This week we eschew the normal format to review the year that was in ROH. With help from Big Andy Mac, Ollie Sutherland, Jon Kirschner, Gary Wiest, and Jake Mulligan we spend this week with A Year in Review, Top News Stories, and ROH Wrestlers in WWE, TNA, Japan and the Indies.
To see the top DVDs of last year click here
To see the ROH MVP of 2007 click here.
To get the PPV taping and Final Battle 07 results click here.
Come back next week for the final part of our ROH Year in Review- the Top 100 ROH Matches of the Year.
Ring of Honor: A Year in Review…January to June by Big Andy Mac
So while I have not been the most active on the column front, I decided it would be a good idea to recap the year that was 2007. It was one of the years of the biggest growth for Ring of Honor with the arrival of PPV the announcement of commercial DVDs and trips to the West Coast, a return to England, and shows in the Land of the Rising Sun. Let’s take a look month by month at the first half of the year in Ring of Honor.
January
January began as a hopeful year for 2007. We had a brand new world champion in Homicide, relatively new tag champs in Chris Daniels and
Matt Sydal, and the promise of many new stars. The year started on a bit of a sour note as one of the founders of Ring of Honor, Doug Gentry, passed away after contracting a rare disease. As a result the first show of the year was “Dedicated” to Mr. Gentry. The show itself
was nothing special, and neither was its follow-up the much hyped “Battle of the Icons” in which Samoa Joe challenged for the RoH world title against long time rival Homicide. The Notorious 187 escaped January with the title, but his sites and the sites of the company were set on the Next month and the fifth anniversary which would be celebrated as part of the six show Fifth Year Festival.
February
February was defined by the aforementioned Fifth Year Festival as the four shows offered this month were a part of the celebration. First
the east coast got to celebrate with stellar shows in New York and Philly. New York saw the best defense of Homicide’s reign when he
narrowly defeated Jimmy Rave also a tables are legal match between Brent Albright and BJ Whitmer set the stage for events later in the
year. The main story of the FYF though was that it would be Samoa Joe’s final run with the company. He would have six last matches to
round out the year. It is almost too bad because the impending storyline of Joe vs. NOAH was very compelling and could have made 2007
a very, very different yeah.
Joe’s first opponent was a rising star from the Far East in Takeshi Morishima. Morishima was not as vaunted as other Japanese stars prior
to his RoH debut, but he would soon make his mark and leave an impression on the company. Joe was able to upend the Japanese behemoth in their match, but it would be the last time Morishima would taste defeat for some time. The very next night Morishima defeated Homicide shocking the world and winning the world heavyweight championship. Also notable from this show was the seemingly innocuous and inevitable squash that we thought we would see from the Briscoes facing Kevin Steen and El Generico. Instead we were treated to an
awesome match and the first stage of what would become the feud of the year.
The other major development in February was the heel turn by Roderick Strong and the formation of the No Remorse Corps. Strong was tired of
living in Aries shadow and executed one of the most successful turns in the history of RoH. It was a long time before anyone cheered him. This also set the stage for faction warfare which would dominate the second half of 2007.
Dayton and Chicago got their dose of Festival goodness in the form of two good if unremarkable shows. The Briscoes won the tag straps from
Sydal and Daniels in a move that surprised no one and we moved on to March and some other surprises.
March
March saw the end of the Fifth Year Festival with two shows in Liverpool and one of the very best shows of the year at the Finale. The most surprising development though was the shocking defeat of the Briscoes at the hand of the Draon Gate duo of Naruki Doi and Shingo.
No one expected the title switch and it set up another surprise match with both Briscoes wrestling each other in an early match of the year candidate. FYF: Finale also saw Joe’s last match a tearful farewell to the RoH faithful.
As has become tradition for RoH they presented a series of shows before Wrestlemania, and also as a tradition this shows were certainly home runs. The main story resolved here was the end of the near year long struggle of Jimmy Jacobs to find happiness. He was unsuccessful in defeating Colt Cabana but was able to get redemption by defeating BJ Whitmer in a Steel Cage War that may still be my match of the year.
It has a ton of competition though. Dragon Gate also made their return to RoH and put on great matches all weekend. The scariest
moment came in the final defense of Doi and Shingo’s brief reign when they fell to the Briscoes. Mark nearly killed himself trying a
shooting star press to the outside. He suffered a concussion, but Jay was able to regain the tag straps.
