Rowe's Top 10 Matches of 2008

Now before anyone asks, I have not seen ROH's Death Before Dishonor VI yet, so I cannot comment on the Brent Albright/Adam Pearce match which has earned lots of critical acclaim. I thought about putting off making this list until I'd caught up more on recent DVDs, but if I do that then it will be so long until I get around to this that it would be the spring and it would be silly. So having said this, let's get started.

10) ROH World Tag Team Championship: Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black (c) vs. Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson - (Ring of Honor: Respect is Earned II).
This was a great part of the blood feud between Aries and Jacobs. Initially, the match ended in a disqualification within minutes when Jacobs and Aries couldn't contain themselves and fought so viciously that the referee had no choice but to call for the bell. Luckily, Tyler Black and Bryan Danielson had cooler heads on their shoulders and were able to get the match restarted. From there, this was an excellent tag team contest. ****1/4.

9) Elimination Chamber: Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho vs. Umaga vs. JBL (WWE No Way Out).
The elimination chamber is such a great concept and has all sorts of potential, but the matches never seem to live up to the hype. This was an exception to that rule, as the action was chaotic and all over the place from start to finish. With the winner getting a Wrestlemania title shot, there was a lot at stake, and the crowd was hoping for a Jeff Hardy upset after he'd been so close to taking the title from Randy Orton a month earlier. The fans would have to wait, as a Triple H pedigree (and a wellness policy violation) would delay Hardy's rise to the top. ****1/4.

8) Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries (ROH Vendetta II).
The war between Aries and Jacobs continued at a sickening pace. The story was that Jacobs invited Aries to join the Age of the Fall, and used his own girlfriend, Lacey, to try and lure him into the group. Instead, Aries stole Lacey from Jacobs, infuriating the pathetic and insecure Jacobs. In retaliation, Jacobs had the Age of the Fall jump Lacey as she was leaving a gym and hurt her so badly she would have to leave wrestling. The build resulted in this brutal match. Aries would gain a measure of revenge and planted the seeds for Necro Butcher's departure from the group. ****1/4

7) Unsanctioned match: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (WWE Unforgiven).
Speaking of outstanding build, Jericho had made it not just his mission to drive Michaels from the WWE, but to make sure he would forever be credited for doing it. At Summerslam, Jericho took a swing at Michaels and accidentally knocked out his wife. The story of this match was Michaels' quest for revenge, even if it cost him his soul. The match was brutal and evenly matched for quite a while, but ultimately the momentum swung into HBK's favor and he left Jericho a bloody and beaten mess. Many thought this would be the final chapter in their war, but Jericho wasn't finished, as he crawled out to a Scramble match later in the show to capture the World title. ****1/4

6) Hell in a Cell: The Undertaker vs. Edge (WWE Summerslam).
This was the climax to a feud that had spanned for more than a year. In a day and age when it feels like feuds are continually rushed, the bad blood between Undertaker and Edge started in May 2007 when Edge stole the World title from the Dead Man up until Summerslam in August 2008. In between, they had battled many times and Edge had continually screwed the Undertaker. All that came to a head in the Hell in a Cell, when suddenly none of Edge's tricks and short cuts could save him. Undertaker defeated his arch nemesis and sent him crashing into the ring canvas before "blowing up" the Rated R Superstar, sending him straight to Hell. ****1/4

5) Career Threatening match: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE Wrestlemania 24).
Over the past thirty five years, very few men have meant as much to professional wrestling as Ric Flair. While this was billed as a "career threatening" match, everyone knew going into it that this was it for Flair. It would be hard to imagine a more fitting way for a legend to go out on a high note. Flair and Michaels wrestled a quality match in front of one of the biggest crowds in American wrestling history. The finish was as emotional as anything I've ever seen in wrestling, as Michaels, knowing he had Flair beat, mouthed "I love you, I'm sorry" right before blasting Flair with the Sweet Chin Music. It's funny to think that just ten years ago Flair was being disrespected left and right in WCW and it looked as though his career was going to end on a quiet note. Instead, Flair found redemption in his second WWE run and got the retirement treatment and respect he deserved. ****1/4

