Column of Honor 03.21.09: Nigel vs. Japan

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 03.21.2009

The ROH Seventh Anniversary Show and HD Net debut all take place tonight, but there is some breaking news on a McGuinness injury and Larry Sweeney. Plus, Nigel’s history against NOAH wrestlers, the defining moments of ROH in 2005 and much more!

Its the Seventh Anniversary Show for ROH, although really the birthday was last month. I guess that's why "belated" birthday cards were invented. Anyway, I'm hyped, I'm on my way to the city as you read this and I'm ready for a good wrestling card. Welcome to the Column.



Ring Toss
-Nigel vs. Japan
-ROH Results: Indianapolis, IN March 14th, 2009
-ROH Results: Elizabeth, PA March 20th, 2009
-Honored News
-ROH Call
-My Fave 5
-Seven Years of ROH: Defining Moments of 2005
-Get with the pROHgram
-ROH @ 411
-Buy or Sell Quickies


Nigel vs. Japan

(*Note: This was written before news broke of a possible injury to Nigel McGuinness, see below)

It may be a coincidence that three months ago Nigel McGuinness was defending the Ring of Honor World Title against Pro Wrestling NOAH top star (and then AJPW Jr. Champion) Naomichi Marufuji at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City…and now here it is in March 2009 and he is set to defend the title once again, this time against Pro Wrestling NOAH top star (and current GHC Jr. Champion) KENTA. However, it is no coincidence that Nigel McGuinness is once again fighting a wrestling talent from Japan, especially for the ROH World Title. Over the past three years McGuinness has had quite the history wrestling against some of Japan's best. He's also been very successful at it, both from a career elevation standpoint and from delivering some excellent matches in the ring.

McGuinness's history with NOAH talent in particular rivals that of his Ring of Honor nemesis and frequent opponent Bryan Danielson. Both men have had their encounters and dramas involving battles against Marufuji, KENTA and Takeshi Morishima. As two of ROH's very best wrestlers (and two of the longest running champions in ROH history), they have been able to step up to the challenge of wrestling some of the best international talent from all around the world. Ring of Honor's relationship with NOAH over the years has afforded an extended off and on series of interactions between McGuinness, Danielson and the contingent from NOAH.

McGuinness's history with NOAH wrestlers including Takeshi Morishima goes back to when he was invited to tour with the company in Japan. He often teamed up with fellow British wrestler Doug Williams in tag team action. Around this time McGuinness was changing his in-ring wrestling style to one focused more on the technical wrestling aspects to a harder hitting, strike and impact based offense. This change fit really well against the Japanese wrestlers he fought against, since they used a similar "strong-style" (for lack of a better term) in wrestling. Another "not coincidentally" began around this time, as McGuinness's popularity in Ring of Honor began to skyrocket, no doubt due to his upgraded hard-hitting style.

McGuinnness's biggest match at that point against came against Naomichi Marufuji, at that point GHC Heavyweight Champion. It was Marufuji's first defense of the GHC Title, the first ever defense of that title in America and it took place on the first ROH show in the Grand Ballroom portion of the Hammerstein. Flash forward all the way to March 2009 and now ROH at the Hammerstein is now the norm, as is McGuinness stepping it up against any and all comers during ROH shows at that building.

I wrote often in 2007 about McGuinness's wars against then ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima. This was the peak of his popularity as a babyface as he faced what seemed to be the insurmountable challenge of dethroning the monstrous big man champion. In hindsight, I marvel at McGuinness's ability to get us into the "David vs. Golliath" feel of such a match (as Bryan Danielson would also expertly accomplish in matches against Morishima). McGuinness is no small man, but he would use the size and mass difference between the two to great effect. McGuinness would look like he was going through several car wrecks at times in his matches against Morishima. After the matches, maybe he really felt that way too.

McGuinness reprised his battle against Morishima at Final Battle 2008, however this time it was he who was the champion putting up his title on the line. It was an excellent match, fitting of both men's talent and abilities. They oohed and aahed an audience that was unsure how ROH would perform on their biggest stage under the new booking style. However, they both came through in grand style, performing the hard hitting action we'd come to expect from them in their matches. Even with a hurt arm and shoulder, McGuinness finished the match strong and kept up the suspense.

