Column of Honor: 08.30.08: Summer 2008 Wrap Up
Posted by Ari Berenstein on 08.30.2008
How this summer changed everything for Ring of Honor’s roster, plus news on Sasaki and Nakajima’s opponents at Glory By Honor VII, PPV matches added for Boston, The Machine Guns back again and much more!
Welcome everyone to a brand new era for the Column of Honor! This is the first edition of the column being written on my brand new laptop! Well, okay I know its not as earth-shattering as Austin Aries winning the ROH World Title back in 2004 or CM Punk winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title, but its important for me. It means a heck of a lot easier an experience writing this column after two weeks of suffering through my back up computer. At any rate, welcome to the column and sit back and enjoy as we recap some of the more interesting events of the Summer 2008 in Ring of Honor.
Ring Toss
-The Summer of Change
-ROH Call
-ROH News
-My Fave Five
-Honorarium
-Honor System
-Ringtones
-Independent Buy In
-Get with the pROHgram
-ROH @ 411
-Honor Bound Links
Summer 2008 Wrap Up : The Summer of Change
When we began in June, Claudio Castagnoli was still a "good guy" looking to make good on his championship potential. Necro Butcher was still loyal to Jimmy Jacobs and the cause of The Age of the Fall, but he was beginning to have his doubts. Roderick Strong was still FIP Heavyweight champion and while he was without his No Remorse Corps, he was still without remorse. Adam Pearce and his agent Larry Sweeney had just dropped "the bomb" on Ring of Honor with their big reveal that Pearce was NWA Heavyweight Champion. The ROH World Tag Team Championship was in a state of vacancy, with any team having a good chance at being the next champion. Delirious was still plugging away at trying to make his "friendship" with Daizee Haze something more.
By the end of this summer all of that had changed. The landscape of Ring of Honor contained many of the same people, but in wholly different contexts. As Will Smith once rapped "the whole world got flipped, turned upside down." And I like to take a minute, so just sit right there and I'll tell you the story about how ROH became the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Wait. No.
You can only go so far down the line you are travelling until you hit the end, and Claudio Castagnoli hit a brick wall called the ROH World Championship. It was a title that no matter how hard he tried he could not win. In fact, Claudio had never been able to win a singles title in ROH. His old rival Nigel McGuinness had stopped him dead in his tracks when he aimed for the now defunct Pure championship. Now here he was again, putting him down for the three count at A New Level. What's more, whatever traction Castagnoli gained from defeating perennial top contender Bryan Danielson was taken away when he lost the rematch to Danielson in late June. Then when Danielson eliminated Castagnoli from contention in the Four Way Elimination Match at Death Before Dishonor VI in New York City and the fans erupted in joy and "Get the F**k Out" chants aimed in his direction, that was the final straw. Castagnoli snapped on Danielson, snapped on the crowd, and snapped at a company that had only taken him just short of the goal line.
Necro Butcher began the summer by defending Jimmy Jacobs from accusations by Austin Aries that he was being used. He called Jacobs a friend. However, whether it was a series of unfortunate accidents or a master plan engineered by Aries to get one over on Jacobs, Necro soon found himself often frustrated, and antagonized by his so called friend. Necro was a proud man and didn't take kindly to being told he was a soldier who had to listen to Jacobs' orders. By the end of Death Before Dishonor VI, Necro had given up friendship, embracing a new sense of self-worth. Necro is now a loner, but truth be told he probably prefers it that way. He no longer has to listen to anyone telling him what to do; now he does what he wants to do.
The FIP World Heavyweight Title, the sister title to the ROH World Champion, changed hands twice this summer, fittingly enough at its beginning and at its end. Erick Stevens regained the FIP Title he had won earlier in the year by defeating his long-time rival Roderick Strong in a violent strap match. Stevens looked to take the FIP Title and defend it honorably for his homestate fans in Florida. Unfortunately he fell victim once again in his first homestate defense. Just last week Go Shiozaki unseated Stevens for the title (see below for more information). Meanwhile, Strong was on a collision course with members of Sweet & Sour Incorporated. He was once again being embraced by the fans who just several months ago were hating on him and mockingly chanting his name. Strong was finding redemption through taking on a group that was more heinous than his own No Remorse Corps.
