For Your Consideration…In the Land of ROHbots

Welcome to FYC.

And now for something completely different…my first ever review of a live Ring of Honor show. Yes, the man who has had something of a love/hate relationship with ROH set foot inside an ROH venue and watched a live event. Hold onto your hats, kids, because here comes the tale of…

For Your Consideration…In the Land of ROHbots

There are a lot of perks when you work for InsidePulse. Well…there are a lot of perks if you work for some of the other sections. The site gets a lot of free DVDs and CDs sent for review, and there are often opportunities to conduct interviews with celebs and people in “the biz”. But not for the folks at PulseWrestling (which, let’s be honest, is the reason most of you come here in the first place). Whenever a WWE DVD comes in, it goes to one of the guys at the DVD Lounge instead of one of us Wrasslin’ folks, so when we get a chance to get some of that sweet, sweet promo material, we leap on it. One HUGE perk is the chance to catch Ring of Honor and cover the shows if we’re in the area. It comes few and far between but when we get these promo tickets, they go quick.

Ring of Honor was finally making its first venture into South Florida, and as luck would have it, it was going to be in my neck of the woods. February 6, 2009 at the Coral Springs Gymnasium, Ring of Honor was going to be live and in the flesh. I am not gonna lie, I was more than a bit geeked out for the chance to see this thing live. The majority of my live wrestling experience has been with WWE events, which means major superstars and high quality production value. My two trips into the land of ECW really helped give me a taste for the “other side”, so when the chance came for me to see what Ring of Honor had to offer, I couldn’t resist.

My opinion of ROH has always been mixed. I fully support the idea of Ring of Honor. I get that having a strong and vibrant independent scene benefits the wrestling audience in general. When ECW was at its peak, it was creating a true wrestling revolution. The collection of stars who travelled through the ECW Arena are a who’s who of the industry. By allowing wrestlers to have a proving ground, it helped certain talent that wouldn’t normally get looked at by the Big Two a chance to be seen.

On the other hand, ROH has always been a major source of frustration for me. First off, the product has always been difficult to get into. No, it’s not because I’ve become so conditioned to WWE’s 5-minute main events that I can’t appreciate a good match, it’s because I either don’t live in the Northeast or I don’t want to pony up $20 bucks just to see one potentially great match. I always used to get on Glazer for saying that every single ROH show had a match of the year contender because if that were the case then ROH would have sold more copies of their DVDs than Wrestlemania. I’ve torrented some of their stuff or had him send me some matches online, but unless it was a guaranteed Five Snowflake match, chances are I wasn’t going to give it that much time.

I have enjoyed what I’ve seen of ROH. I think that the talent that the WWE and TNA have snapped up from Ring of Honor have shown that Gabe and Co. had a true eye for talent and knew how to maximize strengths. Granted, making a guy like CM Punk or Samoa Joe look good isn’t too difficult, but it is to their credit that these guys not only got over in the WWE & TNA, but that they got over without having their gimmicks changed. Punk was still Punk and Joe was still Joe. Sure, some guys had to have their names changed. Colt Cabana became Scotty Goldman (though I’m all for Barry Horowitz v. 2.0) and we’re now in the Evan Bourne era, but Vince has still been able to see the value in these Ring of Honor stars (I maintain that Goldman’s being used to his potential by working his ass off in FCW and hosting his own Dotcom show that lets his talent be seen).

At its very heart, Ring of Honor is a progressive company that is now struggling to find a new identity. Under a new booker with old school ideals and a potential network finally willing to put these guys on a national spotlight, Ring of Honor is on the verge of breaking out…or flaming out.

February 6, 2009. Proving Grounds, Night One. The Coral Springs Gymnasium.

The show was never advertised or hyped in the local markets. I really got on ROH’s case when the cancelled their initial debut here in October because they never once did any local advertising. No flyers. No radio spots. No local TV ads. Nothing. The only way you knew about this show was if you went to ROHwrestling.com or saw it here on the Pulse. Sadly, the lack of promotion showed in the crowd.