This is another strength of McGuinness as champion that has been underappreciated—his skills in making it seem possible that the title can change hands in any of his title matches. Whether against the underdogs (El Generico) or the favorites (Danielson), at some point towards the end of the match the audience completely buys into the idea that this time, this time, McGuinness is going to lose. This aptitude in manufacturing suspension of disbelief in an audience is even more curcial in matches against international talent. Marufuji and now KENTA make infrequent appearances in ROH these days. In fact, the announcement of KENTA's appearances for the next four ROH shows came as a complete (and welcome) surprise to many ROH fans. It would seem very unlikely that KENTA would walk away from tonight's Seventh Anniversary Show at the Hammerstein Ballroom as champion, but McGuinness's in-ring storytelling ability makes it seem possible. Meanwhile, precedent has been set before (Morishima) which tells ROH fans that no matter how unlikely, such an occurrence could happen again.

Nigel has built a rich and storied history against the Japanese talent over the last several years. It is based on competitiveness and a determination to prove who is the best wrestler inside the squared circle.Tonight will be no different.



ROH Results: Indianapolis, IN March 14th, 2009 (via the ROH message board)

Matches

Pre Show:
-The team of Shorty McIntyre, Sean Schultz & Sigmund defeated the team of Andy "Right Leg" Ridge and Two Ninjas (no, not The three Ninjas, although I'd put my money on Rocky, Tum Tum and Colt over any ROH student trio any day of the week!).
-Mickey Nichols defeated Samson.

Main Show:
-"Spyder" Nate Webb defeated Flash Flanagan via pinfall with the Arachnid Kick.
-"Very European" Claudio Castagnoli defeated "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega in a three way match, pinning Omega.
Dingo is in the house.
-"That Young Knock Out Kid" Chris Hero defeated Jay Briscoe via pinfall following a rolling elbow.
-ROH World Tag Team Champions Kevin Steen & El Generico retained the title by defeating the team of Kenny King & "Addicted to Love" Rhett Titus via pinfall. Generico pinned Titus, who was not the legal man.
-Bison Smith defeated Silas Young.
-The team of Roderick Strong & Brent Albright defeated The American Wolves of Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards with Larry Sweeney. Strong pinned Edwards.
-Jimmy Jacobs defeated Delirious in a No Disqualification match when Jacobs DDT'd Delirious through a table from the top rope and locked on End Time.
-The team of Tyler Black & Jerry Lynn defeated the team of ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Austin Aries via pinfall when Lynn pinned McGuinness with the Cradle Piledriver.

Angles & Issues

-Bison Smith continued his rampage on Bryan Danielson as he attacked him after three way match and then left.

-The American Wolves attacked Kevin Steen and El Generico after the tag title match, continuing the lead in to their tag title match at the Seventh Anniversary Show. El Generico would receive a measure of payback later on in the evening when he distracted Davey Richards in his match.

Return Date: October 10th, 2009

Thoughts on ROH in Indianapolis: The pinfall on McGuinness by Lynn guaranteed Lynn as the next in line for the title shot. Black still has business to deal with against Aries and Jacobs. Lynn's build to the newest title shot has been strong, with a four part video wire "shoot" style interview. Steen & Generico took out King & Titus as expected, but people gave the match good reviews and it continues my belief that they could be the dark horse candidates to become next ROH Tag Team Champions. It's amazing to think that a few years back there were lots of complaints (including from me) that Chris Hero was losing the majority of his matches. Now it seems he is almost unstoppable in the ring! If there was a face champion right now I'd have to think he'd be a clear number one contender for the title.

ROH Results: Elizabeth, PA March 20th, 2009 (via the ROH message board)

Matches

Pre Show:
-Shiima Xion defeated Brandon Marino.
-Alex Payne & Grizzley Redwood versus Brandon Day and ??? ended in a No Contest when Bison Smith and Prince Nana interfered. Smith decimated everyone with American Dragon running out for the save.


Main Show:

-Delirious defeated Sterling James Keenan via pinfall after Shadows Over Hell.
-The team of Kenny King & Rhett Titus defeated the team of Matt Cross & Erick Stevens via pinfall after the powerbomb / shoulderblock combination.
-Bryan Danielson defeated Mike Quackenbush via pinfall with a small package.
-"Very European" Claudio Castagnoli defeated Jerry Lynn and Brent Albright in a three way match when Claudio applied the Crowbar (Albright's finisher) to make Lynn submit.
-The Age of the Fall of Jimmy Jacobs & Brodie Lee defeated the team of Tyler Black & Necro Butcher via referee stoppage when Black lost consciousness while lock in The End Times guillotine.
- Austin Aries defeated Roderick Strong via pinfall with the brainbuster.
-The team of KENTA & El Generico defeated the team of ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Davey Richards via pinfall when KENTA pinned McGuinness after the Go 2 Sleep.


