Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic

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As regular readers are aware, I’ve recently begun to appreciate the greatness that is Ring of Honor. Their more realistic, hard-hitting, anti-sportz entertainment approach is exactly what I’ve been looking for in professional wrestling. Fortunately for me, I just got my hands on the 17 July 2007 “Live in Osaka” DVD from ROH’s first tour of Japan, featuring talent from local promotions Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling NOAH alongside the ROH regulars. Other than the two pay-per-views I reviewed previously, this is the only full ROH show I’ve seen so far. So how did I enjoy it? Read on

TODAY’S ISSUE: A look at Ring of Honor’s Live in Osaka DVD

The show begins with the No Remorse Corps bragging about tearing up the town after the Tokyo show last night and pimping their matches for tonight’s card. But wait! There’s a crawler at the bottom of the screen directing the viewer to the “Video Wire” selection on the main menu. It’s a series of advertisements for ROHwrestling.com, followed by a match between Takeshi Morishima and Adam Pearce a week before the featured show took place. The ring mic allows Pearce to be heard clearly yelling, cussing, and jawing with the champ throughout the match, keeping things interesting. I don’t get all the Repo Man references; guess I’ll have to ask Glazer.

Now it’s back to the main feature.

Jimmy Rave v. Bryan Danielson. After the introductions, CIMA makes his way to the ring and shakes the hand of the American Dragon. He welcomes ROH to Osaka, but the NRC cuts him off and attacks. Naomichi Marufuji comes down to help Danielson and CIMA run off the heels, and Dragon asks Marufuji and CIMA to team with him against the NRC later tonight – there’s your main event.

But Rave is still in the ring, and he didn’t come all the way to Japan not to fight. He throws out an open challenge, answered by ROH World Tag Team Champions the Briscoe Brothers. The champs already have a match tonight but they offer Rave a shot, and out comes Rave’s tag team partner from Dragon Gate, Genki Horiguchi to answer the challenge of the Briscoes.

ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Jay and Mark Briscoe v. Jimmy Rave and Genki Horiguchi. Horiguchi has a unique and bizarre look that really makes him stand out from the crowd. The match is contested under Dragon Gate rules, allowing partners to switch in and out of the ring without tagging. The Briscoes showcase their red-hot offense and smooth tandem attacks without letting things turn into a blurry spot-fest. Instead, the match tells a story and develops at a steady pace. I was surprised to see Mark Briscoe knock down Horiguchi with a Khali-like open hand chop to the top of the head. Not sure if that’s a Japanese thing, or what. I have no experience with puro. Anyway, back to the match

These guys embody excitement. Every strike looks hard, every flying attack looks devastating, every stomp looks swift and powerful, and every maneuver looks like it flat out hurts. While their belts are missing-in-action due to airline troubles, the Briscoes retain their championship thanks to the wicked Spike Jay Driller finisher to Rave, who correctly sells the impressive move like he’s been shot. Outstanding opening contest.

After a little clip of the “video diary”, we’re back to the action.

BJ Whitmer v. Nigel McGuinness. Nigel is in exceptionally good spirits tonight. They start with some very skillful chain wrestling, immediately setting a different tone from what the opening tag team match employed. The two grapplers appear to have a great amount of respect for each other, as indicated by the frequent clean breaks against the ropes. But as you might expect, eventually the chivalry is replaced with intensity, and the action becomes more heated. I get my first look at Nigel’s hammerlock “Divorce Court” attack, and in a word, ouch. Whitmer throws an exceptional exploder suplex, countering out of a Tower of London attempt by McGuinness.

You can always look forward to some vicious lariats when Nigel’s on the card, and this match is no exception. McGuinness scores the pinfall following a barbarous rebound version of the Jawbreaker Lariat, nearly knocking Whitmer’s head off. This is much more of a “classical” wrestling contest, and the difference in style between this and other matches on the card works beautifully. Very enjoyable match.

Another video diary break, and then we’re back. It seems like there will be one between each match, so I’ll make no further mention of them.

No Disqualification Match: Jack Evans v. Roderick Strong. This is my first No DQ match in ROH. I wonder how many cookie sheets will be used? Evans break-dances before cutting a promo. Uh, ok. He accuses Strong of trying to duck him by competing in the six-man main event later on. Instead, Strong anoints Masaaki Mochizuki an honorary member of the NRC and gives up his spot in the main event, freeing himself to compete right now. That was mighty big of Strong.

