Column of Honor: 05.05.07 Part One
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 05.05.2007
ROH across America as the world of Pay Per View is now infused with honor. Tons of coverage on that, as well as more ROH news, opinions on TNA's influence on ROH and PWG, Marufuji, Aries and Homicide.
Respect is Earned, Honor is Given: ROH Goes Pay Per View
If we're all being honest with ourselves, then we'd have to thank Total Non-Stop Action wrestling. If it weren't for TNA, then Ring of Honor's announcement that they will begin to run shows on Pay Per View would not have been possible.
Ok, yes it was ROH owner Cary Silkin's decision to take the next step. He bought out the company in 2004 and has been a driving factor in ROH's business plans ever since then. His money and his vision of ROH, along with the booking of Gabe Sapolsky, the leg work done by all the crew on staff and the great wrestling and promos done by the talent all contributed to ROH earning its reputation as the top American independent wrestling promotion of this decade.
It was Silkin's decision to jump into Pay Per View. According to news reports, this had been in the works secretly for six months now, which shows that he and Gabe Sapolsky know how to keep a secret. I'd entrust them with the revelation of who shot JFK and the aliens landings (yes, plural) in Nevada. Yet, you'd have to think that without TNA deciding to up the amount of money it wanted for subletting the big name talent under its contract, that none of what has occurred or is about to occur would be possible.
Ironically, it was about this time three years ago that Ring of Honor was "Reborn" and this was also in part due to TNA pulling its wrestlers, such as Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles, from ROH shows. This pullout in the wake of what became known as "The Rob Feinstein Incident" signaled the beginning of a new era for the company. ROH rode a wave of momentum that picked up with the Joe vs. Punk trilogy and went through to where we are here and now. The great matches and the great shows brought the name of ROH upwards. They were and are the darling of the internet, this generation's Indie that could. This week, they did.
So yes, to use some clichés, this was the beginning of the end, the end of the beginning, a brave new world and perhaps the opening of Pandora's Box. There are a billion other clichés that can fit here, but I'll restrain my writing sensibilities in order to focus on this one wrestling truth—business is about to pick up. Oh wait, that's also a cliché now. Damn it!
So here are the facts: On Wednesday, May 3rd, 2007, Ring of Honor made a news announcement that it would begin to run Pay Per Views on a bi-monthly basis, beginning on July 1st, 2007. The press release in part reads:
Ring Of Honor Wrestling (ROH), in association with G-Funk Sports & Entertainment, has concluded programming and distribution deals for PPV and VOD wrestling cards with iN DEMAND Networks, TVN and EchoStar Communications Corporation's DISH NetworkTM, making the critically-acclaimed ROH brand available for the first time ever to approximately 50 million American households. The agreement calls for a card every 60 days from shows both stateside and abroad, and will premiere July 1. A total of six cards are planned throughout ‘07/'08. ROH owner Cary Silkin made the announcement today with G-Funk's President Ken Gelman. The debut event, entitled "Respect Is Earned," will be taped May 12 in New York City from the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center, and will feature a glistening array of talent from Japan, England, the U.S. and Mexico.
As the news cycle continued on, PWInsider, Pro Wrestling Torch and Wrestling Observer began to report details about this new distribution deal. These will be two hour Pay Per View events and the price will be $9.95. Comparably, ROH DVDs sell for between fifteen and twenty dollars, depending on sales. TNA Pay Per View costs three hours (actual time around 2:50) at a cost of $29.95. WWE Pay Per View (excluding Wrestlemania) is $39.95 for a three hour (actual time around 2:40 if you're lucky) timeslot.
In an attempt to secure a foundation for the company, initially twelve ROH wrestlers were signed to contracts. The number has been bumped up to fifteen according to the May 4th / 5th ROH newswire. The names of the wrestlers signed to contracts were at first undisclosed, but the newswire has identified Jay and Mark Briscoe, Nigel McGuinness, Bryan Danielson and the No Remorse Corps (Roderick Strong, Davey Richards and Rocky Romero) as some of the recipients of the contracts. ROH also released a video announcement, featuring the above wrestlers, thirteen in all including the current ROH World champion Takeshi Morishima. It may be safe to assume that the other twelve are the ones who have signed a talent contract with ROH. This would include: Claudio Castagnoli, BJ Whitmer, Erick Stevens, Delirious and Brent Albright. In signing the contracts, ROH has guaranteed a core and stable roster of wrestlers who will be with the organization for at least the next year. They do not have to fear these wrestlers will be poached by WWE and TNA.