Angles & Issues

-Necro Butcher may be hurt coming out of his match tonight. Larry Sweeney was not in attendance. It came out last night that he would not be appearing and he sent word through Wrestling Observer that he apologized to his fans and his fellow wrestlers. There is a bit of rumor and speculation regarding why he won't be appearing during this weekend's shows but until there is corroboration I don't want to report on it or go into any further detail.

-Prince Nana declared during the show that he was officially reforming The Embassy—I told you so last week that you opened up Pandora's Box ROH!

-In what was a bit of a surprise, Austin Aries came to ringside before the Stevens & Cross vs. King & Titus match. He wanted to apologize to the Resilience, I guess for disbanding the group in such a hastily done manner. However, it was all just a ruse ("I don't appreciate your ruse ma'am…your ruse…your cunning attempt to trick me.") and he ambushed them and attacked them. Roderick Strong, once the former bitter rival of The Resilience, came in for the save.

-Rhett Titus and Kenny King interfered in the Aries-Strong match, providing the distraction that cost Strong the win. This was done to set up tonight's tag match, but could also provide some interesting foreshadowing of some sort of extended collaboration between Aries, Titus and King.

Return Date: September 25th, 2009

Thoughts on ROH in Elizabeth: All reports thus far have this as a very strong show from an in-ring perspective, although the show may have created some more injuries (Butcher was holding his arm, KENTA had a split lip after his match). Danielson vs. Quack, the no-dq match and the main event tag match, a show strong on wrestling and decisive finishes—all things I love to read about. Also, I love the twist with Aries and The Resilience, especially considering I am a huge fan of nods to past history. Claudio Castagnoli seems to becoming the new king of the three way dance, winning two within the span of a week. I like that he stole the win from Albright and used the Crowbar to rub it in just that much more. Castagnoli vs. Albright is quickly gaining steam because they're building it slowly, from the ground up and paying attention to the details of the finishes and how they lead to the next match. Titus and King are also still going strong as heels despite the loss in the tag title match, which is a very good call. An alliance with Aries, even unofficially, could be quite interesting and fits well because all three of them are smarmy characters.


Honored News

BREAKING NEWS: McGuinness possibly injured in Elizabeth

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported this morning that Nigel McGuinness injured his arm last night at the Elizabeth, PA show. He reports that " the injury was not to the arm he's had previous issues with. There was concern McGuinness might need surgery stemming from the injury, but I haven't confirmed that as of this writing."

At the close of the show announcer Bobby Cruise went over the PA speaker and requested that a doctor come to the back. This caused some confusion from fans as they left. It looks like this was the reason why. At this point, Nigel is still scheduled to fight KENTA for the ROH World Title, but as we all know, the card is subject to change. Nigel has been fighting arm injuries off and on over the last two years, thanks to bicep tears and shoulder injuries, caused due to the power and velocity from which he throws his lariats.

Interestingly enough, KENTA found himself in a similar situation back in 2006. He was scheduled to fight Bryan Danielson at Glory By Honor V Night 2 (the aforementioned Grand Ballroom debut). Danielson suffered a major shoulder injury a few weeks prior and was questionable. He worked through the match, but the injury factor amped up the crowd's reactions, believing there was a very realistic chance for a title change. Could this injury and the news leak be a work to gain that same type of crowd reaction? It's possible.


Booker T to work with ROH Sometime?

In an interview Cary Silken gave with the Miami Herald, it was mentioned that Booker T suggested that he would make an appearance on an ROH show in gratitude for agreeing to work with him for his Booker T "Legends of Wrestling" charity event. ROH agreed to allow Booker T's event to run the same afternoon as their "Supercard of Honor IV" show at the same venue in Houston, TX. Anyone who has tickets to the ROH show can attend the charity signing event for free. Similarly, anyone who bought tickets to the charity event gets ten dollars off admission to the ROH show. Silkin said ''I haven't really gotten that far yet, but we would be happy to talk to him."

Booker T is obviously still a big name in the business, although his ties to TNA would mean his appearance would be restricted to DVD only. I think that it's a very magnanimous offer on Booker's part. He has been very classy in trying to put this event together and has stayed calm and even-keeled in discussing the WWE's attempts to poke in on the charity show, convincing several previously booked talents to cancel and agree to appear on WWE events during Wrestlemania week.


