Regardless of the genre, fans are often draw like flies to the big name events, the classics, the famous must-see editions that everyone always talks about. But sometimes you get lucky and stumble on a hidden gem, a rockin’ B-side track (for those who remember 45 rpm vinyl) or relatively unknown find that might not have been critically acclaimed, but pleases you as a consumer even so. That’s what I discovered in a Ring of Honor DVD I watched this week titled Caged Rage.
TODAY’S ISSUE: ROH delivers a hidden gem: Caged Rage on DVD.
On 24 August 2007 in Hartford, Connecticut, one night before the heralded Manhattan Mayhem II, ROH produced a lesser-known show that had “sleeper†written all over it. While not in the popularity class of the following night’s epic in New York in which ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima seriously injured American Dragon Bryan Danielson’s eye in a brutal battle, Caged Rage had plenty of great moments and excellent matches in it’s own right, and was a pleasant surprise from top to bottom.
The undercard featured the high-flying British sensation PAC in a very good match against Danielson, who was fine-tuning for his world title shot the following night. I’ve seen the risk taker PAC in CHIKARA, but here in ROH he worked a bit more of a strategic game plan, leaving the aerial acrobatics for highspots only and not letting that offensive style dominate his entire attack. Danielson, of course, is one of the finest workers in the history of the business and his focus on his attempt at reclaiming the gold in Manhattan the night after showed here. Dragon was intense, in the zone, and spot-on with everything he did. As great as it was to see PAC highlight a more controlled, intellectual assault plan, it was even better watching Dragon steamroll through all obstacles on his collision course with Morishima. The result was a very enjoyable contest; I’d like to see much more of PAC in Ring of Honor competition.
Austin Aries’ floundering Resilience stable found their focus at this show as well, as Aries issued stablemates Erick Stevens and Matt Cross an ultimatum. He handpicked a few younger talents (Jason Blade, Eddie Edwards, and Pelle Primeau) to square off against his boys and if either of them scored a fall on Cross or Stevens, that young lion would replace the man he pinned in the Resilience. If one of them pinned Aries himself, then the former ROH World Champion would disband his Resilience and let them go their separate ways. In a true “only in wrestling†moment, Davey Richards of the No Remorse Corps (at war with the Resilience and led by Roderick Strong, Aries’ former partner in Generation Next) couldn’t resist an opportunity to shatter the Resilience by defeating Aries in the match, so he took it upon himself to violently eliminate Primeau before the opening bell and replace him in the match, thereby advancing a storyline and improving the actual match lineup as well. The Resilience scored the victory and solidified as a team, removing Aries’ doubts and building confidence to continue their war against the NRC.
Current ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness made a strong showing in a Four Corner Survival match against current booker Adam “Scrap Iron†Pearce, Delirious (my personal guilty pleasure), and BJ Whitmer (whom I always felt was a bit underrated, and I was sad to see him released from ROH). Nigel came out looking very good in victory and the contest was not only enjoyable, but the post-match was a critical moment in the development of the Hangm3n stable, which I also felt was given too short a run before being incorporated into Sweet & Sour, Inc.
There were also undercard matches featuring a returning Jimmy Jacobs versus Rhett Titus, and Chris Hero versus Hallowicked. Titus had just debuted his “Sexiest Man Alive†gimmick, which would soon morph into his current “Addicted to Love†character. It might be a bit hackneyed, but it certainly works for Titus. After the match, Jacobs dedicated his win to Lacey, seemingly playing the same character as before – but that would change soon enough now that he’d established some confidence in his rehabbed knee and the Age of the Fall was looming. I can’t stand Chris Hero (and not in the “drawing heel heat†sort of way, but in the “oh darn, Hero’s on this DVD†kind of way) but Hallowicked is interesting, and since he’s one half of the team Incoherence along with Delirious, I gave the match a look. Hero’s presence was the only thing about this entire show I didn’t care for, but that wasn’t nearly enough to lower my overall enjoyment of the card as a whole.
Although not billed as the main event of the evening, there was an ROH World Title defense on the card, a three-way elimination match between reigning champ Takeshi Morishima, Brent Albright, and Claudio Castagnoli. This was based on the fact that recently both Albright and Double C had narrowly missed taking the title from the Japanese behemoth in singles matches. As you might expect, these three heavy-hitters produced a bruising, punishing affair that Morishima barely escaped by drilling Double C with his patented Backdrop Driver after Castagnoli eliminated Albright with a nifty reversal of the Crowbar into a pinning combination. Fun stuff.
The show took its title from the two matches contested inside a steel cage, a true rarity in Ring of Honor. The first was between Roderick Strong and Jack Evans, former founding fathers of Generation Next (along with Austin Aries and Alex Shelley) back in May of 2004. They had been feuding for some time at this point, and this was intended as the blow-off match. One of the contests that hooked me on ROH early in my fandom of this beloved indy fed was Strong vs. Evans in Osaka, Japan, so I eagerly anticipated the grand finale to their feud and it did not disappoint. Strong is one of the hardest hitters I’ve ever seen, and Evans can take whatever an opponent dishes out and sometimes appears to have a spine made of pudding – the man can be bent and stretched beyond sanity.
For most of 2007, reigning ROH Tag Team Champions the Briscoe Brothers feuded with current champs Kevin Steen and El Generico, meeting in every match type Ring of Honor offers including the first tag team ladder war. Completists and fans of the feud will not want to miss their intense cage match, billed as the main event of Caged Rage. As usual, the Briscoes and Steenerico tore each other apart and threw caution to the wind taking every chance imaginable and bloodying each other in the process. The Briscoes finally managed to send Steen crashing through a ringside table from the top of the cage, leaving them alone with Generico. At that point, they were able to end the battle and successfully defend their crowns by nailing Generico with their favorite combo of the Doomsday Device followed by a spike Jay Driller for the victory. This was every bit as intense and vicious a contest as you’d expect from these two teams at the height of their war.
Although not highly touted or discussed as a great show, the combination of solid matches, storyline advancement, several favorites up and down the card, and two rare ROH matches (contested inside the steel cage) made Caged Rage a winner in my book, and a great choice for one of Ring of Honor’s frequent online sales. So don’t be afraid to venture off the beaten path once in a while – you never know what hidden gem you might find.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.
p.s. – “The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well.†– Henry W. Longfellow
To all my brothers and sisters in arms, past and present, I wish you a happy Veterans Day.
Master Sergeant Vinny Truncellito, USAF
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Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…
Speaking of Ring of Honor, top ROH analyst Pulse Glazer takes a look at the final weekend of Gabe-booked shows in Ring of Honor Weekly, and attempts to ascertain what, if anything, about the future of the company can be determined at this early juncture in Adam Pearce’s run as head booker.
The ever-witty John Wiswell attempts to allay our fears about the future of ROH minus Gabe with his Cult of ROH, describing 13 things that won’t happen without Sapolsky at the helm. A fun read! He then hits a more serious note about Gabe’s departure.
And now for something completely different, Phil Clark goes puro in his Reality of Wrestling, looking at All Japan’s latest show in Sumo Hall.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling presented their Turning Point ppv this weekend, so Pulse Wrestling brings you not only the sharpest analysts’ predictions in the Rasslin’ Roundtable, but also PK’s world-class live coverage.
Want television reviews? We’ve got ‘em! Norine’s all over SmackDown!, Glazer loves iMPACT!, Marshall does ECW, and also rocks RAW.
Finally, IWC icon Scott Keith once again goes with a blast from the past in a look at Survivor Series 1987.
