Pro Wrestling Ponderings

09/07/09 ROH on HDNet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Something pretty amazing happened this past Saturday. As I looked around my room and perused my DVD collection, I realized that I was basically caught up. Everything up to Double Feature II for Ring of Honor was watched. I had completed CHIKARA and PWG weeks ago. It was at this time that remembered a sale TNA was holding in honor of its’ 7th anniversary. A number of TNA DVDs were put on sale for just seven dollars. PLUS, you could get free shipping if you spent over 40 dollars. Being a DVD whore, I bought six TNA DVDs. I was ready to CROSS THE LINE.

Zack Danielson is one of the fine writers for “Pro Wrestling Ponderings.” He reviews WWE Superstars and TNA Impact. He is a die-hard TNA fan who is one of the people on this little internet that actually enjoys the product. Later on this month, he’ll be heading down to Orlando for the “Victory Road” Pay-Per-View and two of the three Impact tapings to held later in the week.

Having all these TNA DVDs to watch combined with Zack going to TNA live, I’ve decided to CROSS THE LINE in a big way. For the next month, I am going to give TNA one final chance. I am going to watch the television shows, the DVDs I purchased and watch Victory Road. The next three weeks of “Ring Around Wrestling” will detail my efforts to survive a month of TNA. I will also review “Victory Road.” This will all be in preparation for Zack Danielson’s first ever podcast as he will most likely join Kevin Ford and myself.

This is TNA’s chance. I actually gave them an opportunity the night of their very first show on June 19, 2002. This show… what a mess. It was so disorganized. Mike Tenay, Don West, and Ed Ferrara had zero chemistry and were talking all over each other the whole night. The Gauntlet for the Gold was an awfully terrible way to declare a new NWA champion. Not to mention they put the belt on Ken Shamrock (and his ridiculous sideburns). I stuck with them the next week cause there really wasn’t a whole lot else to watch
during the summer.

It was in week 2 that I discovered A.J. Styles. Of course, independent wrestling fans Ring of Honor fans had long ago discovered him, but he wrestled in a match that should have been the basis for everything TNA was built on. It was Psychosis, Jerry Lynn, Low Ki, and Styles had one of the most incredible matches I’d ever seen up to that point. Even now, it’s still quite memorable and one of my favorite matches.

I was in and out of following the product over the next couple years. Having Vince Russo return to an on camera role, having too many title switches, and having Jeff Jarrett as the long term NWA champion, did not exactly hold my interest. Then TNA lost all their television and became the must-see company.

It was in the summer of 2005 when TNA lost their deal with Fox Sports Net. They had long ago given up on weekly Pay-Per-View, but were now were without a television outlet. Jeff Jarrett all of a sudden lost the NWA championship. The X Division was emphasized more than ever as Samoa Joe made his TNA debut. Christopher Daniels was in the midst of his six month title reign. Austin Aries, Sonjay Dutt, Matt Sydal, Roderick Strong, and Alex Shelley also came in to stengthen TNA and the X Division.

From the summer of 2005 until the spring of 2006, TNA put on its’ best shows ever. There were great matches with Styles, Daniels, and Joe in various forms. Perhaps their finest match, maybe the best match in the history of the company, took place at Unbreakable. It was a three way dance and many fans and experts (including Dave Meltzer) have given the match five stars. TNA was so good at this point that a group of friends and I were ordering the shows.

The Vince Russo signed up once again to book, and TNA has been dying a slow painful death. Impact is more of a parody of a wrestling show with a lot of once legendary performers acting more like circus monkeys then real professional wrestlers.

Regardless of the last seven years, this is an opportunity for TNA to wow me, to get me to watch their television program on a weekly basis. One more chance. Don’t screw it up.

Next week, I’ll be providing mini-reviews of at least two of the DVDs and talk briefly about Impact from this week.

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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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