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ROH – Destiny DVD Review

August 29, 2006 | Posted by Jacob Ziegler
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ROH – Destiny DVD Review  

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ROH – DESTINY – EAST WINDSOR, CT – 6.3.06

Review by Brad Garoon and Jacob Ziegler

Honor Roll 60 (as voted on by The ROH Message Board)

The first number in parentheses represents the position each wrestler was in on the last Honor Roll, and the second number represents how many consecutive Honor Rolls they have been listed.

ROH WORLD CHAMPION: Bryan Danielson (since 9.17.05)
ROH PURE CHAMPION: Nigel McGuinness (since 8.27.05)
1) Austin Aries (1, 12)
2) Homicide (NR, 1)
3) Colt Cabana (5, 2)
4) Christopher Daniels (3, 5)
5) Roderick Strong (2, 18)

Tag Team Honor Roll 1

The ROH Message Board finally got it together and started a Tag Team Honor Roll. This is the first edition.

ROH TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Austin Aries & Roderick Strong (since 12.17.05)
1) Jimmy Rave & Alex Shelley
2) Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli
3) The Briscoe Brothers
4) Irish Airborne
5) Homicide & Ricky Reyes

Introduction

BG says: The ROH Video Recap on this DVD includes highlights of Homicide’s stand against CZW at Ring of Homicide, hype for his World title match, BJ Whitmer challenging Necro Butcher to a no rope barbed wire match in Dayton, hype for the Briscoe’s second challenge against Aries and Strong for the tag titles and a rundown of this shows lineup. You can see this for free at ROHVideos.com.

Austin Aries & Roderick Strong are insulted that the Briscoes called them lucky after the tag team match at Ring of Homicide. Aries says the better team won and tonight they are going to prove that it is their collective destiny to become the longest reigning tag team champions. Strong says that Generation Next is the best tag team today prompting Aries to take him aside for a private conversation about Generation Next. It’s a good thing that Strong is great in the ring because he adds nothing to these promos.

A video package chronicling Homicide’s past World Championship matches is shown. It reminds us that after their best of five series Danielson said he’d continue his feud with Homicide as soon as he won the belt. He’s been champion for a while now and this is Homicide’s first shot.

JZ says: Speaking of the Tag Team Honor Roll, the champions, Austin Aries & Roderick Strong are here to talk about the Briscoe Brothers. They say they are the better team, and they will prove it again tonight. Roderick still can’t cut a good promo.

Now we get a really cool video package showing all of the chances Homicide has had to win the ROH World Championship. There are six of them – vs. Samoa Joe (5.31.03, NR), vs. Samoa Joe (4.23.04, ***), vs. Samoa Joe (5.22.04, ***½), vs. Samoa Joe (7.23.04, ****), vs. Austin Aries (4.2.05, ***¾), and vs. James Gibson vs. Spanky (8.20.05, **). That was a really cool video and makes the main event for tonight seem hugely important.

MATCH #1: Davey Richards vs. Jimmy Rave

BG says: I’m embarrassed that the bulk of the PWG reviews on this site have come from me and yet I’ve never seen a Davey Richards match. He gained attention when he won the 2006 ECWA Super 8 Tournament. He was supposed to debut earlier but got injured and thus we have his debut here. Richards takes Rave to the mat to start. He grabs a wristlock but Rave fights away. Richards puts on a front facelock and drives his knee into Rave’s head. Rave counters to a wristlock so Richards kicks his shoulder. Rave spits in his face so Richards unloads with kicks. He hits a series of chops and kicks Rave to the mat for 2. He puts on the head scissors but Rave gets to the ropes. Richards hits a kick to the back for 2. Rave comes back with a clothesline to the back. He puts on a surfboard stretch and blocks a dropkick. He puts on a camel clutch and then hits a knee to the gut for 2. He puts on an abdominal stretch and then hits a back suplex for 2. He climbs the ropes but Richards cuts him off and hits a superplex. They trade strikes and Rave slams Richards to the mat by his hair. Rave misses a running knee in the corner and falls to the floor. Richards follows him out with a suicide dive. The floor is covered with grass and I realize that the building is actually a tent. Back in the ring Richards hits a springboard dropkick. He unloads with kicks and hits a German suplex for 2. Rave blocks a blind charge and hits a spear. He hits a gutbuster and a DDT for 2. He puts on a butterfly hold but Richards blocks Greetings from Ghana. He puts on the Stretch Muffler but Rave gets to the ropes. Richards hits a handspring kick and a running elbow. He hits a clothesline for 2. Rave hits a backbreaker and Ghanarrhea for 2. Richards gets a roll up for 2. Rave hits a back heel kick but Richards floats into the D.R. Driver II for the win. This was a fun opener and a great way to establish Richards as he pretty much decimated the more experienced Rave.
Rating: ***¼

