Column of Honor 08.23.08: Delirium

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 08.23.2008

Delirious’s reptilian side is expressed in Chicago, Illinois. In this edition, why Daizee Haze must save her little green friend! Plus, Baseball vs. Wrestling, news on ROH in STL, Morishima’s appearances for WWE, Jack Evans in AAA and Becky Bayless is DUI.

Well, the update on the computer is that its pretty much toast, but on the positive side my hard drive is intact and all my music, pics and word documents are a-okay. Let this be a lesson to you young-uns. BACK UP! And often.

On the other hand, this ended up being a decent excuse to buy a new computer, since the one that just died was five years old and while it wasn't showing its age too much it was likely the right time to get more speed, muscle and memory.

Until then, I'm still suffering through my back up computer, as slow as a line at the DMV on Christmas.

Regardless, Welcome to the Column.



Ring Toss
-ROH Results: Chicago Ridge, IL August 16th, 2008
-Delirium
-ROH Call
-ROH News
-My Fave Five
-Honorarium
-My Two Cents with Chris Miccio
-Independent Buy In
-Get with the pROHgram
-ROH @ 411
-Honor Bound Links


ROH Results: Chicago Ridge, IL August 16th, 2008

Matches

Preshow

-Midwest Air and Ground of Nate Bash & Ben Sailor & Egotistico Fantastico defeated the team of Ninja Yellow & Ninja Blue & Jaguar Jackson via pinfall when Bash rolled up Ninja Yellow.
-Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne defeated Hunter Matthews via pinfall with a hurricanrana.

Main Show

-Kevin Steen defeated Kenny King via submission with a Steenshooter.
-Ruckus & Jigsaw won a Tag Team Scramble match by defeating Jay & Mark Briscoe, Mitch Franklin & Trik Davis and Tweek & Dash Phoenix. Jigsaw over one of the Phoenix Twins with a Jig-n-'Tonic and Top Rope Double Stomp combination.
-El Generico defeated Tyler Black via pinfall with a brainbuster.
-FIP World Champion Erick Stevens retained his title by defeating Chris Hero via pinfall with a top rope powerslam.
-The team of Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries defeated ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli via submission when McGuinness tapped to Danielson's Cattle Mutilation.
-Larry Sweeney ultimately defeated Roderick Strong in the Sweet & Sour Gauntlet. Strong defeated Bobby Dempsey via pinfall when Dempsey fell down. Strong defeated Shane Hagadorn via pinfall with a running kick. Strong defeated Adam Pearce via pinfall with a roll up. Strong defeated Chris Hero via disqualification when Hero pushed down the ref and nailed strong with three of his knockout strikes. Larry Sweeney quickly pinned the unconscious Strong for the win.
-NWA World Champion Brent Albright retained his title by defeating Go Shiozaki via referee stoppage with the MMA knees to the head.
-Jimmy Jacobs defeated Necro Butcher in a no-disqualification match via pinfall after Jacobs and Black powerbombed Austin Aries onto Necro through a table.

Angles & Issues

-Pelle's Last Stand and Daizee Being Stood Up: Pelle Primeau came out and said he has been looking for Delirious but couldn't find him. Daizee comes out to state what everyone has known all along except for her, that Rhett Titus is a d-bag and was using her. She should have said "yes" to Delirious when he asked her out. Jimmy Jacobs distracts Daizee, allowing MsChif to DDT her into oblivion. Jacobs states that Delirious is under his control, and to prove this Delirious came out to attack Pelle, destroying him with multiple Panic Attack knee strikes.

-Claudio vs. Dragon: After the tag match Claudio attacked Dragon from behind, laying him out with a Ricola Bomb and once again "Pillmanizing" Danielson's head.

Knock Down, Drag-Out: There was plenty of interference from Aries and Black in the main event. Lots of brawling throughout the Fieldhouse and not a good ending for either Aries or Necro at the end of this match.

Afterwards, Kevin Steen, El Generico and The Briscoes jall come out to brawl with Age of the Fall and during the process end up fighting each other (first time they have physically interacted aside from some pushing and shoving since "Man Up"). There are lots of flips and dives but the last word is from Necro Butcher who lays out five men with the power of the punch!

-Return Date: November 22nd, 2008 for a PPV Taping


Delirium

When you were born a half-man, half-lizard, hanging onto your sanity can be a difficult ordeal. The masked wrestler Delirious has been on "the edge of sanity" for a while now. Fans and other wrestlers who have seen him wrestling never quite knew if he would stay there, or perhaps fall off the ledge and into the abyss. Last week, that fall happened…and it couldn't have come at a worse time for Daizee Haze, Pelle Primeau, Rhett Titus, Ring of Honor…and perhaps even Delirious himself.

He has always been just a fruit loop short of a box of cereal, but has stayed on the straight and narrow in Ring of Honor due to immense fan support. Recently, what kept Delirious tethered to the rational world had been an increasing amount of affection from Daizee Haze. The flower-child of Ring of Honor became quite the fan of Delirious, supporting him in various crusades against enemies, including common rivals such as The Age of the Fall. Somewhere along the way, that friendship became a huge crush Delirious fell hard for Daizee...and it was no secret either…even commentator Dave Prazak could see the increasing infatuation Delirious had for her and would make mention of it on DVDs.

