That shouldn't have been enough to take out Stevens—there should have been a bit more to sell the fact that Stevens couldn't go anymore. Consequently, when Briscoe was being double teamed, the crowd was dead silent. It seemed like ages before anything happened. Then, with Briscoes return and subsequent hot tag, the crowd got back into the match. We knew the stakes for Mark's return. Any large bumps to the head would be met with gaps and audible cries from the crowd, including my own. Still, Mark Briscoe continued onwards, put the damage on, but took one too many blows to the back of the head and was pinned.
Regardless of his clearance status, should Mark Briscoe have been put into the match? It's a hard call to make. Ultimately, if I were booker, I would have said "no", even if Mark insisted on doing the match. I think two weeks is just too short a time to return from an injury of that magnitude, and just to be sure I would have sat Mark out. Even with doctor's clearance, it is the smart move to do in this situation. You could have saved this type of match scenario for any point in the future and it would still have the same type of emotional resonance with the crowd. Plus, if the ultimate result was The Briscoes still losing, then Jay making his own comeback only to fall because of the number's advantage would have worked just as well for this situation.
However, wrestling is wrestling, and pro wrestlers are pro wrestlers. They want to get back in there as soon as possible, even when the smart play is to sit it out and recover. The inevitable decision was made. It did not backfire, this time.
-While I may get arguments from those who were in attendance at the 4/13/07 Long Island show, Colt Cabana may have been at his absolute comedic peak in his match here vs. Doug Williams. He went through a number of his trademark comedic spots, but also kept up the verbal comedy with tons of new one liners and exchanges with the ref, the crowd and with Doug. He had the crowd in stitches like no other time I can remember (but maybe you can, see below). If Cabana has to go out, then let him go out like this, at the top of his comedic form.
Cabana's goodbye promo was pretty damned great. In my opinion, his statements about Ring of Honor continuing onwards even through losing some talent was something that needed to be said, especially from one of the boys in the back. Yes, it was very much a "rah rah, ROH" promo, but sometimes those are needed. On a show like this, where everything was clicking, it sure seems believable and genuine.
-The second half of the show was a bit of a slow build. The popcorn match of Del Rey vs. Osiris was fine for what it was (getting to see Del Rey beat up anyone, man or woman, is quite entertaining and Osiris was playing such a great sleazebag that it made the match work that much more effectively). Matt Cross vs. SHINGO had less of a reaction but really picked up at the end with some nice high flying and power sequences.
-The NRC is ready to be taken seriously now. Strong and Richards have found their heel grooves and it is great to see. The crowd has become annoyed with Strong and is giving him "Roderrrrrick!" cat calls and it works for his character. Richards has become a cross between evil genius and chicken shit heel. He'll take his shots in and lay in a vicious beating, but he will run away, act cowardly and ridiculous when necessary.
-The crowd was pumped to see Nigel McGuinness win the ROH World title. Well, except for a group of twenty somethings who just hated, HATED, H-A-T-E-D Nigel. I mean, we're talking an irrational level of dislike. These guys shouted obscenities and gave the middle finger at every chance they got. They apparently had standing room tickets OR gave up their own seats, because they were traveling all around each side of Section D shouting out their detestation with extreme prejudice. Whenever the action spilled outside and McGuinness and Morishima were close enough, here came these guys again. I swear, almost everyone else was rooting and reacting positively to Nigel. They wanted him to win. They wanted him to beat Morishima. Not these guys. I hadn't seen a reaction on this level since CM Punk's most hated days in New Jersey.
What had Nigel McGuinness done to these guys to deserve such hatred? Had he raped their mothers, their sisters and their girlfriends? Had he robbed their houses blind? Did he kill their pets? These are the only reasons I can accept for such a reaction, but I don't believe McGuinness is capable of doing any of those actions. Well, maybe the killing of pets, but I'm sure it'd be justified.
My reaction to this scene was at first bewilderment. I mean, someone hating Nigel at this point, when he is like ultra super face? Inconceivable. My next reaction was fear, knowing that back in January we had the "Invasion of the Grannies" incident in Edison which ruined the main event of the eeving. I was fearful we would see a repeat of that here, with these guys distracting and taking away from the action. Fortunately, Nigel and Morishima either didn't hear these fans or they didn't care and went on with their match. My final reactions were laughter at the sheer absurdity of the moment, and finally acceptance and resolve to concentrate on the match itself. And what a match it was.
