Ring of Honor ends its summer this weekend with the fifth and sixth shows of a four-week stretch. They’re earning the month-long break before they hit Japan in mid-September not just by hitting six different areas in a short span, but using the pace to push stories forward rapidly.
Claudio Castagnoli’s is the biggest story coming out of the stretch. Fresh off a heel turn with a reported seriousness that few people thought he had in him, Castagnoli has to impress. But is wrestling for Stevens’s FIP title the right platform to start? How will he co-exist with McGuinness, whose antagonism arguably started his personal troubles? And if he doesn’t get the duke in the tag match on Saturday, what future is there for him? Will he even address apparently arbitrarily dismissing his promised retirement?
El Generico also has a big weekend, with the first doubleshot of important singles matches in his ROH career. He had a breakout performance in the finals of the Race to the Top Tournament last year, but now on back-to-back nights he’ll face the champion and ROH’s new golden boy. Both matches are likely to get a good amount of time and attention, and given his sympathetic character and ability in sprints, he has some very easy options to make both matches memorable. This could be the weekend that the Generic Luchador gets his due as one of the most engaging personalities and exciting wrestlers in the company.
Jimmy Jacobs is introducing another mystery partner, and likely the next member of his motley faction. Previously this role meant bringing in Joey Matthews, a smooth move and a smart one for ROH backstage. Who will it be this time? It won’t be Chris Harris thanks to his 90-day no-compete clause, and looking at the conflict with Necro Butcher, he’s much more likely to be looking for a replacement enforcer. Bringing in someone like Eddie Kingston or a returning B.J. Whitmer in that back-up brawler role would make an unspoken statement to Butcher, who Jacobs faces the next night. But even if the Age of the Fall lands the ghost of Lou Thesz, there’s no way this match with the Briscoes will be anything but another crazy brawl.
Beside these, Brent Albright will begin his reign as NWA champion. Roderick Strong is gambling for a chance to get his hands on Larry Sweeney, having taken this six-show stretch to dive headlong into his renewed face role. The Briscoes are returning to regular tag competition following Mark’s injury. Erick Stevens is in high-pressure situations, defending the FIP title against two guys who could feasibly beat him and stamp him as a choke artist. Tyler Black is testing his recently established uppercard fan-love against two of his best potential opponents in Aries and Generico. Kenny King has tryout matches, Titus’s goofy feud with Delirious continues, and Kevin Steen has moved back down the card, for once under the shadow of Generico, to rebuild himself.
To think this could have been a maintenance weekend. As for the shows themselves…
Cleveland Gray’s Armory
August 15th, 2008- 8:00 pm belltime
1234 Bolivar Road
Cleveland, OH 44115
ROH World Title Match: Nigel McGuinness ( c ) Vs. El Generico
With all due credit to Tyler Black, this is possibly the most promising match left in McGuinness’s title run. El Generico is built to be abused by McGuinness’s prick/bully character: he’s scrawny and bumps the best of anyone in ROH since Matt Sydal, sells like a martyr, and excites like no other with his comebacks. An upset win here would play out famously and make my year, but it’s much more likely that McGuinness will retain and march into defenses against Marufuji, Danielson and Black.
The likelihood of the champion retaining will not matter live because of the kind of atmosphere these two guys can create, how suited to each other they are, and how well they can play the intimate-sized ROH audience. A flop would prove McGuinness’s difficulty with elevating guys, because Generico has leapfrogged to temporary main event stardom in all of his few opportunities. Realistically there is no good reason for this to flop. The question isn’t whether it will be exciting, but how much they will do with this platform.
Winner: Nigel McGuinness (but go Generico!)
Austin Aries Vs. Tyler Black
A rematch from Unscripted 3, where the two put on one of 2007’s best openers. Then, Black was untested and had no distinct level. Now, Black has been sold as an upstart who can take almost everything main-eventers can throw at him. With Black’s stock so much higher, the fluid physical chemistry the demonstrated last time, and a higher spot on the card with quite possibly double the time, this should rock. Given that they’re already booked to a rematch in Japan (which DVD-time-wise is just a couple of shows later), there’s the great likelihood that they’ll build to something special here, either in an angle with Jacobs and/or Lacey, or something in the athletic contest itself. That’s what you’re promised here: a heated athletic contest between two of Ring of Honor’s best athletes, with one of its smartest ring generals helping its structure.
