100 Percent Fordified: Ring of Honor From Love to Hate – The Jimmy Jacobs Story

Disc One

The major feature on Disc One is a 75 minute shoot interview with Jimmy. He discusses everything from his debut, his major feuds, frustrations when he felt like he wasn’t going anywhere, leaving for a couple of years and his return in 2011. Jacobs’ comes off as level headed, honest, and at times self-deprecating. It was interesting hearing about how even though he stepped up to the plate when ROH needed him to (replacing Ace Steel at “All Star Extravaganza II” and Dan Maff as Whitmer’s partner) yet still not being seen as being worthy of a full time spot on the roster. He talks about how one drunken late night phone call to Gabe and CM Punk gave him the inspiration for the “Ballad of Lacey” video which saved his career. I also liked hearing about his thoughts on Age of the Fall, mostly who he wanted to be a part of the group and who Gabe put in later on that he feels didn’t truly work out. Although he doesn’t come outright with certain frustrations, the subtext says it all, most notably when talking about Tyler leaving the Age of the Fall and Austin Aries’ heel turn. All of his ROH career is touched upon and his take on his own career is definitely worth hearing about. Jacobs knows who he is, what works, and why he was able to stake his claim in ROH for so many years. Although he doesn’t verbalize it, the rest of this DVD shows why he is such an integral part of the company and perhaps the most under appreciated person they have ever had.

The other special thing about Disc One is the bonus features. Included are all three of his music videos (“The Ballad of Lacey”, “The Victory of Love”, and “Kiss 2 Kill”) as well as all four “date” videos he and Lacey filmed in mid-2007. Having all of those in one place is valuable enough, but they also throw in many of the Age of the Fall videos, including them as a group criticizing the city of Philadelphia and how it represents what’s wrong the world, as well as some extraordinary single shot promos Jacobs cut on his own. Jacobs mentioned in the shoot that he knew he wasn’t as good in the ring as Samoa Joe or Bryan Danielson and depended on his characters and stories to get over. These videos show just how good Jacobs was at re-inventing himself and, as the old saying goes, “talking people into the building.” I found the extras to be a huge selling point of the DVD.

Oh yeah, there are matches too. Let’s get into those.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Alex Shelley vs. BJ Whitmer vs. Tony Mamaluke
“Wrestlerave ‘03” – Philadelphia, PA – 6.28.2003

Mamaluke and Shelley aggressively look for control on the mat. Shelley gets taken to the ropes and tags in Jacobs. The fans are already into his HUSS gimmick, thanks to it being written on his ass. He and Mamaluke trade some quick pinfall attempts. Mamaluke goes for a cross armbreaker and Jacobs immediately gets the ropes. Shelley tags in. Jacobs rolls him into a half crab. Mamaluke helps Shelley get to the bottom rope. Shelley captures Jacobs in a nice arm capture cradle for a two count. Sheley throws some forearms. Jacobs takes him down with some armdrags. Whitmer blind tags in and exploder suplexes Shelley and Jacobs at the same time. Mamaluke sweeps out Whitmer’s leg. Whitmer picks up Mamaluke and slams him to counter a cross armbreaker. Back to the leg Mamaluke goes. He puts Whitmer in a parachute stretch and a Camel Clutch. Shelley tags in and kicks Mamaluke in the head. Jacobs boots Shelley but then gets booted to the floor by Whitmer. He back elbows Shelley for two. Whitmer throws in Jacobs from the apron to tag out. Jacobs gives Shelley a straightjacket backbreaker. Mamaluke Saito suplexes Shelley for two. Mamaluke and Whitmer put him in a double armbar. Shelley throws Mamaluke off the top rope. Whitmer crotches Shelley on the top rope. Jacobs sends Whitmer to the floor. He tries a super huracanrana but Shelley drops him face first onto the top turnbuckle! Mamaluke leg sweeps Shelley into a submission. Whitmer comes in with a headbutt to break it. Jacobs almost has a pin with a senton, but Whitmer picks him up for a slam. He lariats Shelley. Mamaluke rolls Whitmer into a cross armbreaker. Jacobs stomps him. Mamaluke divorce courts his arm and puts on a single arm Cattle Mutilation. Shelley breaks it with a splash. Whitmer lariats Mamaluke. Shelley small packages him for two. Whitmer gives Shelley an exploder suplex. He and Jacobs fight while Mamaluke puts Shelley in a submission. Whitmer hits an exploder suplex on Jacobs for the pin at 14:35. That was a really good action packed match where everybody got to show off. I had completely forgotten this match took place and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. ***1/4