The Pay Per View carriers, including DISH network and In Demand, are key components for this deal. They provide a great deal of potential access to many wrestling fans in America who previous may have only heard of ROH or never had heard of them at all. 50 Million homes is serious business. This basically puts them within reach of every possible wrestling fan in America, with the exception of DirectTV users (who will not as yet be able to order the shows). This is the gambit: that in going to Pay Per View and providing the ROH product at a reasonable price that they can create and add on countless new fans and customers.
While Pay Per View is no doubt a huge step, in fact the step many fans have discussed and debated over and over again, Ring of Honor should retain a large part of its business model, that being their DVD sales. Long being their most profitable component of the company, ROH's non Pay Per View DVDs should continue to be released in the same fashion as before. ROH will continue to run plenty of shows in between the Pay Per View shows. In addition the Pay Per View themselves being a two hour version of a larger three hour plus event will entice PPV viewers to also pick up the PPV on DVD.
There is some concern that ROH may have to change its style, or shorten matches or make a multitude of adjustments to its product. ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky has countlessly said in interviews (and once again stated after the announcement) that they would not engage in anything that could change or alter the style they provided, ala a television show. ROH continues to state that their product will not be altered on PPV, but rather the best of the best of their established product will be featured on that show.
According to Mike Johnson, There will be some slight production upgrades for the PPV events, which are expected to be priced in the $10-$15 range, dependent on the carrier. ROH's usual editing process will take place for the event, which leads me to believe they will edit the show into a 2 hour PPV broadcast and also edit the complete show for a complete DVD release at a later time. ROH is already going through the process of making sure that they also have proper legal clearances for all music they currently use as performers' theme music so that they can remain the same on the PPV broadcasts.
Make no mistake about it; this is huge news, such that it has already disturbed the foundation of the Indie scene, somewhat stable and successful all around America for the last four years. The Indie scene had begun a re-emergence and a new awakening, thanks in part to wrestling companies finally filling in the void that was left in the closing of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling. Companies such as ROH, TNA, PWG, IWA-MS and CHIKARA have garnered a vast amount of publicity and sales revenue due to an increased profile and reputation on the internet and the internet wrestling community.
TNA's response to the announcement was quick and immediate. It pulled its wrestlers from the product. It was previously thought that while TNA wrestlers logically would not appear on ROH PPVs, that they could possibly appear in "dark matches' on those shows or on other, non Pay Per View tapings. This is not the case. Mike Johnson reports that ROH sources did confirm that TNA was not aware of the announcement before they went live with it on their own website this afternoon. This may have been a mistake, or perhaps a calculated risk from ROH. A little professional courtesy may have helped eased or delay the inevitable announcement, but it would have also tipped ROH's hand. TNA stated that that they had no choice but to pull the wrestlers after the announcement had been made without their being told in advance.
It is well within TNA's right to pull its talent from the company. They are justified and right in this situation and therefore the pulling of talents such as Austin Aries and Homicide is no reason to be angry with them. As it is, ROH probably figured they would lose Aries and Homicide right away and in all likelihood they have contingency plans to deal with the absences of these two wrestlers. The loss of Aries hurts the most because he was the most directly involved in a major storyline (the factional warfare between he, Roderick Strong and Jack Evans). That storyline gap will have to be filled and it will be a bit of a reach to explain it. However, most of damage that would have been created due to the loss of TNA contracted talent had been limited considering that throughout early 2007 these wrestlers (such as Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels) were being slowly but surely phased out of ROH.
Fan reaction to the move by TNA has been mixed. There has always been a divide in the fan base as to how to react to TNA. Some absolutely loathe its existence and its interference in ROH throughout the years. Others understood the business of TNA and ROH interacting and still others enjoyed both products for what they brought to the table. Now there is a clear reason once again for there to be a polarity in the two camps of devotees—these two companies are now direct competitors on PPV.
