Column of Honor: 07.12.08: Third Anniversary Celebration Column Part One

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 07.12.2008

CoH hits three years at 411 Mania and to celebrate I’m looking at Briscoes vs. Machine Guns II and why in my mind it is superior to their first match. Plus the latest news on ROH returning to Canadian PPV, a move to the New Alhambra arena, criticism of the build for McGuinness vs. Danielson, reveling in CM Punk and Ric Flair and more!


Welcome to the Third Anniversary Column. Let first say thanks to the readers and emailers, the staff and even the commenter board, because all of that together makes writing this column worth it. It's been quite the trip since I started this thing and I love writing this column and I love writing for 411. As I always say, to me, this never feels like work…well, except when I oversleep and have to hustle to make deadline. But that's not today. This week is literally filled to the rafters with news, views and opinions, so as far as any type of nostalgia or career retrospective about Column of Honor…forget that! Let's talk some professional wrestling!



Ring Toss
-The Briscoes vs. Motor City Machine Guns II
-Bringing In the Next Wave of Independent Wrestlers to ROH
-ROH Call
-ROH News
-My Fave Five
-Honorarium: Take No Prisoners / Injustice / Tag Wars 2008 / Return Engagement / Southern Navigation
-My Two Cents with Chris Miccio
-Honor System
-Name That Tune
-Independent Buy In
-Get with the pROHgram
-ROH @ 411
-A Look Back at Three Years of Column of Honor

The Briscoes vs. Motor City Machine Guns II

A year ago I broke down the first Briscoe Brothers vs. Motor City Machine Guns match from Good Times, Great Memories. I came to the conclusion that I though the match was very good, maybe great, just not the match of the year many thought it was. I mentioned several flaws that I felt the match had despite its overall success and fantastic reception by the fans. The match only hit number 18 on my Top 100 matches of the year list for 2007. Here's part of what I wrote in that column about the first match:

To summarize what I wrote in my breakdown of the match several months ago, the babyface-heel lines were broken too many times, there were several aborted attempts at hot tag segments (and here's the thing—if you're going to go for them, do it consistently, but if you just want to do a balls-out spot fest like Briscoes vs. Sydal / Generico then do that) and several awkward moments (I still maintain that the double jump moonsault spot was not an attempt to sell Mark's hesitation at doing big risk moves, just that he needed to catch his balance).

Well, its one year later, and I have finished watching the second match in Ring of Honor between these two teams, and it is safe to say that THIS time around, I am a true believer. The Briscoes vs. Machine Guns II from Return Engagement is a fantastically awesome main event match, which considering its placement in the middle of the card says even more about its quality. The effort from Jay, Mark, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin redeemed for me the flawed first match and also surpasses it in just about every way.

While I bemoaned the crossing of face and heel lines in their first match and how the Machine Guns used heel tactics in the first half of that match and then dropped that act and all of a sudden were cheered as faces, there is none of that problem this time around. There are no heel and face lines to cross because in the ring this is a pure face vs. face match. There is intensity to be sure, the desire to win and to be competitive is there as well, but there are no heel actions by either team. Just two tough teams toughing it out against each other until a winner is declared. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the "water spit" spot or the heel hugging act employed by the Machine Guns the first time around. In and of themselves they are fantastic moments to use in any match. It's just that the absence of these moments the second time around actually help to clearly focus the match. It's not about out-tricking the opponents; it's about out fighting them. The Machine Guns are successful in doing so this time around.

The match was also incredibly smooth in terms of the execution of moves, transitions in momentum and the overall build of the match to its conclusion. There are no flaws in the action, no delays in movement from any of the four in the match. There are absolutely no missed spots and no awkward transitions. This time around, Mark Briscoe hits his aerial moves perfectly, including landing the double jump moonsault without bobbling or losing balance. The double team moves from the first match were a fantastic effort of coordination, but this time around both teams are just that much faster and more synchronized when together in the ring. Shelley and Sabin are so on target with their double team superkicks and speedy strikes that at times they resemble a Flash-like blur. The finish, a super sliced bread # 2 (Shiranui), was not a tag move but came out of the last volley of tag team moves and breakups of pinfall attempts. The frenetic finish allowed for that big move to hit, and when it came it was natural, didn't seem forced and resulted in it being a very believable way to end the match.

