Column of Honor: 05.05.07 Part Two
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 05.05.2007
The second half of this HUGE column has results and analysis of 4/28/07 “Good Times, Great Memories” including all the farewells from Chicago, 5/11/07 “Reborn Again” in CT previewed plus we get a little good times, great memories of our own going with the winner of the Cabana Contest!
4/28/07: The Last Polka (Saying Goodbye, and Not Saying Goodbye)
Oh yeah, there was a show last weekend. I haven't mentioned too much about that yet in the column, so here we are.
While 4/28/07 was the official farewell for Colt Cabana as he heads off to WWE, it was quietly the end of the road for three other wrestlers who have been very closely associated with ROH over the years. Last Saturday night was also the last nights on the road of Honor for Christopher Daniels (ending an off an on run of five years), Allison Danger (who was on the very first ROH show in the very first segment) and Dragon Gate wrestler SHINGO (who returns back to his homeland having gained much experience by working for American crowds). As it turns out, this was also the final matches (for now) of Austin Aries and "The Notorious 187" Homicide. Here's how it all breaks down:
Colt Cabana: is heading to the WWE where he will be spending time in developmental. He received the big farewell from his hometown crowd, including being sung (or rapped) down to the ring by the guy who does his entrance music. Ma and Pa Cabana were in attendance, as was a WWE Superstar by the name of CM Punk. Cabana gave a big farewell speech to the crowd, including putting over his opponent and fellow Chicagoan Adam Pearce. Pearce then spat at Cabana and left, drawing much heel heat. Cabana then gave his final goodbye speech and said that one day he'd like to be back to challenge for the ROH World Title. Well, the only way that will happen is if he doesn't succeed in the WWE and I just don't see that happening.
Christopher Daniels: is done with ROH and is working exclusively for TNA. In the wake of a new character and push (although the use of that word is questionable given how they've handled it), we all knew Daniels wasn't long for ROH. There was also a small but vocal backlash on Daniels for him becoming "stale" (which I will still heartily disagree with as total BS). Daniels used that as the motivation for his "anti-farewell" farewell speech, what is reportedly a masterpiece of a heel speech that no one saw coming. We're talking CM Punk at Death Before Dishonor III levels of compelling promo work. He tore into the ROH fans for losing "their faith" in the Fallen Angel and for turning their back on him during his recent tag title run. In this very column, I took Daniels to task as being lost in the mid card and for not defending the title well enough. I can't deny that this is exactly how I felt, but what maybe did not go written was the hope that Daniels could turn it around and become a major player in ROH. Unfortunately his ties to TNA made this impossible. Daniels supposedly wanted to go out this way as opposed to having the "YAY ME" farewell celebration. I guess it is fitting that the first man who didn't want anything to do with ROH back in his Prophecy days would come full circle and turn his back on the company once again. It's great wrestling storytelling. I just wish we had more time to do that AND tell Daniels goodbye in the proper fashion, just like CM Punk before him.
SHINGO: goes back to Dragon Gate, but may be back in the future. Other Dragon Gate wrestlers may also come in and get the same kind of "foreign exchange student" style of treatment. SHINGO had gained his fair share of popularity due to his impressive powerhouse style, his great work in tag and multi man matches and his very fashionable MULLET. SHINGO (gotta capitalize, always capitalize my friends) went out on the highest note possible for him at this current stage of the game—a World title match against a fellow Japanese wrestler in an international dream match of epic proportions.
Allison Danger: also quietly finished with ROH, although there is a twist in the wording of her departure. So apparently she is off the ROH roster but will be making special appearances as part of the SHIMMER Women's Athletes roster. She will therefore be on the shows, just not on the roster? I think that's pretty ridiculous. Look, this is the first lady of ROH wrestling and she deserves a roster slot not just for everything she's done in the past for ROH, but for the world of upwards potential she still has as a professional wrestler. Hopefully Danger is back very quickly to ROH shows.
Austin Aries: is pulled by TNA and suspended by TNA as well, so that's a double WHAMMY. Losing Aries in his role as the leader of The Resilience was the most devastating part of the TNA pull out, but there is the possibility for him to return down the line and resume the mantle.
Homicide: unable to make a final goodbye in his hometown of New York City (and you can just imagine how awesome and emotional that would have been). Homicide had become reinvested in a feud against Jim Cornette (who also will not be returning to ROH as he is under TNA contract) and was fighting Brent Albright in recent matches. He put over Albright at a previous show and went out the right way in that respect, but he has plenty of unfinished business in ROH. He has hinted at a return later on down the line.
