Column of Honor: 06.07.08: The Second Age

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 06.07.2008

Jacobs and Black are the new ROH World Tag Team Champions, Karaoke with Chris Hero, Colt Cabana & Ronnie the Rabbit, Matt Sydal debuts in ECW and more CHIKARA is finally added to the Independent Buy In!

In case you missed it, Larry Csonka and I cover the Take No Prisoners PPV in audio form with The 411 Podcast. An hour of audio commentary about the highs and lows of the PPV.

Welcome to the Column.



Ring Toss
-ROH Results: June 6th, 2008 in Hartford, CT
-ROH Call
-ROH News
-My Fave 5
-Honorarium
-ROH Preview: June 7th 2008 in Philadelphia, PA
-Name That Tune
-Independent Buy In: CHIKARA DVDs
-ROH @ 411

-ROH Results: June 6th, 2008 in Hartford, CT


Matches

Pre-Show
-Rhett Titus defeated Bob Evans.
-Ernie Osiris retained the Top of the Class Trophy by defeating Mitch Franklin.

Main Show

-ROH World Tag Team Tournament: Quarter Finals: Sweet & Sour Inc. of Adam Pearce & Chris Hero defeated The Vulture Squad of Jigsaw & Ruckus via pinfall after Hero hits Ruckus with a roaring elbow.
-ROH World Tag Team Tournament: Quarter Finals: Kevin Steen & El Generico defeated ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Go Shiozaki via submission when Nigel tapped to a Steenshooter by Steen.
-ROH World Tag Team Tournament: Quarter Finals: The Age of the Fall of Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black defeated Delirious & Pelle Primeau via pinfall when Black hit Pelle with a Small Package Driver.
-ROH World Tag Team Tournament: Quarter Finals: Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson defeated The No Remorse Corps of Roderick Strong & Davey Richards via submission when Strong tapped to Danielson while in the Triangle Choke.
-ROH World Tag Team Tournament: Semi Finals: Kevin Steen & El Generico defeated Sweet & Sour Inc. of Chris Hero & Adam Pearce via pinfall when Generico pinned Hero with a roll-up.
-ROH World Tag Team Tournament: Semi Finals: The Age of the Fall of Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black defeated Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson via DQ when Aries used a chair and the referee saw it.
-Shane Hagadorn defeated Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne.
-Claudio Castagnoli defeated Eddie Edwards via pinfall with the European uppercut.
-Erick Stevens defeated The Necro Butcher and Brent Albright in a Triple Threat Match via pinfall when Stevens used a Doctor Bomb on Necro Butcher for the pinfall.
-ROH World Tag Team Tournament: Finals: Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black of Age of the Fall defeated Kevin Steen & El Generico when Black schoolboys Generico for the pinfall to win the ROH World Tag Team Titles.


Issues & Angles

The King Has Returned: Eddie Kingston, shit disturber extraordinaire made his presence felt after The Vulture Squad match and Jigsaw lost it. He and Eddie Kingston brawled for several minutes until Ruckus was able to break it up.

Don't Go On: After the Steenerico vs. McGuinness / Go match, Nigel attacked Steen using the chair to go after his knee looking to "Pilmanize" it. Go stops this from happening and he and Nigel have a stare down (setting up some tension for the title match tonight).

Can't he just text her the invite?: In another in ring segment, Delirious asked Daizee Haze out once more and again, Rhett Titus broke it up before Haze could give the green guy an answer. Haze tells off Titus and leaves without responding to Delirious and the is both upset and sad.

No Remorse, Even for Themselves: Roderick Strong and Davey Richards were giving each other a few mean looks after their loss to Aries & Danielson. CONTROVERSY!

Age of Garbage Throwing: Generico was taken out of the match due to injury about ten minutes in, but made the miracle return to a huge pop. After the AotF title win, the fans were so angered that they absolutely littered the ring with all sorts of garbage while Jacobs makes a victory speech.


ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 06/07/2008

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 15 successful defenses)
-defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Upcoming Defenses::
a. vs. Go Shiozaki, Philadelphia, PA, 06/07/08
b. vs. Vic Viper, Tallaght, Ireland, 06/14/08 (for Irish Whip Wrestling)
c. winner of (b) defends vs. IwW Champion Mandrake (title vs. title) , Cork, Ireland, 06/15/08 (for Irish Whip Wrestling)
d. vs. Darren Burridge, Doncaster, UK, 06/20/08 (for 1PW in England)

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)
V.14 defeated Claudio Castagnoli, London Dungeon, (05/10/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.15 defeated KENTA and BJ Whitmer, Jawbreaker Lariat to Whitmer (05/15/08, Tokyo, Japan)

**

ROH World Tag Team Champions—Age of the Fall (champions since 06/06/08, NEW Champions)
-won an eight man, single elimination tournament on June 6th in Hartford, CT to determine new champions

Next Defense: vs. Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson, Philadelphia, PA, 06/07/08

**

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
-What's in Sweeney's briefcase?
-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"
-Jigsaw vs. Eddie Kingston (Is Ruckus with The Vulture Squad or BLK OUT?)


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

Respect is Earned II PPV: Team Work vs. Age of the Fall for ROH World Tag Team Titles Signed

The following comes from ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky's message board update after the show from Hartford last night:

The Age Of The Fall of Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black captured the ROH World Tag Team Titles last night in Hartford, CT. They will immediately put them on the line. Tonight's bout pitting Jacobs & Black vs. Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries will now be for the ROH World Tag Team Titles.

There are no injuries coming out of last night's show and everyone is 100% for the PPV taping tonight.

The unique Osirian Portal will get a try-out match on the preshow tonight.

Ernie Osiris will put the Top Of The Class Trophy on the line against Rhett Titus tonight.

Well, I have to say ROH was quick on the ball…once again…in making sure that Age of the Fall defnds the titles under the worst of circumstances. This time around they must wrestle just one night after winning the belts and wrestling in three matches! Not that I can say I blame Ring of Honor after all…Age of the Fall has made no qualms about their dislike for the promotion and I'd guess after all this time that the feeling was pretty mutual. Now ROH has two of their best wrestlers matched up and ready to ensure that AotF's second tag title run is even shorter than it's first.

Its good news whenever ROH can report a full strength roster heading into a PPV taping. Osirian Portal getting a shot is excellent. They are CHIKARA Wrestle Factory students and up and coming team in that promotion. They have personality, a definitive character, some unique tag moves AND they will wrestle in front of likely a partial crowd as Philadelphia has become CHIKARA's home base.

After not defending the title for a while, Osirus is back on the shows with the student bowling trophy…I smell a new league champion at the end of this one.


Nigel McGuinness to defend the ROH World Title in Ireland

It looks like if Nigel McGuinness gets past the PPV tapings tonight he will be going through a bit of an international tour defending the ROH World Title. In addition to a defense in England, this news comes via the ROH message board and poster RoadWarrior, that Nigel will put his title on the line twice in Ireland. Here is the lineup:

Tallaght - Saturday 14th June
RoH Heavyweight Championship Match
NIGEL MCGUINNESS (c) vs. IwW Zero-Gravity Champion, VIC VIPER

Cork - Sunday 15th June
Title vs. Title
NIGEL MCGUINNESS/VIC VIPER (RoH Champion) vs. MANDRAKE (IwW Champion)


Danielson vs. Claudio in Chicago

A potentially great first time ever in ROH bout has been signed for the 6/28 return to Chicago. It will be Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli.

Danielson vs. Castagnoli…hmm…that sounds familiar to me personally…I guess you all will have to check out the upcoming 411 Independent Draft II feature for that one. In the real world though, this would be a first time match in ROH, but these two have fought in PWG previously in the infamous "ten minute headlock" match. As these two have a lot on the line in this match (ostensibly looks to be a number one contender's match) I'm hoping they decided to go for a more offense oriented match as opposed to a defensive match.


Dayton by Design

The first three matches are signed for the 6/27 return to Dayton. Austin Aries will continue his war against The Age Of The Fall. Jimmy Jacobs is sending The Necro Butcher after Aries in Dayton. June 27th will witness the first ever one-on-one match between Aries and Necro. It will be Relaxed Rules.

Danielson looks to be in for a tough weekend when ROH returns to the Midwest. Not only will he be faced by Castagnoli in Chicago, but he will wrestle Erick Stevens in Dayton. This is a rematch from their great match at "Transform" that saw Stevens rise to the occasion and defeat Danielson. Can Bryan even the score?