Of course, some ROH fans may view this as TNA trying to deep-six ROH before it even gets a chance to make its start on PPV, but this is not the case. The contracts of the talent clearly state that they cannot appear on third party PPVs. Christopher Daniels may have cut a heel promo about how there was no war between TNA and ROH just in the minds of the fans; well…that's both true and false now. TNA and ROH have always had a love-hate relationship with each other because of what each could bring to the table. Wrestlers obviously would be hoping to maintain a calm and respectable relationship between the two companies, so that there could be more money made for them on independent bookings. I won't be redundant and repeat past history, but of course TNA has pulled talent from ROH before, and so this wasn't completely unexpected to occur. Make no mistake about it, other events such as this will happen in the future between the two companies that can trigger tensions and make the companies mad at each other.
Like say, the departures of Austin Aries and Homicide from TNA back to ROH?
Austin Aries has never been completely happy with his run in TNA (as the ego maniacal character, Austin Starr). Aries' first run in TNA was cut short after choosing to perform for Ring of Honor during the great Blizzard of February'06. He was brought back and given a new push with the character Austin Starr. Recently, Austin Aries was suspended for three months following a series of in house squabbles between he and TNA officials. While reports had that Aries was very vocal about the direction of TNA and his usage as a character, what is reported by Dave Melzter and is most certain was that TNA wanted him to stay to do an extra day of taping vignettes, and Aries initially said no, then agreed. By then TNA was upset with him and they suspended him. Now that he can no longer work ROH (and PWG, more on that later), Aries is essentially without the ability to work for the next few months. This cannot make him (or anyone in this situation) happy. Speculation has come that Aries will jump to ROH once the suspension is up and he can get out of his contract. That also presents some complications, because his contract has an option for two years (although I'm reading conflicting posts by fans as to who actually controls that option, Aries or TNA). Regardless, Aries announced on his website that "In regards to people asking questions on what the future holds for Austin Aries ... Austin will address his wrestling status on Monday. He appreciates your patience and support!!!"
As far as Homicide in TNA, he has enjoyed a largely successful run as a member of LAX (Latino American Xchange). Although initially Homicide was not used well in that role, soon LAX's popularity exploded and the "gang" of Latino nation members were given a large role within the company, including winning the NWA World Tag Team Championship on two occasions. However, Homicide began with Ring of Honor on the first show in 2002 and has always shown love for the product. He was heavily featured in 2006 and had an emotional run to the top of the promotion, finally winning the ROH World Title in his hometown of New York at Final Battle 2006 in one of the greatest scenes in the entire history of ROH shows.
Where are Homicide's allegiances? Will he sign with ROH once his contract expires with TNA? Here is Homicide's statement from Myspace, printed as is:
i remember the first time rob and doug came up to me and say would you be part of a company that 3 guys are building called ring of honor , i say yes, at that time i was working for 1 company and a great company call JAPW. Since day 1 i was tearin the house down, i became a house hold i had stiches and broke my shoulder, had the most infamous feud with loc and devito , steve corino, american dragon, colt cabana, Samoa joe, my drinking buddies the briscos brothers to my last feud w/ adam pearce and brent albright. I had so much fun for the 5 years, JAPW is my home fed and love that company but i really love that small company that now turning something really big that called RING OF HONOR. THANK YOU , PHILLY, DIRTY JERZZ, LONG ISLAND, DAYTON,CHICAGO, U.K , CLEVELAND, AND MY CITY THE ROTTEN APPLE N.Y.C. Thank U the staff and the real 3 kings of roh sid, cary and you gabe, thanks homie for give me a chance and hopefully i did my job right, now get sum sleep, lol, but formost, the FANS OF ROH even the ones that hates me and think i sux cause of ya , u just got me stronger, the fans made what ROH/RING OF HONOR what it is today and we all thank you, i will dearly miss when that kill bill intro comes out when my right hand man julies smokes hype me up and bout to kill a mother****er and drop his head with the kopkilla, business is business and for now im a L.A.X and i got to take care of that, but you never know what could happen, i im might come back and raise sum hell, BUT FOR NOW, this is my only send off and thank you RING OF HONOR AND THE FANS . IS A HONOR TO WORK and wrestle in front of real wrestling fans. from a icon NOTORIOUS 187/ HOMICIDE BBLLAAAAATTTTTTTT .
