This Saturday night, I will have the unique opportunity to leave my comfort zone and attend my first out-of-state wrestling show. While I am not a fan of the direction Ring of Honor has taken over this last year, I am intrigued by the concept of Survival of the Fittest. It is one of the most unique tournaments in professional wrestling, and this is probably my best (and possibly last) chance to see this tournament.

What I love most about what this tournament offers is the unpredictability. Ring of Honor takes 12 stars that are at various positions on the card and match them up against each other. Instead of going through various rounds, each of the six winners advance to the finals and the ending is a sometimes chaotic match with all kinds of upsets and different match-ups. In 2004, during the first ever Survival of the Fittest, Colt Cabana pinned then Ring of World champion Samoa Joe in what may still be the biggest upset in the history of the competition.

Speaking of the first ever Survival of the Fittest,  it came amidst the fallout of the Feinstein scandal and turned out to be the breakout performance of Austin Aries, a man who was only a couple months into his Ring of Honor career. Aries made it to the first finals, a trend he continued through the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Survival of the Fittest tournaments. Bryan Danielson is the man who would become the first winner after having an incredible ending sequence with Aries that would be the start of one of the finest rivalries in company history. Interesting to note that the 2009 version of this tournament comes the first week after the departure of Danielson.

Roderick Strong was a man who stepped up to the plate in the first half of 2005 by having great matches with Steve Corino, Samoa Joe, Alex Shelley, and CM Punk. Unfortunately, Strong wasn’t exactly picking up a lot of victories during this period.  That all changed in the 2005 version of Survival of the Fittest as Strong stepped up to the plate and beat Austin Aries, his partner in Generation Next at that time in another excellent final sequence. Strong was considered by many to be the MVP of 2005, and this was his first signature singles victory.

The next year exemplified just how unpredictable this tournament truly is. Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe would go to a 20 minute time limit draw. Davey Richards and Jimmy Rave, two man believed to be the favorites, lost in the first round. Two of the biggest singles stars in the company, Strong and Homcide, lost a tag team match to the Briscoes. At least Austin Aries got to continue his almost Susan Lucci like streak of making the finals but never winning. Delirious and Matt Sydal, two of Ring of Honor’s biggest underdogs, had a fantastic sequence to end the 2006 Survival of the Fittest. Sydal was primarily used in tag matches with his Generation Next teammates while Delirious was almost out of the company if not for a victory against Ricky Reyes over Wrestlemania weekend. In a year of unpredictability, it’s only Delirious came out of this tournament the winner.

In a sense, Ring of Honor took it’s biggest gamble by heading to the West Coast. Two nights before the chaos at the Cow Palace, Ring of Honor took Survival of the Fittest to Las Vegas. Chris Hero, a man who never seemed to be able to get any traction in the company, broke through in a big way by not only winning the whole thing but also eliminating the other five men. While there were no four star matches, I think 2007 is my favorite year because of how strong Hero was put over and the simple story the final told. To me, this entire tournament isn’t necessarily about having the best matches, but trying to actually put new guys over.

This leads into 2009. With new stars absolutely needed for Ring of Honor to continue its’ own survival, this might be the most important Survival of the Fittest ever. Perhaps this is a chance to elevate Kenny King or Kenny Omega over. These are two men that are highly regarded, but they haven’t won a lot of big time singles matches. Maybe Tyler Black can win this tournament and set up a world title match at Final Battle 2009, where he can once and for all take the championship he’s spent the last two years chasing. How about Claudio Castagnoli or Colt Cabana? Two guys who seem to have gone directionless the entire year. Maybe Chris Hero, Roderick Strong, or Delirious can win once again to give him something that no other Ring of Honor star can claim, being a two time winner of the biggest and most consistent tournament Ring of Honor has. Petey Williams and Rhett Titus might also win, but I’d prefer to not even think of that as a possibility.

What is needed almost as much as a winner is a clear direction, good matches, and clean finishes. No BS. Whomever is booked to win should do it in the cleanest way possible to establish that this is a wrestler who could possibly be the world champion. Even if King or Omega have to wait their turn, there needs to be the sense that these two are being elevated and might be the ones to win the belt in 2010. I guess you could say that while Survival of the Fittest might just be the name of the tournament, we’ll find out how fit to survive Ring of Honor really is.

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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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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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(Jerome was so excited about this podcast, he stayed up until 3 in the morning putting it together.)

On this week’s edition of Pro Wrestling Ponderings, Kevin Ford and Jerome Cusson get serious for quite a few minutes as they preview another huge weekend in the world of professional wrestling. They discuss YLC VII and give their predictions. Find out why Jerome doesn’t even like his prediction and hopes to be wrong. Then it’s on to the ROH on HD Net tapings. Learn why Mark Cuban and the United Football League have conspired to help make this move to Monday possible and why this move might not be the best move for anyone involved. Listen to Kevin and Jerome’s tangent about the uselessness of non-title matches these day and stay around for the ending when Kevin and Jerome have a heart-to-heart. This will be a moment that will have you chanting “P-W-P!” Also, Kevin has something really COOL planned.

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You might think lists are cliche and boring. I think they’re a way of doing an easy column when it’s the dog days of summer, and I want to not be inside writing this column. Hey, I love my readers and this side, but Chicago doesn’t get a great deal of nice days. I have to take advantage while I can. So alas, I’m providing my list of the top ten wrestlers entertaining me right now.

10. KENTA

If he was wrestling in the states, this individual might be number one. As it is, I’ve only seen a limited amount of matches from him. His match with Davey Richards is the best match ROH has produced this year. His match with Nigel McGuinness was very good given the context, and he was in a tremendous tag team match in NOAH shortly after the death of Misawa. KENTA’s entertainment value is all in his workrate, which makes him unique to this list.