We aren't done announcing matches for 6/27 in Dayton. A tag team challenge match has been signed as Kevin Steen & El Generico finally team up in Dayton to take on The Age Of The Fall team of Jimmy Jacobs & Joey Matthews.

Of course Aries vs. Necro is relaxed rules. ALL Necro matches are relaxed rules. I'm guessing tons of Age of the Fall run ins on that one as they try to put Austin's head on a pike for daring to cross Jacobs. Danielson vs. Stevens should be good as well, but what happens really depends on the momentum each carries into the event and who needs the win more at that point. Now that the tag tournament is over, we can see that if Steen & Generico want a title shot in the near future that they will have to go up against this combination of wrestlers from Age of the Fall to do it. A fall over Jacobs could give immediate cause for a title match, say…in Canada?


Back in BLK?

We have late breaking, huge news for this Saturday in Philly. Word got back to The Vulture Squad that Eddie Kingston and members of BLCKOUT were going to crash the PPV taping and confront Ruckus. Now they won't have to crash the taping. Jigsaw of The Vulture Squad has challenged Kingston to a match. It will be Kingston vs. Jigsaw this Saturday in Philadelphia. Check the article on the main page of www.ROHwrestling.com for even more details and background on this red hot issue. It will be a battlefield in Philly when The Vulture Squad and BLCKOUT collide. Jigsaw will now team with Ruckus against Kevin Steen & El Generico as part of the PPV taping in the first half of the show. Jigsaw vs. Eddie Kingston will then take place after intermission. This could be the biggest night of Jigsaw's ROH career!!!

Kingston seems to have resolved some of those dreaded "real life issues" and made his booking last night and likely tonight in Philadelphia the V-Squad vs. BLK OUT feud reignites big time. I know it seems like an easy solution to just have Ruckus switch sides, but my guess is that the opposite will happen and Ruckus chooses to stick with Jig and J-Train, thus making it more of an even feud than just Jigsaw against the world.


ROH Home Theatre Station

Some great videos to show you this week:

ROH Videowire: June 4th, 2008



Austin Aries & Rhett Titus-Twins brothers from other mothers.


Colt Cabana & Ronnie the Rabbit (OVW)



1- This totally gives Colt CaBunny a whole new meaning.
2- How DID those ears come up anyway?

Finally, the coup de gras—Chris Hero sings Human League…and does a pretty good job of it! (UWA Hardcore)



That man is undoubtedly my hero.





1. Matt Sydal: What can I say but MARK OUT CITY when Matt Sydal appeared on screen for WWE programming. He was wearing his indie attire and had the Dragon Gate symbol on his tights no less! (I'm sure if he's back for future shots that will be the first thing to go). Sydal was treated with apathy by the crowd and even had his name mispronounced but got over super fast. Like in a matter of seconds the crowd was on notice when he took that amazing bump. Then he actually got in some offense, including the fantastic headscissors and a flying double knees from the top that had the crowd and even the announcers (and Kofi Kingston doing guest commentary) amazed and impressed. Finally Sydal sold like a king in this one and the memorable end spot when he was powerbombed onto Kofi Kingston will live on for quite sometime due to the Kofi / Shelton feud continuing. Thumbs up to Sydal in WWE and let's hope for more from him in the weeks to come.
2. Shelton Benjamin / Kofi Kingston: These two have quickly become one of the more intriguing and ongoing feuds featured on WWE programming. The fans have actually begun to feel for Kofi and pop like crazy whenever he takes the offense to Shelton in these heated brawls and pull aparts. They're doing everything right to develop this little mid card rivalry and in the process helping to get over two wrestlers who should in fact be spotlighted.
3. CM Punk: Readers know about how much I support and like Punk and how much I want him to succeed (not necessarily from a kayfabe sense but just to be featured on WWE programming as he is). He was a part of a large portion of the ECW show and not only did he get a win in a four corner match he also put up a hell of a fight against Kane, a long established character in WWE.
4. Chris Jericho: Maybe the only wrestler who managed to keep me interested (and awake) on Monday night. I like the whole "about to snap" character development he's got going as it adds a dimension we rarely see in Y2J.
5. AJ Styles: I clicked onto the main event of TNA Impact this week and liked what I saw…until all the bullshit run ins and chaos that has been done to death and burnt to a crisp. BUT for ten minutes, AJ Styles was able to keep me watcjhing TNA programming, which is more than anyone else can say (even Samoa Joe as TNA champion hasn't been able to get me back to watch this show). AJ Styles looked awesome and reminded me of just how great he can be when he is who he is—a fiery and athletic baby face who never says die and does things no one else can do.