ROH Gets Press Thanks to HD Net / Seventh Anniversary Show

In addition to the very positive story from the Miami Herald that focused on the HD Net debut, ROH also was featured in a short blurb in the New York Village Voice. That article, titled "Blood Match", written by Sharyn Jackson, had a negative spin on ROH and the Seventh Anniversary Show. In the article, which I've copied and pasted below, Jackson inaccurately portrays ROH as a wrestling company that revels in hardcore and blood filled matches:

Seen The Wrestler? Then you will never forget the Necro Butcher, the goateed, staple gun–wielding opponent of Mickey Rourke in the most memorable film scene of 2008. Ring of Honor, the professional wrestling company that orchestrated that scene and others in the film, might as well be dubbed "ring of blood" for the way the arena looks after its stars are through with battle. If the real-life Ring of Honor is anything like The Wrestler, then tonight's event will be a delightfully touching yet horrific display of macho bloodletting. The Necro Butcher, Nigel McGuinness, and other stars will be doing the stapling, banging, smashing, and battling with anything they can get their hands on at the 99-cent store.

I rarely respond to these types of negative articles for any wrestling company, but I felt compelled to write an email and comment response to the article, which I've also republished here:

This is the absolute worst kind of article to see at a time when Ring of Honor is at the nascent stages of breaking through to a larger, more mainstream audience--inaccurate, oversimplified, ignorant of basic facts and one-sided, all within a short 125 word blurb. First of all, while NEcro Butcher currently wrestles for ROH, the scene to which you are referring takes place at CZW, which IS known for its hardcore wrestling. Ring of Honor does contain some hardcore wrestling, but it has not been and is not now the dominant genre of professional wrestling presented as the staple for its "brand". In fact, hardcore matches are usually only one or two at most of the seven to ten matches performed at every show. You choose to use a picture of one such street fight in order to back up your thesis as opposed to showing a picture of say, Bryan Danielson and Austin Aries grappling in the ring, sans blood. Ring of Honor focuses its attention on the basics of professional wrestling (note, not the kind of sports entertainment like you would come to know from WWE)--grudges between a good guy and a bad guy and an excellence of athleticism and technical wrestling. Nigel McGuinness is one such technical wrestler. He has never used a staple gun in any ROH match and probably in any match of his career. ROH has some of the best athletic in-ring action going, but uses street fights and brawls as a side dish to the main course. There is some blood in ROH, of course, but there is some blood in ANY professional wrestling show, WWE included. That you chose to focus on that aspect of the product as opposed to the real draw of the show, which is the great wrestling, is unfortunate and also quite telling.


Preview for Seventh Anniversary Show March 21st, 2009 in New York, NY

ROH World Title Match--Nigel McGuinness defends vs. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion KENTA: KENTA is a striker first and loves to rush in with combinations. Nigel likes to capitalize on his opponents' mistakes and target the arm, neck and shoulder when the opportunity arises. If this match takes place, the proverbial shoe may be on the other foot as the target will be on Nigel's arm. The Go 2 Sleep knocked out Nigel last night as well, and it could be the big move that works again.

World Tag Team Title Match- No Disqualification--Kevin Steen & El Generico defends vs. The American Wolves: Steen was listed as questionable in the latest newswires, but that's likely all due to the storyline that the Wolves had focused on the knees in their ambushes of the champions over the last few months. This is the most important tag title match for both teams. Generico and Steen have had a solid run (and lengthy too; they've been champions since September) but it could be time for a heel switch and have them chase. However, the Wolves are now without their manager Larry Sweeney this weekend, so whatever master plan they had in the works could certainly be affected. Steen & Generico love to rally, so look for them to make a great comeback at some point during the match—the question is whether or not it will be enough.

Ultimate Endurance- Revolution Rules--Jimmy Jacobs & Austin Aries & Brodie Lee vs. Tyler Black & The Necro Butcher & Delirious:
*Six man elimination contest with the rules of each falls changing based on the previous elimination This isn't as hard a match to get really—if you pinned someone to make an elimination the next one can't be done via pinfall, same goes for submission and count out. However, will the fans in attendance understand that enough, or will they reject the rules and the match either on principal or out of spite? There are plenty of good workers in this one to make it exciting, and plenty of relevance as well given this basically amounts to Age of the Fall vs. Age of the Fall deserters. Aries is not a part of AotF but he was corrupted and forever changed by Jacobs' machinations this past year. Delirious has just seen the light—although it would be pretty ballsy booking if he was a "mole" in the team and it was just a swerve by Jacobs to throw off Black and Necro Butcher in this match (hope not though since I'm a sucker for the happy ending we saw last week between Haze and Delirious).

Tag Team Grudge Match--Bryan Danielson & ??? vs. Bison Smith & ??? with Prince Nana: Mystery partner matches either extremely disappoint or come through big time. The two major combinations being discussed by fans is either Alex Payne with Danielson and Ernie Osirus with Smith (that would be the disappointing combination) or the surprise returns of Colt Cabana (with Danielson) and Jimmy Rave (with Smith). Maybe we get both, the first as a swerve and then the second pair as a series of surprise run ins. Who knows? Either way Danielson better be focused, because he has shown a weakness fighting against larger opponents. If he doesn't watch himself, he will be the victim of another power bomb by Smith.

