“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson is on his way to World Wrestling Entertainment. Say it out loud, right now. It still doesn’t sound right, does it? I mean, the first two words in the company’s name fit Dragon perfectly. He is “worldly”, honing his craft on every continent habitable, fighting within the borders of every country that truly cherishes this sport. And “wrestling”? For the last five years, on the independent circuit, he has been wrestling, perhaps the only legitimate coast-to-coast draw left in the indy business. But Bryan was more than just the best in the country. That ain’t how the nickname goes. It’s brazen, borderline arrogant…and as accurate as sun is scorching. “Best in the World”. World. This was not a man who settled upon dominating one country, oh no. He would travel to Europe with PWG as its world champion, infuriate the chant-crazed, diehard German über fans in wXw, and make the fans “oh” and “ah” on his biggest stage, Pro Wrestling NOAH. And it was in NOAH that he achieved some of his greatest moments: defending the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title, challenging for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Titles, and facing off against legends of puroresu such as Jun Akiyama, Kenta Kobashi, Yoshihiro Takayama, and Mitsuharu Misawa. Here’s a look back at Dragon’s ride within the company, tour by tour.

……………Bryan Danielson’s first tour in NOAH can only be considered a success. After his confrontations with KENTA in Ring of Honor, during a three-way involving Samoa Joe and a ROH Title match in which Danielson, despite a severely separated shoulder, came out victorious, fans in Japan took notice of Dragon and treated him with uncommon respect for a debuting wrestler, let alone a debuting gaijin. Danielson spent a majority of the tour tagging with fellow gaijins and NOAH veterans Bison Smith and Eddie Edwards. His first match in the company saw the trio take on Akitoshi Saito, Ricky Marvin, and his international rival KENTA. He would go on to tap out Marvin in the match securing the win for his team. In the opening nine bouts on his first NOAH tour, Bryan would gain a total of six victories, five of which he earned himself with his feared Cattle Mutilation submission. His tenth and final match of the tour would be against KENTA in the Yokohama Cultural Hall. NOAH, perhaps sensing fan response growing for Dragon, declared the contest a “Special 45-minute Match”. Danielson would suffer his first and only fall on the tour after getting put down by KENTA with his Go 2 Sleep maneuver.

…………...Dragon’s second tour with NOAH started similarly to the previous one; he participated in a six-man tag, once again at the Korakuen Hall, once again gaining a victory, though he did not get the fall himself. In quite an odd pairing, Bryan teamed with Joe E. Legend and future WWE Tag Champion Ted DiBiase. It was Legend who got the pinfall that night, and Danielson would go on to tag with Joe E. and Ted in much the same frequency as he did Bison and Eddie on the previous tour. This tour would prove to be an up-and-down affair for Danielson; his record of 7-10 on this excursion was much worse than the 6-4 record from his previous tour, but unlike his first one, he took no falls. Furthermore, he participated in his first main event on a NOAH show, teaming with Bison and DiBiase in a losing effort against a trio lead by puroresu legend Mitsuharu Misawa. He would go on to main event three other shows that tour, all in six-man tag matches, all losses. His final match on the tour was his debut in the revered Nippon Budokan Hall, NOAH’s largest venue. Danielson’s triumvirate lost, but because he was never pinned or submitted, he lost no favor in the eyes of the Japanese fans.

……………Only two months later, Bryan began his third NOAH tour, this time as a participant in the NTV Junior Tag League Tournament. Once again, Danielson would take no falls on the entire tour. He and his partner, Davey Richards, would compete against some of the best junior tag teams in the world: Naomichi Marufuji and Kota Ibushi, Kotaro Suzuki & Ricky Marvin, fellow Ring of Honor roster members The Briscoes, and KENTA & Taiji Ishimori. Of the five tourney matches Bryan and Davey had, they had three losses. The two non-losses were against KENTA and Ishimori, which went to a draw, and Suzuki and Marvin, the latter of which Danielson pinned with a jackknife cut-back pin, Bryan’s first pinfall victory in NOAH. This would prove crucial, and would turn out to be the loss that cost Suzuki and Marvin the tournament, won in epic fashion by KENTA and Taiji after Suzuki and Marvin failed to beat the Brisoces before the match’s time limit expired. Danielson’s last match of the tour was contested at the Budokan and saw him team with Rocky Romero and ROH rival Nigel McGuinness. Once again his squad fell, this time to the team of Takeshi Morishima, Mohammed Yone, and Go Shiozaki.

