Welcome back to AMR where this week we have the Top 20 Feuds of ROH history. Don’t look here for the PWG Chikarticles, which will be up as its own column later today! We do, however, continue the best ROH coverage with weekend previews and will have the coverage to back it up as the shows happen this weekend.
News of Honor
Mike Quackenbush wins the Ted Petty Invitational and IWA-MS Title, but is injured and will miss this weekend’s shows to heal up for Japan next week
Congrats and get well soon to Quack. He’s a great wrestler and all the success is long deserved.
Mark Briscoe is out this weekend and El Generico is questionable
Well, a singles match looks in the offering for Kevin Steen, and Jay already gets to face Necro Butcher No Holds Barred. See our preview for more on this. Stay off the damn motorcycle Mark.
Matt Sydal has reported to OVW
Good luck Matt. Hopefully you try all the time and get a major push.
Hallowicked was added to Boston
Hopefully he teams with Delirious in Edison as well. More Incoherence please!
John Cena is hurt and out 6 months to a year
I don’t usually report WWE news, but WWE put all its eggs in one basket with Cena and I’m very curious what they will do without the man who was this year’s frontrunner for MVP.
This Week on Pulse Wrestling
I discussed who should be pushed and depushed in TNA this week. Some choices will surprise you and ROH fans should really read this.
Andy Mac is back with a look at the stable wars of ROH. He has one absurd statement in there that I take him to task for in the comments. Sign up to our forums and reply as well!
Yet more from me as I reviewed the Battle of St. Paul.
Chris Sicoli continues the Summer of Punk with its best show, Escape from New York.
Clark discusses Misawa vs. Joe which will make me mark out immensely, regardless of quality.
Mark Allen compares WWF in 1990 to WWE now and discovers that the same archetypes are in place.
Brashear is back to the crap after one good week as he covers Nash vs. Scott Steiner. Yeesh.
Blatt vs. ECW in which ECW pushed Viscera despite it making no sense in context, thus flushing away a lot of accrued goodwill.
If you like Indy wrestling check out the live Ted Petty Invitational coverage.
A Modest Response: The Feuds of ROH
Last week, amidst much controversy on the ROH Boards, I unveiled my Top 20 Rivalries of ROH, managing to miss 2-3 biggies. This week, due to popular demand, I will be covering the Top 20 Feuds in ROH history. Just like last week, three matches are the minimum and the best match (or matches) will be italicized. I attempted to put an emphasis on ring work here.
20. Brent Albright vs. BJ Whitmer (Fifth Year Festival: NYC, A Fight at the Roxbury, United We Stand)
Brent Albright was paid by Lacey to take out Whitmer and in attempting to do so, pissed Whitmer off. These two fought in a variety of hardcore matches, but their first, a tables match, was the best. It’s edited a bit on DVD and not as good as it was live, but it established Albright as a force, a trend he continued in beating Whitmer again. The first match is about **** and really should be seen. The selling here is weak, but the drama is high and these two have good chemistry. I’m pretty sure I forgot something that would bump this, but that one match makes it not a bad choice at all, and the others are at least good.
19. AJ Styles vs. Jimmy Rave (Second Anniversary Show, Third Anniversary Celebration Part 2, The Homecoming, Glory by Honor IV)
Jimmy Rave was established in the business entirely by AJ Styles so when he went heel and turned on AJ, it was a major move. Rave stole AJ’s Styles Clash finisher and as the pompous ass err, Crown Jewel of the Embassy made AJ’s life hell. The matches are solid, but this feud really did a lot for Rave and was prominent, making it a definite for the list.
18. Jack Evans vs. Roderick Strong (All Star Extravaganza III, Good Times Great Memories, Live in Osaka, Caged Rage)
When Roderick turned on Austin Aries, he soon laid out the other major member of Generation Next, Jack Evans. Jack has since had three normal singles matches and a surprisingly short cage match with Roderick. The matches all feature Jack getting beat on, his back twisted into absurd positions, then flipping around on a comeback. It’s really only interesting the first time or two, but it’s a simple story the crowd usually digs. The addition of Jack’s Vulture Squad should make this livelier.
17. Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal (Manhattan Mayhem, Steel Cage Warfare, 4th Anniversary Show)
Joe was Jay Lethal’s mentor, rescuing him from the career quicksand known as Special K. Joe taught Jay to be his own man, but when Jay won the Pure Title, Joe was quick to request a match to take it from him. That match is among the best Pure Title matches, as Jay is a very good underdog. Being beaten by his mentor and finding out how much more than Jay that Joe makes drove Lethal to attack his mentor and turn heel. The heel turn was reasonably effective, but Lethal as a heel didn’t work great and the matches suffered. Still, this was effective at creating a heel that could challenge even the ROH Icon, Samoa Joe.
16. Jimmy Rave vs. CM Punk (3rd Anniversary Part 3, Manhattan Mayhem, Nowhere to Run)
Rave and Punk was sort of a placeholder feud that worked way better than it had any right to. Punk is a fabulous face and, at this point, very over from his Joe series. Rave is a great, arrogant heel and really makes fans hate him. They go at it in a series of violent matches reminiscent of what Punk did to Raven years earlier with less heat, but the Dog Collar Match at Manhattan Mayhem is very good and the Nowhere to Run cage match is even better than Punk’s with Raven, plus the Punk victory provides an iconic ROH image of Punk jumping up the cage in celebration.
15. Paul London vs. Michael Shane (Honor Comes to Boston, Unscripted, All Star Extravaganza)
London and Shane were both graduates of Shawn Michaels Texas Wrestling Academy. Two of the top students, they just hated each other. They wrestled in quite a few tag team matches and a very good three way besides these matches, but Unscripted is a star making classic of a match. Shane has apparently deteriorated in ring unfortunately, but he was a great cocky heel here and London is an all time great underdog face.
14. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels (Glory by Honor 2, Night of Grudges II, Vendetta, Dragon Gate Challenge)
Joe was brought into ROH as a member of Daniels Prophecy, but soon split off to join the rival Group. Since Joe won the coveted ROH title, their feud intensified until they finally had their first singles meeting. Their next would wait until years later due to Feinsteingate with Daniels desperately trying to procure a victory over Joe. The matches are all very good because they have such good chemistry with each other, but only the first and the last are great. Surprisingly, their best match is actually in TNA where they had a considerably hotter feud.
13. 2nd City Saints vs. Prophecy (Battle Lines are Drawn, Scramble Cage 2, Reborn Stage 2, Round Robin 3, Reborn: Completion, Death Before Dishonor 2 Night 2, The Homecoming, Redemption)
When the Prophecy injured CM Punk’s girlfriend, his whole stable went after the group. During that time frame, however, Chris Daniels left the company and Punk was left to do battle with his underlings through Death Before Dishonor 2. The Saints and Prophecy matches were great, with the finale of their series at the aforementioned DBD 2 Night 2 being particularly memorable for the chair riot and all that ensued afterwards. Eventually Daniels returned and put on a great hour draw with Punk before Punk left for WWE. Unfortunately their issue was left unresolved or this would likely rank more highly.
12. The Briscoes vs. Samoa Joe (Wrath of the Racket, Tradition Continues, Final Battle 03, Battle Lines are Drawn, The Last Stand, At Our Best)
The Briscoes in 2003 to early 2004, at the instruction of Jim Cornette, came after Joe’s ROH World Title. The matches were good, but they were unable to beat the big Samoan. Joe in turn took several partners to try and go after The Briscoes, but was unable to score a tag victory against the great brother tandem. In the end, Jay had one last shot at Joe in a steel cage and Joe made him pay for it, causing Jay to bleed an unbelievable amount in one of the best cage matches in ROH history.
11. Low Ki vs. Jay Lethal (Midnight Express Reunion, Death Before Dishonor 3, Redemption, Glory by Honor IV)
I hate to admit this, but Lethal was absolutely great in this feud. There is no match italicized here because all are between very good and great. Ki is an awesome monster heel, beating on the underdog Lethal who is cast in the absolute perfect role here. The feud was amazingly booked and fans were actually rooting heavily for Lethal to get his win back over the ROH icon Low Ki. Great face-heel and favorite-underdog classic wrestling here.
10. Homicide vs. Colt Cabana (Night of Tribute, 4th Anniversary Show, Dragon Gate Challenge, Better than Our Best)
Homicide decided to kill Cabana for thinking he was a thug and set about torturing the fun loving Chicago native. The matches aren’t good early, but absolutely shocking in the violence Homicide inflicts on Colt including pouring drano down his throat. The final match is a great spectacle as Colt desperately tries to earn Homicide’s respect or just kill him before Homicide does the latter.
