Column of Honor 06.28.08: Marital Vows--The Really, Really Short Version

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 06.28.2008

Results from Dayton and a preview of tonight in Chicago…then my bro Chris Miccio helps a brother out with extensive comments on the ROH / NWA relationship, the WWE draft and the UFC Ultimate Fighter finale! Plus the ROH TOOLBAR! Ooooo!

Princess Vespa: I can see it all now.
[turns to King Roland]
Princess Vespa: Can't you see he loves me?
Minister: Excuse me! I'm trying to conduct a wedding here which has nothing to do with love, so please be quiet!
King Roland: I'm sorry.
Princess Vespa: I'm sorry.
Prince Valium: I'm sorry.
Minister: Don't be sorry, be quiet!
Princess Vespa, King Roland, Prince Valium: [shouts] Sorry!

-Spaceballs

It's the weekend of my sister's wedding and like I said last week, it's going to be a shortened version of the column from me this time around. Thankfully I have my buddy Chris Miccio to help fill in with the commentary and opinionation this week, and I'll have a few of the smaller features as well. Then we'll be back to our regularly scheduled column for next week.

In the meantime, Welcome to the Column. Black Tie optional.



Ring Toss
-ROH Results: Battle for Supremacy: Dayton, OH, June 27th, 2008
-ROH Call
-ROH News
-Honorarium
-ROH Preview: "Vendetta II" in Chicago Ridge, IL June 28th, 2008
-My Two Cents with Chris Miccio
-Honor System
-Name That Tune
-Ringtones
-The Independent Buy In
-ROH @ 411
-ROH Outside 411

ROH Results: Battle for Supremacy: Dayton, OH, June 27th, 2008

Matches (results from rohwrestling.com message board)

Preshow
-Pelle Primeau & Kyle Durden defeated The Soul Shooters via pinfall with a bridging school boy.
-Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne & Ernie Osiris defeated two "local talents" via pinfall with a modified code red.
-"Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus defeated Sam Callahan via pinfall with a crucifix bomb.

Main Show

-Shane Hagadorn & Tank Tolland defeated Silas Young & Mitch Franklin. Tolland pinned Franklin with a one armed slam
-Tyler Black defeated Delirious via pinfall with a small package driver.
-Claudio Castagnoli defeated Brent Albright & Jay Briscoe via pinfall on Jay with a running European Uppercut.
-Erick Stevens defeated "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson via pinfall with the Doctor Bomb.
-Necro Butcher defeated Austin Aries via pinfall with a chair shot in a short brawl.
-Kevin Steen & El Generico defeated Jimmy Jacobs & Joey Matthews via pinfall. Steen pinned Jacobs following a Generico Yakuza Kick.
-Chris Hero defeated Roderick Strong via pinfall after a roaring elbow.
-ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness defeated NWA Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce following a lariat to retain the ROH World Championship, and become NEW NWA World Heavyweight Champion. However, the decision was overturned due to the NWA over the top rope DQ rule. This results in no title change and both men keep their respective belts.

Angles and Issues

-Retrained: Tank Tolland returned to the services of Sweet & Sour Incorporated and Subbed for Bobby Dempsey in the tag match. Brent Albright cleared the ring after the match.

-Is the NWA Heavyweight Title in There Too?: Daizee Haze made her presence known during the Black vs. Delirious match. Allison Wonderland knocked Haze out with a loaded purse. An obviously concerned Rhett Titus helped Haze to the back after the match.

-Inc. Stain: Sweet & Sour Inc. returned the favor to Brent Albright after his three way dance but Albright once again clears them all out.

-Aries Autocracy: Initially, Austin Aries stated he didn't want to fight Necro, that his fight was with Jimmy Jacobs only. He recommended that Necro leave Age of the Fall but Necro didn't respond to that and fought Aries anyway. Strangely, Aries stopped fighting back later on in the match and took a chair shot from Necro for the pin.

-Where's Paramore because there's a RIOT!: An ROH tradition returns as a riot breaks out between all the wrestlers to end the night. Mark Briscoe was back and Kevin Steen ended the night cutting a promo about being a champion by ROH's return to Dayton.

