RING OF HONOR REBIRTH: STAGE TWO
Hi there. If you don’t read my regular column, I usually write more about the storytelling aspects of wrestling; I usually mention ringwork as only one part of the larger picture of the general wrestling product. That doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate good wrestling; I actually think it’s essential, and that any product with out it is incomplete. But I’ve always gravitated toward wrestling products with a strong storyline. I’m not like Gordi or Ditch–I don’t have a lot of familiarity with the more in-ring focused product associated with Japan or the US indie scene.
I do, however, enjoy a change of pace every now and then. I’m not entirely unfamiliar with the Ring of Honor product; about a year and a half ago I bought a couple of tapes from them to get an idea of what everyone was talking about. The tapes were of some of the very early shows–the Round Robin Challenge and the Road to the Title. I liked them both, but with a few caveats: 1. The match quality seemed to vary a lot. Both tapes had a couple of really great matches, a couple of good ones with a few great moments, and a few matches that I just couldn’t get into at all. 2. There was a pretty sharp division in the quality of the wrestlers too. There were clearly a few guys who the fans were clearly totally into–Christopher Daniels, Brian “American Dragon” Danielson, AJ Styles, and Lo Ki clearly being the very top guys. A few of the lesser-known names grew into fan favorites as well–most notably Spanky, Paul London, and especially Homicide. But others, like Prince Nana, clearly faded back into the obscurity in which they belonged. 3. Call me shallow, call me unsophisticated–but the presentation was terrible. I know that not everyone has the budget that Vince McMahon enjoys, and I know that ROH had to work with what it was handed as far as venues in Philadelphia, but that doesn’t change the fact that both tapes seemed pretty amateurish.
But that was a long time ago. Most of the big names which the company relied on in those early days have since gone on to other places (mostly Japan, but some to TNA). However, ROH has benefited from an influx of talent from all over the country. This is the theme for this show–a spotlight on those talents who have come into the company since those seminal first few months of 2002 (with the exception of one match–more on that later). These are wrestlers who, for the most part, I hadn’t had the chance to see in action yet. So I was eager to watch this when I saw that Widro had sent it to me in the mail. And then real life caught up to me, and I’m just now getting to review it.
Since I’m not a workrate expert like Gordi or Scott Keith, I’m not going to try to write this as a straight-up recap. Instead, I’ll evaluate the DVD from the perspective of someone who enjoys all sorts of wrestling, but actually still enjoys much of the current WWE product. I’m not a disgruntled fan–I think I’m more like an open-minded fan. So I’m not trying to find something to replace the WWE; I would consider ROH more as a supplement to my current viewing habits. I’m also writing this as someone who doesn’t follow the indie scene very closely, and who wants to see the next generation of stars before they’re famous (yes, I know, I should really be watching OVW if I want to see that). So for those of you who are already up to speed on ROH and the US indie scene, think of this as a chance to see what an outsider thinks of the product you enjoy so much. For the rest of us, think of me as your guide into a world you might not know so well.
At the risk of being redundant, let me reiterate that this is not is a recap. I’m not trying to give you the results of the match, but a review based on my experience viewing the match. If you do want results, there are plenty of other places on the internet to find them. One final thing you won’t get from me: Rob Feinstein jokes. Cause what’s the point, really?
TECHNICAL NOTES
Having reviewed the ROH shoot interview with 2 Cold Scorpio, I expected similarly poor production values here. Much to my surprise, however, there was a real DVD menu, and a list of chapters (each chapter is, logically, a different match). The lighting is much better here as well, as is the sound (except for the house mic, which is terrible, but you hear similar complaints about WWE house shows, so whatever). The show seems to be taking place in a much cooler-looking venue than the place ROH was using in Philadelphia, back when I saw them last. There are two cameras here, so you get a pretty good look at the action. There also seems to be some mobile lighting to go with the cameras, as all outside the ring action is brightly lit. Finally, there are two announcers for most of the DVD–Chris Lovey (who is, in reality, Gabe Sapolsky, the booker for Ring of Honor) and CM Punk. Punk is pretty good, and Lovey/Sapolsky is tolerable. The only major problem is that both announcers occasionally get somewhat repetitive about certain details. On the other hand, both (especially Punk) do a good job selling the psychology of the matches.