4) ROH World Tag Team Championship: Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black (c) vs. Kevin Steen and El Generico (ROH Driven).
It's hard to find many genuinely touching or emotional moments in wrestling. While the Flair/HBK match hit such a note, it would have been hard not to considering the ramifications. However, these four men were able to capture such a moment, involving nothing more than the ROH Tag Team titles. Kevin Steen is a reluctant babyface, in that he's a proud slob, a jerk to his fan favorite tag partner, and sometimes he's slow to do the right thing. So that kind of makes him like Shrek, doesn't it? Anyhow, Steen made it his goal to hold gold in Ring of Honor in 2008, and after coming up short a few times against Nigel McGuinness, this was his last big shot. The Age of the Fall were crafty and formidable as usual, but after a dazzling series of nearfalls in front of a rabid crowd, Steen and Generico were finally able to capture the gold. The post-match celebration was a genuine moment of happiness and accomplishment for the unlikely duo of Steen and Generico. ****1/2

3) ROH World Championship: Nigel McGuinness (c) vs. Bryan Danielson (ROH Sixth Year Anniversary).
Danielson and McGuinness have wrestled many times, yet each time they find a way to have an outstanding match that is unique from their other encounters. This time the story was that Nigel was whining about the concussion he had suffered the last time he'd performed in front of the same NYC crowd and he didn't want to wrestle if it meant risking further attacks to the head. Danielson agreed with Nigel that they would not target the head during their match. This was all well and good until late in the contest when Nigel was finding that he could not put Danielson away. Nigel resorted to going back on his word and viciously attacked Danielson's head and previously injured eye. Nigel's heel turn was complete and the NYC crowd wanted him dead. ****1/2

2) FIP World Championship: Erick Stevens (c) vs. Roderick Strong (FIP Redefined)
At Ring of Honor's Final Battle in 2007, Stevens scored a major upset when he bested Strong for the FIP title. This was during a time when FIP's future was up in the air, as the promoter's wife had suddenly passed away and a series of shows had been cancelled. During this time, Stevens made the most of his title reign in ROH, scoring huge upset victories defending the title against top names like Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson. When FIP finally got back to business in February, Stevens vs. Strong was signed as the rematch. The match itself was a brutal, yet old-school contest. Strong managed to knock out Stevens at ringside and returned to the ring in time to win the title back by count-out (which is legal in FIP). Stevens would later wake up and would need to be told that he was no longer the champion. ****1/2

1) Ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE No Mercy).
I must confess that I am a huge fan of Chris Jericho, and for years it bothered me that his initial run as World Champion in 2001-2002 was such a mess. This match nearly makes up for that. This was the Chris Jericho as World Champion match that I always wanted. Not only that, but it was the blow-off to his long running feud with Michaels. Drifting from the usual ladder match forumal, they didn't go for a spot-fest, but rather used the ladder when it was convenient as a measure to hurt one another. Jericho was out to prove himself against Michaels, who had embarassed him on television earlier, reminding him that despite everything he accomplished that he would never be Shawn Michaels. Jericho took a step closer when he defeated Michaels to hold on to his World title. I initially rated this match as ****1/4, but after thinking it is a definite ****1/2 classic.

My Wrestling DVD's

This was inspired by ProjectSelfRevolution's blog post of the same topic. This will just include real DVD's I own, not including anything I taped, VHS, or DVD-R's.

WWE:
Bret Hart: Best There Was, Best There Is, Best There Will Ever Be
The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection
Shawn Michaels: Heartbreak and Triumph
The History of the WWE Championship
Ric Flair and the Four Horseman
Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story
Rey Mysterio: 619
Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind
The Rise and Fall of ECW
Trish Stratus: 100% Stratusfaction
The 2004 Hall of Fame Ceremony
Blood Sport: ECW's Bloodiest Matches
The Monday Night War
Andre the Giant
Shawn Michaels: Boyhood Dream
The Rock: Just Bring It
'Cause Stone Cold Said So
History of Wrestlemania I-IX
Survivor Series 2001
Rebellion 2002
Survivor Series 2002
Royal Rumble 2003
Judgment Day 2003
Vengeance 2003
No Mercy 2003
Survivor Series 2003
No Way Out 2004
Wrestlemania XX
Backlash 2004
Great American Bash 2004
Unforgiven 2004
No Mercy 2004
Survivor Series 2004
Royal Rumble 2005
Wrestlemania 21
Backlash 2005
Judgment Day 2005
Vengeance 2005
No Mercy 2005
Survivor Series 2005
Royal Rumble 2006
Wrestlemania 22
Backlash 2006
Judgment Day 2006
Great American Bash 2006
Unforgiven 2006
No Mercy 2006