April
April was remarkable for one thing…departures. Some decent shows were presented. On the East Coast we saw This Means war II where Austin
Aries added Erick Stevens to his stable with Matt Cross and got decimated by the NRC of Roderick Strong, Davey Richards and Rocky
Romero. The next night saw a continuation of the Briscoes Steenerico feud when Erick Stevens teamed with Jay to take on the mismatched duo
of Steen and Generico. Stevens was taken out by the NRC and surprising everyone Mark rejoined his brother, but he was not ready to compete and Steen and Generico won. The night also saw Morishima’s first classic title defense against Nigel McGuinness in a rivalry that would be revisited many times throughout the year.
The big story was the show “Good Times, Great Memories.” It was the final RoH appearances for Chris Daniels, Shingo, Homicide, Austin
Aries (briefly), and most notably Colt Cabana. The big match of the show was The Briscoes taking on the Motor City Machine Guns in a
contest being hyped as match of the year by many viewers.
May
May had only two shows, but one of them was the debut of Ring of Honor on PPV. The biggest story, however, was the return from injury of
Bryan Danielson. He was welcomed back as a hero when he made his first appearance, but the show “Reborn: Again” did not live up to its
name, as the Hartford Crowd and mediocre matches and odd pairings brought down the how. “Respect is Earned,” however, delivered in spades with two great tag team matches and a way of bringing RoH into the homes of countless more fans. It was an odd choice not to announce any matches beforehand, but it paid off in providing a unique
atmosphere and proved the drawing power of the RoH name alone at the Manhattan Center.
June
June saw Ring of Honor’s second PPV taping and a singles match contender for Match of the Year. “A Fight at the Roxbury” was stolen
by the Chikarmy in the form of a four corner survival match featuring Chikara stalwarts Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, and Mike
Quackenbush. “Domination” had its best match taped for the eventual PPV called “Driven.” Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson rekindled
their rivalry and produced yet another classic.
The biggest story of the month was the second PPV taping, this time from Chicago. This foray into pay television put the first effort to
shame, while “Respect is Earned” was a very good show, “Driven” was a truly great one. The Chicago portion of the show featured the Return
of Austin Aries and a dominating performance by Takeshi Morishima defeating Jimmy Rave, again it was Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness that stole the show. The portion of the show not broadcast on PPV featured yet another classic in the Bryan Danielson/KENTA rivalry, this time with KENTA getting the duke.
Ring of Honor: A Year in Review… July through December by Pulse Glazer
July
With the first two PPVs done and the roster settled, it was time for ROH to invade Japan with two shows, “Live in Tokyo†with the help of NOAH and “Live in Osaka.†The first show continued Nigel McGuinness’s rivalry with ROH Champion Takeshi Morishima, while the show was stolen by Go Shiozaki’s tryout match with Bryan Danielson., ROH agreed since Go is scheduled to be in America in 2008. The issue between Delirious and Roderick Strong was also settled in a disappointing fight without honor. Apparently “Live in Osaka†was far more exhibition style, with no real rivalries except another match in the ongoing Jack Evans vs. Roderick Strong feud with Jack finally getting a victory as he’s a fairly big deal in Dragon Gate. The other major point of the show was making Danielson seem a big deal, teaming him with CIMA and Naomichi Marufuji to take on Davey Richards, Rocky Romero, and Masaaki Mochizuki. Danielson came off looking great again as his team got the unsurprising victory.
When ROH returned to America they had two shows to determine the pecking order of their newly rebuilt undercard, “Race to the Top Night 1†and “Race to the Top Night 2.†This tournament featured the elevation of Claudio Castagnoli to an upper mid-carder and the surprise emergence of El Generico as a pushed singles wrestler. This only increased the bid of Generico and Steen for the tag titles which would further take shape in August. Bryan Danielson also captained a team which won a $10,000 challenge, further agitating rival Nigel McGuinness in the process.
August
This was almost inarguably ROH’s best month this year. Their were four shows and each was at the very least important, while three were outright excellent. The four shows were “Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 and Night 2,†“Caged Rage†and “Manhattan Mayhem 2.â€
At all four shows the feud of note was The Briscoes vs. Steen and Generico. The first night of DBD weekend saw The Briscoes lose in a MOTYC Street Fight to Steen and Generico where the titles weren’t on the line, while night two saw Steen and Generico defeat each Briscoe in a singles match. At “Caged Rage†the titles were on the line in a cage and the Briscoes prevailed. The feud was thought to be over after a 2/3 falls match at MM2 was won by the Briscoes in two straight, but Steen and Generico had another idea in mind as we’ll see in September. Still, the matches were all great, lending credence to the assertion that this is the feud of the year, despite a surprising contender beginning to emerge at “Manhattan Mayhem 2.â€
This contender was Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima. At the final show of the month they had a classic match, my personal Match of the Year, where Danielson employed hit and run tactics to tackle Morishima. The match was so stiff that Danielson’s eye was broken and retina detached. This was only the beginning of their already classic series.
