Pro Wrestling Ponderings

ROH on HDNet 09.21.09 Review

Well after missing last weeks show review mostly in part for going to the Chicago show where there will be a special write up coming right after I get some photos and everything put together, I wanted to say out there that this week we definitely got something special and monumental. We got the A Double L Double. Austin Aries Lethal Lottery. Good stuff. The promo ability of this man has always entertained me and from the get go you knew that this could be a great segment from the start. Unfortunately one man isn’t too pleased with this segment and that would be one Kenny Omega who was overseas and thus when his name was pulled from the hat that Austin Aries brought with him to clearly fairly choose his opponent, he was not in the building. But after much contemplation we got another lucky winner and truly it would be a “test” for A Double. Grizzly Redwood would be the first man to challenge Austin Aries based on the A Double L Double challenge.

What this match lacked in main event feel it surely scored high in entertainment. It was short, but truly the simplest psychology was there. Redwood got to hit many of his spots including lifting Aries up over his head which could not have been easy for a man of his stature. But in the end it was Aries who vanquished the “littlest lumberjack” with his finisher of choice, the brain buster. I have to say that this match was an entertaining start and really didn’t do anything but what it was suppose4d to do which was enrage the crowd and put more heat upon Austin Aries.

We got a segment announcing the surprise from last week which was Ladder War 2 coming to New York and we also got a little history piece done for the feud between Kingston and Hero that will take place in the same city.

Next up we had Mr. Choo Choo himself Erick Stevens going up against Brandon Day. Another squash match for Stevens as we are getting to see more and more of him. Obvious build towards upper mid card status and this is probably the best way to do it. A resurgence of his character standing was definitely a step that Stevens needed and anything to erase the memory of The Resilience would be fantastic.

Tyler Black gets some more promo time and this can only give him the tools he needs to get his speaking ability up to where he can make a good match into a great match with the help of his words. Another interview segment done as we are seeing Bryan Danielson in one of his last HDNet showings as he teams with the great Roderick Strong and KENTA to go up against The American Wolves and Chris Hero. Only good things can come out of this main event and I do hope that it comes across well on television.

Jimmy Rave to go up against Necro Butcher as the toilet paper comes flying, something I got to see live again this past weekend but something that never gets old. The carnage these two put themselves through could not possibly be surpassed by this television match but had I seen this match before the event this weekend it would definitely have gotten me ready as this simple brawl really just made the fans crave more from these two. I’ve always been a semi fan of Bison Smith as he plays his role of a big brooding brawler to perfection whether I see it in Japan or when I watched it on Pro Wrestling IRON tapes. I do believe that this could be the beginning of another feud for Necro that could pan out into some entertaining brawls and bloody forays.

We get a history package of Brent Albright against Claudio Castagnoli as next weeks show is going to be main evented by a steel cage match for the first time ever on HDNet.

We finally get to our main event and this one for sure is going to deliver on all fronts. Nothing short of a great ROH main event that would be worthy of any main event placing on a DVD release. I have to say that there are strong feelings that Roderick Strong is being placed in the main event and for very good reason. This match showcased that any of the five men who competed with Bryan Danielson deserver to be in the main event of any ROH event. I would even have to say that Edwards really stepped up his game here and showed that given the right opportunity he could also be in the higher echelon of singles competition in Ring of Honor. A great story was told as all men gave it their all, even the dastardly work of the heels wasn’t ruined by any outside interference from Shane Hagadorn which really added to the match because no one wanted to see any shenanigans in this one. When it came to the end though, clearly a win over Edwards doesn’t hurt either Hero or Richards, but still it meant enough that Strong will be perceived highly after winning such a bout of pure action and fortitude. Great main event that definitely is within the four star range, if not more. Thanks for reading and hope you tune in for more.

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The A.B.C.‘s of ROH

Being a wrestling fan is similar to following a religion. Anyone who has taken any sort of religious class in college either required or not knows that most religions follow three basic sets of identical rules commonly referred to as A.B.C. Assure, Believe, Convert. A wrestling company much like a religion has to assure their fans that they are following a worthy company. That their product is better or as good as the mainstream counterpart in terms of entertainment. They must make the fan believe that they can give them what they want and even show them stuff they didn’t know they want but found only through them. They also must convert those who don’t believe it into believers.

Ring of Honor obviously has accomplished all three with their loyal and largely growing fan base. But at the same time, some of those who originally were a part of their system have lost some of their faith for the promotion. Then the news broke that two pillars of the company were moving on and added intrigue to the current shows. This made even some of the most critical come out for the shows. I was surrounded by them. From the section I sat in, I heard at least five conversations all saying just about the same thing, that this show would probably be the last ROH show they would go to for the foreseeable future. So now, ROH had to once again prove their ABCs to those who were once staunch believers.

The show had those basic openers where students and veterans alike were given some time to shine. It was amusing to hear one of my neighbors say to their partner, “ Wasn’t that the kid that let us in at the door?” Interestingly enough, this was also my first time seeing the Bravado Brothers, but that’s neither here nor there. This would be my second ROH show, the first being the infamous Chaos at the Cow Palace at the much maligned WrestleReunion show and for what it was worth, I would say this ranks right up there with karaoke night at a local bar where friends and colleagues can get together and show some comradery in the bantering of songs that most wouldn’t never comp to in public but I digress. Ring of Honor, as I wrote in a previous column and many besides have written also, had a chance to prove those who used to support them to give them a glimpse of a product that would fill their minds with questions and their imaginations with possibilities.