Winner: Austin Aries in the kind of match that only helps both guys
FIP World Heavyweight Title Match: Erick Stevens ( c ) Vs. Claudio Castagnoli
So a few weeks ago Castagnoli was retiring if he lost an ROH title match because there was nothing else for him to do. He lost, and now he’s wrestling for the FIP title, something he’s never had before.
Huh.
Questionable booking aside, this remains an odd match. Castagnoli lost some big fights and snapped turning into what was reportedly a vicious heel at the Hammerstein Ballroom, so he really needs to win here to legitimize his new character. Meanwhile Stevens just lost his blow-off with Roderick Strong in PPV continuity, and just regained the FIP title. If he fumbles the belt a second time ROH might as well give up on him as a future star. Both guys have a world of potential, but neither can really afford to lose here. Neither is secure enough in their current roles to warrant a draw, though ROH may go that route. Earning the draw would be difficult in itself since their existing styles as big men aren’t very compatible. We don’t know how Castagnoli’s style will change in the new role, but the likelihood of playing an unfunny aggressive heel seems to neutralize the best avenue to “earning†a draw in the eyes of fans, by putting on a great athletic match.
It’s a head-scratcher as to why ROH even booked this. The hope is that the pressure will get the best out of them and they’ll be given proper positioning on the card to do something. Otherwise the very vocal people who hate each guy are only going to get more ammunition.
Winner: Erick Stevens, because when you don’t know what ROH is doing in a tough spot, bet on the champ
Jay & Mark Briscoe Vs. Jimmy Jacobs & ???
As I said in the opening, no mystery partner can alter the destiny of this brawl. Tim Donst? Ippei Ota? Ric Flair? It doesn’t matter. The Age of the Fall’s brawls with the Briscoes are almost as tired as Necro Butcher’s hardcore matches with their overuse of things that were once special in this company, but much like Butcher’s hardcore matches, they’re certain to please the live crowd.
Winner: The Briscoes by pinning whoever the mystery partner is.
Roderick Strong & Brent Albright Vs. Go Shiozaki & Chris Hero w/ Larry Sweeney
This one could go in a lot of directions. Recently Albright Vs. Hero on Manassas was said to be a dud, while Strong Vs. Hero was said to be amazing. Go is a power guy and a striker, Strong is the same, Albright is the same, and Hero desperately wants to be the same. We don’t know how dynamic either team really is, and this could easily become a straight-up slugfest in the middle of Sweet & Sour’s feud with motley babyfaces.
Winners: Go & Hero, because as much as it feels like Strong & Albright should come into this as a true force, Strong already got a tag win over these guys, and a win means Sweet & Sour gets to walk grinning into singles matches against these guys the next night. Wow, italics.
Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny King
Kenny King gets two tryouts this weekend, and I couldn’t be happier for him. ROH’s vanilla milkshake could always use another scoop of chocolate, and King is a gifted athlete with great size for this company, along with a solid cocky personality. This is technically a rematch of an utter squash at Reborn Again, but seeing as you probably didn’t buy that show, it’s new to you! Look for King to get more offense this time, but probably in a 10-minute-or-less Danielson tryout. King just needs to show his stuff here, and there’s nobody better in the company to give him a beginner’s platform than Danielson.
Winner: Bryan Danielson.
Kevin Steen Vs. Jigsaw
This might be the opener. After three failed attempts at the World Title, Steen is picking up sundry wins over undercard talent, and the maskless Jigsaw is his next victim. Unmasking has not meant much success for Jiggy, and frankly he is in dire need of quality performances. He can’t be expected to do much in this slot, where it’s likely to be ten minutes or less and almost entirely about Steen. Hopefully they’ll turn it into fun filler.
Winner: Kevin Steen on the path to regaining validity once again.
Adam Pearce w/ Shane Hagadorn Vs. Ruckus
The battle of the non-factors! A late entry that bumps this card up to nine matches, this is guaranteed to be short. ROH can either give Pearce a little momentum following his NWA title loss or Ruckus a little rebound following his failed ROH title challenge. Considering Pearce has been around for longer, has a match the next night, is in a more active faction, and had the far hotter match to be rebounding from, it’ll likely be him. God willing he’ll bring some shenanigans to spice up the match.
Winner: Adam Pearce.