……………In late March of 2008, Dragon began what would become his longest tour for Pro Wrestling NOAH: a nineteen-match, month-long stay in Japan. His time away proved fruitful, as this was statistically Bryan’s best NOAH tour to date. Of the 19 contests Danielson competed in, he won 14 of them, getting 10 of the falls himself, including one pinfall and 8 contests in which he tapped his opponent to Cattle Mutilation. Of note was the fact that, for the first time in his NOAH career, he landed a submission win without using his signature move: against Atsushi Aoki, using a modified neck lock. Despite his impressive 14-5 record on the tour, including an 11-2 start, he did have his share of downs. For the second time Dragon would be pinned, this time tagging with Go Shiozaki against the team of KENTA and Marufuji. Marufuji picked up the win, becoming only the second man to beat Dragon in a NOAH ring. The match, lauded by the fans in attendance, has yet to see the light of day, and will probably remain so. The tour ended on an all-too-familiar note: Danielson’s partner taking the fall at the Budokan Hall, this time in a standard tag match.

…………...A couple of weeks later, Dragon would be back in NOAH, starting the expedition in fantastic fashion. First, he tapped Atsushi Aoki at the Korakuen Hall with a triangle choke, followed by a submission victory via the neck lock over BJ Whitmer the next night in Differ Ariake. But it was his third night that proved most eventful for Bryan. Once again at Differ Ariake, Bryan would see his first victory in the main event of a NOAH show. Bison Smith, along with Bryan and Akitoshi Saito, bested a team lead by Jun Akiyama with his finishing maneuver, the Bisontennial. Danielson would go on to once again take no falls and amass an 8-4-1 record, the draw being a highly-touted contest with tag partner Yoshinobu Kanemaru against KENTA & Taiji Ishimori. This would lead to a tour-ending GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Title shot against KENTA & Ishimori at the Coventry Skydome in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, Bryan’s partner, Eddie Edwards, would succumb to KENTA’s Go to Sleep, once again ending a tour on a sour note.

…………...62 days later, on his sixth tour, it was once again time for the NTV Junior Tag League. With partner Davey Richards returning with Danielson, both men set out to make a much bigger splash than they had in their previous attempts to win the tournament. Facing several of the same wrestlers as the previous tournament, the duo found much more success this time around. They would not reach the finals, but they did amass a 3-2-1 tourney record, their only losses being to the young duo of Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kota Ibushi, and to the eventual tournament winners, KENTA and Taiji Ishimori. Despite getting statistically knocked out of the competition rather early on, Dragon would persevere, winning his final three NTV Cup matches, his last five matches overall and, with the help of Davey Richards, finally netted his first win at the Budokan. Davey got the pinfall victory over Kento Miyahara as Danielson held Kento’s partner Naomichi Marufuji at bay. Bryan would finally depart a tour with a win, but that would not be the story upon his NOAH return. Less than a week later, after a hellacious title match with Yoshinobu Kanemaru at Ring of Honor’s Tokyo Summit event, Bryan Danielson won GHC Jr. Heavyweight champion.