THE MATCHES (AND BACKSTAGE STUFF)
Backstage Junk I
Brian Danielson, subbing for Samoa Joe, demonstrates some submission techniques for home viewers when Homicide interrupts. This is really just a way to reveal that, the previous night in St. Paul, Homicide blew a fireball in Samoa Joe’s face. The announcers will repeatedly note this throughout the DVD.
Next up: an English guy (who turns out to be Nigel McGuiness) congratulates Matt Stryker on his title shot. Then, strangely, the cameraman counts down and a guy with a ponytail and a suit interviews Stryker for the “real” segment. That’s weird. Stryker announces that he’s going to try to work over Samoa Joe’s leg in their match. Then they break scene again. That’s just weird. There’s something about Stryker that reminds me of Edge, by the way.
Someone named Becky asks Special K why they’re not returning her calls. Then some jerk (who turns out to be Jack Evans) comes in, breakdances, and tells Becky she’s been served. This skit made me long for the sophisticated comedy of Triple H having various items removed from his rectum.
1. Ace Steele vs. BJ Whitmer
The background: Ace Steele, CM Punk, and Colt Cabana are the Second City Saints, so named for their shared hometown of Chicago. And that’s just where tonight’s show is taking place. Whitmer belongs to the Prophecy, which I believe is Christopher Daniels’ stable. He hates the Saints.
The match: Well, before it can get started the Briscoes (who will be facing Punk and Cabana later on) run out and one of them (Jay, I presume) hits the Jay Driller (double underhook piledriver) on Steele. This brings out Punk and Cabana, who clear the ring. CM Punk takes this opportunity to talk about some of his favorite Chicago matches, and being back in Chicago in general. The Briscoes pull him out of the ring, triggering a brawl to the back. The highlight of the match is probably a reversal sequence as each guy tries to hit his finisher. The match was kind of short, though–really just a way to build heat for the main event. I guess it was short simply to add credibility to the Jay Driller or something–Steele was too hurt to go very long, etc. It was okay for what it was, I guess.
The performers: This match didn’t really tell me anything about these two guys. They seemed more than competent–I’d just like to see more is all.
2. Justin Credible & Masada vs. Shawn Daivari & Delirious
The background: ROH has always been big on “who will get future bookings?” as a motivation for winning matches. That’s pretty much the only story going on here. Daivari (the guy who’s managing Muhammad Hassan in the WWE, but possibly under a different name–I can’t remember now) and Delirious (some guy wearing a green mask) are Midwestern talent, and are hoping to impress ROH officials enough so they’ll be asked back.
The match: Some psychology as Daivari and Delirious work on Masada’s back. Not a lot of flashy moves–Credible hits That’s Incredible (a spinning tombstone piledriver–I always hated that move) and Daivari hits the Magic Carpet Ride (a truly idiotic move in which Daivari takes his prayer carpet–more on that later–and “rides” it as he performs a splash on his opponent). The best looking move came from Masada. He started doing a fisherman’s suplex, then twisted Delirious and knelt on one knee, driving Delirious’ neck against his outstretched knee. It looked pretty cool. Other than that, this match left me unimpressed. At this point I was wondering if the new ROH was worth the effort to follow.
The performers: I’ve always hated Justin Credible, and this didn’t change my feelings about him. He let his partner take all the painful-looking offense. Delirious was really just spazzy–and not in a fun way. Masada was probably the best of the bunch–I’d like to see him again, preferably in a match which better showcased his talents. Worst of the lot was Daivari, for whom I’ve lost all respect. When he got into the ring, he knelt and “prayed” on a carpet that he later used for his stupid move. After hitting it, he gesticulated at his crotch and yelled something in Persian (I presume, since that’s what he’s apparently speaking on Raw). This guy isn’t doing his current Arab-American gimmick because he’s frustrated with prejudice against his ethnic group; he’s doing it because he’s totally shameless.