This match seems destined to be swallowed up by a deluge of terrific tag matches and fantastic performances and maybe that's a part of why this time around I enjoyed the match much more than the first. I wasn't a victim of the hype this time. At any rate this match alone makes "Return Engagement" a shoo-in for MUST-BUY status. Fortunately there is plenty more to appreciate on that disc, especially the show long angle involving Austin Aries, Lacey, Jimmy Jacobs and The Age of the Fall. More on that later in the column.


Bringing In the Next Wave of Independent Wrestlers to ROH

ROH has a pretty strong roster at this moment, but it could always use some more additions. I've been feeling really strongly lately on the following wrestlers. They are ready to become a part of Ring of Honor on a more regular basis.

1. Brodie Lee—It's the third week in a row I'm mentioning Brodie Lee and doing it with some sort of praise, so yes, I'm pretty high on the Big Rig of the CHIKARA wrestling ring. He's tall, he's got good presence and a very unique charisma that belies the simple trucker look (have I mentioned yet that he looks like Jason Lee? Because I do that every week, so I'm just checking). Lee would be a rough and tumble type character within Ring of Honor, very unpredictable on which side of the fence he's playing, or even if he's playing with a full deck. He reminds me of Bruiser Brody in a small way. Obviously Brody is a legend and Lee is just getting started, but both do the wild and crazy brawler character very well…he keeps the cards of his true character close to his chest because he hasn't had a lot of exposure yet and that works in his favor. He's awesome squishing the little guys and pushing the intimidation factor, but he also matches up well against the bigger guys, including Claudio Castagnoli. I'd also love to see him mix it up with Erick Stevens. If I were booking ROH, I'd give this guy a go for sure.

2. Team F.I.S.T: There's no way around this now, but aside from Hallowicked coming in to form Incoherence, this team is now officially the one tag team not booked currently in ROH that deserves to be there. They are a fantastically over heel team in CHIKARA and I think that can easily translate to ROH. Their arrogance and ego make them eminently hatable, and their heel actions in the ring and in angles could more than seal the deal on making them THE team that every fan needs to see defeated. Right now that role is being served by Age of the Fall, but after they die down in that regard, these guys could quickly jump onto that niche.

3. Chuck Taylor: The fourth CHIKARA guy in a row I'm suggesting to bring in and to me, Taylor comes along with F.I.S.T. as part of the package. He's a goofier heel, but one that comes with a ton of potential as far as who he can interact with in programs, from the lower card students to the pure hearted and valiant upper card faces. I get the feeling Taylor might be viewed as a "cool heel" by the fans and get more cheers than boos at first, but that can be solved by putting him in against the right opponent and the right face as a foil…someone the fans can get behind, like a Bobby Dempsey.

4. Mike Elgin: His name has come up more often within IWC columnist circles, especially from The Cool Kids Table. I have to admit, I didn't think much of him in his early appearances last year for ROH. However, his recent Tag Wars 2008 showing impressed me. He came off like a younger (and shorter) Bam Bam Bigelow bruiser character. He's still young and green, but paired up with a veteran as either a part of a tag team or manager combination and you have a nice starting point for the guy.

5. Silas Young: He's already making part time appearances for ROH and the crowds get behind him in the face role…so maybe its time to expand his touring route for the company and let him become more known in New England and on the East Coast? I see Young as a good mid card face; he has good fire and some nice moves that pop the crowd. Ultimately he could either rise up the ranks or he could be like BJ Whitmer in that he's a perennial presence and good contributor to the company (although hopefully he wouldn't be stuck in career traction or viewer apathy like Whitmer was in his last months). Oh and ROH NEEDS TO PLAY "Don't Stop Believin'" ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CHORUS! I don't care if it takes three minutes to get to it; those crowds are dying to sing along with the song and they keep cutting it off right before they get to it!


ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 07/12/2008

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 20 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.19 defeated Keith Myatt and Lionheart, (06/20/08, Doncaster, U.K.)
V.20 (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:vs. Go Shiozaki & Naomichi Marufuji, Manassas, VA, 08/01/08

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 Re-recognized in this column 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
-Kevin Steen & Claudio Castagnoli receive title shots
-ROH and the NWA Heavyweight Title
-Austin Aries / Jimmy Jacobs
-Austin Aries attempts to convince Necro Butcher to leave Age of the Fall / Is Jimmy Jacobs afraid of Necro?
-The Age of the Fall vs. The Briscoes
-Sweet & Sour Inc. "Corporate Takeover"
-Brent Albright vs. Sweet & Sour Inc.
-Roderick Strong wants payback on Sweet & Sour Inc. for Richards' betrayal of the NRC


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

ROH Returns to Canada PPV for "Respect Is Earned II"

Viewers Choice of Canada lists at this website their offering of ROH: Respect is Earned 2 on PPV for August 2nd. Its listed price is $14.99 and the run time is said to be two hours and thirty minutes (although the last six PPVs have been two hours only and nothing has been noted as yet to an increase in run time other than this quick note).