I am not one to call myself a Ring of Honor or even pro wrestling expert, what I am is an avid fan with a voice, a voice that at times speaks with a rather different view on wrestling than even some of my closest colleagues have. I see wrestling as a form of entertainment, and there are several ways to entertain in the scope of wrestling. Either through the storylines that are spread out before us either live or on the screen and through the action told in the ring. Sometimes these two come together, sometimes they work separately but still come to the same conclusion. We have seen excellent stuff come from the top indy companies within this industry, including Ring of Honor but this month was especially their time to shine and prove a point. The point that Ring of Honor can still give the fans what they want and that the only way to see it in that visible scope is through Ring of Honor.

In the past Ring of Honor was known for their hard hitting action and emotion draining storylines, much like another promotion that came from a similar area more than half a decade before. Ring of Honor has a chance this month to bring back those who feel that perhaps ROH has lost a bit of their touch and want proven to them that perhaps ROH can fill that niche again.

I can’t say enough that for me, this show was possibly one of the best shows I’ll see live this year. To give you something to base that on, I was live at WWE’s The Bash, yes let that sink in for a bit. So without a pause in my words, I will say that this show definitely brought back the ABCs for the fans. The results are already out there, either through the ROH board or the PWP Twitter, but the action spoke for itself. Rasche Brown stood out as the future of ROH while other veterans such as Claudio Castagnoli and Colt Cabana gave the fans possibly one of the most entertaining matches of this year, if not the history of Ring of Honor. The assurance that ROH was putting it’s grizzled vets in positions where they obviously would be the main events and matching them up in pairings that will probably be built upon down the line was obvious and yet clean cut. Younger talent getting pushes in Six Man Mayhem’s, much as in the past, gave the audience a reason to care about them without really pushing anyone else down the ladder because it’s such a chance win that no one can really come off looking weak. A feature used in the past to push those such as Delirious, Kevin Steen, Colt Cabana, and Nigel McGuinness.

Excitement doesn’t describe the crowds reaction to the live change of the tag title match from a non-title to an undisputed chance at seeing the Briscoes become six time champs. This did a long way in making the crowd and those who read the results believe that anything can and will happen at these live shows and that to be their live to witness that little snippet of history is well worth the cost. It also gave us glimpses of what could happen in future singles and tag matches down the line. Both teams are made up of talented men who could get huge pushes in either singles or tag divisions and not look out of place. I have always enjoyed seeing the singles work of both Jay and Mark Briscoe and continue to have high hopes for Davey Richards. Eddie Edwards also looks to have a good future ahead of him as long as he is built slow and steady and not shoved down our throats too quickly. But overall, it is the style that makes the matches, and these kinds of match ups make the crowd clamor to see more. The build for American Wolves against the Briscoes has been done very well, albeit sometimes influenced by outside forces, but it makes me as a fan salivate at the possibility of the matches. Hell, I’ll say it now and say that Round Robin Challenge four of an entire night built around Steenerico vs. Briscoes vs. American Wolves could draw coupled with a decent title match and strong showings by the ROH under card workers. The Briscoes and American Wolves look to be a part of ROHs future for a long time to come.

But perhaps nothing was more poignant as seeing the faces of the crowd as they were mesmerized by two legends of Ring of Honor lore as they battled for the grandest prize of them all. The holds and counter holds were brilliant, the sense of a possible masterpiece was hanging in the air as the fans literally followed every move these two artists performed. Even when they crashed into my section in one of the most gutsy moves I’ve ever seen Dragon perform live, I still felt like perhaps these two warriors were going to perhaps surpass all expectations. In the end, I believe they did as the crowd almost breathed a sigh of relief collectively when Aries once again retained his title by the skin of his teeth against one of his most avid rivals while also clamoring for more. Danielson and Aries definitely converted a few fans towards coming back to the promotion alongside a sneak attack by Aries at the end after feigning admiration for his opponent. Danielson’s final bow to the Chicago fans also played a huge part in making it obvious that the fans are a huge part of the ROH allure and that active participation is the only way to gain the utmost from the product. But that is not what drove me to the conclusion that this show gave the fans what they wanted.

Before the show, most of the people around me were stating that they were possibly seeing ROH live for the last time, but then right after intermission I saw three pink tickets. Then right before the main event I saw more and after the main event as I walked out the door I saw practically everyone holding a pink ticket signaling that they were ready for December 5th the date that was announced as the next time the Frontier Fieldhouse would see the action that only Ring of Honor could bring. I was not only assured that night, I was also converted. Assured to the ideal that Ring of Honor, when the chips are down, can and will deliver for the foreseeable future.

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The first time that I read about American Dragon Bryan Danielson was in World of Wrestling magazine while reading the results of what was a Super Indy tournament. I believe that was also the first time I had ever read of a Low Ki or Christopher Daniels. All three men would later on impress me on a DVD entitled Era of Honor Begins that I would pick up at a Virgin Megastore in San Francisco. Little did I know that from that point on, I would look at pro wrestling in a very different manner. I had been a fan of the original ECW and new of a few indy wrestling companies such as XPW and the ECWA Super 8 Tournament, but other then that was not truly immersed into the indy wrestling culture. At the time I felt that I was growing tired of the WWE and was feeling the loss of WCW despite it’s huge short comings. One federation was just not enough to fill the need for athletically based action drama that pro wrestling brought to me entertainment scope.