…………...Danielson’s first defense of the GHC Jr. Title came at Ring of Honor’s Glory by Honor VII event against the man that pinned Davey Richards and accounted for one of Dragon’s two tournament loses during the second NTV Junior Tag League: Katsuhiko Nakajima. Dragon was victorious, earning the right to enter his next tour with NOAH as one of its champions. This was another tour that had its share of ups and downs. Unfortunately for Danielson, the first challenger for his GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title was a man that knew him all too well: KENTA, still the only man at that time who had bested Dragon in a singles match in NOAH. A Go 2 Sleep later and Danielson was now a former champion and 0-2 against his rival. Shockingly, this would also be the first time that Danielson took more than one fall on a tour; Bison Smith, the man that tagged with Danielson so frequently when he started out in NOAH, pinned him in a six-man tag using the Bisontennial. Things picked up directly afterwards; Dragon would main event the next two shows, teaming with Nigel McGuinness and Doug Williams. For the first time, Dragon picked up the fall in both main events, tapping Atsushi Aoki and Ricky Marvin using Cattle Mutilation. Once again, his tour ended with a loss at the Budokan Hall. It would be almost nine months before Danielson would return to tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH. Unbeknownst to fans at the time, it would also be his last.

…………...Bryan Danielson’s final ride in NOAH was, fittingly, his third attempt to win the NTV Cup. This time, his partner would be Roderick Strong. He started the tour with a six-man tag in his final appearance at the Korakuen Hall. New partner Strong picked up the win for partners Dragon and Akitoshi Saito. Once the tournament began, Dragon and Roderick won their first match-up against the bizarre tandem of Genba Hirayanagi and Kikutaro. Unfortunately, that would be their only win of the tournament. The other two tourney matches, against the teams of Kota Ibushi and Atsushi Aoki and, of course, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori, were hard-fought loses, the KENTA & Ishimori match actually main eventing a show in Akita. Dragon, who had taken his team’s fall the night before to Takeshi Rikioh, took the fall in his tag match against KENTA as well, the first time he took falls on back-to-back shows. His last match in NOAH was a victory over a trio lead by Tsuyoshi Kikuchi; he did not pick up the fall. (Roderick did, using a powerbreaker.)

There’s a scene in the film Good Will Hunting where Ben Affleck’s character Chuckie explains to Matt Damon’s character Will, the mathematical genius, why he can’t work construction for the rest of his life like Chuckie and his friends. “It’d be an insult to us if you’re still here in 20 years,” Chuckie declares, “Hangin’ around here is a…waste of your time.” This has been a long understood truth about Bryan Danielson since…hell, since the first time he faced KENTA one-on-one in New York City. You just knew that if he somehow, someway didn’t move higher in this business, it’d be an absolute tragedy. In the film, Chuckie would go on to express his desire to show up at Will’s door one day, like every day, and instead of coming out the front door…Will would be gone, having moved on to bigger and better things. That’s what it felt like when I first read that Dragon had signed; it was a bittersweet sense of pride. We, the independent faithful, had the privilege of watching a budding legend long past gratuity. He never got the chance to get a pinfall or submission in the Nippon Budokan Hall. He never beat KENTA in a Pro Wrestling NOAH ring. And, if there is any justice in the world, he never will. The “American Dragon” has ascended. The sky’s the limit.

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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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Kevin and Jerome are back for more shenanigans. This week, Qumar Zaman joins them to discuss his thoughts about the Chicago show from Saturday. The WWE’s formerly secret Pay-Per View also discussed, and we also end things on a bit of a down note. But there’s still more than enough to enjoy. Click on and listen.

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I know what you’re thinking. It’s not Saturday. What the hell is this goofball doing reviewing ROH this week? Does this guy just like seeing his name print? While that is indeed true I’m a placeholder for this week until one of our new writers joins the party. There will be a number of changes coming to “Pro Wrestling Ponderings,” changes that I’m very excited about and will be addressing on Monday. With all that being said…

ROH on HDNet for June 20, 2009

-Taped from a garbage can in South Philadelphia

-Your hosts are the tortoise and the hare

We begin proper with a graphic announcing the passing of Mitsuharu Misawa. Glad they got this in even though the show has been in the can for quite some time.

