Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Ring of Honor’s Best in the World Collection Review

Lenny Leonard and Dave Prazak host the DVD in front of a TV and some ROH DVDs…they did a good job of contextualizing all the matches on this disc.

Joe vs. Kobashi
October 1st, 2005

Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi
This is my 3rd time seeing this match; the first two times I thought it was 5 stars, and I am guessing I am going to think that again.

Both guys get a monster reaction…Joe backs Kobashi in the ropes, but instead of a clean break, Joe gives him a huge slap across the face: AWESOME…Kobashi then backs Joe in the corner and gives him a huge chop: AWESOMER!…”This is Awesome” chants 1 minute in (told you it was awesome)…Joe sends him to the floor and hits his Elbow Suicida…Joe was in control for a while but he cut off Joe eventually with some brutal chops; Joe came right back with a stiff kick to the head…Joe gives him some Kawada kicks, but Kobashi shows FIGHTING SPIRIT~! and chops him back…Joe, still in control, hits some of his standard offense, including the Ole Kick…Kobashi comes back with what else, CHOPS!…now they are trading chops, and Kobashi wins that battle…Kobashi locks in the abdominal stretch (my favorite rest hold for some reason), but Joe forces his way to the ropes…Joe came back with a STO and some corner chops and kicks…Kawada kicks from Joe and a BUCKLE BOMB!…Joe hits the MUSCLE BUSTER: 1…2…NO, KOBASHI KICKS OUT!…knee strikes to the head from Joe, and hits the powerbomb/STF combo…Kobashi fights out of it, but Joe turns it into the Crippler Crossface only to have Kobashi make it to the ropes soon after…HALF NELSON SUPLEX FROM KOBASHI OUT OF NOWHERE and both men are down…Kobashi gives Joe the KOBASHI CHOPS in the corner…Joe’s chest was covered by welts after that…another Half-nelson suplex by Kobashi but Joe made the ropes before the 3 count…Joe fights back but Kobashi locks in the sleeper…SLEEPER SUPLEX; JOE LANDED ON THE TOP OF HIS HEAD: 1…2…3-NO!!!!!!!!: JOE KICKED OUT!…slaps to the face from Joe, but Kobashi gives him some chops to the neck and a HUGE LARIAT for the 3 count…Jay Lethal immediately crawls in to check on Joe, as the crowd cheers for Kobashi…Kobashi pulls Joe up to his feet and they embrace in the ring; fans chant “Match of the Year”

This is still one of the best matches in Ring of Honor, which is somewhat surprising because, most of the great ROH matches are often a result of intense feuds and character driven storylines…the DVD of this show is still one of (if not the) bets selling DVDs in company history, and for good reason as this is a near-perfect match
Match Rating: *****

Dragon Gate Challenge, March 30th, 2006

AJ Styles & Matt Sydal (Evan Bourne) vs. Dragon Kid & Genki Horiguchi
This was the first of three Wrestlemania weekends where ROH brought in Dragon Gate talent…this show featured a bunch of ROH vs. Dragon Gate matches

Genki and Sydal did a cool “stalemate” sequence to start the match…AJ tagged in and it was clear that the crowd saw him as a big star…the Dragon Gate guys were in complete control early on…Sydal/Styles came back and worked over Horiguchi…Kid made a hot tag and hit a moonsault to the floor on Styles, and then Horiguchi hit a suicide dive on Sydal…it broke down into a tornado tag essentially after that where the four men did a bunch of fast flippy stuff…Kid hit the Dragonranna on Styles but Sydal made the save…Sydal then wiped out Kid with a Fosbury Flop…Horiguchi and Styles then traded nearfalls, until Styles caught him with the Styles Clash

Really fun match but it didn’t age as well as I expected…I think I originally gave this match ****+
Match Rating: ***1/2

Chi-Town Struggle, June 24th, 2006

Austin Aries vs. KENTA
KENTA was being brought in rather frequently at this point because he was starting a chase for Bryan Danielson’s ROH World Title…Aries was in the midst of his tag title reign with Roderick Strong (a tag title reign which saved the ROH Tag Division)

They went back and forth early with matwork and reversals…neither man stayed in control for too long…KENTA was finally able to break the stalemate and worked over Aries for a while…Aries came back with some slaps, and the two men started to trade some stiff strikes…Aries kicked KENTA’s back and he seemed to truly relish kicking as hard as he could…they traded more stiff strikes: these strikes sounded brutal…Aries hit a slingshot twisting body press and a lionsault for a pair of two counts…KENTA tried to come back with a tornado DDT but he got sent to the floor; Aries then followed that with his heat seeking missile suicida…KENTA cut him off with a German and Tiger Suplex combo but Aries kicked out at 2…Aries went to the top rope, but KENTA leaped to the top rope and hit a Super Falcon Arrow: INCREDIBLE!… kick to the head by Aries; BRAINBUSTER: 1…2…NO!…450 by Aries, but KENTA rolls away…two flying knees; followed by GO 2 SLEEP: 1…2…3!

