Pro Wrestling Ponderings

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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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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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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