This was Morishima's best defense of the belt yet and the best match he has wrestled for ROH since his debut against Samoa Joe. Obviously, with Nigel part of the new main event line up, this match had a far greater give and take style along the lines of the Joe match. There were times where Nigel had Morishima out powered and outmatched. We also saw some great new offense from Nigel, including a top rope plancha to the outside onto Morishima, as well as a cool springboard press to the outside. As with the KENTA match at the Buddokan, Morishima established his dominance at the end of the match, reigning down massive back drop suplexes and lariats (while blocking one of Nigel's) and nailing a back drop with a sickening rotation to secure the three count.
Fans on the ROH message board have likened Morishima to Samoa Joe circa 2003 and I agree. He is a dominating big man champion, one who the fans are uncertain of whether or not to accept (Much like Joe was in the very beginning of his title run). The more Morishima dominates ROH, the more the fans will look for someone, anyone to stop the monster.
Ringtones Special: GREAT MEMORIES Contest
This is only the second contest from yours truly, but I think it's a very important occasion and for a very important cause.
Colt Cabana is finishing up his run for Ring of Honor with the upcoming double shot in St. Paul and Chicago Ridge. What I'd love to hear from the readers is YOUR favorite "Great Memories" from Colt Cabana's crazy career in Ring of Honor. Tell me about matches what you enjoyed, what Cabana jokes or shenanigans kept you laughing for hours, whatever baby. It's all hep, it's all groovy so long as you're down with discussing Cabanarama lamadingdong!
Send in your emails from now until May 4th, 2007 and one randomly selected response will be declared the winner! A winner will be selected and announced in the May 5th, 2007 edition of Column of Honor. One entrant per person, please!
Oh…the prize? Reader's choice of one of the following:
ONE (1) copy of ROH: Best of Colt Cabana: Good Times, Great Memories DVD -OR-
ONE (1) copy of ROH: Fifth Year Festival-Chicago DVD (Cabana vs. Jacobs Windy City Streetfight)
So get going and help my column to celebrate the good times and great memories and win yourself a fantabulous prize! Send in your entries here!
Let this groove set in your shoes, so stand up, alright.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 04/21/2007
ROH World Champion—Takeshi Morishima (champion since 02/17/07, 3 successful defenses)
Next Defense: Austin Aries, 4/27/07 St. Paul, MN
V.1 defeated BJ Whitmer via pinfall / backdrop driver (2/23/07 Dayton, OH)
V. 2 defeated KENTA via pinfall / backdrop driver (3/04/07 Tokyo, Japan)
V.3 defeated Nigel McGuinness via pinfall / backdrop driver (4/14/07 Edison, NJ)
ROH World Tag Team Champions— Jay and Mark Briscoe (champions since 03/30/07, NEW CHAMPIONS)
Next Defense: Ultimate Endurance (vs. Pelle Primeau & Mitch Franklin, Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw, Hallowicked & Gran Akuma), 4/27/07 St. Paul, MN
ROH News
(via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed
Austin Starr Suspended From TNA, Austin Aries Reportedly Concerned
Via Mike Johnson, PWInsider:
Austin Starr was sent home from television on Monday and (at this point) is slated for a 90 day suspension. The reason bouncing around this afternoon among those in the company was that management was unhappy with his attitude. I was told there was no one incident that caused the decision but just a series of events. The feeling among some wrestlers that were sympathetic to Starr was that he's a pretty blunt and brutally honest person, which probably hurt him politically in the locker room. One certainly can't discount his work as he had one of the best matches on the entire Lockdown PPV against Senshi. Starr had been given something of a suspension last year after he and Roderick Strong remained and worked a Ring of Honor show during a blizzard scare after being instructed to leave New York and head to Florida. They made the show but their push as a tag team was shelved and Strong opted not to sign a new deal with the company. Starr re-debuted with the Starr moniker at Bound for Glory last October. Starr was scheduled to continue his storyline with Bob Backlund after Lockdown. Backlund was at TNA's Impact taping Monday but wasn't used. He'll be remaining with the company.
As if I needed less reasons to watch TNA nowadays.
As far as this story's effect on ROH, it may open some more bookings for Aries and will likely push him even further into legend status with the ROH fans.
The damage has already been done to TNA and it has already alienated many of those ROH fans who were looking to support the product but instead have been treated to mindless bullshit and nothing matches on television, and mediocre results on pay per view.