ROH Results: "Good Times, Great Memories", Chicago Ridge, IL 4/28/07
Thanks to Samuel Berman and his report of the show.
Matches
-Delirious defeated Gran Akuma, Mike Quackenbush, Hallowicked, Jigsaw & Pelle Primeau in a Six Man Mayhem Match via pinfall when he hit Akuma with the Chemical Imballance II (Double pumphandle sitout driver).
-Erick Stevens and "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels fought to a 15 minute time limit draw.
-Brent Albright defeated BJ Whitmer, in a Four Corner Survival Match that also included Jimmy Rave & "The Notorious 187" Homicide. Albright pinned hitmer with a Half-Nelson Suplex.
-Austin Aries defeated Rocky Romero via pinfall with the Combo (kick, brainbuster, 450)
-ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima retained his title by defeating SHINGO via pinfall with a backdrop driver.
-Tank Tolland defeated "Sugarfoot" Alex Payne via pinfall with an elevated slam.
-FIP World Heavyweight Champion Roderick Strong retained his title by defeating Jack Evans via pinfall with a crucifix ace crusher (CX'02).
-ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay and Mark Briscoe retained their titles by defeating Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) via pinfall with a legdrop / cuthroat driver on Shelley. This was said to an awesome, can't miss match.
-"Classic" Colt Cabana defeated "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce via submission with a reverse Boston crab in Cabana's farewell match for Ring of Honor.
Angles and Issues
After the match with Stevens, Daniels cut a promo about how ROH fans turned their backs on him. He said that he took care of his family with the money he received from TNA. His farewell tour would last from the ring to the time he left the entranceway. Allison Danger, long time associate of Daniels, tried to talk him out of his words, but he pushed her down and left in a huff. BJ Whitmer, who has longstanding history with Danger and Daniels, came down to console her.
Roderick Strong attacked Austin Aries post match against Rocky Romero.
Tank Tolland has recruited Bobby Dempsey to get him into shape.
Post Strong vs. Evans, Rocky Romero Van Daminator on Evans leading to Delirious making the save. Delirious issued a challenge with himself and Evans vs. Strong and Romero.
ROH World Tag Team Title Match
Jay & Mark Briscoe defend vs. ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima & Nigel McGuinness
-It's the best tag team in ROH up against the best singles wrestler right now in ROH…and Takeshi Morishima. Oh wait, was that rude? Seriously, Morishima is very, very good in his role as World Champion and he is just a beast in the ring. I love that twisting uranage move he does…awesome. This all champions gala is going to highlight three of the four best reasons to stay on top of current ROH action (and the fourth, Danielson, returns later on the card). This match is going to be fast paced, stiff and over the top with action and violence. I think Mark Briscoe can keep up here and hopefully he doesn't screw his head up anymore after that concussion. I can't see the ROH World champion taking the fall in the wake of this restart, so it's Nigel who will be pinned. This will demonstrate the tag dominance of The Briscoes and expand on the rivalry between Morishima and McGuinness.
ROH vs. NOAH Challenge Match #1
Delirious vs. KENTA
-KENTA returns for the first time since November 2006. At first glance this seems like a big mismatch in favor of the hardest kicker in the world, but Delirious has come a long way. He is constantly improving in the ring and he has some sharp moves of his own. When it comes down to it, he's more of a threat than he seems and he will be able to keep up with KENTA in the ring.
ROH vs. NOAH Challenge Match #2
Matt Sydal vs. Naomichi Marufuji
-Last November, Sydal challenged KENTA and put on a great performance while ultimately coming up on the losing end of things. Now he faces KENTA's tag partner and hopes to find some redemption in winning here. This could be a statement match for Sydal and help him get back to where he should be on the card. There are also very high hopes for Marufuji to make an impact on ROH shows and I think he can do it. It'll be a race to see what will be the best match on the card, this match, KENTA vs. Delirious or the main event.
Grudge Six Man Match- No Remorse Corps vs. The Resilience
Roderick Strong, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero
vs.
Matt Cross, Erick Stevens & ???
-Do you think that the No Remorse Corps care for one second that Austin Aries is no longer there to fight? Hell no—they want to beat the heads of Cross and Stevens! They want to show NO REMORSE! Meanwhile, Aries recruited these two youngsters and suddenly they don't have a leader. They need a partner, and the natural fit in Delirious has been taken already. Jack Evans is over in Japan for the weekend and unless ROH asks for a favor, he ain't coming to help. So who gets the call here? Beats the hell out of me, and well, beats the hell out of The Resilience if it turns out to be a 3 on 2 handicapped match. This is a match to look out for as far as a clue as to how these storylines will continue in this new era.