Honorarium

-So um seriously...are Kevin Steen and El Generico ROH World Tag Team champions yet? I'm waiting.

Yes I know I had that up last week… I'm just saying is all.


ROH Preview: Respect is Earned II PPV Taping June 7th 2008 in Philadelphia, PA

June 7th, 2008- 7:30 pm belltime
Pennsylvania National Guard Armory
2700 Southampton Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19154

ROH World Title Match
Nigel McGuinness defends vs. Go Shiozaki

On the surface this seems like just another title defense for Nigel…but when you peel back the layers, this one could really be special. Nigel and Go have teamed up on occasion in ROH AND the events of last night's show reveal there is indeed an underlying tension between the two. Go is definitely noble and honorable and helped Steen & Generico after the match, but Nigel is no longer in possession of any of those qualities. Therefore look for that binary to be the dynamic of this match. Nigel will look to use his arm based submission offense and lariats, but will cut any corners to get the win. Go meanwhile will look to impress the PPV audience with a fantastic and likely gutsy performance that will draw comparisons to Tyler Black's match against McGuinness from the "Take No Prisoners" PPV.

ROH World Tag Team Title Match
Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black defend vs. Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson

Just one day after winning the belts, Jacobs and Black go up against two of the best wrestlers on the roster. If they lose, they lose everything once again. Aries and Danielson have some great tag team work and while on the last PPV they demonstrated their skills against one another, this time around they must use their skills to help each other. The big question is if Aries' temper can be kept in check enough for them to win the match. He cost the team the match at the tag tournament, now will it happen two nights in a row?

Fight Without Honor (Non Title)
FIP World Champion Roderick Strong vs. Erick Stevens

Strong and Stevens are one of those combinations of wrestlers where it is difficult to almost impossible for them to have a bad match against each other. These two impressed so much against each other down in FIP, but they have also had several fantastic matches within an ROH ring. Their bout at "Man Up" was a declarative statement and their follow ups at "Final Battle 2007" and "Supercard of Honor III" gave ample proof of it. These two love to hit hard, chop the crap out of each other and take the idea of hatred and bring it up two notches. Strong cost Stevens his Mohawk, so in this Fight Without Honor I'm thinking its Stevens' turn to get some payback, most likely with Strong's blood on his hands.

Special Tag Team Challenge
Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Ruckus & Jigsaw with Julius Smokes

Just one night after an impressive run to the finals of the tag tournament, Team Steenerico has to go back to the drawing board. They need some more wins in order to earn a title shot against the new champions. The Vulture Squad work well as a team and have some flashy moves that gets the crowd behind them. However, one has to wonder if the issues with Kingston will have them too distracted in this match. I wonder indeed if we will see the PPV debut of Eddie Kingston and / or BLK OUT in this one.

Non-PPV Match - Falls Count Anywhere
Jay Briscoe vs. The Necro Butcher

I'm not quite sure why this one is a non-PPV match. I think it would have been a really good one to include on the show to continue the overall arc of The Briscoes vs. Age of the Falll even through Mark's injury absence. Expect another brawling style match, with the usual Necro Butcher chicanery and weapon usage. We may even get a random Mark run in to help put the man down, but then again we could just as easily see some AoTF members make their presence known.

Special Challenge Match
Jigsaw vs. Eddie Kingston

Jigsaw has a huge opportunity here with this new feud against Kingston—he can really show the fans that he can be an interesting and effective babyface even without his mask. Kingston is going into his first match since his incorporation into ROH storylines with some fans already excited about him and others already wishing he would just go away. Believe it or not-this is good news for ROH, because it means there is already buzz and heat for this match, these two just have to access it and use it. Hopefully we'll get a good brawl between the two, and as I've said before and elsewhere I don't expect Ruckus to pick a side just yet.