If a wrestler is voicing his concerns, shouldn't they be addressed in personal conversation as opposed to punitive measures? Not mention that this was done in the proper forum, backstage, as opposed to in front of a crowd. When Joe made his "tripping over bad booking" comment, I could at least understand and justify a punishment (even though the way they did it was asinine given booking considerations). Here, Aries didn't even say a bad word in public.
In his news column, Meehan asserts that this type of disagreement can hurt the backstage atmosphere. I disagree immensely. If there are other wrestlers who are worried or don't like the direction the company is taking, they should at least have a forum in which to discuss the issues openly. Now the workers are going to be worried about reprisals and punishments should they have a problem or disagreement about the direction of the character. Of course, the final say is always with the bookers and those in charge, but it's also smart to at least keep the wrestlers in the loop and be willing to listen to what they have to say. I have to say that it may already be too late for backstage morale or anything of that nature.
NOAH talent for ROH shows in Japan Announced
Via Green Destiny:
Five Pro Wrestling NOAH wrestlers will compete on the first leg of Ring of Honor's tour of Japan in July, as current ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima, Naomichi Marufuji, KENTA, Go Shiosaki & Ricky Marvin have all been booked to wrestle on the show.
Well, these choices are all well and good, but really there are no surprises. The first four names have all previously worked for ROH either domestically or on their international tours. Meanwhile Ricky Marvin was part of an super excellent match teaming up with Kotaro Suzuki up against The Briscoes to win the GHC Jr. Tag Titles. He should add a bit of flash to whatever match he's working. Good choices all, but I'm hoping for the announcement of at least a few more NOAH names. Tajii Ishimori is a personal favorite of mine and I would love to see him featured on these shows. Rikio would also be a good name to throw in. He's already fought Chris Hero a bunch of times, let's get a rematch for the ROH viewing audience.
Moving On Up Due to increased attendance ROH has moved its 6/8 show to Roxbury Crossing, MA at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center on the Roxbury Community College campus. This is a great location on Tremont Street just a minute or so from public transportation.
Massachusetts has come back big time for Ring of Honor action. This is a comeback story New England fans can be proud of.
Bloody Nose-ishima ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima and Nigel McGuinness both suffered injuries in last Saturday's brutal ROH World Title Match in Edison, NJ. McGuinness' lips were very swollen and were purple after the match. Morishima had a busted nose and a possible minor concussion. This one was a war. Both had bloodied and battered faces after the match. McGuinness has already asked for a rematch.
A busted nose…again? Man, that is one soft spot on the big Japanese dude. HEY EVERYONE…AIM FOR THE BEAK!
St. Paul Additions and Subtractions A loaded Four Corner Survival has been added to 4/27 in St. Paul. It will pit Jack Evans vs. Delirious vs. Rocky Romero of the No Remorse Corps vs. Erick Stevens of The Resilience. There are a lot of issues in this one.
One more match has been added to 4/27 in St. Paul. It will be a first time ever match between two powerhouses as BJ Whitmer returns to action to take on Shingo!!!
We regret to announce that Kevin Steen will not be able to make next week's shows due to circumstances beyond his control. We apologize for the lineup change. Steen is scheduled for all other shows. New Top Of The Class Trophy Holder Pelle Primeau will take Steen's spot in the Six Man Mayhem in Chicago.
Comments on these matches in the preview for St. Paul later in the column.
Good Times, Great Grudges A big grudge match has been signed for 4/28 in Chicago. It is a result of last Friday's show in Long Island that saw Rocky Romero pin Austin Aries to end a six man elimination match. Now it will be Aries vs. Romero in singles action at "Good Times, Great Memories" in Chicago.
The 5/11 Hartford show just got bigger. Just signed is a huge six man grudge match as The Resilience of Austin Aries, Erick Stevens & Matt Cross will take on the No Remorse Corps of Roderick Strong, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero!!!
More trouble with Romero in the 4/28 Chicago match, as he can go back to back on bruising with this match and the 4/27 Four Corner Survival match. It seems that Romero is the low man on the totem pole in the NRC, the "Virgil / Shane" of the group so to speak. If so, that would be a bit of a shame considering he could really be elevated in this feud. The NRC has dominated in these encounters with The Resilience ever since the rosters have been set. That streak may very well continue with this match in Hartford. I will say that the Hartford lineup is stacked with top tier matches and I think that crowd is in for quite a treat.