ROH Tag Team Championship
Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer vs. Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal
“Best of the American Super Juniors Tournament” – Asbury Park, NJ – 4.2.2005

In storyline, Dan Maff (Whitmer’s tag partner) was taken out due to a car accident and new champions needed to be decided. In real life, a dispute between Maff and Homicide saw Maff boxed out of the company. Jacobs and Lethal go back and forth in the start. Jacobs takes Lethal down with a multiple rotation satellite headscissors. Once they recover Jacobs asks for Joe to be tagged in. Lethal obliges. Jacobs get tossed around and tags in Whitmer. Joe throws some forearms after taking him to the mat. Whitmer throws some forearms of his own, but gets tripped into a basement dropkick. Jacobs smacks Lethal in the face. Lethal back suplexes him for two. Lethal and Joe toss Jacobs into the air and let him drop. They wisely decide to isolate Jacobs, given that he is the smaller of their two opponents. Jacobs is able to evade a double bulldog attempt. He goes for the Contra Code on Lethal. Joe catches him, but Jacobs is able to send Joe into Lethal with a headscissors. Whitmer tags in. He rolls through Lethal’s crossbody and gets two with a brainbuster. Lethal works out of the wrist-clutch exploder. He drops Whitmer with a Flying DDT. Jacobs breaks the pin. Whitmer superkicks Joe. Joe drops him with the STJoe. Whitmer drops Joe on his head with an exploder suplex. Jacobs and Lethal tag back in and exchange chops. Jacobs escapes a dragon suplex and wheelbarrows up into a bulldog. Whitmer knocks Joe off the apron. He and Jacobs deliver a Doomsday Huracanrana to Lethal. Lethal kicks out. Lethal comes back with a heel kick. Joe tags in and cleans house with chops. Joe powerslams Whitmer. Lethal catches Jacobs’ senton attempt and throws him to the floor. Joe STJoe’s Whitmer into Lethal’s suplex. Jacobs breaks the cover. Joe dives onto Jacobs with an elbow suicida. Whitmer brings Lethal off the top with a super wrist-clutch exploder suplex and gets the pin at 18:05. The crowd was hot for this and both teams worked really well together. Whitmer and Jacobs showed that they had good chemistry despite being thrown together due to unforeseen circumstances. Them going over Joe and Lethal was a pretty big deal but I’d say it was certainly the right call. ***1/2

Jacobs and Whitmer would lose the titles to the Carnage Crew at “Escape From New York”, win them again at “The Homecoming”, then lose them to Sal Rinauro & Tony Mamaluke at “Joe vs. Kobashi.” The night after, Lacey decided to recruit Jimmy Jacobs and BJ Whitmer to become the new Lacey’s Angels. They would get a chance to regain the titles against Austin Aries & Roderick Strong at “Dissension” in Cleveland in late January of 2006. We’re shown clips from after the match where Jacobs is apologizing to Lacey for losing. Jacobs got distracted by her earlier in the match. Fed up, Whitmer slaps Jacobs in the face and gives him a wrist-clutch exploder suplex effectively ending their partnership.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer
“Dragon Gate Challenge” – Detroit, MI – 3.30.2006