BREAKING NEWS: Austin Aries is the new world champion. Wait, didn’t they tape this before the title switch? How did they know? Wait… wrestling is planned? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

We awkwardly transition to the first match which is…

-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Necro Butcher

Great, two of my favorite guys in Ring of Honor right now. I picked a great week to review this television show. Apparently, I can follow Claudio on his Twitter. Since I’d feel like a twat for using Twitter, I think I’ll take a pass. And while I know this wouldn’t be an issue in the olden days, should we really be following heel wrestler’s Twitters? “Today, I’m going to beat up a babyface. LOL.”

We go back to last week before the match begins to when Necro saved Grizzly Redwood. I think the problem with Necro in ROH is that he’s become way overexposed and basically a cartoon character. Necro is best when he’s allowed to have wacky brawls all over buildings and take bumps. Even better is that because certain people in ROH don’t want “too much” and telling people to “Grab a hold, kid” Necro is stuck wrestling boring matches.

Speaking boring, this match was the very definition of that. Not that there was inherently anything wrong with the work, but it was so non-descript and boring that I forgot everything as soon as it was over. Necro doing a monkey flip is cute, but he does nothing for ROH (and this is very sad for the record) he’s in chair-throwing brawls and taking punishment. Jimmy Rave interferes. Claudio hits the ricola bomb for the win.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

-Rave and Claudio beat down Necro after the match until Brent Albright makes the save.

-Back to last week again as Austin Aries hit then world champion Jerry Lynn with the belt. They promote the fact that they’ll have PHOTOS of Aries of champion. Guess they don’t want to hurt the replay.

-The high comedy of the week comes next as Nevaeh cuts a promo. I remember her cutting a promo at a CHIKARA show and thinking it was one of the worst promos I’d ever heard and no way should this amateur hour ever be showcased again. Well, not only it is showcased , BUT ON TELEVISION. This promo was no buys. Least she’s hot.

-Non-title: MsChif (w/Jimmy Jacobs) vs. Neveah

-After that sterling promo, I’m pumped. Although compared to the DIVAs on WWE, this was a borderline classic. Still non-descript and boring though. The Crowd was not into this at all. At all. There wasn’t any cheering or booing. I heard a few catcalls, and that’s about it. This was just an extended squash. The ending comes when Jimmy Jacobs tries to get in the ring but MsChif sprays mist into the eyes of Neveah. She hits The Desecrater for the three count. If that sounds familiar, it’s cause it’s similar to how the first match ended. Let’s move on.

-Colt Cabana joins us for “The Art of Pro Wrestling” with Brent Albright. It’s just an excuse to shill for DVDs, but I was actually entertained and I hope to see more of these guys together. Albright answering Colt’s question of what to do with people who ask questions by saying “Punch them in the balls” is the funniest line of the week.

-Winner: MsChif

-We get to see PHOTOZ! of the title switch.

-Highlights of Ric Flair’s final speech to the Philadelphia crowd. Don’t care.

-Kenny King (w/ Rhett Titus and the ho train) vs. Kenny Omega

-Mike Hogewood says he talked to the ladies before the show. Wonder he let them slap his porpoise. We backtrack four weeks to see Kenny Omega upset King in a three-way match beforehand. I actually like both guys and see a ton of potential in Kenny King, so this could be the best thing about the show.

King’s cockiness once again gets the best of him, and he falls to the Omegaplex. This was probably the best non-main event on any of the HDNet shows. Great athleticism and reversals with a couple highspots for good measure. I’d really like to see a regular program between these two because I could see them elevating each other. Good little match… finally.

-Winner: Kenny Omega

-Eddie Kingston vs. Andy “Right Ledge” Ridge

Let me get this straight. Neveah gets a promo, but Eddie Kingston doesn’t? Who is writing this show? Ridge looks like a Low Ki rip-off. This was a squasheroo with extra roo. Always fun to watch Kingston beat people up. Hopefully this feud with Hero, something that’s basically exclusive to television, turns out well.

Winner: Eddie Kingston

-A look at the history of Delirious and Jimmy Jacobs since they have a “Fight Without Honor.” This leads into a promo as Kyle Durden interviews Jacobs. I mentioned this in my review of “Take No Prisoners,” but Jacobs has gotten so mundane and the promos have not been anywhere close to what he was doing in 2007.