TNA:
The Best of AJ Styles Vol. 1
The Best of the X Division Vol. 1
Victory Road 2004
Turning Point 2004
Lockdown 2005
Bound for Glory 2005
Genesis 2005
Against All Odds 2006
Lockdown 2006
Slammiversary 2007
Bound for Glory 2007
History of TNA: The First Year

Ring of Honor:
The Era of Honor Begins
Round Robin Challenge
Night of Appreciation
Road to the Title
Crowning a Champion
Unscripted
Night of Champions
Wrestlerave
Death Before Dishonor
Joe vs. Punk II
Final Battle 2004
Death Before Dishonor III
Survival of the Fittest 2005
Final Battle 2005
Supercard of Honor
Better Than Our Best
The 100th Show
Death Before Dishonor IV
Unified
Epic Encounter II
Glory By Honor V Night 1
Glory By Honor V Night 2
Honor Reclaims Boston
Dethroned
Final Battle 2006
Dedicated
Fifth Year Festival: NYC
Fifth Year Festival: Philly
Fifty Year Festival: Finale
All Star Extravaganza III
Supercard of Honor II
Good Times, Great Memories
Respect is Earned
A Fight at the Roxbury
Driven
Live in Tokyo
Death Before Dishonor V Night 1
Death Before Dishonor V Night 2
Manhattan Mayhem II
Man Up
Glory By Honor VI Night 1

Other Feds:
SHIMMER Vol. 8 (signed by Sara Del Rey)
SHIMMER Vol. 10 (signed by Sara Del Rey)
SHIMMER Vol. 12 (signed by Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze)
Best of CHIKARA
SMW: Night of Legends/Before They Were Famous
Best of No Limits Wrestling Vol. 2
All American Wrestling: Day of Reckoning
IWC: Road to Super Indy V
SCW: Brutal Battle 2004
FOW: King of Carnage
Mike Graham's Best of Classic Championship Wrestling Vol. 1
FIP: Emergence Night 1
FIP: Emergence Night 2
FIP: The Usual Suspects
FIP: Violence is the Answer
XPW: Freefall
XPW: Baptized in Blood III
ECW: Wrestlepalooza 1997
EWR: Right to Fight
NWA Florida: Rage in the Cage 2004

SamoaRowe's Top Ten

So, here's my Top Ten list of 2007 as it stands now. I just want to note that I haven't finished Good Times, Great Memories, and I haven't seen Manhatten Mayhem II or Man Up yet. I also fell asleep ten minutes into Cena/Michaels II, so I don't have any solid opinion on that one yet. Anyhow, here's the list:

10) Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima (ROH Fifth Year Festival: New York City)
I pegged this one at ****1/4. It was a great power match, and I marked out a lot while watching it. This only lost points because I felt it went from "feeling out" to "going home" very quickly, so the match didn't feel complete in that sense. Still, a pleasure to watch, and the beginning of an awesome run for Morishima in ROH.

9) Takeshi Morishima vs. Claudio Castagnoli (ROH Death Before Dishonor V Night 1)
You know those matches where a title is on the line and you know for sure that the champion is going to retain? This could have easily been one of those matches, but it wasn't. For starters, Claudio was built up strongly before this event, winning the Race to the Top tournament. Then the match took place, and Claudio brought a crazy fight to the dominant Morishima, pushing him to the very limit. Sadly, Morishima was able to regain himself long enough to hit a single backdrop driver on Claudio for the win. Anticlimatic finish aside, this match was magic, and landed at ****1/4.

8) Takeshi Morishima and Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness and KENTA (ROH Respect is Earned)
Now we're enterting ****1/2 territory. This was the main event of ROH's first ever pay-per-view, and they didn't hold anything back and threw the top four stars they had out there to quickly establish personalities and roles for a new audience. We learned right away how ruthless Morishima could be, how agile KENTA is, and how intelligent and crafy Danielson is. What stood out here was the emergence of Nigel McGuinness as a top star to the new audience, as he appeared to be hurt and out of the match, but quickly got bandaged up to return and prove to us all what a tough competitor he is. I loved this match, it set the pay-per-view era off on the right foot.

7) Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. Matt Sydal and Claudio Castagnoli (ROH Respect is Earned)
By this point you're probably rolling your eyes over how ROH-heavy this list is, because I could give two shits. I call it like I see it. The Briscoes spent the entire year stealing show after show and pushing the limit (later in the year I would actually argue they pushed things too far, but that's a story for another day). Sydal and Castagnoli were a thrown together team for this one, but displayed some incredible chemistry and took the fight to the Briscoes. Speaking of the Briscoes, they were on fire here, and delivered some of the most breathtaking double team spots I've ever witnessed. I've said it before, but I'm not going to apologize for loving a spot-fest, which this was, if it is done well and makes me cheer. ****1/2.

6) John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE Wrestlemania 23)
This match got a lot of criticism due to Cena getting a lot of punishment to the knee and then no-selling it later in the match. This gripe didn't bother me that much, because the no-selling lead to a thrilling back and forth contest between two guys who set out to add a new chapter to both their respective legacies. This was the kind of outstanding singles Wrestlemania main event that we hadn't seen in several years and was a welcome return. ****1/2

5) Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. El Generico and Kevin Steen (ROH Death Before Dishonor V Night 1)
The Boston street fight was a war unlike the city had ever seen. It started with brawling through the crowd and ended up a series of devastating bumps in the ring. The hatred between these two teams was reaching scary levels of believability as the chair shots and broken tables began to add up. From what I've heard, the ladder war from Man Up topped this war, though reviews of the later match lead me to believe that they went too far with the violence. At least here, every spot and moment built and built until the final sickening moment when Steen dropped a Briscoe with the package piledriver onto the ladder. Steen and Generico got the upset and a moment of glory. ****1/2.

4) CIMA, Shingo, and Susumu Yokosuka vs. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, and Masaaki Mochizuki (ROH Supercard of Honor II)
Now we are entering the ****3/4 territory. These six men set out to match the quality of the Dragon Gate six man from the original Supercard of Honor, and they came pretty damn close. The delight here was seeing them trying to have an awesome match, but not the same spot-fest from the year before. There was a lot of storytelling in this one, as well as a great mixture of styles with the inclusion of Shingo and Mochizuki. This was a match that I felt I could watch repeatedly, not get tired of it, and notice something new each time. A true classic.

3) John Cena vs. Umaga (WWE Royal Rumble)
My first impression after watching this match was that it was the MOTY and nothing would touch it. I turned out to be wrong, but I was still blown away by this. For starters, I don't really care for Umaga, as a character or a worker. That should tell you how much I enjoyed this match then. It was a last man standing match, and they worked the gimmick to perfection. They utilized their surroundings fantastically, including a nasty Umaga splash on the announce tables. What really put this over for me was the climatic finish, with Cena incorporating the broken ring ropes to trap Umaga in the STFU. I said it then as I'll say it now, this match deserves to be talked about for a long time. It was the best WWE match of 2007. ****3/4.

2) Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson (ROH Driven)
These are two guys I will never get tired of seeing them wrestle each other. Each time they bring something new to the table and have a completely different great match. When I first heard about this one, people immediately said it was the best match they'd had yet, and I didn't believe it. I had trouble buying that it would top their match from Unified in 2006. How wrong I was. The aggression. The drama. The way both men got put over. A lot of people complained that Nigel was buried in 2007, all the while overlooking how he was put over huge on the pay-per-views. He looked stronger in defeat than most wrestlers look in victory. This lived up the hype and deserves to be talked about for a long time. ****3/4.

1) Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer (ROH Supercard of Honor II)
Nigel/Danielson almost knocked this one out of it's place. In the end, there were just too many factors putting this one over. It was the culmination of a year-long feud. It featured a wreslter I don't usually enjoy (BJ Whitmer) but dazzled me anyhow. It helped complete the transformation of Jimmy Jacobs into a disturbring psychopath. And it was brutal. The match took place in a cage and both men destroyed each other and both men were put on the shelf as a result. Jacobs tore up his knee and lost a tooth. No match in 2007 was more memorable or meaningful to me than this, so here it stands, as SamoaRowe's MOTY. ****3/4.