Whitmer reverses Jacobs’ wristlock and take him to the mat. Jacobs gets distracted by Lacey. Whitmer goes after her. Jacobs pescado’s out but Whitmer catches him and throws him into the barricades. Whitmer back elbows him in the ring for a two count. He’s proud of his leg lariat even though it only also gets a two count. Jacobs headscissors him face first into the second turnbuckle and stomps on the back of his head. He dropkicks Whitmer’s head into the side of the ring post for two. He stomps on his chest a few times with assistance from the ropes. Whitmer manages to give Jacobs an exploder suplex. Jacobs ducks a boot. He goes for the Contra Code. Whitmer blocks it with a Snake Eyes and a German suplex. He rolls him into a Dragon suplex. Jacobs counters a powerbomb with a sunset flip. A kamikaze suplex sends both guys to the floor. Jacobs tries a huracanrana. Whitmer counters by powerbombing Jacobs into the barricades. He gets two with a brainbuster back in the ring. Whitmer heads up top. Jacobs crotches him. He wants a super Contra Code. Whitmer sets up for a super powerboomb. Whitmer trips though, and both men come tumbling down to the floor! Jacobs head hit all three ropes and the ring apron while Whitmer went straight to the floor. It is just as terrifying as it sounds. That madness only gets Whitmer a two count! Jesus is Jimmy a tough bastard or what? He nails the Contra Code. He’s about to go for a pin but Lacey tells Jacobs that he wants Whitmer dead. She instructs Jacobs to put him through the timekeeper’s table. Jacobs took too much time after placing Whitmer on the table. Whitmer suplexes him off the top rope and nails him with a lariat for the pin at 15:14. That spot was absolutely terrifying. The fact that both guys got up and kept wrestling shows just how tough (or stupid, or both) they really are. The match was pretty crazy before that, but that spot changed everything and is one of the most memorable moments in the company’s history. I know it was totally by accident, but what a way to kick up the heat in a feud. ***3/4

Disc Two

ROH World Championship – Elimination Match
Bryan Danielson (Champion) vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer
“Throwdown” – Detroit, MI – 6.23.2006

Despite their issues, Whitmer and Jacobs “team up” against Danielson in the early going. Jacobs takes out Whitmer’s legs for a two count. They slap each other in the face and then trade forearms. Danielson dropkicks Whitmer to the apron. Jacobs tries a headscissors. Danielson turns it into an airplane spin. Whitmer dropkicks Danielson to stop it. He then dropkicks Danielson to the apron. Danielson rakes his eyes. Lacey is admonishing Jacobs as he recovers on the floor. He gets on the apron but gets his neck snapped on the top rope by Danielson. Danielson also puts Whitmer in the Romero Special. Jacobs chops them both and dropkicks Danielson in the neck for two. Danielson throws some uppercuts and dropkicks Whitmer so he can’t come back in the ring. Jacobs comes off the top rope with a dropkick. Whitmer comes back in and back elbows Jacobs. Danielson German suplexes Whitmer who simultaneously sends Jacobs out with an exploder suplex. Danielson Dragon suplexes Whitmer for two. He puts on the Cattle Mutilation. Jacobs sentons onto Danielson to break it and gets a two count. Jacobs gives Whitmer a Death Valley Driver for two. Whitmer blocks the Contra Code. He and Jacobs bust out their Doomsday Huracanrana in the hopes of putting Danielson away. It does not. Whitmer goes for a super powerbomb on Jacobs. Instead, Danielson assists with a super Contra Code and Whitmer is eliminated at 13:24.

Danielson uses a handshake to bait Jacobs into an uppercut. He drapes Jacobs across the top rope and dropkicks him out into the barricades. Danielson confidently works over Jacobs back in the ring. He gets two with a diving headbutt, then puts on Cattle Mutilation. Jacobs gets his foot to the ropes. Jacobs blocks a rolling forearm with a spear. He nails an enzuigiri and gets two with the Golden Gate Swing. Danielson boots Jacobs in the corner. He dives off and is caught with a spear. Danielson blocks the Contra Code. He gets two with a bridging Regalplex. He looks for the Crossface Chicken Wing. Jacobs gets the ropes before it’s fully applied. Danielson blocks a super Contra Code. He tries for a sunset flip. Jacobs sits down on it for two. Jacobs manages to hit the Contra Code for two. Jacobs decides to put on his own Cattle Mutilation. Daniels escapes and throws Jacobs out of the corner. He rains down with elbows to the side of Jacobs’ head before locking on the Crossface Chicken Wing. Jacobs taps out at 24:46. The match was good when it was all three of them, but Jacobs did such a great job as the underdog that things picked up when it boiled to just him and Danielson. At the time this was Jacobs’ best match. It’s a shame it would be over two years before he got another ROH World title shot. ***3/4

Wind City Death Match
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Colt Cabana
“Fifth Year Festival: Chicago” – Chicago, IL – 2.24.2007