Did Homicide just all but say he would come back to ROH when his contract is up? It remains to be seen just how this will all shake out. It may also become that other TNA wrestlers who may be upset at the recent announcements (because it affects their bottom line) will jump to TNA (or WWE) given the chance.
There have been comparisons between ROH and ECW ever since the beginning. Both companies began in Philly, both have hardcore fans and both were an underground alternative to the bigger and more mainstream wrestling products. In 1997, five years after its existence, ECW took a huge leap of faith in getting PPV and made its debut with "Barely Legal". Five years after Ring of Honor made its debut, they too are taking a huge leap into PPV. However, there are some differences which make the comparisons not exactly right. ROH did all of this without the benefit of a televised product. They did not and do not have to conform its product to the standards and practices of a national network. It also seems to me that Cary Silkin is a far more savvy and aware businessman than Paul Heyman ever was. ROH planned for six months for this to happen, and I would have to believe that Silkin, Sapolsky and company did not carefully and deliberately plan and account for every detail. Sapolsky was there for much of ECW, including its demise. He knows what mistakes not to repeat.
Ring of Honor already reduced the damage from the loss of TNA wrestlers by letting them go early in the year and working them out of storylines. Unlike ECW, ROH lost its major big name talent (Joe, Punk, Daniels, Styles, Low Ki, Cabana, London, Kendrick, Shelley and others) BEFORE hitting television and PPV. This is actually a positive because the "on air" damage to reputation such as Tazz's leaving ECW and the Dudleys leaving is prevented. When ROH locked up its wrestlers into contracts they also guaranteed that for one year ROH will have stability in its upper, middle and lower card. They STILL have a great deal of headlining independent talent including Danielson, McGuinness and Castagnoli and possibly more including Chris Hero, Jack Evans and Matt Sydal who are not yet confirmed to contracts. They also have rock solid international deals in place to supplement the cards. It also remains to be seen who else signs with ROH. Will other wrestlers return to the fold? At the very least, ROH has had a great winning percentage as far as establishing wrestlers in storylines. ROH's great strength is turning the Indie workers of today into the Indie superstars of tomorrow.
This deal also gives ROH the possibility to provide their DVDs to commercial retailers and chain stores. Many independent promotions, including SHIMMER and FIP have distributed their DVDs through stores such as FYE and Musicland. Gabe Sapolsky in an interview with PW Torch's Wade Keller stated that Ring of Honor is now looking into the option of this nationwide distribution of its product.
As far as the idea of who will buy these Pay Per Views, I don't think that will be a problem. I'm thinking the PPV buyers and the DVD buyers will not be mutually exclusive. There will be new fans that have not been exposed to the product making buys. Those who buy DVDs will likely continue to order them, even the ones of the PPV events. After all, these will be the FULL shows. Besides, WWE and TNA are able to have its fans purchase both the PPV and the DVD. ROH will be able to do this as well.
ROH is still going to publish ALL the rest of their shows besides the PPVs. What the PPV does is open up a new revenue stream AND a new source for potential fans and new customers. What remains to be seen is the extent of influence a new and larger fan population on the smaller and die hard ROH fans.
This is a risk, perhaps the most important one in the history of ROH, but it is a calculated risk. ROH must think they can make a reasonable profit by moving forward in this venture. There is always the possibility that if this doesn't work after one year, that ROH can go back to its very successful business plan of DVD sales. No mistake about it though, this is a huge financial investment, one that could either take ROH to the next level, or end it all if it becomes a disaster. There is much to be excited about now that Honor is on its way to Pay Per View, but also much work to be done from all sides involved
.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 05/05/2007
ROH World Champion—Takeshi Morishima (champion since 02/17/07, 5 successful defenses)
Next Defense: KAZMA, 05/06/07 Tokyo, Japan
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)
V.4 defeated Austin Aries via pinfall / backdrop driver (4/27/07 St. Paul, MN)
V.5 defeated SHINGO via pinfall / backdrop driver (4/28/07 Chicago Ridge, IL)
ROH World Tag Team Champions— Jay and Mark Briscoe (champions since 03/30/07, 2 successful defenses)
Next Defense: Nigel McGuinness and Takeshi Morishima, 05/11/07, Hartford, CT
V.1 Ultimate Endurance: defeated Pelle Primeau & Mitch Franklin, Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw, Hallowicked & Gran Akuma (4/27/07 St. Paul, MN)
V.2 defeated Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) (4/28/07 Chicago, IL)
ROH News
(via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed
TONS More on ROH to Pay Per View
From Mike Johnson, PWInsider: The move to PPV has been something the company has been working on for the last six months, having met with every major cable and satellite PPV provider with all except DirecTV signing on. The company is hopeful that DirecTV will eventually come on board following the debut PPV in July.
