Column of Honor: 05.10.08: The New York City Marathon

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 05.10.2008

HUGE rundown of ROH’s history of shows in NYC, results and live reports / analysis from ROH’s debut last night in Virginia, a preview of tonight’s Hammerstein Ballroom debut, the return of My Two Cents with Chris Miccio, Double Feature thoughts, Player Uno, Sara Del Rey, The Colony, The Soul Touchas, The Lacey angle and MORE!

I'm right up to the column word limit, so let me say a quick hello and its good to be back after a week off. Welcome to the Column.



Ring of Honor in New York City History

Jerome did a fantastic job last week previewing the stories and issues of the top matches for the Hammerstein Ballroom show. I want to go back and do a more overall look at the history of Ring of Honor in New York City and how they made their way to the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Many acts have played New York before, but Ring of Honor could now count themselves as one of them beginning in May of 2005. Ring of Honor made their big splash "debut" at the Hotel New Yorker in for "Manhattan Mayhem". Since then they have run a total of 15 shows in the city and 12 of them within the same block area of 34th Street and 8th Avenue. Almost all of them have been billed as huge must-see event shows for the company, featuring marquee, must-see matches and top wrestling talent making special appearances.

Ring of Honor's run at The New Yorker lasted through most of 2005 and one show in 2006 for four shows total, and they were milestones in ROH's history. "Manhattan Mayhem" had a stellar card up and down the line up. It was match after match of solid to great wrestling. I can remember the stuffiness of the ballroom and the heat of jamming so many people into such a confined space, but I can also recall the buzz and energy of that event. Everyone was excited to see what Ring of Honor would do for its first event in The Big Apple. The wrestlers themselves must have fed off of that energy, because every match was the best it could have been. I feel everyone reached their potential ROH had done a lot of great stuff and garnered a reputation in the previous three years, but it could definitely be said that it wouldn't mean much if they couldn't go big for their grand debut in the city.

The Supper Club in Midtown Manhattan was the venue for a matinée showcase just five weeks after their New York City debut. Going from no shows at all to two within a month (plus a special showcase that was shown on the then WB-11 morning news program) was a bold move that paid off with a packed crowd. In the wake of the ECW revival and the reunion pay per view, ROH ran a seven match show headlined by then-champion Austin Aries against Low Ki in a non-title match that was billed as "unsanctioned" although curiously and illogically both men played against that storyline by having a regular rules match, albeit stiff as heck. That match and one previous against Spanky set up Austin Aries' neck injury which would play into his title loss just six days later.

The two highlights most will remember from the show include Shane Douglas getting booed out of the building (after an initial positive reaction from the fans) after he lied by saying he was invited to WWE's version of ECW reunion but turned it down in order to do his "Hardcore Homecoming" series. The other moment to remember was the fantastic Roderick Strong vs. CM Punk match and the inspiring and beloved reaction Punk received from the NYC crowd in the wake of rumors that signed a development deal with WWE and was leaving after "Death Before Dishonor III". Punk received a very long standing ovation and gave a passionate quasi-farewell speech that as most fans know, turned out to be just a clever ploy by Punk to gain sympathy before he won the ROH title and ran roughshod over the promotion.

The other two major shows for Ring of Honor at The New Yorker in 2005 were "Escape from New York" and "Joe vs. Kobashi". "Escape" came at an important time in the larger run of ROH's finest storytelling era, the "Summer of Punk", where CM Punk ran with his heel champion act right up to his exit from the company. The fans in attendance that night in July were apoplectic in their reaction to Punk even before the Roderick Strong vs. CM Punk title match (a rematch from the Supper Club show). When Mick Foley threatened to throw Punk off the balcony if he didn't put the title on the line, the crowd erupted into mass hysteria. The extremely loud and passionate reactions of the New York City crowd would become a hallmark of the location.

It goes without saying that The Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi match in October of 2005 was one of the keys towards ROH gaining more public awareness. The Joe vs. Kobashi matches during that weekend was even the subject of a feature story in Pro Wrestling Illustrated. The expanded coverage of Joe vs. Kobashi and Ring of Honor in PWI and other industry publications kayfabe centric or not helped put ROH's name out there. It seemed everyone at the time had the words "Manhattan Mayhem", "Summer of Punk" or "Joe vs. Kobashi" on the tips of their lips.

A cup of coffee at Basketball City in December 2005 and in March 2006 actually led to some of my favorite moments in Ring of Honor and some of my more favorite personal anecdotes as a fan (I'll save the stories about Alex Shelley and Abyss for another time) and attending ROH shows. The venue was on the West side of NYC, right near the West Side Highway and you had to cross the busy streets to get there… that is unless you were in a cab, like I was and pulled up to right where Gary Michael Cappetta was standing and kibitzing with a few other fans. The shows were housed in the training facility used at the time by the New York Knicks (obviously not nearly well enough judging by their Win-Loss record). The venue was cool and large, but with one big and glaring flaw. The major entrance to the courts where the wrestling events were set up was a revolving door. Fans could not get inside any other way due to the system of pressurization for the air inside the courts. What that meant was getting inside was a glacier-like slow process, not to mention it meant the venue itself was a deathtrap. Imagine 1,000 plus fans trying to leave the building after the show through those same revolving doors. Not good...not good at all.

What was good once you managed to make it inside was the wrestling. The Steel Cage Warfare event in December played host to the feud ender between Generation Next and The Embassy and what a match that was. Alex Shelley and Abyss were very memorable participants in that match, but the show was stolen by Jack Evans and his literal death-defying double moonsault flip from the top of the cage to the hardwood floor. How Evans' brain matter did not spill out of his head that instant still defies me to this day. This show also foreshadowed the wrestling appearance of Lance Storm, as he simply came out for a meet and greet appearance with the crowd, but was encountered and stood face to face with the champion, Bryan Danielson. Four months later both of those men would be locked in battle for that championship at "Better Than Our Best" in Chicago.

March's event in Basketball City was titled "Best in the World' and featured NOAH wrestlers KENTA and Naomichi Marfuji in just their second appearance with the company. They teamed up to fight the ROH dream team of Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson. Their pairing directly led to a reprisal of their rivalry from early on in ROH history and resulted in a one hour draw at the "Fight of the Century" show that August. Also n the card, Alex Shelley put the skills of Christopher Daniels to the test in one of my favorite undercard matches of all time. Shelley receiving "Y2J" chants was chilling enough for me hearing it live; imagine how Shelley must have felt hearing them?