Unfortunately, Delirious was not alone in the battle for Daizee's attention. A young ROH student named Rhett Titus saw what was developing between the two, knew the score and went about taking advantage of the situation. He wanted to make a name for himself. He wanted to get attention from the wrestling word. Titus's game plan was simple—steal Delirious' thunder, prove to the world that Haze could be "Addicted to Love". Just not for Delirious, for him.

At first Haze was put off by Titus' incredibly aggressive overtures, with smarmy pick up lines sometimes bordering on the outright vomit-inducing. She made it clear she was not the kind of girl who put up with such behavior. Then Titus went to plan B, "Mr. Nice Guy". He backed off his attitude and placated Daizee's sensibilities about how a man should have honor and treat a girl the right way. Titus appealed to her professionalism, wanting to train with her and to "get to know her" wrestling talents better. Haze was impressed and accepted Titus's offer.

For his part, Delirious just stood through it all and watched confused, helpless to stop what was going on in front of him. How could he? Being only half-human, he didn't have the full capacity to deal with such delicate social situations. He couldn't necessarily express how he was feeling in the best ways possible. It should have been merely enough for him to get out the words "Me…you….date….Nobu" back at "A New Level". He should have been applauded just for that. He wasn't.

He was denied an answer over and over again, due to one interruption or another. If it wasn't Rhett Titus getting in the way, it was his own shortcomings in expressing his feelings. It was a comedy of errors from start to finish. Frustration was beginning to set in, and the reptilian, animal brain that Delirious had so long kept subdued was starting to emerge.

Titus had him beat in almost every way, but the one thing Delirious could count on was that at some point "Rhettski the Jetski" would give himself away. A leopard doesn't change his spots so easily, and neither does a so-called "ladies man". Titus was going to slip up somewhere and that he did, by recording a video of Daizee Haze at her house. As if that invasion of privacy was not enough, he then showed the video to all of the boys in the back, from the wrestlers to the referees to the commentators. Everyone saw that Titus had been in Haze's house and everyone could make the conclusions for themselves…that is, if Tutus wasn't filling in the story for them. The video was pretty mundane as far as those things went, but Titus told everyone he had scored with Haze that night. Those accusations have since turned out to be bogus, but Delirious did not know that.

Delirious finally managed to ask Daizee out one more time and without interruption, at the "Death Before Dishonor VI" event. Haze, who must have been sick of this whole situation with Titus, weakly replied she just wanted to be friends with the green guy. It wasn't him, it was her. The fans in NYC rejected that as a poor excuse. The "just friends" and "its not you, it me" are the standard of any woman who doesn't want to go out on a date with someone. Yet, maybe she had a point. Maybe she was right…maybe she just couldn't handle the stress of this unwanted love triangle…and maybe she wanted to let Delirious down easily. It may have been a fatal mistake that cost her…and ultimately, cost Delirious.

The backstage gossip soon caught up to Delirious. Titus showed the video to him at a session in the ROH Wrestling Academy…and from that moment on, something in Delirious' mind had snapped.

The human part of Delirious went into seclusion…and the animal, savage-like Delirious became dominant.

All along, Jimmy Jacobs had been waiting, watching in the wings. He saw his own empire beginning to crumble around him thanks to the efforts of Austin Aries. Lacey had left him, Joey Matthews had been taken out, Necro Butcher betrayed him. The ranks were beginning to thin and he needed new blood. He needed someone who could be controlled, someone who would be loyal and someone who could unleash immense amounts of violence and pain without remorse or even a second thought.

He saw his opportunity in Delirious…and he took it.

The one thing Jacobs could count on was his personal mantra that "Love doesn't save. Nothing saves." The love of his life Lacey had walked away. Even his friend Necro had walked away. He knew the rejection currently felt by Delirious, because it was the exact same feelings he felt during the past year. Love didn't save Jacobs and it sure as hell didn't save Delirious in this situation. It's as simple as that. Delirious, on some level, understood that…and walked into the waiting arms of The Age of the Fall. They are the outcast, the downtrodden, the rejected. In some small way, it must have felt like coming home.

Daizee Haze had often been caught in the crossfire of Jimmy Jacobs's social revolution agenda. She was involved in a long-term rivalry with Jacobs' now former girlfriend Lacey, and that meant crossing paths with Jacobs, Tyler Black and the whole menagerie of Age of the Fall members on a consistent basis. In addition, she also supported The Briscoes in combat during multi man tags and would show up to be the stopper to Lacey when she was involved in the action. While she never outright stated this, on some level the social agenda of Age of the Fall must have disgusted Haze's peace-loving, hippie attitude.

Now she starts another chapter in her war against them. This time it's more important than ever that she succeeds. She needs to do nothing less than save Delirious from The Age of the Fall.