Already signed: Claudio Castagnoli; Davey Richards; Sweet & Sour Inc. of Chris Hero, Adam Pearce & Eddie Edwards with Larry Sweeney, Sara Del Rey, Shane Hagadorn & Bobby Dempsey; Delirious; Daizee Haze; Brent Albright; Rhett Titus; Pelle Primeau plus more will be added!!!


And now its time for the patented not pending anytime soon, always wrong and NEVER right, Ari's match predictions!

Lots of people scheduled to appear and most of the non PPV matches have been filled up, so what we're going to do here is see how to fill in the rest of the PPV.

Everyone (including myself) has been speculating left and right about what is in Larry Sweneey's briefcase. Now it has to be something that changes the paradigm of Ring of Honor in some way or else the announcement / big reveal could be considered a let down. At the same time, we know that this is something that is beneficial to Adam Pearce, as it was one of the things agreed upon by both to allow for the Hangmen Three-Sweet & Sour merger to go through. There are a few options, including what majority of people seem to believe is in there is Pearce's NWA Heavyweight Title. This will prop up Pearce and The Inc. as having a bargaining chip against ROH officials because they can claim Pearce is a true Heavyweight Champion and thus better than Nigel (think what Roderick was trying to claim earlier in the year or better yet, Flair's first appearance in WWF). The other realistic option would be contracts for title matches for Pearce. OR other talent contracts for new members of Sweet & Sour Inc.

My guess is that the briefcase does not have a talent contract, but that one or more members of the roster will align themselves with Sweeney at any rate. I'm thinking the time is right for Davey Richards to join The Inc. As such we're going to get:

-PPV: Brent Albright & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Davey Richards & Chris Hero
-PPV: Adam Pearce vs. Pelle Primeau

-Delirious asking Haze out for real this time and getting an answer (either way). Then he & Rhett Titus in some sort of match or pull apart.


Going Home

Name That Tune Week 36

Clue: Aries was one of these / "For a few seconds…"
Lyric:"You are no lamb / Any man a creep"

Luckily adding that second clue helped stir up some of the natives and we have winners!

The Answer: "A Victim A Target" by Misery Signals (Roderick Strong's theme)

This Week's Winners (listed in order of entry)
Joe Leonardo
Holski
You_think_you_know_me

There are only five more weeks of Name That Tune before I put this puppy into retirement (It's hard to come up with new ones after all this time!) So let's make the last few weeks count and play Name that Tune! for this week, June 7th, 2008!

Clue: BoLA
Lyric: "Wit tha sure shot, sure ta make tha bodies drop / Drop an don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op"

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!

Ringtones

Mark Kohn talks Take No Prisoners and the one-two punch of the main event:


I watched the Guest Booker with Gabe Sapolsky DVD where he re-books the recent WWECW and he said something that I have really noticed. He was talking about how at one point WWE would put on a woman's match in the second to last spot, which I believe became known as the death spot. Since its purpose was for the fans to recuperate their heat or noise making and save it for the main event. Basically a way to assure the main event does not have a dead crowd. Well, Gabe said his booking philosophy is to have two great matches (main events) finish the show. Because as he said the rest of the card could be crap or just okay, but if the last two matches are very good to awesome, the crowd goes home happy. I think TNP PPV was a good example of this, (although you and others might say the tag title match was very good.) I also liked the match myself. But there is no arguing that Aries v. Dragon and Nigel v. Black were both great matches. I thought of the Manassas show I went to with Black v. Dragon and the NRC v. Noah main events and no disrespect to the other matches, but it seems Gabe tries to make sure at least the last two matches of most shows will be phenomenal matches. Which hey if only every booker had that mind set.

You can definitely go back to many different shows from 2006 onwards and see this philosophy of a great last two matches being put into effect. It helps the crowd leave on an upbeat note and makes sure they have something to remember the show by at the end of the night. As good or not good as the earlier matches were, fans are likely to judge a show based on its main event. By that score, having two great main event matches to end the night makes the likelihood of rave reviews that much more.