We were also at the start of the ROH vs. CZW feud and Chris Hero was doing his best job of invading and crashing the scene. Claudio Castagnoli refused to join with his cause; instead he concentrated on his final Pure title match against Nigel McGuinness. Although Claudio had been portrayed as the face in the situation and Nigel was cheating his way to victories, it was a surprisingly flat crowd and more pro-Nigel if anything else. Now two years later here they are in the main event the biggest show in Ring of Honor's history in New York City.

Ring of Honor returned one time only to the Hotel New Yorker for June's "In Your Face" show, which as expected was a return to the hot and stuffy atmosphere. However, the intimacy of the venue once again created a feeling intensity and urgency—and the crowd even more rowdy than ever before. ROH was now right in the thick of the feud against CZW and Claudio had turned heel. I remember the thick sheet of boos for Claudio and also how he told me to move aside as he walked in through the crowd. When I was too slow, he pushed me aside, albeit a gentle push. I ended up ragging on his selection of ties for most of the rest of his match.

If Claudio's heat was a hot and stuffy 85 degrees Fahrenheit, then the reaction for Chris Hero entering the ring was a blistering, sun burning 100 degrees plus. Homicide stepped up to fight Hero and the crowd went absolutely berserk for their hometown hero. The main event of Samoa Joe vs. Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA had the crowd ooohing and ahhing at what we would learn were unintentional but nonetheless real injuries and real knockouts being delivered to each other. At least it served as a good set up for the one-on-one title match between Danielson and KENTA, although we never got to Joe vs. KENTA like so many were clamoring for.

September 2006 of course was the time for Ring of Honor's big debut at the Manhattan Center, the venue seven floors above the Hammerstein and in the same building. The undercard doesn't particularly hold up entirely well, but the three title matches in the second half are all still aces. The GHC Heavyweight title was defended for the first time in the United States at this venue and that match pitting Nigel McGuinness and Marufuji would serve as McGuinness's breakout performance that got him to the next level as a main event baby face on into 2007. The Kings of Wrestling stole, errr, won the ROH World Tag Team Titles from the Generation Next alliance of Austin Aries and Roderick Strong. Then there was the unforgettable main event where Bryan Danielson fought KENTA in the best defense of his ROH World Title and what was in my opinion the match of the year for 2006. It honestly and truly felt being there live that the title could have changed hands at any moment during the match because of Danielson's shoulder injury, well known by most of the fans. The appearance of Bruno Sammartino and the NYC crowd and wrestlers paying tribute to him certainly shouldn't be overlooked as it gave ROH a bit of class and a link to New York City tradition. Also in the same segment there was the Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima face off and pull apart brawl that stemmed from a disagreement of politeness and respect—what irony.

The Manhattan Center would serve as ROH's home base and consistently one of its largest crowds from September 2006 through February 2008. It hosted two Final Battle shows in a row, two anniversary shows in consecutive years and two of ROH's first six Pay Per View events. The last two years have simply been one major show after another with at least one defining moment per show, if not more.

Final Battle 2006 was the best quality show going up and down the card since the first Manhattan Mayhem. The NYC crowd was up for everything, including a spectacular Briscoes vs. Kings of Wrestling match, a six man involving CIMA and SHINGO and the massive main event. The New York City crowd had been waiting for it, had wanted to witness it for the longest time, and now they were finally able to witness their boy Homicide win the ROH World Title, unseating Bryan Danielson and his fifteen month long title reign. The party for Homicide stretched long into the night and it seemed that it could have gone on forever.

The Fifth Year Festival for New York City held the big Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima one-on-one match up and the first of Joe's farewell matches. Surprisingly enough, Joe defeated Morishima. Generation Next broke up for good when Roderick Strong turned on Austin Aries after a failed attempt to win the tag titles. Then May gave us "Respect is Earned", the first Pay Per View taping and the first card ever not to be announced beforehand. The fans were jacked up for the PPV taping and were on their feet for the return of Bryan Danielson and the show stealing Briscoes vs. Sydal and Castagnoli tag title match. If they were on their feet for that one, then they were positively levitating for the insane post match brawl between The Briscoes and Kevin Steel and El Generico.

August's "Manhattan Mayhem II" would feature Morishima vs. Danielson in a title match that in a way shaped the last nine months of storyline. Danielson suffered a broken orbital bone in that match and the resulting drama from that injury created a long lasting feud between the two men that stretches out even to this very day and the debut at the Hammerstein, where they are picking each other's opponents. Fans await the eventual day where NOAH will green light these two going at it one more time, likely in a Fight Without Honor style match.

NOAH would take center stage in October as the boss man himself, Mistuhara Misawa, finally made his United States appearances, which were long rumored for over a year and much hyped. Misawa defended the GHC Heavyweight title against KENTA (the second defense of the title in U.S. and the second in the Manhattan Center) and provided a solid match that was well received by the partisan-Misawa crowd. Interestingly enough, that fight did not main event the show, as The Briscoes and Age of the Fall were the last match. By that time the crowd had been up and down in their love and hate for what they saw over the night, including being really upset by those two teams fighting to a double disqualification earlier in the night and also beginning to turn on Nigel McGuinness as ROH World Champion due to his injuries and inability to wrestle. It was the subtle continuation of changes in the New York City crowd. As they grew larger in number, they also grew more demanding and less patient with certain things such as match outcomes, supposed slow moments in matches and the like. Maybe the NYC crowd had always been this way, but it seemed that this show and the next, the "Rising Above" tapings was even more so than ever before. The crowd loved Morishima vs. Danielson III even though it went to Morishima due to a DQ. It was clear that Danielson was becoming beloved in New York City on the same level as Samoa Joe and Homicide before him.

"Rising Above" had a solid card including one awesome match in the now controversial McGuinness defending his title against Austin Aries. It was a pull out the stops kind of match and resulted in a concussion for McGuinness. That resulted in McGuinness not being able to defend the title as scheduled the next night for "Final Battle 2007". Instead, McGuinness cut one of the most passionate and dramatic promos of his career, using the split crowd reactions from that show and the night before to fuel his speech about whether or not he would give up the title due to his mounting injuries. Even though there is a ton of argument about the crowd reaction, video evidence shows that by the end of this interview the majority of the crowd was cheering for Nigel to keep the title.