Grudge Match--Brent Albright vs. Claudio Castagnoli: Albright and Castagnoli have gotten on each other's nerves over the last few months. From indecisive finishes to run ins to disrespect, this one got out of hand pretty quickly. Now Albright has to prove to himself that he can defeat the arrogant Castagnoli. Meanwhile Claudio is on a losing streak at the Hammerstein and looks to snap it here with a win against Albright.

Special Challenge Match #1--Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Quackenbush: Both men are crafty veterans who can throw technical moves and submissions together like no one's business. This could be a huge chess game, but whether it's played on the ground or in the air will be up to the wrestlers as the match progresses. Lynn already lost once this weekend, and as the top contender to the ROH World Title he can't afford another one. It's great to see Quack in an ROH ring again and let's hope this weekend's appearances lead to more in the future.

Special Challenge Match #2--Jay Briscoe vs. D Lo Brown: This should be a nice little throwdown between two able bodied wrestlers. Both men are fan favorites and so the crowd should be very supportive of this one. Expect some good striking exchanges between the two as well as some high impact stuff like Spine Busters and the like. It will be either time to "Man Up" or be "Down with the Brown" after this one is over.

Tag Team Action--Roderick Strong & Erick Stevens vs. Kenny King & Rhett Titus: Strong was attacked by King and Titus last night to lead into this tag match and Stevens also has a score to settle with both men after last night's loss. This match came together very tightly in the booking and expect some great in ring interaction to follow up on that. Titus and King will be their cocky selves, while Strong and Stevens will play bulldozer and wrecking crew on them.

Sweeney's Challenge--Bobby Dempsey vs. ???: Dempsey's rejection of Sweet & Sour Inc. may come back to haunt him here. Larry Sweeney may not be present to announce who Dempsey's mystery opponent is, but The Wolves and likely Chris Hero will be around to make sure a measure of payback is given to Bobby.


Match Additions for Shows in Houston, Texas

ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness (C) vs. Jerry Lynn: It hasn't been made official whether or not this match takes place on the third or on the fourth (for the PPV taping).

April 3rd, 2009: Houston, TX "Supercard of Honor IV"


GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title Match: KENTA (c) vs. Davey Richards: Its mentor vs. former proetege as these two square off. Richards lost all respect for his mentor when he joined the NRC and then Sweet & Sour Inc. He has toured Japan since then but has not fought KENTA in a singles match in NOAH (to my best recollection). They fought in ROH at Fight of the Century in a strikefest that was stiff and filled with kicks that made my head turn due to their brutality.

Roderick Strong vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima: Continuing a minor story of Strong vs. Sasaki office wrestlers. Strong had been unable to defeat Kensuke Sasaki in a singles match in Japan and lost to Sasaki and Nakajima in a tag match at All Star Extravaganza IV. Now he gets a try to best Nakajima in singles.

"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. Alex Koslov: AAA superstar Alex Koslov looks to make his ROH debut in a big way as he will challenge "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson in singles action! Can the charismatic Russian become a star in the States?

Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe & Magno vs. Chris Hero, Eddie Edwards & Incognito: Also signed is a 6-Man-Tag Match with history all over it. Larry Sweeney has put together Eddie Edwards, Chris Hero, and Incognito to face the team of Kevin Steen, Jay Briscoe, and rising lucha star, Magno! Edwards and Steen are in the middle of a war, Hero just defeated Briscoe in Indianapolis, and Incognito and Magno have battled all over the globe!

Four Corner Survival—Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright vs. El Generico vs. Blue Demon Jr. A very interesting Four Corner Survival has been signed for the April 3rd Ring of Honor debut in Houston. One half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions, El Generico, will tangle with Claudio Castagnoli, Brent Albright, and reigning NWA World Champion, Blue Demon, Jr.! There is the obvious tension between Castagnoli and Albright, and Generico is well-versed in this type of match, but how will Blue Demon adapt? Well, at least they're minimizing the potential for suck Demon could have in an ROH ring by putting him in a four way.


April 4th, 2009: Houston, TX "Take No Prisoners (2009)"

Tyler Black & KENTA vs. Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima: This is an all star match here and an interesting call for Pay Per View. Black and Aries will bring their rivalry to that format (but not yet in a singles match) meanwhile KENTA and Nakajima have a feud against one another for over a year now. Should be interesting to see how much action these four can pack into one match.