After reading of a small promotion out of Philadelphia called Ring of Honor in Pro Wrestling Illustrated, I decided that purchasing their DVD would at least give me a small portion of something different as I was also in the process of buying OVW and UPW DVDs as they were finally coming out in my area. I can remember seeing Scoot Andrews, Jay Briscoe, James Maritato, Amazing Red, Brian XL, and the S.A.T. for the first time and being utterly amazed at their abilities in the ring. I had a decent amount of Puro tapes and despite being a fan of Great Muta, Satosho Kojima, the late Legend Mitsuhara Misawa, amoung others, I just wasn’t getting that niche part of my entertainment filled. Mostly because these weren’t men I could readily go see live, nor understand what was going on in their feuds other than they were having tremendous matches and working two distinct styles that were lacking in the American scope of what pro wrestling is. For those that don’t know, those styles are commonly referred to as Kings Road and Strong Style, two very distinct philosophies behind how wrestlers should perform in the ring and two styles that are not commonly versed into the typical wrestling fare. But that was going to change very soon.

Then the main event on the DVD was on. I was already smitten and determined to buy more of this ROH product, but it was Bryan Danielson, Christopher Daniels, and Low Ki that took it to another level of fandom for me. After watching a nearly perfect three way, there was no way I could be satisfied with the current level of performance being shown on national television. Yes, there were many great match ups on WWE PPV and television, but this ROH product was filling a niche for Puro style action coupled with the fact that I could follow the storylines because it was being commentated in English and had an online presence that allowed me to follow the talents exploit’s a lot easier.

A large part of that was due to Bryan Danielson. I remember buying the Red Robin Challenge 1 alongside A Night of Appreciation and just being entertained far more than I had in months in a few short hours. Danielson versus Low Ki was by far one of the best matches I had seen and even before that, Low Ki versus Amazing Red just blew me away with the athletic ability of these two in what is now known as the “Matrix minute”. I had long heard and seen a few of Christopher Daniels greatness and was astonished to find that it wasn’t just wrestling hyperbole. I came to understand that these men had also worked in Japan and thus really were fusing together those Puro styles with not only the grace of lucha libre but the story telling ethic of traditional American style pro wrestling. Obviously a third part of the equation was the man we are celebrating now, Bryan Danielson.

Bryan Danielson was the technician, an easily forgettable part of any match, and yet one that is detriment to making a match memorable to begin with. You might remember that he was trained by a man who has achieved legendary status coupled with working with my favorite wrestling Legend of all time. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were to me two of the best in the ring period. Ego aside, both stand to be talked about for years to come by peers and historians of this form of entertainment. Bryan Danielson learned from HBK and the secondary trainer Rudy Gonzalez of the Texas Wrestling Academy alongside other indy darlings Paul London and The Brian Kendrick. Danielson brought the sizzle where as Low Ki brought the steak and Danielson brought the sauce. You could not have had a great match without any one of these components not working at the great level that we’ve come to expect from them. But together, they made one unforgettable match and a seemingly good card into a must buy event.

The technician must be complimented by the sulky heel and a flashy, hard hitting, baby face in order for what ROH wanted to showcase in their first event to really come to fruition. No easy task, they also had to work a style that I feel was lacking in the northeast area and that fans were clamoring for and really only getting via tape trading. But that all changed when ROH put forth a product that emphasized an in ring product that brought together many flavors of styles, but mostly showcased a hard hitting, “stiff” style. Throughout the years that ROH has been around, Danielson has been a part of some of the most legendary matches. His list of opponents reads like a who’s who of indy favorites. Paul London, Low Ki, Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Chad Colllyer, Roderick Strong, KENTA, Takeshi Morishima Nigel McGuinness, and the man he will be facing this Saturday, ROH champion Austin Aries.

I will be seeing his last ROH world title match in a little under 24 hours for the time being, and I must say that my nerves are at an all time high. Coupled with meeting my child hood hero Bret Hart, this will be a perfect wrestling weekend for me. I have met Bret before when I was a little under 10 in San Jose, CA at a WWF event, but it was for a fleeting shake of the hand and then over. This time I get to see two greats of the mat wars alongside see the infamous Chicago area for the first time. It should be a spectacular weekend and I do hope that I have a lot of memories to show for the next column.

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09/07/09 ROH on HDNet

Welcome back readers. We are starting out with an exciting match as we have the duo of Rhett Titus and Kenny King against the returning heroes of ROH, The Briscoe Bros. A great tag team outing as for the first time we see the Briscoes as a team on HDNet, but it’s the youngin’s that are showing their mettle. Diverting attention of both brothers, making sure that their opponent is in their corner, and even then securing their dominance by practically cutting off Mark from Jay for most of the match. I’ll paraphrase D’Lo Brown from the BTR radio show this week in that the true measure of a wrestler is not about when he enters the ring and runs roughshad over his opponent, but it’s when the wrestler can make his opponent look like he’s beating him when under “normal” circumstances it wouldn’t be so. The Briscoes have always been able to do that for other tag teams. All the way to the finish the team of Titus and King looked like they were always within a hairs chance of winning, but with the Doomsday Device, the brothers secure another victory.

American Wolves come out and run down the Briscoes Bros. from the entrance way. But just to show how great the tag division is, Steenerico comes out and practically throws the American Wolves in the ring. After a short beat down, a surreal moment occurs when the team of Steenerico faces off against The Briscoe Bros. with each team holding one tag team belt as the American Wolves yell from the ringside. A great feud just waiting to happen between those three teams.