9. The Colony

Even with the sad departure of Worker Ant, this group has been featured in two of the matches I’ve loved most in 2009. Soldier Ant and Fire Ant are the specific portion of the group I’m including on this list, but I can only imagine what Green and Carpenter Ant can add to one of the best babyface groups in CHIKARA and professional wrestling overall. They are one of the top contenders for the Campeonatos de Parejas, and I’ve enjoyed them so darn much since watching CHIKARA. These guys were actually one of the first groups I noticed back at King of Trios 2008. While the idea of a bunch of guys dressing up as ants might be absurd (Okay, it is.), it fits in perfectly with what CHIKARA is all about. No way would The Colony fit in with ROH or most of the other independent companies in the States, but instead of being generic pale white jobbers, the masks and names give them distinct characters.

8. Kenny Omega

His outings in Ring of Honor haven’t exactly been the best, but everything he touches in PWG  turns to gold. And not a golden shower either. His match with El Generico at Express Written was one of the best mid-card matches I’ve seen in quite some time. His duo with Chuck Taylor has been nothing short of brilliance. I think he’s much better off in PWG because wackiness is far more accepted there as opposed to whatever Ring of Honor is trying to be. If nothing else, Omega has found himself in the middle of the title picture and could possibly have a singles match with Austin Aries before the year is done. He’s basically a new face in major independent wrestling, and while his match quality had varied, he’s at least something very different compared to some of the other individuals you’ll see on an average DVD.

7. Bryan Danielson

If I had done this list in 2007 and 2008, I can almost assure you that American Dragon would have been in the top five. While he’s still one of the best wrestlers in the world, you just get the sense that Danielson is taking it easy and moreso having fun. I’m not accusing him of tanking it by any means or not giving people their money’s worth. It’s just this is a guy who’s seemingly done it all in indepdent wrestling. What else could he possibly have to do? The positive for us as fans is he’s still been in quite a few four star tag team matches. The six main event of Night 2 of King of Trios is just one example. His 45 minute draw with Black as his partner against the Wolves is another. His most unique match of the year candidate took place at DDT4 against The Young Bucks. It wasn’t an exchange of finishers but rather one of the all-time greatest beatdowns you’ll ever see. Even though the Bucks won, they most certainly earned it as Danielson and fellow Hybrid Dolphin Roderick Strong destroyed these young Christian boys.

Danielson did the job in that match just as he tapped out in the finals of King of Trios. He also put over Tyler Black in an excellent match that took place on ROH on HDNet. Danielson is still one of the best in the world and has shown himself to be willing to put younger stars over. He is the very definition of a PROFESSIONAL wrestler, and for that reason will always be one of the best wrestlers in the world.

6 F.I.S.T

Of course, the biggest reason these guys are on this list is because of their match against The Colony. But their work at King of Trios is also a huge reason they’re featured here. They are the best heel group in the business today because they don’t act like cool heels. They act like the biggest douches in the world. They bully people around. They scream with fans. Why? Because they don’t like anyone. They’re the guys in high school who would take your lunch money and stuff you in the locker. The best part is they’d do this with a smile in the face.

Akuma is now in one of the more intruging angles of the year as CHIKARA is about to enter a major feud with Dragon Gate. Akuma also had a great little match with Shadow Phoenix. Chuck Taylor was a part of the big mask vs. hair match, but he’s also on this list for his work in PWG. I guess if I were to rank the F.I.S.T guys, Taylor would be at the top since his PWG work is also included. He and Omega have formed what could quite possibly be the most awesome tag team in the history of wrestling, The Men of Low Moral Fiber. Taylor had a fantastic match with El Generico at “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies” in addition to being in two excellent DDT4 tournament matches. I have absolutely loved Taylor in particular, but Akuma and Icarus have also been excellent compliments in CHIKARA.

5. C.M. Punk

The heel turn that began at Extreme Rules only enhances his value to this list. Of course I have an intense bias toward C.M. Punk. It only makes sense that he’s on the list. Thanks to two months of great promos and really riding the fence between heel and face up until Night of Champions led him to this list. This is a guy who’s been a highly consistent performer on Smackdown since the draft. He’s had some awesome television matches with John Morrison while having two consecutive quality matches on Pay-Per-View with Jeff Hardy. Seeing as how he’s on the brand more suited to letting younger guys excel, Punk should continue to have a solid 2009. If only WWE would stop jobbing him out and just him have the world heavyweight championship for an extended period of time.

4. The Young Bucks

Of course the best tag team of 2009 finds their way on this list. Matt and Nick have brightened up more than one company. Their home company is PWG, where they have been the tag team champions since August of 2008. They’ve had a number of four star matches there with the Machine Guns, Hybrid Dolphins, and even The Men of Low Moral Fiber. In Ring of Honor, they’ve actually been shining lights on some bland HDnet television shows despite the fact they’ve wrestled in two squash matches. They also got to wrestle for CHIKARA and wowed the crowd in two different tag team matches. Nick Jackson was also in the best match of the weekend, but you might have forgotten all about him since it was basically the Generico vs. Kota show. Then there’s Dragon Gate USA.

In the most aniticipated show of the calender year, the Bucks scored a major upset over Dragon Gate icon CIMA and his partner, Yokusuka. They then got on the microphone and said they were the tag team of the present… not the future. They certainly are, and they might be the best tag team in professional wrestling very shortly, if they aren’t already.

3. Davey Richards

Richards is part of a tag team as well and has been one half of the ROH tag team title holders back since April. Eddie Edwards isn’t nearly good enough to be on this list, but Richards has been the MVP of 2009. Not only has been in multiple matches of the years, but his heel persona has only enhanced his value to any company he wrestles for. He’s primarily been in Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerilla having these great matches. What has made Richards so special is his ability to have great one-on-one matches with guys like KENTA and Tyler Black while also having amazing tag team matches with Kevin Steen and El Generico. That series alone has been a shining light in a rather ho-hum year for Ring of Honor. As a side note, Richards has actually been the Full Impact Pro championship belt, but since their DVDs aren’t being released for whatever reason, this really is just a side note.

If Richards continues to improve and develop, there’s no reason he can’t be the Ring of Honor or PWG world champion in 2010. What there can be no doubt about is he’s going to be one of the biggest names in indepedent wrestling going into the next decade.