Roderick Strong vs. Alex Koslov: Roderick Strong recently returned from a tour of Pro Wrestling NOAH and is looking to raise his stock higher than ever before, and he feels that a victory over AAA star Alex Koslov is a sure fire way to do that. Koslov, meanwhile, would love nothing more than to defeat Strong and earn himself a full time spot in ROH. It'll be Strong versus Koslov, on ROH PPV!

ROHdds and Ends

- Ric Flair's third appearance for ROH has been confirmed and announced for Friday June 26th in Detroit, MI. Dave Prazak noted on a recent interview with Bryan Alvarez's Figure Four Daily audio show that he would not be involved in a strut off with Flair, but there is still the possibility that Larry Sweeney will be when all is said and done.

-Talent list for April 17th and 18th for ROH's Canada swing: "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, ROH World Tag Team Champions – Kevin Steen and El Generico, Austin Aries, the Necro Butcher, "that Young Knockout Kid" Chris Hero, Kenny Omega, Delirious, Rhett Titus and Kenny King, and Bison Smith, Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards, "Shooter" Brent Albright, and Jay Briscoe.

-ROH is heavily hinting at Colt Cabana being available for the TV tapings. From the newswire: : ROH will tape six more weeks of National Television on April 9th and 10th at The Arena in South Philadelphia! Don't be left out as anyone in attendance at the first tapings can tell you that the atmosphere was unlike any other Ring of Honor experience. The good times will roll on as ROH creates great memories with HDNet! Just signed for April 9th and 10th: Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness (4/9 only), Tyler Black, Prince Nana, Rhett Titus, Kenny King, Chris Hero, and Eddie Kingston (4/10 only), Kenny Omega, Jerry Lynn, The Necro Butcher, Jimmy Jacobs and Brodie Lee of the AOTF, Austin Aries, and Claudio Castagnoli.

- From the newswire: ROH officials are currently in talks to bring some of the unique and exciting stars of IWS back to action when ROH returns to Montreal on April 17th. They did not disappoint last time out, and we'll have more on this as it develops.

-From the newswire: ROH is happy to welcome the host of LXTV's "1st Look New York", George Oliphant, to the Seventh Anniversary Show this Saturday! He and an NBC film crew recently toured the ROH Training Academy, and shot a documentary piece on Ring of Honor that will air sometime in April. For more information on 1st Look New York, visit http://lxtv.com/1stlookny/

- From the newswire: ROH officials have been informed that former WWE World Tag Team Champion, Sylvain Grenier, has been publicly saying some unkind words about Ring of Honor, and in particular, Kevin Steen and El Generico.

Okay, I know I have pimped D-Lo Brown and wouldn't mind Val Venis in newswires, but seriously, Sylvain Grenier? As much as it makes some sense considering this would be an angle done in Canada…seriously? Seriously? I'm sorry, but no. Hell no. That's about where I draw the line with ex-WWE guys coming in to ROH. Uggh.

-Kayfabe Quote of the Week: "I've had enough of Claudio. He's got all the tools to be a great, but he's just too big of a piece of (expletive) to do it right. But that all will stop at the Hammerstein. I want Claudio, and I want him in New York." --Brent Albright


ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 03/20/2009

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 37 successful defenses)
-defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Next Defense: vs. KENTA, Manhattan, NY 03/21/09

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)
V.37 lost via disqualification to Brent Albright (03/13/09, Collinsville, IL) Champion retains on a DQ.

**

ROH World Tag Team Champions—Kevin Steen & El Generico (champions since 09/19/08, 6 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: 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)
V.6 defeated Kenny King & Rhett Titus (03/14/09, Indianapolis, Indiana)

**

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 is once again a manager
-Daizee Haze wants to save Delirious.
-Necro Butcher continues his war against Age of the Fall


ROH Home Theatre Station

ROH Videowire: March 18th, 2009


ROH on HD Net Nigel Teaser:

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1. Mike Quackenbush: Wrestling Buck Hawke on CHIKARA's "A Face With a View" back in December of '08, Quack unleashes comedy unseen since the days of Foghorn Leghorn cartoons. He not only plays a million different awesome tricks on Hawke, he also unleashes the chicken sqweal. Right, now, everyone say "Buck Hawke" really fast. BUCKHAWKE! Throw a high pitch on it and say it even faster! It sounds like a bawking chicken! BAKAWWWK! Quackenbush said this over and over again, causing Hawke to throw huge fits of anger. AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! I could watch that over and over again and be a happy wrestling fan for the rest of my life.
2. Claudio Castagnoli & Larry Sweeney: The Sweet & Sour formation on that very same show (along with an awesome Castagnoli vs. Kingston match) is must-watch entertainment. It is amazing to se Sweeney pull this off, to get a very cynical Castagnoli to wear what could be the most effeminate wrestling T-Shirt of all time . I mean, come on, a heart with "Larry loves Claudio" on it? Comic gold, made even better because of Claudio's reaction to it and how he abhorred putting it on.
3. Shawn Michaels: The superkick from out of nowhere to Undertaker at the beginning of Raw this past week was (dare I say it?) "Vintage HBK" It brought me back to the days of "The Show Stopper" going balls to the wall and doing outrageous things as a part of D-X (1997 version). HBK's feud with The Undertaker back then was crazy awesome, and I felt that this was the start of them putting that sort of feeling into their 2009 feud. It didn't hurt that WWE was running in San Antonio, Michaels' hometown, as that fueled the reaction further (any other town and he may have been booed all the way to the back, but the crowd loved him for it). There is a saying that you don't tug on Superman's cape. Well, you don't piss off The Undertaker, and Michaels did just that. It was great!
4. Davey Richards & Kevin Steen: Both provided some excellent "dueling" promos in the latest Video wire (see above). Richards is speaking a lot more confidently as of late and really comes across like a killer and someone who should not be messed with. He lays out a very good case for why and how the American Wolves will become the next ROH World Tag Team champions. Meanwhile, in the good news of the week, Eddie Edwards did not talk during this promo, although it furthers my case that he is a cardboard or paper doll. Kevin Steen meanwhile provided plenty of passion and babyface fire in his promo, promising to fight through his knee injury to make it through and defeat the Wolves at 7YAS.
5. Evan Bourne: I'm happy to see Bourne back in action, guaranteeing I check out ECW at least for a little bit during the week. I hope he is able to continue to forward momentum he was developing before the injury put him out of action.


Seven Years of ROH: Defining Moments of 2005

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. Manhattan Mayhem: Ring of Honor's first major showcase in New York city came through with a top-to-bottom card of excellent matches. The intimate and intense atmosphere of The New Yorker really worked to create some amazing moments, including Homicide and Low Ki's interruption, the impromptu main event, CM Punk's dog collar match against Jimmy Rave and the Aries vs. Shelley showdown. The success of this show has really led to where ROH is today in terms of successfully running Manhattan and it becoming one of their major cities.

2. Steel Cage Match: CM Punk vs. Jimmy Rave: The final match between these two was contested in a steel cage in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago, Illinois. It was a near peak of Punk's popularity to the point of hero worship. Punk finally got the big W after four months of being tortured by Rave, Prince Nana and The Embassy. The defining visual for me is Punk on top of the cage, fist clench in the air and the crowd chanting along to his theme song.

3. CM Punk Wins the ROH World Title: The massive importance of Punk vs. Aries at Death Before Dishonor III has been covered over and over again, but let me just say that at the time, Punk winning seemed impossible. No one won the title on their last match, but as he did throughout his run in ROH, Punk broke the rules and established conventions and did things his way. The monumental ovation that Punk received and then the massive heat that came when he turned heel right after the match will go down as one of Gabe Sapolsky's greatest accomplishments during his ROH run.

4. CM Punk Says Goodbye: One more defining moment for Punk in ROH during 2005 as the Chicago crowd, the ROH roster and even Punk's family were all there to throw one massive farewell party. The largest streamer throwing in ROH history, the excellent speech given by Punk and Colt Cabana pouring soda over Punk's head all add up to one hell of a defining moment in ROH history.

5. Bryan Danielson Wins the ROH World Title: In his first match back to ROH after a five month sabbatical, Danielson pulled out the title victory he had been looking for during the past four years of his career. James Gibson was on his way out and Danielson was on his way to an excellent fifteen month run as champion. Danielson and Gibson's match was well paced, well-fought and had a hell of a finish.

6. Steel Cage Warfare: The ultimate bout between Generation Next vs. The Embassy saw Aries and his men achieve ultimate revenge on the heels including Alex Shelley, Jimmy Rave, Abyss and Prince Nana. There were some death defying moves from Jack Evans, Abyss killing Matt Sydal (Evan Bourne) and Strong and Aries simultaneously hitting their finishers to eliminate Rave and Shelley, leaving Nana alone. Justice was served out fully by Gen Next and Jade Cheung.

7. Joe vs. Kobashi: Perhaps my favorite live experience ever and the match that brought a whole new wave of wrestling fans to ROH. Joe and Kobashi, going chop for chop and move for move—it was awesome. I remember the taxi ride on the way home (we splurged back then) thinking that wrestling didn't get any better than this.