**The Independent Buy In**

2008
**CHIKARA "Cibernetico & Robin" (Torneo Cibernetico: Kings of Wrestling vs. Dorado's Luchadores, The Olsen Twins / Cheech & Cloudy, Quackenbush / Donst, The Colony / BLK OUT ) High Recommendation
**CHIKARA "Brusied" (Kingston / Donst, Campeones de Parejas: F.I.S.T. vs. Incoherence / Castagnoli / Taylor, The Colony / Brodie Lee & Olsen Twins, Cheech & Cloudy / Osirian Portal ) High Recommendation
**Pro Wrestling NOAH "Special Budokan Double Shot"7/15 & 9/9/07 (Determination League Semi Finals & Finals, NTV Cup Finals)High Recommendation
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 1 (Castagnoli / Williams, Evans / Pac, Black / Shelley, Aries / Strong, PWG Tag Titles: Generico & Steen / Dragon Kid & Susumu Yokosuka)Medium Recommendation
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 2 (CIMA / Tornado, Steen / Butcher, McGuinness / Richards, Kid / Yokosuka) Low Recommendation
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 3 (the entire show) High Recommendation
**Shimmer Volume 11 (Sarah Stock / MsChif, Sarah Stock / Cheerleader Melissa, Sara Del Rey / Cindy Rogers, Nikki Roxx / Lacey, Daizee Haze / Malia Hosaka, Allison Danger / Hosaka)High Recommendation
**SHIMMER Volume 12 (Del Rey / Lacey, Del Rey / Sarah Stock, Haze / Lacey, Portuguese Princess Ariel / Josie / Nikki Roxx / Portia Perez, Melissa & MsChif / Lexie Fyfe & Hosaka)High Recommendation
**SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 13 (Melissa / Portuguese Princess Ariel, "Dark Angel" Sarah Stock / Daizee Haze, Portia Perez / MsChif, Del Rey & Roxx vs. Rain & Lacey, O'Neal vs. Melissa) Medium Recommendation
**SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 14 (SHIMMER Title: Del Rey / Lacey, Nikki Roxx / Amazing Kong, Two out of Three falls: Allison Danger / Cindy Rogers, Portuguese Princess Ariel / Amber O'Neal) Medium Recommendation
**CHIKARA The Battle of Who Could Care Less (Incoherence & Tim Donst / BLK OUT, Claudio Castagnoli & Equinox / Hero & Hawke, Lince Dorado & Pantera / Olsen Twins, Quackenbush & The Colony / F.I.S.T. / Osirian Portal) High Recommendation
**CHIKARA The Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence (Campeones de Parejas: Incoherence / Cheech & Cloudy, Lucha de Apresta: Chris Hero / Equinox, F.I.S.T., Ellis, Ryder / Quack / Donst / Super Smash Bros.) Medium Recommendation
**CHIKARA Chapter 11 (Hallowicked / Kingston, Colony / Super Smash Brothers & Shane Storm, Tex-Arkana Title Match: Alvarez / Sweeney, Quack, Trik Davis & Helios / Shayne Hawke & The Osirian Portal, MIYAWAKI, Hasegawa & Pantera / Cheech & Cloudy & Delirious) High Recommendation
**SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 15 (SHIMMER Title: Sara Del Rey / Amazing Kong, Daizee Haze / Sara Stock, Cheerleader Melissa / Alexa Thatcher, Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew / Ariel & Josie, Sereena Deeb / Jetta) High Recommendation
**SHIMMER Women's Athletes Volume 16 (SHIMMER Title Two Out of Three Falls: Sara Del Rey / Sara Stock, Amazing Kong / Cheerleader Melissa, Daizee Haze MsChif & Eden Black / Lacey, Rain & Jetta, Portia Perez & Nicole Matthews / Ariel & Josie, Sereena Deeb / Jetta) High Recommendation