Cabana wildly throws some chairs. Jacobs bites Cabana in the head and throws some punches. Cabana fires up and takes down Jacobs with overhand chops. He throws Jacobs head first into the barricades. He sets up Jacobs on the timekeeper’s table. Lacey grabs Cabana’s leg to stop him from performing a splash. The distraction allows Jacobs to chop block Cabana’s knee. Daizee Haze runs out and takes Lacey to the back. Cabana hangs up Jacobs in a tree of woe and retrieves a ladder from under the ring. Jacobs dropkicks it into Cabana. Cabana comes back with a Bionic Elbow. Jacobs is now busted open and Cabana drives his elbow into the wound. Turns out he had a pair of scissors in his paid, which he now digs into Jacobs’ head. Cabana gets the scissors stuck in the top turnbuckle, and Jacobs smacks him in the head with a chair. He goes to his boot for his spike but it’s not there. It turns out Cabana has it! He chokes Jacobs with his shirt while digging the spike into his wound. He beats Jacobs outside the ring with the Chicago flag. Jacobs kicks the middle rope into Cabana’s crotch. He breaks the flag pole across Cabana’s back. He digs the broken parts of the pole into Cabana’s head. He also digs the spike into his head. Jacobs stomps a chair repeatedly into Cabana’s chest. Cabana is able to retrieve the scissors out of the turnbuckle and jam them into Jacobs’ face. Cabana throws some punches and smacks Jacobs with the chair. Brent Albright, hired by Lacey, comes in and gives Cabana a half-nelson Suplex. Whitmer runs out to even things out. Whitmer Cactus clotheslines Jacobs to the floor. Whitmer holds Albright and Jacobs so that Cabana can Asai moonsault onto them. Cabana hits Jacobs in the head with a hammer! The Flying Asshole leads to Cabana throwing chairs at Jacobs as he lays on the canvas. Cabana moonsaults a chair onto Jacobs for two. He sets up a table ringside. Cabana digs the flag pole into Jacobs’ face and sets up a ladder between the ring and the barricades. The other table collapses, so Jacobs takes a second table. Cabana throws a chair at him. Cabana looks to dive onto Jacobs, but Lacey returns and shoves him crotch first onto the top rope. Jacobs sets up the ladder next to the ropes. He dives off the ladder and sentons Cabana through the ringside table! He brings Cabana back in the ring for only a two count. A table is set up in the corner. Jacobs goes for a spear. Cabana side steps it and sends Jacobs through the table instead. Lacey tries to jab Cabana with her high heel shoes. Cabana grabs it and jabs Jacobs with it. He gives both Jacobs and Lacey the Colt 45! He pins them both at 22:53. That was one of the most clever hardcore matches I’ve seen. Everything from the scissors being placed in the corner only to be used later on to them making the most out of a dud of a table. This was a great way to end their intense feud; having Cabana get revenge on both Jacobs and Lacey in his hometown. ****

Steel Cage Match
Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer
“Supercard of Honor II” – Detroit, MI – 3.31.2007

