Column of Honor: 01.31.09: Petition

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 01.31.2009

Why ROH should bring Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam to the Hammerstein Ballroom. Plus, the ROH-HDNet deal is official, results from Motor City Madness 2009 in Detroit, Michigan and the ROH Money Player and Stock Market report.

Welcome to the Column.



Ring Toss
-Petition: RVD vs. Jerry Lynn
-ROH Results: January 30th, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan
-Honored News
-ROH Call
-My Fave 5
-Honorarium
-Money Player of the Month
-ROH Stockmarket
-Get with the pROHgram
-ROH @ 411

…But FIRST!

Petition for Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn on March 21st in the Hammerstein

I usually include reader mail segments at the end of the column, but this one was so persuasive and so passionate that I wanted to begin the column with it this week. ROH message board poster William Barnickel, a.k.a. Barn34, has a terrific thought for the March 21st, 2009 show at the Hammerstein Ballroom. I'll let him tell you about it:

Ari,

I know you are a big ROH fan/supporter and basically cover anything and everything ROH related for 411 and am sure you are familiar with ROH's involvement with "The Wrestler" and their recent storyline involving Jerry Lynn and how his life and career mirrors that of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. The movie finally opened in a theater in my area last weekend and I quickly rushed out to see it. The first thought that entered my mind while leaving the theater with my wife was how cool it would be if ROH could book Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam on an anniversary of one of their ECW TV Title matches. It would be the absolute perfect way for life to imitate art. Well, after getting home and checking out my ECW DVD library, I noticed that the date of RVD and Jerry Lynn's first encounter at Living Dangerously occurred on 3/21/99. A second or so later I was on rohwrestling.com checking out the dates for their upcoming events...sure enough, on 3/21/09 ROH returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom, exactly 10 years to the day of what is probably Jerry Lynn's career defining match! Not only that, but the Hammerstein Ballroom was the location of ECW's very last PPV in 2001....the main event? Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn! So, coupling the fact that RVD is currently a FA taking the occasional booking here and there with this series of crazy coincidences, I decided to create a petition to have ROH book RVD vs. Jerry Lynn as the main event of their return to the Hammerstein on 3/21/09. I posted it on the ROH message boards and the link to the thread can be found below.

http://www.rohwrestling.com/MessageBoard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=45938

I'm contacting you because I know a lot of wrestling fans read your columns on 411. Not only that, but I know that a lot of wrestling fans that may or may not be ROH supporters like ourselves would be very interested in seeing a historic rematch like this take place. I am attempted to get this idea ciruclating a bit more in the IWC in an attempt to garner enough support that RVD and ROH will not only be able to make the match happen, but also generate interest from wrestling fans who may be sitting on the fence when it comes to ROH. The recent TV deal with HDNet could be a huge success if ROH can generate a buzz about the product among more mainstream wrestling fans when its about to debut on TV. Having a well hyped and advertised final meeting between RVD and Jerry Lynn 10 years to the day since thier first match for the ECW TV Title as the main event of the 3/21 show at the Hammerstein Ballroom would do a lot to generate fan interest before an eventual TV debut, I think. If you could, please, take a minute to check out the message board petition, it would be much appreciated. If you would like to support my idea and help generate as much buzz and interest in this potential rematch, it would be awesome if you would voice your interest not only on the ROH message boards, but possibly mention the idea in a future 411 column, as well. Also, if you have any other ideas on how I can get this idea floating around even further in the IWC, please let me know. Thank you for your time and I appreciate any help and support.


This is a brilliant idea and I express my full support for it. Rob Van Dam appearing for ROH has been a subject of debate for a long time now, ever since he became a free agent. Previous contact for RVD appearances by Gabe Sapolsky were not met with success, but this is different. RVD vs. Jerry Lynn on the ten year anniversary of their match at the Hammerstein is a "perfect storm" of right time, right place and right meaning. You would hope to think that RVD would find it a very intriguing prospect…and with Jerry Lynn right now becoming one of the central foci of ROH storylines in the upper card, now would be the right time for Lynn's career for this match to take place.

Would RVD do this match? Would ROH be interested in booking it? How about we just forgo the questions and do it! I think everyone would come off happier for it, from the bookers who would have a terrific money match to the wrestlers who could benefit well off the exposure (and a nice payoff to boot) to the fans who would likely flock to the Hammerstein Ballroom to watch it happen.

So, for whatever good it might do, the Column of Honor throws its support behind William's fantastic idea. Let's let the fans' voice be heard on this one and see if we can't recreate some of that old RVD-Lynn match. I know the 411 Mania readers have been bullish on seeing Rob Van Dam return to action and while it's a huge in-joke for us, I think most of us realize just how great it is to see RVD in action. He has the agility and the skills to create some fantastically entertaining moments in the ring. His charisma is undeniable. A reprise of Lynn vs. RVD would be very fitting, not mention a whole "new f'n show" to run within ROH.