Here's the full description courtesy of a post made by ROH boarder Running Knee Strike:

SNS brawls with Nigel a little, but out comes Albright to jump them. Albright is kicking ass until Hero shows up to slow him down. But as soon as SNS takes control again, out comes Claudio and Jay to even the odds a bit. Claudio and Albright fight SNS to the back, leaving Jay in the ring...to get jumped by the entire Age of the Fall.....expect for Necro, making the crowd wonder if Aries' words got to him. Steenerico run out to........save Jay Briscoe???? Necro FINALLY shows up to give AOTF a numbers advantage....until MARK BRISCOE's crazy ass flies into the ring, and into the fight. We have a DIVE FEST! As MArk and Generico do craxzy dives to opposite sides at the same time...which was great. Tyler did a moonsault, but he landed BADLY on the guardrail, and I hope he's ok, because it looked serious. Necro did a senton onto everyone, which got a huge pop.

AOTF gets beat up, and chased out....leaving The Briscoes and Steenerico alone in the ring. They stare each other down, and the crowd start going nuts with nostalgia of last year. All of a sudden, they start brawling, but the Briscoes run away! They just kinda limp to the back, using Mark's wrist as their reason for running away. Funny: the crowd was chanting 'man up,' as the Briscoes ran like scalded dogs.

Returns Date: November 21st, 2008.


ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 06/21/2008

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 18 successful defenses)
-defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Next Defense::vs. Kevin Steen, Toronto, ONT, CN, 07/25/08

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)
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)
V.16 defeated Go Shiozaki, London Dungeon (06/07/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.17 defeated Vic Viper, London Dungeon (06/14/08, Tallaght, Ireland)
V.18 (title for title) defeated NWA Champion Adam Pearce, Jawbreaker Lariat (06/27/08, Dayton, OH)
*match later reversed via DQ, both men keep their respective titles.

**

ROH World Tag Team Champions—The 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:TBD

V.1 defeated Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson (06/07/08, Philadelphia, PA)

**

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)
Belt Reactivated as of 06/07/08 as both Hero & Del Rey are bringing them to ROH events.

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): Rhett "Addicted to Love" Titus (since 06/07/2008)
-defeated Ernie Osiris via pinfall to win the trophy.

**

Top Feuds & Pairings:
-Bryan Danielson's road to an ROH World Title Shot
-Nigel McGuinness defends the belt against top contenders
-ROH and the NWA Heavyweight Title
-Austin Aries / Jimmy Jacobs
-The Age of the Fall vs. The Briscoes
-Sweet & Sour Inc. "Corporate Takeover"
Albright vs. Sweet & Sour Inc.
-Roderick Strong wants payback on Sweet & Sour Inc. for Richards' betrayal of the NRC
-Jigsaw vs. Eddie Kingston (Is Ruckus with The Vulture Squad or BLK OUT?)


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

Nigel vs. Steen ROH World Title Rematch announced for Toronto

On the latest video wire (see below), Kevin Steen challenges Nigel McGuinness for a third title shot on the grounds that he defeated Nigel with the sharpshooter in tag team action during the tournament in Hartford, CT. The title rematch would occur for ROH's debut in Toronto Canada n July 25th. McGuinness later agreed to this match during the video wire, citing the satisfaction it would give him to defeat Steen lose in his own home country,


ROH Toolbar Available Soon

ROH announced the development of an internet toolbar devolted to ROH. It has lready has a beta launch for Microsoft Internet Explorer users at rohmedia.com. According to their press release, fans who use the toolbar will have faster access to news and show announcements, special sales, and more importantly new interviews with ROH wrestlers. They also announced a special ROH podcast.

And oh...what a podcast it seems to be... if you download the toolbar and click on ROhradio.xml you have three choices... one being Adam Pearce talking with Nigel McGuinness about their unification match... and then BUSHWACKER LUKE WILLIAMS INTERVIEWS LARRY SWEENEY. I kid you not. THAT is some surreal stuff right there.