Delirious vs. Rhett Titus
If this feud is continuing then you can expect Titus to produce something hilarious. How will he top pasting Daizee Haze’s ass onto his trunks? It’ll have to be simply ravishing. The angle is likely to be more entertaining than the match, but even that should be another amusing in-ring chapter to one of ROH’s lighter undercard storylines, which are a breath of fresh air in the last couple of years of endless bloodfeuds, violent gimmick matches and intense rivalries. Since Titus recently produced what seems to be naked pictures of Haze on his phone, perhaps he’ll whip them out and leave Delirious bewildered long enough to win.
Winner: Rhett Titus, because there’s no point in having this match if it only means Delirious going 2-0. Forecast for the slight chance of an utterly ridiculous ending with a double pin, time limit draw, or the world shattering and the entire cast of ROH applauding and saying, “Congratulations!â€
Frontier Fieldhouse
August 16th, 2008- 7:30 pm belltime
9807 Sayre Ave.
Chicago Ridge, IL 60415
Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli Vs. Bryan Danielson & Austin AriesCastagnoli getting the fall, particularly over Danielson, will roll his heel turn from a great one-night angle into something viable for the longterm. This feels like it should be on Friday so it can play as immediate follow-up, though they could intend to have him walk in with the FIP title, or use an in-match angle here to erase whatever happens in the Friday title match from short term DVD memory. Castagnoli just has to bring the same intensity that wowed the hostilely critical New York City crowd at Death Before Dishonor 6, and let the other three men in the match work their magic. They are the three titans of the company right now, after all. This should be all about gravitas and personal rivalries, almost a foil to the Respect is Earned 2 tag match – this time Danielson wants to manhandle both guys while Aries can play the more levelheaded support.
Winners: Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli, further frustrating Danielson & Aries as opponents on the long road to one or both of them fighting McGuinness again and Danielson getting his hands on Castagnoli. Forecast for the slight chance of Aries, coming off a victory over Black the night before, pinning McGuinness in a surprise that kickstarts his third challenge for the title.
No Disqualification Match: Jimmy Jacobs Vs. The Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher’s hardcore matches have gotten pretty stale on DVD, but live crowds who experience them less often by virtue of only seeing what comes to their city still enjoy them. This time he’s going into one against Jacobs, who is one of the company’s best brawlers and hardcore wrestlers. Between feuds with Shelley, Whitmer, Cabana and the Briscoes, he had provided plenty of top-shelf performances in this kind of environment, and recent things like the finishing stretch of the I Quit and the Barbed Wire matches he had in IWA:MS with B.J. Whitmer, there should be no question that Jacobs can do something intense with the Butcher. Add onto it the storyline of Butcher being at a crossroads with Jacobs’s faction, and you could have a turning point in the storyline that night.
If not, you’ll still see something bloody. The masses will rejoice.
Winner: Jimmy Jacobs, who is looking down the barrel of a titleshot on the next couple of shows. Forecast for a slight chance of Aries interfering and Butcher winning by fluke, which is ROH’s favorite method of letting him win big matches.
NWA World Heavweight Title Match: Brent Albright ( c ) Vs. Go Shiozaki w/ Larry Sweeney
They had one of Go’s best ROH matches back at Double Feature, and Albright is on fire as a face now. Like at Double Feature, this is your heavyweight war, this time with the bonus of Sweeney adding heel shenanigans. If Go can’t catch as a looser heel he can easily resort back to playing an utter heavyweight force. This is easily going to be a solid, hot match on the middle of the card.
Winner: Brent Albright to begin cementing the NWA title as something important, and using it to build him as a main-eventer independent of challenging for another championship.
Winner: Brent Albright.
FIP World Heavyweight Title Match: Erick Stevens ( c ) Vs. Chris Hero w/ Larry Sweeney
If Erick Stevens is still champion after defending Friday against Castagnoli, he will defend here against Chris Hero. If ROH wants to push Stevens as a longterm important figure, he better be champion on Saturday and straight through it. His slow build to dethroning Strong, beating Aries and Danielson in a fashion that turned many people off to his actual talents, and then choking and fumbling the belt back to Strong only to get kicked around for several more months has done him no favors at all. ROH has made fans question both whether he is talented enough to deserve a heavy push and whether his character is strong enough to make it. He cannot afford to choke for a second time with the FIP title, not in storyline or in match-quality.