2. Austin Aries

There is a fine line between number one and two. So fine that either one of the top two could easily be at the top of the list. So I guess the only thing to is explain the difference. I was as cynical as anyone about Aries turning himself heel. I didn’t see any conceivable way for this to possibly work. Little did I know. Aries changed his gear, changed his hair, and sleazed himself up big time. He’s become Joey Ryan except much better. His in ring work has not been as good, but I attribute that to an overall style change within Ring of Honor. Aries has been an individual that’s become one of the best promos in the sport today. In what I consider to be a major historical note, Aries is also the first two time ROH World Heavyweight Champion in the company’s illustrious two year history. His promo after about his grandmother and tooting his own horn was nothing short of brilliant.

I’ve been a huge Austin Aries fan since even before  I started liking ROH. There was just something about this guy that I even enjoyed in TNA. His evolution as a character has been quite awesome, and I’m excited to see how his title reign goes and if he indeed loses to Tyler Black. Also, is Aries the answer to some of ROH’s financial issues?  If not for these questions, I’d have most certainly ranked him number one.

1. Chris Jericho

What made the Rey Mysterio/Chris Jericho just a little bit more special? Yes, all of the matches were very good or match of the year candidates, but what made the feud was the ability of Chris Jericho on the microphone. His promos are clearly on another planet from everyone else’s in the “WWE Universe.” They don’t sound canned. They don’t sound like a guy reciting lines. They sounds like the honest views of a man who feels he’s been wronged by the fans and WWE management. His ability to cut promos must be enhanced with the use of the thesaurus considering some of the words he’s brought out of mothballs. Or he’s been watching some Nick Bockwinkel tapes.

Jericho is the best part of WWE as evidenced by the fact that he’s holding the Unifed Tag Team titles and appearing on both RAW and Smackdown on a regular basis. I wondered aloud why he would even bother coming back to wrestling, but now I wonder why he isn’t a world champion. His comeback has been more than justified, and I firmly believe that for however long he remains in WWE, he’ll be the MVP.

So there’s my list. Agree? Disagree? Why not leave a comment? Or e-mail me at jcusson07@gmail.com. If I get enough e-mails, I’ll consider doing a mailbag.

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Hello everyone, welcome to the first ever edition of “This Week In Wrestling”, I’m your host Zane Thornsberry (former writer of “In the Raw”). Now, before we get rolling, allow me to explain how this unique piece will work. Each week, a few of my fellow writers, and I will give our views on the past week of wrestling (from start of Monday Night Raw, to the following week’s start of Raw). From time to time, a special guest’ll join me. This week’s edition will cover the big happenings from the month of June in four major places (WWE, TNA, ROH, and Japan). Before we get started, I’d like to Congratulate UFC World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar on his dominating win last night over Frank Mir. Lesnar probed that he is indeed, the real deal.

WWE:

• CM Punk became a 2 time World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Jeff Hardy moments after Hardy won a hard fought ladder match with Edge. I’m very happy about this, due to Punk being someone WWE can put up as a role model for the kids. Not only that, but Punk has proven that he can cut it at the top of the WWE. His ring work is sound, his mic skills are impressive, and he’s over. The even better part of all of this is the fact that WWE seems to be turning Punk heel after all this time.
• The Randy Orton and Triple H feud is STILL going. Yeah, that’s all I have to say at this point.
• Tommy Dreamer captured the ECW Championship. Something I was not happy about. Not only do I dislike Dreamer, but I’d also prefer the title to stay on someone who can do something with it rather than remind people of an Indy that burned out.
• Edge and Chris Jericho became the Unified Tag Team Champions. I’m a fan of this move, but wonder what they’re going to do now that Edge is sidelined for a lengthy period of time. It’d be a shame to pull the strap off of Jericho and do a tournament, and on the other side I cannot think of anyone right now who would be worthy of replacing Edge.

TNA:

• TNA held it’s annual “Slammiversary” event, which this year was held in my home state of Michigan at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The main event was a King of the Mountain match pitting TNA World Champion Mick Foley against Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, and Samoa Joe. Kurt Angle won what I was told was a good match when Samoa Joe handed him the belt completely destroying the past six months of Samoa Joe’s storyline. While the action in the ring was solid, the booking leading up to it was not. At one point Jarrett said he doesn’t want to win the belt, he just wants Foley to lose it so he no longer has control. The reason Foley had control, is because he’s the Majority Shareholder, not because he had the belt. If Jarrett was telling the truth in his promo, then why didn’t he HELP the other competitors to win? Throw in Samoa Joe aligning with Main Event Mafia after he’s been trying to destroy them for months, and you’ve got one of the most ridiculous angle’s this year.
• While “Slammiversary” is being called Pay-Per-View of the year by some, that’s not saying much. While the wrestling might have been sound, the angles surrounding it were piss poor.

ROH

· Ring of Honor crowned it’s very first two-time World Champion in the form of Austin Aries. While he was not my first choice to have such an honor, it’s such a relief to get the belt off of Jerry Lynn that I can deal with it. Aries in 2009 has been a breath of fresh air. While I can’t describe what it is he does, he sure as hell does it well.

· I had the pleasure of attending the June 26^th event in Detroit, Michigan and was very pleased with the way the show went. The six man mayhem with Rasche Brown VS Austin Aries VS Joey Ryan VS Delirious VS Petey Williams VS Sami Callihan was surprisingly good, and it made for some fun Aries/Ryan interactions. The tag team main event was “epic”. Roderick Strong and KENTA VS American Wolves completely tore the house down. From the second the Wolves were in the ring, the crowd was full of life and was in the hands of the four men in the ring. I cannot even begin to describe how good this match was, but all I have to say is seek it out when it’s on DVD. The main event cage match with Tyler Black VS Jimmy Jacobs seemed to suffer due to the crowd being so pumped from the previous matchup. Nonetheless, Jacobs and Black gave it there all in a really good cage match. Once Tyler had won the match, 30-40 men dressed in black with scarves covering their faces stormed the ringside area. As they put the boots to Black, Jacobs proclaimed, “…Age of the Fall has just begun!!!” and was carried out of the arena by the horde of masked men.