JZ says: I saw Richards live in Detroit a few weeks after this, but this will be my first time seeing him on tape. Dave Prazak and Jared David are on commentary tonight, no Lenny Leonard. 🙁 This is of course Richards’s ROH debut. I hear good things, and it seems like ROH is high on him. They start off with some mat wrestling and Richards is dominant. He sucks up to the crowd. Back in the ring he goes to work on Rave’s arm. Rave fights back with a Northern Lariat and he goes to work. Rave works on Richards for a while and tries for a move off the top rope but Richards reverses to a superplex. Rave comes back but it doesn’t last as they go to the outside and Richards hits a big dive. Richards has now dropped three f-bombs in one match. That’s just too many for my taste. Back in the ring Richards gets a German Suplex for two. A reversal sequence leads to Richards locking on the Stretch Muffler, called “horse collar” by Prazak. Rave gets the ropes. Rave goes for Greetings from Ghana but Richards escapes. A sick looking butterfly brainbuster follows and Richards wins at 17:44. That started slow but built to a good finish. Richards is a little too flashy for me, but he’s athletic as all hell and I’m interested in seeing what else he can do.
Rating: ***¼

MATCH #2: Top of the Class Trophy Match – Derrick Dempsey vs. Shane Hagadorn

BG says: Why wasn’t the trophy defended during the Weekend of Champions? This is Hagadorn’s fifth shot at the trophy, overall. Dempsey takes Hagadorn to the mat to start. Hagadorn goes to the ropes to cut off Dempsey’s momentum. Dempsey gets a roll up for 2 and hits a side suplex. Hagadorn hits a knee to the gut and a stomp to the top of the head. He stomps away for 2. He puts on a chinlock and slugs Dempsey down for 2. He thrusts his hip into Dempsey’s face for 2. He hits an ugly clothesline for 2. Dempsey comes back with a German suplex and a spinebuster for 2. He gets a roll up for 2 but Hagadorn comes back with one of his own for 2. Hagadorn puts on a chinlock stretch and Dempsey taps out. I guess five times is a charm. The match was decent for a student match but pretty lousy by any other standard.
Rating: *¼

JZ says: Dempsey has held the trophy since 1.14.06, and this is his fifth defense. They do some mat wrestling to start. Ohkana roll by Dempsey gets two, and he unloads with a suplex and a headbutt. Hagadorn fights back and acts like a dick. He goes to work on the neck. Dempsey fights back with some forearms. He gets a sunset flip into a cool looking submission but Hagadorn escapes. Hagadorn locks in a chinlock / crossface looking thing and Dempsey taps out at 6:15 to give Hagadorn the Top of the Class Trophy. That wasn’t much, but both guys at least look to be improving.
Rating: *¼

MATCH #3: Sara Del Ray vs. Daizee Haze

BG says: They’re just trotting out the specialty matches all in a row here. Haze avoids Del Ray to start so Del Ray shoves her into the corner. They knuckle up and Haze stomps Del Ray’s foot to gain control. She puts on a hammerlock but Del Ray reverses to a wristlock. Haze grabs a headlock but Del Ray shoves her off and hits a shoulder block. She stays in control with her power and hits an Earthquake splash. She dumps Haze to the floor and puts on a submission hold back in the ring. Haze comes back with a crossbody for 2. He hits a legdrop and an elbowdrop. She hits a kick to the chest for 2. A series of counters ends with Haze putting on a standing head scissors hold. She gets a sunset flip for 2. She takes out the knee and puts on a Mutalock. Del Ray comes back with a series of running boots to the gut for 2. Haze chokes her in the ropes but Del Ray pushes her to the floor. She rams Haze into the barricade and rolls her back into the ring. Haze gets a sunset flip for 2. Del Ray hits a Samoan drop for 2. Haze hits a big facebuster for 2. She gets a roll up for 2 and hits the heart punch. She hits a Yakuza kick for 2. Del Ray comes back with a powerbomb for 2. She puts on a standing butterfly hold and hits a butterfly suplex for the win. This was as good as some of the better stuff you’ll see on the SHIMMER DVDs, but it takes a bit of the piss out of it to see it on an ROH DVD where you know it isn’t going anywhere.
Rating: **½

Bryan Danielson comes out after the match and gets on the microphone. He puts over the women’s wrestling we just saw as better than the stuff on television and calls Sara Del Ray the best of the women wrestlers. Of course he takes credit for her success because he trained her. As ROH Champion and the head trainer of the school he is lobbying to never come back to Connecticut again. He takes offense to the title of the show because Homicide’s destiny is not to beat Danielson but rather to lose. That was all well and good but it’s not like the crowd needed a reason to cheer Homicide.