"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson Returns To ROH And Has An Open Contract
-According to Gabe's preview on the ROH Message Board: Danielson is ready to return to ROH for the first time since losing the ROH World Title. Danielson looked better than ever during an April tour of NOAH. He has an open contract for Hartford and says he will fight anyone in the building.
The pop Danielson gets better be a 10.0 on the Richter scale. Again, natural opponents in Delirious or Nigel are taken away from the booking. I'd love to see Danielson vs. Castagnoli down the line but that won't happen here. So either we get a surprise opponent or one of the ROH students is going to get his fucking head kicked in. Shane Hagadorn…COME ON DOWN! Bryan Danielson, it's good to have you back.
Winner Gets A ROH Contract
Claudio Castagnoli vs. BJ Whitmer
-Oh but Gabe, don't both of these men already have an ROH contract? Oh ho ho! Well, this has been a favorite ROH storyline, especially back in 2002—the fighting for a contract. Both men have been on the losing end of things in storylines, so a contract would be just the ticket to get things back on track.
Special Attraction Match
Jimmy Rave vs. Pelle Primeau
-These two fought several times, including at Best in the World back in 2006 and the upset win of Pelle against Rave in a Six Man Mayhem match at Motor City Madness. Rave is becoming the "Glass Joe" of ROH, so I'd actually give Pelle a chance here. Or not.
Tag Team Challenge
Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Eddie Edwards & Jason Blade
- According to Gabe's preview on the ROH Message Board: Steen & Generico want to prove they deserve a title shot. Blade suffered an ankle injury last week and is probable for Friday. Blade & Edwards are coming off a big win in New Jersey. This is a battle of two of ROH's top upcoming teams. If Blade cannot wrestle there will be a suitable substitution.
The Miracle Cardboard Connection of Edwards and Blade are on a one win winning streak, but hopefully that will end in this match (if Blade makes it to the show). Steen and Generico should be positioned as the next huge contenders, having pinned The Briscoes in Edison, NJ. They should win this one to lay claim to the title shot.
Bonus Match
Adam Pearce with Shane Hagadorn vs. Bobby Fish
- According to Gabe's preview on the ROH Message Board: Pearce is now the most disliked member of the ROH locker room after spitting in Colt Cabana's face during Cabanan's farewell. Fish has impressed on recent NOAH tours and is ready to make his name in ROH. Everyone in ROH will be rooting for Fish in this one.
Interesting storyline development for Pearce in him, becoming the pariah of the locker room. This is going to be a squash for Pearce, but Fish may have a chance to impress here. I actually liked what I saw of him in the 6 man tag from NOAH which saw him team up with Chris Hero and Bison Smith (whose finishing move is the BISONTENNIAL! Look at the word play!)
Going Home
Ringtones
To sum up the past week of Ring of Honor action, long time reader and e-mailer John Mayberry may say it best:
I felt at this time, as a long time reader of Column of Honor and as an ROH
enthusiast, I should share my feelings on the news that was leaked on the
website yesterday.
In the past few months, due to a lack of funds and free time, I've been
forced to bow out of attending a lot of the ROH shows I normally do. I've
been absent from shows in Edison, Philly, and LI, and even the occasional
trip to Connecticut. But the Manhattan Center shows is a must. No matter
what is going on in my life, everything takes a backseat to ROH at the
Manhattan Center. I was 2nd row center for Glory by Honor and the 5th Year
Festival, and I was in the front row when Homicide jumped into the crowd to
celebrate his world title win at Final Battle. For the first time, at
Respect Is Earned, my two best friends and I will be watching from the
balcony.
It had been announced last week that this would be the most important show
in the history of the company. I waited with anticipation to find out
exactly why this would be, and yesterday, May 2nd, 2007, I got my answer.
ROH would be taping its first PPV at Respect Is Earned, and I am not afraid
to admit that tears welled up in my eyes.
For three and a half years, I didn't watch wrestling, because I had lost my
faith in the sport I loved. Then I rediscovered Ring of Honor, and
wrestling became my passion again. People use to make fun of me for
watching wrestling, saying "it's fake," and "it sucks." Now, whenever
people say that to me, I tell them, "watch Ring of Honor sometime." I've
converted a lot of haters into interested and adoring spectators because of
ROH.
Now, this promotion that has helped me find what I'd lost, is giving
something back to me, and thousands upon thousands of others that have
helped make the company what it is today. And we can all speculate on what
will happen as far as TNA goes and the wrestlers they have pulled, but all I
can say is thank you to those that gave us their blood, sweat, and tears,
and that Ring of Honor will persevere, as it always does.