Japan

• On June 13, 2009 tragedy struck the world of Professional Wrestling. In a tag team bout, Japanese legend Mitsuharu Misawa took a belly to back suplex and was knocked unconscious. Once Misawa was rushed to a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead. Misawa was a one of the few true legends in this sport, having the most 5 star matches out of any other wrestler, and even formed his own company (Pro Wrestling NOAH) after splitting from All Japan. Taking over Misawa’s spot as President of NOAH is Akira Taue, one of the “All Japan Famous Five”. Misawa’s death brings a huge void to the world of Pro Wrestling, and he will truly be missed.

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As many of you who listen to the podcast know, I’ve become fairly frustrated with the direction of Ring of Honor. I did feel that their final Pay-Per-View deserved some sort of coverage since most of them have been of excellent quality. And really, the trailer showcasing the highlights of the main event are what convinced me that this show was worth watching. So all that being said, let’s get to the show.

Taped from Houston, Texas

Hosted by Lenny Leonard and Dave Prazak (Nigel McGuinness pops in for the first two matches)

Colt Cabana vs. Ace Steel

Analysis: For those who don’t read my Smackdown recaps, I don’t do play-by-play or star ratings. I was shocked by the amount of time this match got relative to what everything else was getting. The match contained a long stall session and some alleged comedy which I did not laugh at. I did not like this match for a lot of reasons. This isn’t a great way to open the Pay-Per-View. I’d have rather seen this cut and maybe seen some sort of Cabana promo. Colt wins eventually by submission after the Billy Goat’s curse.

Time/Winner: 9:27/Cabana

Jimmy Jacobs cuts a rather uninspired promo about his upcoming match with Necro Butcher. Amazing to think two years ago, he cut two of the greatest promos back-to-back during Wrestlemania weekend. So sad.

Kevin Steen & El Generico & Jay Briscoe & Magno vs. Chris Hero & Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards & Incognito

Analysis: Incognito and Magno are two wrestlers from the AAA wrestling promotion. I have no earthly idea what they were doing in the match since their ring time was minimal. The action itself wasn’t inherently bad, but too short to tell a good story. You’ve got eight guys, and there wasn’t enough time to get everyone proper time. They showed a video package of The American Wolves/Steeneric, but it was barely addressed. For some reason, there was even a ref bump. LAME. Eventually Briscoe sets Edwards up for a Jay Driller and Magno plays Mark for the Super Jay Driller and victory for the babyfaces. That ending made the least possible sense. Instead of a good old-fashioned heel beatdown to further any issues, we get a quick cut-a-way. A theme of the night that led to battle fatigue by the end of the night.

Time/Winner: No time due to the bell ringing and my starting the stopwatch earlier due to a brawl/Steen & Generico & Briscoe & Magno

Jimmy Jacobs vs Necro Butcher (Fight Without Honor)

Analysis: Considering the heat between these two guys, this should have been one of the main events. If you look at the history of Fights Without Honor, they’re all either at or near the main event. I literally almost forgot about this match about the end. This was a slow, plodding brawl that went into the crowd. Unprotected chairshots were also featured and I wondered if anyone would ever learn. I did the teasing of the table spot where Jacobs eventually tossed Necro onto the non-table side. Both guys gigged (in the third match????) The ending was Necro using the Tiger Bomb on a pile of chairs for the victory. Okay brawl but these two are capable of so much more. They really needed more time and a better angle surrounding it.

Time/Winner: 14:39/Necro Butcher

Bryan Danielson cuts a promo in front of a window. Now I only took two years of television production, but even I could tell you that shooting someone with windows in the back during daylight is a dumb idea. This makes ROH look so bush league, and this is the low point for the night.

Video package showcasing the rivalry between Claudio Castagnoli and Brent Albright. This of course leads to…

Brent Albright vs. Castagnoli vs. Blue Demon Jr.

Analysis: Yeah, adding NWA champion (Hmmm… and which ROH booker is closely associated with the NWA?) Blue Demon Jr. makes sense. He doesn’t add anything of consequence to a feud that’s basically pretty lame to start with. For some inexplicable reason, tags are now necessary in three way matches. Huh? Did we take a time machine back to Starrcade ’95? Least WCW could use the excuse that these types of matches were pretty rare. This is inexcusable. Despite the fact that we have a feud here, it only goes about five minutes. Much of the match is also between Claudio and Demon. Scratch what I said earlier. This was the lowlight of the show for sure. We even get some interference from Nigel McGuinness, since he was laying at ringside after being attacked by Claudio while cutting a promo.

Time/Winner: 5:45/Brent Albright

You might notice that this review has something of a breakneck pace. This is to convey just how freaking chaotic the show was. I was almost begging for a commercial break of some sort to get a breather. This show was like a bad whiplash.

Jerry Lynn cuts roughly the same uninspired mediocre promo he’s cut for the last 15 years. Yes, we know you’ll work hard. We know you deserve the world title. Now how about sounding more inspired or showing just a twinge of emotion.

Strong vs. Alex Koslov (International Challenge)

Analysis: After crossing the desert of crap that was the show so far, this was like a big pond of water. Sadly, it was still too short, but the action was excellent. Roderick is an awesome babyface and Koslov is a great heel. That was basically this match in a nutshell. Fairly simple concepts that had been blown pretty badly up to this point. Nice finishing sequence as Roderick hits a yakuza kick. Then he applies the stronghold leading to the tap-out win. Alex Koslov is world’s better than Vladimir. Only real complaint was Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard talking about CMLL and AAA. Stick to ROH guys. I assure you a good portion of the audience could give two craps what faction Koslov is in AAA, even if he’s associated with former No Remorse Corps. member Rocky Romero.

Time/Winner: 7:40/Roderick Strong

Jerry Lynn vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Erick Stevens vs. D-Lo Brown (ROH World Championship)

Analysis: What a throwaway. Here you’ve got the ROH world title being defended. Plus, it’s Jerry Lynn’s first title defense. I think this should be a huge deal, but instead it’s four corner survival. Also, despite the fact that D-Lo is a much better babyface, he gets to play heel. There wasn’t anything all that bad, but Lynn winning a nine minute match isn’t a good way for his title reign to begin. Not a whole lot of organization as it became a clusterfrick early and pretty much remained that way for the duration

Time/Winner: 8:42/Jerry Lynn

Tyler Black cuts a promo that was slightly better than the one from last week’s videowire. Seriously, this is the one guy in the company who needs someone to help with promos. Isn’t that the booker’s job? That’s one of Pearce’s greatest strengths as a performer. Shouldn’t there be some improvement in the promo department? I sure as heck ain’t seen it.