-Roderick Strong vs. KENTA

-Main event time and the crowd finally wakes up from their slumber. What a brutal start with chops and kicks being exchanged between these two. I did notice the time and was well aware right away that they wouldn’t get a chance to tell a proper story. They just had to include give matches on this week’s show instead of the usual four. Don’t get me wrong. This was easily the best match of the show and very entertaining, but I’ve seen KENTA have better matches with far worse opponents because he was given the time. This felt like KENTA/Strong-Lite… although KENTA’s purple chest would make you think otherwise. KENTA wins with the Go 2 Sleep. Least it was solid and clean.

Winner: KENTA

Final Thoughts: This very much felt like a television product as opposed to a wrestling product. There was way too much going on in this 50 minute period with five matches, promos, and even some discussion about the world title change that took place last week. I think next week is going to be worlds better with a double main event of Delirious/Jacobs and the tag title main event. But alas, we’ll have a new writer beginning next week. Until then, see you this weekend for what could be my last Smackdown review.

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As I was in the process of working on the comeback edition of “Stating My Case,” a column that was featured weekly on the old Cool Kids Table website, I learned of the untimely death of Mitsuharu Misawa while perusing the news updates at the Dragon Gate USA website. Initially, I attempted to work my feelings about Misawa’s passing into that column. But the more I wrote, the more I realized I had quite a lot to say about the subject. This is not “Stating My Case.” I have no case to state, and I have no need to limit myself to the amount of words necessary to sum up my feelings. In the end, I decided to dedicate a complete column to arguably the greatest wrestler in the history of Japan, Mitsuharu Misawa.

A wrestling tragedy.

To me, there’s something incredibly redundant about that statement. As a fan of the sport, I’ve come to accept the fact that wrestling and tragedy make frequent bedfellows. It doesn’t seem like we can go long enough for the scars to heal properly before we suffer fresh wounds. Between the pressure on young stars to perform at a much more accelerated rate and time catching up with the heroes of yesteryear, time has proven to be less kind to the world of professional wrestling. This isn’t just another one of those wrestling tragedies. An upper echelon mainstay for the past twenty years and elder statesman who was an ambassador for the sport has left us, and it happened under tragic circumstances.

Mitsuharu Misawa may not have deeply impacted my personal life the way Bret Hart or Chris Benoit did, but I take this loss to heart just as much as any other. He played an integral part in the development of my wrestling fandom, as the name Misawa became synonymous to me with Puroesu. But to the Japanese fans, he was more than just a wrestler. He was wrestling period. In fact I would go so far as to say that he is a cornerstone in the history of the Land of the Rising Sun. This is a loss in the vein of Rikidozan, Jumbo Tsuruta, and Giant Baba, but perhaps even more so because of how Misawa helped to bring All Japan to the forefront of pro-wrestling in the early 1990s and continued that tradition when he founded Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2000.

Watching Misawa wrestle is unlike anything I have ever seen as a wrestling fan - truly what I would call a one of a kind experience. There was nothing graceful about Misawa’s style, it was just sheer brutality. Even in the later years when his body had visibly begun to break down on him, he took the hardest hits and gave back twice as hard. Watching him waylay opponents with that cylinder block-like roaring elbow or drop his opponents with a Tiger Driver ‘91 was cringe-inducing. I had the privilege of seeing him live in person at Glory By Honor VI Night 2 at the Hammerstein Ballroom when he defended the GHC Title against KENTA in what was a respectable showing - a moment I will cherish even more now that he has passed on.

This is a double-edged sword of a situation, in that Misawa’s death could and couldn’t have been avoided. People always made comments in passing or at length in various articles about how broken down Misawa’s body had become. In late 2008, I did a piece on how Kurt Angle needed to retire not just for the sake of legacy, which was being tarnished by TNA, but for the sake of his personal well-being. The same could have been said for Misawa. Perhaps the saddest news to come forth in the wake of Misawa’s death is word from the front office that he had planned to retire sometime at the end of the year to focus on his entrepreneurial endeavors.