It might be true that love doesn't save…it surely didn't for Jacobs and it hasn't yet for Delirious. However…if Haze can show Delirious how she feels for him, if she can show him the capacity to love…maybe she can dig him out of this animalistic expression of his personality.

Actually, forget maybe, she has to do so. She has to show that love can save. The consequences of her failure to do so are enormous.

Daizee realized too late that she should have trusted in Delirious and not in Rhett Titus. While she tried to tell Delirious that during the show in Chicago last week, either he wasn't listening or he didn't care. Maybe he didn't even have the capacity to understand what she was saying. Instead, he unleashed his capacity for violence, destroying Rhett Titus in Cleveland and then Pelle Primeau the next night. Titus answered for his trespass with multiple bruises and stitches. Pelle, who was Delirious' sometime tag partner, was just a victim who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now he is gone from Ring of Honor and may not come back.

There is no limit to the damage Delirious can do when his mind has been twisted…even more than the abnormal state of mind fans usually find him in. Delirious, when released from any sort of human connection, without any empathy whatsoever...is very, very dangerous.



ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 08/23/2008

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 25 successful defenses)
-defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Next Defense: vs. Jimmy Jacobs, Tokyo, Japan, 09/14/08

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.
V.21 defeated Kevin Steen, Lariat off Turbuckle, (07/25/08, Toronto, ONT, CN)
V.22 defeated Claudio Castagnoli, Jawbreaker Lariat (07/26/08, Detroit, MI)
V.23 defeated Ruckus, London Dungeon (08/01/08, Manassas, VA)
V.24 Four Way Elimination Match: defeated Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black & Claudio Castagnoli (08/02/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.25 defeated El Generico, London Dungeon (08/15/08, Cleveland, OH )

**

ROH World Tag Team Champions—The Age of the Fall (champions since 06/06/08, 2 successful defenses)
-won an eight man, single elimination tournament on June 6th in Hartford, CT to determine new champions

Next Defense:vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe, Tokyo, Japan, 09/13/08

V.1 defeated Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson (06/07/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.2 defeated Go Shiozaki & Naomichi Marufuji (08/01/08, Manassas, VA)

**

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)

**
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion: Brent Albright (since 08/02/2008)
-defeated Adam Pearce via submission to win the title.
FIP Heavyweight Champion: Erick Stevens (since 07/19/2008)
-defeated Roderick Strong via pinfall to win the title in a strap match.
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
-Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli
-Nigel McGuinness defends the belt against top contenders
-ROH and the NWA Heavyweight Title
-Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs
-The consequences of Necro Butcher's decision
-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
-Delirious / Rhett Titus / Daizee Haze Triangle / Delirious as a part of AotF


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

St. Louis Show Announced, Nashville Could Be Next

Ring of Honor will debut in the St. Louis area on Friday night, December 5th, 2008 at Gateway Center, One Gateway Drive, Collinsville, IL 62234. Bell time is 8pm. Tickets will go on sale at www.ROHwrestling.com this coming Monday (August 25th) at 11am EST. ROH is finally coming to St. Louis and you better believe this is going to be one big debut!!!

According to PWInsider.com, ROH is apparently looking into running a show in the Nashville market soon.

If 2008 has shown us one thing, it's that Ring of Honor is willing to continue to expand into new markets. From Florida to Virginia to Toronto and Montreal in Canada and now St. Louis, Illinois area and the Nashville area, Ring of Honor is going to places where many fans have been asking for them for a while now. I wrote earlier in the year about how ROH should do exactly this in order to expand their promotion further without going into the television market. I used to receive some emails and comments on the column page about how ROH needed to run St. Louis and now here we are.


Becky Bayless Arrested for DUI

I begrudgingly have to report negative news for this column, and this is a breaking one. According to a report on the f4wonline message board, Becky Bayless (Rebecca Treston) was arrested on Thursday, August 21 at 2:43 a.m. for Driving under the influence with a 0.21 blood alcohol level (significantly above the 0.08 legal limit).

Treston was booked into the Tampa jail at 4:04 a.m. She was released on $500 bond later in the day.

Here is a picture of her mug shot and a link to the police report.



Hopefully everything works out for Becky and I wish her the best through this situation.


Sasaki & Nakajima Confirmed for Glory By Honor VII

Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima are coming to "Glory By Honor VII" in Philadephia to make this a bonafide supershow!!! ROH officials are currently finalizing their matches. They will be announced in the next week or so. Sasaki is a true legend. Nakajima is one of the most exciting young talents in Japan. They will both be in action in Philly on September 20th. Stay tuned for lots more news on Sasaki and Nakajima in ROH!!!

This official announcement from ROH comes after a report last week from the Observer that ROH was negotiating to bring in Sasaki and Nakajima to the US. These are relatively big names from Japan (especially Sasaki) who have yet to make a stateside appearance for Ring of Honor. It shows that there are still a few guest stars that ROH can bring in that will receive some major attention and anticipation. Now hopefully they get put into matches against the home country ROH wrestlers and not against fellow NOAH talent.