Larry Sweeney thought he had the ultimate negotiating tool in his "exclusive" rights to the NWA Heavyweight Title. He was spitting in the face of ROH fans and officials by claiming the NWA title was more important than the ROH title. ROH had no choice but to respond to a challenge being made on their front doorsteps and set up the title vs. title match in Dayton, OH. That match ended in controversial fashion, keeping the belt around the waist of Adam Pearce. That would soon change when Brent Albright, continuing his war against Adam Pearce and Sweet & Sour Incorporated, won the NWA Title in New York City. Albright's career had reached a new peak and had taken away a valuable part of the Sweet & Sour game plan when it came to his "hostile takeover" of Ring of Honor.
The ROH World Tag Team Titles were held up when Mark Briscoe was injured and unable to defend the title. Jay Briscoe didn't want to defend the title without his brother, so he vacated the belts. Eight teams vied for the titles in Hartford, CT. Kevin Steen & El Generico had been busting their butts for over a year in order to win the titles. They came so close on that night, but injuries in earlier rounds caught up with them. Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black had an easier road to the titles, dominating and outsmarting their opponents. They won the titles, but Steen & Generico remained dedicated to climbing back up the ladder of contention. A win against The Motor City Machine Guns helped them to achieve that goal and now they are in striking position of the tag belts. They will receive their shot in September, on the very last day of Summer. They will have to fight with all of the intensity and heat of a red hot Summer sun if they want to achieve victory.
Delirious believed that "Summer Love" was possible with Daizee Haze. However, he never anticipated that he would be faced with competition for her attention in the form of "Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus. Haze, for her part, valued a sterling reputation as a women's wrestler who didn't have to date the wrestlers to be involved in the business, and she didn't want to jeopardize that for a Summer fling, with either guy. Her pride forced her to try to let Delirious down gently when he asked for a date. She didn't realize that she made the biggest mistake at that moment. Titus had already damaged her reputation…but now she had damaged Delriious's heart. The half-man, half-lizard could take the rejection and instead embraced Jimmy Jacobs and The Age of the Fall. Delirious' heart had changed from green to black…and there may not be much that can be done to change that back to the way things were.
Yet, the more things change, the more some things remain the same. ROH heads once again into a very strong Fall season. Glory By Honor lies ahead, with more international guest stars and high stakes title situations. So comes the Fall, also comes Winter, and with it, Final Battle. All of the changes that have come to pass during the last several months are sure to come to a head before the year is up and 2008 has changed to 2009.
ROH Call
ROH Champions—As of 08/30/2008
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
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: Go Shiozaki (since 08/23/2008) * NEW CHAMPION -defeated Erick Stevens via pinfall with help from the Heartbreak Enterprises to win the title. 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)
Shiozaki wins FIP Title
Last Saturday after I "went to press" on the column, Go Shiozaki defeated Erick Stevens to win the FIP World Heavyweight Title. Here is the ROH newswire on the situation:
Go Shiozaki defeated Erick Stevens last Saturday at FIP's event in Crystal River, FL to win the FIP World Heavyweight Title in an epic match of the year candidate. Shiozaki's agent Larry Sweeney has made some stern demands to ROH officials to have FIP Title defenses in ROH. We'll have more on this situation soon. This is Shiozaki's first major title victory of his career and received considerable coverage in Japan.
The match ran thirty minutes and was given rave reviews by fans in attendance. Shiozaki defeated Stevens with help from Heartbreak Enterprises (who are Shiozaki's FIP liaisons) and a moonsault from Shiozaki. The title change concludes the storyline for Shiozaki built up through the newswires that he was on the chase for a title in America and needed one to feel that his tour here was a success. It was a surprising title change in that Stevens had just won the FIP Title and many including myself believed he was in for a long title run this time around. History repeated itself here because the first time he won the title, he defended it twice in ROH before coming back to an FIP show and losing it there on his first defense. This time around, same result. The HBE interference and the fight Stevens put up mitigates the loss, but this continues the puzzling push of Stevens this past year.