The pro Nigel fans came through for him on that night, but they were to be disappointed when just three months later Nigel completed a heel turn, using the fans' negative reactions and his concern for his physical well being (although he was very clearly fully healed) to deny the fans a title match. Bryan Danielson talked him into taking on the title defense when he claimed he would not strike Nigel in the head at all, thus reducing the risk of head injury. Nigel accepted and then used that stipulation to his every advantage. Although Danielson had guaranteed not to hit Nigel in the head, Nigel never said it would work the other way around as well. So he bashed Danielson in the head with elbows and then locked on the London Dungeon submission until it was clear the challenger could not get out of the move. The referee called for the bell. The last show for now at the Manhattan Center concluded with an unconscious Danielson being carted out to the back with help from the referees and Nigel McGuinness daring anyone in the back to try to take the title away from him.

New York City has hosted a plethora of great matches and its resume reads off like a who's who of the independent wrestling industry: James Gibson vs. Black Tiger, Low Ki and Homicide vs. Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal, Samoa Joe vs. Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels vs. Azriael vs. Matt Sydal, Homicide vs. Steve Corino, Jack Evans & Roderick Strong vs. The Briscoes, Whitmer vs. Jacobs when Whitmer tossed him into the crowd from the ring, Jimmy Rave vs. El Generico vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards, Danielson & Morishima vs. McGuinness & KENTA, Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw vs. Erick Stevens & Matt Cross, El Generico & Steen vs. The Briscoes, Richards vs. Marufuji, Stevens vs. Strong and on and on and on. So many great matches, so many great memories. New York City has been full of them and should continue onwards with even more as the day heads into night and ROH debuts one more time in the bright lights and big city. They've toured a bit around town, but 34th Street and 8th Avenue has become their home.


ROH Results: 05/09/08 from Manassas, VA

* Results conglomerated from several fan reports online.

Matches

-Chris Hero defeated Pelle Primeau via pinfall with a roaring forearm and a big boot.
-Rhett Titus & Rex Sterling defeated Mitch Franklin & Sean Denny.
-Brent Albright defeated Damien Wayne in a Four Corner Survival match which also included ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli. Albright won via referee stoppage by using his head trap and knee barrage.
-Austin Aries defeated Erick Stevens via submission with The End Time Guillotine Choke.
-Necro Butcher defeated Jack Evans in a No DQ Match with the backbreaker across 2 chairs.
-Jimmy Jacobs defeated Jay Briscoe via submission with The End Time Guillotine Choke.
-"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson defeated Tyler Black via submission with a heel hook.
-Takeshi Morishima, Naomichi Marafuji & Go Shiosaki defeated The No Remorse Corps of Roderick Strong, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero when Marufuji pinned Romero after the shiranui.

Angles & Issues

-Fashionable Virginians: It was said to be a late arriving crowd and initially there were reports of low attendance. Later reports estimated a crowd of about 400-500, which is about level with how ROH does for most of its non major venues (Chicago, New York, Philly).

-Diva Rey: Sara Del Ray came out at the end of the Hero match. According to reports she was decked out ala "Sensational Queen Sherri" and had face paint. She choke slammed a member of the ROH crew. It looks like she has indeed sided once again with Larry Sweeney and has conformed to being a "Diva" in Ring of Honor. We'll see how this story develops as the months go on.

-When Aries Didn't Meet Jacobs: Aries arrived in street clothes and called out Jacobs. Stevens came out to the ring instead and insited on them having a match. Aries was initially refusing but Stevens drug it out of him to fight. Afterwards, Aries continued to call for Jacobs and claimed that he didn't steal Lacey but that Jimmy thre wher and her love away. He called Jacobs a little boy and a bitch and left.

-When Aries Did Meet Jacobs: Before Jacob's match, Aries ran down and we got a brawl with Age of the Fall dominating. Jay Briscoe came out and there was a brawl leading into his match with Jacobs Necro interfered at the finish, leading to the coke submission. Then Aries came back out when Jacobs didn't let go of the move and chased them away.

-Blackened Heart: After his match with Black, Dragon tried to shake hands but Black spit in Dragon's face.

Return Date: August 1st, 2008


Live Ringtones

I was fortunate enough to received this live report on the show from Jay 2k Winger:

Just got back from ROH's Virginia debut, and for a first show in a new market, it looked like a pretty good turnout. It would seem they have good hopes for the market, too, since they've already announced a return date for Friday, August 1, 2008.

Pelle has new ring attire (or at least this is the first time I've seen it) which is very Londrick-inspired. I don't like it. I think he should go back to his old trunks. Also, he's dyed his hair blue-greenish. It also doesn't look good. Poor Bobby gets humiliated again by Sweeney, who banishes him under the ring for getting a chant. (Hagadorn got heat later by lifting the apron and slapping him in the face.) So much for the Sara-is-leaving-SnS Inc. angle, unless they plan to play up the Sara/Bobby relationship some more.

Rhett Titus is still the only guy I've seen come out of the ROH wrestling school with an actual gimmick. Sure, it's an unoriginal one, but at least he's something more than just "Hi, I'm a rookie, and I'm here to get my ass kicked."

The tension between Albright and SnS Inc. was more subtle tonight, as Sweeney starts accompanying Albright to ringside, but Albright stops and sends him to the back. Sweeney seemed fine with it, doing the whole "all right, you're the man, you got this!" body language. And he did. The finish, with the trapped knees to the head of Damien Wayne, was sick.

Aries didn't reveal what happened after the camera stopped rolling during AOTF's latest video, but he did say that "Lacey didn't leave you, you tossed her aside," by saying that Lacey's love didn't "save," he was already casting her aside. During his promo, the crowd started chanting "Sloppy Seconds" which he responded to by saying "And it's seconds that you'll never have." At any rate, it was an interesting new wrinkle in the Jacobs/Lacey story.

Necro, as I expected, used Jack as a crash dummy.

Good escalation in the AOTF/Briscoes rivalry with the grudge match, too. Too bad the Hammerstein show is too far away to go to. It's looking like it'll be one hell of a show, judging by the way people were reacting for tonight, especially with the Aries and Briscoe matches.