There’s something surreal about the notion of Misawa dying in the ring. In so many ways it’s tragic and kind of eery, but at the same time, it seems almost appropriate. It has something of a mythic quality to it, which in itself is tragic and eery. The parallelism between Misawa and the story of Randy “the Ram” Robinson in the movie “The Wrestler” is odd because it’s a case of life imitating art imitating life. It almost seems redundant (particularly in such a high contact sport such as this) to ask “how many more do we have to lose,” but you can’t help but ponder such a question.

It’s sad to think that Misawa will never get a hero’s sendoff. He will never wrestle one last singles match against Kobashi or Akiyama, or have the chance to truly pass the torch to Morishima or Shiozaki. It’s sad, I think most of all, because it’s anticlimactic. It was a career and, in this case, a life cut tragically short. Like Bret Hart or Eddie Guerrero, we as fans will never have the good fortune of witnessing one last dance, the kind of sendoff a hero and legend like Misawa was so deserving of. But obviously, the most important thing is that a life has been lost, and it didn’t have to end in such a fashion.

There are many things I will miss about Misawa. His ever-present stoicism. Hearing “Spartan X” and the explosive chant of “Mis-a-wa! Mis-a-wa! Mis-a-wa!” that always accompanied it. The pageantry of his ring entrance and the adoration shown night after night by his legions of fans. The roaring elbow. The Tiger Driver. Emerald Frosion. All those things are the kind of elements that define what wrestling is all about, but Misawa was truly a one of a kind figure who many the world over have since tried to imitate, but will never duplicate.

My thoughts are with the family of Mitsuharu Misawa in this time of mourning. My thoughts are also with the staff of Pro Wrestling NOAH, especially Akitoshi Saito - I hope you are at peace despite this terrible tragedy. I want to send a very special thank you to RD for running Green Destiny, which kept me abreast of the goings-on in NOAH for the three or so years that I followed the promotion. I know Misawa won’t be just another one of those wrestlers who died and will drift into obscurity, because he was just too big of a man for that to happen. But I hope we all continue to pay homage to him by watching his matches and remembering how much he gave to the sport.

The Matches
These, in my somewhat limited knowledge of Puro, are five of the essential Misawa matches. Of course, a list of twenty matches would still be an incomplete list, but these are five that stick out in my mind that anyone and everyone who considers his or herself a fan of wrestling should see before they die.

vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, June 8th, 1990 - This is the match where young Misawa became a superstar (the All Japan equivalent of Hart vs. Austin from Wrestlemania 13). The torch was passed this night as the smaller Misawa put up an incredible fight against Tsuruta and came out on top in a tremendous effort from both.

vs. Toshiaki Kawada, June 3rd, 1994 - This is the one match that people who know nothing about Puro talk about. It is generally looked upon as the greatest match in the history of Japan and one can easily see why. One of the stiffest, most hard-hitting matches you will ever see.

with Kenta Kobashi vs. Kawada & Akira Taue, June 9th, 1995 - Four legends of wrestling. Two iconic teams. One title. Any words I can conjure up wouldn’t adequately describe such an unrequited classic. I can safely say in all my years of watching wrestling and all of the matches I have seen that this is not only the greatest tag team match of all time, but one of the greatest matches ever.

vs. Kobashi, June 11th, 1999 - My favorite of all their title matches, and the last (at least until their match in NOAH) in a string of annual title matches between the two that left my absolutely breathless. If Misawa hitting the Emerald Frosion on Kobashi at the end of this epic marathon to retain the title doesn’t make you pop, nothing will.

vs. Kobashi, March 3rd, 2003 - The start of Kobashi’s legendary two year title run, this was the last of their one on one matches, though this time for the GHC Title. If you thought Misawa and Kobashi were too old and broken down at this point, wait until you see what they do to each other off the entrance ramp.

Domo Arigato Misawa-san, and may you live on forever in our memories and our hearts.

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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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