Also from Johnson: The contracts do not prevent the talents from working other independent events, from being seen on DVDs released by other companies or claim ownership of character names and likenesses. They are simply a way for the promotion to protect their assets.
Six months is an impressive amount of time to keep something like this under wraps…but it also shows once again what I am calling "The New Work". ROH has become so great at misdirecting its internet audience that when announcements like this (or events in storylines) occur, they are unexpected and completely out of left field. All the time we've been hearing how ROH was making a profit with their business model and that PPV was not in future plans. Well, think again. We were worked, but in a good way, a way that makes us excited and ready to see more.
You have to think that ROH allowing its talent to work other independent companies is a huge and attractive difference between them and TNA. Of course, ROH won't be able to pay like TNA (even with their bloated roster and pay roll), so it only makes sense to allow its wrestlers to work elsewhere. The contract is the best of both worlds for the ROH / Independent wrestler...and the fan as well.
From 411: Multichannel News has an article up on ROH's move to PPV. Check out the article here
ROH President Cary Silkin was the driving force behind ROH making the jump to PPV. He felt that the company had gone as far as it could go under its current setup and needed to expand. Interestingly enough, PPV negotiations have gone on for months and ROH has been signing up talent for 4-6 weeks now.
Again, the risks of the business and making money are clear. ROH could have continued to make a decent profit off of its current business plan, but Silkin wanted to do more. A large crop of current ROH fans (including me) might have wanted to ROH to be comfortable enough, stay as it is and make enough money to continue to provide quality product and ensure its continued existence. However, it is Silkin's business and his decision and his right to make that call. It's his money and he is the boss man (although as far as I know, he is not from Cobb County, GA). It is his risk to take and his right to take it. As it was, ROH was losing its TNA talent slowly but surely, so why not go all the way with the roster in its new form? Quite frankly, putting all things in perspective, secret negotiations and signing talent in advance was incredibly smart and wise business sense.
ROH's PPVs will be released on DVD, likely 6-8 weeks after the PPV airs.
Oooh, this one is a bit of a stickler for me, I have to admit. This one hurts—six to eight weeks after the PAY PER VIEW? This would be on top of the normal six weeks delay that ROH has in releasing its product. If this holds up, it means that the May 12th show wouldn't be available for purchase for home release until late August to September! As much as I really do like the move to Pay Per View, this is a very bad deal for DVD collectors, as it severely puts the DVDs out of order and out of storyline sequence. Perhaps this was a non-negotiable in the bargaining with G-Funk and the TV companies. Perhaps its smart business to make fans who would normally buy the DVD also buy the PPV (although I have a feeling a large majority of current ROH diehards would drop the ten bones in an instant to support the product anyway). Regardless, I'm hoping the wait time is lowered dramatically in the coming months.
Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard will continue on as ROH's announcers for the PPVs.
-You have to love it—these guys have become THE voice of the product. They are smart in how they call the action. They know how to sell the storylines. They DON'T talk ALL the time, knowing when its preferable to sit it out and let the action in the ring do the talking (calling Don West…) They don't trip over anyone's lines while they are doing in ring promos (calling Mike Tenay…) They actually call MOVES. They each have a great sense of humor and comic timing. They have great chemistry as broadcast partners. Hell, I'm going to say it. Yes, they are right up there with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler as a broadcast commentary team. It is great to know they will be calling the ROH action.
From the Torch interview with Gabe Sapolsky (thanks to DSD off the boards for the recap):
- The shows will run at numerous times all through the month.
As with other InDemand products, Pay Per Views will get replays, so this will be no different. That means the chance for more exposure and more money made off of purchases.