JZ says: Both of these woman are primary competitors in SHIMMER Women Athletes. Del Ray overpowers Haze, who tries to come back with speed and headlocks. Nothing Haze tries will work, and Del Ray takes advantage by abusing her much smaller opponent. Haze takes a powder and comes aback into the ring and Del Ray locks on a submission. Haze then stops selling and takes advantage. They kind of look like they’re moving in slow motion. Haze goes for a crucifix, but Del Ray reverses it and Haze reverses it again to a unique submission hold followed by a sunset flip for two. Haze goes to work on the legs, including a Muta Lock. The spill outside the ring and Del Ray is back in control. Samoan drop by Del Ray gets two. Haze fights back with a big facebuster. Haze hits the heart punch / yakuza kick combo, and it gets two. Prazak just put that over as Haze’s finisher, and Del Ray kicked out easily. Spinning powerbomb by Del Ray gets two. Del Ray puts on the Butterfly Lock and goes into the Butterfly Slam out of that to get the win at 11:29. I really expected more out of this. It got good near the end, but the beginning was all awkward and stodgy.
Rating: **¼

ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson comes out after the match in his street clothes. He puts over the match we just saw as the best women’s match we’ve all seen in a long time. He sends her to the back because he has business to take care of. He rags on the name of the show and says he will defeat Homicide tonight. That didn’t seem to have much point.

MATCH #4: Four Corner Survival – Winner gets a World Title Shot – Adam Pearce vs. Delirious vs. Colt Cabana vs. Jason Blade

BG says: Winner gets a shot at the ROH Championship. Blade and Cabana start. Cabana dominates with his unique style until Pearce tags him out. Pearce uses his power to control Blade so Blade tags to Delirious. Pearce stays in control until Delirious’ speed leads to countless clotheslines in the corner. A bulldog gets 2 for Delirious. Cabana gets a cheap shot on Pearce and then hiptosses him to the floor. He knocks Blade and Delirious to the floor as well and then follows them out with an Asai moonsault. Back in the ring the illegal Cabana hits an elbowdrop on the legal Delirious. It gets 2 for Pearce, however. Cabana dropkicks Pearce to the floor after tagging in. They start brawling so Blade takes advantage with a crossbody onto both of them. Pearce back suplexes Delirious and Blade off the second rope as they hit a double superplex on Cabana. I don’t care for those spots. Pearce takes Delirious out with a piledriver but Cabana puts him down with a dropkick. Blade gets a nice roll up on Cabana for 2. Pearce pulls Blade out of the ring and hits Cabana with a spinebuster. Delirious knocks Pearce from the second rope to the floor and follows him out with a somersault off the top. In the ring Cabana hits the Flying Asshole and then rolls Blade into a leg submission for the win. The finish was awkward and the rest of the match wasn’t much better.
Rating: **¼

JZ says: What in the holy blue hell is Jason Blade doing in a #1 Contender’s match? Has he ever beaten anyone in ROH? Delirious just got his two shots at the title, so it can really only be Pearce or Cabana winning here. I’d like to see Pearce versus Danielson. Cabana and Blade start it off with some mat wrestling. Cabana controls that, duh. Delirious and Pearce get tagged in and Delirious is going nuts. Delirious connects with the Roots Clotheslines and a bulldog for two. Pearce, Delirious, and Blade all get tossed to the outside and Cabana hits a beautiful Asai moonsault. Pearce and Cabana then get in the ring together and Cabana gets the better of the exchange. They do a Tower of Doom spot, and I’m pretty sick of those. More four-way stuff follows and Pearce hits a piledriver on Delirious, but Cabana breaks it up. Blade hits a moonsault on Cabana for two, while Delirious hits a dive on Pearce outside the ring. Cabana locks on some kind of submission on Blade to get the win at 13:39. That didn’t really do much for me, and the crowd hardly popped for the finish. No disrespect to Jason Blade, but he really had no place in this match.
Rating: **

Lacey’s Angels

BG says: Lacey says she’s a better wrestler than Sara Del Ray and then tells Jimmy Jacobs to pick up a few wins and titles when he returns. As much as I dig the whole gimmick this relationship has gotten stagnant.

JZ says: Lacey cuts an irritating promo about how she is the best women’s wrestler in the universe, and she also hopes that Jimmy Jacobs will win matches and titles for her when he comes back. She really doesn’t cut very good promos.