Who's Number One Contender? The ROH World Tag Team Title scene really heated up over the weekend. Claudio Castagnoli says he wants a shot after defeating one half of the champs, Jay Briscoe, in Long Island. The only problem is that Castagnoli does not have a partner. Kevin Steen & El Generico claim to be the rightful champs after defeating Jay & Mark Briscoe in a dramatic match in Edison, NJ.
Rightful champions, well except that it was a non title match and all. However, they do have a case for a title shot. Claudio is without friends in ROH and may have to reach out of the current roster pool in order to find someone even willing to give him a chance.
Anytime Now… Bryan Danielson's shoulder has not been giving him any problems on his current tour of NOAH. Negotiations are going on now for Danielson's return to ROH.
Fan speculation has always been for his return to be on the NYC show May 12th. We'll see if that holds. Danielson has actually been winning a good share of his matches in NOAH.
Hero's Sandwich
Greetings, once again, my Hero-ites, it is I, Chris Hero with your weekly dose of reality, your Hero's Sandwich. Now that I have "surrendered" this column back to its original scribe, the moronic and quite corpulent, Ari Berenstein, you will have to deal with only getting a small dose of my words of wisdom each week, so lap it up, morons, because this week, I'm going to keep it short and sweet. Now, I'm sure that Ari will say negative things about my performances last weekend in both Lake Grove and Edison, but I figured that I had two options as to how I would handle this situation. The first option would be tell you some sort of half truth about how I actually didn't lose both of my matches this weekend, and more or less lie to you all. On the other hand, I could claim that it wasn't my fault that my tag team partners and me were defeated, and blame our losses solely on the ROH powers that be. However, this week, I will step up and be a man about all of this and take the classy route in dealing with these defeats. I will solely blame these losses on my incompetent tag team partners. First, that fat slob, Morishima cost me the match on Friday night. If he had stood up for us as a TEAM, he wouldn't have shoved me into the position to be clotheslined by that English idiot, Nigel McGuinness, and almost have my head severed from my body. I think someone rang the dinner bell, and he needed to stuff his fat face ASAP, so, he sacrificed me for the lure of food. However, all was not lost in that match, as I came to a few realizations, and what I learned in that match was this. Morishima is a coward of the worst variety, a man with little to no backbone, and certainly without honor. Now that I have spent some time around the "Pillsbury Doughboy" as I like to call him, I have taken note of his weaknesses, and have logged them in my mind for future reference. I now have all the things I need to dethrone that tub of goo from his position of ROH World Champion. Everyone in the locker room thinks that Morishima is unbeatable. I know that he is not. Mark my words, Hero-ites, it is just a matter of time before I show him what a REAL champion looks like.
Now, onto my second loss of last weekend. While Tank Toland is a great trainer, and has helped me to get into top physical condition (as all in attendance witnessed first hand), what I discovered is that he is a less than stellar wrestler. He is far too wrapped up in posing and strutting for the idiots in attendance than in winning matches. His incompetence has led me to one of the most humiliating losses on my record. We lost to Jason Blade and Eddie Edwards for pete's sake! When Jason Blade wrestles, there are no winners, as we all know. But now, for all posterity, I, Chris Hero, the greatest wrestler alive today, have a blemish on my record that will sully my great career for all time. Tank, brother, I love you, but damn. YOU CAN'T WRESTLE!! Now I know why you were dropped by the WWE, and couldn't even cut it in the OVW. I am embarrassed by your display of incompetence in the ring. You're just lucky that you are a master of nutrition and fitness or else I would have fired you right there, on the spot. To make matters worse, I had the ultimate displeasure of suffering this loss in front of my arch nemesis, Ari. I saw him laughing and pointing at me after the match ended. Can you believe that? Ari, laughing at ME? Now, even the dimmest of all readers can understand my humiliation. I did however notice that one of Ari's friends who he was sitting with at the event seemed almost as despondent as myself when the match was over. To you, unidentified Hero-ite, I say thank you. Thank you for supporting the cause. One day, we will reach the top of the mountain, and then we will all be able to point and laugh at Ari. Just remember this Berenstein. Watch what you say about me in MY (that's right, its mine, not yours) column, because my legal advisors are watching and reading VERY carefully. All it will take for me to push you out again is just one brief slip-up, so be careful with what you say. I wouldn't want to be forced to sue you for slander and/or libel. And even if I did win a lawsuit against you, what would I get out of it? Comic books or your Pokemon card collection? How sad is that?