So for Cary, Gabe, Syd, and everyone else at Ring of Honor...THANK YOU. You
have made me so proud that I put my faith into your company, and I couldn't
be happier to see it take another giant step toward becoming the alternative
that us true wrestling fans crave, and that all other fans need. Ring of
Honor is my saving grace, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Ringtones Special: GREAT MEMORIES Contest—THE RESPONSES AND THE WINNER!
Some great emails came in response to the Colt Cabana contest. I'll be publishing the emails here and then announce the winner. Here are YOUR good times and great memories in the life of Colt Cabana in Ring of Honor:
First response, from Andres: Hey Ari,
I was reading your Column of Honor/Hero's Sandwich, and to my surprise, a contest was posted! As requested, here's my favorite Cabana moments:
- My all time favourite Cabana match is The Second City Saints (Colt and Punk) vs. The Briscoe Brothers. Great action, brilliant double teaming (double trailerhitch anyone?), and of course, comedic GOLD from Cabana.
- My all time favourite Cabana moment is the dialog between him and Punk in one of their matches against each other. After his usual comedic spots (i.e. Colt points to the sky, Punks says he won't fall for THAT one, Cabana still stomps on his foot), Punk (in all his desperation) says "BE SERIOUS!" I was in stitches...
Hey, those are my all time favourite Colt Moments, but the list honestly doesn't end there. His classic matches, his humourous promos, his "stint" as Matt Classic and the ridiculous kayfaybe-ing that came along with it on his myspace... Cabana is nothing short of Classic. Just thought I'd share... even if a nice DVD would make it all even better!
The SCS vs. Briscoes match from Reborn Stage 2 remains a frequently played match in my home. It is one of the more emotional moments in Chicago history.
Next from Matt Maclellan:
I'd say my favourite cabana memories are his match w/ cm punk at
punk:the final chapter. the two of them work hilariously well together.
also, his tag match at glory by honor 5 w/ the lacey storyline going
full force was laugh out loud funny.
thanks for the opportunity and the column.
Another vote for the Punk vs. Cabana 2 out of 3 falls match. It wasn't the best match in their series but I think it the one most remembered because of its emotional impact.
Thirdly, another Matt, this time Matt (Interante)-
My favorite Colt Cabana moment (well moments I should say as who could honestly name 1 moment?) would definitely be surrounding the Homicide feud. Mainly on part as this was when I first got into ROH regularly, but his transition from the loveable comic relief character into this hell bent tormented serious man looking for 1 win against him.
Just the way he played that transition has and always will stick out in my mind. From a seemingly pointless joke (calling Homicide a 'racial slur/ inappropiate term') leading to an amazing feud seeing draino, barbwire, tables, chairs, etc. getting involved to the blow off match at Better Than Our Best in a Chicago Streetfight that Colt finally overcame that saw chairs getting thrown into the ring.
Which leads me to my favorite match of his at Better Than Our Best of course, where he wasn't supposed to compete if I'm correct where he finally got his "groove" back when finally winning and you knew the same old Cabana is still live and kicking. It was just a moment I remember and that sticks out to me.
To add to that, another great moment was when it was supposed to be CM Punk's last match at DBD3, and he wanted Punk to appear on Good Times, Great Memories and scene after scene on the DVD release we saw an optimistic Cabana continue to believe we'd see Punk show up and give his final thoughts on Cabana's show and never showed up. I was cracking up seeing Cabana continually play it off like Punk was coming, even going into the crowd during the intermission. Great moment I needed to add.
Oh, and before I click send, need to add Colt's first night in the UK reaction. The crowd went nuts as his music hit as the DVD opened, he was so over and it was amazing to see that.
The Homicide vs. Colt Cabana feud is clear proof that white guys should keep their mouths shut. We will never be cool enough to get by with slang, so just don't even try. And Europe loves Colt, don't they? EA-SY!
Finally, from James Bullock:
It's with a heavy heart that I write about the great (possibly last) times Colt Cabana gave to me during his time in Ring of Honor. I remember it like it was yesterday. I popped in the first Death Before Dishonor to find CM Punk cutting a promo. Similar to what had happened so many times in the past, Cabana was there to interrupt, pissing off Punk. And instead of feeling bad, Cabana decided to use this time to talk about his legendary hopscotch championships.
How could I ever forget his first "Good Times, Great Memories", with special guest Julius Smokes? Even though Cabana couldn't understand a word J-Train was saying (and nor could I), Cabana gave us the scoops that we needed to hear.