MATCH #5: Christopher Daniels vs. BJ Whitmer

BG says: These two tried to settle their long-standing score at Arena Warfare but were interrupted by CZW wrestlers. The result was the most disappointing non-match of the year so there’s nowhere to go but up. Whitmer gets on the microphone and says that hates CZW so much that it has put in perspective his feelings for Daniels and Danger. He apologizes for hurting her and shakes Daniels’ hand. If this feud hadn’t died from inactivity already I’d have been bummed that they infused it with all this cheese.

They lock up and Whitmer powers Daniels to the corner. He puts on a wristlock but Daniels reverses to a leglock. He stays in control on the mat before hitting a hiptoss. They knuckle up and Whitmer takes him down for 2. He puts on a headlock but runs into a hiptoss. Daniels puts on a chinlock but Whitmer comes back with a wristlock. Daniels hits another hiptoss so Whitmer bails. Back in the ring Whitmer goes back to the headlock. He hits a clothesline and an elbowdrop for 2. He hits a leg lariat for 2. Daniels hits a leg lariat of his own and follows up with an elbowdrop for 2. Whitmer blocks a blind charge and hits a neckbreaker for 2. He stays on the neck with elbows and a chinlock Daniels fights out but Whitmer dodges a moonsault press and hits another neckbreaker for 2. He hits the Rude Awakening for 2. He hits a snap suplex and holds on for a northern lights suplex for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Daniels escapes with a back suplex. Daniels hits the STO and a clothesline. He hits a back elbow and another clothesline. He hits an inverted lung blower and climbs the ropes. He comes down with a crossbody for 2. Whitmer blocks the uranage and hits a spinebuster for 2. He hits a boot to the face and a lariat for 2. He hits an exploder suplex for 2. Daniels comes back with a flatliner and puts on the Koji clutch but Whitmer gets to the ropes. Daniels sets Whitmer up top and hits a palm strike. Whitmer tries to come back with the Emo-Killer powerbomb but Daniels blocks and hits a hurricanrana for 2. Whitmer blocks one attempt at the Angel’s Wings but Daniels hits it on his second try. It only gets 2, however. Daniels casually puts Whitmer in position and hits the triple jump moonsault for the win moments later. This was a huge step up from their first match, but anything would have been. Taking away the tension over the Prophecy took a lot of emotion out of the match and we were left with a very standard contest. Everything was good, but it was very forgettable.
Rating: ***

After the match Daniels rambles on putting over Whitmer’s former loyalty to the Prophecy and current loyalty to ROH in the war against CZW. He says he can have a rematch against Daniels anytime, and if he needs a tag partner in the war against CZW he’s got one. That promo was actually alright, but Danger’s subsequent promo and hug forgiving and apologizing to Whitmer is absolutely ridiculous. The two of them never ended up teaming up so the whole tacky segment was pretty much useless.

JZ says: Allison Danger looks hot tonight. BJ cuts a promo about how he hates CZW, but he says he never hated Daniels and never hated Danger. He apologizes for ever laying his hands on her. He says he’s ready for a good old fashioned wrestling match. True to their word they mat wrestle to start. Whitmer flinches first and rolls to the outside to catch a breather. Whitmer eventually out-powers Daniels and goes on offense. They go back and forth for a bit with each guy getting some stuff in. Allison Danger channels AJ Styles on the outside of the ring and becomes less hot. Back in the ring Whitmer grounds Daniels with a chinlock. Daniels fights back with the STO and a few other moves. Flying body press off the top gets two for Daniels. They go up to the top rope and Whitmer goes for the powerbomb but goes for the sunset flip instead, which Daniels gets a rana out of. That gets two, so Daniels goes for the Angel’s Wings. Whitmer blocks it once but eats it on the second try and that gets two. Best Moonsault Ever is enough to give Daniels the victory at 16:04. That was a solid match but never really got compelling or anything. I’m also not sure why Daniels had to go over. Daniels cuts a promo about the history he and BJ have together. He offers the proverbial “anytime” rematch. Daniels going all ga-ga for Whitmer and ROH is not very becoming of him. Danger has to cut a promo too. She hugs Whitmer. This is so beyond stupid I’m actually kind of mad it’s happening.
Rating: ***

Intermission

BG says: The Scoopster is backstage with Jimmy Rave and Prince Nana. Nana is furious at Davey Richards for beating Rave. Rave cuts a passionate promo talking about how he doesn’t deserve to lose after all he’s gone through to become the Crown Jewel of the Embassy and the linch pin for the greatest feuds in the company. Nana’s little comments throughout are priceless. Rave challenges Richards to a rematch as soon as possible. This was great stuff from the normally dull-behind-the-microphone Rave. If he can keep up this Ryan O’Reilly style character he’ll have completely won me over.