- There will be minor production upgrades that might not even be noticeable. You won't start seeing pyro or anything.
Awww…I guess that means no train smoke or whistle for Erick Stevens. He is frowning in the corner now. How sad. CHOO CHOO!
- iNdemand hasn't put any pressure on them to obtain a certain amount of buys.
Yet… but for now, ‘tis a good thing there is no pressure.
- They are doing this to try and get new fans.
Duh.
- The product won't be changing in any way.
YAY!
- This deal is easy for them. All they have to do is send a tape of the show in and they play it.
Very good to know, although I do hope there have been some considerations made for advertising and getting the word out about the show.
- The cost will be between 10 and 15 dollars.
I had heard ten dollars, but fifteen is also reasonable.
- ROH's business plan isn't changing in any way. They have no interest in competing with WWE or TNA.
- The first show will be the type of show where if you have never seen ROH before you won't be like totally confused or anything.
Looks like ROH will be carefully re-introducing storyline factors and such. Maybe highlight video packages of the wrestlers will be included in the show?
- Future PPV events might not all be taped from the same venue. There are tons of options for the future such as spotlighting a certain wrestler and tons more.
Now THIS is the very interesting news bit. You'd have to think that if they can collect a few shows together, they not only get the best of the best from their matches, but also can move storylines and such in new and unique ways.
- No matches will be edited just certain ones will be cut out.
Also another sigh of relief. No concerns for match times = the best ROH product you can expect.
- They are locked in for the 6 events so we won't see them do like 2 and then get cancel[led].
WSX…I'm looking at you…
Dragon's Return Bryan Danielson is scheduled to return to ROH on 5/11 and on 5/12 for the ROH PPV taping. The appearances will be Danielson's first for ROH since December.
The first dates for former ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson's return to ROH have been announced. Danielson will be back in ROH for 6/8 in the Boston area, 6/9 in Philadelphia, 6/22 in Dayton and 6/23 in Chicago. His first match has been signed and it is a rematch of one of last year's top bouts. 6/23 back at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago will see Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA!!!
Everyone was waiting for this news and now we have it. Danielson is set to be THE MAN of ROH (alongside McGuinness and Morishima). He is ready to come back to the fold now that he had time both to recuperate from his injuries and time to work out on the road during his extensive tour of Japan. Expect his pop for his return to be huge. Danielson vs. KENTA (would it be II or III considering their match in Japan? Do we count that?) is awesome and if it is anywhere close to the quality and drama of their first match in New York, we could be looking at another match of the year contender.
More Morishima Everywhere You Look
According to Puroresu Power.com, Takeshi Morishima will defend the ROH title on 5/6 in Tokyo at Differ Ariake (as part of the two-day Differ Cup event series) against KAZMA of Kaientai Dojo.
According to the ROH Newswire, ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima has been added to the June 8th Boston and June 9th Philadelphia.
Apparently part KAZMA is a part of RO&D, the former All Japan gang headed by TAKA Michinoku that also had D-Lo Brown and Bull Buchanan as members. This should be a fun defense. Morishima's return to ROH for the next shows after the PPV almost but guarantee his continued presence as ROH champion or at least at the top of the card,
FLYING V!
Mike Quackenbush impressed ROH officials last weekend and will return for the June 9th show in Philadelphia.
YES! More Quack in ROH is excellent and this return is solid because he will right in his "home" as CHIKARA runs in several towns in Pennsylvania. One step closer to a New York appearance.
DaytoNOAH KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji will both make their Dayton debuts on June 22nd.
Dayton better get ready for some stiff kicks and flying moves!
Rave-On, Rave-Off
Jimmy Rave made a surprise return to ROH from a broken jaw last weekend. The bad luck continued for Rave as he butted heads with BJ Whitmer in Chicago. Rave's eye was swollen shut and he needed six stitches. Rave says the injury won't slow him down and he will be back in action on May 11th in Hartford and May 12th in Manhattan.
It's gotta suck for Jimmy to go through this near epidemic of injuries, but I will give him a ton of credit for roughing through it and continuing to work for ROH.
