Column of Honor: 10.27.07: Hate & Hero Part Two
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 10.27.2007
Morishima’s best title defenses, a look back at the Death Before Dishonor DVDs, Samoa Joe, Chris Jericho and MISAWA is coming to ROH!
And we're back!
Honorarium
-Apologies for unintentionally ripping off "10 Things I Hate About You" with my opening feature story. Unintentional borrowing of styles there…um make that borrowing of Stiles. Oh, if only.
-Small breaking news is that Samoa Joe lost to Mitsuhara Misawa at the Nippon Buddokan show, to an elbow smash to the back of the head at 17:14. Joe had pinned Misawa two days earlier in a tag match, with Misawa's big move the Emerald Frosion (look, even my computer can't handle how to spell it, okay?), which of course Joe calls the Island Driver. The tag match gave the finish to this one away, but that Joe got a fall off of Misawa in any match is a very pleasant development. Misawa now heads to ROH as GHC champion, as expected.
-Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 and 2 are highlights of the year for ROH shows. There is a consistency of quality in the matches and in the presentation that makes watching through both nights go by all too quickly.
From the wacky to the sublime to the insane, you get everything in these two DVDs.
How can you not love The Briscoes building up their match against Kevin Steen & El Generico by using crutches and a model skeleton to make their point about crippling their opponents? Meanwhile Steen & Generico counter with a wheelchair. The ROH prop department must have been working overtime.
Steen may have just usurped Hero and Sweet & Sour for comic timing with his "mom" shtick. Having to call his mother to get out of fighting Jay Briscoe early on in Night Two is a marvelous cowardly act. His shoutouts to his mom in other matches have been so out there that it is effective in getting Steen over as a prick. He truly is a face only a mother could love.
The street fights on both shows are terrific, but the night one Boston Street Fight between The Briscoes and Steen / Generico takes the cake. It's balls to the wall from the start and has some of the most enthralling and compelling crowd brawling all year. The camera work is excellent as there is never a dry moment and something is always happening (unlike the next night's street fight which starts out hot and heavy but slows down a great deal). This may be the best street fight, or at least the most fun, since the Death Before Dishonor 2 street fight between Second City Saints and The Prophecy.
The story of Jack Evans' frustrations with No Remorse Corps and The Resilience leading him to find his own crew is told not through promos but with camera work and Evans talking into the camera on the way out of the ring. It's a different touch of how to continue a storyline without always sticking to the conventional "stock promo" routine.
Nigel vs. Hero Pure Rules match just rules. It's good to see "pure wrestling" action make a return and Sweet & Sour Inc. are a huge help here in adding on to the antagonism of McGuinness. Hero and SNSI do a great stall job in the beginning, but they make it entertaining enough for the fans (and for me) not to be upset at the lack of action. Then when the match picks up and Hero cheats to get rid of Nigel's rope breaks, the emotions of the fans is palpable. SNSI usually do the great comedy in backstage promos, but they clicked on all cylinders while around the ringside area.
Unfortunately Shane Hagadorn provides a disappointing and useless promo. I was expecting much more from him at this point, but it seemed to be a generic placeholder promo about the Hangmen's 3 angle. BLAH.
Larry Sweeney continues to create the perfect sports manager / agent character as he wheels and deals with matt Sydal and Bryan Danielson in order to get the money he never received from Sydal's participation in the $10,000 tag challenge. Danielson's excuse of letting the money lie for investments is so preposterous.
Brent Albright cuts a very good promo to lead into his title match the next night in Philadelphia. He also does not use the phrase "Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is" so points for that. Unfortunately with the camera lit the way it is he looks like he is a jaundice patient.
DBD V Night 2 begins with a Mark Briscoe vs. El Generico in a falls count anywhere match that-GASP!- actually follows through on a stipulation when Generico gets the fall on the outside of the ring. The tornado DDT through the ropes looked just as picture perfect as I thought it would.
ROH worked its magic on the Evans vs. Deranged match because through edits and camera switches the botches were greatly reduced and it looked like a passable match. I'm sure the fans who were there live would tell you different. This match had to get on DVD because of the Project 161 angle, as the megaphone dude made a scene. He was pretty hysterical and you don't want to skip out on the sight of security and ROH students trying to toss him back out though the crowd, just dumping him down without care at one point. Woooofa! That must have hurt.