6:58 P.M.: I’m standing outside of the “venue” waiting to get in. I’m struck by the unwashed massed who made up the crowd. Going into this event, I wasn’t expecting to see the best and brightest of the community, but I wasn’t expecting to see people who looked like borderline homeless people either. Seriously, I know its pro wrestling, but you could at least shower. The gym has hosted several Coastal Championship Wrestling shows (the promotion that brought us MVP), though I’ve never been there before for an event. My girlfriend (who had never been to a wrestling event and was simply attending out of what I can only assume was a combination of love and morbid curiosity) said that she felt out of place because she had bathed and combed her hair before coming. I don’t mean to pile on too much, but considering we’re trying to elevate the culture of wrestling just a little bit, the least we can do is not dress like we just climbed out of our parent’s basements (especially considering that there are no basements in Florida).

The doors opened promptly at 7, and we were greeted with a less-than-inspiring ring set-up. The folding chairs were three rows deep, the mats were worn down and the ring looked like a relic from the late 70’s. Oddly enough, this was the kind of environment I was hoping for. I wanted to see what a truly indie setup would be like, and folks, this was indie.

The merchandise table was packed with DVDs and t-shirts, as fans lined up to take advantage of a buy 3, get 1 free deal. I skipped the merch table and went right to my seats. Second row, right by the ring. Couldn’t have asked for a nicer spot. By 7:30, the place was fairly full and the first match was about to commence.

Dark Match:
Alex “Sugarfoot” Payne v. ??? Escobar

Yeah, the crappy PA system cut off the name of Payne’s opponent, so all I could hear was what sounded like Escobar. Payne was a name I had seen in recent ROH results, though I didn’t find his in-ring work all that special. He looks like he’d be the perfect JTTS for ROH, and was decent at popping the crowd early. His opponent was a nondescript worker who could fill in nicely if the WWE needs jobbers for Superstars. The match was short and unimpressive, with Payne winning with a sloppy hurricarana.

Overall: Plucky young kid beats generic heel to set the tempo for a night of wrestling. Not too memorable but not so terrible as to turn the crowd off.

Dark Match:
The British Lions v. The Heartbreak Express

So the British Lions were WWE Developmental cast-offs and the Heartbreak Express were…well…wow. The team basically consists of some less-than-memorable worker combined with a big, fat blonde guy who’s trying desperately to be Playboy Buddy Rose meets Adrian Adonis, yet the campy gimmick did little to inspire the crowd. He was viewed as a large joke (pun surely intended), so any offense he got simply discredited the British Lions. The Lions have a decent look to them, though their lack of size I’m sure played a role in why they didn’t stay on in Titan.

The match was kept alive solely on the strength of the heftier Expresser, whose taunts to the crowd seemed to elicit the only true heat in the contest. There were a few comedy spots which kept the match from being taken too seriously, but I could see how Cary thinks that the British Lions could make him some money. They certainly seem to have some potential, if only they can get over their potentially blasé look. In the end, the Lions won with a double roll-up.

Overall: Bland tag match. Some funny bits but really amped up the sideshow element of ROH to a crowd that’s never seen a live Ring of Honor show before. When entering a new market, you have to set the tone as something serious or the crowd will think you’re a joke.

Opening Contest:
Brad Attitude v. Sean Osborne

Brad had a stint in the WWE a few years back. I remember seeing him getting squashed on Velocity against Bobby Lashley, so he’s got that going for him. Sean Osborne looked like the short mutant hybrid of Chuck Palumbo and Biker Undertaker. He had a poorly done red dye job that made him look more amateurish than he needed to. His entrance seemed to pop the crowd simply because it was the first “real” match on the card. Sean’s mouthing of his entrance music combined with air guitar was cute, and a nice way to keep heel heat. Sadly, his generic red trunks took away anything unique about him. Guys, get this kid some red leather pants or something to wrestle in to play up the fake biker from hell routine!