Steel Cage Warfare 2

ROH is going all out for 9/20 in Philly. The feud pitting Austin Aries, Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The Age Of The Fall has been raging on. The latest development has seen Delirious join Age Of The Fall. The Necro Butcher has found himself in the middle of all these individuals. Now it will explode at "Glory By Honor VII" with the return of STEEL CAGE WARFARE. It will be Austin Aries, Jay & Mark Briscoe on one team. The Age Of The Fall will have ROH World Tag Team Champions Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black plus Delirious. The Necro Butcher will be the wild card in this bout. We will have the complete rules of this battle later this week in the ROHwrestling.com Newswire.

I always thought it would take a huge rivalry to bring back Steel Cage Warfare and so here we are. The first one, which featured War Games rules (albeit in one cage instead of two) was the culmination of the Generation Next vs. The Embassy feud and was an immense success. That was an eight-man tag, but this one so far is a six-person tag. The bit about Necro Butcher could hint at an expansion into an eight-man tag, but we'll have to wait and see for that one.


Morishima Wrestles for WWE

Takeshi Morishima, former ROH World Champion and current GHC Heavyweight Champion made two dark match appearances for WWE this past week. Morishima wrestled before the Raw and Smackdown tapings. On Monday he wrestled and defeated Charlie Haas with a missile dropkick. On Tuesday he was accompanied by Tony Atlas as a manager, wrestling and defeating Jamie Noble.

Harley Race, who is an intermediary between NOAH and other U.S. wrestling companies, brokered the deal that brought Morishima to appear in WWE. Race was in attendance at Raw and was shown to the crowd.

There is no word on if Morishima will be signed to some sort of WWE contract but word from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer was that some sort of deal was attempted between WWE and NOAH. Nothing concrete or official has happened and likely ill not happen, because Morishima is very valuable to NOAH's long-term future and their officials would likely be reluctant to let Morishima go, even for a short period of time. Morishima was free to come and go as necessary when he appeared for Ring of Honor in 2007, but WWE would likely want exclusivity worldwide when it comes to Morishima's appearances.

This may end up being just another oddity of the wrestling business, but you never know. It was always interesting to see Japanese talents make sporadic appearances for WWE n the past, such as Tenryu and Kitao for Wrestlemania VII.

Incidentally it should be noted that Raw began with a match involving a former ROH World champion and ended with a match involving a former ROH World champion, how about them apples?


Survival of the Fittest 2008 Announced

"Survival Of The Fittest 2008" will be on 10/10 when ROH makes its debut in Coral Springs, FL. There will be a new Survival Of The Fittest champion this year as only athletes who have never won the tournament will be in it. This is like Race To The Top/Survival Of The Fittest rolled into one!!! Who will make the most of this opportunity? There will be 12 participants. They will collide in the first half of the show in six singles matches. The winners will advance to an elimination match main event. The first competitors signed are ROH World Tag Team Champion Tyler Black, FIP World Heavyweight Champion Erick Stevens, Kevin Steen, El Generico and Jerry Lynn!!!

As I say every year when news of SOTF rolls around, I'm a huge tournament mark and a fan of the concept of this one (I'm also a mark for elimination matches). It's a bit gimmicky but not overly so and you get to see a wild and out-there final match with plenty of interesting combinations of wrestlers. This year's edition starts out with five very strong candidates in the tournament. Black emerges as the early favorite given the huge wave of momentum he is on this year. However, the rest of the field has some very possible winners from Stevens on down. It's a wide-open tourney this year with no past winners involved. Maybe Austin Aries will actually win it this year? The announcement of Lynn in the tournament also confirms that he will be around for a longer stay than initially announced, which I'm all for.


You Killed Pelle…You Bastards!

We are sorry to report that the promising career of Pelle Primeau appears to be over. Primeau was seriously injured at the hands of Delirious at the last event in Chicago. He suffered a head injury and will not be able to return from it. We wish Primeau the best in his recovery and in the future. Thank you for all your hard work, Pelle.

This announcement is likely to go along with the storyline, although Lacey was written out in a similar way and that has stuck. Hopefully, Primeau will take some time off or work other independents and come back, Pelle-style.


Marufuji to Receive Title Shot

ROHmedia.com is reporting that ROH officials have decided that Naomichi Marufuji is in line for a future ROH World Title shot.

This pretty much seemed to be a no-brainer after Marufuji was out on the entrance ramp for the main event of "Death Before Dishonor VI". He has been on a significant win streak in ROH and matches up exceedingly well against current champion Nigel McGuinness. Most fan discussion has this match taking place during Glory By Honor VII, but no official announcement has been made in that direction.


ROH AAA Home Theatre Station

So what exactly has Jack Evans been up to since spending most of his time south of the border with Teddy Hart? I mean besides looking for the hookers and tequila (allegedly).



AWESOME.