Also in 2005: Colt Cabana and Nigel McGuinness had a pure wrestling feud that devolved into a SOCCER RIOT! Match in late August; Christopher Daniels returned to feud with CM Punk in June; Alex Shelley bought into The Embassy; Matt Sydal joined Generation Next as a result of being attacked by Nana's men; Spanky (Brian Kendrick)returned and James Gibson debuted, wrestling against each other on one of the Third Anniversary shows; AJ Styles would return to ROH as well at this point, feuding with Jimmy Rave; Mick Foley said goodbye to ROH by helping AJ Styles win the feud ending match against Rave; ROH played The Supper Club in Manhattan as a matinee show on the same day as ECW's One Night Stand reunion; Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer would win the ROH World Tag Team titles and hold them three times during the year; Samoa Joe and Mick Foley would have a brief feud, but would not wrestle in an official match against each other; Austin Aries held the ROH World Title for five months, notably defeating Homicide, Colt Cabana, Alex Shelley, Bryan Danielson and James Gibson in matches; Low Ki's "Gangsta" persona wrecked havoc on ROH, especially Jay Lethal and Samoa Joe; Bryan Danielson and Homicide had a short but heated feud in their best of five series; The Rottweilers won the first Trios Tournament, winning title opportunities as a result; Lacey became a manager / consultant to Special K and later BJ Whitmer / Jimmy Jacobs; Whitmer would turn on Jacobs as a result of his crush on Lacey getting in the way of their tag team; Milano Collection AT, SHINGO and CIMA all would wrestle for ROH this year; Naomichi Marufuji and KENTA made their debuts in ROH at Final Battle 2005; Claudio Castagnoli and Nigel McGuinness were at the beginnings of their feud for the Pure Title; Lance Storm and Bryan Danielson had a brief face off, ending in a handshake and foreshadowing their one-on-one match in 2006.

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Going Home

Get With the pROHgram:

Tonight:ROH debuts on HD Net at 8p.m. EST repeating at 11p.m. EST.

Tonight:ROH Seventh Anniversary Show in Manhattan, New York with McGuinness vs. KENTA on top.

April 17th, 2009: "Caged Collision" debuts on Pay Per View, with Steel Cage Warfare between Team Albright and Sweet & Sour Incorporated as the main event.

April 24th, 2009: ROH returns to Dayton, Ohio

April 25th, 2009: ROH returns to Chicago Ridge, Illinois

May 8th, 2009: ROH returns to Boston, Massachusetts.


ROH@411

Buy or Sell covers a lot on ROH (see below).


Buy or Sell Quickies

Every week I'll look at the Ring of Honor related 411 BoS questions and if I'm not participating give my own spin on the topic, in three sentences or less:

-Ring of Honor on HDNet will break a 1.0 rating before the initial run is over: Sell. Come on man! Even I, an ardent ROH fan, can't be expecting a 1.0 rating anytime within the next year at the least, if all, if ever. When TNA was on Fox Sports Net (which had a far more limited reach compared to Spike) it wasn't drawing higher than an 0.5. How can I expect ROH to better that on station that doesn't even have the outreach of an FSN?

-Prince Nana will bring back Jimmy Rave this weekend to team with Bison Smith against Bryan Danielson and his partner: Buy. It only makes sense that Prince Nana brings back the crown jewel, the centerpece of his old Embassy, to work with the newer version. Of course, ROH could end up using Ernie Osiris and Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne as the mystery partners instead. I hope not.

-Jerry Lynn's RoH World Title shot during the Wrestlemania Weekend should be on the Pay Per View Taping: Buy. It's the natural fit to have Lynn, the current number one contender, cash in his title shot at the pay per view. The title doesn't necessarily have to change, but it does supply a "fresh" challenger, at least for PPV broadcasts.

-After Jerry Lynn's clean victory this [past] weekend, Tyler Black is still the man to dethrone Nigel McGuinness: Buy: Tyler Black has been pushed on PPV as the next main guy to challenge, but there is nothing to suggest he will cash in his title shot any time soon. When he does, it should by all rights lead to a title change.

-The Age of the Fall vs Tyler Black and former AoTF Members match will end up being the most confusing match in Ring of Honor history: Buy. I'd like to say sell, but honestly nothing else this confusing comes to mind.

-You will be watching the Ring of Honor Television debut on HDNet this Saturday Night: Sell. I'll be at the ROH Seventh Anniversary Show this Saturday night instead.


And that will do it for me this week. Hope everyone who is able to watch the HD Net show enjoys that...send in your thoughts on the show and we'll discuss next week (hopefully I'll get to see it too, but I'm not holding my breath).

BROOKLYN! NANA!
--Ari--