More Sweet & Sour Inc. goodness, maybe even funnier than the pure title match the night before was the tag match with Hero & Jigsaw vs. McGuinness & Claudio. There are some funny as hell delay tactics and cheating used by Hero and Sweeney and all the while Jigsaw is looking on disapprovingly of his tag partner. Jigsaw does have the respect of Hero enough to offer him a handshake, so that says something. For the second night in a row Hero whiffs Bobby Dempsey. Sad. Jigsaw unfortunately takes the brunt of the punishment, but hey, he took the money so he needs to take the good with the bad. Hero gets the win and then the bowling, err, Race to the Top trophy gets demolished.Poor trophy—it was just a matter of time. The stomp and eye gouge with the trophy looked harsh and wicked.
Del Rey and Lacey put on a heck of a title match; although I am pissed off that I watched a title defense before I saw the title win. Get on the ball with the SHIMMER Title Tournament DVDs Prazak!
Danielson vs. Quackenbush was good and actually came across as a more even contest than I was led to believe. Still, I do agree with those that say it wasn't quite what they were expecting out of this match. I think some of that had to do with the strictly technical aspect of this match, as they both eschewed a lot of their pretty high flying moves in order to stay on the story of submissions and rollups used in the match. I liked it, but I know they can do more.
I really liked the way the Steen vs. Jay Briscoe Lights Out, errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, Last Man Standing match was worked. The counts were built up and instead of the first blow completely knocking out the other wrestler, the counts at the beginning were short. Later on as the match wore on with bigger moves the count was extended, but it wasn't just a "knocked out" sell by these guys. Both men "struggled" to get up within the ten count, much like a boxer who gets knocked down in a boxing match. When Jay just can't get to it at the end of the match, it's a great moment of sympathy and drama because he is thissssssssss close, but that far.
Morishima vs. Albright is a nice power vs. power title match (more on that below) but I would have liked to see Albright throw in more technical wrestling. He started to work on the arm when Morishima hit the turnbuckle post outside, but he should have really poured it on in an effort to use the crowbar for the submission. Instead he decides to go for the Half Nelson, which looks fucking awesome but it doesn't get the job done. He went away from a good strategy and it cost him.
The one thing I am most upset about with this one is that it shows Albright belongs in the main event level. Instead he is playing third fiddle to BJ and Adam Pearce as The Hangmen Three. I still don't even get how Pearce convinced Albright to join with him—is that shown at all on the Caged Rage DVD? I don't buy it and I think ROH dropped the ball with this one.
Resilience & Delirious vs. NRC & Sydal—good, good stuff. Not on the same level as the Boston Street Fight, but for a while there in the beginning it was neck and neck. Some insane spots, table breaks, dives and crowd brawling. I know what they were getting at with the Erick Stevens vs. Roderick Strong extended sequence to get to the finale. I really liked it and dug Steven's sell work. he really makes you believe he trying to fight back with everything he's got even if he's got not much of anything at all. However, the criticisms that the end sequence too slow is valid. I think a more hyperactive finish would have helped seal the deal on this match being in the upper echelon of matches for the year. Also Aries crawling selling, while it works at first it later becomes a bit ridiculous. Its mystifying why he goes up the ramp instead of crawling into the ring to help Stevens at the end of the match.
I like Matt Cross's efforts in this one. Sue me.
-I just finished reading the Chris Jericho autobiography and it is indeed as good as the first Mick Foley autobiography. Make that "as great". The book is well written, with clever phrasings, wacky pop culture reference and nicely executed callbacks to previous chapters. It's also just damned funny. I can remember laughing out loud countless times while reading Have a Nice Day!. I have to say I think I laughed just as many times and just as loudly with A Lion's Tale.
Jericho is selling the book based on it being stories no one has really heard of due to most of his career taking place before the internet boom. He is mostly right and that makes the story being told very fresh and captivating. The highspots are memorable including stories like Jericho being held at gunpoint in Mexico by a Bonnie & Clyde like couple or his description of drunkenly singing with all the other wrestlers the only five American songs available at Karaoke in Japan.
On the other hand, I wish that Jericho could have also included more tales from his run in WWF. The book does go full circle to his debut, which is a very effective story telling mechanism. Jericho also does detail the meetings he had with Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and others on his way to the WWF in 1999. I know he's saving the rest for another book (and for when his WWE career is pretty much set in) but after reading it the only thing I can really ask is "can I have sum more please?"
Champion Curtain Call (Continued) Morishima's Top Five Title Defenses
You'll excuse the above alliteration, anyways.