ROH now has PPV back for Canada. Readers know about the lack of success the first time around on Canadian PPV systems, but with a house show coming up in July, the momentum they get from that show may lead to increased purchases. This could be a good opportunity for ROH to build on the Canadian market, but it remains to be seen if they can be any more successful than last time.


ROH Moves to New Alhambra for September Philadelphia Show

In case you missed it on the main page of ROHwrestling.com, the 9/20 Philly event has been moved from the National Guard Armory to the former ECW Arena now known as the New Alhambra Arena. The National Guard will be mobilizing troops for Iraq now that weekend. We wish our troops the best and want to thank the New Alhambra Arena for giving us a new home on 9/20. All tickets that have already been sold will be honored at the door. This will be a big day of wrestling as Velocity Pro Wrestling will have a 2pm show that day and the ROH event will begin at 8pm. For more info on VPW go to VPWrestling.com.

No word on whether this is a short term solution, a one-shot deal or something more long term. Still, it looks like we'll have another "Arena Warfare" themed show and that's fine in my book. I actually liked the Arena set up with the video screens and all of that—it was different for ROH but it certainly worked and looked good. VPW looks to be another indie based within Philadelphia starting up with a show on July 20th, but it looks like they have some sponsors and a pretty professional website (although the green color scheme has got to go). Although that logo…looks in some ways similar to that of a wrestling show that used to be on television. Can't remember the name of it though.


Four Man Elimination ROH World Match Added to 8/2 Hammerstein Ballroom

The main event of ROH's return to the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan on 8/2 has been announced and it will be unique. The ROH World Title will be decided in a Four Way Elimination Match. ROH attempted to have this match at "Final Battle 2007" and couldn't because of Nigel McGuinness' injury. The fans still witnessed a Four Way Elimination Match that night and it proved to be one of the most exciting matches of the year. Now the World Title will be on the line. All the participants will be announced after we know the World Champ is after Toronto and Detroit. However, we can announce the first two challengers right now. Tyler Black, based on his performance at "Rising Above" will get another shot at the belt. Last time in the Hammerstein, Bryan Danielson defeated Naomichi Marufuji. Now Danielson will get his first shot at the title since the controversial decision at the "6th Anniversary Show" last February. Save over $10 now on the few remaining ringside seats and see the ROH World Champion vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black vs. ???? on August 2nd.

I'm glad that ROH is going to run a four way elimination match for the title, especially since the last two planned matches were cancelled or changed due to injuries. Personally, I definitely want to see one of these type of matches for the title because I know from the Redemption elimination four way where James Gibson won the title just how good these matches can be…and I missed out on one for the title when McGuinness couldn't wrestle at Final Battle 2007 due to his concussion. Tyler Black being added to the match is great in that it capitalizes on the success of his match against Nigel McGuinness from the Take No Prisoners PPV and it gives this match a sort of Austin Aries-Samoa Joe from Final Battle 2004 vibe going where all of a sudden a title change/ upset may appear to be feasible.


On the other hand…

The problem I have with the match as announced is this: why was Bryan Danielson given a title shot? ROH World Champion McGuinness said that Danielson wouldn't receive a title shot on PPV until he defeats all of the wrestlers he has defeated on PPV. However, if Danielson is going to be GIVEN a title shot on a non PPV show, then why on earth would he run through McGuinness's obstacle course? What is the difference between a title match on a regular ROH show and a title match on PPV? There should be none for a guy like Danielson, who wants to be champion and shouldn't care about what venue or situation he receives a shot. If he gets the title shot here, long in advance of any title match on PPV, why should he work to defeat the same men Nigel has defeated? The next taping in on 7/26 and he can't possibly get a title shot there unless he beats at least Go Shiozaki and Tyler Black. ROH likely isn't going to put BOTH of those matches on the same PPV. Logistically it makes no sense for Danielson to work on PPV for a title shot when he already has one lined up on August 2nd in Manhattan.