This match has aged incredibly because it had the real simple psychology of the two great athletes trying to win a fight.
Match Rating: ****

Third Anniversary Celebration Part 1, February 19th, 2005

Samoa Joe vs. Ebetus Jack (Kikutaro) with Mick Foley
From what I read, when Gabe booked Joe to face Mick Foley’s mystery opponent, he was originally hoping that Mick would agree to do the match. Suffice to say, that did not happen.

Foley cuts a promo before the match saying that he has passed the torch to Joe’s opponent: ASBESTOS JACK!…Foley announces that since Asbestos Jack is a Hardcore Legend, this match will be a hardcore match…Asbestos ran away from a lot of Joe’s offense as Foley gave him great advice from ringside, like “do the Bang Bang!”…Asbestos would try to get in some classic Foley offense…Foley attacked Joe on the outside…Asbestos went to do the Truth or Consequences elbow to the floor, but he was too afraid, so he hit it from the ground; that got a “HOLY SHIT!” chant…Abestos went for the Mr. Socko but Joe just bit his hand…Foley then entered the ring and the two Jacks beat up Joe…Joe wiped out Foley with a lariat, and put Asbestos away with a Muscle Buster…after the match Foley hit a Double Hook DDT…Foley went to attack him with a chair but Joe superkicked the chair in his face…Joe hit a double Ole kick on the two Jacks…Joe was then attacked by World Champ, Austin Aries with a chair…Foley then implies that he is going to try and get Aries signed by the WWE

This match was just included so that they could put Mick Foley on the DVD cover but it was a fun change of pace on this action heavy DVD
Match Rating: Fun

Better Than Our Best, April 1st, 2006

Bryan Danielson© vs. Lance Storm [ROH World Title]
Danielson’s chest looks like it has a terrible rash or bad acne, but really he was just chopped half to death the night before by Roderick Strong…Crowd is all over Dragon from the get go…I believe this was Storm’s first American match since the original ECW One Night Stand…Storm showed early that he was a step or two ahead of Dragon, so Dragon got frustrated an just slapped him…they went back and forth for a while, until Dragon was finally able to damage Storm’s back enough to work him over…Storm was finally able to come back after a Mule Kick (a move I’ve only seen performed by John Morrison; ie: it was really athletic and impressive)…Dragon was able to cut him off again though and lock in the Mexican Surf Board…Storm came back again with forearms and a dropkick, but Dragon cut him off again…Storm made another comeback and got a pair of near falls with a Gibson Driver and a snap powerslam…Dragon cut him off again, this time with a Bow & Arrow…Dragon went for the Chickening, but Storm escaped: SUPERKICK!: 1…2…NO!…Dragon locked in the crossface chickenwing but Storm made the ropes…Danielson went for a diving headbutt, but Storm rolled out of the way…Storm popped up and hit a cradle piledriver but Dragon kicked out…Storm followed that up with the Calgary Crab…Dragon goes for the ropes, but STORM PULS HIM BACK IN THE MIDDLE; rollup by Dragon!: 1…2…NO!…Storm misses a superkick and gets nailed with a roaring elbow: REGALPLEX: 1…2…NO!…Tiger Suplex by Dragon, and he locks in Cattle Mutilation for the submission victory

Hell of a match here…similar to the Aries/KENTA match in psychology, if not style…they were two fighters who were trying to win a match, and Dragon proved himself to be the better man…the match seemed to be designed to make Storm look strong, but Dragon was always two steps ahead of him, the longer the match went…that is how you use a veteran to put over your champion
Match Rating: ***3/4

Glory by Honor, September 20th, 2003

CM Punk vs. Terry Funk
This match was a part of the Punk/Raven feud; Raven brought in Funk to teach Punker a lesson

They brawled back and forth at the start…while both men were on the outside, Punk got the advantage and declared that it was now a hardcore match…Funk taunts Punk for not hitting hard, so Punk whacks him harder with a steel chair…Punk set up a table, but Funk suplexed Punk through his own table…Funk went for a moonsault but came up empty, which allowed Punk to start working over Funk’s knee…Punk locked in a Figure 4, which Funk sold like death…Funk made it to the ropes, but Punk locked it in again…Funk fought and fought and made the ropes again…Punk locked it in again, and he refused to let the hold go even when Funk made the ropes, so the ref called the bell (in a hardcore match…)…Colt Cabana came out and tried to talk sense into Punk, but he decided to help Punk beat him down more…Raven ran out to make the save!