1. Chris Jericho: Y2J cut an awesome promo to begin WWE Raw, but the best part wasn't what he said, rather the reaction of the crowd after they showed a recap of the punch to Rebecca Michaels from Summerslam. MASSIVE BOOS. Maybe one of the largest heat waves ever this summer. Jericho is reaching Edge-like levels of hatred right now and I wouldn't mind a title switch to him leading into a Michaels vs. Jericho title match on one of the big four PPVs.
2. CM Punk : CM Punk returned home to Chicago a conquering hero. The fans were BOOMING in their reaction to their boy coming home. And yes, the job out in his hometown was as predictable as the next story about Miley Cyrus's dress habits. However, even though Punk lost, this may have been the best he looked and came across like a true superstar and deserving to be champion. I liked that Punk broke out some of his lesser-utilized moves since he was main event the match and thus had more time. His use of the tarantula submission and the Anaconda Vice variant was cool stuff. Even interesting that Punk was able to use the Welcome to Chicago on Jericho since that was Jericho's move first. Maybe Y2J "gave" the move to him?
3. Evan Bourne: Bourne / Sydal was electric during the six-man tag match on ECW, even getting off two of his better high flying moves to the outside. This is the kind of stuff he was busting out in Ring of Honor, but in no way did I ever believe he would be allowed to do in WWE. Plus the fans are really embracing him and I think he could become another ECW success story.
4. Santino Marella: The man continues to be a massive source of entertainment. He has found his true calling in WWE as the comedic heel and thank goodness he has, because my enjoyment of his presence in WWE has increased dramatically because of it.
5.Matt Striker : This was actually my first time listening to Striker do commentary for ECW and I agree with the internet consensus. Striker is great on commentary and has found a nice niche for the foreseeable future.


Honorarium

-Shawn Spears finally made his debut onto one of the main WWE shows, but again as with most recent roster additions he had to change his name…BECAUSE there is ONLY ONE "Shawn" allowed in WWE…EVER! So…Gavin Spears? Not terrible, but what, Garrison was taken? Gregory not allowed? What about Brittney? That would have been topical.

-Have you seen pictures of the character Suicide from the TNA wrestling video game? Lame. Dude looks like Spawn and Skeletor had a bastard love child. If Kaz has to actually dress up like this, as has been rumored, well, I feel bad for the guy. You'd take a guy who is charismatic and looks cool and have him run around in a Halloween costume? Well…that's TNA for you.

-Seeing "The" Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel together reminds me of a lyric from Paul Simon's "You Can Call me Al": "You can be my bodyguard and I can be your long lost pal."

-It's interesting to note that it has been a heel year for ROH. The heels have had the ROH titles, and even the FIP NWA titles for the better part of the year. There were no real faces as champs at least until now with Erick Stevens and Brent Albright. They are balancing out the equation for now, each providing a similar role in being a fighting champion defending in the upper mid-card.

-I haven't commented all that much about the latest ROH DVD releases, "Up For Grabs" and "Battle for Supremacy". I generally liked both DVDs, although neither is really "must-buy", unless you're a huge fan of the tag division and want to see how the vacancy situation as cleared up. Then go ahead and grab "Up for Grabs".

I must say though, that while I disliked that Generico and Steen were denied the tag straps on that night, the story being told of their injuries adding up throughout the night was worth their title win being put off a while longer. It was completely logical that the leg and shoulder injuries would be too much to overcome in the end. Really, this was the story of the first Pure tournament back in 2004 (AJ Styles making it through a leg injury to win) retold with much better and more realistic selling from Steen & Generico.

What was awesome to watch were Steen and Generico selling the injuries in post-match walking back to the ring or post match promos. The fire they demonstrated really helped to get over their will to win. Jacobs and Black had some really good moments during promos as well, especially Jacobs, who continues to prove he is one of the best right now as far as dramatic monologue. The finals pre match promo makes you hate him and want to see Steen & Generico rip him apart, and then his embracing of the fans throwing garbage at him and turning it into a "moment" for his post match victory speech shows are all fantastic.

-While others have been ripping on the main event to Battle for Supremacy, I actually thought it pretty good and enjoyable. This is not an action-fest like past Nigel matches but it does get pretty decent back and forth at the end. More than anything, it was fun to watch Nigel and Pearce out-heel each other, and the opening moments of practical joking and hustling each other are more than worth watching. Yes, we get a dusty finish (and the crowd is not oh so clever with that chant) to end the match and yes the crowd should have received something easier on the palate to swallow than a Nigel win taken away. However, I didn't mind that so much because I was entertained by the match (although admittedly, if I was there live I would have a different reaction). ROH's "three card monte" trick of doing a ROH brawl to end the show quelled the fan reaction and got them to support Steen & Generico.

-What I did mind, and this was a big one, was the end to the DVD. Austin Aries supposedly took out Joey Matthews after the show…and not for a date. I mean he bashed Matthews into his own car and that was supposed to write him out of ROH storylines for the foreseeable future. Problem is, I couldn't actually see any of this go down because…it was shot in the pitch black!

Not only could I not see what was going on, I couldn't even make out who was involved. I barely heard Aries voice, but it was too low and couldn't really make out what he was saying, much less who he was beating up.

I had to go to the ROH messageboard and ask if anyone knew what went down. It took about 450 page views before I even received a guess about who was taken out. When that happens, you know there's a problem.