Glory By Honor VII Takes Shape With Supercard Caliber Matches
Glory By Honor has gone from a special event to a must-see this week as ROH announced several marquee and attraction matches that make this one of the better shows on paper for this past year. Here is the announcement of Kenuske Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima opponents, taken from the ROH Wrestling News Release:
"Glory By Honor VII" is set for September 20th at the New Alhambra/former ECW Arena in South Philadelphia and the lineup is now taking shape. Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima have been signed to compete on this event to make it a true supercard. They will be in singles action and both of their matches are now announced.
Sasaki is a true legend in Japan and has held many of the most important and prestigious championships in the country. He made his reputation in the United States in World Championship Wrestling and now the powerhouse will finally return to America. Sasaki sent an open contract to ROH and said he would take on anyone that would step up. Claudio Castagnoli has accepted the challenge. Castagnoli, with a newfound attitude (see the new ROH Video Wire at www.ROHvideos.com to see what we mean), says he will demonstrate his strength and power against Sasaki. This will be a heavyweight battle.
Nakajima has quickly risen as one of the most exciting and popular athletes in Japan. He is known as the hardest kicker in the sport. Bryan Danielson, upon hearing that Nakajima is headed to ROH, immediately called the ROH offices and requested a match. Danielson said he wants to compete against Nakajima. ROH officials didn't hesitate to sign Danielson vs. Nakajima. It is official for September 20th. It doesn't get any better than this.
I had hoped that Sasaki and Nakajima would be booked against ROH "homegrown" opponents, but past history had not guaranteed that would happen. However, kudos to the company for getting it done and ensuring some unique one-on-one matches between the ROH wrestlers and the Japanese guest-stars. Sasaki vs. Castagnoli? Nakajima vs. Danielson? Now we're talking. Both are very fresh, very special and could really steal the show, or at least help cement it as one of the best of the year. Here are the newsbits for the other major matches slotted for the show :
There were two matches in August that absolutely stole the show they were on. Now the rematches will take place at "Glory By Honor VII" on September 20th in Philadelphia. The last event at the Hammerstein Ballroom saw the NWA World Heavyweight Title return to glory as Brent Albright won the belt from Adam Pearce in a classic battle. Larry Sweeney has stated that new FIP World Heavyweight Champion Go Shiozaki will only defend his title at "Glory By Honor VII" if Pearce gets a rematch. Albright didn't hesitate to say yes and it is now official. 9/20 will witness Albright vs. Pearce II and if Albright is still NWA World Heavyweight Champion he will put the strap on the line!!!
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness was recently taken to the limit by El Generico in Cleveland. This bout had Cleveland rocking and rolling as the fans were on their feet for this exciting contest. The rematch will take place on 9/20 in Philadelphia. Be there and witness McGuinness vs. Generico II and if Nigel is still ROH World Champion he will put the title on the line.
Those matches, PLUS the Steel Cage Warfare match? Wow, just wow. More and more Philadelphia seems like the place to be to witness a defining moment in ROH history, just like it was in 2006 for the culmination of the CZW vs. ROH feud at Death Before Dishonor IV.
I don't necessarily like the booking of rematches, but in this case these are rematches of some of the best bouts of the summer, so it makes perfect sense to pull them out again. Now, I'd rather have seen McGuinness vs. Marufuji in that it's a "perfect circle" situation (Marufuji defended the GHC Heavyweight Title against Nigel back at Glory By Honor V Night 2), but it seems that the focus on ROH vs. international stars will be on Sasaki and Nakajima, and rightfully so. I just hope ROH doesn't push back the Marufuji title shot until Final Battle 2008, because four months for that title shot seems a bit much. I don't expect Marufuji to win the title either, although you never know these days. Generico is always a possible to pull the upset, but I'm guessing we'll just see a sweet reprise of the challenge he gave McGuinness back in Cleveland.
Albright vs. Pearce was a spectacular spectacle in New York City and hopefully they will bring it again in Philly, but a large part of how that match is going to be received will depend on the fans and how much they're willing to get into this one. The storyline for how Pearce received this title shot does have an unfortunate plothole, as Pearce already had a guaranteed rematch (as pushed by the post match promos done for the NWA internet show back at Death Before Dishonor VI) and Sweeeny didn't have to hold up a title shot for a title shot. Right now it looks like ROH essentially outsmarted the so called Super Agent of the wrestling world!