Evans hits a missile dropkick over the top rope to the outside on Strong. Wow! Next Evans walks the wall to deliver a moonsault body attack. Wow, again. Strong can damn sure throw a knife-edge chop. Strong has Evans in a military press position and launches him back first into the ring post. Damn, that looked painful. Strong also employs a one-of-a-kind submission move stretching Evans over and around his own back while locking his hands. I think you’d have to see it to appreciate it, but it is certainly harsh looking.

The Messiah of the Backbreaker has earned his moniker; I’ve never seen such an array of attacks, holds, and strikes to the back in a single match. Thankfully, they’re not allowing the No DQ stipulation to turn it into a garbage match. This is still a very good wrestling contest.

A standing corkscrew press by Evans earns yet another wow! Evans follows up with an amazing somersault seated senton OVER the barricade onto Strong, who’s on the other side. Unbelievable! Storm hits a huge second-rope fallaway slam, tossing Evans more than halfway across the ring. Roderick is simply devastating Jack. I can’t imagine what Evans’ body must feel like at this point.

630 splash? WOW! Jack Evans gets the win after hitting a mesmerizing 630 splash. Oh my, that kid can fly! What a phenomenal effort from both warriors. One more time, and say it with me – wow! I hope they feud for another six months.

Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino and Delirious v. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito and Matt Sydal. This is everything you would expect it to be. All six men are quick, intense, innovative, and very skilled. The action stays fast and furious throughout, as all six work their way into the match rapidly, so it’s always a fresh pair. Sydal’s team executes a fantastic see-it-to-believe-it triple dropkick that takes great coordination. I’ve noticed throughout this show that the wrestlers sort of have a different edge to their performance for the Japanese crowd. This is evident when Delirious does his “elbow parade” routine. A stereo dropkick to both sides of Sydal’s head by Yoshino and Doi looks devastating.

Saito throws a nice belly-to-belly suplex on Doi that finds Doi “accidentally” landing right on top of Saito’s own partner, Sydal. Wicked. Dragon Kid hits the 619/springboard dropkick combo, but his is quicker and more fierce than Rey Mysterio’s version. Kid hits a gorgeous overhead somersault into a Stunner, but later eats a powerbomb into the turnbuckle from Doi for a ROUGH looking bump. Delirious hits the impressive Bizarro Driver as this match just keeps on bringing the awesome. Yoshino delivers the most amazing high-elevation missile dropkick I’ve ever seen. Doi and Yoshino’s fellow Muscle Outlaw’z member Genki Horiguchi and Jimmy Rave run in and get involved without causing a DQ, and the series of finishers/near falls begins. Every one of these moves is impressive. Delirious hits Shadows Over Hell on Sydal for two, then transitions into the Cobra Stretch. Sydal barely makes the ropes to escape the submission hold and delivers a counter DDT to Delirious and an incredible Shooting Star Press for the victory. All I can say is: what a match!

ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Jay and Mark Briscoe v. Susumu Yokosuka and Shingo. The second outing of the night for the beltless champs begins with the Briscoes grudgingly offering their hands to honor the code, but then attacking the challengers savagely from behind just as the bell rings to signal the start of the contest. The champs get off to a quick start, and this match is just as hard-hitting as their earlier appearance on the card was. Shingo is intense, throwing wicked chops and driving forearms that really seem to hurt. The challengers bring some nifty tandem offense of their own, not slacking behind the Briscoes in that department whatsoever.

The champs absolutely LAUNCH Yokosuka out of the corner via a gigantic beal. Later, Yokosuka delivers a fantastic top-rope exploder to Jay, then slams Mark right on top of his dazed brother. That’s a powerful combo that rattles some Briscoe dental work. Momentum shifts back and forth several times during the contest, as the challengers are certainly game. Briscoe Bottom and stereo dropkicks to Shingo only get the champs a two-count. The Jay Driller is vicious, and Shingo hits some killer suplexes and throws.

This match is now in jeopardy of entering that zone of improbability in which the more damaging, impressive and devastating moves a man absorbs, the quicker he shrugs them off and plows forward. This isn’t the first time I’ve made that observation about a Briscoe Brothers title defense. Thankfully, perhaps just before reaching the point of no return, the champs hit a springboard Doomsday Device for the victory. I started to lose my suspension of disbelief toward the end of the match, but the finish came right before I lost interest. If they had gone 1-3 minutes less, it would have been a terrific outing for all four men.