Nigel interview segment as he’s asked about Lynn and Black. Such a great promo man is Nigel and I do hope that the scripted promos in the fed don’t leech any of his charisma away. Damn I miss the spiked hairdo. The lasting moments after Durden stated that Nigel never gives a clear answer was gold, akin to The Rock staring down Coachman.

Eddie Kingston is out and ready for some action. Hero’s music blasts in darkness but of course who comes out to disappoint is the one and only Shane Hagadorn. Sal Rinauro is beckoned out by Hagadorn and once he backs into Kingston, he kneels down to pray. One spinning backfist later and the match is over as quick as it began. Furthering the fans want to see Hero versus Kingston. They have been building this since July and really this may be stretching it a tad thin as these squash matches are beginning to become redudant.

Another squash match as Nigel McGuinness takes on Aaron Scott. Nothing against Scott, but to make your in ring debut against a former great ROH champion is surely a daunting task. “Kill The Jobber” chants sound off at the beginning of this match and that is pretty much what Nigel starts doing from the get go. A great showing of what Nigel can do and obviously supposed to be a warm up, a warm up that may not get to second gear as most of the internet community knows that Nigel, alongside Bryan Danielson, is going to the WWE in principle. But that doesn’t mean he can’t give us an entertaining match up against Aaron Scott and he does just that with a great showing of his catch and submission style. Aaron gets a few moments of offense as he gets a reversal on the former champ but Nigel quickly returns to the dominant position. Glimers of hope for the young Aaron Scott but it would be Nigel who gets the win with a… DDT? Seemed to be a botched spot as Nigel was clearly going for the Jawbreaker Lariat but Scott dropped his head to “avoid” it but at the same time it did get across that Nigel can finish off an opponent with any weapon from his arsenal so perhaps the point did get across.

Great video package shown for the main event of the night of Jerry Lynn going up against the upstart Tyler Black who seemingly is the choosen one to reign as next ROH world champion. We’ll have to wait and see on that one, but I have predicted before that before or even perhaps at Final Battle 2009, we’d see Black finally reach that brass ring and win the big one. As I am going to the Sept. 19th ROH show in Chicago, I can’t wait to see Danielson and Black hook it up one last time for the forseeable future. The match begins, and as so many others that these two men have had, technical savvy is the starting point.

Obviously the point to get across is that Tyler has matured in the ring and can get those elusive wins in the singles department. From a TV timeline, they are pushing that the win over Nigel is the first step, but that he has a ways to go to become a contender. I seem to remember a certain PPV match where he took then champion Nigel to the limit and really showed his potential in that match. At this stage though, the television crowd is just learning what Tyler Black bas shown fans over the last two years on DVD and on PPV. I would also like to point out that I feel the reason that some are down on Jerry Lynn is because we have seen the greatness that is Lynn and perhaps are a tad jaded and some feel that there is nothing new Jerry can show them. I’m not sold on that yet as I feel perhaps a heel Jerry Lynn could reinvigorate his character in ROH.

Great back and forth action as Jerry Lynn shows speed of men half his age mixed with respectable holds and counter holds by both competitors. You can almost feel the mood in the building change as both men really are beginning to pick it up a notch. Silently and almost as if to surprise the men in the ring,Nigel has come to ringside to not only join the spectators, but to issue out some opinions. The reasons are his alone, but it is clear that he means to make sure both men know what he’s thinking. The crowd seems to notice but at the same time can’t tear their eyes from the action in the ring. Each resounding two count earns more and more cheers from the crowd for either competitor, but it would see that while neither man wants to give up, they both don’t have much left in the tank. Turnbuckle bomb and right into the super kick but soon we see a glimor of Nigel’s plan as he puts Lynns foot on the rope for the count break. Even the kids in the front row seem to be pleading with Black to not take his eyes off of Lynn, but it could be too soon too late as Lynn gets a small package and the win. Great match to end the night and it would seem that Black and Nigel are going to have at least one face off before the ROH legend goes to the WWE. Thanks for reading folks.

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08/31/2009 ROH on HDnet review

So here it is folks, Team Cabana against the Embassy in a huge tag team match for the main event. But we have some action before we get there.

Delrious joined by the lobely Daizee Haze is ready to go up against the soon to be rapper Sonjay Dutt. Two guys who got killed by Samoa Joe in his early TNA tenure are about to excite the crowd with both of their unique styles. Delirious hears the bell and the madness begins, too bad his mind can be easily manipulated in other areas. I will say that their styles compliment each other in that we have the aggressive style of Delirious while Sonjay is able to counter him and use his speed against a man who isn’t too shabby in the quicks department. Gotta add that Hog asking Prazak if he spoke Klingon made me chuckle. Huge amounts of offense out of Sonjay that as one would expect would take him off of his feet while he tries to weaken the resolve of Delirious in order to get a three count. Delirious gets the win with a roll up and a sign of respect at the end of the match with a sporting hand shake between the two opponents.

Embassy promo with the idea that they are going to get rid of their opponents and rise to the top of the ROH ladder. While I’m not convinced that the members of the official Embassy are really going to rise to the top, I will say that with this big tag match, we could see some entertaining spots.