Earlier in the week Gabe Sapolsky stated explicitly online in a post on the ROH message board that the McGuinness-Danielson title shot storyline is for PPV only. To that I say…what? Why? Why split up storylines between PPV and non-PPV shows? Not only does it create the type of problems in continuity that you'd hope to avoid in doing separate storylines, but these storyline inconsistencies make it seem that the ROH World Title is only going to change hands on PPV events. After all why would Danielson want a title shot on PPV unless he wants to win the world title on PPV…and why would we expect a title change to occur anywhere else? It's pretty clear that a majority of those of us buying the PPVs are fans who are also buying the DVDs, but why should we buy the regular DVDs if some of the storylines are not going to fit in with the continuity we've been following all along? All previous PPVs have in some way tied in with the non-PPV shows. It makes NO sense to me to do the angle this way and now a lot of the suspense of other title matches is in some way affected, because the "A" story is obviously against Danielson.

These announcements have also led to a lot of confusion about who Danielson was supposed to fight and defeat to earn that title shot in the first place…in fact aside from Black, it still hasn't been announced who else Nigel wants Danielson to fight. Fans shouldn't be making suppositions and assumptions but there was a big thread about exactly that on the ROH board. In this case, you're taking what should have been a slam dunk angle, interesting and easy to follow, and making it needlessly complicated and frustrating. All told, this is a horrible perception for a customer / fan to have because it totally undermines the marketability and the willing suspension of disbelief all fans must have in order to buy into a product…or buy tickets or DVDs of said product.


Unexpected Tag Teams & Strong Bedfellows

Check out this tag team match, which was just signed for ROH's next pay-per-view taping in Detroit on July 26th. Roderick Strong is after Sweet & Sour Inc. and Sweeney has accepted a match on PPV. It will be the Sweet & Sour team of Chris Hero & Go Shiozaki vs. Roderick Strong & Naomichi Marufuji!!!

ROH's great debut in Virginia for "Southern Navigation" in May saw the team of Naomichi Marufuji, Go Shiozaki & Takeshi Morishima come out victorious. Super agent Larry Sweeney, who has recently signed Go Shiozaki as a client, told ROH officials that this has earned the NOAH contingent a shot at the ROH World Tag Team Titles. The Pro Wrestling NOAH office agreed. ROH officials see the opportunity to promote a great match and also agree. ROH's return to Manassas, VA on 8/1 will see ROH World Tag Team Champions Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black put the belts on the line against Naomichi Marufuji & Go Shiozaki. This is going to be an incredible night of tag team wrestling with this title bout and the dream match of Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson vs. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin. Is it possible that Shiozaki & Marufuji win the ROH World Tag Team Titles leading to a return match in Japan at ROH's shows in Tokyo in September?

Go adds a ton of offensive firepower to The Inc, in fact replacing Brent Albright as the "strongman" of the team. It makes any match he's involved in closer to a Sweet & Sour advantage than their opponents. Strong and Marafuji are capable wrestlers, but even they are seemingly the underdog against Hero & Shiozaki backed by their corporate team. Then when Marufuji and Shiozaki fight together against Age of the Fall for the ROH World Tag Team Titles, they out power and have the scientific wrestling advantage against Black and Jacobs. Sweeney now has a stake in that title match and therefore it will be the first really big meeting between the two major heel factions left in operation within Ring of Honor, and that makes for a very intriguing match to watch for. The balance of power could definitely shift with a tag title switch in Virginia.


A NOAH's Tour

Naomichi Marufuji's tour of ROH is now complete. A first time ever match has been signed for 7/25 in Toronto. It will be Marufuji vs. FIP World Heavyweight Champion Roderick Strong in a non-title match. This gives Marufuji the following schedule for his four show tour:
-7/25 in Toronto vs. Strong
-7/26 in Detroit with Roderick Strong vs. Go Shiozaki & Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney
-8/1 in Manassas with Go Shiozaki vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black for the ROH World Tag Team Titles
-8/2 in Manhattan vs. Shiozaki

Apologies for trying to fit an Anthony Bourdain reference there in the title…maybe I should have called it "NOAH Reservations" instead? Or "Nao Reservations". Okay, I'll stop now. So looking at the pattern of Marufuji's matches, we see how each match as its set up has an influence on the next. Marufuji is either fighting his tag partner or teaming up with him on any particular show, with one being a match out of competitive respect and testing oneself and the other probably coming as a result of the fallout of the ROH World Tag Team title shot in Virginia.