3. Chad Collyer vs. John Walters
The background: Walters is the ROH Pure Wrestling Champion. This title is only defended in matches with special rules, the most important one being that each competitor is only allowed three rope breaks per match. Walters recently beat Collyer while defending this belt, a loss Collyer attributes to the three rope break rule. At Collyer’s insistence this match is under regular rules. For what it’s worth, CM Punk seems to think Walters has scurvy and should eat more fruit. He’s also fascinated by the horse on Collyer’s trunks (yeah, I don’t get it either).
The match: By far the best so far, and probably my favorite on the DVD. There’s a really cool story going here, as Walters has to use the ropes to break Collyer’s submission on three occasions. The psychology is pretty cool too–Collyer works over Walter’s leg, which subsequently prevents Walters from laying in the sharpshooter as effectively as normal. There weren’t a lot of high spots, but all the strikes were stiff and pretty realistic looking (especially the European uppercuts). My favorite move came when Walters seemed to have Collyer set up for an Electric Chair Drop. But instead of falling over, he threw Collyer over his head, causing Collyer to land HARD on his ass. A great match–it would be unusual to see it in the WWE, but not totally out of the question (so long as Benoit, Guerrero, and Angle are working there).
The performers: These were the first guys on the DVD who struck me as world-class wrestlers. Both worked very smoothly, but with a lot of impact as well. And the psychology was good, as previously noted. I’ve heard that Walters isn’t especially charismatic, but he can work a great match. Collyer was actually under WWE contract at one time, and has also appeared in TNA. I can’t believe he never caught on in either group. He’s not especially big or anything, but I’d much rather see him than Orlando Jordan or Tyson Tomko. Oh well. I bet they wouldn’t let him use “Hair of the Dog” as his entrance music.
4. Four Corner Survival Match:
Nigel McGuiness vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Rocky Romero vs. Austin Aries
The background: This is another of those “career advancement” matches. There’s no particular reward or stipulation, but Lovey and Punk imply that the winner will be more likely to get title shots, future bookings, etc. This is Midwest native Aries’ debut in ROH (I think), and the crowd is familiar enough with him to chant his name. Romero is one half of the Havana Pitbulls, who just debuted in ROH the night before; they’ve previously wrestled Mexico and Japan, and apparently have quite the reputation. McGuiness is English (I think–maybe he’s Irish), and is something of a ROH regular. Rave is another ROH regular.
The match: I expect matches like this (especially in Ring of Honor) to be chaotic spotfests. Well, there are certainly enough spots in this match, but there’s a surprising degree of psychology at work, as well. That’s largely the work of Romero, who works over the arm of anyone he’s paired with for any length of time. The unlucky victims are Aries and Rave, but it’s really the latter who gets the brunt of the punishment. Single arm DDTs, kicks to the arm, and a variety of exotic submissions are parts of the punishment delivered to Aries’ and Rave’s arms. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a fourway match that didn’t degenerate into spot after spot–there are certainly some spectacular spots and flashy moves in this, but it’s all logical in the end. This was the first match that made me feel like I was really missing out by not following ROH (and US indies) more closely–you will never see a match like this in the WWE.
The performers: I was really impressed with all four participants. Aries used a variety of neat submissions, and had some really athletic moves. The highlight was probably a sequence with Jimmy Rave. Rave, in a sitting position, had Aries in a head scissors. To get out, Aries stood on his head and somehow used the momentum to flip and dropkick Rave square in the mouth. Rocky Romero probably had the weirdest submission–something almost impossible (for me, at least) to describe called the Lady of the Lake. Not a submission that you could use all the time (the opponent has to willingly take the hand of the person doing the submission), but it was neat to see here. Romero also has an extremely fast delivery on his kicks that was reminiscent of Lo Ki (the announcers made that comparison as well). McGuiness was pretty well balanced, and had probably the best charisma of the group (the rest having that Lo Ki-style “all business” type of persona). McGuiness’ high point was a sequence with Rave in which he was always a step or two ahead of him–crawling through his legs, faking a diving of the ropes, and feigning a test of strength. Plus his theme music was the Clash version of “I Fought the Law.” Rave was the least flashy of the group, but I thought he sold everyone’s offense especially well (particularly the arm). Any of these guys would work well in TNA, and any of them would probably be frustrated in the WWE’s cruiserweight division (except for McGuiness, who seems to be tall enough to work as a heavyweight).