Sadly, my enjoyment of a Bryan Danielson match was once again spoiled by other fans. Last time in Philly (Take No Prisoners taping), it was a group of four people two rows behind me, chanting contrary things and generally being asses. This time, it was fix or six little kids, one of whom was apparently Tyler's cousin. Well, they were technically sitting two or three rows behind me, but they moved up close to the barricade for the Tyler/Dragon match, and they were SCREAMING their support for Tyler to the point where I was afraid I'd go deaf in my left ear. The guy sitting opposite me from where the kids were screaming didn't like it either, and finally (two-thirds of the way through the match) told them to go back to their seats and scream there, but not right next to him, 'cuz he's gone deaf in his right ear now. Still, it was a damn good match.

The main event six-man tag was good stuff, too. Like at Glory By Honor VI, Night 1, I made a poster with Japanese writing on it, "Morishima: Dangerous!" I held this up during Team NOAH's entrance, and Morishima seemed to get a kick out of it, inasmuch as you can tell, since he seems to have two facial expressions: "blasé" and "angry." He wasn't in "angry" mode while looking at my sign, so I'll take that as a good sign.


More response and reaction to the Virginia show from another regular reader, Mark Kohn:

I was wrong to doubt ROH. I am sure the Manhattan show will be amazing. But I have to say even though there were no title matches, this was a great show. Mainly after intermission. There was a fun opener with Chris Hero and Pelle Premieu with some really nice stuff. Then we had a throwaway tag with Rhett Titus, a known local guy and two guys I do not remember. Next was the Non-title Four Corner Survival (Quick note - I had two young brothers sitting next to me and one of them kept thinking it was a tag match and given how Brent doubled teamed a lot with Nigel it was hard to explain that it was not a tag match.) Weird knowing that Nigel v. Claudio is your main event the following night but here they were the third match. Personally, I liked that. For tonight the stars were NRC and NOAH. Then came the only match to really disappoint me, Aries v. Stevens. It wasn't even that bad a match but Aries was all about his feud with Jimmy Jacobs basically ignoring Stevens and I came in thinking this with Dragon v. Black could be an awesome singles match. Hell he even wrestled in jeans and shoes which it appeared caused him to trip before his suicide dive. This match and after Jacobs v. Briscoe were the only ones along with the FCS that really build towards the Manhattan show. Then we had intermission.

Now the second half was Amazing. First was the rematch with Necro and Evans. This was brutal, afterwards it appeared some fans thought this could have gone longer, but for however long it lasted they packed some original violent stuff in it and Jack was Jack. Seeing the Space Flying Tiger Drop and 630 in person so close (5th row seat in a pretty small venue) is awe inspiring. Next we go to Jacobs v. Briscoe. This match began with Aries and Jimmy fighting but Jay would come and start his match with Jimmy. This match along with Evans v. Butcher should satisfy the hardcore wrestling ROH fans. Next we had another rematch, one I was highly looking forward to Dragon v. Black. To me this match delivered. I am sure there will be debate of which match was better, this or the Breakout match. But however you look at it this was a great match. Not sure how long it went, but it seemed like it got plenty of time for both of them to show there stuff. Lastly, we had the NRC v. NOAH match. Rarely do you see a match begin as a comedy match and then turn into an awesome serious match but this did just that. Morishima was really funny mocking Rocky Romero and even later both teams still brought the funny. But make no mistake there was some great tag team action especially, not surprisingly from NRC. This match also went pretty long, which I think it should have as it was a 6 man main event. I even got to talk to Cary Silkin twice, which really is a cool thing. Lastly, the show went 3 hours, which to me is how long if not even a little shorter a show should go.

To tell you how much I liked it, I bought a front row ticket for when they return to Manassas, VA 8/1.

Immense thanks to both Jay and Mark, Column of Honor's personal Briscoe Brothers, for helping to fill in the blanks of that event. Your contributions greatly helped the quality of this week's column!

If you want EVEN MORE reaction to the Virginia show (good lord!) here is 411's own Andy Clark's review.


ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 05/10/2008

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 13 successful defenses)
-defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Next Defense:: vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Manhattan, NY, 05/10/08

V.1 defeated Jay Briscoe, wristlock submission (10/21/07 San Francisco, CA)
V.2 defeated Chris Hero, wristlock submission (11/02/07 Philadelphia, PA)
V.3 defeated Austin Aries, Jawbreaker Lariat (12/29/07 Manhattan, NY)
V.4 defeated Go Shiozaki, London Dungeon (wristlock submission) (01/20/08 Tokyo, Japan,)
V.5 Steel Cage Match: defeated Chris Hero (01/25/08, Dayton, OH)
V.6 defeated Roderick Strong, Jawbreaker Lariat (01/26/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.7 defeated Bryan Danielson, London Dungeon (02/23/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.8 defeated Tyler Black, London Dungeon (03/16/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.9 defeated Larry Sweeney, Jawbreaker Lariat (03/22/08 Crystal River, FL)
V.10 defeated Austin Aries, Jawbreaker Lariat (03/29/08 Orlando, FL)
V.11 defeated Erick Stevens, London Dungeon (04/11/08 Boston, MA)
V.12 defeated Kevin Steen, roll up holding the ropes (04/12/08 Edison, NJ)
V.13 defeated Kevin Steen, Jawbreaker Lariat (04/19/08 Chicago Ridge, IL)

**

ROH World Tag Team Champions—Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe Austin Aries (champions since 04/12/08, NEW CHAMPIONS)
-Jay & Mark Briscoe defeated No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards & Rocky Romero) in Edison, NJ to win the championship.
-Austin Aries replaces Mark Briscoe as of 04/21/08 as Jay's partner after Mark's wrist injury prevents him from defending belt

Next Defense: vs. Age of the Fall (Tyler Black & Jimmy Jacobs), Manhattan, NY 05/10/08

**

Sweet & Sour Incorporated Presents The Intergender Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Of The World —Chris Hero & Sara Del Rey (champions since 01/12/08, 2 successful defenses)
Status Unknown since Del Rey has left Sweet & Sour Inc. as of 3/14/08
Del Rey has rejoined Sweet & Sour Inc. as of 5/09/08, status of title still unknown

V.1 defeated Ernie Osiris & Alexa Thatcher (01/12/08, Edison, NJ)
V.2 defeated Kyle Durden & Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne (01/26/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)