Takeshi Morishima reigned as champion in Ring of Honor for over ten months with twenty successful title defenses against a variety of opponents and across two different continents. It's an impressive achievement even in a company where longer title reigns are more likely to occur. ROH obviously had a long term plan with Morishima and they were largely successful with promoting Morishima as the dominant, unstoppable champion that everyone wanted to defeat and all the fans relished seeing his defeat. It's not that Morishima was a heel's heel, but the boos and the thumbs down were can not be neglected. For the most part fans wanted to see someone take the title from the NOAH import, whether it was Nigel McGuinness, Austin Aries, Bryan Danielson or anyone else.
As champion, Morishima used his mass and his high impact style to take the fans on a roller coaster ride. The perpetual question was who could take the damage and last long enough to return the favor? Fighting Morishima was akin to bull riding—you could ride the bull but eventually you would get the horns.
Looking back at Morishima's title run patterns seems to emerge with the types of title defenses. There were: 1. The squashes—matches where the opponents had little hope of winning, much less surviving. These matches were designed to give Morishima more oomph as the imposing champion. (BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Rave, Adam Pearce) 2. Big Man vs. Little Man—the David vs. Goliath, match a tale that never gets old in any context. This match would pose the question of whether or not the underdog could take the title (Nigel McGuinness, Austin Aries, Bryan Danielson) 3. Power vs. Power—Morishima would be matched up against a wrestler of comparable mass or power and the winner would be the one who outgunned his opponent with power moves. (Erick Stevens, SHINGO, Brent Albright, Castagnoli)
Along the way fans were critical of some of the Morishima defense, citing obviousness of retention or Morishima's stoic demeanor. Yet along the way there were a variety of emotions felt by the fans—anger, hope, expectation, surprise and disbelief. This is my countdown of what I felt were the top five Morishima defenses, the ones that brought together all of those emotions into one fine maelstrom of violence.
5. vs. Austin Aries, Battle of St. Paul--April 27th, 2007
Little guy vs. big guy is a forte of Austin Aries, who is usually smaller than many of his opponents and has thus come close to perfecting the style. The parallels between this match and the title match Aries had against Joe are interesting. Aries was able to surprise his larger opponents at the outset, but then spent most of the match trying to fight from behind. With the Joe match Aries was able to stun Joe and damage him, riding with that momentum long enough to get the pin and the win. Yet in this one, Morishima seems to expect what's coming, and blocks the many Crucifix Driver and Brainbuster attempts. Aries finally connects with these huge moves, but unlike his match with Joe, they are not enough to put the champion away.
I am impressed with several instances in this defense. The first is how Aries and Morishima are able to build up the buzz and the reaction from the St. Paul crowd to the point where they are clearly thinking the title is going to change. This was no easy feat considering St. Paul is such a rarely run town for ROH, yet the build for an Aries "hometown" (or at least "home trained") win worked wonders on the fans. Morishima just beats the holy hell out of Aries in this one and it looks like it all really hurts—so excellent selling by Aries and excellent "monster" offense from the champ. I believe this is also the match where Morishima begins to execute the "Ass of Ole" as a call back to Samoa Joe's Ole kick. The thought in my head when it was performed—"I never want that to happen to me." I bet Aries felt the same way, but the pain of the collision was unavoidable.
4. vs. SHINGO, Good Times, Great Memories—April 28th, 2007
The prestige of a NOAH vs. Dragon Gate match was very appealing in advertising the title encounter, but it wouldn't have meant a thing if the fight itself wasn't a good one. Luckily enough, these two massive powerhouses meshed very well, giving ROH fans the second style of Morishima defense, the power vs. power (or big man vs. big man) match. These two went at it in a surprisingly back and forth match. For the first time since the Samoa Joe match it seemed like someone could out power Mori. SHINGO brought the pain with big slams, power bombs and lariats. Fans were rocking when he nailed the Blood Fall finisher on Morishima.
This match would be SHINGO's last in ROH and his desire to leave with a lasting impression was obvious. Morishima was willing to oblige the effort and made it seem like he could lose to a huge power move at any second. SHINGO was the man of the hour, but Morishima would not be denied a title defense.
3. vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Death Before Dishonor V Night One—August 10th, 2007
This is the match with the so called closest two count ever, but looking back on tape, it wasn't even all that close. Morishima had clearly kicked out before three, but fans had mind tricked themselves into believing the title switch had happened and that referee Todd Sinclair had just screwed them out of seeing it. THAT is how good this title match became as the minutes went on. The crowd saw Claudio fighting so hard and so well against the champion that they knew, THEY KNEW, that he had won the title with the Ricola Bomb.
That's not to say that the entire match rested on that one moment, but rather it was building up to that moment from the opening bell. Claudio used a nice strategy of making ring space work for him. He attacked Morishima from different angles and from different heights and locations—from the top rope, from the apron to the floor, from the ringside area, etc. A varied attack threw Morishima off his game and put Claudio on offense for much of the match. He was even able to successfully use moves with a huge necessity of strength and stamina such as the Big Swing and the Alpamare Waterslide. Fans ooh-ed and ah-ed at Claudio's ability to get these moves done.
This match tested Morishima's endurance and ability to come back from behind. There is no doubt he had the disadvantage in height but he was also at a disadvantage in offense. The attacks that had worked on other opponents had a diminished effect here against Claudio. A lariat was not strong enough to get the job done, but finally Morishima's "old faithful, the backdrop driver, helped do in the very capable challenger.
2. vs. Nigel McGuinness, Fighting Spirit—April 13th 2007 / Live in Tokyo—July 16th, 2007
I'm bundling these two title defenses together due to their similarity and that one built upon the other. In hindsight, you can see the clear parallels in these matches and the defense against Claudio Castagnoli. Morishima was up against a taller and leaner opponent and that posed problems for the slower and more massive grappler.
In my opinion the key to these two matches are that psychologically Nigel is never intimidated by the challenge ahead of him. He is not scared of Morishima nor is he in awe. He knows the abilities and capabilities of the champion and he knows he has to match up with them in order to have a chance to win. I sometimes think of this combination as two cars crashing into each other at high speed—both are moving forward and will not swerve to get out of the way. Whoever survives out of the resulting collision is the winner. Nigel is ever moving forward with his attacks in these matches, most usually in his super swift and powerful lariats and his knowledge that if he can just hit the Jawbreaker variant with enough velocity and power, the title will be his.
Unfortunately both times Nigel forgets that Morishima is also coming forward and hitting him with everything. He forgets to avoid being smashed in by the backdrop driver. Ultimately he cannot kick out of this move and loses both challenges as a result.
1. vs. Bryan Danielson, Manhattan Mayhem II—August 25th, 2007
The ultimate test of strategy and endurance of course would come from one of the cerebral and technically gifted wrestlers on the ROH roster. The former ROH World champion Bryan Danielson was on the path to a title shot and he claimed he not only knew how to take out NOAH's import, but he would execute the plan to perfection in the ring.
Danielson's strategy was a myopic and dogged attack on Morishima's legs. The massive tree trunks of any large man are a weakness and no one aside from Jimmy Rave had ever thought to attack them. Unlike Rave, who didn't last long enough in the ring to effect n enduring attack on the limbs, Danielson was to make sure that he had the necessary ring time to put his plan into effect. By using the "stick and move" strategy of a Boxer and then constantly kicking Morishima in the leg, Danielson wore down the stamina of the champ and grounded the man for an extended length of time. This may have been the first time Morishima's power game had been rendered mostly inert.
Unfortunately the key word is mostly, because when Morishima returned to the attack, it was all punishment going in Danielson's direction. Punches and kicks and strikes to the head cracked Dragon's orbital bone, made the challenger woozy and threw the leg submission strategy up in the air.
The best thing about this defense is that this match became a game of survival. Who could outlast the other using their respective attack? Danielson pushed Morishima as far as he could go, but Morishima had damaged Danielson too extensively.
All the strategy in the world could not get past a massive explosion of offense, thus demonstrating the champion's greatest strength in these defenses, the knock out blow.
Morishima was like a force of nature in his title defenses. His greatest proof of devastation lays in the variety of names he defeated and the commonality of how he earned the W. Almost all were felled by the backdrop driver. He came in like a massive natural disaster, bowling over and destroying everything in his path. There would be no help for the victims, just the relief that the devastation was over. Only the ruins of broken bodies and broken bones remained.