More of an angle than a match, and it was probably only on the DVD, so that they could advertise Funk (as Punk surely had other matches with famous names)…Funk looked good for his age
Match Rating: **1/2

Fifth Year Festival: Liverpool, March 3rd, 2007

Briscoes© vs. Naruki Doi & Shingo [ROH Tag Titles]
Briscoes had just won the titles from Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal…Shingo was nearing the end of his American excursion, and Doi was flown in just for the weekend in England…it is also worth noting that Jay Briscoe has said that Shingo is the toughest person he has ever been in the ring with

The four men went back and forth a lot at the beginning…Mark at one point hit a split legged corkscrew legdrop on Shingo who was draped over Jay’s leg; Briscoes finally were able to work over Shingo for a significant period time…as soon as I write that, Shingo hit a STO and a DDT on the Briscoes at the same time…Doi made a hot tag and hit a suicide dive on Mark, which allowed Shingo to lock in various submissions on Jay…Doi followed that up with cannonball on both brothers and then a senton on Jay…Mark made a comeback with Red Neck Kung Fu and a Shooting Star Press to the outside on Shingo (who barely caught him)…Doi and Jay started striking each other in the ring…both teams started trading nearfalls with some nice double team moves…Mark went for a Shooting Star but Doi got his knees up; Doi hit a Frog Elbow on Jay but Jay kicked out…Shingo held Mark down, as Doi and Jay battled it out…Jay booted Shingo out of the ring, and the Briscoes hit TOTAL ELIMINATION on Doi and a Razor’s Edge/Neckbreaker combo: 1…2…NO!…Briscoes went for the Springboard Doomsday, but Shingo blocked it…DVD on Doi by Jay: 1…2…3-NO, Shingo makes the save…standing ovation from the fans…Shingo blocked the spike Jaydriller and nailed Jay with a HUGE LARIAT…Mark goes for springboardmove but is met with a lariat…Mark went for the Cutthroat Driver, but Shingo escapes and hits a Made in Japan Variation: 1…2…3!!!!!!!!!!!!…NEW CHAMPS!…Shingo sold the title win huge!

An excellent tag match, which featured state of the art action executed with great intensity…an excellent showcase of the ROH tag team style
Match Rating: ****

Race to the Top Tournament Night 2, July 28th, 2007

Claudio Castagnoli vs. El Generico
This was the finals of the Rise to the Top Tournament, which featured 16 young “lions”…this match is in this collection because Claudio is Swiss and Genrico is…Mexican

Claudio’s gear is horrendously bad…Generico’s gear is horrendously great…they start the match with trying to decide which of their catch phrases the crowd chanted better: Claudio won…they went back and forth on the mat to start, but Claudio eventually got the advantage and worked Generico over for a while…Generico out of nowhere sent Claudio to the outside and hit a Asai Moonsault to get back in the match…he followed that up with his amazing diving through the corner ropes into the tornado DDT…after that, they started going back and forth with big moves…Claudio kicked out of Code Red and Generico kicked out of the Torture Rack Driver…Claudio got caught in the tree of Joey Lawrence, which allowed Generico to hit the Coast-to-Coast sommersault legdrop…BRAINBUSTER!: 1…2…3-NO!—WHAT!…YAKUZA KICK!…Generico going for the Turnbuckle Brainbuster, but Claudio reversed it into a SUPER TORTURE RACK DRIVER!: 1…2…3-NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!…that should have been the finish…Generico escapes the Ricola Bomb, but gets caught in another: 1…2…NO AGAIN!!!…Claudio hit a driving Uppercut and another Ricolla Bomb to get the win…finish was a tad flat

Hell of a match…I think Michael Elgin and Adam Cole could have a similar match today, if you are looking for a point of reference in terms of where Claudio and Generico were on the card
Match Rating: ****

Fighting Spirit, April 14th, 2007

Takeshi Morishima© vs. Nigel McGuinness [ROH World Title]
Shima immediately rocks Nigel with stiff forearms…Nigels comes right back with forearms but Shima no-sells them…they started brawling on the floor and Nigel was able to take the champ down with a violent looking running uppercut…Nigel went to the top rope and hit a cross body to the floor…Nigel rolled Shima back in the ring and started working over his left arm to set up for the London Dugeon (or had he not started using that yet?)…Nigel went for a sunset powerbomb to the floor, but Shima countered by giving him a Butt Splash on the apron…Shima started working Nigel after that…Shima worked him over for a while but Nigel came back with a superplex and a massive lariat…TOWER OF LONDON ON THE FLOOR!…Shima comes back with a Backdrop Driver!: 1…2…NO!…BUT NIGEL SHOWS FIGHTING SPIRIT: LARIATO!…JAWBREAKER LARIAT: 1…2…3-NO!!!!!!!!!!…fans thought that was the finish…LARIAT by SHIMA!: 1…2…NO!…BACKDROP DRIVER—FIGHTING SPIRIT BY NIGEL, BUT ANOTHER BACKDROP DRIVER BY SHIMA: 1…2…3!

You can make the argument that this match is all finishers and no real selling, but it worked for me. Fighting Spirit psychology can be lazy, but if you get the crowd behind you, does it really matter?
Match Rating: ***3/4

You can buy this show at Amazon for less than $10 HERE

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Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.

The 411: With so many great matches on one disc, this purchase is probably the easiest recommendation I can make. If you are looking for a history of some of the best exhibition matches in company history, this is a DVD for you. However, if you are looking for a sample of what the ROH product is today, I would say that you are not going to find it here. Instead, just check out their TV show for free at ROHwrestling.com.

Final Score:  10.0   [ Virtually Perfect ]