KENTA & Tyler Black vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Austin Aries

Analysis: I know some people have given this four stars, but I just don’t see it. Believe me. This was easily the best match on the show, but I can’t give it anything higher than about three-and-a-half stars. Austin Aries has turned into one of the best characters in the company, but his act didn’t really make sense in the context of what this match should have been. Nakajima and KENTA had some really awesome sequences throughout this match. I especially liked the kickfest that took place at the beginning. Nakajima and Aries didn’t even make sense as partners since Aries wrestled as a heel while Nakajima wrestled… like a guy who likes to kick. Last five minutes of this match need to be seen to be believed with all the wacky moves they did. Finish is Black hitting God’s Last Gift on Aries for the victory. Not a whole lot of story in this match either but I enjoyed a great deal for the most part.

Time/Winner: 22:14/Tyler Black & KENTA

Final Thoughts: I was hoping ROH would take this last opportunity on Pay-Per-View to go out with a bang. Instead, I believe they went out with a bust. Not only was this the weakest of the Pay-Per-Views but the breakneck pace made me completely disinterested in the second hour. I did enjoy the main event for the most part, but I don’t think this is worth 15 bucks.

The sad part is what I’ve seen from ROH recently has impressed me. Their two most recent television main events are probably the best you could possibly get from free television, and KENTA/Nigel is one of the best matches in 2009. The live reports have been encouraging and attendance still appears to be good for the most part. I think ROH is starting to stabilize, but they need to step back and get away from Pay-Per-View right now. It’s obviously not a great source of revenue and because of the lag, storylines might be wrapped up by the time the Pay-Per-View airs. Hopefully, ROH comes back to Pay-Per-View in 2010 with a game plan… and maybe a live presentation?

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Hello all. As you can see, my name’s Matt Winton. And if you don’t feel like checking out the profile, I’m the resident PWG reviewer/columnist around here. However, I’m trying to help Cusson out, and taking the reigns of reviewing the ROH on HDNet shows. Some points of warning though:

1. I don’t have HDNet. The way I watch these shows are when they are posted on YouTube at this address: http://www.youtube.com/user/ROHBrazilThey are never posted until the Tuesday or Wednesday AFTER the show is aired, so these will pretty much be a week behind every time. And I don’t have Cable or DSL, so no, I can’t just torrent the shows sooner. So bare with me and try to have some patience.

2. Since I’m watching it on YouTube, my match times might be different from those in other reviews. I don’t have to watch commercials. I go from bell to bell in the time I’m provided on the video.

3. I have only read the reviews/reports of the prior 10 ROH TV shows. If I miss something on a current show that ties into a prior episode, forgive my lack of memory. I just won’t be able to remember the words as much as I (or any of you) would probably remember the visual memories from past shows.

4. I’m new to reviewing so it might take a while to find a groove for myself. Comments, ideas and opinions are absolutely recommended. What’s the point of doing this if I don’t tailor it to what the readers want?

That’s all. Onto the show!

Cool opening little montage, it’s just a little difficult to see some things. Prazak and Hodgewood start us off with a little hype for the Tag Team Title Tables Match with El Steenerico vs. The American Wolves.

Rhett Titus puts entirely too much grizzle into his voice, but hey, I’d rather have too much effort than too little. He says Strong has never broken a back like his. Yeah, that’s probably gonna change pretty soon.

Strong says Titus isn’t addicted to love, he’s addicted to punishment. He says he’ll teach Titus a new catchphrase: Only the Strong survive. I always wondered why he didn’t use that as a catchphrase all the time. It’s cheesy, but it works.

-Roderick Strong vs. Rhett Titus-

ONE STREAMER FOR STRONG! He must be proud. Lock up, Titus grabs a wrist lock. Cartwheel out by Strong, grabs a wrist lock of his own. Immediately transitions to a Headlock Takedown. Titus with a Head Scissors and he thrusts. Gross. Strong kips up and out, ends up hitting an Arm Drag on Rhett Titus. Titus tosses Strong out of the ring and look, there’s more thrusting. Too much, though, as Strong springboards himself into the ring with a Shoulder Block. Chop, Dropkick. Strong hits his first Back Breaker for a 2 count. Another chop by Strong. Tries to Irish Whip Titus but gets blocked, hits another chop. Tries again, but Titus raises a knee and whips Strong into the corner. Strong goes for his Enziguri but Titus ducks it, throws his legs into the ropes, and hits an X-Factor. That was pretty damn nifty, to be honest. Strong gets mounted with some punches. They exchange punches and chops, which Titus gets the best of. Body Slam and Titus drops a knee for a 2 count again.

Strong cuts him off with a Jawbreaker and a forearm, but gets pulled by the tights headfirst into the middle turnbuckle. Rhettski hits a Stinger Splash, sans WHOO, and then a high knee. Small rest spot that Strong fights out of with a chop and stumbles to the corner. Titus charges but gets a back kick, followed up quickly by a Turn-Around Springboard Crossbody by Roderick Strong for a 2 count. Titus takes back over and cuts Strong off with Swinging Neckbreaker. Takes too much time again and misses a charge. Strong fires off two Clotheslines in the corner, and hits a Back Body Drop. Strong hits some more chops but is cut off by an eye rake by Titus. Strong reverses an Irish Whip and hits the Urinage Backbreaker. Gutbuster reversed into an O’Connor Roll for 2. Titus hits a Modified Rocker Dropper. ENZIGURI IN THE CORNER BY STRONG! Gutbuster! CHARGING KICK! Oh, you better believe that’s 3 at 6:54. **1/4 It wasn’t always the best of matches, as Titus’ offense is slow and plodding, but that’s meant to highlight Strong’s more explosive offense, so it’s forgivable and pretty appropriate. And Prazak totally snubbing Hodgewood’s “YOU’RE a nagi” joke was pretty great, too.