Hero's Sandwich
Please hold your applause, but I have returned, your hero, Chris Hero, from my one week "strike" if you will, against all things ROH, especially this column. I felt that due to the "oversight" of the powers that be in ROH, leaving me off last weekend's shows, which it was only fair, and that's why I did it. Thankfully, intelligent wrestling promoters in Europe contacted me, and invited me to participate in the King Of Europe Tournament. Unfortunately, the bias against yours truly carried across the pond, and I learned the hard way that corrupt referees are not just native to ROH, but to any and all rings that Chris Hero wrestles in. It's quite a shame that these hooligans can continue to get work as "officials", but I guess they're the only ones who will work for table scraps. If it wasn't for the anti-Hero sentiment, I know that I would have easily defeated all of the other contenders in the tournamentI mean, come on. How many times have I already beaten Nigel McGuinness? . I can't even count that high anymore. What a shame.
Now, onto more pressing ROH news. So, I hear that my good friend Chris Daniels has officially departed from ROH. What a sad day. Yeah, right. It's about freaking time. How old is he anyway, like 100? I hope the door doesn't hit him in the ass on the way out. All he was doing while in ROH was robbing the company, and all the boys of their hard earned money by having terrible matches, that only a fanboy like Ari would enjoy. He has been mailing it in for years now, and I I for one am glad to see him go. I see him in the same light that the great columnist, Stu Carapola sees AJ Styles. As a hack, who is responsible for some of the lowest work rate ever. Daniels has relied on his "reputation" for far too long, and it's about time that he hits the bricks. Oh, by the way, thanks for taking that shrill, Allison Danger with you. What a sea hag. Only someone like Ari would ever think that she was good looking or talented enough to be in ROH, or in wrestling in general.
I also want to say goodbye and good riddance to Austin Aries and HOMO-cide. Seems that their master's voice has told them that they can't work for ROH anymore, and have to do as they're told, and be good little corporate tools down in Orlando. What dolts. Yeah, I know that they're getting well compensated for their time and servitude, but what kind of life is that? Answering to Jeff Jarrett, Vince Russo and Dutch Mantell? See, I would never do that because I am in such high demand around the world that I cannot, and would not ever commit myself exclusively to one promotion. I am rolling in the dough as a one man financial machine, and I, that's right, I make all my own decisions. Yes, I do listen to my super agent, Larry Sweeney for advice, but lets make one thing perfectly clear. I have the final say. I hope Slave Aries and Slave Thug enjoy life in chains. Too bad you'll never get above the mid-card.
One last thing before I head off for this week. I was told that "Old Man" Misawa will be defending his GHC Heavyweight Championship belt for the third time, and that he wanted the opponent to be a Gaijin. So, when I heard that, I naturally figured that it would be I, Chris Hero, who would get the shot. Then I was told it would be Bison Smith. BISON SMITH!?!?!?! What has he done in this business? Who is he? What a joke. This development is more proof that even Misawa is afraid of defending against Chris Hero. That makes two overrated Japanese wrestlers who are hiding from yours truly. Here in ROH, that fat slob, the "Pillsbury doughboy" look-a-like, Morishima is ducking me. In Japan, my adopted home, that old bastard Misawa is ducking me. It's really amazing, isn't it, that I am that feared around the world. I guess the legend is true, and I really am the greatest wrestler alive today. No one wants to face me, out of the great fear of the inevitable humiliation that will come at the hands of Chris Hero.
Well, that's all for now, hero-ites, as its time for me to hit the gym with Tank and Larry, and then to get a full body massage from Ms. Kiko Kimura, who Larry has flown in directly from the Hanshin Province of Japan. This should be good. So, on that note, I take my leave, and let you know that this has been your moment of enlightenment for the week, your Hero's Sandwich. Sayonara, suckers!!!!
…This Has Been Hero's Sandwich.
Honorarium
-I have a feeling Austin Aries is going to remain with ROH over TNA. I'd put serious money on it. The pop for his return is going to be huge, and the love he is going to receive for making that choice will be legendary.
-After watching Spider-Man 3 last night, I have fallen in love with Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy. Then again, I have a thing for Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson. Then there's always Betty Brant. Oh, Peter, Peter, you lucky dog you.