Jacobs dives through the cage door onto Whitmer as he makes his entrance. Lacey and Daizee Haze are in their respective corners. Jacobs throws Whitmer into the barricades and drops an elbow on him. They make their way into the cage where they each trying throwing each other into it. Whitmer’s is successful, ramming Jacobs back first into it. Jacobs gets sent head first into the cage a couple of times. Whitmer dropkicks a chair into his face. Jacobs kicks the chair right back at him. Whitmer gives him a spinebuster onto it. Whitmer sets up the chair and gets sent into it with a drop toe hold. Jacobs is handed a railroad spike. Whitmer has one of his own in his boot! They jab each other in the head! They repeatedly spike one another until they fall down in covered in blood. Jacobs powerbombs him into the corner and boots him in the face. Whitmer gets handed a barbed wire baseball bat. Jacobs kicks it out of his hands. He ends up grabbing the bat and running it into Whitmer’s head. He digs it into Whitmer’s arm as well. He jabs Whitmer in the arm and forehead with the two spikes! He places Whitmer’s head onto the barbed wire bat and smacks him with a chair! He sets up a chair in the corner. He goes for a spear, but Whitmer sends him head first into the chair instead. He throws Jacobs with an exploder suplex before collapsing. Whitmer rolls through a huracanrana and powerbombs Jacobs into the cage. He drives the barbed wire back into Jacobs’ head. Whitmer gives him a brainbuster onto an upright chair! Jacobs kicks out. Whitmer goes to escape the cage. Lacey slams it into his head, then Jacobs rams the bat into his head. He gets two with a top rope senton. Jacobs tries for a super huracanrana. Whitmer holds on and drops him face first onto the top turnbuckle. He strings together a few suplexes and a powerbomb for two. A table is entered into the cage. Whitmer goes for a top rope powerbomb. Jacobs counters with a super huracanrana. He tries for the Contra Code. Whitmer counters with the Adrenaline Spike for two. Lacey dives into the cage. Whitmer blocks her slap and gives her the Adrenaline Spike! Whitmer misses a frog splash from the top of the cage! Jacobs pulls off the Contra Code for two. He sets up Whitmer on the table and goes to the top of the cage. Whitmer follows him up. Jacobs manages to knock him down and onto the table again. He comes off the top of the cage with a back senton! That gets Jacobs the pin at 23:41. That was absolutely incredible. Things were crazy from before the opening bell and never ceased. The only minor complaint was that it was a little corny for students to bring in weapons from time to time. Otherwise, this was a perfect way to end the feud and incorporate elements from throughout the feud into it. The best cage match in ROH and the best match either guy had in ROH, no doubt. ****3/4

At the “Man Up!” PPV, after The Briscoes defeated Kevin Steen and El Generico in the first ever Ladder War (featured on Steen’s DVD), a new faction known as the Age of the Fall (consisting of Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, The Necro Butcher, and Lacey) debuted and attacked the Briscoes. They hung up Jay upside down from the ceiling, causing blood from Jay’s head to rain down and cover Jimmy Jacobs. This would be the start of a year long feud between the two teams.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Bryan Danielson
“Unscripted III” – Chicago Ridge, IL – 12.1.2007

Jacobs attacks Danielson as he’s posing in the corner. Danielson is able to get control and throws some elbows. Jacobs rolls to the floor before they get out of control. Danielson puts him in the Romero Special, and subsequently a Dragon Sleeper. Jacobs slips to the floor again. “C’mon Jimmy, I thought you were starting a revolution!” Danielson sarcastically remarks. Even though Jacobs shows weakness in his knee, Danielson wrenches on his arm. He dropkicks Jacobs and goes for a half crab. Jacobs kicks his way free. Jacobs throws some closed fists which fires Danielson up. He delivers a diving European uppercut from the second rope. Danielson butterfly suplexes Jacobs before going up top. He comes off with a diving headbutt for two. Jacobs drives Danielson’s shoulder into the corner. He gets two with a second rope senton. Danielson puts on the Cattle Mutilation. Lacey distracts the referee causing Danielson to release the hold. Jacobs tries to bash Danielson with his cane but gets caught. Danielson yanks it off his hands, but the spike is underneath. He jabs the spike into Danielson’s head behind the referee’s back and gets a two count. Jacobs hangs him in a tree of woe and uses the ropes for a leveraged dropkick. He kicks Danielson’s bloody head into the ring post. Jacobs pecado’s Danielson through a chair! With Danielson twitching, Jacobs brings him into the ring but only for a two count. Danielson crotches him on the top rope. He brings Jacobs down with a superplex. He fires up with some forearms and a sole butt that sends Jacobs to the floor. Danielson suicide dives after him. He missile dropkicks Jacobs back in the ring. Jacobs goes for the End Time. Danielson tosses him off. Jacobs gets two with a spear. Danielson blocks the Contra Code and German suplexes Jacobs into the Cattle Mutilation. He drives some elbows into Jacobs’ head. Jacobs gets up and hits the Contra Code for two. Danielson gets his knees up to block a back senton. After a chest kick he stomps Jacobs’ head in. He puts on a triangle choke while also throwing elbows. Jacobs makes it to the ropes. Danielson goes for a belly-to-back superplex. Jacobs turns it into a super DDT which leads to the End Time. Danielson tries hard to fight out but doesn’t have the energy. He ends up passing out at 23:32. This was a HUGE victory for Jacobs and one he needed to solidify him as a believable faction leader. It was also a nice bone to throw the Chicago audience since the original card was all mucked up. This got a lot of praise at the time because it was such a surprising win and the best match on the card, but in reality it wasn’t the “MOTY Candidate” reports from the live crowd said it was. ***1/2