This was easily Morishima’s best month, even without the stellar Danielson match. At DBD Weekend he defended against Claudio Castagnoli and Brent Albright, each in great matches that elevated his opponents. The matches were so good that each received a rematch in a three way at “Caged Rage.†The three-way wasn’t great, but with that and his match with Chris Hero the following night in a newly rekindled rivalry re-ignited at DBD V Night 2, Claudio showed he could hang with the top of the card.
Jack Evans also finished his feud with Roderick Strong, losing a cage match at “Caged Rage†but ignited faction warfare properly by debuting Ruckus and forming the Vulture Squad. “Caged Rage†also featured the formation of the Hangmen 3 of Brent Albright, BJ Whitmer, and Adam Pearce, another faction, this one destroying Delirious. Nigel and Chris Hero continued their feud as well in at DBD Weekend, though that was really just heating up compared to what was to come. Last, but not least, Jimmy Jacobs returned with Lacey at his side.
September
September was a two show month with only “Motor City Madness 2007†and the third PPV Taping, “Man Up†on the horizon. MCM 2007 featured Erick Stevens getting tried out for a major spot, facing Morishima in a good, if formulaic match. The YRR, a FIP team of rich kids, debuted at the show, but were used for nothing more than cannon fodder. Marufuji stole the show against El Generico and the Briscoes successfully defended their tag belts against Aries and Cross.
“Man Up†turned out to be a huge success. Wrestling with a broken eye, Danielson got a rematch against Morishima. He lost when Morishima attacked his hurt eye viciously, furthering their budding feud. The Briscoes and Steen and Generico feud finally concluded in an insanely violent ladder war. The NRC finally defeated the Resilience once and for all in a best of three series when Strong defeated Stevens in yet another great match. In the non-PPV portion of the show The Age of the Fall, the final stable of Jacobs, Tyler Black, and the Necro Butcher attacked and bloodied the Briscoes brutally. Matt Sydal also had his last match in ROH, having signed with WWE, losing to long time rival Delirious.
October
October began with ROH in Boston as “Honor Nation†kicked off Bryan Danielson and Austin Aries best of three series to see who the ROH Ace was and earn a title shot. The mat wrestling match of the year is at this show. The Vulture Squad debuted their third member, Jigsaw, to a mixed reaction, then went on to defeat the NRC. Kevin Steen challenged for the World Title, having fallen short in his tag title bids, and lost to Morishima in a very good match.
The next night was the fourth PPV taping “Undeniable†from which the major news was Nigel McGuinness succeeding in dethroning Takeshi Morishima. That debuts January 18 for those curious. Roderick Strong also lost to Austin Aries, showing that while The NRC could beat the Resilience, Aries was still greater than Strong. The Age of the Fall defeated the Vulture Squad, showing they are for real, while Steen chose to stay with Generico over joining the Hangmen, igniting a new feud there. In the non-PV portion of the show (and at Honor Nation) Necro Butcher defeated Jay Briscoe and the rest of the AOTF tortured Mark.
This was a big month already, but not over yet. ROH headed out west for “Survival of the Fittest†in Las Vegas and “Chaos at the Cow Palace†in San Francisco. At this show Human Tornado debuted and Chris Hero won the tournament to be SOTF champion. Also, Nigel McGuinness face Bryan Danielson to a 20 minute draw.
At the Cow Palace, Nigel had his first defense, a successful one against Jay Briscoe, but ripped his bicep in the process. The stables all had a wild melee after this match. Danielson also managed to even up the best of three series with Austin Aries.
November
November was all about Mitsuharu Misawa, the legend who came to ROH for Glory By Honor VI Weekend. There he had a great tag with KENTA against Marufuji and Morishima and a great GHC Title defense against KENTA. He was the name, but not the whole show. At the first show Aries beat Danielson in a great match to earn a title shot that would come in December. Faction warfare continued and Nigel, in a surprise defense, defeated Chris Hero. Night 2 was even better, featuring the huge upset of Marufuji losing to Claudio Castagnoli in a great match and Danielson trying to stomp off Morishima’s nuts in their third encounter. The Briscoes stomped out the Age of the Fall of Jacobs and Necro, not the main team.
The end of November saw a Dayton show where Danielson beat Necro in a minor dream match and Aries again defeated Strong, this time in an Iron Man Match. Naturally, there was also much faction warfare.
December
December started off with a snow storm causing “Unscripted 3.†This was rather uneventful with a lot of faction warfare stuff, Claudio continuing to dominate Hero, winning a 2/3 falls match, and Jacobs upsetting Danielson, continuing his undefeated streak since his return.