Brad has a good look about him and seemed to work really well in the opening slot. Given some more time, I think he could be another major asset to Cary and Co. The problem Brad seems to have is that he doesn’t have much of a personality, let alone an “attitude”. The match itself was another unmemorable bout, but for a legit opening contest it continued the trend set by “Sugarfoot” in that the opening babyface beat the slightly cartoonish heel.

Overall: Nothing special or memorable to report. With some seasoning and maybe some personality, this kid could climb some spots on the roster and maybe get snapped up by FCW.

Bison Smith v. Sal Rinauro

Ah, the “legendary” Bison Smith. I can tell my grandkids I saw Bison Smith work. They will weep with joy. My girlfriend asked if he was Hulk Hogan’s friend Brian Knobbs, an astute observation. Sal Rinauro was taunted with Little Guido jokes, and rightfully so. By carrying the mantle of tiny Italian jobber, Sal is following in a long line of slightly successful losers. Bison Smith got a hero’s reception, though its my understanding that he’s supposed to be a monster heel. Oh well.

The match was a lot of Bison killing this kid, which is what he needs to do. Sal bounced like a pinball all over the ring, and took his whooping like a champ. The problem I see with Bison is that he’s big, but not too big. He’s obviously not a WWE monster, but he’s also not going to tower over a guy like Nigel. Bill him more as an unstoppable badass and less as a monster and I think he’ll make ROH some money.

Overall: It was a squash, but at least it was a fun squash. Bison’s claw into a slam looked mighty impressive, but can he do it on someone bigger? On the plus side, he was the first “big” personality we saw all night, and he made the most of the spotlight.

Roderick Strong, Erick Stevens and Bobby Dempsey v. Chasyn Rance, Kenny King & Rhett Titus

Bobby Dempsey. For months and months (and months, and months, and months), fans have waited to see this guy break out. Here was his chance. He was the surprise third entrant in this six-man tag, and he got a MASSIVE reaction. Gabe sure built this guy right, and Pearce is going to reap some benefits.

Roderick Strong is a solid looking worker, but nothing leaped out at me about his “star” quality. Erick Stevens on the other hand has “top guy” written all over him. It’s a classic case of a great worker lacking that charisma and a really good worker having that “it” factor. Dempsey isn’t going to go anywhere beyond ROH, but I think Stevens could be a nice addition to ECW.

On the heel side, it was nice to see some heels with personality. Chasyn Rance is too small to be anything truly memorable in the big leagues, but apparently someone forgot to tell him. The kid carries himself like he’s 6’5. Rhett Titus and his bowtie makes for one hell of a heat seaker, as the fans were dying to see him get a beating. Kenny King is something special. He works like Shelton Benjamin, yet seems to have a personality. What more does he need to do in order for Vince to snap him up again? Seriously, break-out star in my opinion.

The match was a standard six-man, with everyone waiting for Dempsey to get in the ring. When he finally did, the place popped big-time. Unfortunately, it was clear that Bobby was blowing up pretty fast, and I think the novelty will wear thin in a matter of weeks. In the end, Bobby won with a DVD onto Rance to give us a feel-good moment.

Overall: While it was nice to see Dempsey’s big moment, I would have preferred to see a legit sixth man, or possibly some combination of Stevens, Richards and King. Something tells me King won’t be around too long in ROH, so enjoy him while he lasts.

Grudge Match:
Austin Aries v. The Necro Butcher

My girlfriend was kind of excited to see the Necro Butcher. I made her sit through “The Wrestler”, and while she thought it was a good movie, she couldn’t really stand to see the staple-gun scene. On the other hand, this was a guy who was in an Oscar nominated movie, so the fact that we were seeing a “star” has a certain appeal. Necro Butcher’s entrance music of “Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty sends chills down your spine. It just seems to work. Sadly, his entrance was where this match stopped working.

Necro was greeted with “Where’s your Oscar?” chants, which was cute. Austin Aries, on the other hand, was booed out of the building. I had been dying to see the man who would be Starr live and in person, and when I saw him, I was taken aback by a few things. First off, I never realized just how short he was. Second, the mustache makes him look like Billy Crudup from “Almost Famous”. Lastly, I couldn’t believe how much of a wasted opportunity he was.