JZ says: GMC is backstage with Prince Nana and Jimmy Rave. Nana is all upset at Davey Richards for using his moves and his smile, trying to charm the promoters and bookers. Nana and Rave are both very upset that they lost tonight. Rave gets a chance to talk and actually does a pretty good job. He challenges Richards to a rematch to prove that it was a fluke. I’m not used to hearing Rave talk, but that was an excellent promo.

MATCH #6: Shingo Takagi vs. Ricky Reyes

BG says: Takagi impressed me in a very solid match against Curry Man at Dragon Gate Invasion, putting on a good show with only about ten months of experience under his belt. He was also the 2005 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Rookie of the Year. They lock up and trade forearms. Reyes hits a back heel kick and gets a head scissors takedown. Takagi bails so Reyes follows him out with a baseball slide. Back in the ring Back in the ring Reyes hits a snap suplex and a kneedrop for 2. He hits a dropkick and a butterfly suplex into a cross armbreaker. Takagi gets to the ropes. Reyes unloads with kicks but it only fires Takagi up. Takagi puts on a chinlock and then swings Reyes across the ring. Reyes hits an enziguiri but Takagi comes back with a vertical suplex for 2. Reyes blocks a blind charge and hits a back heel kick. He hits a neckbreaker and a fisherman buster for 2. Takagi blocks the dragon sleeper and hits ac clothesline in the corner. He sets Reyes up top and hits a second rope brainbuster. Reyes hits a stiff kick to the head but Takagi comes back with a clothesline. Reyes puts on a triangle choke but Takagi pushes out with a powerbomb. He hits a lariat for 2 and follows up with the Blood Fall for the win. For as short as it was these two powerhouses fit in a lot of fun. I’d love to see a rematch.
Rating: **¾

JZ says: This is Shingo’s second ROH appearance, his first was a loss to Curry Man at Dragon Gate Invasion on 8.27.05. They start it off fast, hitting heavy shots right away and going to the floor. Reyes dominates for a few minutes until Takagi comes back briefly. Reyes hits an enziguiri and goes for a fisherman’s buster but it gets countered. Reyes does get the fisherman’s buster this time, but Takagi kicks out. Reyes is pretty much dominating here. Takagi fights back and hits a brainbuster off the second rope. He fires up but takes a big kick to the head. Takagi comes back with a lariat, but Reyes puts on a triangle choke. Takagi powerbombs his way out of that and hits a lariat for two. He hits a sort of reverse Death Valley Driver to get the win at 6:51. That was a fun little match.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #7: ROH World Title Match – Bryan Danielson vs. Homicide

BG says: If memory serves this title shot is Homicide’s reward for destroying the Necro Butcher at the last show. Samoa Joe comes out during the introductions to a huge pop. He gets on the microphone and acknowledges his violent past with Homicide. Then he thanks Homicide for manning up and joining the ROH side against CZW. Danielson, the man who really started the whole CZW war and then abandoned it, grabs the microphone and freaks out on Joe for interrupting the introductions. Joe reveals that he is the special guest ring announcer. During said introductions he calls Danielson the temporary World Champion and the palest wrestler in the world. That was an effective way to shift attention towards the inevitable Joe/Danielson title match.