-More hype for the Tag Title match tonight, as well as World Title hype for next week’s show with Jerry Lynn vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries. It’s odd how they have the moving visuals, but really, only Aries moves. The rest just stand and pose for the duration. Lynn’s non-moving reminds me of Strong’s moving photo on PWG’s 2006 Battle of Los Angeles.-

Aries gets a little video vignette to hype himself up. He’s a great heel, but his grossness is hard to get over at times. Maybe it’s because I hate a man with a mustache. Almost as much as I hate a woman with a mustache. That’s probably it.

-Non Title Match: Sara Del Ray vs. MsChif vs. Daizee Haze (c) w/ Jimmy Jacobs-

Oh hell, a women’s match. I’m not misogynistic or anything so extravagant, it’s just difficult for me to get into a women’s match. I love the fire and effort but none of these women interest me. I’ve heard, though, that Sara Del Ray can bench press 200 lbs. with her vagina. So who am I to judge?

MsChif screams at Del Ray and makes me laugh. Apparently it’s only funny to me though, as Del Ray kicks MsChif in the chest and tosses Haze to the outside. 200 lbs. folks. Think about it. MsChif takes Del Ray off guard with a Drop Toe Hold and Standing Moonsault to the back. Octopus Stretch by MsChif, which Haze breakers up with a Dropkick. That was actually pretty sweet, flowing right into a Crucifix cover for 2. Haze hits a Modified X-Factor out of the corner. And Del Ray grabs her by the throat, slams her down onto MsChif. And… doesn’t even bother to break up the count. That was awkward. Haze kicks Del Ray to the outside and goes up top… Springboard Cross Body to the outside onto Del Ray. Sort’ve. I mean, it hit her shins or so. MsChif with the MIST and tosses Haze back in, Desecrator, it’s ove at 2:39. 1/2* The spots were nice, but it’s impossible to get connected to the wrestlers with such little time. People complain about that with WWE and TNA matches, myself included, it’s only fair to make the same criticism of an ROH match like that.

MsChif gets a post-match pro-… nope, Jimmy Jacobs. Jacobs says the Age of the Fall is about accomplishments, not goals. It’s women’s goals to win the SHIMMER Title. It’s MsChif’s accomplishment. He says he wants to go after the Harlot named Daizee Haze. MsChif screams, leaving me wishing I hadn’t listened to this on headphones. Damnit.

Even more hype for the Tag Title Match this week and World Title Match next week. Tyler Black this time.

Black says this match is made for him, as he’s quick, agile and unpredictable. He’s younger. I love the fact that he’s a face, but he points out a very real advantage that he has in being younger, less injury addled, etc. He really puts over how much he wants to win the World Title, and how big it would be for her career.

Embassy promo. Nana pimps Bison Smith and Jimmy Rave while Ernie Osiris just looks like he’s picking meal worms out of his beard. I would be too. Jesus that thing is out of control. Nana also brings in his associate, Claudio Castagnoli who speaks some European. Not only is he “Very European” by The Embassy is “Very International”. Nana speaks in… Ghanish? I think they should have Osiris taking a bath in a lake like the homeless guy in Happy Gilmore. Just a thought.

A BLACK KID AND A MEXICAN KID! Well… that was random.

According to Erick Stevens, his express just keeps on rollin’. Mr. Sami Callahan is on the tracks. CHOO CHOO! Or something.

There’s no W in H-O-R-R-O-R? Shit. Callahan has a plan that involves a gravy train and biscuits for wheels. Yikes. Going by promos alone, I wish I could give Callahan more of a chance to win. I mean, he can SPELL!

-Erick Stevens vs. Sami Callahan-

Elevators and two story gravy trains, Hodgewood? Really? Callahan grabs a Headlock but Stevens pushes him off, drops him with a Shoulder Tackle when he comes back off the ropes. I love that Callahan is pumped to get the match ready, as opposed to being afraid of Stevens. He’s gonna lose, that’s a given, but he’s not afraid that’s for sure. Hiptoss by Stevens. Body Slam and Elbow Drop by Stevens. CHOP! Hammer to the back of Stevens but it’s basically no-sold. Callahan tries to avoid, brings Stevens’ head into the middle turnbuckle. Eye rake, Snapmare…. lick? Well, whatever it was, Stevens most certainly did not like it and grabs him by the throat. Callahan gets out, Stevens goes for a German Suplex but that ain’t happenin’. Goes for an O’Connor Roll, but Callahan holds onto the ropes and Stevens rolls backwards and onto his knees. CHARGING CLOTHESLINE TO STEVENS! 2 count. I’ve always liked that Clothesline variation. Koji Clutch by Sami Callahan! Stevens gets the ropes to break it. Charges Stevens in the corner with a forearm and backrolls out but Stevens charges and DRIVES Callahan into the opposite corner. CHOO-CHOO Clothesline! Callahan stumbles out and takes a stiff Lariat. Great sell by Callahan. Dr. Bomb by Stevens! 1-2-3! Over at 2:50. 3/4* This would’ve been a fine squash, except Callahan got an even amount of offense in. Stevens is just bigger and stronger. The outcome was never in doubt, and these two never did anything to make you think otherwise. So why not just make it a total squash to put Stevens over? They’re not doing anything with Callahan. Whatever.

Next week: Special interview with Ric Flair.

Right now: Nigel McGuinness. His rehab is no one’s business but his own. He doesn’t want anyone to know when he’ll be back. He wants to surprise everyone. Says everyone in the 4-way Title Match next week is a great competitor. Does he like the way Bryan Danielson “goes to the beach, digs up harmless animals, takes them home and kills them? No.” That was awesome. The rest is building the competitors up while still being a heel. It’s good heel work by Nigel.

We get into a history and backstory for El Steenerico vs. The American Wolves. Wolves put Generico through a table with a Doomsday Ace Crusher, while Steen put Shane Hagadorn through a table with a Powerbomb. Advantage: American Wolves.