5. Brian Danielson vs. Homicide
The background: As previously noted, Homicide blew a fireball into Samoa Joe’s face the night prior to this match. So Homicide has only recently turned heel–and Lovey/Saplowsky goes on and on and on about how he doesn’t like “this new Homicide.” Which is pretty silly, since I’m pretty sure the “old” Homicide was a pretty maniacal figure too (as the name implies). The other thing which Lovey and Punk both blather about during this match is that Danielson and Homicide are old hands–so Lovey in particular keeps saying that this is a match to determine who is the “patriarch” of ROH. Patriarch? So does this mean that the winner can tell Samoa Joe that he doesn’t get any allowance unless he does the dishes?
The match: There was sort of a weird story to this match. Homicide worked over Danielson’s neck the whole time, which was good, but pretty conventional. The interesting thing was Danielson’s strategy against Homicide. When brawling outside, Homicide tried to punch Danielson, who in turn ducked out of the way. Homicide’s hand struck the barricade hard enough to injure it. So the rest of the match Danielson works on Homicide’s right hand–modifying submissions so that the pressure was on the hand rather than the arm or shoulder. Homicide sold the injury the whole way through, though one might question why it took him 3/4 of the match to figure out that he was going to have to use his left hand for striking. Anyway, a match already featuring great psychology was made even more memorable through the hand injury twist. Either this or the fourway match was my second favorite match on the card.
The performers: I was already a fan of Danielson, but I hadn’t seen enough of Homicide up to this point. My first impression: he’s shorter than I thought–meaning that he would probably have a Tazz-like career in the WWE, minus the announcing gig. Having said that, I can understand why so many people would like to see him get the chance to wrestle on a national stage. Yes, his act would certainly be neutered (no more Cop Killer, even under a different name), but I saw enough here to make me think that Homicide has enough natural charisma and ring smarts to succeed even with a compromised version of his character. At one point he begs off, and suggests that he and Danielson go to the back and “smoke some weed” (as that hipster Lovey puts it). At the end of the match, he won’t shake hands because his hand is so hurt. Classic stuff. As for Danielson–what more can be said? He’s an incredibly versatile worker, very much in the mold of Chris Benoit. And the Cattle Mutilation is probably my favorite finisher in all of wrestling right now. Mark my words–eventually Vince McMahon will cave in and realize that the WWE is better with him than without. The question is whether Danielson will think he’s better off in the WWE than out of it.
Backstage Junk II
Another interview with Matt Stryker, in the same style as the last one: chit-chat followed by the “real” interview. I just don’t get this. Anyway, Stryker responds to rumors that, should Samoa Joe fail to appear, he will be awarded the belt. Stryker doesn’t want to win it that way. Before the official interview ends, Chad Collyer butts in to remind Stryker that he’s beaten him three times, and he might as well just surrender the belt to him if he should happen to beat Samoa Joe. Okay, now I’ve got some idea of why Collyer might have been released: he’s kind of a hayseed. Then again, so was Jamie Noble, and he managed to turn that in his favor. Stryker still reminds me of Edge. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a developmental contract with the WWE one of these days (again, if he wants one).
6. Ricky Reyes vs. Danny Daniels
The background: Reyes is the other half of the Havana Pitbulls. Daniels is some local guy who is “looking for more Ring of Honor bookings” or something. That’s about it for background.
The match: Not a squash, but probably the closest thing that you’ll see in ROH. Here’s an indication of how seriously we’re to take this match: right in the middle of it, they cut backstage (yes, on a ROH tape of a months-old show they cut backstage) to tell us that Samoa Joe had just arrived in the building. Yeesh. Strangely enough, Daniels got in most of the offense until the end. I really don’t understand why the Pitbulls weren’t booked as a tag team.
The performers: Daniels seemed okay–I liked a lot of his offense. Reyes mostly sold, and did a pretty good job. I don’t really know what else to say–Rocky Romero impressed me more than Reyes, but I think he had a stronger showcase for his talents. Then again, he’s probably got the stronger reputation, from what I understand.