ROH Preview: Glory By Honor VI Night 1 featuring Misawa and Pro Wrestling NOAH, Philadelphia, PA November 2nd, 2007
8:00pm belltime
Pennsylvania National Guard Armory
2700 Southampton Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19154
Main Event
GHC Heavyweight Champion Mitsuharu Misawa & KENTA vs. Takeshi Morishima & Naomichi Marufuji
The big boss man of NOAH makes his first appearance ever in ROH. He will have familiar company as he fights along side his opponent in New York to team up with the former GHC champion and the former ROH champion. All four men are looking to make a main event impact, but the question is will Misawa's age and will be able to carry it through? I think fans will be very excited to see Misawa in action, but the NYC crowd is a tough one and if they think anyone is dogging it, they will be quick to call it out. My guess is that what happens in Misawa's two night stand will go a long way to determining the opinion of the ROH fan base as to the extent of the NOAH / ROH relationship and bringing in other wrestlers from NOAH in the future. But hopefully first and foremost this will just be a good wrestling match.
ROH World Title Match?????????
Nigel McGuinness will defend vs. a top challenger to be announced
This is a question mark depending on Nigel's health. No opponent has been announced but if Nigel can go it could likely be Chris Hero since he is owed a shot due to his Survival of the Fittest win. Hero and Nigel have gone at it a few times now and if Nigel is injured, this may be one of the best opportunities for Hero to use that advantage and claim possession of the ROH world title.
Third Match In Best Of Three Series
Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
Danielson crawled back from the edge pf defeat here in this series and tied it up, sending it to Philadelphia. The question is who will be the home team and who will work as the away team? Expect the best match out of the three fall series here as both men will pull out everything it takes to win. This one may even steal the whole show away from the NOAH wrestlers. A title match is on the line here, but it may or may not take place the next night in NYC depending on Nigel's injury status.
Tag Team Scramble
Jack Evans, Ruckus & Jigsaw with Julius Smokes vs. Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black & The Necro Butcher with Lacey
In other words, it's the Vulture Squad and Age of the Fall flying around everywhere and destroying each other with flips, dives and possibly weapons if this one breaks down (and it likely will). I'm looking forward to the double and triple teams put forth by the V Squad. Another factor to look at is the interaction between the seconds in the match. What crazy stuff does Smokes have in store for Lacey? Fans, cover your ears for the AotF entrance and you'll be okay, but watch out for the high flying Ruckus as he takes over Philly.
Special Attraction Match
Roderick Strong vs. Mike Quackenbush
Thank god it's not an FIP title match. We'll see these two pair up well against each other in the technical game. We may see a chop vs. palm strike duel. Quack's headbutt is vicious as well. I'm hoping that Quack can fly around a bit and show off his smooth aerial moves. Besides, its Quack's home area and I think he deserves a bit of extra shine for this one, even if its likely he's going to put over the leader of the NRC.
Grudge Tag Team Match
Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer with Shane Hagadorn
We are at the beginnings of the Steenerico vs. HM3 issue and I think it may be an unfortunate night for the former duo as they are playing faces. Or will Steen still have tricks up his sleeve? I think he can out dirty both of his opponents if he tries.
Plus more to be announced with: Mark Briscoe; Claudio Castagnoli; Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney; Davey Richards & Rocky Romero of No Remorse Corps; Delirious; Daizee Haze plus more!!!
Going Home
Name That Tune Week 7
Every week I'll include an excerpt of music lyric and I'll ask you guys to guess the song. The catch is that it will be a wrestler's theme! All promotions are up for grabs, but I'll focus mostly on the independent scene.
Last week's NTT continue to thin out the wheat from the chaf, as it is said. Some contestants returned and others faded away. Let's check out the clue one more time.
Clue: RoH, insect
Lyric: "Wrap myself in the American flag"
What's the name of the song and the artist?
The answer: "Charisma" by W.A.S.P. (Davey Richards' theme)
This week's winners (in order of response):
soulpower—makes his maginificent return to the winner's list.
pduckworth
Jay 2K Winger: First off, the tune is "Charisma" by W.A.S.P., Davey Richards' NRC theme. Now isn't that irony defined? A man with little to no charisma using that song as his entrance music... but while it's a great song, I don't think it really fits Davey's character. Davey's not the charismatic demagogue trying to sway people into following him in a crusade of devastation, like the lyrics imply. If anything, the lyrics fit Jimmy Jacobs' Age of the Fall bent better.
Ouch, low blow Jay, low blow.
Premiumblandrew:
by the by, I met Davey's mom at a Pinnacle show about a year ago. Super nice lady. That is all.
See Jay, now don't you feel badly now?