-I'm glad that Marufuji is coming back to ROH. Marufuji has been involved in providing a ton of exciting moments in NOAH, including participating in a Dragon gate vs. NOAH six man tag. I love it when Marufuji does his running springboard ricochet elbow into the turnbuckle—it looks like he is floating when he does it. Simply awesome and I hope he breaks it out at least once or twice while on tour here in ROH.
-Mr. Kennedy, your NEW WWE World Heavyweight champion. You heard it here 263rd.
-So what would I put in as the main event of the May 12th PPV? How about a rematch we know will be awesome—Morishima vs. McGuinness II? That would rock the Grand Ballroom in grand fashion, just as it did for Edison, NJ. I'd also love to see KENTA and Marufuji up against The Briscoes for the tag titles. OR if all else fails, how about a six man tag, Danielson, McGuinness and a partner vs. Morishima, KENTA and Marufuji? I'm hyped just thinking about these potential matches.
-The PPV announcement was relatively huge, but since it was only one PPV every two months and just one event out of many ROH runs, I was hedging on how huge it really was. The real ramifications are TNA's actions as a result. Yesterday I didn't think so, but today I think we may be on the verge of a full blown Indie war, TNA vs. ROH.
Reading the news reports, it seems like TNA gave PWG the ultimatum for them to stop using TNA contracted talent a few weeks back April 23rd. This was independent of what ROH was doing. I have a feeling the axe was going to fall on PWG's use of TNA talent anyway. TNA has made the decision to expand their house show circuit and they do not want other promotions who distribute DVDs to capitalize on the name value of their wrestlers. It is unfortunate for PWG that they could not work out a deal. They were told they had to stop selling their DVDs through Highspots.com (they could still sell them on their own website) and considered that but ultimately ruled against it.
ROH saw the forest for the trees though, and they were able to prep way in advance, get ahead of the damage. Now all they have really lost is a "farewell" show of sorts for Homicide and Aries...however, I'd put serious money on Aries coming back to the fold within days of his TNA contract expiring later in the year. PWG could not do the same and they may truly be the real casualty of this week's TNAlienation.
Also I should say I'm not angry with TNA because of this news. I've been angry with TNA for months now because I am unhappy with the quality of their shows. But then again, I've always been half and half with TNA and their shows since the beginning. Then I went all the way pro TNA with their run of great PPVs in 2005-early 2006 and came back to a more reserved stance once Russo came on board. And yes, I don't blame him for everything, but I do blame him for a lot of BS. Once again, for a company that has a slogan that says "We Are Wrestling", they sure don't put a lot of it on television. They have been lapped repeatedly by ROH and now even WWE is beginning to focus on a more wrestling intensive product. Well, aside from John Cena vs. Great Khali, but hey, even that match is going to be fun in an "oddity" sort of way.
-So who should ROH lock up next? I'd think Chris Hero should be THE LOCK pick here. While he has many commitments to a number of independent wrestling companies, Hero has the "it" factor. He can and should become ROH's number one heel. As my buddy Chris "The Mick" Miccio has often said to me in conversation—he has this thing where he makes everyone instantly hate him. He has the heel charisma and now more than ever, ROH is going to need that and should capitalize on it to the fullest extent. Make that last "H" in ROH stand for Hero. Oh and don ‘t forget Larry Sweeney!
-Other picks: Jimmy Jacobs? Surprised? Don't be. Even injured, Jacobs is one of the shining stars of the last four months. His character is on a huge roll right now and I think he can really go places with it in storylines. While he is out for the foreseeable future with the ACL tear, when he comes back in late 2007 I can see him doing some big business against the right opponents. Of course, the "relationship" with Lacey still needs to be paid off.
I'd also lock up Jack Evans, Matt Sydal and Matt Cross ASAP. Conflicting reports have come in about their WSX contracts and when they can and cannot sign a new contract. However, these three wrestlers are IT when it comes to high flying and they have built in fanbases. Evans is playing a crucial role in the Generation Next split. Sydal is a bit lost in translation now that Daniels has left, but he can still go with the cocky new heel demeanor he has demonstrated on recent shows. Cross is the backyard wrestler made good and possibly one of the best athletes on the roster.
-And to think, I was going to spend a large amount of column space this week taking ROH to task for how they treated the farewells of Christopher Daniels, SHINGO and Allison Danger. Thankfully I waited on that one.