**

FIP Heavyweight Champion: Roderick Strong (since 02/16/2008)
-defeated Erick Stevens via count out to win the title (FIP title can change hands on count out)
SHIMMER Champion: MsChif (since 4/26/2008)
-defeated Sara Del Ray via pinfall with the Descrator DDT to win the title
Top of the Class Trophy (for ROH Students): Ernie Osiris (since 11/02/2007)

**

Top Feuds & Pairings:
-Nigel McGuinness defends the belt against top contenders
-Nigel McGuinness vs. Claudio Castagnoli
-Austin Aries / Jimmy Jacobs
-The Age of the Fall vs. The Briscoes
-Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. No Remorse Corps
-Erick Stevens vs. Roderick Strong
-Sweet & Sour Inc. "Corporate Takeover"


ROH News
(via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed

Fight Without Honor Signed for Philadelphia

It is always an event when ROH returns to its birthplace of Philadelphia. June 7th will be no exception. Don't take our word for it, just check out the first match that has been signed for ROH's 6/7 return to Philly. It will be FIP World Heavyweight Champion Roderick Strong vs. Erick Stevens. This will be the last singles match between the two in ROH. The title won't be on the line because it will be a FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR. Witness one of wrestling's hottest feuds in the most violent match possible in ROH.

Stevens vs. Strong has been a revelation in hard hitting matches. These two have definitely made the most of their opportunities in both ROH and FIP by making their matches ones to watch. Fans have taken notice and have talked up their series, but it is smart to have an end in sight so that it doesn't get watered down or tired. Stevens needs to get revenge for having his trademark Mohawk shaven off this past March, but does that mean he gets the FIP title? Or is it enough to win this match here in ROH and move on to something else? Since this one is a non title situation, I could see Stevens taking this one, but for some reason I feel like Stevens vs. Strong could continue down in FIP for a final title match showdown between the two.


The Ballad of Lacey…This Time More Like an Elegy

The big story this week turned out to be progression in the Aries / Jimmy / Lacey triangle. It took a dark turn thanks to an internet exclusive angle based on newswires, reports and an Age of the Fall video captured via You Tube (see below). The story was that Jimmy Jacobs had given Lacey one week to contact him about what went down in Detroit and Chicago when she dumped him for Aries. Lacey did not contact him. In the meantime, ROH reported that Lacey would be out for the weekend and would not make the events in Manassas and New York. ROH initially didn't give a reason why, citing that Austin Aries merely sent a text saying she wouldn't make it. Then later in the week, AotF sent an email to its list and the internet community at large with a link to a homemade video placed on You Tube. ROH posted this in their newswire:

A disturbing video has surfaced that might explain what has happened to Lacey. We do not endorse this video and will not post a link here. It looks as if Jimmy Jacobs is the reason that Lacey is not appearing this weekend. Austin Aries is said to be furious.

The video is seemingly homage to the classic Four Horseman home made video where they filmed themselves following and then beating down Dusty Rhodes. Only this video was far creepier in its tone since it was basically a stalker video of Jacobs following and confronting Lacey. He did this to prove himself to his followers in Age of the Fall, but even they expressed their doubts about whether or not he should go through with it. The video ends with footage inside a car that shows Jacobs talking to an obviously distraught and uncomfortable Lacey walking out of her gym. After some words fans cannot hear, Jacobs takes out the spike within his walking stick and a freaked out Tyler Black tells whoever is filming the video to "cut".

There has been no follow up to the condition of Lacey within the storyline and it is up to the viewers to use their imagination to figure out what happened after the video ended. As seen mostly with horror movies, when viewers are not shown what happens, the emotional impact is far greater because what happened could be within a large range of degree. In this case, Lacey may or may not have been attacked with the spike. Age of the Fall members may have stopped Jacobs before he got too far, or who knows what, which is exactly the point.

I do think it's funny to think about how this video was posted to You Tube for the public to see. Imagine for a second this was a real situation and not professional wrestling. A video like that would surely be taken down in a heartbeat. Since it's in the purview of pro wrestling, it seems okay. I'm not taking a side here, just putting out some food for thought.


Joe Busts Out of the Vault!

The next Vaulted Classic will be up soon at www.ROHvideos.com from "Night Of Tribute" featuring Roderick Strong & Austin Aries vs. Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal.

Good to see that Ring of Honor didn't forget about this feature on its videos website. A commitment to putting up free classic matches online only helps in the long run to expand the reach of the product and entice new viewers to sample the DVDs.


ROH Home Theatre Station

ROH Video Wire: May 10th, 2008:




Sweet & Sour Promo—what's in that briefcase anyway?:




The Lacey Video:






1. William Regal : Simply put. Pure evil, pure enjoyment.
2. The Colony: who have become one of the more cohesive tag team units in CHIKARA and all around the indie scene. If you can suspend your disbelief enough to buy into wrestling ants, then you will love their act. Their personalities at this point are finely honed and they are becoming really good at working their gimmick in the ring. Sometimes a bit more sloppy than you'd expect but most of the time their amazing triple teams land right on and have you jumping up out of your seat in amazement.
3. Claudio Castagnoli: The guy was doing big swings on giant tree logs in the videowire! Come on! I absolutely loved it.
4. Colin Delaney: Gets the big win of his career in ECW and "now" had an ECW contract. Welcome to the big leagues kid.
5. The Soul Touchas: They were given some good press after CHIKARA King of Trios and I was fully prepared not to like them because it just seemed like a played out gimmick…but damned if it doesn't work with the crowd. C-Red is a great manager with lots of energy and soul. Big "Willie" Richardson stole the show and won over the crowd in these matches, but the group as a whole is solid. I just don't understand what the heck they're saying in their pre match ritual, but then again maybe that is the point.


Honorarium

-Now, not to jinx anyone here…but ECW ran the Hammerstein Ballroom for the first time around August of 2000…they were out of business within six months…now I'm not saying that's going to happen here…but I'm just hoping no one's got voodoo dolls in the shape of Cary Silkin and Gabe Sapolsky.

-In an interview with Dr. Keith Lipnksi, Jigsaw states that he has given away many of his masks to children and people at shows. Since unmasking he has kept three or four of them that had special meaning but has distributed the rest. I think that is an incredibly cool gesture of goodwill and I give many props to him for doing so. Its not like he has much use for them now, so making a child's day better by giving a mask is a hell of a nice thing to do.