American Wolves against Cheech & Cloudy is our second match of the night and honestly I don’t see this being more than a glorified squash match. The former Special K members get pounded from the get go from these stiff wrestlers in the form of the American Wolves but they soon send the ROH Tag Team Champions to the floor but make that fatal mistake of going high risk against a team that isn’t entirely out of it. I enjoy the work of Cheech & Cloudy in CHIKARA and other indy federations, but I can’t say that the American Wolves are going to have much trouble with these two who combine high flying and speed expertly but the American Wolves aren’t far behind in the quicks department and are just tough as nails. A half crab later and the ROH Tag Team Champions have their win. Don’t expect to see any sportsman like behavior from the Wolves as they make us suffer the sight of Shane Hagadorn again for another week. Dark City Fight Club rush to the ring and the rough and tough tandem make an example out of Cheech, even gaining some notice from the tag team champs.

Team Cabana promo. Brent Albright is just plain stupid as Sgt. Meathead. Colt can do the funny stuff and has the timing of Bob Saget, but god damn why is Brent even trying this babyface look. Grizzly Redwood and Necro follow and honestly this did not make me any more interested in the main event.

Jerry Lynn tells us why his next weeks match against Tyler Black could be one more important match in his history and to be honest it could be a very telling sign of where he’s ging to go.

Silas Young versus Erick Stevens this week as two power houses of the ROH roster are going to go head to head. I have seen lots of good things out of both men, and with just a little adjustment, Stevens could be a huge player for ROH in the future if only he would work on his schtick. He definitely has a look that could be distinctive, but as always the gift of gab may be the clincher to his success in this business. Great heel work from Young as this midwest talent continues to impress me with his in ring abilities. Be sure to check out the sit down Jerome Cusson of Pro Wrestling Ponderings had with Silas Young at an AAW event alongside the Phoenix Twins as a wondering Jimmy Jacobs also chimes in. Cheap plugs coming about, also be sure to check out the sit down Jerome had with DGUSA announcer and commentator Phil Colvin this week as that is also up on the website. Anyway back to the match at hand. These two larger members of the ROH roster show they aren’t afraid to go to the ropes to gain some impact, a great example by Young as he goes for a split legged moonsault but is able to land on his feet when he sees that Stevens isn’t there. One Doctor Bomb later though and Erick Stevens shows why his slight experience advantage in ROH over Young gives him the edge this time around. Would like to see program between these two if done correctly.

“God’s Middle Child” Eddie Kingston is back again to vent about Chris Hero. These vignettes have gone a long time and really the build to this match up has been done in other promotions so many times over that in a way this is overkill. Not to say that I’m not looking forward to it, but with it being done in so many other places they are really milking this a tad too far.

Main event time as a “classic Survivor Series” style tag match pitting The Embassy (Jimmy Rave, Claudio Castagnoli, Prince Nana, Ernie Osiris) against Colt Cabana, Necro Butcher, Brent Albright, and Grizzly Redwood. On a side note, I would have much preferred Bison Smith to Ernie Osiris any day of the week as really this ROH student has not shown anything but being able to take a decent bump, and sometimes it’s messed up even then. Prince Nana breaking out a ring outfit that I haven’t seen him in since his ECWA days. ROH students in the ring as we have Redwood against Osiris and while they are doing some decent basic manuevers, I just don’t see why Osiris is in the match. Redwood shows that he is lightyears ahead of Osiris, probably just by the experience he has outside of ROH while I am pretty damn sure that Osiris hasn’t worked in any other promotion. I could be wrong and if I am please feel free to comment on that as I would like to know the whereabouts of the ROH students. Great segment as the crowd is used to interact with the babyface team as they put the stretch on Double C and use the leverage of the entire front row on their side. Gotta admit that while ROH may not be what it once was persay, it still gives the fans experiences that they will remember and probably can’t get anywhere else from the major two of this profession. Though apparently in the fed we do have “fans” running in to help those who they feel akin to, or just may be kin to but that aside. Colt Cabana’s moonsault to the outside of the ring is still a thing of beauty as I recall the first time I saw it in a four way that is now a ROH classic that also included Homicide, BJ Whitmer, and Dan Maff of the Prophecy. Osiris eliminates Redwood in what I would say is an upset. Albright and Claudio battle it out to the fans and get themselves eliminated. While I understand what the point of that was, at the same time it was pretty dumb for Albright to leave his team mates at such a disadvantage, even though marginally it is only Osiris that gives The Embassy their advantage.

Sick bump as Necro’s leg takes a swanton onto a chair from Osiris and dear god it really did look like could have broken the leg in half. Heel hook later and Necro is gone but luckily Osiris is eliminated soon after following a Colt 45 by Cabana. Rave and Nana are left with Cabana and this could be an interesting match from this point on if Nana is left alone with Colt. I will say at this point, this main event has been better than I thought it would be and definitely at least two stars more than what I would have given it credit for based on paper. Prince Nana finally gets into the ring and I must say he has definitely lost a lot of weight from when I watched him in ECWA. Jimmy Rave eliminated with a roll up and when Nana reacts to the elimination it is pure gold. Nana taps out to give Team Cabana the win and send the viewing fans home happy at the conclusion of this main event. Definitely a better episode than what I thought it was going to be, only further proving to me that I shouldn’t always be so down on the ROH product until I see it for myself, despite what I may feel or read elsewhere. Thanks again readers.