9. Resilience vs. The No Remorse Corps (Fifth Year Festival: Chicago, Supercard of Honor 2, This Means War II, Good Times Great Memories, Respect is Earned, A Fight at the Roxbury, Death Before Dishonor V Night 1, Death Before Dishonor V Night 2, Caged Rage, Manhattan Mayhem 2, Man Up
This one is still going. Austin Aries and Roderick Strong were the heads of arguably the best stable and best tag team in ROH history. Roderick then decided he wanted more spotlight and turned on Aries. Both men began stables and had a few very good matches, particularly Aries vs. Strong at Supercard of Honor 2, but Aries being pulled to TNA stalled out the feud. Since Aries returned, the feud has picked right back up with several great matches that should be on DVD any time now. Keep an eye out for them and see why Aries, Strong, and Stevens are all main event level talents.
8. Alex Shelley/The Embassy vs. Generation Next (Manhattan Mayhem, The Final Showdown, New Frontiers, The Homecoming, Redemption, Punk: The Final Chapter, Night of Grudges II, Dragon Gate Invasion, Joe vs. Kobashi, Unforgettable, Enter the Dragon, Buffalo Stampede, Showdown in Motown, Survival of the Fittest 05, Vendetta, Steel Cage Warfare)
Alex Shelley was the leader and creator of Generation Next, but when Aries took over and won the title, they left Shelley with no friends. With no one willing to trust Shelley, he joined the Embassy and began taking the fight to his former stablemates. All of these matches are at least very good, with Aries vs. Rave, Strong vs. Shelley and especially Aries vs. Shelley being truly great, standout matches. They finished the feud in a War Games match, which I am a total mark for and is one of the most underrated great matches in ROH history.
7. Homicide vs. Team Cornette – Generation Now, Gut Check, Glory by Honor V Night 2, Survival of the Fittest, Motor City Madness, Suffocation, Honor Reclaims Boston, The Bitter End, Dethroned, Chicago Spectacular Night 1 and Night 2, Final Battle 06)
After Homicide saved ROH (see #1), Jim Cornette turned on him. Homicide wanted a title shot and Cornette promised one, so since he wouldn’t break his word, he just set an army against Homicide. ‘Cide fought through the challengers in matches of varying quality, building heat and momentum until he finally got to Bryan Danielson at Final Battle ’06. Great matches are sprinkled throughout, but this earns its spot by being one of the better title chases in recent memory.
6. Low Ki vs. The Prophecy (Era of Honor Begins, Round Robin Challenge, Crowning a Champion, Unscripted, All Star Extravaganza, Revenge on the Prophecy, Bitter Friends Stiffer Enemies, Tag Wars 06)
At the start of ROH Low Ki represented the honor and respect the company stood for. He was a warrior putting on classic matches every time out. Chris Daniels was a veteran who thought honor and respect were stupid and went out of his way to cause ROH as much trouble as possible. He formed the Prophecy to this end and Low Ki did everything he could to destroy Daniels. Ironically, eventually, when Daniels returned and stood for ROH, Low Ki, now with no respect finally beat him and refused the long denied handshake.
6. Homicide vs. Samoa Joe (Scramble Madness, Do or Die, Empire State Showdown, The Conclusion, Reborn Stage 1, Generation Next, Death Before Dishonor 2 Night 1, Battle of the Icons, Fifth Year Festival: Finale)
Homicide and Samoa Joe have a very long history, from friendly rivals early on to Homicide’s desperation to take Joe’s belt and then seriously injure him later, back to Joe trying to take Homicide’s belt in a more friendly rivalry, these two covered all the bases in ROH. They do not have the best chemistry, with their second match almost unquestionably their best and their Reborn Stage 1 the most important. Their matches are all pretty much between *** ½ and **** ¼ stars, but the rivalry and enmity made it feel like so much more for nearly each and every one of their numerous meetings (first and second to last excepted).
5. Homicide vs. Steve Corino (1st Anniversary, Bitter Friends Stiffer Enemies, War of the Wire, Steel Cage Warfare, The Bitter End)
Homicde and Steve Corino have permanently marred each other, caused a riot, and beat each other with barbed wire. The feud really intensified when Homicide permanently cost Corino hearing in one ear with a slap and went on every time Corino came to ROH thereafter. The second and third matches are absolute classics, but every one is a spectacle of violence from guys who really seem to hate each other.
4. Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer (Dragon Gate Challenge, In Your Face, Gut Check, Fifth Year Festival: Finale, Supercard of Honor 2)
Jacobs and Whitmer were partners and like brothers, but when they accepted being the new Lacey’s Angels, Jacobs fell in love with Lacey and Whitmer got sick of that costing them matches. They then spent a year trying to kill each other with some of the best character development and interaction in company history. Jacobs became darker and darker as he tried to cripple Whitmer for the love of Lacey while Whitmer beat Jacobs more and more. The finale is one of my favorite feud enders in wrestling history and built to perfectly. The Jacobs promo at the end of All Star Extravaganza 3 is among the best I’ve ever heard and this is all absolute must see stuff.
3. Raven vs. CM Punk (Expect the Unexpected, Death Before Dishonor, Beating the Odds, The Conclusion)
Raven is a grunge druggy extreme icon. CM Punk is a straight edge young wrestler who wants to destroy everything Raven represents. The tension these two built organically is phenomenal and this is the absolute closest we’ll ever get to the original ECW again no matter how badly CZW wishes otherwise. The Wrestlerave promo might by my favorite ever anywhere, not just in ROH and the great matches and ECW style booking make this feud an all time classic.
2. Briscoes vs. Steen and Generico (Fifth Year Festival Philadelphia, Fighting Spirit, Driven, Death Before Dishonor V Night 1, Caged Rage, Manhattan Mayhem 2, Man Up)
This is the most recent feud on the list just wrapped up with a reportedly ***** ladder match. Everything these guys touched was hot and if the feud didn’t drag a bit at the end it might have been number one, but given what number one is, probably not. They went from great wrestling to trying to kill each other for the tag titles organically, putting on great matches every single time they met. As Gabe would say, this is state-of-the-art wrestling at its finest.
1. ROH vs. CZW (Best in the World, 100th Show, Weekend of Champions Night 1, Weekend of Champions Night 2, How We Roll, Ring of Homicide, In Your Face, Throwdown, Chi Town Struggle, Death Before Dishonor IV, War of the Wire 2)
These two companies stand for opposing points of view and their feud made for the best, most heated invasion style angle ever. This was absolute perfection, with every major player having a role, surprises left and right and great, heated matches to see which the better promotion is. The Cage of Death at Death Before Dishonor IV is amazing, one of the best booked and most smartly worked matches I’ve ever seen. This feud is wrestling perfection
Ring of Honor Weekend Previews: 10/5 in Boston and 10/6 in Edison
10/5 in Boston
ROH World Title Match
Takeshi Morishima © vs. Kevin Steen
Morishima is a beast of a man and Steen has finally moved on, having lost his big for the tag titles to the Briscoes. He’s a bully, which surely won’t work against Morishima who’s just bigger and badder than Steen could hope to be. Steen has no shot, but this should be fun. Morishima will smash Steen, which he richly deserves.
The Rivalry is Back On
Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
This is a best of three series to see who gets a title shot in NYC in November. These two have amazing chemistry. They’re usually in four star matches and Danielson is on an absolute tear right now. This should be very good, if not great, and a fine match from which to build a series. I love the early build matches in feuds and since the series is going to go to three matches the winner doesn’t matter, but I’ll pick Aries here.
Tag Team Scramble
Jack Evans, Ruckus, and Jigsaw w/ Julius Smokes vs. Roderick Strong, Rocky Romero and Davey Richards
The Vulture Squad have a nice advantage in this match in that it’s a scramble and these guys are major high fliers. Jigsaw, for the record, I like as the final member of a team that’s meant to be the best fliers from around the indies. I still want Kingston, but I can wait for the perfect time for that. The NRC have a major advantage here, as well. They have teamed together a lot more than the VS and many of those, including Driven and Death Before Dishonor V Night 2 which they won, were contested in a tag free style. The NRC should use their superior experience to get the win here, building heat for future encounters.
Grudge Match #1
Chris Hero w/ Sweet and Sour, Inc vs. Claudio Castagnoli w/ Daisy Haze
Hero and Claudio were moved off the PPV to compete here. I have a feeling this was moved so it could try and steal the show without restraint due to the other major matches going on the next night for the PPV taping. I’m calling a MOTYC from these two. There >b?Manhattan Mayhem 2 match was great and barely tipped the iceberg on what they’re capable of. I expect more here and Hero to win to keep things going.