**CHIKARA Two Eyebrows Are Better Than One (Castagnoli, Lince Dorado & Ophidian / Quackenbush, Donst & Amasis, Kingston / Storm, Colony / F.I.S.T., Moravian Greyhound / Zombie Plantain / Hydra) (NEW ADDITION) Medium Recommendation
Why You Should Buy In: The "pre season" show of 2008 (back in January) is still just as fun and entertaining as any regular season show from CHIKARA. Some good matches, some good hearted fun thanks to the Colin Olsen / Colin Delaney situation (wrapped up in bandages and explaining that he fell down some stairs) and a lengthy and satisfying main event match make this worth the price of the disc. Plus there's a zombie Plantain! If that isn't worth watching, I don't know what is.
Match of the DVD: The "parejas increinles" match, where random wrestlers get mixed and matched in combinations you wouldn't expect, find the rising tag duo of The Osirian Portal on opposite sides of the fence for the first time.. Quackenbush and Castagnoli keep the match tied together tightly, but everyone gets a chance to impress, including Lince Dorado (returning from his devastating head injury from December) and Tim Donst.
Positives & Negatives Storm vs. Kingston is a close second for best match on the DVD as these two just tear at each other in a vicious brawl. Storm takes some wicked punishment and bleeds profusely and boy it isn't pretty. They would recently have a rematch of this encounter and the results were very similar. As mentioned, there is a Zombie Plantain who wrestles on this show, matched up with CHIKARA's resident man-monster Hydra and the Moravian college mascot, a greyhound. I loved the comedy of this one, with the greyhound wanting some treats and doing tricks for Hydra, only to get tricked. Of course, the JYD headbuts were performed as well. Of course there were some negatives to this DVD as well… Sara Del Rey and Kylie Pearce had an absolutely awful match in my opinion. It was a definite mess. I wasn't much a fan of Jimmy Olsen vs. Sabian either, other than the Colin Delaney gag. Then again, that may be because Sabian is not my cup of tea.

**CHIKARA King of Trios Night One (Colony / Go, Nakazawam Shimizu, Osirian Portal & Mecha Mummy / Quackenbush, Storm & Skayde, Cheech & Cloudy & M.C. KZ / Quackenbush, Storm & Skayde, Delirious, Hallowicked & Helios / The Cartel) (NEW ADDITION) High Recommendation
Why You Should Buy In: CHIKARA's biggest tournament of the year starts with this disc and the first half of the brackets. Lots of fun matches and wacky out there characters providing wacky entertainment and also, good wrestling matches. This DVD has The Colony, Quack's team and The Golden Trio featured—three great face teams that always provide quality matches.
Match of the DVD: Lots of choices but the one I most enjoyed was Cheech, Cloudy & MC KZ vs. Quack, Storm and Skayde. Jorge "Skayde" Rivera provides some excellent lucha passes and even though it is a face vs. face bracket the match has a ton of drama to it due to some fantastic nearfalls and trio combinations.
Positives & Negatives As much as I enjoyed the presence of Kaiju on the last DVD, their participation in the trios tournament left a lot to be desired. Their match against the Neo Solar Temple wasn't everything I thought it would be. The Chivas were entraining in their match but showed a lot green in missing some moves and taking some very hard bumps. Shane Hagadorn had a big opportunity to do a promo at the beginning of the DVD and well, I have to say he dropped the ball. But Rhett and Alex helped to pick it back up. Ophidian, Amasis and Mecha Mummy proved to be quite an entertaining Egyptian themed dream team. Meanwhile Michael Nakazawa…I think I freaked out about a billion times watching him and his use of the baby oil as his gimmick. I have never been some disgusted and yet compelled to watch as I have when watching his match. The Colony meanwhile is as solid as ever as a trio and really provide some of my favorite matches in the promotion. I think the concept of the team is fantastic and love how each one puts their spin on the character of being a masked ant. They were an effective backbone to this tournament.

We'll close out with the last two nights of the King of Trios in NEXT week's column!

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ROH @ 411

Care to see how the 411 Staff made out in their predictions for last night's tournament? If you do and also want to know our picks for tonight's PPV tapings, check out the 411 ROH Roundtable hosted by yours truly!

411 Buy or Sell also has plenty of ROH talk this week.

Bayani Domingo talks about the future of the Independent wrestling landscape, including ROH and PWG's futures in this week's Truth B Told.

There has been TREMENDOUS coverage of the ROH Take No Prisoners Pay Per View right here at 411, maybe more reviews and columns covering this show than any previous PPV to date. Larry Csonka has his 4 R's of Take No Prisoners. J.D. Dunn provides his PPV Breakdown coverage style. John Gregory gives you his take on the show in his Death By Midwest video review column. And one more time if you enjoy reviews in audio form Larry and I have an in-depth review of The 411 Podcast of Take No Prisoners.

Next week, results from the PPV taping, more CHIKARA added to the Independent Buy In and the return of the ROH Stockmarket Report! Everyone have a great week.

BROOKLYN!
-Ari-