Speaking of, I've seen a few matches featuring Jigsaw since he took the mask off. And the judgment is…still pending. He seems to be no worse off in the ring, which was to be expected. I was one of those who wanted to see Jig keep the mask or have a variation on the theme and deep down I still think he had something special with the mask. Having listened to that interview I now understand better his reasoning for getting rid of it and it was something he was thinking of since he first put the mask on way back when.

-Daizee Haze vs. Cheerleader Melissa was put out there on TNA impact kind of out of nowhere last week. I didn't get a chance to catch it, but I was happy for both of them at any rate to get a chance to go out there and put on their style of match on cable TV. The one thing TNA really does have going for them these days that separates them from WWE is their broader outreach to the independents, both regionally in the United States and internationally. They can at a whim bring a match like this to the forefront. They can bring in guys from CMLL, New Japan and Dragon Gate like they will for their upcoming X-Cup series. These days WWE is very much "in house" and staunchly against bringing in outside workers to participate on TV. Gone are the days when you might see Terry Funk make a surprise showing on "Shotgun Saturday Night" or when Doug Gilbert or Mil Mascaras could make an appearance in the Royal Rumble. It's understandable for WWE to have a sense of isolationism, just like its understandable for TNA to go out and about to the independent scene to bring good wrestlers into the fold.

-Sara Del Rey on the recent CHIKARA Podcast looked freaking amazingly beautiful. And she acquitted herself well enough as a guest host to warrant a return appearance! Make it so!

Sweet & Sour Inc. of Del Rey, Dempsey and Toland were a part of happier days at King of Trios '08. I was impressed at how well they used their characters in an ROH angle as a part of a CHIKARA show. And yes, Dempsey was super, super over.

-I am just hoping beyond hope that one day Player Uno does a spot where he breaks a "?" box with his head…and out pops a plush STAR… Uno can grab the star and the lights will start to blink on and off as the Mario Brothers music hits and he will be INVINCIBLE! That is…until the lights stop flashing and the music ends.

Come on CHIKARA! Use the video game gimmick to its potential…Uno's controller on his tights has been used against him more than for him. Why hasn't he entered the CONTRA Code yet? Get those extra lives, man!

-…And now… BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY SKILLS WITH MR. BERENSTEIN:

Paroxysm:

–noun
1. any sudden, violent outburst; a fit of violent action or emotion: paroxysms of rage.
2. Pathology. a severe attack or a sudden increase in intensity of a disease, usually recurring periodically.
(source: dictionary.com)

3. One of Tyler Black's trademark moves…it looks like D-Von's reverse DDT only Black spins with the move and jumps up with more impact.


Ring of Honor Double Feature Thoughts

-Okay, so the rampway is very, very, verrrrry steep. So steep all the ROH wrestlers have to watch their step less the trip and take a header. Steen purposefully plays around with that by rolling down the ramp in his first match on the DVD. Nevertheless, I like the ramp. I think it adds a little extra something in the presentation. With some work, I think this could and should be reused on as many of the ROH events as possible.

-Each part of the double feature shows runs briskly and there's a lot of fun to be had. In fact, it seems like this DVD went by faster than some single show DVD releases because it had a more light hearted nature about it. Of course there are two shows for the price of one so you get double your money's worth.

-My matches of the DVD: the four way from the first night with Claudio vs. Nigel vs. Whitmer vs. Stevens, where Nigel's heel act was quickly accepted and therefore he was given quite the vitriolic reaction; Danielson & Aries vs. Shiozaki & McGuinness from the second night, which rocked the house; Claudio vs. Richards which is one of the more underrated combinations that ROH has presented (see their match at Dedicated from January 2007) and the main event four corner survival on the second night surprisingly delivered with some fun (and non-stop) action. It worked for me.

-Somebody sign that child who came from the crowd to attack Lacey. Next ROH superstar right there. Good on Lacey for being good natured enough not to go apoplectic on the kid, although if I recall correctly he and the parent were given a good talking to by ROH officials after the match.

-Danielson & Aries vs. Jigsaw & Ruckus started off fine and had some good hearted comedy from Danielson playing director, but unfortunately it lost its way halfway through and became something of a mish-mosh. While I definitely enjoyed the Eddie Kingston surprise appearance (and watch for the Marsa Tomei cameo as she looks to see just what the heck is going on), it certainly halted the match and caused too much distraction that it took away from the match instead of added to it. I like Kingston in ROH though and hopefully he can deal with his issues and come back to play a strong role in the near future.


-J.D. Dunn referred to Supercard of Honor III as one of the top five ROH shows of all time. I haven't seen it yet, but that's some major company right there. So I'm intrigued.

-Can you get any more hedonistic than watching a Briscoe Brothers match while also eating Entenmanns's chocolate chunk cookies at 2 in the morning? I submit that you cannot!


ROH Preview: 05/10/08 from The Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, NY

7:30 pm belltime
311 West 34th St.
New York, NY 10001
[phone]

Tickets will be available to purchase at the door on the night of the show!!!

ROH World Title Match
Nigel McGuinness defends vs. Claudio Castagnoli

These two fought in Claudio's debut match back in July 2005. They had a brief but solid feud over the Pure title. They fought in Manattan back in March of 2006 and were solidly in the mid card. Now they are THE main event of one of the most important nights in ROH history.

Look for some technical wrestling and chain sequences. Look for the European uppercuts. Look for the big swing. It's all coming and it will be smooth and yet brutal. I expect a back and forth match. A title change is certainly plausible and the NYC crowd would love to see it because Nigel is NOT their best friend these days. ROH took a risk by building this match around the champion saying Claudio is just a "hey" guy. His record over the past year since his win of the Race to the Top tournament says otherwise, but Claudio needs a strong showing to make sure that thought doesn't stick.

No DQ World Tag Team Title Match
Jay Briscoe & Austin Aries defend vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black

We're entering heavy blood feud territory with this one, so I'm thinking a hugely intense match with lots of blood and big moves. Its going semi main which is a smart move because I think the crowd gets too tired to get up for those types of matches when they go on last. I'm expecting a title switch here.