Now, onto better things. I'm looking forward to next weekend's shows for many reasons. First, it will signal the end to the mockery of professional wrestling as that clown, Colt Cabana works his last matches for ROH. I know that some of you are saddened by his departure, but get real, you dolts. He's nothing more than a comedy sketch gone wrong, and his ilk will not be missed at all. Good riddance to bad rubbish I say. Now, maybe ROH will be taken seriously, as a true Pro WRESTLING organization, and not as a sideshow. I will also enjoy the debut of my CHIKARA boys, Jigsaw, Hallowicked & Gran Akuma. These fine young men are my protoges, men that I have trained for their in ring competition. I have helped them hone their craft to levels that the ROH-bots can't even comprehend, so it should be a great weekend. Unfortunately, this great weekend has to be sullied by the debut of the most overrated indy worker of all time, Mike Quackenbush. He's the type of wrestler that Ari would like, doing all those moves that only display flash, and have no real substance. Quack is a fraud, and when we meet in the ROH ring at some point down the line, I will show the world just how true these assertions are. Quack, if I were you, I'd watch my back.
And on that note, I will head back to my secret training facility to sharpen my razor's edge intensity, and find ways to make my already devastating maneuvers even more dangerous than ever before. I will also have a long sit down with Larry, regarding Tank's incompetence in the squared circle. I swear on all that is good, that I will NEVER, I repeat, NEVER feel the sting of humiliation as I did last weekend again. This has been your moment of enlightenment; this has been your Hero's Sandwich. Sayonara, suckers!
…This has been Hero's Sandwich.
Rumors of my Pokemon collection are just that, merely rumors. Besides, everyone know the next big thing is Transformers THE MOVIE YO.
The Money Players: March / April 2007
Who are the money players? In the sports industry, money players are the athletes who are making the right plays at the right moments.
In wrestling, the concept of the money player is not all that different. The wrestler who has a great match or gives an impressive impression upon the audience ups their worth to the wrestling promoter. While you may be helping your team, you are also helping yourself and your career.
So once a month here at Column of Honor, I'll be looking at some of the money players in Ring of Honor. We'll also see who's hot, who's not, who's making those key plays and who is dropping the ball, so to speak.
Money Players of the Month—March 2007
BJ Whitmer (WHIT), Jimmy Jacobs (HUSS), Jay and Mark Briscoe (BRSC)
-We have a four way tie for the March award. Each of these men came through in the clutch and went above and beyond the call of duty in their respective matches throughout the month. BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs waged brutal war in a series of matches in England and in Detroit. Their brutal encounters went all over the place, but more importantly captured and kept the fans' attention. They each sacrificed a lot in the brutal steel cage finale. Jacobs will be out of action for at least six months, and he certainly deserves the credit for going all out in the match in Detroit.
Meanwhile, Jay and Mark Briscoes' March was a story of ups and downs. After losing their tag titles in their first defense, they went on to fight EACH OTHER in a brutal and violent match. Their willingness to fight each other in order to motivate themselves to be the best is commendable. They then won back the titles at All Star Extravaganza III, but Mark Briscoes suffered a very serious injury as a result of missing the Shooting Star Press. For putting up with an emotional month while still remaining a top flight act in ROH, The Briscoes "Man Up" and earn Money Players of the month
Money Player of the Month—April 2007
Colt Cabana (COLT)
-April 2007 is Colt Cabana's month. It is his time to say goodbye to Ring of Honor and its fans. A lot of the promotion of these shows is being thrown behind Cabana and his farewell tour, in much the same way as Samoa Joe was given a heavy promotional push in February and March. Perhaps not at the same emotional level as Joe's goodbye, Cabana has still been money on these shows. He has given so much of himself to entertain the fans and his farewell speeches have been memorable. Cabana has his last show named after one of his famous catchphrases and I can be pretty sure that the DVD will be filled with many of the correctly called "good times, great memories" of Cabana's ROH career.
ROH STOCK INDEX
Breadwinners STOCK UP!
-Takeshi Morishima (MORI): Morishima is an absolutely dominant champion. You can call his run as ROH World Champion a Pro Wrestling NOAH Corporate takeover, but the result has been money, money and lots of money on all sides.
-Nigel McGuinness (NIGE): McGuinness has locked up main event status in ROH right now and should have it as long as he wants it. With a co-operative friendship with current champion Morishima, both stocks have an incredible amount of potential for profit. Hold onto this stock a bit longer for maximum gain.
-PAC (PACC): A new debut and another impressive stock posting. "The Man Who Defied Gravity" certainly proves his moniker true by rocketing up the ROH stock market. Fand were impressed with his matches against Roderick Strong and Matt Sydal. Can a USA call up be far behind?