Austin Aries the worker has always been great. His matches are usually a highlight. His heel turn as part of Age of the Fall should have given him true heel heat. Instead, he felt the need to play cowardly heel to a really annoying level. He kept ducking Necro, which is to be expected considering the guy’s billed as a wreckless nut, but his stalling transcended heel into comedy territory. It’s one thing for a fat guy in spandex to get comedy heat, but its another for a main event level guy to get it. Nobody took Aries seriously, and his over-the-top routine undercut how devious he was supposed to be.

The match was billed as a grudge match, so while my girlfriend prayed for no blood, I was hoping to see a little bit of why Necro has been considered a sick bastard. Somehow, her prayers were answered. Necro attempted to wrestle the match straight, with collar-and-elbow tie-ups and head scissors and everything. While it made for a nice story, the whole “hardcore guy tries to wrestle”, it doesn’t exactly evoke images of a “grudge match”.

Aries continued his cowardly heel shtick throughout the match, except for one point where he climbed the top rope and performed a Ram Rod, which became known now as an Aries Rod. It was cute and timely, so I can’t complain too much. The rest of the bout plodded along kinda slow since we weren’t getting the hardcore action we wanted. Necro finally set Aries up onto a table and climbed the top rope only for AOTF to hit him with the weakest chairshot I’ve ever seen. Aries recovered and delivered a brainbuster for the win.

Overall: Don’t promise a grudge match and not deliver. We wanted blood, or at the very least a big hardcore moment. Instead we got a guy who can wrestle against a guy who can’t wrestle in a match that was more comedy than sinister and in the end didn’t help anyone. Still, it was cool to see Necro in person…I guess.

Bryan Danielson & Jerry Lynn v. Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious

Here we go. The entire crowd was amped up all night to see Bryan Danielson, and he didn’t want to disappoint. Even though this was a new ROH crowd, they knew to chant “best in the world” and even attempted the “You’re gonna get your fucking head kicked in” chant. Lynn looked old but still fit, so that’s good. Jacobs and Delirious were greeted with the same lame “Hot Topic” jokes they always get, though the guy in front of me said something to Delirious to get him to break character and tell him that he’d “fucking kill him”.

While my girlfriend focused on the homoerotic S&M nonsense that Age of the Fall was doing, I was patiently awaiting seeing the Best Wrestler in the World finally compete. The match itself wasn’t anything incredibly memorable. There were some cute spots, but overall it was a standard WWE style tag match. Danielson seemed to really be enjoying the warm crowd reaction, and Lynn put him over before and during the match with applause.

For sinister heels, Jacobs and Delirious don’t really modify the way they work in the ring. They didn’t do anything incredible stand-out, aside from Jacobs and Danielson doing the old “trade rollups” routine. In the end, Danielson treated us to some stiff kicks, stiff chops, stinging elbows and Cattle Mutilation on Jacobs to end the match.

Overall: Fun but not a great spotlight for any of the guys in there. This was solely to get their faces seen, which as a fan I was happy about, but as a guy who wanted to see what they could do I was let down. Danielson’s lack of size will hurt him in the WWE, but if he’s given a chance, maybe he could get himself over.

At this point ROH did a poorly timed intermission. After two hours of wrestling, having an intermission killed the crowd’s momentum a little bit. Oh well, at least they sold some shirts.

Non-title Match:
Nigel McGuniess v. Brent Albright

I was a bit shocked that this was not main eventing the show. First, when you have a debut in a new city, you want to get your CHAMPION over. He should be in the main event unless there’s some extenuating circumstances. Second, this should have been a shot at the belt. When ROH is giving D-Lo Brown a title shot, why not give one to Albright? But I digress…the match.