This is an interesting technology add on for ROH fans, but I'm not sure yet how it will add on newer fans to the product, as most of the people who download the program will already know about ROH. While I'm excited to see new and exclusive content come out from these developments, I continue to think ROH should concentrate on advertising out of the internet and explore other mediums such as print ads and local television commercials before they run a town.


Motor City gets a bit of Team Work in Virgina

One of the main events of ROH's return to Manassas, VA on 8/1 has been signed and it is a doozy. The Motor City Machine Guns of Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin will make a rare ROH appearance on that show. After defeating then ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe in Chicago, they want to get into title contention and get more ROH bookings. We already know they will face Kevin Steen & El Generico on 8/2 in Manhattan. Now on 8/1 they are not only wrestling one of ROH's best teams, but ROH's two aces. 8/1 in Manassas will have Shelley & Sabin vs. Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries!!! This one is particularly interesting because it re-ignites and Aries vs. Shelley feud.

July 25th will see a rematch of "A New Level" in Manhattan. It will be Austin Aries & Jay Briscoe vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black in a No DQ Match. It could be even bigger. If Mark Briscoe is cleared to wrestle it will be a six man with Necro Butcher joining The Age Of The Fall side.

Motor City vs. Danielson & Aries was a terrific choice and certainly a heavy selling point for the Virginia crowd. I have to say that initially I didn't think of matching them up against those two, but if we're going with the storyline of the Machine Guns wanting a title match, then it actually makes sense to put them up against Danielson and Aries. Two of the top wrestlers in the company followed by one of the best teams in the company and if they can beat both of them, they certainly will have earned the title shot.

The match announcement here ensures that Aries' feud against Age of the Fall will continue onwards past tonight's grudge match encounter. I think that the extra news of Mark's involvement in the match and his continued appearances on the shows might be a deeper hint that Mark is coming back sooner rather than later.


Pre Release Sale for Dayton and Chicago fans

We have a special merchandise announcement for the fans coming to Dayton and Chicago. There will be a special pre-release of ROH's next two retail DVDs. Only fans at the live shows can get "Greatest Rivalries" and "Best In The World" this weekend. The DVDs will be released on July 8th and the pre-orders will be mailed then. However, you can get them this weekend in person at the live events in Dayton and Chicago. "Best In The World" features the famous five star Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi match with commentary for the first time.

Good on ROH for giving the fans in attendance a bit of a jump on getting these DVDs. There's always some new fans in the crowd wondering what DVDs to buy and having these greatest hits releases available helps to solve that problem.


He's a Honky Tonk Man…He's Cool, He's Cocky, He's Bad

The Honky Tonk Man will be at the ROH event this Saturday in Chicago signing autographs. Yes, that Honky Tonk Man.

HTM has been revealed to be one of the most outrageous characters on the independent scene. His shoot interviews are entertaining because you have no clue what he's going to say next, but it's likely to be over the top, over the line and yes, hysterical. I would hope ROH uses him in some way here either in an interview or some backstage segment, but I would love to see him play his song live in Chicago and see how the crowd deals with it. Hey, if ROH can have Bushwacker Luke…

I only wonder who's next? Duke the Dumpster Drose? Abe "Knuckleball" Shwartz? The Gobbledygooker?


ROH Home Video Station







Honorarium

-You know, just when I was fully convinced that WWE was back on the right track with their product—they had won me back over during the course of the last year, they have to go back and once again prove how stupid and insulting they can be. As always, McMahon made it about himself last Monday Night…even after the draft that changed a lot of wrestlers around…even after the million dollar give away…even after the HBK injury angle to help bring some heavy heat to his feud with Jericho…Vince once again had to make it all about himself by ending the night with another one of his Vince gets injured angles. It was ridiculous last year when he "blew up" and it was even more so this time around when the scaffolding and the stage somehow "broke" (when somehow it was just fine all night) and "hurt him". Stupid, stupid, stupid. It really made me mad and all the excitement I had for the possibilities of new matches and scenarios coming out of the draft was wiped out in about one minutes worth of television time.