The year ended with the fourth PPV taping and “Final Battle 07.†Read my reviews of these- http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/articles/72790/2007/12/31/ring-of-honor-live-reports-1229-rising-above-ppv-taping-and-1230-final-battle-07.html.
The Top 10 News Stories in Ring of Honor by Ollie Sutherland
1. PPV Deal – A big measure of success for ROH. After 5 years of only distributing their product through the Internet and Live events, ROH got the second biggest (TV being the biggest) way of distributing their product to the world, PPV. The original PPV deal is only for 6 PPVs (it’s still going on today), but if ROH drew enough buys (which seems likely) there will certainly be more PPVs on the way.
2. Mitsuharu Misawa – Inarguably one of the greatest Pro Wrestlers of all time, Japanese Legend Mitsuharu Misawa made his way over to the States to work a weekend of shows for ROH. Many fans were disappointed that Misawa was only facing Japanese talent (w/ KENTA vs Morishima and Marufuji in Philly, vs KENTA in NYC), but Misawa probably wouldn’t cooperate very well with any American talent anyway. His name is a huge draw and his presence adds further legitimacy to ROH. He sure won’t hurt DVD sales either.
3. ROH goes to Japan – A year after running 2 successful show in the United Kingdom, ROH continued its international expansion by running a weekend of shows in Japan. The first show, named ‘Live in Tokyo’ was held in Tokyo and supported by pro Wrestling NOAH. The second show, ‘Live in Osaka’ was held in Osaka and supported by the Dragon Gate promotion. ROH considered the shows a success, no return date has been announced, yet.
4. Samoa Joe’s farewell – Arguably the most important wrestler in ROH History, Samoa Joe announced he was leaving ROH early February. Next to no one saw this coming, so for all the fans to see one of their favourite wrestlers get taken away from ROH this was certainly upsetting. The reason for Joe’s farewell was infact TNA pulling him; due to him working ROH as well as TNA he was more prone to injury and such. It’s a shame this had to happen, because Joe really seems to have lost his passion for wrestling over in TNA.
5. Retail DVDs – Much like the PPV deal, ROH got the third biggest way of distributing their product to the world in hand; getting their DVDs in Retail stores (ie FYE, BestBuy). ROH will have only had 2 DVDs in stores, both custom made exclusive ‘Best Of’s, one highlighting the bloodiest and most violent matches in ROH history, while the other highlighting the biggest names who’ve appeared at/wrestled for ROH. This is sure to draw some interest from casual fans perusing DVDs.
6. Austin Aries chooses ROH over TNA – When ROH announced the PPV deal, TNA wrestler Austin Aries (under the name ‘Austin Starr’) was pulled from working ROH. For financial reasons among others (creativity, lack of push), Aries requested to be released from TNA. They gave him his release, and he was back with ROH in one of the best moments of the year for ROH.
7. TNA pulls talent – This was a big slap in the face. As soon as ROH announced their PPV deal, TNA discontinued to allow talent contracted to them to work ROH shows. Big names in ROH such as Christopher Daniels, Homicide and Austin Aries were pulled immediately, much to the displeasure of ROH fans.
8. Morishima wins the belt – On his second night in ROH (his first losing in singles competition to Samoa Joe), NOAH powerhouse shocked every ROH fan there is by defeating newly crowned champion, Homicide, for the ROH World Title. Now, most ROH fans who weren’t live at the shows had never seen a Morishima match before, so when they went onto the internet and read the show results, there was a bit of an outrage over a random Japanese man coming to ROH and winning the world title out of nowhere. Shocking, without a doubt.
9. Daniel Puder comes to ROH – Puder joining ROH immediately helps the exposure of the company in two big ways. First is Puder is a former WWE star, was on tough enough, and punked out a major star in Kurt Angle. This has lead to a lot of visibility and curiosity factor among mainstream wrestling fans who will tune in to see what the Puder hype is all about. The other reason this is so big is that Puder is a regular at MMA. The MMA following might attract some fans to the ROH style and thus further increase exposure. Puder is huge because he garners interest in two major demographics who might love ROH if they give it a shot.
10. ROH Contracts – After ROH got their PPV Deal (and TNA pulled some of their talent) they decided to get contracts for their wrestlers. This means that until the contract expires, the wrestlers who are contracted to ROH cannot become under contract with another wrestling company (ie WWE and TNA). Also, the contracts include health benefits for the wrestlers, a huge step in the right direction. This would be far higher were more details available.
Click here for Part 2 of today’s Year in Review feature…