-Erick Stevens (CHOO): Another new debut and fast starter. Slogan of "CHOO CHOO!" can help to create an easily recognizable brand name with earnings power. Stevens has plenty of potential to succeed and to grow on the Stock Market.
Loss Leaders STOCK DOWN!
-Jimmy Rave (RAVE): This stock is once again settled in the loss position. A loss during a title shot back in February, a loss to arch rival competitor McGuinness and a jaw injury that will put out Rave for three months has sunk this stock to an all time low. Sell this stock if you can, because the damage has been done.
-SHINGO and Naruki Doi (DGSN): Easy come, easy go for the Dragon Gate contingent. Just because a stock starts off hot doesn't mean it can't come crashing down just as quickly. Stevens and PAC beware.
Trendsetters
-No Remorse Corps (NRCP): Roderick Strong, Davey Richards and Rocky Romero: For the second stock market report in a row, the NRC are the ones setting the standard in ROH. Adding Romero bolsters an already strong product. Copy cat brands have already begun in an attempt to capitalize on the successful promotional tactics of the NRC. While Aries International Ltd. and The Resilience (RESI) have attempted to become the Hydrox to the NRC's Oreo, the stock market recognizes who got here first and who has the most chance at financial gain.
-Claudio Castagnoli (CAST): Business suits are back in fashion, thanks to the "Most Money Making Man" and his return to form.
Future Outlooks
(+) POSITIVE: Takeshi Morishima, Nigel McGuiness, The Briscoes, Delirious, Colt Cabana, Matt Cross, Roderick Strong, Davey Richards (up), Rocky Romero (up) Shingo, Jack Evans, El Generico, Kevin Steen, Erick Stevens (NEW), Bryan Danielson (up), Mike Quackenbush (NEW), Gran Akuma (NEW), Jigsaw (NEW), Hallowicked (NEW) Pelle Primeau (up)
(/) NEUTRAL: Matt Sydal (drops), BJ Whitmer (drops), Chris Hero (drops), Austin Aries (up), Homicide, Brent Albright (drops), Tank Toland, PAC (NEW) Claudio Castagnoli (up) Adam Pearce (up)
(-) NEGATIVE: Jimmy Rave (drops), Jimmy Jacobs (drops) Christopher Daniels, Shane Hagadorn, Irish Airborne, Ricky Reyes
Penny Stocks
Looking for a cheap bargain? This is the place to speculate on the next possible big things…but look out; there could also be a few duds here.
--More than a penny for your thoughts Shane Hagadorn (HAGA):--Lost the Top of the Class Trophy and may be in for a downward turn. Irish Airborne (IAIR)--long time and not seen. Pelle Primeau (PPRM)--New Trophy, More Crowd Surfing M Dogg 20 "Matt Cross" (MD20)--The Resilience's resident high flying upstart. Tank Toland (TANK)--Doing exercise has never looked this good.
--Still just one cent Trik Davis (TRIK) CJ Otis (OTIS) Jason Blade (BLAD): Eddie Edwards (EDED):
-The Students-
Perhaps the purest of the penny stocks since these guys are at the very start of their career. Each shows promise but each has risks at this stage. Will any of these stocks show maturity in the future?
Mitch Franklin (MFRN)
Bobby Dempsey (BDEM)
Derek Dempsey (DDEM)
Rhett Titus (TTUS)
Alex Payne (PAYN)—still the most popular student in Chi-town.
Eddie Osirus (EOSI)
Morishima has become the MONSTER stock, while the NRC is hot and is a "must buy." Injuries have brought low Jimmy Jacobs, just when it seemed he would be taking off towards the stratosphere. Jimmy Rave, well…poor Jimmy Rave.
Which stocks will rise and fall? The market can be a fickle one and what succeeds today may not make in tomorrow. The closing bell brings the end of another day of trading in Ring of Honor, and for now the stock market is closed.
ROH Preview: 4/27/07—St. Paul, MN
Ring Of Honor
April 27th, 2007- 8:00pm belltime
St. Paul Armory
600 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55101
ROH World Title Match
Takeshi Morishima vs. Austin Aries
On the outset it appears as if this is a huge mismatch. HUGE big man, small little guy. However, savvy ROH fans know that Aries has a great history with this type of match up. Aries won his first ROH World title by taking out the bigger man in Samoa Joe. Back then, no one gave him much of a chance and now, no one is giving him much of a chance. Yet Aries has fought back when he has been counted out of a match and he has the skills and the smarts to enact a strategy against Morishima that will give him the best chance to get the title. Will history repeat itself? Or has Morishima watched that Joe match and knows what to look for against Aries?