ROH Haters

Okay, before I get into this, I just want to stop and acknowledge that there are some "ROHbots" out there who will exaggerate everything Ring of Honor does to the point where it becomes ridiculous. They exist, they are annoying, I get it. However, even worse is the emerging presence of the "ROH hater."

Over at 411mania.com/wrestling, J.D. Dunn posted his top ten matches of the year. The list featured lots of John Cena and ROH, with Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson from Driven topping the list. As expected, the usual lot of "OMG, CENA SUX!!!!!!!!!!!!1" people were there to bitch about it and do everything in their power to try and downplay what Cena accomplished this year. It was the type of "Yeah, Cena had great matches, but it doesn't counted because he was CARRIED!" So what if he was carried? Does that mean the match was less enjoyable? Others write off Cena's Royal Rumble match with Umaga because it was a gimmick match. Sometimes, gimmicks elevate a match or feud, so why should that hurt the credibility of the bout? Should I be thinking "I've decided that I didn't enjoy Cena/Umaga because it was a gimmick match, therefore it wasn't worth my time and I must of been confused to enjoy it." Some people made up their minds in 2005 that John Cena sucked and would always suck and will never change their minds. I don't care, I'm not exactly a huge Cena fan myself, but I'm always willing to give credit where it is due and Cena had an outstanding 2007 before his injury and is surely the wrestler of the year.

But then there's the ROH haters. This is a new breed of IWC peeps that has emerged due to ROH hitting pay-per-view. There are complaints at Dunn's list (411 has enabled comments to articles now, not sure if that's such a good idea...) as well as other boards I've seen. The argument is that "Nothing from ROH should be in consideration for year-end awards because only 2,000 people watch it." Wait, what? How is this a logical basis for one's opinion?

For starters, ROH is more popular than a lot of people have given it credit for. It is still an indy company, but one that draws consistent crowds in numerous cities, has achieved higher than expected pay-per-view buys, and are internationally known. No wrestling company experienced more growth in 2007 than ROH. I would even daresay that ROH is more popular now than TNA was in 2002-2003, and they are doing something that TNA has never done: make money.

But what really kills me is that people think ROH should be discredited simpy for being less popular and mainstream. This makes no sense to me whatsoever. Anyone who suggests that Cena vs. Khali has more of a right to be considered for match of the year over Danielson vs. Morishima should just accept that it's because they don't watch the ROH product and shouldn't get all snooty when others make such claims. I think it comes down to simple jealousy. WWE/TNA fans see ROH as too difficult to get into, and due to the jealousy of hearing about all the great things coming out of it, they just find it easier to write it off due to ROH being small.

Also, this whole argument of "popular equals quality" does not exist in other fields when year end awards come up. I suppose at the Academy Awards this winter, the nominees for best picture should be Spider Man 3, Shrek the Third, Transformers, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and 300. I mean, they were the most popular movies of the year. Way more people saw these than No Country for Old Men or Juno, right? Of course no one brings up this argument when it comes to movies, because it just sounds completely mindless!

So, if you don't want to watch ROH because you think it's too hard to get into or you're turned off by some of the mutant fans, then that's fine. But don't make up excuses based on ignorance for why you think matches like Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson should be shoved aside in favor of Bobby Lashley vs. John Cena. It's okay to just say "I didn't watch ROH, so there." I hardly saw any current puro this year, so I didn't include it in my end of year thoughts. But do I sit here and say "Only nerds watch puro, they think every match is *****, they're all stupid mutants." Of course I don't. I'm ignorant by how good (or dull) wrestling from Japan was this year so I'm not going to comment on it! I'm also not going to fault anyone else who does. So I'm just asking for people to stop taking this so seriously, acknowledge that everyone is going to have a different opinion, and let's please stop making stupid excuses to defend ignorant opinions.

Ring of Honor: October 5th Live Report

Ring of Honor made their return to Boston on Friday, October 5th 2007. Once again, the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center at Roxbury Community College was the host. This is a fine venue, I must say, despite the rough neighborhood.

This show was coming off the heels of August's Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 show. With the tremendous quality of that event, expectations were running high. The crowd turnout was a bit down, as there was a big Red Sox game in progress the same night.