Let's try not to hurt anyone's feelings this week and play Name that Tune! for this week, October 27th, 2007!
Lyric: "super suspicious, super delicious." What's the name of the song and the artist?
No clue this week as I think that's been helping people a bit too much. This is a tricky one, so good luck!
So Chris Hero is our new SOTF winner, huh? I'm all for it. I was saddened to see that Hero wasn't getting the push he so rightly deserved (because, as his shirt says, Chris is Awesome [clap, clap, clapclapclap]), although I did also like that Claudio was getting some success. (What can I say? I'm a fan of both.) Now, however, it would seem that Hero is tapped for bigger things, at long last.
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and predict that Hero will win the ROH World Title in 2008.
I demand that ROH film some vignettes of S&S Inc. partying on the Strip. The comedic gold mine of Sweeney, Hero, Toland, and Del Rey having fun while continually humiliating poor Bobby is right there.
I do hope Tornado's successes in ROH's first West Coast shows leads to more bookings for him in ROH on the East Coast. H-Tizzle in ROH would draw money, and you know it.
That's all I got this week. Always great readin' ya!
TWELVE LARGE, BROTHA!
-=Jay 2K Winger=-
I have no idea if Hero will go ahead and win the title next year, but I predicted it for this year, so maybe we can go ahead and push up the date a bit and I'll be happy. I think it's a possibility that Hero wins the title, but you never can tell because of the unpredictability in how they book him to win or lose. Hero and Claudio are tied at the hip, so maybe both of them move up into the main event position at the same time?Hope you enjoy this week's Hero Sandwich as it gives you a bit of a taste of the debauchery and insanity that was a part of that celebration in the Strip. H-Tizzle? Now there's a wacky nickname.
And just under the wire is another frequent emailer, seaneb14:
So, lately as a time killer I've been watching and reviewing every American Dragon match I own in order. Which, even though I was a huge Dragon fan anyway, made me appreciate some of his matches even more and how much his style has changed. Going through all of them the only matches that really haven't lived up to the standard he's used to were with Jack Evans. Which, I think is mostly due to the styles clash. Speaking of Styles Clash, I have to say that behind Joe, Styles is probably the opponent I most enjoy watching Dragon wrestle. So, who do you think Dragon has the best matches with. Honestly, I think its Joe by a landslide. I've seen every match the 2 have had, and I don't think one of them falls below great. Actually, I was kind of dissapointed that their feud last year was overshadowed by the Homicide/Cornette stuff.
Also. Watching the Joe/Dragon match at Midnight Express Reunion, I was thinking how it was one of the few matched during the Joe reign where it seemed like the challenger had a real shot at winning the title. I wasn't an ROH fan at the time, so I was wondering, how shocked were people when Aries won the title? It seems like a good decision now, but it seems like something that no one would see coming.
Keep up the Good work.
Well I think it's no coincidence that whenever Dragon matches up with someone, it's usually a good fit. Dragon's ability to get the most out of his opponent and of himself is highly valued in a professional wrestler. Personally I like the Joe matches but I also really like when we get a technical vs. technical Dragon match. I've enjoyed the KENTA, Lance Storm and Nigel McGuinness matches a ton. Of course in the early days, Dragon vs. Low Ki was a huge favorite of mine.
I seem to recall that there was an undercurrent of fan buzz that the title could change hands at Final Battle 2004. Aries had been built up with the series of matches against Dragon. What mitigated the thought that there would be a title switch was that Aries only fought to a draw against Low Ki at All Star Extravaganza 2. He received the title shot because he was more honorable than Ki. That's a bit of a weak way to get your title shot, so it didn't seem likely that Aries would pull off the win at this point of the title build. Of course that situation only made the title win even more shocking a moment. The crowd reaction remains one of the louder pops in ROH history. There was shock on the boards but also a lot of positive buzz going forward. A few people wanted Joe to go the full two years but others were ready to see what another champion could do with the belt.