Danielson goes after the neck to start, frustrating Homicide into spitting at him. Homicide grabs a wristlock but Danielson escapes. Homicide puts on the STF but Danielson gets to the ropes. Danielson kicks Homicide in the face, forcing him out of the ring. Back inside Homicide goes back to the wristlock. Danielson escapes and hits a forearm. Homicide swears at the referee, an action that may haunt him later. He puts on his version of the STF and rolls Danielson over for 2. Danielson bails as Jimmy Bower drones on in the commentary booth. Back in the ring Homicide grabs a headlock. He puts goes back to the wristlock and drags Danielson to the floor. He slams the hand against the apron and wraps it around the post. He threatens to hit it with the bell but then thinks better of it. Danielson takes the opportunity to level him with a forearm and ram him into the barricade. He suplexes Homicide onto a table as he has nothing to lose by getting disqualified. They fight to the apron where Homicide tries to suplex Danielson through the table. Danielson blocks so Homicide boots him to the floor and follows him down with a somersault. Danielson comes back with an overhead suplex onto the table. Back in the ring Danielson hits a butterfly suplex for 2. He works over the arm and pitches Homicide to the floor. He wraps Homicide’s arm around the barricade and hits it with a chair. Back in the ring Danielson puts on an armbar. Homicide gets to the ropes. Homicide comes back with a swinging DDT. He goes for another but Danielson tosses him away and hits a clothesline for 2. He hits another butterfly suplex and locks in a cross armbreaker. Homicide fights out and sets Danielson up top. Danielson shoves him away and comes down with a dropkick. He shoves Homicide’s shoulder into the post and puts on an armbar. Homicide reverses to a cross armbreaker but Danielson gets to the ropes. Danielson shoves Homicide to the floor and rams his shoulder back into the post. Back in the ring he gets 2. He sets Homicide up top but Homicide brings him down with a super Manhattan drop. He hits a dropkick and Danielson bails. Homicide follows him out and hits a neckbreaker on the floor. Back in the ring Homicide hits the Ace Crusher for 2. He climbs the ropes but misses a frog splash. Danielson climbs but misses the diving headbutt. They trade strikes and Danielson goes to the eyes. Homicide hits a Yakuza kick but Danielson counters the lariat to the Cow Killer. Homicide gets to the ropes. Danielson sets him up top but Homicide fights him off and hits the frog splash for 2. Danielson blocks the lariat with a dropkick and hits a dragon suplex for 2. Homicide goes low to blocks the crossface chicken wing and hits the lariat for 2. He goes for the Cop Killer but Danielson targets the shoulder to block. Danielson hits a back superplex for 2. He starts elbowing the shoulder and head and the referee stops the match in his favor.

The story of the match was excellent, as Homicide was afraid to get disqualified because he wanted to win the title, so Danielson used all of Homicide’s dirty tricks as a disqualification for him wouldn’t have moved the belt. The referee did not disqualify Danielson, an action that probably would have lead to a rematch. Rather, he let the match go on and then awarded it to Danielson when he thought Homicide couldn’t continue. The match also included the best action these two have ever produced together.
Rating: ****¼

Homicide is irate after the match, screaming on the microphone about how the referee called the match too early and that he was screwed out of the title. The crowd asks for five more minutes, but that never works. While the decision may seem unfair, Homicide was not defending his head or shoulder when Danielson was unloading the elbow strikes. As Joe tries to calm Homicide down Lieutenant Commissioner Adam Pearce comes out with Commissioner Jim Cornette on the phone to get his opinion. He gives the phone to the referee and announces that the boss says the referee’s decision stands. Homicide flips out and attacks Sinclair. Joe tries to break it up leaving him open for Danielson to take the opportunity to clip his knee. Homicide gets on the microphone and says naughty words to tell everyone that he’s had it with ROH. The crowd stupidly chants “ECW” as there was a rumor going around that this was Homicide’s way out of the company to start with the pseudo-WWE brand.

JZ says: Why in the hell is this not the main event? The show is named after it for crying out loud. The champ is getting awesome heel heat. The ring announcer starts to introduce the challenger, but the music of Samoa Joe hits, and he’s on his way out. Joe offers his respect and appreciation for Homicide for stepping in to the CZW war when they needed him. Danielson cuts him off though, because he’s the champion and it’s his time. Joe tells Danielson that he’s out there because he’s the special guest ring announcer. Joe makes it clear that this is the SEMI main event. Joe continues to insult Danielson throughout the introduction. Joe offers thumbs up to everyone and we’re ready to go. The crowd chants “new fucking champ.” Danielson outwrestles Homicide, so he gets spit on. It’s no secret that I’ve never gone nuts for the matches these two have had together, so I’m curious to see how this goes. Referee Sinclair tries to reprimand Homicide, who yells “shut the fuck up Todd!” in a tone that’s so funny I can’t describe it. Jimmy Bower joins the booth for a few moments to ruminate a bit on Homicide’s history with ROH World Title matches. Homicide goes to work on the arm outside the ring. Homicide thinks about using the ring bell, but reconsiders so that he won’t be disqualified, showing how much he wants to win this title. Homicide is able to grab the belt though and hit Danielson with that. Homicide hits a somersault off the ring apron. They continue to fight outside the ring. Danielson gives Homicide a belly to belly suplex on a table that does not break. Ouch. Danielson uses a chair right in front of the referee, so I guess it’s going to take a lot to get disqualified. That kinda makes Homicide look like a dolt for not using the ring bell. Back in the ring and Danielson continues to work on Homicide’s shoulder. Danielson controls the action for several minutes until Homicide fights back and hits a neckbreaker outside the ring. Back in the ring they brawl for a bit until Danielson puts on the Cattle Mutilation. Homicide reaches the ropes. Homicide hits the lariat for a near near-fall. Homicide sets up for the Cop Killa, but Danielson avoids it and continues to attack the shoulder. Homicide goes for Sliced Bread #2, but Danielson hits the Super Back Suplex instead. Danielson hits the series of elbows to the face and shoulder and the referee stops the match at 25:43. The crowd is not happy with that. I’m happy with that match though, I enjoyed it much more than I did their best of five series. It started slow but built really well. Homicide is absolutely livid, and they all want five more minutes. Asking for five more minutes only makes sense if the match ended in a time limit draw. Adam Pearce comes out with his cell phone, presumably talking to Jim Cornette. He wants to talk to Sinclair. Pearce has a ruling from Jim Cornette. The decision stands, and Homicide goes after Sinclair, biting his hand. While Joe and Smokes are trying to tear Homicide off him, Danielson gives Joe a shot to the back of the knee. Homicide says “fuck you Ring of Honor, I’ve had it with this company” and he leaves through the crowd.
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #8: ROH Tag Team Title Match – Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe

BG says: The Briscoes had Strong pinned with a spike Jay Driller at Ring of Homicide, but neither Jay nor Strong were legal and Aries pinned Mark with a roll up. The Briscoes insisted that it was a fluke win so the champs gave them a rematch here. The Briscoes attack the champions from behind before the bell. The crowd is out of energy after the events preceding. The champs dump the Briscoes to the floor and Strong comes off the top rope onto them with a crossbody. Aries follows with a low suicide dive. Jay hits Strong with a chair as Mark knocks Aries down with strikes. The Briscoes go for stereo piledrivers on the floor but the champions both block with backdrops. Aries puts Jay on Mark and comes jumps off the second rope to hit an elbowdrop on them. Back in the ring Strong gets 2 on Mark. Aries tags in and hits a slingshot senton. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. Strong tags in and out so the champs can hit a double atomic drop and a double back suplex for 2. Aries puts on a chinlock and tags to Strong. Strong hits a backbreaker for 2. Mark comes back with a leaping forearm for 2. He hits a leg lariat for 2. Jay tags in and hits a back elbow for 2. He hits a dropkick for 2. He hits a knee to the back of the head in the corner and tags to Mark. The Briscoes hit a double shoulder block for 2. Mark hits a kneedrop and chokes away. Jay tags in and eats an enziguiri. Aries tags in and cleans house. He Finley rolls Mark onto Jay and hits a frog splash on both men. He hits the springboard elbow on Jay and rakes Mark’s back. He goes for the elbow on Mark but Mark counters to a half nelson suplex for 2. Mark hits a vertical suplex for 2. Jay tags in and they throw Aries across the ring. Jay hits a snap suplex and Mark comes in illegally. He hits a gutwrench suplex and a kneedrop for 2. He hits a legsweep for 2. Jay tags in and hits a pancake for 2. He hits a bodyslam and tags to Mark. Mark hits a second rope kneedrop for 2. Jay tags in but Aries dodges the Briscoes and tags to Strong. Strong cleans house, overhead suplexing Mark onto Jay for 2. He hits Jay with a falcon arrow for 2. Mark hits a stunner on Strong and adds momentum to Jay’s Yakuza kick. It gets 2. Mark tags in and hits a top rope kneedrop for 2. Aries dumps Jay to the floor and hits the shinbreaker/back suplex combo on Mark. He hits a dropkick and throws Mark into the Sick Kick for 2. The champs hit the Hart Attack and the chop/brainbuster combo for 2. Aries tags in legally but gets hit with a splash mountain/neckbreaker combo. It gets 2 for Mark. Jay tags in but Aries reverses the Doomsday Device to a victory roll for 2. Jay knocks Aries of the top rope and gets a roll up on Strong for 2. They Briscoes go for the spike Jay Driller but Aries crotches Mark. Strong hits the half nelson backbreaker and holds Jay on his shoulders. Aries hits a missile dropkick and Strong drops him down with a powerbomb for the win. This actually had less energy than the first encounter between the two teams. Here’s hoping their third match will be in front of a more receptive crowd.
Rating: ***¼

Austin Aries gets on the microphone after the match and talks about the goals that Generation Next set for themselves in May of 2004. He says that they’ve accomplished all of those goals by winning the ROH World Championship as well as the Tag Team Championships. They all have bookings in Japan and are on top of ROH, so the name Generation Next is no more!