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Preshow:

Bryan Fury defeated "Sugarfoot" Alex Payne.

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Handsome Johnny defeated "Sexiest Man Alive" Rhett Titus.

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Neither preshow match was overly noteworthy, which is to be expected.

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Main Show:

Adam Pearce and Brent Albright defeated Erick Stevens and Matt Cross. This was an excellent opener, as it was solid tag team wrestling with no fancy gimmick. Cross played a convincing face in peril and Stevens got one of the hottest tags I've seen in a LONG time as a result. This was a pleasant surprise, ***1/4.

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BJ Whitmer defeated Delirious. This one did not click at all. If they are going to keep booking Delirious into blood feuds, he needs to start acting like he really wants to hurt his enemy. Whitmer won in anticlimatic fashion, even after taking a series of "Chaos Effects" from Delirious, **.

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The Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, and Lacey) cut a promo in the ring, and were attacked by Jay Briscoe. They brawled out into the hallway and back into the dressing room area. As a result, Black did not participate in the scheduled four-way and the following triple threat took place instead:

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Nigel McGuinness defeated Hallowicked, and El Generico. This was a lot of fun, Nigel and Generico were very over with the crowd. Hallowicked did not do anything overly impressive, which is a shame because this was his Boston ROH debut. Nigel hit at least seven lariats during the match, and was able to pin Hallowicked while Generico was recovering on the floor. ***

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Claudio Castagnoli defeated Chris Hero in an overly long match up. By this point, any real heat between Hero and Castagnoli is gone. The antics of Larry Sweeney, Sara Del Rey, and Bobby Dempsey at ringside were humorous, but felt a bit distracting once Hero stopped goofing around had started really wrestling Claudio. I've been told the match went about 20 minutes, but it felt like 30, **3/4.

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Jay Briscoe and Necro Butcher brawled into the gym. They fought their way around the crowd, with Butcher burying Jay with chairs at one point. Once it hit the ring, it became an "anything goes" match. Lots of sick chair bumps, with Necro Butcher picking up the win (after Jimmy Jacobs got involved again). Mark Briscoe hobbled out on his crutches to try and make the save, but the Age of the Fall took him out and carried him out of the building. What happened after was complete nonsense, as Jay took the time to cut a short promo and fight with a fan at ringside, rather than show concern for his brother who was just KIDNAPPED! I hope Mark kicks his ass for this later.

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Intermission:

I wandered around for a bit and saw some wrestlers in the hallway (Kevin Steen was being especially nice to fans looking for autographs). I went to the merch stand and chatted with Sara Del Rey again, and had her sign another DVD for me. She is really representing SHIMMER well.

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Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black squashed Ernie Osiris and Mitch Franklin. Afterwards, Jay Briscoe attacked them yet again, and he was not selling any of the punishment that Necro Butcher dished out to him earlier.

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Austin Aries defeated Bryan Danielson in an excellent match. Aries busted out some technical wrestling chops that we haven't seen from him in a long while. They took their time to tell a nice story, and built to the trademark high spots. Aries managed to out wrestle Danielson and make him tap out. ****

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Jack Evans, Jigsaw, and Ruckus defeated Roderick Strong, Davey Richards, and Rocky Romero in a scramble tag match. If you enjoy spot-fests (which I tend to do) then you would like this one. Evans, Jigsaw, and Ruckus, collectively known as The Vulture Squad, meshed very well as a team. Jigsaw stands out from the others as he wears a masked and has some off-beat goof charm, but his ring work qualifies him for the group. Solid spot-fest, and I look forward to seeing more of the Vulture Squad later, ***1/2.

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Takeshi Morishima defeated Kevin Steen to retain the ROH World Championship. It took this match several minutes before it started to click. The early going was some uninspiring brawling that failed to achieve any flow. Then Steen went for the sharpshooter, and things picked up from there. Lots of near falls, with Steen coming painfully close to winning the belt on several occasions. So basically, this is a repeat of Morishima's last two Boston title defenses. Again, Morishima managed to hulk up and hit a single backdrop driver for the victory. **3/4

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So all in all, this show was a few steps below what I've come to expect from ROH Boston shows. There was some nonsensical booking and a few matches failed to deliver. There was also an odd mix of effort, as the roster wanted to put on a great show but at the same time seemed to be saving themselves for tonight's pay-per-view taping. But, if you noticed my star ratings, most of the matches were in the *** region and the Aries/Danielson match lived up to my high expectations, so I was a happy wrestling fan once again. I look forward to ROH's return to Boston on January 11, 2008.