Age of the Fall Gauntlet
Jay Briscoe vs. Jimmy Jacobs and Necro Butcher
I hate to put it this way, but with Mark hurt, Jay is f*cked. This will likely go similarly to Fighting Spirit‘s Briscoe vs. Steen and Generico match which you can find reviewed here
Grudge Match #2
Delirious vs. BJ Whitmer
There is a mighty good reason for this as Whitmer turned heel, joining Pearce and Albright by stapling Delirious’s mask to his head. After this sick spectacle, Delirious is insane but not just normal Delirious insane. Now he’s insane with rage. He will likely win here, but take a beatdown and spend the next few months as the Hangman’s Three whipping boy.
Tag Team Attraction
Erick Stevens & Matt Cross vs. Brent Albright & Adam Pearce w/ Shane Hagadorn
This is to move up the tag ranks and hopefully challenge the Briscoes. Albright and Pearce are new and could surely use a victory, however their lack of experience looks to cause them trouble against guys who have been regular partners for awhile and The Resilience should win. I’d expect tag formula here, with Cross playing Ricky Morton and Stevens taking over. He’s got the most potential in this match and will likely pin Pearce.
Four Corner Survival
Nigel McGuinness vs. El Generico vs. Tyler Black vs. Hallowicked
I wish I could say I was looking forward to this more, but Nigel is so far ahead of these guys and with a title shot tomorrow, he really should win. Generico is a bit hurt, Black is busy with his Briscoes feud, and Hallowicked was a last minute addition. It’s possible Black beats Hallowicked, but I wouldn’t bet on it. One interesting longshot would be the AOTF messing with Generico, leading to them facing Steen and Generico a bit. Still, I’d guess they keep this simple and Nigel wins.
10/6 in Edison PPV Taping # 4
ROH World Title Match
Takeshi Morishima vs. Nigel McGuinness
Morishima faces Nigel for the third time here. In their second match Nigel showed remarkably unable to adapt to Morishima to better face the behemoth, so I’m not confident on his chances here. If Nigel is to be made a star for Pay Per View, he should win here, but barring that (and I really doubt he’s to be made a star), the belt stays on Morishima in a great match. This match will Main Event the PPV portion of the match.
Anything Goes Match
Jay Briscoe vs. The Necro Butcher
This will main event the non-PPV portion of the show and will be a great wild brawl. With luck it will completely outshine Jay vs. Kevin Steen’s last man standing match, which was hugely disappointing. These are two of the best brawlers on the planet and this can be a lot of fun, with Necro winning to build to the teams big tag matches.
Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong
The NRC and Resilience leaders finally face each other for the second time in a ROH ring. Aries and Strong are both absolutely great, so this match will be awesome guaranteed. Both are undefeated on PPV, but the feud is wrapping up so the NRC can move on to the VS. I’d expect an Aries win so he has momentum for his series with Danielson.
Loser Of The Fall Leaves ROH For 60 Days
Matt Cross & Erick Stevens vs. Davey Richards & Rocky Romero
These guys have fought so often that it’s getting redundant, but at least we won’t see it again for 60 days. That allows them to have a great match with no conscience about building to something later. I expect the Resilience to go over strong here, being the only faces to win with Romero taking the fall so he can head back to Japan for a bit.
Adam Pearce, BJ Whitmer & Brent Albright vs. Delirious & ?????
No idea who Delirious is going to chose, but I really hope for Hallowicked and Generico. The Hangman’s Three should win here and beat the crap out of Delirious so they can draw some heat. I’m not looking forward to this.
Sara Del Rey vs. Daizee Haze
Sara and Daizee don’t have great chemistry. Daizee is a bad wrestler and Del Ray will carry her to something decent. Del Ray deserves better.
Jack Evans & Ruckus vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black
I really hope this is on the Pay Per View as everyone here is so strange as to really show ROH as something different. Jack and Ruckus do flips that you cannot see anywhere else. Jacobs has a totally unique evil emo gimmick and Black has some very interesting moves. AOTF should win or this will go to a no contest due to their uncontrollable tendencies.
Danielson is also promised to be in a main event quality match which, of course, I am extremely excited for. Danielson vs. Hero, Claudio or even Steen would be awesome.