This is not the first time ROH had trouble with shooting at night. I commented earlier in the year for "Take No Prisoners" and a few earlier DVDs that scenes shot outside at night could not be seen or deciphered properly. If I can't tell what's going on, why should I care about what's going on? It's immensely frustrating, because ROH has to know about the problem by now and yet they still are doing what they're doing with these nighttime shoots. It would just be better to shoot them inside the building or with the proper backlighting.

-As Chris will refer to in a minute, we were at the Brooklyn Cyclones game yesterday and while there I noticed some striking similarities between Baseball games and attending wrestling shows:

>The use of entrance music for baseball players when they get up to bat, similar to entrance music for wrestlers, just a bit shorter.
>The use of organized chants such as "Let's Go Cy-clones" or the "charge!" theme, similar to ROH fans chanting "You're Gonna Get Your F'n Head Kicked In" and such. Well, almost.
>Everybody claps their hands during the game (especially when they play the "everybody clap your hands!" song over the PA), similar to when fans clap their hands to cheerlead their favorite wrestler.
>Crazy people in the stands shouting at the players to "SWING THE BAT!", similar to fans at wrestling shows screaming for action or chanting "boring" when there is none.
>Little kids running around all over the place, throwing beach balls INTO other people or making a nuisance of themselves, similar to little kids at wrestling shows catcalling the wrestlers and making a nuisance of themselves. Well, not all of them, but enough to ruin the experience for you, you know?
>The pop of the fans in attendance when you hear the crack of a bat hitting ball, similar to the pop of the crowd when a stiff strike occurs, usually when Roderick Strong chops someone really loud.
>The crazy come from behind rallies and the agony of heartbreaking defeat, similar to wrestlers making the comeback and either winning or losing in dramatic fashion.

There is one way where baseball beats ROH though…and that's in the food! I'll take corndogs, Nathan's fries, Carvel Ice Cream, fresh made hamburgers and so on over cardboard pizza any day of the week.

Although water for $1.00 at the ROH shows is hard to beat these days… maybe it is a push after all.


My Two Cents with Chris Miccio

So, as I sat at the Brooklyn Cyclones-Lowell Spinners game last night at beautiful KeySpan Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, I turned to Ari and said that I had no idea what I was going to write about this week, because with the start of the High School Football season, I have been so far out of the loop that words can't even describe how I feel. On top of that, my lovely girlfriend has trekked back to her college campus, and that sucks even worse than two-a-days and football camp ever could, but you know what? I'll do what the Briscoes tell me to do, and that's "Man Up!!" and get down to business, even if it's in a briefer format than usual. So, without any further ado or bitching, let's get it.

1. UFC 87 Thoughts --- so, I was totally off with my prognostications about fight ends and times, but I did go 2 for 3 in the big picture, with GSP and Lesnar winning their respective matches. GSP showed the world why he is one of the top 3 or 4 pound for pound fighters in the world today by beating Jon Fitch, who has an enormous future ahead of him. GSP did everything right, and got me really psyched up for the super fight that looms in the distance between him and BJ Penn, which will take place in January of 2009. That fight has the potential to be one of the all time classics, and it would take an act of god for me to not watch that fight. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say about that fight as it approaches, so, lets move on. Aside from GSP, I was totally blown away by the wrestling demonstration that Brock Lesnar put on against Herring, basically keeping him on the mat for the entire 15 minutes of action. We all knew that Brock could wrestle, but that was ridiculous. If there were points awarded for "riding time" in the UFC as there is in amateur wrestling, Brock would have score a hundred points. It was nice to see Lesnar get on the winning track, but I was slightly upset with his post match histrionics, as they really don't belong in an MMA event. I understand showmanship, but not at another fighters expense. Showboating or taunting are two things that I despise and I hope that Brock grows up a bit before his next UFC outing, and acts as if winning isn't something that he's never done before. And one last note on UFC 87. Watching a fight that involves Kenny Florian, while normally a technical masterpiece, with Ari is a thing to see. For some odd reason, Ari hates "Ken-Flo", and I don't think that I've ever seen Ari outwardly root so hard against someone in the UFC. Kenny is a solid fighter, who really knows how to win and execute a perfect game plan against his opponent. I don't know how or why anyone could hate on that. Ari, I'm calling you out on your hatred of Kenny Florian.

(Ari's Note: Look, the guy…he just irks me! It's the nickname, the fact that he wins against guys I like and so on. I know about his skills and his inspirational story, but man, I just want to see him lose! I am definitely not a "Flo-bot".)