The match itself started off kinda slow. Nigel had massive heel heat, and just to ensure that he wasn’t cheered, he buried the crowd. Nigel has the star quality that a lot of guys in ROH seem to lack. Brent is just as vanilla as he was in the WWE, but the kid can work!

Brent and Nigel amped this thing up like crazy, with Brent grabbing the Crowbar early and Nigel stiffing the hell outta him. The match kept the crowd involved, with Nigel getting heel heat without turning into a comedy act. The highlights were a Tower of London through a table, a Tower of London on the outside and more near falls than you could shake a stick at. I was sure the match was going to end in a count-out off of the second TOL, but Brent made it in at 19. In the end, Brent locked on the Crowbar and dragged Nigel from the ropes a few times, but in the end Nigel rolled him up with the trunks with the hold still locked in.

Overall: Brent looked like a star thanks to Nigel, and the crowd ate it up. Good show by both.

Nontitle Tag Match:
Kevin Steen & El Generico v. The Dark City Fight Club

Steen and Generico are insanely over. Insanely. Dark City Fight Club are a local tag team who come out like Doom with ominous masks and an angry black man routine. With the ole chants beaten into the ground 30 seconds in, the match commenced. Steen was over with the crowd early, greeted with “Mr. Wrestling” chants. The two teams worked well together, and with Cary sitting ringside, the DCFC knew they needed to deliver.

The Dark City Fight Club delivered some nice tandem moves, even bringing back Total Elimination. The match had a nice ebb and flow, with both Steen and Generico playing babyface in peril. DCFC seemed like a credible heel threat, which bodes well if they stick around. In the end, one of them ate a package piledriver and then a brainbuster.

Overall: This kept the crowd awake and amped up, complete with Generico’s botched attempt to carry Steen to the back with a piggyback ride. Steenerico are entertaining as hell, and I’m shocked neither WWE nor TNA have attempted to rip off this gimmick.

Tyler Black v. Davey Richards

And here’s your main event, Gabe. Davey Richards was accompanied by Larry Sweeney, who I still think isn’t as good as he’s billed as by half. Sweeney was wearing a belly-t-shirt and a neckbrace, selling the beatdown from Dempsey. Davey Richards just looks like a killer. He’s got the size disadvantage, and had history been different, he’d be in the WWE working as a Wolverine protégé. Alas, he’s not, so we’ll move on.

Tyler Black was greeted with “next world champ” chants almost from the second his music went off. I wasn’t immediately sold on the guy, but I would give him a chance. Unfortunately, Richards and Aries must have met before the show, because Richards also suffered from the whole “heelish with borderline comedy” curse that Austin had prior. Thankfully, these two can work. And boy did they work.

The match was a solid back-and-forth effort, with the two wrestlers attempting to have the best match they could given limited time and limited booking help. I think the more they work together the better they’ll get, but it is undeniable that Tyler Black has some star potential. He might be getting rushed to the ROH Title a little early (and from the latest Newswire it seems he’s slowing it down a bit), but I think by the end of 2009 it’s time to give him a chance with the strap because I think Vince will be calling sometime soon. In the end, Black beat Richards in what was a really solid outing.

Overall: If this was what Gabe would have booked to be THE main event feud of 2009, I think he would have not only kept his job but gotten a raise. These two guys can go, and given more time to gel, I think might be something pretty special.

So in the end the show didn’t blow me away but it didn’t completely turn me off as well. For a crowd that didn’t know much about ROH, they sure kept the energy high for the entire night. I think that Ring of Honor has some diamond-in-the-rough talent, and if Scrap Iron goes lighter on the old school rhetoric and more on the in-ring stuff, HDNet should be fairly happy.

ROH, make your stars more unique without making them all gimmicky. Line up Strong, Stevens, Attitude and Albright and beg them to come up with something that’s going to make them stand out without making them “stand out”. Give your guys a hook and the fans will be all over them. The potential still exists in ROH, I just hope it doesn’t all go for naught.

This has been for your consideration.

Feedback? Questions? Comments? E-mail me at awheeler316@yahoo.com and I’ll try to print the best one next week.