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After seven years of damn near perfect matches and awe inspiring loyalty to the fans of Ring of Honor, Ring of Honor is losing another founding father. He takes a trip to the fed, and in my humble opinion, no one can fault him or even fault the fed for taking him. No matter what the reason, Byran Danielson has deserved to be on a national product for years and now is his chance. Hopefully he’ll make the most of it and perhaps we could see a Kaval/Low Ki against Danielson in FCW and even possibly on the ECW brand. But despite those lofty goals there is still one last thing that Danielson could do for Ring of Honor. Actually, it’s more like what his leaving could do for Ring of Honor.

Bryan Danielson is on his ‘Final Countdown’ tour for his last showings in ROH. Six events that will showcase what ROH has meant to him and how ROH will honor his body of work throughout ROH history. But this could also be one of the few times that ROH will have the opportunity to entertain once more the fans that used to come to shows. We have all heard how some of the once ROH faithful have stopped coming to shows and stopped buying DVDs as loyally as they used to. Granted, in the current state of the economy, it’s not entirely responsible to buy in the large quantities that we used to, but at the same time it also speaks of the discontent for the product that they have. But the ability to see one of those who entertained us for the last time in the promotion that brought us such great memories, I believe they will take the time to come out to see his final matches.

What better time than now to show those who used to be so vocal and passionate that the product has changed and yet is coming back to the root of what made it great. Show case the story lines that made them buy every DVD or made them come out in the debt of night amidst horrid weather conditions just so they could see what was coming next. They made up a large part of the revenue and from trusted reports, we have all but had it confirmed that sales are down and ticket sales are not what they once where. But they could be at that level again, especially if you can show those who used to come out in droves that you can give them the product they used to clamor for.

Of course, nothing can stay the same forever. I am sure they don’t expect it to stay the same, but at the same time a watered down product for the sake of watering it down for the masses does no justice to those who were here from the beginning. Toning down a style for the sake of safety for the talent makes sense. Toning down a product that is too controversial and not monetarily responsible makes sense. But neither was the case in Ring of Honor. There was a changing of the guard. A changing of the backstage team and of course there is always a want to showcase something unique and different from the former. But to lose so many that used to support the product and not realize that some things should go back to how they used to be could be financially irresponsible. I have my own opinions as to what made ROH so intriguing in the beginning and after the rebirth and so on and so forth, but in the end it was the fans interest in the deep rooted stories that were being told in and out of the ring that brought them back.

I’m not one of those saying that the current product is all crap. In fact I’d be willing to make the argument that 80 percent of it is great stuff and handled very well. But it is that 20 percent that has made really turned away droves of fans and droves of possible income that obviously has affected the company over all. Sure other decisions, in hindsight, probably weren’t as good as they should or could have been but now is a time to rediscover what it is the fans want. These fans that ARE going to show up, if only for one last time to see their hero make his final performance are going to stay for the entire show. So there is that ability to give them a damn good show. A show that is going to make them reassess where they felt the product was going and where it actually is, and even more importantly, what it is going to become.

And maybe we’ll come back.

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Ring of Honor on HDNet 08/24/2009

Welcome back ROH readers. We have a great show to get to so lets get to it. We opened up with a video package of how we got to our reigning ROH World champ Austin Aries. We also get the word that Jerry Lynn has a significant message for the ROH fan base.

Great tag team match up as we have Steenerico against Tony Kozina and “The New Horror” Sami Calahan. A decent opening bout against a tandem with the experience of Kozina and ability of Calahan against a veteran team here in ROH of “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen and “The Generic Luchadore” El Generico. Fast paced as both teams really bring it to the table. Sam Calahan hopefully will have time to shine here in Ring of Honor as he’s just in 5th gear the entire match. Great ring work by Kevin Steen as always. Kozina just seems a step behind the youngsters in the ring, but don’t let that fool you as he does get his shots in and really rocks the favorites in this match. But it would be the package piledriver/brain buster combo that puts Steenerico in the winners line. Great match that I would have to say sets the tone for the rest of the show. I hope that Steen and Generico get another chance to be ROH tag team champions as they just have the heart of a Canadian Mountee….well maybe a Hispanic mountee also if there were such things.

Roderick Strong interview coming up. Roderick points out what he brings to the table and boasts of the list of opponents he’s beaten to prove to “A Double” that he is more than worthy of being in the ring with the ROH world champion and I do hope he can prove that in the main event. These former partners and ROH tag champions really know each other inside and out so it’s a no brainer that their match will be a great showcase of what Ring of Honor is all about.

D’Lo Brown against John Kerman. Congrats to D’Lo for another miracle brought to the D’Lo nation in the form of a 7 pound beautiful baby girl recently. Kerman looks good in this match, for all the offense he’s able to get in, and I’m sure that we will see John Kerman back on the ROH TV show. But for what it’s worth, D’Lo is a world renown athlete and there isn’t much Kerman can bring to the table that D’Lo hasn’t seen before. D’Lo, a favorite of mine from his time in Japan and even his WWE 90s run, despite some naysayer’s I feel has added to the ROH product and with a slow burn perhaps will find his way into the ROH title picture. He has many tools that he has yet to show to the American audience, as proven by his matches in Japan. I have often heard him say that in Japan he breaks out moves because of the competition there, but I am sure that in ROH he will find the same heart and skill that will force him to break it out when he mixes it up with the higher competitors. Top rope Sky High Rydeen bomb gets D’Lo Brown the win. Great post match segment with Durden as D’Lo, not only irritated about never being interviewed until now, but that he is asked about Jerry Lynn. For a guy who “can’t talk” he certainly gets his point across in top fashion.