2. Quick Hits on ROH News for the Week ---

a. Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima are coming to "Glory By Honor VII" in Philadelphia: this is awesome stuff for ROH. Sasaki is a legend and Nakajima is a real good younger guy, so their presence on this card should make a show that usually kicks ass even better. I wish that I could get down to Philly that weekend, but alas, as with everything that goes on between August and November, football precludes it. I can't wait to get my hands on the DVD though.

b. ROH's debut in St. Louis and potential shows in Memphis: So, I guess more markets will reap the benefits of seeing live ROH shows in the upcoming months. St. Louis was once the capital of mid-western wrestling and still is a hotbed for WWE audiences, so let's just hope that it lives up to its status as a wrestling town, and the fans come out to support the product. I'm not really sure why they would choose to go into Memphis, a town that is also rich in wrestling history, but also, heavily connected with that other company that's in Orlando nowadays. As with any announcement about new cities, I'll say this: I hope the reward is worth the risk.

c. Marufuji's Title Shot: this is long overdue and I think that Marufuji will put on an amazing show with Nigel. I'm kind of hoping it happens at Final Battle 2008, as I'll be in the building. That would be cool, or a 4 way with Nigel, Dragon, Marufuji, and Tyler Black. Just saying…hint, hint.

(Ari's Note: I'm calling a three way between Nigel, Danielson and Black at Final Battle '08. December is a long way aways and Marufuji will get his shot sooner rather than later.)

3. CM Punk is still the Champion and Colt Cabana is still "Scotty Goldman" --- one good thing, one bad thing. I guess ROH fans can't be choosy, and should just be satisfied that one of their favorite sons is being treated the right way in the WWE. Come on Laurinitis, you couldn't get something better than "Scotty Goldman"? Gee whiz.

(Ari's Note (last one): "Ari Berenstein" wouldn't be a bad replacement name either.)

Well, enough is enough for this week, as I have to go pack for 5 days at lovely Camp Towanda in Honesdale, Pennsylvania with the Midwood Hornets football team. I'll be back in two weeks with more enthusiasm, at least I hope, as we get ready to kick off the 2008-2009 season. I'm really looking forward to this year, as we just got ourselves a brand new playing surface. If you're in the ‘hood and want to see some good football, come see the Hornets (shameless plug). Oh, and by the way, thanks for everything this summer, sweetie. I'll see you in a few weeks, now have some fun and forget about me for a while (yeah, right). 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

Ringtones

-Reaction to the Top 20 Exhilarating Moments list was very positive, with several posters on the ROH board adding their own suggestions. So here is what was left off my list but should still receive mention:

SupahCoolX: I would add the final moments of Dragon vs. KENTA (GBHV) in there somewhere, the Era of Honor Begins 3-way, and the RIE opening scene with a rabid NYC crowd.

ElTwig: Would personally have the Rotweillers attacking Joe/Lethal at MM higher, similarly with Joe/Kobashi and Punk saying goodbye,

Alex Kincaid: Good lord, how is Homicide's entrance into cage of death not on here? Just an AMAZING moment.

(my note: Homicide's entrance into Cage of Death I sort of compacted in with ROH winning Cage of Death, although it wasn't clearly specified.)

ln586856: The 100th show is one of my all time favs; the apogee of the CZW feud. High points were Superdragon's flying head/curb stomp onto BJ Whitmer's head through a chair, psycholdriver off the apron through the table; Samoa Joe vs Necro is a punch-for-punch mele; all around arena wide battling of epic proportions.

memoomahmo: surely the return of Low Ki has to be more worthy than Jimmy Loves Lacey

coolkdog: Joe/KENTA brawl from TBE (The Bitter End) should get a mention.

Danger: No mention of broken ladders and Paul London?

Mr Barnes and Mr Noble: The only momment that I felt should have been on the list was London's last match where he kissed the logo. That to me was the ultimate sign of respect to the logo of ultimate respect.


Thanks to everyone for their positive responses and suggestions!


Hey Ari, now you should do the top 20 rivalries & Storylines. Reason being i want to buy my dvd's in sequence so i can care about the payoff. If all you see is the payoff, it takes away from the quality a tad.

Posted By: the dude (Guest) on August 16, 2008 at 06:16 PM

I agree with your comment that you want to know about the whole story and see how it plays out. I believe Aaron Glazer from the Pulse did such a list last year, so I'll likely refrain from doing a Top 20 storylines list of my own for now. I do have one or two other "top whatever" lists that haven't been done before, so those will make the light of day soon.


I'm getting so tired of people giving Chris Harris/Braden Walker all this sympathy. So what he looked generic? Last I checked Lance Cade isn't exactly the flashiest guy on the roster either. The difference you ask? At least Lance Cade is in some decent shape and showed a modicum of charisma in the few TV matches he's had over the past couple months.

I agree with you 100% with Delirious and Mschif now being in the AoTF. Them against Daizee and Rhett Titus (if they turn him face...I hope not) or Pelle Primeau could equal some great action and storytelling.

Posted By: Guest#9759 (Guest) on August 16, 2008 at 06:53 PM

See, I think Cade was better liked backstage than Harris / Walker, PLUS he had a huge supporter there in his trainer Shawn Michaels. I think that's more than enough to keep him employed. Whereas with Walker, no advocates likely hurt him. I don't disagree that Walker wasn't in shape, but I think more than that his confidence was shattered somewhere along the way and that hurt him a lot.

I am definitely hoping Titus stays heel and moves onto smarmy his way through another woman on the roster.


What's farmers tan?