Ring of Honor vs. NOAH
Bryan Danielson vs. Naomichi Marufuji

A rematch from long ago—these two last went one-on-one back at Final Battle 2005. Danielson won that match back then, but the Marufuji of today is a far more complete performer than he was back then. I expect a time limit draw, but a conclusive finish isn't out of reason. I do see it going a long time regardless, with some fantastic ground work and then some frenetic final volleys as both men work towards their finishers. Will it be better than Danielson vs. KENTA from GBH V Night 2?

Battle Of The Brawlers
Takeshi Morishima vs. The Necro Butcher

The story is that Morishima and Danielson picked each other's opponents and Danielson sent Necro after Mori to do some damage. Expect a brawl style like most Necro matches, going all over the ring and maybe even through the crowd. However, Necro may have met his match at that style and I expect Morishima to dish out a ton of damages. This may be the crowd favorite early on and could steal the show even with the predictable ending of Morishima winning. Hey, he could end up losing you know…not out of the range for ROH to go against the grain like that and totally fool everyone. Likely not though.

FIP World Heavyweight Title Match
Roderick Strong defends vs. Erick Stevens vs. Go Shiozaki

This is a reprisal of the three way dance from Sixth Anniversary Show with Go subbing in for Necro's spot. It starts the show, so I think they'll look to impress and come out right away with some heavy and big moves.These three have some of the most YIKES inducing chops around, so I am fully expecting a lot of chop volleys and maybe even a three way circle (?) of chops. Let's hope Strong doesn't Tiger Driver '91 anyone this time around, purposefully or on accident.

Tag Team Scramble
Jack Evans & Jigsaw with Julius Smokes vs. Delirious & Pelle Primeau vs. Brent Albright & Chris Hero (w/ Sweet & Sour Inc.)

Jigsaw has won more matches than not now that he has unmasked. Evans is back from injury in the NYC area for the first time since December. Delirious and Pelle are a bit of a thrown together team. Sweet & Sour has his off days and his on days with Brent Albright, so they could lose here and forward that angle or they could go the other way and give them the win to show that S&S Inc. shouldn't be taken for granted.

Tag Team Challenge Match
Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Rocky Romero & Davey Richards

I'll refrain from complaining about this match not being for the ROH World Tag Team Titles (see my other contributions this week for that). Instead let's focus on what we have here in terms of in ring work. Top notch wrestlers in cohesive teams with fantastic double teams and understanding about tag team psychology. I'm sold. This one could be a show stealer as well. Steen is beloved by most fans these days and Generico is wildly entertaining in his underdog role. Romero and Richards have solidified their heel act, with Richards especially impressing with his use of subtle low blows and cheating as well as his cowardly act. I like this one a lot and hopefully we'll see some more of these teams fighting it out in future events. Hopefully with the tag titles. Okay. Last time I promise.


My Two Cents with Chris Miccio

So, after a short hiatus, I'm back and ready to get back at this. I feel as if I need to at least give you all some kind of explanation for the leave, so, here goes. After the "Chris Hero" incident, which I would like to apologize for once again, I lost my feeling for writing, and shortly thereafter, lost me desire to watch or even think about Pro Wrestling. One of my friends even asked me if I had become Shawn Michaels and "lost my smile". In reality, it's not like that at all. In fact, during my hiatus, things have been really good (save a small hiccup or two), what with the arrival of my new MacBook Pro and my continued relationship with the world's coolest girl (ergo, you know who you are), who, if the powers that be allow it to come to pass, will stick around on a permanent basis, things have really been looking up. I even decided to watch Wrestlemania this year, and it was in those 4 hours that I remembered why I love Pro Wrestling. It's all about the show, and when it's good, it can jump up and grab you like nothing else can. Now, with my batteries recharged and my willingness to express myself creatively restored, its time to get down to the business at hand and to stop wasting anymore of your time or so, mine as Young Jeezy said so well, lets get it.

Topic #1: ROH Debuts In The Big Room At The Hammerstein: I know that I mentioned this one last time with a bit of reservation, but from all corners of the interweb, it seems as if this is the hottest ticket in ROH's history and could become the biggest show in the companies run. I hope it is, even though I couldn't be in attendance tonight, as I made a promise that if my ROH tag-team partner couldn't go, I wouldn't go either. Looking at the card, I'm not 100% killing myself, because there really aren't too many matches that just make me jump up and down. Does it look like a good, solid show? Yeah, without a doubt. I would really love to be ringside for the Morishima vs. Necro match, I will admit, as this is a pairing that I think could deliver a golden and bloody classic. Look for the definition of a stiff match, and I have a feeling you might find this. I think that the Claudio-Nigel match will be very good as well, but I really still feel as if the card is missing that huge, over the top kind of match that you would expect at a show of this magnitude. Will the show be very good? Duh, it's an ROH show. But I just expected more. I know that Ari is really feeling the whole Jimmy Jacobs-Austin Aries-Lacey storyline deal, but to me, it's just not enough to make me care. Sure, Jimmy has gotten a lot better over the years, as Ari has reminded the readers of the column for 186 consecutive weeks (what are you? His agent? His manager? His buddy?), but I still don't totally buy him as a top-level guy. As a manager, as a voice box, as a tag team wrestler, sure. As a top singles guy? No way. Does he have the story to back up his rage? Yes, he sure does. I just don't see it where it counts, in the ring. Aries was the ROH World Champion, and a fairly dominant one at that, and if push really came to shove, I think we all know that he could easily beat Jacobs. He beat Joe for Christ's sake! Could Jimmy do that? I say thee nay!

Topic #2: A Rumor That I Heard From A Very Reliable Source: Recently, an acquaintance of mine let me know that he spotted Cary Silkin and company at an as of now un-named venue that is fairly well known to us here in Brooklyn, and has been suggested as a new site for future ROH shows. Silkin was in attendance and seated in the front row for a Professional Boxing show at the venue and when it was completed, my acquaintance and his co-workers escorted Mr. Silkin around the facility, much to the positive response from the ROH big-wig. If this rumor comes to fruition, I think that ROH will really find that business in Brooklyn would be an excellent idea, and that it should replace any venue in Nassau or Suffolk counties. The venue itself is outstanding and brand new, and has more than ample room for a show like the ROH likes to put on. I have attended a Golden Gloves fight card there recently, and I will say this. They need to book this place now. Not that I'm biased and want to be able to walk to an ROH show or anything. Could the venue be "too close" to the Manhattan shows? Maybe, but think about this. New York is a rabid wrestling town. The NYC and Edison shows always do great gate, so why couldn't Brooklyn just add to that mix? Make it happen, Cary. If you do, I'll even invite the entire locker room to my house for a post show barbeque, and you can ask Ari just how good my BBQ's are if you need some context. MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

Topic #3: Various Issues From Around The Mat World: So, a lot of things have gone down while I was away, so what I'll do is take a quick fire run through some stuff and bang them all out in one shot.