But Cabana's shenanigans wouldn't stop there. Who better to pay tribute to the lat Rick James than Cabana? In the immortal words of Peter Griffin, I was there when Cabana came out to James' "Super Freak." I was there when Cabana strutted to the ring before doing the MC Hammer dance. I was there when Cabana decided to wrestle the match on while wearing a pair of clear goggles. I was there.
But through all of the antics, and the laughs, Cabana always entertained. Be it through comedy, or a brutal street fight like his with Homicide at Better Than Our Best (which all began in a Good Times, Great Memories segment in which Cabana revealed his hard life of not doing the dishes in a fight against "The Man"-his mom) that easily made it into my top ten list of ROH matches for '06.
Even though Cabana is leaving ROH for the big company in Stamford, we can all look back and say that Cabana did at least six things to make us laugh, cry, cheer, boo, wet ourselves, and practically lose all control of our bodily functions. Cabana, thank you for giving the world the most precious gift of all: a ROHbot's laughter.
A Loyal Cabanaramaniac.
You have to love the whole talk show concept. It was so low budget and so kitsch and there was Colt, the center of it all. I almost forgot about "Superfreak!" Awesome moment.
There you go, a bevy of Colt Cabana memories. I loved it. Thanks to everyone for writing in, I will get back to everyone personally. However, there can be only one winner, and one winner only. Chosen randomly, your winner is:
MATT INTERRANTE!
Matt, you get your choice of the Best of Colt Cabana DVD with great "Good Times, Great Memories" segments and the best Cabana matches from 2003-2005 OR a copy of the Fifth Year Festival: Chicago DVD, with the awesome Cabana "window" promo, the WIndy City Death Match between Cabana and Jimmy Jacobs. Plus, Samoa Joe's final US appearance for Ring of Honor and The Briscoes vs. Daniels and Sydal for the ROH World Tag Team Titles. I'll get in touch with you shortly to work out the details. Thanks once again to everyone who entered!
**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)
**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)
**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)
The ROH List
Fifth Year Festival: NYC (Samoa Joe / Morishima, Homicide / Rave, Briscoes / Cabana & McGuinness, Albright / Whitmer, Evans / SHINGO / Xavier / Jacobs)
Fifth Year Festival: Philly (Homicide / Morishima, Sydal & Daniels / SHINGO & Evans, Briscoes / Generico & Steen, Castagnoli / Aries, McGuinness / Perkins)
Fifth Year Festival: Chicago (Morishima & McGuinness / Joe & Homicide, Cabana / Jacobs, Strong & Richards / Aries & Cross, Daniels & Sydal / The Briscoes, Albright / Castagnoli)
ROH @ 411 This Week
J.D. Dunn brings ROH review-a-mania with retro coverage of Enter the Dragon and Buffalo Stampede, which I and another ROH board member co-named. Then Dunn advances a bit onto This Means War with Danielson vs. Strong I.
Jacob Ziegler and Brad Garoon start the New Year in ROH action with ROH Dedicated.
Two great writers, Matt Adamson and Ryan Byers go at it in Buy or Sell featuring an all SHIMMER questionnaire.
Honor Bound Links
John Meehan has your Saturday News Recap including more on the ROH to PPV story.
The ever awesome Nick Marsico gets to sit first row ground floor for the Respect is Earned PPV. I'll be first row balcony, but I'm still jealous. Check out the News To Start Your Weekend for more info. I also appreciate the shout out from the Wrestling Blog when all hell broke loose ironically enough in a discussion about what ROH should be doing in the future (this was before news of the PPV broke) and there were less than thrilling comments made about ROH fans and ROHbots. Oh boy do I still have a lot to say about that recent trend, but I'll have to table it for now. Good looking out, Nick!
Sam Berman heads to the Left Coast to comment on Generico vs. Sabin from PWG on his Independent Mid Card.
Stuart Carapola continues to be Mr. 411 Weekend. He'll have Sunday's news…well, tomorrow, on Sunday. However you can get your Stuart reading started by checking out That Was Then with a great look at Curt Hennig and Friendly Competition!
Bayani Domingo tells the truth on the possibility of WWE in Europe.
Finally, long time reader and emailer Paul wants me, for the sake of my readers to send you to this link to watch Sid Vicious VS Joey Maggs Be forewarned and forearmed. Or five armed in the case of Tully Blanchard.
That's going to do it for this week, one of the most exciting and intriguing weeks in Ring of Honor history. Next week I'll be back with results from the epic "Reborn Again" show, a preview of what is sure to be an epic show in the PPV taping for "Respect is Earned" and a whole bunch more of the regular Column of Honor features.