Top segment from The Embassy as we have Prince Nana, Double C, and Jimmy Rave really show what they feel about the Colt Cabana faction. I don’t have the highest hopes for this match in the future, but these clusters of action have always been entertaining and I’m willing to give it a shot.

Next up is Nigel being who he is as he speaks about Black beating him last week, vowing that it will never happen again. Nigel’s speaking ability is second to none in ROH and I do hope that ROH does everything they can to keep this man if the fed comes knocking.

Tyler Black, who had a recent interview on Figure 4 Daily with Bryan Alvarez, is in the ring as they cut off Nigel and Black has something to say. He speaks on Jerry Lynn possibly retiring and how he feels that he is a future ROH champion. Here comes Jerry Lynn to address the crowd and the fans are awaiting what he has to say. He comments on D’Lo wanting him to “shrivel up and die” while also letting everyone know he’s only 45, not 65 or even 84, sorry had to bring it up. I also want to point out that the current Jerry Lynn shirt isn’t that bad in my opinion for the pure reason that I could wear it in public and no one would have any negative thoughts on it, though I will say I’ve always gotten positive remarks about my No Remorse Corp shirt.

The main event is up as we have Roderick Strong against his former partner ROH World Champion Austin Aries. Furry jacket is damn awesome as he’s definitely channeling Michael Hayes, as well as having pink furry calf warmers that really do the trick. With Danielson gone, Roderick Strong has a unique chance to really up his game and place himself in the upper echelon of ROH, especially while the ROH faithful have accepted him back into their good graces.

These two are at it fast and furious as both are bringing their A game in this HDNet main event. These two have always meshed well and perhaps an iron man or two out of three falls match could help bring Strong up to that level that most feel he could be at. Despite being the heel, Aries still works a very similar style as to what he is known for. He doesn’t even take the short cuts, he just works his style thrown in with glaring showcases of arrogance a la Shawn Michaels circa 1992. While Roderick Strong has been pushed as the power man, the enforcer even when he was in Generation Next, Aries looks to be equal if not more thick muscular wise than Strong. Perhaps a little bit more work on his physique could give Roderick a more defining look, but that is just picking hairs as both men are in great conditioning and obviously could have matches that go the distance.

What we have is a pair of competitors that if booked correctly could bring back those must see matches for ROH DVDs. Bring in either Davey Richards or Chris Hero and you have a top tier of wrestlers that could reinvigorate the ROH fan base again in droves. With the influx of NOAH special show casings, and a larger working relationship with PWG we could see ROH bring back some of that spark that has seemingly been missing for a tad amount of time. Roderick and Aries could be that feud that brings back the old guard of fans as long as they are pushed correctly and not blown up too quickly. Aries gets the win with his feet on the ropes and we definitely must have a continuation of this budding feud. Great way to end the show and a great main event that should bring in any ROH fan into the product.

Thank you for reading and thank you for supporting PWP. Look for some special things coming including exclusive interviews and some live reporting done.

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ROH debuts on Monday with another edition of action packed substance and mayhem.
I must apologize for the review being up so late as this week was just hectic from front to back, but after some much needed internet time I finally was able to watch the episode that took me a while to even get a hold of and I wasn’t disappointed at all in seeing what ROH had to offer Monday night wrestling fans.

We started the show out with Eddie Edwards taking on his much maligned adversary from Steenerico in the face of Kevin Steen. These two definitely let it all go as they had a very good back and forth match that made both men look great in the end. The hatred these two men had for each other was palpable as they went at it tooth and nail with each just beating the tar out of each other with strikes that would make any Roderick Strong fan cringe. Edwards has really come a long way and didn’t look to miss a step against Mr Wrestling himself as they both really out did one another with counters and some great reversals. In the end though it would be Mr Wrestling with a swanton for the win. The feud between the American Wolves and Steenerico is far from over though.

Cheech and Cloudy vs. Sal Rinauro and Tony Kozina was on next but this one barely had time to get out of the water as the Dark City Fight Club came in and just destroyed both teams. I will say that they team of Cheech and Cloudy were impressive in this short outing, and as I’ve been able to see them on a more consistent basis in CHIKARA I can say that they could be a welcomed sight in the tag ranks of ROH where once they were alongside former ROH tag team champions as a part of the Special K faction. Kozina and Rinauro have always been mainstays in the ROH realm as they’ve been on multiple shows alongside Rinauro at one time being a ROH tag champ with Tony Mamaluke. But the Dark City Fight Club was just too dominant as they reigned hell down upon these four men. Even at the end as Kozina tried to butter up to them, he got rocked for his trouble only to show that the Dark City Fight Club are ready for anybody who does, or doesn’t, get in their way.

A great segment that I can only akin to The Rock picking on the less fortunate Jonathon Coachman as Aries being interviewed by Tyler Durden is always an entertaining segment on the ROH show. He clearly states that he is clearly the best of the best and will stay the ROH champion no matter who wins the main event.

Necro Butcher vs Sami Calahan is up and really this is just a short and sweet beating. Necro has one of the best tiger drivers around despite his limited ring abilities as he makes short work of Sami Calahan. Colt Cabana, Brent Albright, and Grizzly Redwood come to the ring to arrange a meeting with Necro as Cabana is waging war against the Embassy and wants to recruit Necro into the fold. Necro’s answer is merely the shooting of staples into poor Sami’s head and we are led to believe that this was a resounding yes by the mad man from Virginia.