ROH Results: Motor City Madness 2009, January 30th, 2009 in Detroit, MI (via ROH message board)

Matches

Pre Show

-Ernie Osiris defeats Ninja Pink
-Kenny King defeats "Sugarfoot" Alex Payne
-Irish Airborne vs. Grizzly Redwood & Alex Ridge goes to a no contest with Bison Smith destroying everyone.


Main Show

-"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson defeated "Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus via submission with the Cattle Mutilation.
-Austin Aries defeated Silas Young via submission with the Last Chancery.
-Brodie Lee and Necro Butcher fought to a ends in a double count out as both men brawled in the crowd.
-The Team of Roderick Strong & Erick Stevens defeated The Age of the Fall of Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious via pinfall with a Big Boot / Spinebuster combination.
-Claudio Castagnoli defeated Brent Albright via disqualification when Albright refused to release the Crowbar submission.
-Tyler Black and Jerry Lynn fought to a twenty minute time limit draw.
-ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness defeated Jay Briscoe in a non-title match via the Jawbreaker lariat.
-ROH World Tag Team Champions Kevin Steen & El Generico retained their titles by defeating The American Wolves of Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards.

Issues & Angles

-Austin Aries continues his heel transformation with a promo before the match taking shots at the fans and Silas Young's family including his wife and kid.

-Jimmy Jacobs threatened Delirious and looked to beat him up after the loss, but then backed off and they left together.

-During the Castagnoli-Albright match, Sweet & Sour Inc. were out to watch the match from the stage ramp.

-Return Date: June 26th, 2009

---

Honored News

ROH / HDNet Television Deal Official

ROH and HDNet announced this past Monday that they had come to terms on an agreement for a one hour Ring of Honor wrestling television show. A deal such as this had been a long time in coming, probably reaching all the way back to the booking switch in late October. The television show will be a weekly series and will feature new matches. ROH will not receive any financial considerations for the rights to air the show, but HDNet has agreed to pay for the production costs and will use their cameras and production equipment in the recording of the show. That is a significant upgrade in quality for the promotion, which had just recently upgraded its own equipment. HDNet and ROH will also share in any profits from commercial fees.

No other specifics such as a start date are available right now, but rumor has it that the first of the tapings for the show will take place in the North East region of the touring circuit, more specifically in Philadelphia, PA at The Arena (formerly New Alhambra ne ECW Arena). That would place the tapings smack dab in the middle of the Seventh Anniversary Show. Since the anniversary shows are incredibly important to ROH, this almost guarantees some marquee matches will kick off the television program.

HDNet is available in about six million homes, which isn't the largest penetration for ROH (its deal with DirectTV alone reaches to 18 million and their PPV has the capability to reach into 60 million plus homes). However, since HDNet is a channel targeted towards the fighting / martial arts fan and the male 18-34 demographic this could be a real solid chance to pick up new fans through a concentrated, niche channel.


D-Lo Brown to Appear for ROH in Florida

News over the past few weeks of ROH bringing in some veteran talent, perhaps from WWE, are beginning to come to fruition. ROH announced this past week that D-Lo Brown would make his debut for the company during the "Proving Ground ‘09" weekend in Florida. He will wrestle February 7th in Orlando, Florida against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. ROH released these (perhaps kayfabed) statements from D-Lo in a recent newswire:

: "I don't know exactly who you've got lined up for me yet, but let me make it clear that I want to face the best ROH has to offer. I've always heard that Ring of Honor has the best wrestlers in the world, and I want nothing more than to test myself against them, to prove myself to the ROH fans, and to show why everybody should be down with the brown."

Brown had resigned with WWE in 2008, was briefly on television and then disappeared from WWE programming until his release a few weeks back. Before that, Brown had continued his career with consistent appearances in Japan and even a few stints with TNA.

D-Lo Brown has always been one of my personal favorites during the apex of the Attitude era and someone who I thought WWE could have done far more with during his runs with the company. He has wrestling skill and a certain je ne se quoi about him that makes people want to cheer him on—maybe it was his theme song, or perhaps in uncanny facial likeness to Cuba Gooding Jr. or maybe it's none of those things. Regardless, I absolutely love the idea of ROH bringing him in, even if just for a one shot appearance to take on someone from the roster in a "dream match" scenario. I actually think the best match may be for him to take on a heel, like Claudio Castagnoli or Davey Richards.


Title Shot On the Line in 49 Minute Draw Aftermath

-ROH released a multiple-paragraph report (at least in storyline) stemming from the timing miscues in Edison, New Jersey during the Black vs. McGuinness title match that ended in a forty-nine minute draw. Bottom lining it so that you don't have to read the massive missive, ROH officials (still the equivalent of the Keystone Cops, even under the new booking regime) could only find circumstantial evidence of any inappropriate behavior by Nigel McGuinness or the timekeeper Giuseppe diLorento. There was no evidence of collusion between the two. As a result, ROH could only take action about the massive amount of run-ins during the match. They decided to place full blame on the one man who started the chain reaction of wrestlers interfering in the match—Austin Aries. They stripped Aries of the title shot he earned by defeating Tyler Black at Final Battle 2008. They further ruled that the title shot would be at stake during the Pay Per View taping in Chicago Ridge during the Danielson & Black vs. Jacobs & Aries tag bout. Whoever scores the winning fall or submission for their team gains that title opportunity. That person can use that title shot at any time and at any event, with or without clearance from ROH officials or the current ROH World Champion.


Line Up and Preview for January 31st in Chicago Ridge, IL

Steel Cage War--Sweet N Sour Inc. vs. Brent Albright, Roderick Strong, Erick Stevens, & Jay Briscoe & TBD: There are a lot of possibilities with this match, from face and heel turns to who will get the biggest piece of Larry Sweeney to who actually are the members of Sweet & Sour that will fight in this match. The good guys have one more name to be determined. Meanwhile you can assume Sweet & Sour Inc. will feature the American Wolves of Richards and Edwards at the forefront. Sweeney could wrestle in this one. I happen to think that Adam Pearce will make a grand return here and pair off with his rival of months past in Brent Albright. The status of Bobby Dempsey and if he finally rebels from the imperious control of Larry Sweeney is something that could actually tip the scales, errr…balance in the direction of either team. Chris Hero is not likely for this match as he is on tour in Japan, unless it's some super secret swerve surprise. I'm predicting the core babyfaces of Albright, Strong and Stevens stand tall at the end of this one.

ROH World Title Match--Nigel McGuinness defends vs. El Generico: On the surface, one would ask why this particular bout has taken place. Generico gave McGuinness a run for his money back in Cleveland and in Philadelphia, but Nigel has pretty much proven that he can defeat Generico. This could be a place holder title match as ROH holds off until it gets TV and creates its next big marquee combination (likely McGuinness vs. Lynn or the apex of McGuinness vs. Black). OR…a more intriguing outcome could be IF El Generico actually wins the ROH World Title in a shocking upset. This is something not many would see coming. However, in my wild and out there "cello shot" prediction, what if the person who wins the tag match (see below) actually cashes in their shot right after Generico wins? What if that man were to be Jimmy Jacobs? What if that man were to win / steal the title right out from under Generico? It's a wild and crazy possibility and will likely not happen, but that would sure shake up the status quo of ROH.

Grudge Match--Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries & Jimmy Jacobs: The winner of this tag bout earns a title shot for the future. Danielson and Aries were an off and on tag team and have a storied rivalry going on years now, but they haven't had any major beefs with each other in the past year. However, Black, Aries and Jacobs all have been involved in a tangled web of drama. A title shot on the line for the winner of the match, not the winning team, makes already shaky alliances (Black and Danielson have been on opposite sides much of 2008) that much more likely to crumble. Anyone could walk out of this one with a title opportunity in his back pocket.

Special Challenge Match--Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kevin Steen: This will be a solid mid card match up that either keeps some shine on Steen or gives Claudio the opportunity to score a victory against one-half of the tag champions and the possibility of a future tag team title shot.

Tag Team Challenge Match--Jerry Lynn & The Necro Butcher vs. Delirious & Brodie Lee: Lynn and Necro have mutual respect for each other stemming from their match at Final Battle 2008. Meanwhile Necro still has it in for Delirious and The Age of the Fall and can use any help he can get.

Singles Action--Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne vs. Silas Young: Payne gets an opportunity to shine in this singles match, stemming from his participation in ROH's last Pay Per View.

Singles Action--Rhett Titus vs. Grizzley Redwood: Titus needs to regain some momentum and Grizzley wants to keep proving that "the biggest muscle is the heart."

Preshow Match--Egotistico Fantastico vs. Deryck St. Holmes: Egotistico has appeared on several ROH pre show matches usually to positive reviews. Deryck St. Holmes is a veteran of the Chicago wrestling scene and gets a booking here.


New Matches for February 6th in Coral Springs, Florida and February 7th in Orlando, Florida


February 6th, 2009:
Non-Title: Nigel McGuinness vs. Brent Albright: McGuinness could still be champion when this match takes place, but so far the title being on the line has not be announced. Albright is one of the few ROH wrestlers who hasn't fought McGuinness for the title and could be one of the few left who would be plausible enough to defeat him. Albright could also be coming off a huge win after the Steel Cage Warfare match in Chicago Ridge, so that momentum could propel him upwards into the title picture.

Austin Aries vs. Necro Butcher: Six months ago Austin Aries convinced Necro that Jimmy Jacobs was using him. Necro rejected The Age of the Fall in reaction to being convinced this was the truth. Now Austin Aries and Jimmy Jacobs seem to somehow be aligned together or have some sort of strange symbiotic relationship. Necro Butcher is mad as hell by these developments and will look to take it out on the man who supposedly emancipated him. Aries and Necro had one match in Dayton, Ohio back in June that was more angle than actual match. Whether or not these two go all out or we get more shenanigans remains to be seen.

Davey Richards vs. Tyler Black: Richards has picked up his performance to another level these past few months and could be on the fast track to the upper card by the end of the year if that continues. Meanwhile, Black is currently in that position and his popularity and smooth moves in the ring could help to make this a very buzzworthy contest. This could be a possible main event in 2009 should Black win the ROH World Title.

Sean Osbourne vs. Brad Attitude: From the ROH newswire: ROH fans will get a chance to see two of Florida's most popular wrestlers in Coral Springs when Brad Attitude takes on Sean Osbourne. When asked for his thoughts, Brad said that "this Osbourne is a sneaky guy, but come February 6, he's got an attitude adjustment coming!" In Coral Springs we will find out if that's true when two of Florida's top stars square off.


February 7th, 2009:
Tyler Black & Necro Butcher vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious: The pattern of doing singles matches on the Friday show and tag matches on the second day with the Black vs. Jacobs feud continues on this card. Black teams up with someone who has a mutual agenda in order to be able to fight against his former tag partner. It's funny in a way—this match is former Age of the Fall vs. current Age of the Fall members.

Austin Aries vs. Brad Attitude: Coming out of his match against Sean Osbourne the previous night, Brad Attitude will be pitted against top competition from the ROH roster in Austin Aries. The new attitude of Aries will match up against Brad Attitude, with the winner perhaps being able to claim the rights to that word for all eternity.

Jerry Lynn vs. Sean Osbourne: Meanwhile, we have the other half of that singles match in Florida facing off against a top flight ROH wrestler. From the newswire: A great showing here will go a long way towards securing Osbourne more ROH matches, and a victory over the former World Champion Lynn could skyrocket Osbourne's career to heights he's never seen. Lynn had this to say, "I'm looking forward to taking on one of Florida's best on the 7th. But if Osbourne is looking to make his name off me, than he better bring his A-game. I'm not going to underestimate the guy, but Osbourne you should know that my eyes are squarely on Nigel McGuinness and the ROH World title, and I plan to beat everybody in my way until I get another shot!"



Kayfabe Quote of the Week: The Caged Debate—Team Captain's Brent Albright and Larry Sweeney have their say regarding the Steel Cage Warfare match at "Caged Collision" in Chicago Ridge, IL.

Larry Sweeney: "Those idiots said they wanted Sweet-N-Sour in the cage, and that's how the contract was drawn up. Now they want the specific names? Am I as dumb as Albright's hair looks? Why would I concede an obvious advantage? Why would I clue them in? There's no way in hell I'm talking, and no one will know who I'm bringing to Chicago until it's time to get into the cage!"

Brent Albright: "Bring whoever you got Sweeney. You can bring every idiot that ever bought what you were selling, and it won't matter. We got the cage, you got no way out. No weaseling, no running or hiding, someone is going to bleed! And maybe that someone will be you!!!"



ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 01/31/2009

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 33 successful defenses)
-defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Next Defense: vs. El Generico, Chicago Ridge, Illinois, 01/31/09

V.1 defeated Jay Briscoe, wristlock submission (10/21/07 San Francisco, CA)
V.2 defeated Chris Hero, wristlock submission (11/02/07 Philadelphia, PA)
V.3 defeated Austin Aries, Jawbreaker Lariat (12/29/07 Manhattan, NY)
V.4 defeated Go Shiozaki, London Dungeon (wristlock submission) (01/20/08 Tokyo, Japan,)
V.5 Steel Cage Match: defeated Chris Hero (01/25/08, Dayton, OH)
V.6 defeated Roderick Strong, Jawbreaker Lariat (01/26/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.7 defeated Bryan Danielson, London Dungeon (02/23/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.8 defeated Tyler Black, London Dungeon (03/16/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.9 defeated Larry Sweeney, Jawbreaker Lariat (03/22/08 Crystal River, FL)
V.10 defeated Austin Aries, Jawbreaker Lariat (03/29/08 Orlando, FL)
V.11 defeated Erick Stevens, London Dungeon (04/11/08 Boston, MA)
V.12 defeated Kevin Steen, roll up holding the ropes (04/12/08 Edison, NJ)
V.13 defeated Kevin Steen, Jawbreaker Lariat (04/19/08 Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.14 defeated Claudio Castagnoli, London Dungeon, (05/10/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.15 defeated KENTA and BJ Whitmer, Jawbreaker Lariat to Whitmer (05/15/08, Tokyo, Japan)
V.16 defeated Go Shiozaki, London Dungeon (06/07/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.17 defeated Vic Viper, London Dungeon (06/14/08, Tallaght, Ireland)
V.18 defeated Keith Myatt and Lionheart, (06/20/08, Doncaster, U.K.)
V.19 (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.20 defeated Kevin Steen, Lariat off Turbuckle, (07/25/08, Toronto, ONT, CN)
V.21 defeated Claudio Castagnoli, Jawbreaker Lariat (07/26/08, Detroit, MI)
V.22 defeated Ruckus, London Dungeon (08/01/08, Manassas, VA)
V.23 Four Way Elimination Match: defeated Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black & Claudio Castagnoli (08/02/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.24 defeated El Generico, London Dungeon (08/15/08, Cleveland, OH )
V.25 defeated Jimmy Jacobs, Jawbreaker Lariat (09/14/08, Tokyo, Japan)
V.26 defeated Roderick Strong, (09/19/08, Boston, MA)
V.27 defeated El Generico, roll up, (09/20/08, Philadelphia, PA)
V.28 Four Way Elimination Match: defeated Go Shiozaki, El Generico & Kevin Steen (11/07/08, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
V.29 lost via disqualification to Necro Butcher (11/08/08, Markham, Ontario, Canada) Champion retains on a DQ.
V.30 defeated Bryan Danielson, Jawbreaker Lariat (11/22/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V. 31 defeated Jerry Lynn, pin using ropes (12/06/08, Nashville, TN)
V.32 defeated Naomichi Marufuji (12/27/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.33 fought to a time limit draw vs. vs. Tyler Black (01/17/09, Edison, New Jersey)

**

ROH World Tag Team Champions—Kevin Steen & El Generico (champions since 09/19/08, 5 successful defenses)
-defeated The Age of the Fall of Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black on September 19th, 2008 in Boston, MA to win the championship.

Next Defense: TBA

V.1 defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe (11/08/08, Markham, Ontario, Canada)
V.2 defeated Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious (11/21/08. Dayton, OH)
V.3 defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe (11/22/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.4 defeated Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious (12/27/08, Manhattan, NY)
V.5 defeated American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) (01/30/09, Detroit, MI)
**


Top Feuds & Pairings:

-What is going on between Aries and Jacobs?
-Tyler Black's face turn
-Jerry Lynn vs. Nigel McGuinness
-Claudio wants to make a comeback
-Brent Albright, Roderick Strong & Erick Stevens vs. Sweet & Sour Inc.
-Daizee Haze wants to save Delirious and restore her name.
-Necro Butcher continues his war against Age of the Fall
-Bison Smith's run of terror


ROH Home Theatre Station

ROH Videowire: January 27th, 2009

---

1. Randy Orton I'm still loving his work as a heel. His remorseless explanation and justification of what he did to Vince McMahon was the perfect response for that character to give. Orton threatening to sue and ruin Wrestlemania is right on target as well—given this is the anniversary that everyone has been waiting for, twenty five years of Wrestlemanai—to be the man who could cancel it and end it all with a lawsuit puts a huge amount of power in his hands, not to mention heat from the crowd.
2. Chris Jericho: Increased his exposure to the mainstream media in responding to Mickey Rourke's comments about perhaps taking him on in a wrestling match at Mania 25. Rourke's publicist later stated that he would not be wrestling on that show (YEAH…I believe that, SHOOOR)…but regardless, I loved the fact that Jericho did everything he could, both on Raw and on Larry King Live, to continue to further the angle before it was "killed."
3. Shane McMahon: Screw all that noise about how that main event segment was stupid and ruined Randy Orton (it didn't). Yes, Shane McMahon being the man to take down three heels isn't the best thing to do, but it isn't the worst either. I thoroughly enjoyed Shane whupping some ass to close out the show and the crowd did as well. It also makes perfect sense considering the McMahons were all on the same page and Shane would want to exact some payback for what orton did to his father. Fans also should remember that Shane and Randy were a part of several backstage and front stage vignettes over the course of the last five to six months, including Orton pointing out they were both second (or in Shane's case, third) generation participants in wrestling. The Shane-Orton incident and perhaps future match has been foreshadowed for a long time now. So long as Orton is able to get retribution on Shane and soon (and granted with the McMahon family that could be a pretty major "if" ), then this moment will only serve to fill in the larger picture of Orton's storyline against the McMahon family.
4. Nigel McGuinness: An all new vignette on the "Wrestling at the Gateway" DVD shows Nigel heeling it up at a bar and several stores…including annoying a lady by repeatedly asking the price for T-shirts on the same rack and trying to hit on the bartender. Although I wasn't enamored with the swear words being used (at one point the bartender refers to him as a "f**king a**hole"), which is a bit abrupt and in your face, I thought this was an excellent segment that focused on McGuinness's characterization of the heel champion who still gets no respect from the fans.
5. Booker T: The five minutes I tuned into just see exactly what was going on with WCW TNA nWo Main Event Mafia Impact were all pretty horrible...EXCEPT for Booker T's guest commentary. I have no idea if this was really the case, but if he was going for a Don West impersonation I believe he just about nailed it. Regardless, Booker T earns my RESPECT this week.

Honorarium

-Wrestling at the Gateway (December 5th, 2008) was short at six matches (plus a bonus match from SHIMMER Voume 15 with Daizee Haze vs. Sarah Stock, which is a really good match and definitely should be checked out if you are getting the DVD anyway) and this was definitely a worthwhile purchase. I definitely felt like I had gotten my money's worth out of the show, especially after watching Black vs. Aries and especially after the main tag team bout of Danielson & Lynn vs. McGuinness & Castagnoli. Four matches on the show were tag bouts, so you might as well have called this one "Tag Wars 2008 Part 2"…but that's not a bad thing. Aside from one or two similar spots, each tag match had its place and its purpose and didn't even feel like overkill. Along with Kenny King vs. Kenny Omega setting the table with a fast paced and athletic bout and the Aries vs. Black match getting into a good groove, this really felt like a show where everything clicked to make the sum worth more than its parts.

-When the song plays and gets to the part where the lyric is "might as well face it, you're addicted to love Rhett Titus", now do they mean that Rhett Titus might as well face it because he's addicted to love? Or do they mean that we the fans might as well face it because we're addicted to love Rhett Titus? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

-Rhett and ROH really need to do a skit where they recreate the bar scene from "Cocktail", with Titus playing the role of Tom Cruise shaking and stirring the mixed drinks.

-Claudio's ascot that he wears on the Wrestling at the Gateway show is Very European. More wrestlers should start wearing ascots; it could start a fashion trend.

-Erick Stevens really got over during the tag gauntlet match, which shows the fans may still be willing to accept him as an important part of the promotion. The crowd really reacted to his chops and to his use of suplexes and power moves. He and Albright make a very good big man tag team, and I'd actually prefer to have them team more regularly over the combination they're currently going with in Stevens and Strong.

I really liked the moment in the tag gauntlet where Albright went for a sunset flip on one of the Irish Airborne duded but didn't go for the pin, instead using it to get within tagging distance of Stevens for an effective hot tag. Stevens made a bit of a miscalculation in going for a tag during the heat segment of their bout with Sweet & Sour, and the hot tag there was less effective. The Briscoes meanwhile provided some good fun in beating down Dempsey and Richards. I love how Jay lulled Bobby into coming over to him, sort of like Bobby thought he was going to get an "attaboy" or "its allright" from Jay, but then he just gets rocked by a forearm.

I'm not quite sure of Davey Richards' strategy during the tag gauntlet match. He and Bobby would team up and do a move and then Davey would beat up on Bobby. Not really the smartest idea to hurt your own tag partner in a match like this, even if it is Bobby Dempsey.

Dempsey finally received a ton more face time on a show and I think he really came through in this role. He was effective at times in his offense which was great to see him connect on the big splash and the vader bomb. However, it was also funny to watch the moments when he was ineffective and messed up, including losing his pants and being berated by Sweeney. Post match you feel a lot of sympathy for him and the bloody nose, while probably legitimate, really added a lot to the moment.

-I am a bit sick of Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard mocking the internet criticism from some sources (most obviously Bryan Alvarez of F4W / Wrestling Observe) about how some ROH wrestlers don't stand out or look like every independent wrestler. They've made this comment several times over the course of the last few shows, usually in reference to Erick Stevens and Brent Albright putting hair color in to stand out their hair. However, it was ironic this comment came at the moment Stevens and Albright, who now stand out with their hair and trunks, were fighting Irish Airborne, a tag team that wears the same style tights. Now I have no real problem with tag teams wearing the same outfit style (they are a tag team after all), but if you asked me to differentiate between the members of Irish Airborne, I'd have a lot more trouble doing so than Albright and Stevens, especially now that both have distinctive hair and tights.

-For those interested in star ratings, I had the main event at four and ¼ stars. Just an excellent grudge tag team bout with a live crowd and constant action and interaction between all four wrestlers. All four of these men are at such a high level of performance right now that it's almost automatic that you can count on them to deliver in the ring. That said, these guys went above the call to create a good match that followed the tag formula but did it in some fresh ways, such as avoidance moments of tag moves, Nigel and Claudio combining for some unique European Uppercut volleys and Danielson and Lynn firing off back to back dives that started the big comeback in the match.

Lynn was really featured in the last few moments of the match and he came through big time. I've had a few doubts about this new push for Lynn as a sort of homage to "The Wrestler", but his work in this one helped to alleviate some of those worries. Lynn can definitely bring it in the ring and gets the crowd behind him. He just has to watch that he doesn't go overly into his "death metal voice" and they can't push too hard on the idea that he is a veteran looking for that one last chance such that it becomes him whining about it. It's a tricky and risky tactic, but if it is pulled off correctly, a Lynn title win would get over huge. Personally I am pulling for Tyler Black to get the title win, but now I can see the real potential in Lynn being the next champion.

---

The Money Players: December 2008

Who are the money players? In the sports industry, money players are the athletes who are making the right plays at the right moments.

In wrestling, the concept of the money player is not all that different. The wrestler who has a great match or gives an impressive impression upon the audience ups their worth to the wrestling promoter. While you may be helping your team, you are also helping yourself and your career.

Let's see who's hot, who's not, who's making those key plays and who is dropping the ball, so to speak in Ring of Honor.


Money Players of the Month—December 2008

-"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson (ABDD) & Jerry Lynn (LYNN): Danielson and Lynn were the top faces throughout the month of December and they both came through big time in their roles. They teamed up together at Wrestling at the Gateway, pooling their resources and coming through with the big "W". Danielson and Lynn also had something else in common—one or both of them would be in the main event matches for each show that month. Lynn had the best chance to win the ROH World Title since his return to the company and Bryan Danielson put Claudio Castagnoli away in the "no DQ" match. Lynn and Danielson had their first showdown in Philadelphia. Finally Jerry Lynn won the Four Corner Survival match and Bryan Danielson put away another feud with a final triumph against Pro Wrestling NOAH's Takeshi Morishima at Final Battle 2008. December was all about Lynn and Danielson and how both of them gained victories and provided inspiration to their fans.


The Money Players of 2008:
December 2008: "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson (ABDD) & Jerry Lynn (LYNN)
November 2008: Austin Aries (ARES) & Jimmy Jacobs (AOTF)
October 2008: Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez) (LAXC)
September 2008: Bryan Danielson (ADBD)
August 2008: Nigel McGuinness (NIGE)
July 2008: Kevin Steen (KSTN) / Lance Storm (STRM)
June 2008: The Age of the Fall (AOTF) / Austin Aries (ARES)
May 2008: The Age of the Fall / Jimmy Jacobs (AOTF)
April 2008: Motor City Machine Guns (MCMG)
March 2008: Dragon Gate
February 2008: Kevin Steen (KSTN) & Go Shiozaki (GOGO)
January 2008: Erick Stevens (CHOO)


ROH STOCK INDEX


Breadwinners STOCK UP!

-Tyler Black (TBLK): The hottest commodity of Ring of Honor isn't the current World or even World Tag Team champions, it's the young blue chipper who could be the next big thing for the company. Black not only has a win against Nigel McGuinness but he has generated excitement and momentum among his base. If he continues to win or even just prove himself capable of being what the fans want him to be, then you could be looking at the most successful stock on the market for the year to come.

-Nigel McGuinness (NIGE): The champion still is going strong as the champion, but that's not all that makes his stock increase over the past month. A huge win against Naomichi Marufuji in front of a record crowd in New York City will keep you going strong. A loss to Tyler Black could have put a hole in his sail, but McGuinness stridently rebounded with a controversial title defense in Edison, New Jersey.

-Jerry Lynn (LYNN): The ‘New ‘F'N' Show' is running strong with well received performances and strong clamor for encores. Lynn's human interest story has touched a lot of the investors, who like what Lynn's attitude and motivation brings to the table. They also love the results, as Lynn has won plenty matches over the last two months.

-Kenny Omega (OMGA): A stunning upset win against ROH veteran Claudio Castagnoli puts a lot of positive momentum towards the Omega brand in both the company and internationally. Omega is currently on a very successful run in Japan. The more fans and investors see from this young lion, the more there is to like about him.


Loss Leaders STOCK DOWN!

-Delirious (DELI): Delirious may be on the worst losing streak of his career here…but it's not just about losing matches. Delirious is losing trust, both with Jimmy Jacobs (who continues to remain on the Black Market selling his wares on the down low) and with the traders on the stock market. There are concerns that Delirious has become too distracted by external issues (meaning Daizee Haze) and that has and will continue to have a negative influence on his wrestling career.

-Claudio Castagnoli (CAST): Conversely to Omega's upward climb, Castagnoli has fallen quickly with losses to Omega and Bryan Danielson. The money making man has dealt with the ups and downs of his value before and seems steadfastly determined to rebound from it. However, the market isn't so sure it will be so easy. A new slogan ("very European") is a start to reorganizing name brand value, but Claudio will have to follow up quickly if he wants to stabilize his presence in the market.

Trendsetters

-Austin Aries's New ‘Tude: Wrestling for yourself is all the rage these days. Just ask Claudio Castagnoli and now Austin Aries. A new outfit, new ring entrance and new motivation are the result of a change in creative direction for Aries' brand. But I don't think he would really care about all of that, rather concentrating on the results of this new marketing strategy. Aries' new "me first" perspective could increase profits and dividends…for himself and not the investors.


Evaluations On

-Alex Payne (PAYN): Alex Payne may be sweet as sugar to the Chicago Ridge fans, but now he is gaining the chance to prove himself to the larger Pay Per View audience. Does Payne have the chops and the ability to jump out of the penny stocks and make a huge impact on the market? Evaluators thought Payne certainly talked a good game during his promo building up his match against Silas Young on the "Caged Collision" Pay Per View. If he can back up his Q1 predictions with a victory, Payne will prove to be a speculator's wet dream.


Future Outlooks

(+) POSITIVE: Jay Briscoe (up), Erick Stevens, Brent Albright, Kenny Omega, Grizzly Redwood, Chris Hero, Kevin Steen, El Generico, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Shane Hagadorn, Jerry Lynn, Delirious, Austin Aries, Nigel McGuiness

(/) NEUTRAL: Irish Airborne, Kenny King (down), Claudio Castagnoli (down), Daizee Haze (up), Bryan Danielson, Roderick Strong, Jason Blade, Rhett Titus , Silas Young, Sal Rinauro, Alex Payne

(-) NEGATIVE: Mark Briscoe (down), Jigsaw (down), Julius Smokes, Tank Toland, Ruckus, Jack Evans

Added: Irish Airborne
Dropped: Go Shiozaki, Naomichi Marufuji

Found on the Black Market: Age of the Fall, Ninja White, Ninja Yellow, Ninja Blue, Ninja Black, Brodie Lee


Penny Stocks
Looking for a cheap bargain? This is the place to speculate on the next possible big things…but look out; there could also be a few duds here.

--More than a penny for your thoughts
Shane Hagadorn (HAGA)
Julius Smokes (SMOK)--Smokes was last seen ranting and raving (in his own special way) about something big going down pretty soon. Is this something that will help to put Smokes Enterprises over the top in Ring of Honor?
Jason Blade (BLAD)
Eddie Edwards (EDED)
Rhett Titus (TTUS)
Kenny King (KKNG)
Grizzly Redwood (GRZL)

--Still just one cent
Eddie Osiris (EOSI)
Bobby Dempsey (BDEM)--Still waiting on Dempsey to make the big decision to stand up for himself and break from Sweet & Sour Incorporated. Once he does, the sky is the limit.
Alex Payne (PAYN)
Dingo (DNGO)
Kyle Durden (DURD)--Doing backstage promos and investigative journalism (as Bobby Heenan liked to call it) has upped Durden's profile and made people take notice of him. That's a good start towards heading out of the penny stocks.
Sami Callahan (SAMI)

Closing Thoughts / Ring the Bell: Well, the stock market loves celebrity guest stars to close the business day…and it doesn't come any bigger right now that for Mickey Rourke, Randy "The Ram" Robinson himself, to make a special appearance and take it home. The Ram Jam is in full effect.

---

Going Home

Get With the pROHgram:

Available Now: "All Star Extravaganza IV" and "Final Battle 2008" for sale on ROHwrestling.com.

Available Now: SHIMMER Volumes 21 and 22 for sale on ROHwrestling.com.

February 6th & 7th 2009: ROH "Proving Ground ‘09" comes from Coral Springs and Orlando, Florida with young wrestlers looking to test themselves against the big names in the company.

February 26th & 27th, 2009: ROH's Seventh Anniversary Weekend in Hartford, CT and Philadelphia, PA (The Arena)

March 21st, 2009: ROH RETURNS to the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, NY.


ROH @ 411

411's Buy or Sell covers the TV deal and this weekend's ROH shows in great detail.

Bayani Domingo discusses the return of the boss vs. wrestler storyline (even in ROH) in his latest edition of Truth B Told.

Aaron Hubbard discusses The Wrestler.


I'm loving this idea, but I'll have to postpone "The Battle of the Books" until next week and hope that no one steals my idea before then. That and results from Chicago Ridge and a preview of the "Proving Ground ‘09" show in Coral Springs, Florida.

BROOKLYN! NANA!
--Ari--