In a clarification from last week, the Steel Cage Warfare match looks to be a 3 on 3 on 1 (yes, ONE) As it will be Aries & The Briscoes on one side, The Age of the Fall on another and The Necro Butcher all alone and by himself! This is the very definition of a "one-man army" and while it may seem unfair, I am absolutely loving the idea of Necro out by himself and for himself. He could focus on one side or the other or attack everyone…it's a great wild card to throw into the situation. That Necro unloaded and took out everyone in a show ending brawl at the last ROH show helps to build the idea that Necro of all people could actually win this match.
The Machine Guns Reload for Two More Shows
The big news keeps coming!!! Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin, The Motor City Machine Guns, will return to ROH on 10/24 in Hartford, CT and 10/25 in Edison, NJ. They will be in main event quality bouts on both nights. We will announce their matches after the Boston/Philly weekend.
I'm always down for more Shelley and Sabin in Ring of Honor. Their use as special attractions is a terrific move as not only is it a fan pleaser to see that these guys keep coming back, but it is a real "draw" for the shows. Shelley and Sabin match up very well against any team in Ring of Honor right now and I wouldn't be surprised to see them fighting for the ROH World Tag Team Titles on one of these shows. If Steen and Generico are champions at this point, it would make really good sense considering their showdown in Manhattan earlier this month. In that scenario, I would even love to see Shelley and Sabin in singles matches against Steen and Generico on the first night.
Title Match Announced for Pay Per View in Boston
Get ready New England!!! Ring Of Honor will tape its next PPV on 9/19 in Boston at the beautiful Boston University campus. We already know that Kevin Steen & El Generico will challenge for the ROH World Tag Team Titles. Now the World Title challenger has been determined. Based on his PPV Fight Without Honor victory and winning PPV singles record, Roderick Strong will challenge for the World Title on 9/19 in Boston!!! Strong has had opportunities in the past and no one has come closer to the title. Will 9/19 finally be Strong's night?
Another main event quality bout has been signed for the PPV taping in Boston. It will be a Three Way Elimination Match pitting Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Go Shiozaki (the FIP Title will not be on the line). This could be the show stealer!!! Boston has demanded a big ROH event and we are bringing the goods on September 19th with a PPV taping.
Roderick Strong in fact has had more title matches than anyone else in ROH history. I believe this would be his tenth title opportunity. These two men had a four star title bout at "Without Remorse", but that was back in January and a rematch isn't necessarily out of order here. However, I do question how this will all work in concert with Danielson's quest for the ROH World Title. The triple threat elimination against Castagnoli and Shiozaki that seemed to be needed in order for him to catch up with McGuinness's edict has been made official. If he defeats both men here he will have enough to satisfy McGuinness's demands that he beat everyone McGuinness has defeated. BUT! If Strong is bested here, then we're back to square one and Danielson needs to catch up…AGAIN! My hope to resolve that problem would be for Danielson to call out McGuinness before his title match against Strong on that show and demand he stop these games and grant him a title shot.
"Man Up" in Florida with Briscoes vs. Steenerico, Survival of Fittest
ROH is gearing up for its return to Florida in October. The main event for 10/11 back in Orlando has been
signed. Many consider Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico as the feud of the year in 2007 in ROH. The two teams have not had an official match since their legendary Ladder War at the "Man Up" PPV last September. They recently exchanged fists as both teams are in pursuit of the ROH World Tag Team Titles. Now Orlando will see the first official match between these two duos for the first time in a year. 10/11 will witness Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico. If one of these teams are the ROH World Tag Team Champions the belts will be on the line!!!
"Survival Of The Fittest 2008" will be on 10/10 in Coral Springs, FL and Austin Aries has just been added to the field. Aries has come close to winning the tournament in the past. Is this his year? He joins the already announced Jerry Lynn, Tyler Black, Erick Stevens, Kevin Steen and El Generico. There will be 12 athletes. They will compete in six single matches during the first half of the show. The main event will then see the winners compete in an Elimination Match to determine who is "Survival Of The Fittest" Champion. The victor will get a future ROH World Title shot.