Overcoming Chris Hero’s serious striker persona might provide the kernel to put together a satisfactory match. Hero knows how to play against Stevens’s archetype (Stevens being so similar to Roderick Strong, and Hero having a critical success against Strong very recently), so hopefully he will bring everything necessary to the table. Yet Hero doesn’t click with big opponents nearly as often as he should in ROH (see the shortcomings against Castagnoli and the dud with Albright), and as Stevens isn’t particularly experienced and hasn’t been reliable (one great match against Aries, one weaker one; one of the least impressive rookie matches against Danielson; a stinker against McGuinness; ups and downs against Strong; a hot match with Go).
Make no mistake: this is a match where Stevens needs to win and look really good. Hero’s attempt to resurge as a serious wrestler means he also needs to win, but winning the FIP title with its loopholes will look like a missed opportunity now that he’s shed his humorous character.
Winner: Erick Stevens.
The Sweet & Sour Gauntlet: Roderick Strong Vs. Adam Pearce, Shane Hagadorn, Bobby Dempsey & possible other opponents
If Strong goes through everyone Sweeney throws at him he’ll get to wrestle Larry Sweeney for revenge. Up until now Sweeney has dodged comeuppance, even in matches where he was supposedly obligated to wrestle, and this will likely be no different. The most likely outcome is Sweeney introducing a new member of his squad after Strong defeats all the existing guys, to either tire Strong out so Sweeney can embarrass him, or actually beat Strong and become the focal point of his in-ring rage during this feud. The gauntlet is almost guaranteed to consist of short matches with hard strikes and big backbreakers, which should add some entertaining variety to the show between longer serious matches. If it culminates in some twist within the angle then it’s all the better.
Winner: In the end Larry Sweeney collects a percentage of at least three paychecks. Come on.
Kevin Steen Vs. Kenny King
King’s second tryout of the weekend should be short and all about personality. Steen is completely unproven in elevating young talent, and if he can do it then this is a great stage. All they really need to do, though, is a couple of funny spots and display the athletic ability that is so surprising for their size in order to win audiences over in under ten minutes.
Winner: Kevin Steen and people who hate the YRR.
Tyler Black Vs. El Generico
Hell yes! Supposing Generico is coming off a losing effort at the ROH Title the night before, this will be Black’s chance to jump on someone McGuinness beat and earn his singles title rematch. On the other hand, it’s Generico’s chance to beat one of the tag champs and take the next step towards challenging for their belts. Very unlike the previous night’s match, expect Generico to go sprinting this time. Sprints are Black’s strongest suit, and in Generico he has someone who can highlight his offense in ways Danielson and McGuinness don’t. Given the right position, this could be many people’s favorite match of the night for pure action that plays on the emotion.
This is also a vital match because of what Black and Generico can accomplish. Black is someone ROH clearly wants as a main attraction when the Bryan Danielsons finally become unavailable, and Generico is someone who absolutely could be and has displayed such potential in his few top-slot opportunities in ROH, and has displayed it further in a different way as champion over in PWG. Both men have the right opponent here to put on something special, on the same card where Danielson, Aries and McGuinness are all in the same match. If Black and Generico steal the show it will be a sign that ROH can break away from over-relying on its established favorites.
Winner: ROH’s new golden boy, Tyler Black. Forecast calls for a slight chance of going on too early and hitting a time-limit draw.
Jay & Mark Briscoe Vs. Ruckus & Jigsaw Vs. Delirious & Pelle Primeau Vs. Tweek & Dash Phoenix
A late addition that bumps this up to an eight-match card. No other match promises a blitzkrieg like this one. Prepare for three teams to bust their asses, the Briscoes to perform better and look better anyway, and then to win. The big issues in this match are who can impress in a losing position and warrant advancement, and if this can be spaced away from Black Vs. Generico as not to detract from what those two guys do.
Winners: The Briscoes.
Check back Friday for Pulse Glazer’s preview of these very same shows. Also around the internet:
-Pulse Glazer has more Top 5’s than you can shake a stick at, provided the stick is flimsy and will break after a reasonable number of lists
-David Ditch previews the G-1 tournament (Go Nagata!)
–Battlebowl? In Chikara?
-And for something entirely different, there’s always www.johnwiswell.blogspot.com