**The Independent 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)
**UWA Hardcore: Hour of the Dragon (Ultimo Dragon / Black Tiger, Chris Sabin / Josh Prohibition, Mike Quackenbush / Claudio Castagnoli, Tyler Black / Josh Ambercrombie)
**Fight Sports Midwest: Chapter One (Samoa Joe / Eddie Kingston, Larry Sweeney / Bryan Alvarez, Josh Ambercrombie / Austin Aries, Hydra / "Old Timer" Jeff King) **Fight Sports Midwest: Chapter Two (Alex Shelley / Low Ki, Mike Quackenbush / Tiger Mask IV, Human Tornado / Josh Ambercrombie)
**CHIKARA: Rey De Voladores (Chris Hero / Claudio Castagnoli, Chuck Taylor / Lince Dorado, Cheech & Cloudy / F.I.S.T. (Gran Akuma & Icarus), Chuck Taylor / Ricochet / Pac / Retail Dragon)
**SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 8 (Sara Del Rey / Mercedes Martinez, Daizee Haze / Tiana Ringer, Nattie Neidhart / Portuguese Princess Ariel, Allison Danger / Lufisto)
**CHIKARA: Anniversario? (Hero / Quackenbush, Hallowicked / Kingston, Pantera & Lince Dorado / Castagnoli & Sweeney, Worker Ant / Hydra, Player Uno / Shayne Hawke)
**CHIKARA: Maximum Overdraft (F.I.S.T. / Briscoes, Mike Quackenbush / Black Tiger, Hero & Castagnoli / El Pantera & Lince Dorado, The Colony / Los Tres Deliriouses, Daizee Haze / Sara Del Rey—2 out of 3 Falls)
**SHIMMER Women Athletes Volume 9 (MsChif / Amazing Kong, Cheerleader Melissa / Sara Del Rey, Tiana Ringer / Nikki Roxx, Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka / Allison Danger & Cindy Rogers)
**PWG: Passive Hostility (PWG Tag Team Titles: Super Dragon & B-Boy / Cape Fear of El Generico & Quicksilver, PWG Title Three Way: Joey Ryan / Human Tornado / Kevin Steen, Scorpio Sky, Chris Bosh & Scott Lost / Kazarian, Sabin & Shelley, Richards / Romero)
**SHIMMER Women Athletes Volume 10 (Daizee Haze / Amazing Kong, Del Rey Nikki Roxx, Melissa / Lacey, Amber O'Neal / MsChif, Allison Danger / Cindy Rogers, Perez / Ariel)
**PWG: Based on a True Story (PWG Title: Joey Ryan / Human Tornado, Loser Leaves PWG: Kazarian / Scorpio Sky, Colt Cabana / Rocky Romero, Bosh / Steen)
**PWG Holy Diver Down (PWG Title: Human Tornado / El Generico, PAC / Kevin Steen, Arrogance / Motor City Machine Guns, Karl Anderson / Frankie Kazarian)
**FIP Unfinished Business 2007 (Dog Collar Match: Erick Stevens / Steve Madison, TLC: Sal Rinauro / Seth Delay, FIP Heavyweight Title: Strong / Albright, Jack Evans / Gran Akuma, Sweeney / Claudio Castagnoli )
**TNA: Instant Classic: The Best of Christian Cage (NWA Title: Jarrett / Cage, Barbed Wire Six Sides of Steel: Rhino / Cage, Against All Odds 2007: Angle / Cage, Destination X: Joe / Cage)
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)
**Fifth Year Festival: Liverpool (Joe / McGuinness, ROH World Tag Team Titles: The Briscoes / Doi & SHINGO / FIP Title: Strong / PAC, 2/3 Falls: Delirious / Matt Sydal) **Fifth Year Festival: Finale (Joe / Homicide, Fight Without Honor: McGuinness / Rave, ROH World Tag Team Titles: Doi & SHINGO / Richards and Strong, Sydal / PAC, Falls Count Anywhere: Whitmer / Jacobs)
**All Star Extravaganza III (ROH vs. Dragon Gate 8 Man Tag, Strong / Evans, Mochizuki / Richards, Cabana / Sydal / Hero / Pearce, Homicide / Daniels)
**Supercard of Honor II (CIMA, SHINGO and Yokosuka / Dragon Kid / Saito / Mochikzuki, Strong / Aries, Whitmer / Jacobs, Evans & Doi / Richards and Romero, McGuinness / Hero, Daniels & Sydal / Delirious & Jay Briscoe)
**Fighting Spirit (ROH World Title: McGuinness / Morishima, Jay Briscoe and Erick Stevens Mark Briscoe / El Generico & Kevin Steen, Evans & Delirious / Strong & Romero, Claudio / Romero, Cabana / Williams)
**The Battle of St. Paul (ROH World Title: Morishima / Aries, FIP Title: Strong / Daniels, Delirious / Stevens / Romero / Evans, Albright & Pearce / Homicide & Cabana/ ROH World Tag Titles Ultimate Endurance)
**Good Times, Great Memories (ROH World Tag Team Titles: Briscoes / Murder City Machine Guns, Roderick Strong / Jack Evans, ROH World Title: Morishima / SHINGO, Austin Aries / Rocky Romeo, Adam Pearce / Colt Cabana, 6 Man Mayhem: Deliirous, Quackenbush, Hallowicked, Jigsaw, Akuma, Primeau)
**A Fight at the Roxbury (Four Corner Survival: Quackenbush / Hero / Castagnoli / McGuinness, ROH World Title: Morishima / Jay Briscoe, El Genercico / Matt Sydal, Steen / Briscoe, Danielson / Rave)
**Respect is Earned (ROH World Tag Team Title: The Briscoes / Castagnoli & Sydal, Danielson & Morishima / McGuinness & KENTA, Marufuji / Romero, Tag Team Scramble, Toland / Albright)
**Domination (ROH World Tag Team Titles, 2 out of 3 Falls: Briscoes / Hero & Castagnoli, Steen & Generico / Jigsaw & Quackenbush, Morishima / Strong, Sydal / Hallowicked, Lacey / Daizee Haze)
**United We Stand (Danielson & McGuinness / Marufuji & Morishima, KENTA / Rocky Romero, NRC vs. Resilience)
**Live in Tokyo (ROH World Title: Morishima / McGuinness, Briscoes & Marufuji / Sydal, Ricky Marvin & Atsushi Aoki, Danileson / Go Shiozaki, Fight Without Honor: Delirious / Strong )
**Race to the top Tournament Night 1 (ROH World Tag Titles: The Briscoes / Danielson & McGuinness, Evans / Steen, Quackenbush / Sydal, Hero / Stevens, Richards / Jigsaw, Delirious / Generico)
**Race to the top Tournament Night 2 (Generico / Claudio, Claudio / Quack, $10,000 Tag Team Challenge: Danielson, Aries, Sydal, Mark Briscoe / McGuinness, Strong, Delirious, Jay Briscoe, Generico / Hero, Evans / Albright) **Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 (Boston Street Fight: The Briscoes / Steen & Generico, ROH World Title: Morishima / Castagnoli, Danielson / Sydal, Pure Wrestling: Hero / McGuinness, Richards / Evans) (NEW ADDITION) **Death Before Dishonor V Night 2 (Philadelphia Street Fight: NRC & Sydal / Resilience & Delirious, ROH World Title: Morishima / Albright, Quackenbush / Danielson, McGuinness & Castagnoli / Hero & Jigsaw, Del Rey / Lacey, Steen / El Generico, Briscoe / El Generico ) (NEW ADDITION)
This section needs your help! If you want to recommend some good independent wrestling to your fellow internet readers out there, drop me a line for the column.
ROH @ 411 This Week
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, IWA: Mid-South and Ring of Honor are all subjects of discussion for this week's independent specialty 411 Buy or Sell.
I can't believe it's gotten to the point where Stephen Randle states that 13 staff writers chipping in on the Cyber Sunday Roundtable is a "small roster". Sheesh.
411's book review corner this week: Weyer shines the spotlight on Stampede and The Harts. Meanwhile, Will Helm takes a look at the globe trotting career of Chris Jericho in A Lion's Tale.
Cook and Ask 411- the most perfect tag team since peanut butter and chocolate.
We iz outta here boyeeeee! Next week, results and preview from the Misawa / Glory By Honor VI weekend!
BUT WAIT! See with all this voting going on with WWE Cyber Sunday and what not, I've decided to give YOU, the readers, for the first time ever, the freedom of choice for what I will write about! That's right, you can vote now on the following choices and the winning feature will be included in next week's column!
Dear Delirious: The wacky and ridiculous (and sometimes hard to understand, believe me) takes your questions and gives advice! Honor Culture: A look at how the real world and ROH cross over more than you'd expect! Briscoes' Guide to Manning Up: Those crazy Briscoe Brothers love to MAN UP and talk about anything and everything on their minds. Black T-Shirt Squad: The fashion police of Column of Honor comment on the latest in ROH, WWE and TNA T-shirt designs. Ring of Shame:I look at the worst, sometime quite embarrassing moments of Ring of Honor's history.
Vote early and vote often! Poll closes on Friday November 2nd. See you next week.
Brooklyn! DAH EM BAH SEE!
--Ari—