7. Tag Team Scramble:
Jack Evans & Matt Sydal vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Alex Shelley vs. Loc & Devito vs. Dunn & Marcos
The background: Evans and Sydal have never tagged before. Jacobs and Shelley have (but Shelly attacks Jacobs post-match, as he’s the one who gets pinned). Loc and Devito are part of the Carnage Crew. They’re still pissed about somebody defecating in their bags a few months ago, and they’re looking for the culprits. I guess that they’re questioning suspects by wrestling them, or something. Dunn and Marcos are the Ring Crew Express, and are basically a comedy team that never wins.
The match: Spotfest. By about halfway through, it’s devolved to one of those things where somebody does a killer move, and then another guy sneaks up behind him and does his killer move, only to be surprised by another guy who does his killer move, etc. There’s also a ring dive segment. If you like spots, you’ll like this. There’s also some hard striking from the Carnage Crew, if you’re into that.
The performers: Okay–let’s see here. Jacobs seems to be mostly a comedy guy–he has a barbarian gimmick, and is wearing fuzzy purple boots (a Bruiser Brody impersonation, more or less). And he’s probably about 140 pounds at the most. Shelley is pretty good–lots of interesting offense. I liked the Carnage Crew. They’re big tough guys who do legitimate high impact stuff–kind of like an more exciting version of the Acolytes or Dudleys. If WCW were still around, I’m guessing they would have signed these guys by now. The Ring Crew Express are, as noted above, a comedy team. They were okay. Matt Sydal seemed to be lost in the shuffle–I don’t remember much about him one way or the other. Jack Evans probably had the strongest reputation out of all these guys, but I hated him. He has a really stupid haircut, and all he does are unnecessarily flip-intensive variations of preexisting moves. I don’t get it. I don’t think CM Punk does either, as he’s all but seetheing with contempt for Evans. At one point Punk calls him “Flippenstein,” which pretty much encapsulates my thoughts on Evans as well.
8. ROH Championship Match:
Matt Stryker vs. Samoa Joe (c)
The background: As the announcers have mentioned ad nauseam, Homicide blew a fireball in Samoa Joe’s face last night. And, as the mentioned ad nauseam during this match, he has a burn on his face. This is probably the most annoying performance from the announcers on the entire DVD–out of the blue, Punk or Lovey will expound on just how disgusting the burn is, regardless of what might be happening in the ring at the time. And it’s not half as nasty as they make it out to be (I’m assuming it’s makeup). As for Stryker, his story is that he’s worked his way up from prelim guy to title contender in the space of a year. That’s about it.
The match: Good stuff, but not Joe’s best work, I would imagine. Stryker gets a little offense, but mostly this is all about a pissed off Samoa Joe blowing off steam. The psychology is mostly Stryker’s failed attempt to work over Joe’s leg. Not a psychological masterpiece, but I appreciate the nod to strategy (and it’s not often that I’ve seen a failed strategy look so convincing in a worked match). A brief aside: I’ve noticed that small promotions like ECW and ROH can have their champ defend the belt against challengers who have absolutely no chance of wining the title from them, but the WWE (like WCW before them) gets lambasted for having Brock Lesnar defend against Bob Holly at a PPV. Not a criticism of the IWC or anything–just an observation. Maybe ROH and ECW fans just like to watch their champs eradicate their opponents more than WWE fans do.
The performers: I can see why people like Samoa Joe–he’s a straight-out bruiser, kind of like what the WWE would like us to believe Undertaker is. But Joe doesn’t move in slow motion–he’s always working. And I think his offense is more believable (probably because he’s not totally pulling his punches–or forearms, as the case may be). He’s good, and hopefully more people will get to see him wrestle someday. I’ve already mentioned that I like Stryker’s charisma, and he’s got good height. He didn’t get in much offense, but what I saw was pretty good. More importantly, he’s a good seller. He might not get the attention of some of the other ROH guys, but his selling deserves some commendation.
Backstage Junk III
Alex Shelly verbally abuses Jimmy Jacobs, who mostly just takes it.
9. ROH Tag Championship Match:
CM Punk & Colt Cabana vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe(c)
The background: Nothing I haven’t mentioned before. Punk and Cabana are 2/3 of the Second City Saints stable, and are the hometown favorites in this match. The Briscoes are the ones who attacked their buddy (and stablemate) Ace Steele earlier in the program.