Main Event: Bryan Danielson, CIMA and Naomichi Marufuji v. Davey Richards, Rocky Romero and Masaaki Mochizuki. After the No Remorse Corps representatives take the ring, the faces make their entrance. The instant Europe’s “The Final Countdown” begins, you just get that big-match feeling of excitement, butterflies, and anticipation. And away we go. Richards starts off by spitting on Danielson’s outstretched hand, as the American Dragon attempts to honor the code but is denied. CIMA and Richards start out in the ring with solid chain wrestling and mat-based work. This is my first look at CIMA, the leader of the “Typhoon” faction in Dragon Gate, and he is impressive. Richards is very quick, and the two match up nicely. The entire opening period of the match works very well. Next in are Romero and Danielson. Against the ropes, Romero cheap-shots Dragon with a kick on the break. Danielson is just phenomenal. He’s so smooth, and everything he does is logical and intelligent. Marufuji comes in and challenges Mochizuki to meet him in the ring. It’s a big deal to see these two square off since they work for different promotions in Japan. Now the teams are making more frequent tags and the match tempo picks up a bit. Marufuji and then CIMA run the ropes repeatedly, each building up a huge head of steam before striking Romero, who was trapped each time in a hold and unable to defend or avoid these strikes. Fun spot.

CIMA hits a violent Lung Blower on Romero, and the NRC is in trouble early. But Romero makes a tag and the tide turns, as now Danielson is the face-in-peril and the NRC punishes him. American Dragon finally escapes and tags CIMA, who quickly shifts the momentum again. He and Richards are back together again, and CIMA nails an amazing coast-to-coast springboard dropkick (think Van Terminator) that pulverizes Richards. Well, it should have pulverized him, but Richards fails to sell the move for more than three seconds and costs the match credibility points with me.

Next Marufuji and Mochizuki hook up once again, and they’re even quicker and more intense in round two. After a flurry of activity, Danielson finds himself the legal man, and in trouble once again. So far this is not his night, but fear not American Dragon fans, he uses his skill and ring savvy to wind his way back to the advantage. CIMA drills Romero with the Iconoclasm slam off the top rope, planting the NRC member into the mat, and Danielson follows up with Cattle Mutilation. Romero nearly taps but is rescued by partner Richards at the last second.

Romero catches Danielson on the top rope (after Richards distracts the American Dragon) and hits the amazing Diablo Armbar. Wow, what a move. Dragon barely escapes after having his shoulder wrenched, then nails Romero with an equally impressive belly-to-back superplex off the top, and it’s breaking loose in Osaka!

CIMA absolutely drills Romero with the “Schwein”, a crazy belly-to-back piledriver, and that should have been the end – Romero’s kick-out is totally incomprehensible. I wish ROH wouldn’t do that; it hurts the effectiveness of such a devastating-looking move, and interrupts the flow of the story. So Marufuji comes in, and CIMA joins him in delivering an assisted Shiranui before drilling Romero with a second Schwein. This time, Romero stays down and the match is over. Had they done that finish, with the combo-Shiranui into the Schwein without the first Schwein attempt and kick-out, it would have been a flawless match in my humble opinion. But even so, this is a relatively small complaint for such a great contest. The match was loaded with good wrestling, amazing maneuvers, and fast-paced, exciting action.

The Reality: This is professional wrestling. The finest performers from ROH, Dragon Gate, and Pro Wrestling NOAH share the ring in a fantastic night of action and energy. For a top-to-bottom show filled with high quality action, nothing the “big two” have offered lately even comes close. If you appreciate great wrestling without much backstage nonsense, Ring of Honor is the promotion for you. I suggest you give them a try if you haven’t yet; you won’t be disappointed.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.

p.s. – “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do.” – Andrew Carnegie

Before you go, check out our Roundtable for TNA’s Genesis and look below to see how we fared.

Quick match results:

– Kurt Angle retained the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
– AJ Styles and Tomko retained the TNA World Tag Team Championships
– Jay Lethal retained the TNA X Division Championship
– Gail Kim retained the TNA Knockouts Championship
– Kaz defeated Christian Cage to become the #1 contender to the World Title
– Samoa Joe defeated Robert Roode
– The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Team 3-D
– Abyss defeated Black Reign in the “Shop of Horrors” match

IP Staff Roundtable Results for Genesis

Paul Marshall

Master Sergeant, United States Air Force