ROH has been hinting towards the reinvigoration of the Briscoes-Steen & Generico rivalry for a few shows now. Its good that they let the feud lie fallow for a while, although I felt they could have spent even more time apart from each other given just how far they took their feud the first time around. Still, there is definite interest from the fans, judging by crowd reactions in Dayton (Battle for Supremacy) and Chicago (two weeks ago). The stakes will be raised even more if this one will be for the tag titles. The shoe will be on the other foot, as it were, with Steen & Generico having to defend against a team they couldn't defeat for the titles (although they won several non-title contests).
Austin Aries gets another chance to win the Survival of the Fittest tournament. He is a perennial bridesmaid of the tourney, and its sort of become the a trademark of the event. I'm an Aries fan so I'd love to see him win the thing, but since he is currently outside the title picture and already had two opportunities to fight McGuinness for the title, I'm not sure I see the win happening this year either. Tyler Black hasn't been able to defeat Aries in singles matches this year, so maybe this is where Black goes over Aries either in the qualifiers or the finals in order to push him over the hump. We shall see.
Tag Team Triangle
Here is how the ROH World Tag Team Title situation is shaping up. The ROH World Tag Team Champions Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black will defend the belts against Jay & Mark Briscoe on September 13th in Tokyo, Japan. If Jacobs & Black win they will put them on the line at the PPV taping on 9/19 in Boston against Kevin Steen & El Generico. If The Briscoes win the titles in Tokyo, their first meeting against Steen & Generico will be pushed up to Boston. Orlando will then see the rematch with an added stipulation. There is a clear three team race for the ROH World Tag Team Titles and it is making the tag division more competitive than ever!!
Throw in the Machine Guns and Team Work (Danielson & Aries) and The Vulture Squad on the undercard and you can see that the ROH tag scene is at a very strong point. The division has its weak moments over the years but right now they are in a good place.
Silkin, Sweeney Cheer on Punk at WWE MSG Show
It was reported that ROH Owner Cary Silkin and Larry Sweeney were present at ringside for the WWE house show at Madison Square Garden last weekend. They were there to see CM Punk main event the show in a steel cage match against JBL. Punk came up to Silkin before and after the match and gave him a hug and pointed to him when in the ring.
Its pretty amazing to see Punk as "the guy made good" for ROH. He and Joe are the flag-bearers of how you can go all the way from the independents to the big time. That Punk was able to main event a sold out house show in The Garden as champion must have been super special and it is a pretty awe-striking idea.
ROH Home Theatre Station
ROH Videowire: August 29th, 2008
This would be the videowire of the "Sneaky Little Smile". Check out Nigel and Aries when they see others doing the work for them.
1. CM Punk & JBL: Punk was able to bring out the old "ROH Punk" in the ring this week (see more below) and I loved it. I give kudos to JBL for his part, selling so much for Punk and allowing hipm to really shine in the spotlight. JBL has an infamous reputation for being some kind of bully backstage, but when it comes to business, he does the right thing. 2. Chris Jericho & Shawn Michaels: These two have frequently appeared on my personal favorites countdown and with good reason—these two have been engaged in some of the best angles, promos and matches not just in the last several months but over the course of the entire year. Their "face to face" on Monday once again showed why THIS is going to be the classic feud fans will recall a few years from now. Michaels played his part perfectly and did something very different for this promo—he completely changed the inflection in his tone of voice. He sold being altered so much by Jericho's actions that he spoke differently to Jericho—as one would expect considering he was speaking to the man who had punched his wife straight in the mouth. Jericho didn't slack in this one, providing an image of a sour puss that will forever live on through avatars and signature photos on internet messageboards. 3. Matt Hardy & John Morrison: Had a very good match that demonstrates the level of chemistry they have with each other. Hardy is so over with the crowd and is to the point that with any kind of competent opponent he can really entertaining in ring action. 4. Evan Bourne & The Miz: Bourne is flying all over the place like a superball on speed, but The Miz was right there for Bourne (well, except one spot but I'll give him a mulligan). Not only did The Miz get over Bourne's aerial offense, but Bourne did a fantastic job reacting to The Miz and especially sold his finisher well. 5. Matt Striker: The man again does wonders on commentary for ECW. He makes Todd Grisham sound interesting for god sakes…that's miracle-worker level achievement!