ROH Tag Team Championship
The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) (Champions) vs. The Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black)
“Final Battle 2007” – New York, NY – 12.30.2007

Jay stomps down Jacobs in the corner. Black comes in and gets booted to the floor. Mark dives off the apron onto him and whips him into the barricades. Mark suplexes Black onto the floor. He and Jay double hip toss Jacobs onto the entrance ramp. They beat down Black while Lacey helps Jacobs recover. They have Black set up for the Doomsday Device when Jacobs trips Mark off the apron and spears Jay. Black dropkicks Mark to stop him from springboarding in. Jacobs and Black keep Jay isolated, just like Black was moments ago. Jay escapes by sending Black into the corner with a Complete Shot. Mark tags in and throws some chops at Black. He superkicks him out and gives Jacobs a fisherman’s buster. Mark springboard splashes onto Black for two. Mark goes for a moonsault. Black shoves him down, causing Mark to land in a tree of woe. He takes tandem dropkicks from the Fall. Jay breaks the pin. Jay military press Jacobs to the floor. Black sends Jay out and drops Mark with the Paroxysm for two. Black springboards in but gets caught with an exploder suplex. The Briscoes give him the Redneck Boogie for two. Jay gets two with a Falcon Arrow as well. He tries for the Jay Driller. Jacobs however gives him a neckbreaker and heads up top. Jay looks for a Super Jay Driller. Black steps in and Jacobs gives Jay a Doomsday Huracanrana. Jay kicks out. Jacobs sentons Jay into a Burning Hammer from Black. Jacobs puts on the End Time. Mark breaks it with a springboard double stomp. Mark powerbombs Jacobs for two. Mark sets him up for the Cut-Throat Driver. Black saves Jacobs and kicks Jay to the floor. He then backdrops Mark out to the floor with his head hitting the barricades. Jay puts Black on his shoulders on the apron. Mark recovers and gives Black a Doomsday Device to the floor! Mark gives Jacobs the Cut-Throat Driver for two. The Briscoes hit the Doomsday Device. Black from out of nowhere dives in to stop the pin. Black and Jay fight on the floor while Jacobs and Mark fight in the corner. Black powerbombs Jay into the barricades. Mark looks for a Super Cut-Throat Driver. Black stops him. He and Jacobs hit the Skyscaper Contra Code/powerbomb combo. Black follows with the Phoenix Splash to win the match and the titles at 18:56. Lots of crazy spots here but not much in the way of a story. They had flashes of it here and there but never kept something steady. Still, it was a big win for the Age of the Fall and pretty darn fun to watch. ***1/2

The Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
“Tag Wars 2008” – Detroit, MI – 4.18.2008