-ROH World Tag Team Title TABLES ARE LEGAL Match: El Steenerico (c) vs. The American Wolves-

If you think you’re getting real Play By Play on this match, you’re crazy. I’ll do as much as I can. The Wolves attack Steenerico before they even get an introduction. Awesome split screen as they follow both Generico vs. Edwards and Steen vs. Richards. It’s hard to follow, but I like the option of getting to choose what I watch, as opposed to just whoever they feel like putting on video at the moment. Steen and Generico start teaming up on Richards as the crowd chants “We want tables!” Steen hits TWO Flipping Leg Drops to the back of Richards’ head. Intensity! Edwards tries to save, but just ends up getting worked over by Steen and Generico, himself. Two Sentons to Edwards by Steen, followed by the BACKPACK Senton+ Generico! Love that. Steen brings out the first table. Generico throws Richards head first into it. Then throws Edwards head first into the table as well! Prazak is so mean to Hodgewood. I can only imagine their pre-show talks.

Prazak: So, since I’m a heel, it’d be good for me to just rip you down and talk trash to you anytime you open your mouth. Or I’ll just completely ignore you. Either way.

Hodgewood: Oh, ok, and what’s that again? A… gimmick? Right?

Prazak: Yeah… gimmick… shut up Hog.

Hodgewood: Oh! We’re starting now?

Steen sets a table up in the corner, and almost whips Edwards through it. Edwards slides to a halt, though and charges at Generico only to take a nice Exploder Suplex into the opposite corner Turnbuckles. Richards surprises Generico, though, bringing him to the outside and tossing him into the guard rail. Steen goes for a Powerbomb through the table! NO! Richards slips out and dropkicks Steen’s bad knee. Generico back in, Brainbuster! NO! Richards slips out of that, too. Generico hits the ropes, but Edwards is back in and he pushes Generico up… HUGE kick to the chest by Richards! GERMAN SUPLEX/SUPERKICK COMBO SENDS GENERICHO THRO-… against…. THE TABLE! Yeesh, that must not’ve felt good. SHINBREAKER TO STEEN THROUGH THE TABLE! Freaking beautiful. Crowd chants “You still suck!” and “Mr. Wrestling!” Steen is trying to fight back but his knee is screwed right now. Richards goes for the Figure Four, well, no, that’s not true. He just wanted the crowd to think he was going for it. OK. Another table in the ring, and again it’s set up in the corner. Steen fights back in the corner, through out elbows to knock Edwards and Richards back, and there’s Generico! He climbs the turnbuckles and comes off with a Crossbody to both men! He’s fired up!

Edwards charges but gets DRILLED with a Michinoku Driver. That always looks so brutal from that set up. Tornado DDT to Richards! FLIP DIVE TO EDWARDS OUTSIDE! THUD! Ow, Edwards totally didn’t catch him. WOW! Richards charges and gets tossed up and turned around into a STRONG Powerbomb through a table. That looked really slick. Steen and Generico go up top… STEEN-TON! SPLASH! ONE! TWO! THR- NO! Edwards with the save! Steen is still really hurting with his knee. Steen brings out yet another table, and sets it up on the outside. Another table stacked on top of the first. Oh boy. Edwards tries to slide back into the ring to get away. That’s a first. OH! Just a really subtle sick kick by Generico. Powerbomb off the apron by Steen! NO! Richards Dropkicks Steen’s knee! NAILS Generico with a kick! Richards charges in twice with a forearm to Steen in the corner! Combination Forearm/Enziguri in the corner! Edwards slides a table into the ring. SHOOTING STAR PRESS BY DAVEY RICHARDS! MISSED! Edwards sets yet another table up on the outside. GENERICO DIVES BETWEEN THE BOTTOM AND MIDDLE TURNBUCKLES ON THE OUTSIDE ONTO EDWARDS! TORNADO DDT! I actually got to see that move live the first time Generico ever busted it out, I do believe. PWG’s Hollywood Globetrotters in March 2006. It’s still just as jaw dropping as it was then. The momentum of the match just got 180′ed. Generico sets Edwards up on the single table outside. CANNONBALL by Steen to Richards inside the ring! SPLASH THROUGH THE TABLE TO EDWARDS! The crowd is, shall we say, jacked. Steen has Richards in the Sharpshooter in the ring! Hell. There’s Hagadorn. Package Piledriver to him! Richards is firing himself up… BUT GETS NAILED WITH A SUPERKICK BY KEVIN STEEN! Steen sets him up on a table in the ring. Oh dear God please hit this Moonsault. NO! DAVEY PUSHES HIM OFF THE TOP ROPE THROUGH THE STACKED TABLES ON THE OUTSIDE! Steen is dead! GENERICO IN WITH A YAKUZA KICK ON RICHARDS! He’s setting him up for a Brainbuster through the table now! Doh, low blow by Edwards dashes those dreams. Edwards has him up… DOOMSDAY ACE CRUSHER THROUGH THE TABLE!  ONE! TWO! THREE! It’s over at 15: 19. New World Tag Team Champions! Hodgewood: “Well, that has to be a disappointment to the former Champions.” No shit? **** Great match. All the table spots were built up to, and the only two that were close together were the Steen through stacked tables, and the Doomsday Ace Crusher, which was the finish and thusly totally acceptable. I had a blast watching this, and it really put the Wolves over as there was a low blow, so there was cheating, but they still absolutely won convincingly and they were the better team that night, no doubt about it.

The show ends with a final hype for the 4-Way ROH World Title Match next week. I know I’m looking forward to it.

Final Analysis:The first half of the show was serviceable with a good opener in Strong vs. Titus, but the 3-way women’s match and Stevens vs. Callahan weren’t too hot. I liked the vignettes with Aries and Black, and they hyped the hell out of the next show, so that added to the show. I don’t say it’s really important, though, as it only serves to get the people hyped for the Main Event… who were already going to watch the show anyways. It adds to the show, but not necessarily the product, if that makes sense. Then we hit the Tables Are Legal match for the ROH Tag Team Titles and it closed the show out in style big time. Big TV Moment, as well, with the first title change to be seen on TV. Overall, I liked this show and had a fun time watching it.

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For those of you who are not familiar with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, the promotion lifted off in the summer of 2003 by fellow wrestlers,  Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar. Today, PWG is regarded as being the most popular company in all of Southern California.