Honorarium
-Updates from last week's story on Morishima in WWE. Dave Meltzer reported that the proposed deal between NOAH and WWE to send Morishima for an extended stay is likely dead. Apparently WWE had some problems with his look, feeling he was out of shape and should have been in shape for a tryout. Vince McMahion also watched his match and made a comment about how he didn't connect with the fans. Which goes to show you that sometimes, those in charge have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. How John Laurenitis, who backed the idea of bringing Morishima into WWE, couldn't have told McMahon about how Morishima looked BEFORE he appeared for his try-out is beyond me. They didn't know he was a big dude? COME ON. As far as connecting with the crowd, Morishima had two strikes against him going into the match anyways given he was a foreigner that I'm sure ninety-five percent of the crowd didn't know who he was from Adam, and secondly he was given a three minute opening match. Granted, Morishima may have had some trouble early on in his ROH World Title run connecting with the crowd, but from his first appearance in ROH he was OVER. Fans got into his act and even better, once he started playing to the crowd with his thumbs down response to their boos, he was even more "hated" (i.e. the crowd wanted to see someone take the title from him).
Ah well, its better off anyway to have Morishima stay in NOAH. He is one of their best chances to sustain continued business over the long haul.
-Another update to a news story is on the whereabouts and future of Joey Matthews. On a recent independent show he said that he and Christian York (who was his tag team partner in the original ECW) would be going to the WWE by the end of the year. I was a little bit upset that ROH had stopped using him as of late and basically "wrote him off" the story when Aries took him out at Battle For Supremacy. If it were up to me, I would definitely still be booking him for shows up until it was his time to head off for WWE.
-If you enjoyed watching CM Punk vs. JBL from this past Monday on Raw or Evan Bourne vs. The Mix from ECW this past Tuesday, think about this: The matches were done practically in" ROH style". What does that mean? These matches had faster pacing than you would expect from a WWE match. They were more competitive between the two wrestlers, with the balance of the match moving back and forth from the face to the heel and back again. They were more athletically based (no cracks on JBL this time everyone) and both even had state of the art action, with Punk pulling out some of his old ROH trademarks and then Bourne / Matt Sydal going completely state of the art with his offense. While the finish of both of these matches were more along the lines of what you'd expect in WWE booking, the meat of each match was undeniably more closely aligned with what ROH brings about as its central features in their product: more action, more wrestling. Maybe this was an isolated incident and next week we're liable to see less of this sort of style, but for now it was very exciting to see ROH alumni do what they were able to do without limitations.
-Here's another comparison between going to the Cyclones game and ROH. The Cyclones have a sort of "mascot" race during the game with Nathan's hot dogs racing from one side of the field to homeplate. I think ROH could stand to do something similar. Maybe a potato-sack race with the ROH students? Maybe Delirious, El Generico and the masked Ninjas doing a relay? Its just something to think about for the future.
-Hearing Dave Prazak say "epic fail" and other such internet sayings is simultaneously funny and upsetting at the same time.
-Nigel McGuinness was back for more guest commentary on the Battle for Supremacy DVD. It was a really good showing by Nigel, who came in at the appropriate moments to dish out some insults and crow a bit about being a champion, but he didn't step on Prazak and Leonard's toes. He only commented on about half of the DVD, concluding with Castagnoli's match on the show in order to fuel their storyline. I say "definitely, MORE!" to Nigel on commentary; its been a good while since we've heard from the wrestlers in this manner.
Going Home
Honor System: following what's naughty and what's not in ROH:
Honorable
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"dog gone right." –Jay Briscoe
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"We don't raise the bar, we ARE the bar." – Jay Briscoe (think about that one for a sec)
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"You do what I say!" (Jimmy Jacobs to Necro Butcher)
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Dishonorable
Ringtones
finally steel cage warfare returns the closest thing their is to wargames these days
if anyone has not seen the first steel cage warfare I highly recommend it
Posted By: random (Guest) on August 23, 2008 at 01:51 PM
Being there live and in person for the first Steel Cage Warfare, I can tell you that this one has a lot to live up to, but ROH is doing the right thing in making the groupings different (3 on 3 on 1 instead of 4 on 4), thus helping to set a different feel and different expectations fot what we will see inside the ring. I do hope this will be elimination rules, but that hasn't been stated yet. It would be interesting to see how Necro could outlast everyone knowing that it would only take one elimination to get rid of him while the other two sides have up to three eliminations before they are done.
-Great write about the Delirious-Daizee-AotF situation.
-That Jack Evans promo was...pretty decent. His heel/crazy version of "and you know this man" came off well to me.
-That's the poster for the New Horizons PPV? It looks like somebody just made it on photoshop! That's as bad the early ROH DVD covers.
Posted By: Super Dragon (Guest) on August 23, 2008 at 02:51 PM
Thanks for the compliments (and to everyone else who did so as well) on the write up. Evans looks to be doing well with this variation on his street character…less street and more wacky insane American guy, but that works for me. I like but don't love the New Horizons poster. Its clean and keeps the focus on the main event title match. However, I would agree that it may have been too "photoshop"-lite. I'm not one to talk since I'm horrible at graphic design.
That's the hotttttttest mug shot I've ever seen. Smoking!
Posted By: ohman (Guest) on August 23, 2008 at 07:55 PM
Uh, yes. I agree.
"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?"
Not to mention Smackdown having a former ROH Champion vs. a former ROH Champion in a dark match. Kinda sad when you think about it, and that's coming from someone who is a very big ROH fan.
Posted By: All Around Wrestling Fan (Guest) on August 25, 2008 at 01:52 AM
Sad in what way? Sad for ROH, or sad for WWE? Sad that ROH lost some of the talent, sad that WWE is using them in opening matches? I don't know, I think its interesting to see how ROH and the independent scene as a whole has subtly made its mark on both TNA and WWE over the years. The example of CM Punk also keeps the hope alive that ROH alumni won't always be given the short shrift when moving onto WWE. However, that leads us to Colt Cabana…
I don't see the problem with Colt Cabana wrestling as Scotty Goldman. His real name is Scotty Colton, so it's very close. WWE is known for not wanting confusion between any of its characters (Steven Regal became William Regal because there was already a Steven Richards at the time, etc). He couldn't have been Cabana considering the name of Carlito's interview segment. So the next best thing is a name similar to his real name, where he still basically does the goofy Colt Cabana character, which he is doing. What's the problem with that?
Posted By: very random (Guest) on August 28, 2008 at 09:19 AM
Well, first of all I want to clarify that I don't particularly mind the Scotty Goldman name, just that it would have been better for him to be referred to as Colt Cabana or at the very least let him keep the "Boom-Boom" nickname from OVW and FCW. We're talking about helping to sell the personality and charisma factor and a lot of that goes into a name. As far as "Carlito's Cabana" is concerned, well, that segment hasn't been done in years so in my opinion there wouldn't really have been a conflict. After Lance Storm left, Cade was able to go from "Garrison" back to "Lance" because it was open. As far as I'm concerned "Cabana" was available because that segment was no longer done. Colt Cabana as a name pops out at you—its memorable, catchy and really does personify the kind of antics he does in the ring. Scotty Goldman? He could have been any old joe shmo from yeshiva school for all I know.
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:
Right Now: 35% Off Sale for Labor Day—catch up on ROH DVDs and there are even some T-shirts available at deep discount in the weekly specials bin.
October 10th, 2008—Coral Springs, FL: Survival of the Fittest 2008 makes its way to Florida. 41 Days Away!
November 22nd, 2008—Chicago Ridge, IL: ROH presents its tenth PPV taping, its third at the Chicago Fieldhouse.
ROH @ 411
411 Buy or Sell looks at PWG's All Star Weekend and Takeshi Morishima's two show run in WWE.
Aaron Hubbard comments on the pro and anti-WWE and pro and anti-ROH fans in his latest edition of The Wrestling Bard.
Bayani gets heartbroken some more about changes made to PWG shows and discusses once again why its all ROH's fault…or something like that. I got lost after the pics of the hot Asian and Latina girls.
Honor Bound Links
Matt Sforcina continues to look at the evolution of The Undertaker…which could take about as long as The Undertaker's career.