Sabin and Black start off pretty aggressively. After fighting for control, Sabin slaps him in the face. He puts on a wristlock and throws Black’s face into Shelley’s boots twice. Shelley does his best to humiliate Black with some of his offense. Black is able to give him an Ace Crusher and tag in Jacobs. The two former rivals get into a shoving match. Jacobs bites away at Shelley’s forehead. Shelley throws some hard chops so Jacobs goes for his eyes. Shelley spinwheel kicks him in the face. Jacobs looks dejected when he tags Black in. Sabina and Shelley pick up where they left off when Black was last in the ring, beating him down with some humiliation thrown in. Black gives Sabin a chinbreaker and Shelley an enzuigiri so that he can tag in Jacobs. Shelley snapmares him into the Skullf*ck. Black trips Shelley to the floor. Jacobs knocks Sabin to the floor, then dives onto Shelley who Black has seated into a chair. Both Machine Guns get sent into the barricades. Black dives off the apron but ends up crashing into the barricades himself. Back in the ring, Sabin slingshots Jacobs into a superkick from Shelley. Shelley Swanton’s Jacobs into Sabin’s knees. Jacobs eats stereo superkicks for two. Jacobs and Black take out Sabin with superkicks. Black gives Shelley the Paroxysm for two. Now it’s Shelley who is isolated and double teamed in the enemy corner. Shelley gets lucky when Jacobs accidentally forearms Black. Shelley drops them in a Complete Shot/DDT combo and finally tags in Sabin. He uses kicks to take out Black and clotheslines Jacobs to the floor. Sabin enzuigiri’s Black into a German suplex from Shelley. He Tiger suplexes Black for two. Sabin puts on an Octopus Stretch. Black drives him into the corner and places him on the top rope. Shelley puts him and Black in a tree of woe so they can hit the Bullet Point. Black fights off Shelley’s super huracanrana. He does however get caught in the Border City Stretch. Jacobs goes for an elbow but Shelley moves hits Black. Sabin top rope legdrops Black and then gets pitched out to the floor. Shelley gives Jacobs Snake Eyes to block the Contra Code. Jacobs puts on the End Time. Shelley turns that into the Border City Stretch. Jacobs puts the End Time back on. Sabin kicks Jacobs to free his partner. Jacobs eats the MCMG Sandwich, then a gamengiri into the Shell Shock. Black makes the save. Shelley accidentally clotheslines Sabin. Black springboards in with a double clothesline. Sabin takes the Doomsday Huracanrana. Black powerbombs Shelley in the corner. He hits a frog splash and Jacobs follows with a back senton for two. Shelley avoids a Phoenix Splash and takes Black down with a clothesline. The Machine Guns miss the ASCS Rush. Jacobs gives Sabin the Contra Code and rolls back for a headscissors to Shelley. Jacobs sentons Shelley on Black’s back. Shelley blocks the Burning Hammer with a swinging DDT. Jacobs hits the Contra Code for two. Shelley gets his knees up to block a senton. He sends Black to the floor. Black stops the MCMG from hitting Made in Detroit. A series of moves leaves everybody laying. The MCMG recover and hit the Skull and Bones on Jacobs. He kicks out! Shelley gives him the 2k1 Bomb. Black shoves Sabin onto them to break the count. Sabin responds with the Cradle Shock. With Jacobs left alone, the MCMG successfully deliver the ASCS Rush. Jacobs kicks out! Sabin misses a dive onto Black. Shelley tries for an Air Raid Crash. Jacobs slips out and puts on the End Time. Shelley tries to escape but succumbs to a submission at 32:42. Both teams were at their best here. Shelley and Jacobs rekindling their old rivalry was a lot of fun to watch and Sabin and Black contributed a lot as well. This almost burnt out in the end with some finisher overkill and it did go pretty long, but otherwise this was another MCMG success. Just not quite the level of the 2007 Briscoes encounter which is honestly a ridiculously high standard anyhow. ****1/4

“I Quit” Match
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries
“Rising Above 2008” – Chicago Ridge, IL – 11.22.2008

Aries and Jacobs attack at the bell. They separate when the fight spills to the floor. Tyler Black distracts Aries, but he’s able to catch Jacobs who tries to attack from behind. Jacobs dropkicks Aries on the floor and brings out a table from under the ring. He whips Aries into the barricades so he can set up the table. Aries sends Jacobs into the barricades himself. He sets up Jacobs on the table. Black pulls him off when Aries goes to the top rope. Aries goes for the Heat-Seeking Missile. Jacobs pulls out a steel chain and punches Aries as he comes out. Jacobs whips Aries with the chain back in the ring and also busts his head open. Jacobs seats Aries in a chair on the floor. Aries gets to the apron to fight Jacobs back and ends up being speared to the floor. Jacobs places Aries back on the chair and dives onto him. In the ring he ties Aries to the chair with the chain, suffocating him with a dog collar in the process. Jacobs is ready to hit Aries with another chair when Lacey emerges from the back. She has a towel and wants to throw it in for Aries. Jacobs threatens to kill Aries with the railroad spike if she doesn’t toss it in. Aries fights out of the chains and throws Jacobs to the floor. He follows out with the Heat-Seeking Missile. He gives Jacobs a brainbuster onto the chair. Aries ties him to the ropes in the corner and throws punches at his head. Referee Todd Sinclair asks Jacobs if he quits, but Aries won’t let him answer. He delivers the IED and places Jacobs on the table outside. Jacobs throws a chair at Aries when he begins to climb the ropes. They both tumble off the top rope and through the table. Neither man quits when prompted by Sinclair. Jacobs puts on the End Time back in the ring. When Aries doesn’t quit he uses Aries’ own Last Chancery against him. Aries rakes Jacobs eyes to escape. Jacobs comes at Aries with the spike. Aries backslides him into some knee strikes. He puts on the Last Chancery. He doesn’t quit, so Aries puts on a crossface. He pulls out the spike. Black looks ready to throw in the towel. Lacey grabs it from him. This forces Jacobs to verbally submit at 21:58. This was a lot like the Windy City Death Match: bloody, violent, and the interference added to the match rather than hindered it. The Lacey emergence didn’t come off as the big deal it should have but was still really nifty. Definitely a great feud ending brawl. ****