JZ says: Aries and Strong have been champions since 12.17.05, and this is their ninth defense, second against the Briscoes. The Briscoes jump the champions to start, but that doesn’t last long as Aries and Strong take over outside the ring. They continue to brawl outside the ring with the champions dominating still. They go back in the ring, and Aries and Strong continue to control the challengers. Mark is the recipient of most of the beating. He finally comes back and hits Strong with a few moves and tags out to Jay. They take over on Strong and go to work. Aries makes the tag and takes down both brothers and hits a frog splash on both of them at the same time. The Briscoes cheat to gain the advantage and beat up Aries for a few minutes until Strong gets tagged in. His fire doesn’t last long, but soon Aries comes back in and the champs are back in control. The challengers go for the spike Jay-Driller on Strong, but Aries breaks it up. Strong hits a half-nelson backbreaker and they follow it up with a powerbomb / missile dropkick combination to get the pin at 18:15. That was a fine tag team match but was mostly just spot-hit-spot-hit finish. Aries gets on the microphone after the match and says the name “Generation Next” is outdated. He renounces the name and says they’re just “Aries and Strong” from now on.
Rating: ***

Aftermath

BG says: The Scoopster interviews Davey Richards about his debut and the hard feelings it created with the Embassy. Richards is willing to give Rave a rematch but he’s going to win that match just like he won the match tonight and the Super 8 tournament. The Scoopster says he can sense that Richards will be a superstar. I think someone has a little crush.

JZ says: GMC is with Davey Richards, and he congratulates him on his big debut tonight. He answers Rave’s challenge for a rematch and says he’ll give it to him. GMC seems to have a bit of a crush on Richards.

MVP

BG says: Homicide goes two shows in a row as MVP for putting on a great match and serving as the instrument to further two feuds.

JZ says: I’ve gotta give it to Homicide as well. He’s really on top of his game.

THE FOLLOWING MATCH IS NOT ON THIS DVD

BONUS MATCH: Allison Danger vs. Lacey

BG says: This match occurred on the Destiny pre-show and can be viewed at ROHVideos.com. Lacey’s gimmick, especially during matches, is really quite bush league. She gets distracted by fans at the bell but Danger doesn’t take advantage. They lock up and Lacey grabs a hammerlock. Danger reverses to a headlock and then floats into a modified STF. Lacey gets to the ropes. She blocks a blind charge and then boots Danger down for 2. She puts on a surfboard stretch and hits a stiff kick to the back. She rubs Danger’s face into the mat and hits a pair of elbowdrops. Danger blocks a third but Lacey catches her with a neckbreaker. She hits a Bubba bomb and locks in the leggy nelson. Danger rolls back and gets 2. She blocks the DDT and unloads with forearms. She hits a clothesline and a neckbreaker for 2. She hits a facebuster and a knee to the side of the head for 2. She ducks a roundhouse kick and takes out Lacey’s knee. Lacey ducks an enziguiri and hits a backbreaker and a DDT for the win. This wasn’t quite as good as the women’s match from the main show.
Rating: **

JZ says: I wish this match would have just been on the DVD. Lacey’s interaction with the fans is just irritating; it doesn’t really make her a good heel. They chain wrestle to start and trade some holds in the center of the ring. Danger tries to use her veteran knowledge to gain the advantage, but Lacey just acts like a jerk and controls the action instead. She goes to work on the back. I like the Brad Garoon-named “leggy nelson,” I think it’s a cool move. Danger fights back and hits a neckbreaker on the knee for a near fall. More work on the neck follows, as well as a kick to the face. She goes for the Shining Wizard, but Lacey ducks it and hits a neckbreaker and the Implant DDT to get the win. That was a good little Preshow match, as the right women’s match made it to the main show.
Rating: **

You can pick up this show, as well as all other ROH shows at ROH Wrestling Dot Com.

Coming soon will be our review of IN YOUR FACE!

Have any thoughts, comments, or concerns? Like how we’re doing our reviews? Let us know!

E-mail Brad at [email protected]
E-mail Jacob at [email protected]

The 411BG says: Unlike the last show, which had more high-quality matches overall, this show starts off slow but flows very well. It all builds to a fantastic title match and an emotional angle. You can’t afford to stop the DVD there however, because although the tag match isn’t amazing the post-match angle is important. This gets a recommendation for some good matches and more pivotal developments in the Homicide/ROH relationship.

JZ says: The main event didn’t do a whole lot for me, and I think it would have been more effective to leave the fans with the uncertainty of Homicide. I understand that they felt dropping the Generation Next name was a big deal, but it’s barely been a part of who they are for a while, as Aries all but admits. The World Title match / saga is pretty great stuff, and there’s a few other decent matches to warrant a mild recommendation.

 
Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]  legend

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Jacob Ziegler

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