FIP World Heavyweight Title Match (if Strong is still champion)
Roderick Strong vs. Christopher Daniels
A good wrestling match up for sure, one made interesting by the storyline developments of the last few months. Strong is a full blown heel now and Daniels, well, no one quite know where Daniels is within his own headspace. Has he become changed by the surprising loss of the ROH World Tag Team titles? If it is a change in attitude, perhaps it will help spur The Fallen Angel onto victory—despite if it is a change his fans may not want to see.
World Tag Team Title Ultimate Endurance (elimination match with each fall having a different stipulation. First fall can only be won by tap out. Second fall is a Tag Team Scramble meaning no tags are needed. Final fall is for the ROH World Tag Team Titles)
ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe
vs.
Pelle Primeau & Mitch Franklin
vs.
Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw
vs.
Hallowicked & Gran Akuma
The focus here is on the debut of the CHIKARA wrestlers. How much of an impression they can make will help determine their futures in ROH. Hopefully they bring some of the hang loose, have fun attitude with them from CHIKARA. Primeau has a bit of a boost going into this given his TOCT win, but I still expect that he and Franklin will be demolished and find themselves the first team out. I absolutely love Quackenbush and his matches and hope he comes through in his ROH debut. This is a guy who can really keep things electric with his high flying lucha moves and an irrepressible charisma.
Four Corner Survival Match
Jack Evans vs. Delirious vs. Rocky Romero vs. Erick Stevens
The Four Corner Survival match is interesting because it puts Rocky Romero at a severe disadvantage. There are three faces in the match who are very angry with him and will want to dish out the pain. Of course, Delirious, Evans and Stevens could get in each other's way and that could degenerate the situation. Will they work together or get torn apart? This is also a big match for Stevens as he is able to represent The Resilience. If group loyalty gets ratcheted up, which side will Delirious take? He has worked with both Aries' side and Evans on the just the last show. Ultimately only one man can win, but I'd expect grudges to take precedence over victory in this one.
Anything Goes Fight
Colt Cabana & Homicide vs. Brent Albright & Adam Pearce with Shane Hagadorn
Cabana and Homiicde…as partners? Last year, I would have told you to forget about it, never going to happen. Yet, here it is. In Cabana's penultimate match he teams up with one of his great rivals to take on the annoyingly evil duo of Albright and Pearce. Albright has a huge win over Homicide and you can bet these two will be going at it in order to settle the issue. Cabana and Pearce match up well and they have their storied history of fighting against each other in the Steel Domain and other Mid West indie promotions.
Special Challenge Match
BJ Whitmer vs. SHINGO
Whitmer is coming back from injuries sustained in the cage match from March 31st and SHINGO should look to capitalize (like his name) on the situation. This is a good power for power scenario. Expect lots of suplexes and impact moves.
SHIMMER Tag Team Action
St. Paul's own Rain & Lacey vs. Sara Del Rey & Allison Danger
THE MINNESOTA HOME WRECKING CREW…has come home! MHWC vs. Dangerous Angels…a marquee SHIMMER match up for sure and one that I'm pumped to see succeed in front of an ROH crowd.
.
Going Home
Ringtones
411's own J.D. Dunn chimes in on the subject of renaming Jimmy Rave's moves.
Given Rave's penchant for in-ring sickness, why not the wholly appropriate name -- Diarrhea?!
I have to believe that Dunn is way above toilet humor, but…it is very funny.
Regular reader Adam Nelson adds in SHIMMER Volume 7 to the Independent Buy In list. I have that DVD in my possession but haven't quite gotten to it yet. However, Adam is usually good with these things, so in it goes.