As soon as I found out that Paul London would be making his first wrestling appearance after being released from his WWE contract at a PWG event, I knew that I would be all over this DVD.  As soon as it was available for pre-order on the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla website, I put down twenty bucks to get it.

When “Express Written Consent” had ended, people began raving about how this was one of PWG’s greatest events of all-time, which made me want to see this on tape even more than I previously had. In addition to Paul London making his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla debut, Colt Cabana also unexpectedly returned to the company. Cabana was recently from his WWE contract on a Friday and he came back to PWG that Saturday, just one day after being fired.

Zokre defeated Scorpio Sky via pinfall (la magistral) - This was Scorpio Sky’s first match in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in over six months. According to Excalibur on commentary, Sky had been suffering a nasty lower-back injury. Decent match with lots of cool lucha libre stuff. Zokre got the win in a super sloppy finish with la magistral. Sky was clearly by the ropes, so the pin should have been broken up, but Anthony Rosas gave Zokre the controversial victory, regardless. The crowd absolutely crapped on Rosas for this, chanting “you fucked up” and various other derogatory slurs that I’d prefer to keep off this website. *¾.

B-Boy defeated TJ Perkins via submission (rear naked choke) - B-Boy was making his return to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla here, while Perkins was making his departure. For those who aren’t aware, Perkins relocated from California to Florida at the beginning of the year. Human Tornado was at the commentary booth, making some hilarious remarks. There was a ridiculous amount of near falls towards the end with TJ resorting to the cross arm breaker on several different occassions. B-Boy forced Perkins to tap to the rear naked choke to pick up the win. TJ Perkins received a well-deserved “thank you” chant when the match was over. TJ’s one of my favorite wrestlers in the world today, so I really hope that he returns to PWG some time in the future. **½.

At this time, Paul London came out to a mixed reaction. A lot of people who attended the show live claimed that London was high. Judging from what I saw and heard, he definitely wasn’t. It’s easy to tell when a person’s being goofy and when they’re high. Joey Ryan interrupted Paul in the middle of his rant, claiming that he was a “psycopath” for bringing out a trident to the ring. Ryan got into London’s skin even more by claiming that Matt Hardy could kick his ass. London chased Joey out of the ring to end one awkward segment. This wasn’t even very entertaining; it was just strange.

El Generico defeated Kenny Omega via pinfall (super brainbuster) - I don’t know why, but I’m not sure if I enjoyed this match as much as a lot of other people did. Calling this one a MOTYC may be going a little too far, PWG fans. There was a lot of intense action, but only a couple of spots stood out to me in the end. The Hadouken by Omega was nicely done and it really looked like he had Generico down for the three count. The finish, though, is what definitely made this match. After referee, Rick Knox, nailed Omega with a leaping clothesline, Generico quickly followed it up with a corner yakuza kick. BRAINBUSSSTTTTAAAAAHHH~! Game, set, and match. Rick Knox had taken a lot of physical abuse from Omega throughout the bout, so this seemed like the ultimate revenge. ***¾.

Austin Aries defeated Necro Butcher via pinfall (chair-assisted brainbuster) - Before the bell rang, Aries challenged Necro to a pure wrestling match. Necro displayed his excellent technical ability by putting a random fan in a hammerlock for about thirty seconds. To take a shot at Necro for being in The Wrestler, Aries went up for the Ram Jam, but missed. A guillotine crusher by Necro onto two chairs was not enough to put away the “Greatest Man That Ever Lived”. Austin wrapped his boot with a steel chain and knocked Necro out cold with his signature corner dropkick. Aries then followed things up with a spine-chilling brainbuster onto a steel chair for the win. This was a fun match, but it definitely dragged at times. ***.

Chris Hero defeated Human Tornado and Colt Cabana to retain the PWG World Championship via pinfall (rolling yakuza kick) - About five minutes into the match, Colt Cabana came out to a thunderous reaction. He explains to Hero and Tornado that Dino Winwood has put him into the title match, now making it a three-way. Hero and Cabana worked as a unit early on, absolutely decimating Tornado. Human Tornado fought back, though, eventually knocking a tooth out of the mouth of Chris Hero. After sending Cabana out of the ring with a rolling elbow, Hero rocked Tornado inside with a sick-looking rolling yakuza kick for the three. I honestly think that this bout could have surpassed four stars, but it was just way too short. ***¾.

Following the match, Chris Hero offered Colt Cabana a singles match for the PWG World Championship in the future. Cabana gladly accepted, shaking Hero’s hand. A dazed Human Tornado then grabbed a microphone, requesting to make a peace truce with Chris Hero. Tornado extended his hand out to Chris, but he refused to shake it.

Paul London, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson beat Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, and Karl Anderson via pinfall (shooting star press) - London is sporting a sweet, new attire. The dangling pieces on the sides of his boots remind me of Sora’s character model from the Kingdom Hearts series. Horrible comparison, I know. Paul botched a frankensteiner on Lost right at the beginning of the match, leaving the crowd believing that he was definitely going to start showing some ring rust. Aside from his back giving out on him while picking up Joey Ryan, London was absolutely spotless from that point on. The Young Bucks nailed a 450 splash and moonsault combination, only for Paul London to score the eventual pinfall with the shooting star press. When it was all over, London received one hell of a “please come back” from the fans. Paul briefly got on the microphone afterwards, saying that this particular moment was one of the greatest times of his entire life. Best match of the show. ****.

This DVD should absolutely be picked up by all independent wrestling fans. For just twenty smackers, it’s a great steal. Nearly three of the matches on this show hit the four star plateau. Believe me, I’m not such an easy grader, either. For the most part, the Reseda crowd was terrific. The fans definitely added a special atmosphere to all of the matches on the show.

I may have overrated the main event a little bit, but only because Paul London is one of my favorite wrestlers of all-time. Seeing him return to the independent scene after basically suffering for five years in the WWE was a spectacular and overall, relieving, thing to witness.

Once again, absolutely go out of your way to get this event on DVD. I can assure you that it’s worth every single penny. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of this event for yourself, click here for ordering information.

- Anthony Perillo

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