The match: I watched this thing twice before writing this just to make sure I was giving this match a fair shake. It was okay. If it were on any other card, or in any other position on the card, I probably would have liked it more, but it just didn’t stand up to some of the other matches on the card (particularly Collyer-Walters, Danielson-Homicide, and the four corners match). It was a good match, but there might have been a bit more comedy/crowd-playing than I like. The highlight, as far as that sort of stuff goes, came when Punk atomic dropped one of the Briscoes (I couldn’t really tell them apart, except for up close–I think Mark is the one with a cross tattoo on his left arm) so that his foot landed on the other’s crotch. Their legs tied up, Cabana and Punk flipped them over and put them in stereo Camel Clutches. My favorite moment in the match came when both Briscoes were chopping Punk in the corner. Punk managed to fight back, but then Jay (I think) got frustrated and threw him back into the corner. Then they chopped the hell out of him ’til he slunk down in the corner. I don’t know why, but I thought this was a really cool moment. The sickest spot of the whole show arguably came in the finish to this match, as Punk hit a botched Pepsi Plunge (a top rope pedigree) that planted one of the Briscoes (seriously, by the end of the match it was impossible for me to tell them apart) square on the head. Ouch.
The performers: Punk’s got a good look (he’s a pretty handsome fellow, but in a rugged way, which seems to be what someone in the WWE is going for), good offense, good selling, and a good presence. I can see why he’s considered one of the top indie workers in America, and I’d expect that those of you haven’t yet seen him will some day. Colt Cabana’s kind of a goof–which is his gimmick, I think. He has kind of a Potsie from Happy Days quality. His theme song is a Barry Manilow song, for God’s sake. He’s entertaining, but I don’t think I saw enough of him to appreciate him as much as some folks. Or maybe I’m just not into his act. As for the Briscoes, I would be shocked if they don’t end up in the WWE eventually (unless, of course, they don’t want to go there). They’re really, really young still, and they seem like they have decent size (though I’m guessing they’d need to begin a WWE-style “conditioning program” before they’d be seriously considered). Plus they’re virtually indistinguishable, always a good quality for a sneaky heel tag team.
Backstage Junk IV
Samoa Joe finds Homicide, and they go into the bathroom together to take care of some business. Joe doesn’t let the cameraman in. I’d make a joke, but it’s too obvious.
The Carnage Crew deliver a stupid and repetitive promo vowing revenge for the bag defecation incident. Is this really the best they can come up with for storylines?
Back to the bathroom door–but the cameraman dare not enter….
CM Punk cuts an intense promo, interrupted by Colt Cabana blowing a noisemaker in his face. He’s wearing a tuxedo t-shirt, and there’s a room full of people armed with kazoos and party favors. Sadly, the use of the kazoo does not rise to the level established by Edge and Christian. Punk looks back in the camera and says, “My life is a war.” Okay.
Back to the bathroom! The cameraman summons all his courage to enter–and he finds a bloodied Samoa Joe and Homicide lying on the floor. And that’s it.
PARTING THOUGHTS
From what I understand, this was considered a good ROH show, but not a great one. This, of course, makes me wonder just how good those other shows are, because this was, top to bottom, one of the most solid cards I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t in to everything (I guess I’m not into spotfests as much as some), but nothing sucked, and everyone (except maybe Justin Credible) was working really hard. I enjoyed this much more than the shows I saw earlier in the supposed golden days of the promotion.
Speaking as a WWE fan who’s generally pretty satisfied with their product, I really enjoyed this DVD. I’d recommend it to anyone in a similar boat who’s looking for something new, or looking for a new DVD to pick up for the Holiday season. Some of the other recent DVDs might be stronger; in fact, if I were looking to buy some more ROH stuff, I’d probably start with one of their comp DVDs (probably the Brian Danielson one). But for those of you in my situation, you could definitely do worse than this DVD as an introduction to the promotion. I’d definitely recommend it over the earlier shows I’ve seen.
My one criticism: their stories and backstage segments are terrible. I’m not sure exactly what they’re going for, but I’m not getting it. But no one’s watching ROH for their stories, so you can take that criticism in a fairly high sodium kind of way.