-Meanwhile, TNA continues to turn it around, with a third week in a row of strong television. Once again I tuned in for just the X Cup matches (you have to take them while you can get them). I expect TNA to turn back into a rotten tomato any second now…but for right now I can't complain all that strenuously about them.

-After watching the video wire with the footage from the Titus-Haze-Delirious triangle I can definitely say that Rhett Titus has come into his own. He has found his gimmick and it is going to work for him big time in Ring of Honor and around the independent scene. The smirk he gives behind Haze and Delirious's back (which the crowd can see) after convincing Haze he's a changed man is absolutely genius. Give this guy some time and he's going to be one of the better mid card characters in the company.

Some CHIKARA CHIKomments:

-Does anybody else think that Brodie Lee looks like actor Jason Lee? He's got the eyes and facial expressions mixed in with the redneck look from My Name is Earl and his first name is also the name of the character from Mallrats. These coincidences are just too many adding up to only one conclusion… Brodie and Jason Lee are long lost brothers! They should star in a movie and be played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito.

-I really love the addition of Bull Pain to the CHIKARA roster as Vin Gerard's back up against The Colony. Not only is Bull Pain someone who you'd never expect to see in CHIKARA, his presence also raises the stakes of the feud. Not only that but the guy is just plain old nutty and wacky in a good way and his craziness actually fits within the company.

-I'm waiting for Player Uno to upgrade from an 8 bit luchador to a 16 bit luchador. Then he can have a Super Nintendo controller on his tights!


ROH Preview: Vendetta II: Chicago Ridge, IL, June 28th, 2008

Frontier Fieldhouse
7:30 pm belltime
9807 Sayre Ave.
Chicago Ridge, IL 60415

The Main Event - Grudge Match
Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs

This is likely the first of many grudge match encounters between Aries and Jacobs. As intense and violent as this one might get I suspect it will solve nothing. Both men have a lot to fight over—love lost and lost love. That's a personal motivation whose fire does not extinguish after one match. Aries is working an interesting psychological game in attempting to free Necro from the clutches of Age of the Fall, but Jacobs has likewise gotten into Aries' head with his attack on Lacey. Expect some weapons to be used in this one, including Jacobs walking stick in which he carries his spike. At least one of them will be bleeding by the end of it.

Non-Title Special Challenge Match
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Jerry Lynn

I'm hoping Lynn makes a great impression on the ROH crowd during this match and that allows him to be invited back for future ROH appearances. Fact of the matter is ROH could use someone like Lynn as a veteran leader but also someone who can still go in the ring and who can contribute a great deal to the overall depth of the company. Lynn can still have a very exciting match and he has the stamina to go a long time (see his three match tournament experience in this year's IWC Super Indy tournament). His last opponent in Ring of Honor was Nigel McGuinness and his first opponent back in ROH is Nigel McGuinness. How about that for synchronicity? I expect Nigel to get the win here buy for lynn to get the standing "O" and "please come back" chants at the end of it.

First Time In ROH Match
Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli

This could be a doozy of a match. Or it could not be. I know everyone including me has talked about the headlock match with a sort of awe and fascination, but I believe there will be a revolt if they give the ROH fans that match. I'd like this to be a good back and forth technical match with both men working on a body part and that affecting their trademark moves. But please, no ten minute headlock sequence. The winner of this one should ostensibly be the number one contender to the ROH World Title, but Danielson is currently on the storyline that he has to defeat everyone Nigel defeated as champion. He didn't do it to Erick Stevens last night, suffering a set back, and if he can't do it tonight against Claudio, then we're looking at a major blow to Danielson's campaign…and you'd have to wonder about his long term future within the company in that he is putting over two current mainstays of the company and there is tons of speculation about his future given his recent WWE tryout. We shall see how it works out and go from there.

Tag Team Grudge Match
NWA World Champion Adam Pearce & a mystery partner with Larry Sweeney vs. Roderick Strong & Brent Albright

There is a bit of speculation about where this mystery partner is coming from—whether it is within the company or from outside the company, i.e. a new talent debut. Some new talent coming to ROH was briefly teased in a recent newswire. Something to consider that hasn't been brought up yet—what if Sweeney brings in a new talent, albeit one with strong ties to the NWA? Who that would be I have yet to figure out, but for sure such a move would be quite the shot from Sweeney against ROH. It would certainly exacerbate the situation created by last night's DQ finish to the title for title match. Strong is coming off a loss here, but a loss where he gave it his all and reportedly returned to his fine babyface form. Albright meanwhile has been able to repel Sweet & Sour's attacks… could this be the match where the numbers catch up with him?

Special Attraction Tag Team Match
Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Tyler Black & The Necro Butcher

Steen & Generico have already taken out one version of the Age of the Fall this week and now they deal with another combination. A win here sets them up for a title match, although now we know it won't be in their home country since Steen fights McGuinness on that date. A loss here would set them back a ways and could lead into their battle against the Machine Guns in early August for the number one contender spot. Expect a lot of action and fast paced tag moves from this one.

Lights Out Match
Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney & Jonny Fairplay vs. Pelle Primeau

Pelle is over powered, out numbered and over matched in this one… but really, it's almost always that way for the perennial underdog. Primeau wants a huge win against Hero, but it is seriously a long shot…unless he gets some help from other wrestlers who have it in for Sweeney…

Bonus Match
Jay Briscoe vs. Erick Stevens

This should be a good brawl style match—physical and back and forth. Its two babyfaces fighting each other, but Chicago loves them Briscoes so they may end up more partial to Jay. Erick Stevens is being rebuilt in the wake of a Fight Without Honor loss to Strong. He got the upset against Danielson last night and he is a likely candidate to win this match as well.

Four Corner Survival
Delirious vs. Rhett Titus vs. Silas Young vs. Alex Payne

This 4CS is set around the Delirious vs. Titus storyline. We are likely to get our first bit of physical interaction between the two of them… OR Daizee Haze could find her way out here and stop the two of them from fighting against each other. Silas Young is back on the ROH radar and could really fit into the roster if he were to be given a shot on a regular basis. A win here could make that a realistic possibility. Payne is always over with the Chicago crowd and will get a good pop and likely a few moments to shine in this one.


My Two Cents by Chris Miccio

I guess it's that off week again, and from what I hear, Ari has a big weekend in front of him, so I'm glad to give him a little bit of help to fill up the column, so here we go. Let's get to it.

Topic #1—The arrival of the NWA World Title in ROH—So, ROH felt it needed to have a second title in the mix, huh? Well, I'm wondering why they didn't just use the FIP title for this, but that's another story for another day. What I do want to discuss is why connecting to the NWA is a really bad idea for ROH and ROH booking. When a wrestling company aligns themselves with the NWA, they become beholden to the demands of the NWA board, as to who wears the title and who wins and who loses matches for the belt. ROH is known for the outstanding booking and storytelling, both by Gabe Sapolsky and the wrestlers that he has to carry out his inspired ideas. Now, with the NWA minds in the mix, Gabe will be somewhat restricted by what he can do with Adam Pearce (who by the way is a decent, but not great choice to hold the belt and the tradition that goes along with it), or the belt itself. Think about it like this. This weekend, Nigel McGuinness and Pearce will be having a title vs. title match in Dayton. Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that this match, which otherwise would have been a definite win for Nigel, but this weekend, due to the politics that come along with the NWA title, will end in either a DQ or a No Contest type finish, leaving the fans who paid their hard earned money disappointed that they didn't get to see a match that would have REAL suspense to its outcome. Therein lies the reason that we all watch pro wrestling, even though we all know that it is a staged sporting competition, for the chance to see a match that has a real possibility of a title changing hands, or of something unexpected to go down. It's somewhat like when any foreign champion visits ROH and "defends" his title against an ROH roster mainstay. Everyone knows that the booking of this match is set long before Gabe can even begin to think about how to put it together, because he's already been told who will be victorious. To me, that kind of constraint is exactly what ROH doesn't need. We all complain so much about how the backstage politics makes the WWE an unwatchable and totally predictable product, and in my opinion, tying themselves to the NWA organization, even if its just to a small extent, brings that same kind of political garbage into the ROH promotion, and that's not something that it needs. Unless of course Cary plans on shelling out the money to buy the NWA name, and then it's a horse of another color.

Topic #2 – The Most Recent ROH Video Wire – this was a great idea, and if you've lost touch with ROH in the past few months, this is a great way for you to catch up. I can honestly say that between work, going to school, and actually having a personal life for a change, I've been slacking on my ROH DVD watching, and have only really been keeping up with the goings on in ROH by checking the show results, reading the news updates, and talking to Ari. This video really let me catch up on all that I've missed, and now I feel like I really need to go back, watch the DVD's that have been collecting dust on the shelf and maybe, order some of the past few shows that I've let come and go without the slightest of thought. The video got me really pumped up to see Kevin Steen face Nigel in Toronto, but at the same time reminded me as to why I'm so pissed off that Steenerico still don't have the title belts. The only flaw that I found in the entire piece was that there was way too much attention paid to the whole Rhett Titus-Delirious-Daizee Haze "love triangle" deal. This is such an overused angle that I'm in shocked that Gabe couldn't come up with something better than this. Does it get over with the crowd? Yeah, it does. I guess that I've just come to expect more out of Gabe, but I guess they all can't be homeruns, right?

Topic #3 – The WWE Draft Show – So, when I got home from my class on Monday night, I was really psyched to watch this show, and for the most part, I thought that it was a real decent nights worth of action, especially in the segment between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. However, the end scenario with Vince McMahon's apparent crippling or near death experience greatly diminished this powerful segment, with the "re-injury" of HBK. I thought that the way that they've set up the entire program between HBK and Y2J has been outstanding, and that it should be more of the focal point for Raw. Sure, I know that in traditional booking that you have to keep your Heavyweight Championship storyline at the top of your show, but when two talents like HBK and Jericho are involved, it deserves precedent to anything involving John Cena and Triple H, not to say that they aren't doing a good job in their storyline, but when you have storytellers like Jericho and Michaels working with each other, that should get the last segment of the night. Maybe they should have pulled the return of HBK angle the week before the draft so that it could have wrapped the show, but I just think that it deserved better placement than what it got on Monday night. Besides that, I actually liked the results of the draft, especially with concern to CM Punk's future. There are so many potentially great matches for him on the Raw roster, and if they do it at least somewhat correctly, he will be really on the fast track to one of the prime spots on the show. Think about it: Punk vs. Mysterio, Punk vs. HBK, or Punk vs. Jericho. I don't know about you, but those are all matches that I'd be willing to pay to see.

Topic #4 – The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Finale– So, I'm sure that most of you watched the show, as Ari and I did last weekend, so I'll keep the recapping to a minimum, but let me say this, that was a really nice little show, and with Amir tapping CB out, it was like icing on the cake. As I watched the season unfold, I got the distinct feeling that the UFC really wanted CB to win, and that feeling was justified when they brought him back to fight Tim to replace Jesse "The Idiot" Taylor, and then when they gave him the decision in that fight, which could have easily gone either way. When CB tapped out, I was so happy that a guy who was that arrogant, with no reason to be that way, was left crying and bitching in disbelief as to what had just happened. You could read CB's mind so easily. "How could I lose to a guy like THAT, not once, but TWICE!!??!!" or something like that. Well, it just goes to show that all UFC champions don't have to be the prototypical muscle heads, and that sometimes, as in Amir's case, or in the case of a guy like Kenny Florian, maybe sometimes, the guy who doesn't look the part actually wins.

Topic #5 – The huge MMA Month of July– So, unless you've been living under a rock or you don't pay attention to the world of MMA, you probably know that July will be a HUGE month for the sport, what with UFC 86, the Elite XC CBS show, the Affliction PPV debut, and the UFC Fight Night Special that's been created to counter the aforementioned Affliction show. If you believe in the sport, make this month the biggest in its history, and send a message to the mainstream by buying the PPV's and watching the free shows to boost the ratings to points that no one ever thought possible for this sport. Help the MMA world send a message to those out there who don't know the reality of the sport, and try to help them see that this isn't the "human cock-fighting" that most people see it to be. If the movement isn't supported on a grassroots level, and left up to the MMA organizations, no real change can occur. If you live in New York State, start calling your state senators of representatives and demand that they take another look at the sport that we love so much. Let them know that this is a big enough issue to make you change your vote next time they run for office, and maybe then they'll listen to what we have to say. If we all don't get off our asses and do something about the perceptions that exist about MMA, they never will. It's up to you to make it happen.

That's it for this week. I'll be back in two with my thoughts on this weekend's ROH shows, as well as UFC 86 and anything else in the world of pro wrestling. And on that note, I'll take my leave. 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 two weeks, and I'll catch you next time.


Going Home

Honor System: following what's naughty and what's not in ROH:

Honorable
|
trying to free Necro Butcher from the control of Age of the Fall
|
dressing up in a green and black striped tie in order to impress
|
championing a hometown in order to get the crowd support on your side
|
replacing Bobby Dempsey as a vote of no confidence
|
using a loaded purse to attack someone from behind
|
the use of the over the top rope is a disqualification rule to get back a title you lost cleanly in the middle of the ring
|
Dishonorable



Name That Tune Week 39

Clue: Mandy
Lyric:"And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar"

Everyone was dancing to the tune of Copacabana this week, thanks to Barry Manilow and Colt Cabana's theme music.

This Week's Winners (listed in order of entry)
Zack Danielson
Jeremy Sirio
ausjimmy
Ryan Holiday
Jay2KWinger
Dan Rigby
ROHawkeye
Jon Mercer

Lots of winners this time around, so congrats to all those who played and thanks for emailing.

There are only TWO more weeks of Name That Tune! So let's make the last few weeks count and play Name that Tune! for this week, June 21st, 2008!

Clue: drunk Punk
Lyric: "He who tries, will be wasted / Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut"

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

Jay2KWinger is in the house with his thoughts on the Respect is Earned II PPV tapings among other things.

Great column, as always.

The Name That Tune is "Copa Cabana" by Barry Manilow. The entrance music for none other than "Classic" Colt Cabana. (FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DEBUT THE MAN ALREADY, VINCE!)

I did attend the "Respect Is Earned II" tapings, although I was dog-tired after getting back from the 3+ hour car trip BACK from Philly. That'll probably be my last Philly show if the Manassas venue keeps being booked. So that's why there wasn't a show report from me.

I will comment on a few things, though. The Osirian Portal were very over, and Rhett Titus just may actually get over! Granted, he's got an actual gimmick he can work with, unlike the rest of the ROH School grads. Okay, Pelle's got his "never say die" attitude, and Hagadorn's got his "boot-licker extraordinaire douchebag" schtick down pat. Titus' half-Val Venis, half-Rick Rude routine, however, has gotten over with the Philly crowd, at least.

I want Steen-erico to win the Tag Titles already! But at the same time, with Steen's pledge to win gold by the end of the year, it makes more sense to drag out the chase. Steen-erico were ON during their match against RuckSaw, and Steen is majorly over with the crowd. The Claudio/Davey match was just there. I like Davey, and I like Claudio, and they had a good match, but I didn't really think it was that spectacular. But then, Davey's always been the sort to put on a solid effort without trying to overshadow the higher matches on the card.

Brent/Pelle/Delirious vs S&S Inc. was good, particularly because of the interactions between the members of S&S Inc. at ringside. Hagadorn and Sweeney constantly berating Bobby Dempsey. (Delirious chased Sweeney around the ring pre-match, until Sweeney hid under the ring. Afterward, Sweeney shouted at Bobby, "That should've been YOU under there! Protect me, dammit!") I'll admit, my view of the match was spoiled by having to stare at Bobby's sweaty back the whole time.

The Fight Without Honor was as brutal as can be expected, and I was legit fearing for Strong and Stevens' lives when they were up on that wobbly 20-foot ladder. (Part of me swears that I got the "Please Don't Die" chant going, but it might just be wishful thinking.) The Davey Richards turn surprised me, but it gets him great heel heat, and it leaves me wondering where Rocky Romero is in all of this.

The Delirious/Daizee/Titus triangle got good reactions, too, and I liked the brief "Hepa-Titus!" chant that got started when Rhett Titus interrupted again. Although how dumb is Daizee that she couldn't see what Delirious was trying to ask her?

I didn't think the Go/Nigel match was great. It was solid, but, like the Davey/Claudio match, it just seemed to be there. It didn't seem all that special or significant. The Tag Title match, though, was very good, and the angle where Danielson now has to beat everyone that Nigel's beaten (on PPV) makes for a great angle. Danielson can beat Go and Black, I'm sure (and perhaps even make Go look more credible in the process), but the big obstacle for Danielson is going to be Morishima. I wonder if NOAH will let Morishima come back to ROH to do the job to Danielson to give him the title shot against Nigel?

I was rather surprised that Jigsaw got the win over Kingston, as I was fully expecting to watch him get murdered by King, but the teased conflict in Ruckus about the BLK OUT/Vulture Squad loyalties was handled somewhat well. You could tell that Ruckus didn't want to help out Kingston, but he wasn't helping out Jigsaw either. He just wanted it to be a straight-up one-on-one match, but the numbers were too great.

The Jay/Necro brawl was just one of those great brawls, and it was a good way to cap the show.

In other news, I'm making plans to attend my first Chikara show, their August 10 event in South Philly, for "Vanity & Violence." I'm looking forward to it.


I think there is a ton of potential with Rhett's gimmick. Its being played more for comedic effect now, but I could definitely see the snarky and smarmy side come out for a darker turn in character. From watching his match from Tag Wars 2008, its clear he's ready to be featured in the ring.

I'm thinking the chase for the tag titles comes to an end either in Toronto in late July or in Montreal in early November. It makes sense for them to get the feel good win in their home country.

Daizee Haze must be in an altered state too much these days if she can't see what's blatantly obvious in regards to Delirious.


**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)Medium Recommendation
**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) High Recommendation
**CHIKARA King of Trios Night Two (Player Uno, Stupified & El Generico / Cannon & North Star Express, Lince, Pantera & Incognito / Los Ice Creams & Glacier, Sweet & Sour Inc. / F.I.S.T. & Taylor, Donst, Gulak & Sumner / Fabulous Three / ) Medium Recommendation
**CHIKARA King of Trios Night Three (KOT Quarter, Semi Finals & Finals, Tag Team Gauntlet) High Recommendation

This section needs your help! If you want to recommend some good independent wrestling to your fellow internet readers out there, drop me a line for the column.


ROH @ 411

411's Buy or Sell discusses this weekend's hot topics for the Dayton / Chicago double shot.

Meanwhile, the staff gets together for its Roundtable Review of the Dayton and Chicago shows. See how right or wrong we were / are for this weekend!

J.D. Dunn is right on top of the latest ROH DVDs with his review of Tag Wars 2008.

Jake Chambers goes all WACKY with some of the more "out there" reasons to follow what's going on with Ring of Honor these days.

Also, be sure to check out my involvement in the 411 Independent Draft 2008. Rounds 6-12 are coming up soon and offer many surprises…then we'll present our fantasy shows.


ROH Outside of 411

One more time I have to give it up to Brad Garoon, Samuel Berman and Jake Ziegler as they have the interviews with Age of the Fall members. Last week it was Tyler Black and this week it's the other half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions in JIMMY JACOBS. Check out the podcast interview with Jacobs fromThe Cool Kids Table.


Minister: Do you?
Lone Starr: Yes
Minister: Do you?
Princess Vespa: Yes
Minister: GOOD, you're married. KISS HER!

I'll be back next week with results from Chicago and a look at the most dysfunctional friendships and relationships within Ring of Honor!

BROOKLYN!
-Ari-