Aries vs. Black announced for Cleveland

ROH will make its long awaited return to Cleveland on 8/15. A good crowd will mean more shows in Cleveland. We will bring the goods, now it is time for Cleveland to give us a good showing. The first match has been signed and it is main event quality. Austin Aries is out for revenge against The Age Of The Fall. He will face Tyler Black in Cleveland.

You have to love Gabe Sapolsky for knowing how to work in that Jewish Guilt strongly. Aries vs. Black is a good match to have, but that in and of itself I don't think is going to be enough to move a lot of tickets…but hopefully more main event level matches will be announced after the next slate of shows, which should and do take precedence in advertising and the hype. Although…

Again…this match, if you think about it, underscores another contradiction in the booking of a storyline. Austin Aries said to Necro Butcher that he had no interest in fightin him, only with Jimmy Jacobs. Nothing has been said yet about his stance on Tyler Black, but if he's only interested in fighting Jacobs, why would he agree to a fight against Black? In this case, stating a clear motive for this fight would solve everything, so hopefully that's what will happen.


Strong Becomes a Gladiator to Run the Sweet & Sour Gauntlet

It is always a great night when ROH heads to Chicago. 8/16 will be no exception unless your name is Roderick Strong. Larry Sweeney has challenged Strong to run the Sweet & Sour Gauntlet. Strong accepted only if a match against Sweeney was involved. Sweeney has agreed, but only if he is last in the Gauntlet. Strong is confident he'll get to Sweeney and has signed for the match. What exactly is the Sweet & Sour Gauntlet? We'll have more information soon right here in the ROHwrestling.com Newswire.

American Gladiators is still running on television these days right? I sort of stopped caring about it after the third episode, although I read that Gina Carano hit a sweet Sunset Flip Power Bomb (to go with Wolf's Canadian Destroyer from Season 1). Anyway, back to ROH news… the Gauntlet Series matches has always been fun to watch, although they never provided the BEST matches on the card in and of themselves (the exception being the first one ever held, back in 2002, ended in a Dragon vs. London match and the finals later on in the night was AJ Styles vs. Bryan Danielson). This gauntlet is different in that ONE person is running the whole thing from beginning to end. Strong is a very good face wrestler and this will be one of the first big tests of this new babyface run, to see if he can garner the support needed to make a good impression in the fight against The Inc.

As a sidenote, Strong did run through an entire gauntlet of wrestlers back at It All Begins, roughing up four students and preliminary wrestlers in the process.


ROH Home Theatre Station

Videowire: July 9th 2008






It's been two weeks since the last Fave 5 I wrote and in that time a heck of a lot has happened. I've watched a ton of wrestling in between then and now, both on television and through DVDs and that means I have five new favorites to talk about for this week!