> Joe Wins The TNA Belt -- It's about freaking time! Nice work, my Samoan friend, congrats and don't drop it at the PPV this weekend, please.

>The Murder City Machine Guns ROH Weekend -- How awesome was it to have Shelley and Sabin back in ROH, even if it was just for a small number of shows? I hope that they can be brought in a bit more, especially for an NYC show.

>Jimmy and Lacey -- I know I mentioned this before, but we all knew she was a slut and he was a little bitch, so it shouldn't have surprised anyone that Aries could easily work his way into her pants. That's what a REAL man does. Nice Job, Austin. Too bad you're getting Jacob's sloppy seconds. Then again, what was the alternative? Tammy Sytch? 12 years ago, I would have said that would have been the move, but now? I don't know. Just saying.

>The WWE -- I've been watching Raw a lot over the last few weeks, and I've actually enjoyed myself, even with Triple H as the champ. The one thing that I've enjoyed most is the return of the sinister William Regal. It's good to have that character back and messing with everyone. I do have one question though. What was with Trevor Murdoch singing Garth Brooks a few weeks ago? I have to give it to the big fella, as singing acapella is challenging and he did a half way decent job.

>Ashley Massaro is for sale? -- Ashley? A high-priced call girl? A WWE diva, selling her body for cash? NO FREAKING WAY. Doesn't Vince pay the Diva's enough so that they don't have to supplement their income by turning tricks? Rumor around the hood has it that Ari was heading off to the bank to cash in some change so that he could get something out of this deal (Ugg, God no Chris… you couldn't pay ME enough! -a-). If it were let's say, Stacy Keibler, Torrie Wilson, or Kelly Kelly, I'd refinance my mortgage to make it happen, but Ashley Massaro? I don't think so. Who would have figured that Matt Hardy would have dated two loose women in a row, you know? (…allegedly –a-) Poor bastard.

>Nick Hogan is going to jail -- what a shock. If you watched that reality show the Hogan's did on VH1 a few years back, you just had to see this one coming. What do you expect from a child of privilege, who always got and got away with whatever they wanted. I'm glad that he has to spend time behind bars, because maybe, just maybe, it will make him realize that he's not the only one on the planet, and that he has to consider other people's safety when he does whatever it is that he does. I guess Hulk can win the parent of the year award from the same people who gave Lindsay Lohan's mother the "Parent of the Year" deal the other day. What a world we live in.

>Joey Styles off ECW TV -- I feel terrible for Joey, but come on, who watches that show anyway? That was like the "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound?" kind of moment, you know? And don't even get me started on Mike Adamle. What a joke that is.

And on that note, I will take my leave for this week, and start preparing for next weeks list column. As all my friends know, I love making lists, ala Rob Gordon in High Fidelity, so I'll be busting my ass to come up with something that will make you laugh, make you mad, and hopefully, as I say to the kids I teach, make you think a little bit. Right now though I would be remiss if I didn't take a second and thank the person that supported me during my malaise, Mr. Ari Berenstein. If it wasn't for your positive and easygoing attitude I don't know that I would have come back to this. Thanks for the support and belief, man. You're good people. If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask. I also want to thank all the people that I got to meet and know during my wanderings over the past few weeks. Its always cool to befriend new people, especially when they mean a lot to people that mean a lot to you, and I hope to maintain that positive connection and see you all soon. Well, that's just my two cents for this week. If you liked what I had to say or not, feel free to let me know what you think. Email me at [e-mail]. Have a great week, and I'll catch you next time.


Going Home

Name That Tune Week 33

Clue: Sex Pistols
Lyric:"Pleased to meet you!"

This Week's Winners (listed in order of entry)

For the third time in Name that Tune history, the readers of this column were shut out. Admittedly, this one was the toughest by far, with a multiple part "Scavenger Hunt" style search for clues. You had to google the Sex Pistols to come up with their seminal "Anarchy in the U.K." That was Arik Cannon's theme song for his appearance in Ring of Honor, but I told you that Sex Pistols was not the artist. So you needed to realize that "The Anarchist" is the nickname for ROH fan favorite import Doug Williams. His theme song in ROH? "Song 2" by Blur, which had the following chorus:

(Woo hoo) When I feel heavy metal
(Woo hoo) And I'm pins and I'm needles
(Woo hoo) Well I lie and I'm easy
All of the time but I'm never sure when I need you
Pleased to meet you

Better luck next time to my readers. Good thing that next time is now as you get a "Song 2" guess at for Name that Tune! for this week, May 10th, 2008!

Clue: two traffic light colors
Lyric: "Reflections seen by a fugitive / Trying to escape the looking glass."

What's the name of the song and the artist?

Send in your answers here and if you're correct I'll list your name in next week's column!

ROH @ 411

It's my first time captaining the ROH Roundtable with this week's pick for Virginia and NYC. I'm amping up the presentation with a few new additions. Hope you enjoy them

It's all Ari, all the time this week as I'm also featured in this week's 411 Buy or Sell going mano a mano with co Sara Del Rey appreciator Steve Cook about this weekend's ROH shows.

J.D. Dunn is all about giving you the ROH reviews and this past week he gave you a triple feature with Double Feature Part One and Double Feature Part Two Dragon Gate Challenge II and the awesomeness of Stevens vs. Strong at FIP: Redefined. So maybe that's really a quadruple feature?

Arnold Furious goes back to the awesome Low Ki vs. KENTA match from Final Battle 2005.

Jarrod Westerfield has a plethora of comments about ROH and the rest of the independent scene in his Scripted Through Sin.

Happy Birthday to my mom. It's a big one for her and she's about the only one I'd miss out on Ring of Honor for, so New York City, you go on without me.

And now…we conclude this episode with the following footage from a ROHbot protest rally: