Column of Honor 03.01.09: Lights, Camera, Action!

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 03.01.2009

The cameras are officially rolling for ROH on HD Net and I have the results of the first night of tapings, plus results from 2/27 in Danbury CT. All that plus a look back at the defining moments of ROH in 2002, KENTA, new matches for St. Louis and Indianapolis, Ric Flair on the ROH videowire, CHIKARA in the Fave Five and even discussion of Wrestlemania VI! ULLLLLLLTIMATE CHALLENGE!

WOOOOOO—oh wait, that was last week. Well, Welcome to the Column anyway. Sorry for the one-day delay, but I was battling some nasty writer's block and figured at this point, well, might as well wait for the ROH TV results and report on that. Good thing, too.



Ring Toss
-The Cameras Are Rolling
- ROH Results: HD Net Tapings Episode 1-3
- ROH Results: Danbury, CT February 27th, 2009
-Honored News
-ROH Call
-Fave 5: CHIKARA
-Honorarium
-Defining Moments in ROH: 2002
-Get with the pROHgram
-Ringtones
-ROH @ 411


The Cameras Are Rolling

Last night Ring of Honor finally completed what some of its fans had been waiting for during the last seven years—recording shows for television. From the massive amount of reports coming in from Philadelphia to the message boards and wrestling websites, it sounds like it was a very successful effort. A good start to their television presentation was what ROH needed in this very critical period of time. ROH had a supportive capacity crowd filling The Arena in Philly and a professional HD Net production leading the way in that effort.

HDNet brought a six to seven camera set up to the building and a production truck and fans in attendance wrote that the angles and action shots these cameras picked up were of amazing quality. These shows could be the best ROH has ever looked with the right editing of these HD quality cameras. That news has to excite even the most cynical supporter or onlooker that ROH's production problems will be at an end for the TV show.

The tapings themselves were packed with wrestling matches, and as anticipated there was a maximum focus on action and a minimum of in-ring angles and storylines (although there could be interviews and skits filmed backstage that would fill in the blanks). There were fifteen matches total including three pre-show matches, which is the most in any one given show in years. Interestingly enough, these tapings were substantially different from DVD shows of the last few months in that all of the matches taped for television in the first three episodes had decisive finishes(whether for the face or heel going over) and no disqualifications or count-outs. Even the lone run in was kept to after the match had completed. In other words, this was Ring of Honor the way fans of the original era would have wanted it to be—focusing on the athleticism and abilities of the wrestlers—and on the in-ring wrestling, as its spelled on the marquee. W-R-E-S-T-L-I-N-G.

Formatting of the early shows has become clear and as expected it will feature an average of four matches per episode with several shorter matches followed by a lengthier main event match. Two of the shorter matches will be squash style and one will be more competitive. The main even matches went from twelve to fifteen minutes. The shorter television matches were an expected necessary compromise but at six to seven minutes each still provide enough of a "taste" of the ROH wrestlers to inform and educate the new viewer as to what to expect in the ring for these wrestlers. All of the matches were paced for television but reportedly pleased the crowd within the match itself and featured the notable trademark moves of the wrestlers involved.

As far as those concerned about matches getting time, the first episode will feature at least thirty-one minutes of wrestling action in the one hour show, which puts itself in line with what ECW on Sci-Fi provides per hour and blows away what TNA iMPACT usually provides as far as in ring time in its two-hour format. The second ROH HDNet show will have thirty one minutes and the third show will have thirty two minutes (thanks to Paul Sosnowski for the individual match times—the GLF's efforts have finally come home to roost). The rest of the hour will fill rather quickly with probable backstage segments, video recaps of noteworthy wrestlers and feuds, in-show advertising for ROH DVD products and ROH live events and time for regular commercials (which on HDNet usually come at the close of the show rather than in-between segments).

Fans were concerned about their favorite music for their wrestler being replaced and as expected that is what happened. Except for Jimmy Jacobs / Age of the Fall and Erick Stevens, everyone else's music had changed to a new track. Reports had that these tracks were generic but mostly fit the wrestler to whom it was applied. Claudio Castagnoli had the most distinct new music with a classical style track that was "very European". Chris Hero and Rhett Titus had new music with lyrics specific to them. The most disappointing new track was reported to have been Bryan Danielson's, which is not the best news in the world to hear for the best wrestler in the world and one of THE marquee names for the promotion. Fans in attendance rebelled from this music choice and encouraged by Bryan Danielson, astoundingly sang a capella the lyrics to "The Final Countdown". If ROH needed any further proof that the fans wanted and needed Danielson to have this song, there it was.

ROH will continue to tape its television series at The Arena in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. This is good news in that it gives ROH a constant "home" for their show, like "The Impact Zone" serves for TNA or that the Manhattan Center initially served for Monday Night Raw over fifteen years ago. It is slightly disappointing that at least initially ROH won't be taking the television show on tour, because it would be great for ROH to present its different cities through this format. However, logistics and the economy probably indicates its best to take this approach first; I'd wager that they probably got a good rate on a package deal from the Arena to stay there and tape their shows A schedule was released earlier in the week that showed ROH would be taping the first thirty episodes there throughout the next several months (see below).

Of course these tapings (including episodes four through six, set to be recorded this afternoon) were about more than the music or the wrestlers. It was about seeing if and how ROH could take that next step, the one that everyone has talked about but perhaps had been fearful to take. Initial reports say that ROH has indeed landed safely on that first step, but, to quote Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, there is still "a whole lot of walking to do" to reach the top landing.


ROH Results: HD Net Tapings Episode 1-3, February 28th, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA

Matches
Pre Show:

-Bobby Dempsey & Andy "Right Leg" Ridge defeated "Dirty" Ernie Osiris & "Beautiful" Bobby Shields.
-Jon Kermon defeated Adam Cole.
-Grizzly Redwood defeated Corey Abbott.

Episode One:

-Jerry Lynn defeated Delirious via pinfall with the Cradle Piledriver at 5:40.
-Kenny King defeated Sami Callahan via pinfall with a Death Valley Driver into a DDT at 5:40.
-Brent Albright defeated "Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus via submission with the Crowbar at 6:33.
-Tyler Black defeated Jimmy Jacobs via pinfall at 13:50 when he reversed The End Time into a bridging pin.
Angle: Brodie Lee blasted Tyler Black after the match with a big boot triggering a Jacobs / Lee beatdown of Black.

Episode Two:

-Kevin Steen defeated Eddie Edwards via pinfall at 7:54 with the Package Piledriver.
-Sara Del Ray defeated Daizee Haze via pinfall with the Royal Butterfly at 5:29.

-Claudio Castagnoli defeated Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne via pinfall with the Pop-Up European and the Ricola Bomb at 6:24.
-ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness defeated Jay Briscoe in a non-title match via pinfall with the Jawbreaker Lariat at 12:06.


Episode Three:

-Erick Stevens defeated Sterling James Keenan via pinfall with the Doctor Bomb at 6:50.
-The Dark City Fight Club of Kory Chavis & Jon Davis defeated the team of Cheech & Cloudy via pinfall after a Powerbomb/Neckbreaker at 2:54.
-Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney & Sara Del Ray over The Necro Butcher via pinfall after using a Loaded Elbow at 8:21.
-"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson over Austin Aries via submission with the Triangle Choke at 14:29.

To end the show, Bryan Danielson thanked all the fans in a heartfelt speech and brought out the locker room along with getting the engineer to play "The Final Countdown" for the fans to chant and cheer along.

Return Dates: April 9th (episodes 7-9) and 10th (episodes 10-12)

More details on the show can be found here, thanks to Stuart Carapola.

ROH Results: February 27th, 2009 in Danbury, CT

Matches

Pre-Show

-Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne & Andy "Right Leg" Ridge defeated Antonio Thomas & Prince Jaleel.
-Grizzly Redwood defeated "Dirty" Ernie Osiris.


Main Show:

-Bobby Fish defeated Papadon via pinfall with a leaping Shining Wizard.
-Kenny King & "Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus defeated the team of Erick Stevens & Bobby Dempsey via pinfall on Stevens by King using his feet on the ropes.
-Claudio Castagnoli and Brent Albright went to a draw. Claudio tapped out and Paul Turner counted three on Albright at the same time.
-Kevin Steen & Jay Briscoe defeated Chris Hero & Eddie Edwards via pinfall with a Doomsday Device.
-"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson defeated Delirious via pinfall with a small package.
-Austin Aries defeated Sami Callahan via pinfall with a brainbuster
-The Necro Butcher defeated Brodie Lee in an Anything Goes Street Fight via pinfall after a massive chairshot by Necro.
-Ring of Honor World Champion Nigel McGuinness retained his title by winning a Four Way Elimination Match that involved Jerry Lynn, Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black. First Fall: McGuinness eliminated Lynn via pinfall when Jacobs yanked Lynn's leg and held it down so that he couldn't kick out. Second Fall: Tyler Black was counted out. Black was heading back into the ring at 19 but Jacobs dropkicked him off the apron for the full twenty count. Third Fall: McGuinness eliminated Jimmy Jacobs via pinfall with the Jawbreaker Lariat.

Angles & Issues

-Papadon was said to be a wrestler with a "Greek God" gimmick. I wonder if it's more "Chris Masters" or "Maxie Zeus".

-Brent Albright asked for five more minutes after the draw with Claudio, who said no and attacked him instead.

-Chris Hero and Eddie Edwards attacked Steen and Jay Briscoe post-match and Mark "injured but will make the run in" Briscoe emerged to help out his brother and Steen.

-Jimmy Jacobs once again yelled at Delirious after a match for losing. Delirious shoved him back but they made up and ended up hugging. Later on in the Necro vs. Lee match, Jacobs interfered as did Delirious. Daizee Haze came out to try to continue to get Delirious to reject Jacobs. Delirious pushed here off the apron. Delirious came back into the ring and Jacobs ended up inadvertently spearing him.


-After the Four Way title match, Black and Jacobs continued to fight, which brought back Delirious and Jerry Lynn to the fray.

-Return Date: July 17th 2009

More details on the show can be found here, thanks to Stuart Carapola.


Honored News

Main Events Announced for Second Night of TV Tapings

Jerry Lynn vs. Brodie Lee: Brodie Lee was involved in the post-match of the first main event of ROH on television, which is a good indication there are some bigger things in store for him, including this main event match for the fourth show. Lynn will be key here, as one of the top faces he needs to make a grand first impression and make sure looks good. Hopefully being at the former ECW Arena will give him that added boost from within and from the crowd, as it has done in past appearances over the last several months. More details from the ROH newswire: Jerry Lynn has been a huge inspiration to so many competitors since his return to prominence in ROH. Not only inside the ring - but in everyday life. ROH Officials are very happy to give Jerry a television main event; one the company feels he deserves in the building that made him famous. ROH Officials have also gone a step further and have given him the chance to choose who he will face. Jerry has selected someone a bit unexpected, and that man is the mammoth Brodie Lee! "I know he's affiliated with Jacobs and his insanity," said Lynn. "But here's a guy that could have such a bright future if he'd get his head on straight. And if he can't or won't do it himself, and if he's not sick of Necro punching the hell out of him yet, then maybe I can take a shot at him. Maybe I can show him what he's really made of or, better yet, what he can be."
Brent Albright vs. Claudio Castagnoli: Albright and Castagnoli seem to be seeing more and more of each other as the months go on. This is their second match in three nights. Their previous two matches proved inconclusive, but perhaps that will change when they meet on television. Both men are featured in the first set of tapings as having defeated an opponent. Simple booking means that the fans watching will understand this fight now means a bit more since both have looked good on previous episodes.
Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black: The winners of the main events to episodes one and three meet here. For ROH fans it's a very familiar pairing, but one that has proven to pay off with great matches. Tyler Black has never defeated Danielson before, but as he is being pushed a great deal here, the win could take place here—giving Black that one more and decisive push to the top of the main event scene in ROH by late Spring ‘09. Given that we now know these guys will get between twelve and fifteen minutes, we can expect a solid opening segment and then a faster paced and more tightly timed stretch run to the finale with both men throwing their best at each other in order to score the win.


Schedule for ROH Television Tapings at The Arena in Philadelphia

Here is the schedule of shows as tapings for the ROH HD Net Television Series:

* Saturday February 28th and March 1st (Episodes 1-6)
* Thursday April 9th and Friday April 10th (Episodes 7-12)
* Friday May 29th and Saturday May 30th (Episodes 13-18)
* Friday June 19th and Saturday June 20th (Episodes 19-24)
* Friday July 17th and Saturday July 18th (Episodes 25-30)

You'll notice that the last set of tapings actually is the same date as the return date to Danbury, CT…so either ROH is running a split squad on that date (unlikely), or the tapings will be coming to Danbury, or there was some sort of mistake in scheduling made that shall soon be corrected. If that schedule holds, ROH will always be taping about five to six weeks in advance of what's being presented on HDNet at that time.


KENTA Returns to ROH for Four Show Tour

Following the announcement of Katsuhiko Nakajima making his return to ROH action during Wrestlemania weekend, comes this ROH Press Release:

ROH, in conjunction with Pro Wrestling NOAH, is excited to announce the highly anticipated return of multi-time GHC champion KENTA to Ring of Honor.
Roughly 16 months since the last time he competed inside an ROH ring, former 2-Time GHC Jr. & 2-Time GHC Jr. Tag Champion KENTA will return to ROH competition for four upcoming events: Elizabeth, PA on March 20th, NYC on March 21st, and Houston, TX on April 3rd & 4th.

KENTA return is excellent news, in that it helps bolster some line ups and provides more excitement for both Wrestlemania and the Anniversary show weekends. KENTA could end up fighting Nakajima during one of these shows (which as of late has provided some incredible bouts for the GHC Jr. Title) although it would be great to see him matching up against some of the ROH mainstays again. News at the beginning of the year was that ROH was going to limit itself on flying over international competitors, but with Nakajima and now KENTA announced, it looks like special occasions such as these will still occur.


Take No Prisoners 2009 Pay Per View Announced for Houston, Texas, with Lucha Wrestlers

Ring of Honor will tape "Take No Prisoners" for Pay-Per-View on Saturday, April 4th as part of the huge weekend of events in Houston, TX! ROH Officials are happy to announce that as part of the weekend festivities, we will see the debut of Mexican Freelance stars Incognito and Magno! These two have been featured in matches together all over the world, and now they will bring their unique athleticism to Ring of Honor! As if that wasn't enough, we will also see the ROH debut of another wrestling legend in Houston! Lucha Libre legend and current NWA Champion, Blue Demon, Jr. will be on hand for both events! We'll have more talent and match announcements as we move forward.

I addressed most of this announcement in the latest edition of 411 Buy or Sell, so let me just add that its smart that ROH uses the luchadores to draw in the local crowd. However, don't expect the matches to be all that great. Incognito is very hit and miss in the ring. Hopefully he will wrestle Magno, put on a decent show and that will be good enough for me.

In addition, ROH and AAA have been in discussion to bring a member of their roster for the Houston, TX double shot in April. Speculation has it that this could be Jack Evans, who has spent most of the last year in AAA, making his return to ROH after a hiatus of that same length.


Matches Announced for Collinsville, IL and Indianapolis, IN

March 13th, 2009: Collinsville, IL

Bryan Danielson vs. Bison Smith: Bryan Danielson sent word to the ROH Booking Committee that he wants Bison Smith in the worst way, and apparently one match isn't enough. He's asked to face Bison in both St. Louis on March 13th and on the ROH debut in Indianapolis on March 14th. We have yet to receive word from Bison on whether or not he'll accept this bold challenge from "the Best in the World".

Four Corner Survival: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kenny Omega vs. Silas Young vs. Austin Aries: Whereas at the end of last year Claudio was a clear stand out in a few four corner survival matches that were booked to put the shine on him, this time around he has competition in Austin Aries. Both heels are on collision courses with the faces in this match (Claudio & Omega, Aries & Young), pitting new guard versus old guard. The heels could dominate the match, but both Omega and Young have enough "pluck" to pick up the win.

SHIMMER Women's Title—MsChif (c) vs. Daizee Haze: A match originally scheduled for Wrestling at the Gateway back in December but was scratched due to MsChif's injury. They have solid to very good matches during SHIMMER tapings, but women's matches in ROH have always been a question mark regardless of the competitor. This also has implications for the Haze vs. Age of the Fall issue, so perhaps we could expect more extra-curricular activities involving Jacobs and Delirious at ringside.

Kenny King & Rhett Titus vs. Irish Airborne: I don't know why IA continue to be booked, but this looks like another jobber to the stars effort in the hopes of pushing King and Titus upwards towards their tag title match the next night. It should be a relatively easy win for them.


March 14th, 2009: Indianapolis, IN

Bryan Danielson vs. Bison Smith: As this is the second of two straight matches between the two on this weekend, expect some shenanigans at some point. Perhaps inconclusive finishes or run ins or a DQ. Yeesh, has it come to the point in ROH's history where unclean finishes are expected? Smith, who may or may not be under the control of Prince Nana (a piece of news broken on the message boards yesterday but yet to be confirmed), so that could be an added "X-Factor" to the match.

ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Kevin Steen & El Generico (c) vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus: from the newswire: The World Tag Team Titles will be defended when ROH debuts in Indianapolis on March 14th! Kevin Steen and El Generico are the epitome of "fighting champions" and on 3/14 they'll face the challenge of Kenny King and Rhett Titus! King and Titus are untested against competition of this caliber, but Kevin Steen commented, "Do they deserve a title match? Have they proved themselves? Maybe not to some. But that won't stop Generico and me from defending the titles where ever we can. And they signed the open contract. Sure, we could've made it non-title, but what kind of debut would that be? We're coming into Indy as fighting champions, and we'll leave as fighting champions!"

Tyler Black & Jerry Lynn vs. Nigel McGuinness & Austin Aries: Black and Lynn have found respect for each other; meanwhile McGuinness and Aries have found themselves on the same side due to common enemies. Lynn and McGuinness match up well against each other in tag team bouts, so I'd expect more of the same quality from them. Aries will be as good as he can if he doesn't give into the temptations of his new persona to stall out the action.

Jay Briscoe vs. Chris Hero: The Briscoe Brothers "Revenge Tour" on Sweet & Sour Incorporated continues for Jay Briscoe as he fights on, this time against the returning main event player for The Inc. in Chris Hero. Hero has apparently changed his ring attire again, to ghastly reactions from those who have seen it. Perhaps that is the psychological edge he needs to take on the big brother on the Briscoes team. It also could be the loaded elbow pad.


Matches Announced for Elizabeth, PA and Manhattan, New York

March 20th, 2009: Elizabeth, PA

Falls Count Anywhere--Tyler Black & Necro Butcher vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious: In Orlando, Jacobs blasted Tyler with a chair and caused an AOTF loss via disqualification. That hasn't sat well with Necro and Tyler, both of whom want Jacobs' blood on their hands. ROH Officials have made the match – Tyler Black and the Necro Butcher will face Jimmy Jacobs and Brodie Lee in an anything goes FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE BRAWL!

Matt Cross & Erick Stevens vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus: Resilience Reunion! I know Stuart Carapola (third mention tonight) will be ever so happy to see Matt Cross back in ROH. I actually liked Cross on the independent scene, although his run in ROH wasn't what it could have been. Anyway, this oculd just be a one-time deal because his is an town where Cross frequently appeared for other promotions, or it could be "alarm bell" ringing time for some kind of angle. More from the newswire: ROH Officials are happy to announce that "M-Dogg" Matt Cross will return to action on March 20th in suburban Pittsburgh! He will team with his former Resilience teammate, Erick Stevens, to face the brash Kenny King and Rhett Titus in a contest of two teams made up of supreme athleticism, power, and according to Titus, "dependable thrust that you can trust". Can M-Dogg make a splash in his return? Will King and Titus enter the ring in Pittsburgh the newly crowned World Tag Team Champions?


March 21st, 2009: Manhattan, NY (Seventh Anniversary Show)

No Disqualification, ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Kevin Steen & El Generico (c) vs. American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards): The ROH World Tag Team Titles will be on the line as Kevin Steen and El Generico will face the American Wolves – Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. And there is plenty of hate and bad blood to go around in this one, capped recently by Davey Richards attack on El Generico's knee in Orlando. Now, ROH officials understand that order cannot be kept when the boiling point has already been reached between these four men. With that in mind, the ROH Booking Committee has decided that this match will be contested under "No Disqualification" rules!

D-Lo Brown vs. Jay Briscoe: This is a pretty cool match. First of all, its new and never been seen before. Secondly, it's bound to be a physical contest. D-Lo did very well for himself against McGuinness and gave a promo on a recent newswire that he was coming back for him, but this is a good indication he will make more appearances for ROH and fight against other regulars. Brown and his competitors will benefit from the experience.

Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Quackenbush: Well, it wasn't high on my list of matches I wanted to see Quack have while back for ROH. Claudio would have been my first choice because even though they are frequent opponents, they almost never have a bad match against each other and a clear heel vs. face divide between the two would help get the match over even more at this point. Nonetheless, both men have what it takes to provide a great match, mixing the technical and chain wrestling with Quack flying a bit and Lynn using his few but effective dives and you could have a great face vs. face wrestling match.


Lagana helping Prepare for ROH TV

Former WWE creative team member Dave Lagana is backstage at ROH's event in Danbury, CT. Lagana has likely been brought in to help format the first ROH TV series scripts. Lagana is best known for heading up the ECW brand after Paul Heyman left WWE in 2006. (PWInsider)

Some fans are up in arms about this news, but really I could care less that a former WWE writer is getting involved. This isn't a "sell out" by ROH nor do I think it will lead to some massively horrible changes in their product. EARTH to people out there, Adam Pearce IS the man in charge—it is his booking ideas that will get through. If he could use the assistance of someone to help create a television format for ROH, let him get someone who knows how to do that. As we have already seen in the first tapings, this news hasn't really been negative at all.

ROHdds and Ends

-There are talks of building up to Ric Flair refereeing a match. (Meltzer)

-Ricky Reyes, who is based in San Juan and working for WWC, returns in early May. (Meltzer)

-ROH officials were contacted earlier this morning by the Pro Wrestling NOAH office to inquire as to the upcoming availability of ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness for a return to Japan. Apparently following his victory over Naomichi Marufuji at "Final Battle 2008", the arrogant McGuinness went to NOAH representative Ryu Nakata and laid out an open challenge for any member of the NOAH roster to face him for his ROH World Title. Stay tuned to ROHWrestling.com for more on this story as it develops.

-ROH officials have been told to expect a visit from Prince Nana at some point this weekend, and he's apparently coming to "talk business".

Kayfabe Quote of the Week: "Man, I got all kind of respect for D'Lo … And it's an honor to face him in NYC. But D'Lo, I gotta warn you, this is ROH, and in ROH it's simple. Man up, or get out." - Jay Briscoe


ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 02/28/2009

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 36 successful defenses)
-defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Next Defense: vs. Tyler Black vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jerry Lynn (Four Way Elimination Match), Danbury, CT, 02/27/09

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)
V. 34 defeated El Generico, London Dungeon (01/31/09 Chicago Ridge, Illinois)
V.35 defeated D-Lo Brown, Jawbreaker Lariat (02/07/09, Orlando, Florida)
V.36 Four Way Elimination Match: defeated Tyler Black, Jimmy Jacobs &Jerry Lynn (02/27/09, Danbury, CT)

**

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:a- vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus, Indianapolis, Indiana, 03/14/09
b- vs. American Wolves, New York, NY, 03/21/09

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 vs. Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs
-Tyler Black has a title shot "in his back pocket"
-Jerry Lynn vs. Nigel McGuinness
-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright
-Bobby Dempsey's trail of revenge against Sweet & Sour Inc.
-Prince Nana's future role in ROH
-Daizee Haze wants to save Delirious.
-Necro Butcher continues his war against Age of the Fall
-Bison Smith's run of terror and agenda against Bryan Danielson


ROH Home Theatre Station

ROH Videowire: February 25th, 2009

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I haven't commented all too much on CHIKARA as of late, but I've been trying to catch up with the Fall and Winter 2008 shows. So here's a fave five of CHIKARA wrestlers and moments from the last few shows I've watched.

1. The Osirian Portal vs. Super Smash Brothers: The SSB won really good match against Incoherence to capture the CHIKARA Campeones de Parejas back in September 2008. However they lost it in just their first title defense to The Osirian Portal. The OP were (and are) improving rapidly at this point and although they are still green in certain aspects of their work, their tag combinations are certainly well oiled and well-represented in this match. Both teams worked "up" to the occasion and brought some fantastic in-ring work ethic to go along with a well booked story to the match. The OP jumped the new champions at the beginning of the match and within minutes scored the fall with the Osirian Sacrament. The second fall saw the SSB working from behind after being caught off guard, with Player Dos making the video game super hero comeback to tie it up. The decisive fall sees both teams go all out with their tag moves looking to end the match. Since the heels won the match and became new tag champions, the ending to the third fall was very fitting, taking advantage of the greatest flaw in Player Uno's character, the pause button on his controller outfit. This match is the reason to buy Global Gauntlet Night 2, as the Gauntlet match between CHIKARA and Big Japan in and of itself is uneven, with a very weak and sloppy first half saved by Quackenbush and Castagnoli matching up with the marquee names from the independent Japanese promotion in the last twenty minutes or so.
2. Mike Quackenbush: The man is just simply breathtaking. Quack is fantastic over the course of the Fall 2008 series, taking more of an active role, which means more singles matches and a distinct presence in some of the key tournament series. I enjoyed Quack chain wrestling Johnny Saint (in a match that ends criminally early due to what seemed like a legit injury to Saint; either that or it was one of the worst booked finishes of all time), reprising his fantastic one-on-one rivalry with Castagnoli and dazzling with his aerial artistry and counter-wrestling Amasis into knots during the Torneo Cibernetico.
3. Jimmy "Equinox" Olsen vs. Vin Gerard: We start off with one hell of a funny double take from the eeeevil Vin Gerard once he emerges from outside the arena and notices that Jimmy Olsen has donned Gerard's old mask and costume. We get a very enjoyable mix of mind games and athleticism from there. Gerard had never been on the defensive previous to this, but when he sees someone else portraying his former alter-ego, it gets in his head big time. I love this kind of psychology being implemented in a professional wrestling match. Olsen wins big due to his efforts here, but I would have liked for him to have unmasked at the end just to give that "aha" moment to the fans as well as see what would have been likely a great facial reaction to the win.
4. Eddie Kingston: Kingston brings the hate wherever and whenever he appears on CHIKARA shows and this time it's no different. Let's start with the commentary during The Global Gauntlet Night One, with the best of five series. King's apathy and lack of team spirit in terms of CHIKARA vs. Big Japan is awesome. Of course, why WOULD he care about who wins the series? I enjoyed his sarcasm greatly. Of course King would have a more active hand the next night in the seven on seven eliminator, and while he receives a massive babyface reaction from the crowd and ends up playing the role here, he never plays into the role, which is an incredibly important difference. King is just a total badass during the gauntlet match and even more so when he is on the rudo squad for the Torneo Cibernetico a few weeks later. Watch for his false cheerleading and support of Lince Dorado (who he decimated three times previously around that time), who was forced to be on the rudos squad by Gerard.
5. Da Soul Touchaz: They are at full strength during "Artistic Pursuit" and "Gutter", adding another big man in Trauma and a female valet. Manager C-Red always sets the tone on a positive tip by making the first impression, doing the Soulja Boy and galvanizing his troops with their battle cry (which for the life of me I still cannot figure out what they are saying or what it means, but damn is it fun to watch). Willie "Da Bomb" Richardson is the standout of the group, as "The Urban American Dream" has touched the heart of the crowd. He also impresses in the ring, because for a big man, he can move around the ring and fly with some grace.


Honorarium

CHIKARA

The Artistic Pursuit of Being Yourself: Medium Recommendation—Standout Matches: Fire Ant vs. Vin Gerard, Jimmy Olsen vs. Colin Delaney
Laying in the Gutter, Looking at the Stars: High Recommendation—Standout Matches: Campeones de Parejas: Incoherence vs. Super Smash Brothers, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Drake Younger, Quackenbush, Donst & The Colony vs. The Unstable & The Neo Solar Temple
Global Gauntlet Night One: Low Recommendation—Standout Matches: Ryuji Ito vs. Mike Quackenbush, Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Brodie Lee
Global Gauntlet Night Two: High Recommendation—Standout Matches: Campeones de Parejas: Super Smash Brothers vs. Osirian Portal, Jimmy Olsen vs. Vin Gerard
Tag World Grand Prix 2008 Night One: High Recommendation—Standout Matches:
Tag World Grand Prix 2008 Night Two: Highest Recommendation—Standout Matches: Quackenbush vs. Castagnoli, Bad Bones vs. Big Van Walter (both awesome matches as a part of a tournament for the WXW Heavyweight Title), Fire Ant & Soldier Ant vs. Vin Gerard & STIGMA, Tag World Finals
Cibernetico Begins: Medium Recommendation—Standout Matches: Torneo Cibernetico: Gerard's Team vs. Olsen's Team, Hallowicked vs. Lee, Super Smash Brothers vs. 2.0

-A bonus shout-out to the fans who attended the CHIKARA / WXW co-sponsored Tag World Grand Prix '08. These fans were absolutely awesome—so enthusiastic and interactive during the show. Their beer hall chants and singalongs added tons of extra atmosphere and energy to the matches. I also appreciate the inclusion of commentary on these shows, provided by the wacky cast of CHIKARA characters. Generally speaking, I cannot really bring myself to watch the few WXW shows I've purchased, in part due to lack of commentary and so awful psychedelic production values. Quackenbush and in particular the welcome surprise inclusion of 2.0 (Jagged and Shane Matthews) on commentary, whose fun loving wackiness merges well with some 1980's-era play-by-play style (apropos of their gimmick).

-A bonus "boo bird" to Escorpio Egipico vs. Ultimo Breakfast from the Cibernetic Begins show. This is the debut for a "heavy" or bodyguard for The Osirian Portal. Boy what a horrible debut. Ultimo Breakfast is a fun light hearted gimmick, but no mistaking him for the next great main eventer in the company. So to kick start this new big brawny dude as the menacing, errr, menace for the heel tag champions, he goes fifty-fifty with an opening match guy? That's no good, but even worse is that both men messed a ton of spots in the match. It was just ugly. The OP looked liked fools bowing down and worshipping to the guy.

WWE

-I never really have wrestling related dreams, but the other day I had John Cena AND Trish Stratus in my dreams, among a massive assortment of other wacky characters and friends and family, all in the same night. At this rate, I may soon need the help of Dr. Stevie Richards.

What I was doing with Trish Stratus is none of your damned business by the way.

-I was in the mood to catch some old Wrestlemania action, so I popped in Wrestlemania VI on a whim. Hogan vs. Warrior was one of the defining matches of my youth. This would have been right before the time I was first exposed to the thought that wrestling was "fake", so this was watched in total kayfabe innocence. I was rooting majorly for Hogan to win even though I was a fan of both. A funny thing to look at now are the promos both men gave at the time. Hogan was talking about how it's not whether you win or loss but how good or bad a winner or loser you are. That pretty much foreshadowed his loss in the match and his "good sportsmanship" in handing the belt over to Warrior. Meanwhile, His Insaneness was talking pretty coherently about how he would join The Hulkamaniacs and The Warriors together as one. That is pretty much what WWF was hoping would happen at the time, that the Hogan fans would accept Warrior as the "next" Hogan. To join the two fanbases together would have kept the money train going for the WWF.

I remember when this match was repackaged with the Wrestlemania X-8 DVD and I was utterly and horribly bored with it. However, this time around I ended up enjoying the match a ton. A funny thing I noticed was that Hogan was using some knees to the back and I was wondering…where the heck have I seen that before? And in fact I had…by Bryan freaking Danielson! Will wonders never cease?

Also of note during that show was Steve Allen of all people playing piano in the shower room while The Bolsheviks were infuriated because he wouldn't play the Russian National Anthem and let them practice before their match. Then they got squashed by the Hart Foundation in seconds. Awesome.


Seven Years of ROH: Defining Moments of 2002

Every week for the next month I'll be presenting some of the most memorable and important moments throughout the past seven years of Ring of Honor history. This isn't meant to be a ranked order, nor can it possibly contain every great moment that happened throughout that year. However, when you think about Ring of Honor for that year, these events certainly come to mind.

Therefore, in no particular order:

1. The Era of Honor Begins Main Event—Danielson vs. Daniels vs. Low Ki: The triple threat main event set the tone for everything that was to come, including the all important division between Christopher Daniels' Prophecy and the rest of the Ring of Honor roster, who all followed the "Code of Honor".

2. Paul London vs. Michael Shane—Unscripted: One of the marquee matches that is remembered from that time period, thanks to both men really laying it out on the line in using a really huge ladder and performing some crazy moves off of it. Also notable for London's dive to the outside using the Ladder as a springboard (later to be duplicated by Shelton Benjamin in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match) and the origin of the "Please Don't Die" chants.

3. Low Ki wins the ROH Title, becomes first champion at Crowning a Champion: Once it was clearf that ROH was going to be sticking around for a while, it was clear that there needed to be a champion of the company. Low Ki was the top babyface of the company back in 2002 and was performing at an exceptionally high level in the ring even then. He earned being the first champion by winning the two-show tournament, but he was "the people's champion" in ROH right from the beginning.

4. Eddie Guerrero Guest Stars: "Latino Heat" made two very special appearances for ROH, including on the first show ever. This was the brief in-between period where he had been released from WWE for drug problems and was looking to redeem himself. His positive performances and dedication to making a comeback quickly returned Guerrero to WWE's good graces. Guerrero vs. Super Crazy at The Era of Honor Begins gave name value and draw to the first show, perhaps even helping to create the first of the ROH fans and keep them coming back to the shows for the rest of the year. ROH owes Guerrero a debt of gratitude for being there at the start, and when he passed on in 2005, ROH was quick to dedicate an entire show to his memory.

5. Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Briscoe--Honor Invades Boston: The brother versus brother showdown was a "just waiting to happen" moment for the first seven months in ROH due to Mark's antagonistic nature towards his brother in the early days of the company. When ROH put on its first show outside of Philadelphia and Mark Briscoe was allowed to wrestle, this was one of the two marquee matches on the show (the other being Low Ki's first title defense, against AJ Styles). These two were ready to put on a memorable showdown and had at each other.

6. Low Ki vs. Samoa Joe--Glory By Honor: A match that people will still recommend that you check out if you are interested in becoming an ROH fan. This was Joe's debut in ROH and Gabe Sapolsky, who was skeptical of flying over talent at that period (Joe was mostly in California at the time), wanted a great match like the one they put on at the infamous King of the Indies tournament. Joe vs. Ki delivered with a fantastic and realistic battle, more of a "fight" than a wrestling match, with both men concentrating on strikes and grappling submissions.

7. Homicide and Steve Corino begin their bloody war: It all started out so innocently, with both men looking to fight the Backseat Boyz, who were "invading" the tag team division. One mistimed strike later and Homicide and Corino were at each other's throats. Their feud would get violent and hate-filled in a hurry and would last the better part of the next four years. This was one of ROH's first blood feuds, and I mean that literally, as these two had no problem letting the "claren" flow.

Also in 2002: CM Punk and Colt Cabana make a surprise appearance to announce their appearances for ROH, Shinjiro Ohtani and Masato Tanaka made special appearances, fighting and defeating Low Ki and Steve Corino, Mikey Whipwreck went from beloved player-coach to turning heel on his own students and joining Special K, The Prophecy was formed and stole the ROH Title by a plot hatched by Christopher Daniels, Tommy Dreamer made a special appearance and put over ROH while also ensuring that Michael Shane stuck around to wrestle Paul London, Abdullah the Butcher reigned in a bloody tag match teaming with Homicide.

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Going Home

Get With the pROHgram:

March 21st, 2009: ROH runs the Seventh Anniversary show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, NY with Mike Quackenbush and D-Lo Brown.

March 21st, 2009:ROH debuts on HD Net at 8p.m. EST.

April 3rd, 2009: ROH runs in Houston, Texas with KENTA, Nakajima, Incognito, Magno and a special appearance by Blue Demon Jr.

April 4th, 2009: ROH runs in Houston, Texas for the "Take No Prisoners" PPV Taping.

April 4th, 2009: ROH on HD Net TV features Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black.


Ringtones

does anyone know the theme music for the american wolves? thanks.

Posted By: adam (Guest) on February 24, 2009 at 04:20 PM

According to ROH message board poster Jon on the ROH Themes thread: " Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards entered to "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Iron Maiden on Motor City Madness 2009. The same edit Bison Smith uses in NOAH." Hope that helps Adam


Lenny Lenoard was not replaced as the TV announcer . The TV show has not even started . Lenny is still working on the DVDs and PPVs. HDNet picked a new announcer for a start up TV show. It is not correct to say Lenny was replaced as the TV announcer when the first taping is still weeks away . HDNET is footing the bill for TV , they have a right to pick their own announcer. A very misleading story.

Posted By: Mark (Guest) on February 21, 2009 at 06:51 PM

Mark is correct in his writing here as Leonard himself stated that he had never been contacted about working on HDNet shows, therefore he couldn't have been "replaced". I let my anger cloud my judgment on that story and it came out in my writing. For that I apologize to my readers and I will try my best not to let that happen again.


ROH @ 411

Again you can check out my thoughts on other recent ROH news items such as Ric Flair in ROH in this week's 411 Buy or Sell.

J.D. Dunn continues to review shows with his look at Southern Hostility.

Arnold Furious goes old school for Death Before Dishonor IV.


We've reached the end of another episode of the column. I'll be back next week at the regular Saturday timeslot with results from the second night of television tapings, news and fallout from those events and a look back at the defining moments of ROH in 2003. Thanks for reading and see you next week!

BROOKLYN! NANA!
--Ari--