Our main event is coming as we have the former ROH champion Nigel McGuinness against the up and coming Tyler Black. As it is well known, ROH mainstay and legend American Dragon Bryan Danielson has signed in theory with WWE. Despite this loss of a great talent, these two men really show that they are more than ready to take the place of the American Dragon who was one of three men left on the roster who were a part of the first show in Ring of Honor history. Nigel, a former champion tore into Tyler Black as he was determined to show that despite his injuries he was ready for anyone trying to take him out of the main event picture. Tyler Black has always been deemed as the “next big thing” in Ring of Honor and despite many a title shot has always come up short. Obviously at an experience disadvantage, even the most staunch of Black followers believed that perhaps tonight was not going to be his night.

Black fought through the painful onslaught brought upon by Nigel as the former champion targeted the arm and neck of the young hopeful, hoping to use either the London Dungeon or Tower of England to bring home the win. But resilient as ever, Black fought back and was able to finally hit the “God Last Gift” aka Small Package Driver for one of the biggest upsets in his career. This match, in my opinion, ranks right up there with their match from Take No Prisoners. It definitely made for a terrific contest and is one of the best ROH on HDnet main events yet.

Thank you for reading this and in the words of Ari Berenstein, have an honorable week.

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Back in 2002 there was a small Philly promotion that was capturing the attention of the wrestling world. It combined well known veterans with young up and coming talent and gave us match ups that can only be described as dream matches as far as indy wrestling fans were concerned. Honor was established, dream and well executed matches were the rewards, a rebirth in 2004, and a clamoring of pride and heartfelt loyalty swept across a fanbase that was eager to see the next move. In later months of 2008 we had another changing of the guard but it was not the wrestlers, it was one with whom we had grown close to. We had a new beginning to look forward to, but there have been smatterings of some disenchantment. Some discourse amongst those who used to be as loyal as wolves to the pack.

Then word got out that he who we used to follow was starting a new chapter in life. A new outlook with a new group and the buzz began again. Arguably Ring of Honor is not what it once was. Even as a fan since the inception and loyal throughout everything that ROH has gone through I never felt that Ring of Honor needed anything but its fans and semi-Puroesque style to forge along. This was something that was obviously influenced by then ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky. But as time moves on, so does everything else. Gabe Sapolsky then announced in April that he would promote what could be a life long dream come true as he would be helping book Dragon Gate USA, a side promotion of a growingly popular Japanese wrestling promotion. Announced almost as quickly was that it would only promote six shows a year and that most if not all would be filmed for pay per view and DVD release. As ROH had also had a foray into the PPV world, many speculated that this could cause a split amongst the fanbase. But as we would learn ROH ended its PPV project to focus more on their television product.

Both promotions though would still be largely contested on the east coast and mid west. Obviously this would mean a blending of fans due to curiosity and/or loyalty. With a reported large amount of former ROH fans being led towards the DGUSA promotion, could this push the former employer of Gabe Sapolsky to challenge the product they are putting forth, or at least give some new life to their product to sway those smatterings of discontent.

Dragon Gate USA brings back multiple things that many of the older ROH fans have missed from the product. Mystique, a blending of pro wrestling styles, an obvious influence of Puroesque style wrestling and bookings, and finally some of the best talent from domestic and international influences.

With the passing of the legendary Mitsuhara Misawa, Pro Wrestling NOAH should focus on their domestic product, but at the same time their open relationship with ROH could bring much more attention and bring back some of those old fans. KENTA and others already are having great splashes on ROH television and are getting a larger presence in the American mainstream than ever before. But could ROH possibly ask for more, possibly bring in more from Kensuke Office and DDT. With DGUSA running shows on Sunday, could ROH who are known for doing double shots bring in talent on Friday and Saturday and present shows and matches that do more than just create interest but beg actually seeing live? Of course they could.

I believe that the inception of the DGUSA brand could bring about change for Ring of Honor and many more. We already know of the working relationship between DGUSA, CHIKARA, AAW, and Hybrid Pro. Could PWG, who already share multiple talents, and ROH form a larger working relationship and help bring other smaller promotions to the forefront? The simplest things are often that which makes the largest impact.

Ring of Honors product has always intrigued me, but could it be that much more with a product that directly challenges it? Competition breeds not only creation but innovation. ROH: We don’t imitate, we innovate used to be the moto. Now is the time for innovation, especially in the wake of this new product that already has the wrestling world buzzing with just one show and two more announced. Ring of Honor has the talent and the ability to be at the top of it’s game again and with a promotion directly affecting its fanbase, I believe it will rise to the occasion.

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Tonight is going to be a short review of the episode as I have longer column coming out for the first of my themed column Strikes & Bumps. Thoughts during the episode were as follows:

It was an ok episode. Thought the tag team in the beginning was just what it was and tried to spur along the feuds going on with the Embassy. I smell a Caged Warfare match coming again for the Embassy.

Delirious vs Young was nothing more than a long squash. Never felt that Young even had a chance.

Mark squash was expected as you’re not going to bury him against a high end talent and Payne simply took a beating.

Tyler vs Nigel should be fun and they are hyping it well which is decent and good for the television.

Great ending to the show as the match gets thrown out after a good back and forth match but really the larger issue of Steenerico vs American Wolves is just a feud that keeps me interested and keeps me wanting more. Good way to end the show.

As I eluded to I have a larger column I’m writing for PWP later this week so keep an eye out for that as I would love your feedback and anyone who reads my next column and comments back will get an emailed gift from me as long as you post your email when you comment. Thanks again for supporting PWP.

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