1. CM Punk : Not too much doubt about it this time around… CM Punk is WWE World Heavyweight Champion and I am loving it. Punk makes it out of his second week as champion and it looks like he will have at least a four week run. His luck may run out against Batista, although the higher and steady ratings increase may give good argument to keep Punk as champion. Hey, I won't mind, but its obvious in any way shape or form, kayfabe or not, that Batista shapes up as the heavy favorite to win the title at Great American Bash. If Punk miraculously wins that match and does it in some clean or convincing fashion will tell you just how much confidence WWE puts in Punk for the near future…hell, even if Punk wrestles a competitive match and comes up losing will tell you a lot. This week it was awesome to see Punk in the ring, running circles around Vickie Guerrero (and I agree with those complimenting her as really coming through on her role in WWE) and celebrating being a champion. His presence and demeanor held up pretty well during the interview segment although I do think he may have been overshadowed once all four men who wrestled in the main event were in there at the same time. Punk even got me to watch a Snitsky match for godsakes, and that's usually "click away" TV every time out. Sorry to hear that Snitsky broke the nose on the GTS, but you know what? I bet a majority of fans watching weren't thinking about how this could negatively affect the way Punk is viewed backstage and weren't complaining about how the GTS looked sloppy and how he needs a new finisher for big guys. I'm betting a good deal of the viewers were more into how cool it looked when Punk lifted Snitsky and then bashed his knee through Snitsky's nose.
2. Ric Flair: The new Ric Flair DVD came in the mail on Tuesday morning, and since I am currently on summer vacation, by Tuesday afternoon I was done watching Disc 1, which is the documentary portion of the package. It's a good program overall that I feel may have been a touch below what I was expecting as far as the amount of detail they presented on his in-ring career. I think they got some of the major stories of his career, but then neglected or glossed over pockets of time periods, such as the late seventies, the Four Horsemen formation (which is covered on the Four Horsemen DVD, but still, a bit of crossover would have been acceptable in order to have a proper chronological look at Flair's career). Most interestingly glossed over was his troubles with Eric Bischoff and the lawsuit which in my mind propelled him into modern legend status for those who became fans of professional wrestling in the late nineties. Those who watched his NWA / WCW career from the seventies and eighties already revered him, but I believe that it was Flair pulling a "Steve Austin" and rebelling against Bischoff's authority that cemented his perpetual over status. Overall a bit too much filler in the program, but more than enough content in there, especially with the two extra disc of matches and his awesome emotional farewell on Raw (yes, they include the non-televised footage) all make this a worthwhile purchase. Watching Flair's awesome career (not to mention rewatching his match against Ricky Steamboat from 1994, the steel cage match against Triple H from 2005 and the retirement match from Wrestlemania 24 all in a row) also returned Flair to my personal fave five list.
3. Nigel McGuinness & Jimmy Jacobs: Watching about five Ring of Honor DVDs in a row really emphasizes just how good these two are in their roles within the company. McGuinness has become the hated heel champion everyone seemed to want to see him become and he does it exceptionally well in the matches I saw over the last week, including against Kevin Steen and Claudio Castagnoli. Nigel seems to reciprocate the amount of intense hatred and disdain that is given back to him by the live crowds on these shows. Meanwhile Jacobs' character has these intricate layers and depths within him. The Lacey incident has peeled back more of the nuances in how he plays the character—conflicted, angry, lovesick, hating what he has to do to Lacey and to Austin Aries. His struggle to maintain faith and control within Age of the Fall is particularly intriguing, with Black in disbelief over some of his actions (or non actions as we see during Return Engagement and A New Level) in the moment, but still by Jacobs' side. We also start to see some of the foreshadowing of the current Necro Butcher angle, as Jacobs' "ordering" of Necro during these shows is also particularly interesting and ties into what Aries is currently saying about how Jacobs uses Necro. I have always preferred to support the fighting babyface character regardless if he or she had an edge (i.e. Bret Hart in 1994 or Steve Austin in 1998), but I have to say that villains are ruling the roost in ROH right now with great work both in and out of the ring.
4. Tim Donst: In catching up with some of the current CHIKARA DVDs I'm seeing how Donst was brought into the Order of the Neo Solar Temple. He took a big hit on the noggin thanks to a match against Ultramantis Black, who then took advantage of the situation and brainwashed Donst into believing he was a part of the Order, no doubt as some mysterious ultra-evil plan. As the story has turned out (so far anyway), Donst was just "faking it" in order to be a mole for Quackenbush and learn who taught the rudos the secret (well, only known by certain technicos) reversal to the CHIKARA SPECIAL. So, Donst had to play a guy who was brainwashed or being brainwashed at the time, maintain his amateur wrestling style but also learn to incorporate rudo elements into his matches (a great way for Donst as a professional wrestler to learn to work heel early on in his career). It's a pretty great joy to watch him pull this off, and he has a great supporting cast in the Order, with Ultramantis, Crossbones and Hydra egging him on to do evil things. You also get some good comedic material with Ultramantis favoring his new pupil over Hydra, which is entertaining material.
5. The Osirian Portal : The "Funky Pharoah" Amasis and the serpentine Ophidian may only be rookies in the world of professional wrestling, but they already have a terrific grasp of their gimmicks and how to use them in the ring and on promos. Amasis is constantly planning to rule the world but feels compelled to spend more time than he should have by breakdancing in the ring. Ophidian does a great job crawling to the ring and staying low to the ground as a snake-like character…and together they have a good grasp of how they should act as a team. They rose up the CHIKARA tag ranks pretty fast to earn to their shot at Incoherence for Los Campeones de Parejas, but lost the match due to inexperience and distraction. The next time they go around, they will likely learn enough from early experiences to capture the tag team gold.

We'll continue on with more Column of Honor in PART TWO!