Posted By: Scott (Guest) on August 18, 2008 at 12:52 AM

From our good friends at Wikipedia:

A "farmer's tan" is a specific type of tan line. The farmer's tan is usually started with a sun tan covering only the arms and neck. The farmer's tan is distinct in that the shoulders and back remain unaffected by the sun.


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
**CHIKARA Deuces Wild (NWA Jr. Heavyweight Title: Mike Quackenbush / El Pantera, UltraMantis Black / Tim Donst, Young Lions Cup: Helios / Lince Dorado, Colony / Osirian Portal, Robbie Ellis / Ice Cream Jr.) Medium Recommendation
**CHIKARA Passion and Persistence (Brodie Lee / Claudio Castagnoli, Campeones de Parejas: Incoherence / F.I.S.T., Quackenbush, Shane Storm, Cheech & Cloudy / Mitch Ryder & Shayne Hawke, Larry Sweeney & Robbie Ellis, Hydra / Chuck Taylor)High Recommendation
**CHIKARA Grit & Glory (Castagnoli, Sonjay Dutt & Pantera / Quackenbush, Jorge Rivera & Turbo, Campeones de Parejas: Incoherence / Osirian Portal, Storm / Kingston, Vin Gerard/ Lince Dorado, Colony / Fabulous Three, Hydra & Tim Donst / Super Smash Brothers, Gran Akuma / PSYCHO, Daizee Haze & Chuck Taylor / Sara Del Ray & Bobby Dempsey)High Recommendation
**CHIKARA AniversarioMA (Atomicos Increibles: Mike Quackenbush, Cheech, Stupified & Worker Ant / Cloudy, Player Uno, Soldier Ant & Shane Storm, Brodie Lee, Mitch Ryder & Shayne Hawke / Incoherence & Claudio Castagnoli, Chuck Taylor & Gran Akuma / Turbo & Lince Dorado, El Pantera vs. Jorge Rivera , Osirian Portal / 2.0) Medium Recommendation
**CHIKARA AniversarioCT (Osirian Portal / Shane Storm & Mike Quackenbush, Super Smash Bros. / Cheech & Cloudy, Hydra & Tim Donst / Los Ice Creams, F.I.S.T. / The Colony, Brodie Lee / Claudio Castagnoli) High Recommendation
**FIP Cage of Pain II (Cage of Pain II, Roderick Strong/Larry Sweeney, Delirious & Hallowicked & Jigsaw/BxB Hulk & YAMATO & Jack Evans, Erick Stevens/Necro Butcher) High Recommendation
**FIP Redefined (Erick Stevens/Roderick Strong in their best encounter in FIP or ROH, Austin Aries/Davey Richards, Nigel McGuinness/Necro Butcher, Shawn Murphey/Heartbreak Express, Sal Rinauro/Tyler Black) High Recommendation
**CZW Deja Vu 3 (No Rope Barbed Wire Match: JC Bailey/Necro Butcher, El Generico/Super Dragon, B-Boy/Nate Webb, Ruckus & Mike Quackenbush/Kings of Wrestling) High Recommendation
**SHIMMER Volume 17 (Sara Del Rey & Allison Danger / MsChif & Cheerleader Melissa, Lacey / Sara Stock, Mercedes Martinez / Wesna Busic, Amazing Kong / Ariel, Daizee Haze / Cindy Rogers) High Recommendation
**SHIMMER Volume 18 (Amazing Kong / Wesna Busic, SHIMMER Title: Sara Del Rey / MsChif, Cheerleader Melissa / Sara Stock, Mercedes Martinez / Cindy Rogers, Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew / Ashley Lane & Nevaeh) 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.


Get With the pROHgram:

September 19th, 2008—Boston, MA: ROH presents its ninth Pay Per View taping with Kevin Steen & EL Generico fighting for the ROH World Tag Team Titles against Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black.

September 26th, 2008: ROH New Horizons on Pay Per View with Nigel McGuinness defending the ROH World Title against Claudio Castagnoli.



November 22nd, 2008—Chicago Ridge, IL : ROH presents its tenth Pay Per View taping.

November 28th, 2008—Dayton, OH: Kevin Steen's deadline for winning a title in Ring of Honor.


ROH @ 411

411 Buy or Sell discusses Delirious and his turn to the Age of the Fall.

JP looks into the ROH expansion into St. Louis and Nashville in his Hamilton Ave. Journal.

Several ROH matches make it onto Julian Williams' final list for 411, The Top 50 Greatest Matches of All Time. Best of luck to Julian.


Honor Bound Links

Bayani talks about Jens Pulver…oh wait. No, wrong Little Evil.

Michael Weyer spotlights what it takes to move from promotion to promotion.

Ronny Sarnecky talks about Edge as the MVP of WWE in 2008.

Lansdell goes down South for this week's Ask411…I hope she asked for it first.


Wow, what an end line. Time to get out of here for another seven, and hopefully with a new computer in time for next week. More ROH news next week.

The feud is coming soon…

BROOKLYN! DA EM BAH SEE!
--Ari--