**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)
**ROH FWA IPW:UK Frontiers of Honor 2 (Sydal / Richards, Cabana / Burridge, JC Thunder / Nigel McGuinness, Danielson / Brookside / Stone)
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2006: Night Two (Necro Butcher/Super Dragon, Hero/Horiguchi, Evans/Castagnolli)
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2006: Night Three (Generico / CIMA, Hero, Claudio, Necro, Romero / Cabana, Quicksilver, M-Dogg 20, Delirious, Generico / Sabin, Richards / Strong, Evans/ Horiguchi, Richards / CIMA)
**Chikara The Crushing Weight of Mainstream Ignorance (Quackenbush / Akuma, Steel / Steel, Sweeney / Kingston, Hair vs. Mask: Jigsaw / Icarus)
**Chikara King of Trios Night One (Order of the Neo Solar Temple / Los Ice Creams, Miyawaki, Yago & KUDO / Iron Saints, Sweeny, Eliis and Ryder vs. Neo Solar Temple POSEDOWN, Shima Xion / Nobutaka Moribe)
**SHIMMER Volume 7 (Daizee Haze/Cheerleader Melissa, Mercedes Martinez/LuFisto, Sara Del Rey/Nattie Neidhart) (NEW ADDITION)
**Chikara King of Trios Night Two (Sabin, Shelley and Dutt vs. Quackenbush, Jigsaw and Shane Storm / Hallowicked, Cheech and Cloudy vs. Lince Dorado, Pantera and Sicodelico Jr. / Olsen Twins vs. Miyagi and Yago / Quack T-Shirt Squad vs. Boyer and 2.0) (NEW ADDITION)
**Chikara King of Trios Night Three (Pantera, Lince Dorado & Sicodelico, Jr. vs. Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Shane Storm / Kings Of Wrestling vs. Kudo, Yoshiaki Yago & Miyawaki / Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Shane Storm vs. Kudo, Yoshiaki Yago & Miyawaki / Ricochet vs. Claudio Castagnoli / Daizee Haze vs. Sara Del Ray / Mokujin Ken vs. Mecha Mummy / Matt Sydal vs. Hallowicked) (NEW ADDITION)
I finished up the Chikara three night tournament but neglected to put it up on the Indy Buy In list…then there was the whole Chris Hero incident, but I'd rather not get into that. Anyway, if you picked up night one of the tournament and enjoyed what you saw, then there is absolutely POSITIVELY roody tooty no excusy for not picking up these two shows, which finish up the tournament.
Not only do you get an abundance of talented independent, er…talent in some solid to fricking great matches, but you get some incredibly funny CHIKARA moments. Where else can you see PWG's Dynasty of Joey Ryan, Scott Lost and Chris Bosh cut a promo IN A KITCHEN? What is the mystery of the Alex Wright action figure? Who gets an avalanche of SNOW thrown on them? How do Lucha stars look when wrestling in the surreal and really horrible Barnesville, PA location? All these questions and more answered in the second night of the King of Trios.
As far as night three, this one is a must buy not only for the best of the KOT tournament matches but also for some great singles matches as well, including those with wrestlers many ROH fans are going to be familiar with—Daizee Haze, Sara Del Rey, matt Sydal and Claudio Castagnoli.
As far as I'm concerned I'd rank the two semi final matches in the KOT tournament right up there with any match from the Indie scene thus far this year. Really strong, fast paced matches with good action. The lucha contingent impresses as does Team DDT.
Mokujin Ken vs. Mecha Mummy is an atrocity of a wrestling match, but that IS the joke after all. One of the most hilarious segments on the show is just seeing Mokujin Ken wave his arms around and circulate around the ring. And that is just the beginning of the whole thing.
By the way, did you know that Sal Thomaselli has a tattoo of the word for "Strength" in Hebrew on his mid section? It's scary the things you put together when you know Hebrew and love wrestling.
ROH @ 411 This Week
411 sings the praises of ROH International Challenge, the lead in for Final Battle 2006. J.D. Dunn has his positive review up as does Brad Garoon and Jacob Ziegler.
Dunn is also heading into FIP territory with his looks at the very first FIP shows, namely Emergence and Fallout Night One.
Meanwhile Brad Garoon keeps us up to date on the latest FIP releases, with his review of All or Nothing and Evening the Odds.
Bayani Domingo and Ryan Byers debate the finer points of SHIMMER and PWG issues in this week's 411 Buy or Sell.
Jordan Linkous in his WWE vs. TNA lists the top ten things he enjoys about wrestling. ROH is in at number ten with a lengthy look at some of his favorite wrestlers from the promotion. Of course we all know it really should be # 1, but at least he's learning.
Time to wrap it all up and put it back in the box for another week here at the column. Next week actually I may be going on a bit of vacation, but I'll have a column nonetheless. I may not have an update on ROH results for St. Paul, but there will be plenty of content, including a HUMONGOUS Honorarium with comments and takes on the last FIVE Ring of Honor DVD releases. Everyone have a great weekend!