Steel Cage Match
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tyler Black
“Violent Tendencies” – Detroit, MI – 6.26.2009

Jacobs attacks Black as he enters the cage. Black slams the door into his head. After punching Jacobs in the corner he throws him into the cage. Jacobs avoids getting his head stomped in. Jacobs climbs the cage. Black follows and ends up getting his head banged into the top of the cage. Jacobs headscissors him head first into the cage. Jacobs gets in a few strikes on the mat. He chokes Black with his wrist tape. Black fights back with a flurry of punches and clotheslines. He throws Jacobs back first into the cage. He rams him head first into the cage before giving him the F5 for a two count. Black tries a powerbomb. Jacobs however stabs him with the spike. Jacobs covers him with his boot, but decides to do some more damage with the spike. He rips out his own hair and some of Tyler’s. He shoves it in his mouth and spikes Black in the head. Black blocks another spike shot. Jacobs goes for a headscissors and gets thrown face first into the cage. He powerbombs Jacobs into the turnbuckles and hits a superkick. Black climbs to the top of the cage. Jacobs shakes the cage to crotch him and then follows up. Both men fall to the floor after throwing some punches! Jacobs throws Black into the crowd. Black springboard onto the cage wall and comes down with a clothesline. Jacobs leg sweeps Black into the barricades. Back in the cage Jacobs tries a huracanarana. Black counters with another powerbomb to the corner. Jacobs ducks a superkick and puts Black in the End Time. Black slams him into the cage wall trying to release the hold. It does not work. He ends up suplexing Jacobs into the cage. Jacobs goes for a spear. Black puts on his own End Time! Jacobs turns it into a pin. He spears Black after he kicks out. Jacobs climbs the ropes. Black follows for a super powerbomb and ends up taking a huracanrana. Jacobs immediately hits the Contra Code and a superkick. Black kicks out! Jacobs fires himself up by stabbing himself with the spike. He brings a table into the ring and sets it up in the corner. Black gives him an enzuigiri. They both pull out spikes and hit each other in the head multiple times. Black ends the battle with a powerbomb to the corner. He superkicks Jacobs and delivers God’s Last Gift. Black sets the table up in the middle of the ring and places Jacobs on top. He comes off the top of the cage with a Superfly Splash through the table! That gets him the pin at 22:01. While it wasn’t as incredible as the Whitmer cage match, it was still pretty damn good. It was a nice way to “pass the torch” to Black before leaving ROH the following night and the finish was sick. Jacobs is the king of blowing off feuds. ****

After the match, the Age of the Fall’s original scream music beings playing. Dozens of men dressed in all black surround ringside and pummel Black inside the ring. Jacobs gets on the microphone and says the Age of the Fall has just begun. He channels Terry Funk when telling us that the Age of the Fall will live forever. The men carry around Jacobs in a crucifixion pose while chanting Jimmy Jacobs.

The 411: This set is all killer and no filler. All of Jacobs' most crucial matches are on here; no more, no less. Between all the quality matches, the interview, and the amazing collection of videos/promos, this is a must buy set for new and old fans alike. You can pick up this DVD from Ring of Honor's store. You can check out all of my ROH, DGUSA, and other reviews over at the 100% Fordified blog.

Final Score:  9.5   [  Amazing ]