Death Before Dishonor V Night One

Friday, August 10th 2005:
Myself, DWB's own Professor Plague, and our former drama advisor/old-school wrestling fan took in Ring of Honor in Roxbury Crossing, MA. It was quite the show.

Preshow:

In a six-way match, Shane Hagadorn picked up a cheap victory against Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne, Bobby Dempsey, Ernie Osiris, Mitch Franklin, and Rhett Titus. Hagadorn spent the majority of the match sitting at ringside and stole the victory.

SHIMMER Champion Sara Del Rey defeated an unknown wrestler, whose first name was Candice, at 1:52. It was a complete squash, as the jobber looked extremely green. Del Rey had some good moves in her, including a sick fallaway slam.

Main show:
Jack Evans defeated Davey Richards by DQ at 11:22. Adequate opener, as Richards is playing his heel character well and Evans was insanely over with the live crowd. The match came to an abrupt halt when Roderick Strong interferred, which sparked a brawl between the NRC and Resilience.

Lacey defeated Daizee Haze at 8:10 to become the #1 Contender for the SHIMMER Championship. Good women's match, though it was a downer that Daizee lost, considering she got her ass kicked by Lacey at the last three Boston ROH shows.

Chris Hero defeated Nigel McGuinness at 20:02 in a "Pure Rules" match. Lots of stalling by Hero, and outside interference by Larry Sweeney, Tank Toland, Bobby Dempsey, and Sara Del Rey. About three minutes into the match all the lights went out and a recorded promo hyping "Project 161" aired. The lights came back on and Hero tried telling the ref that Nigel used all three of his rope breaks while the lights were out.

Matt Cross defeated Pelle Primeau, Jigsaw, Eddie Edwards, Delirious, and Brent Albright at 10:56. This was solid, with Pelle taking a disgusting release German suplex into the turnbuckles, courtesy of Brent Albright. Cross winning was a total surprise, as he put away Edwards while Delirious and Albright were distracted away from the ring.

Austin Aries and Erick Stevens defeated Roderick Strong and Rocky Romero at 20:51. Very disappointing match, as Stevens made for a lousy "face in peril" and was very forgettable outside of some heel trickery by Strong. Aries seemed to legitimately hurt his wrist during the match, as he was tended to while the NRC cut a promo after the match.

INTERMISSION: Plague and I hit the merch stand, and Sara Del Rey is kind enough to sign a

SHIMMER dvd for yours truly.

Bryan Danielson defeated Matt Sydal at 16:45. This was your typical awesome Danielson performance, who carried Sydal to a good match, even if he had to put himself into holds. They had some pre-match banter, where the stipulation was made that if Danielson won, he would get to keep Sydal's share of the 10,000 dollar prize money from the Edison show. This proved to be unwise, as Danielson was dominant and won by knockout, courtesy of his elbow shots.

Takeshi Morishima defeated Claudio Castagnoli to retain the ROH World Championship at 15:31. I'm very tempted to give this one **** as it was a great power wrestling match. Claudio had some painfully close near-falls on Morishima, with referee Todd Sinclair fucking up twice and counting three, but calling it as two. This happened at A Fight at the Roxbury when Morishima faced Jay Briscoe as well, and the crowd erupted in a "Fuck you, Sinclair" chant. In the end, Morishima's hard side suplex was too much for Claudio, but this was tremendous and worth the price of admission alone.

Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated Jay and Mark Briscoe in a Boston Street Fight at 22:11. As you might have guessed, this match was wild. The first ten minutes were brawling all over the building, with chair shots, broken tables, and sick bumps to the floor. The match finally hit the ring, and a ladder got involved, including a rather nasty spot where El Generico hit an ace crusher off the ropes on Jay Briscoe, who was climbing the ladder. There were lots of unbelievable kick-outs, but Kevin Steen ended up hitting a cradle DDT on one of the Briscoes on top of the ladder. Afterwards, Steen issued an open challenge for the next Boston show, with the criteria that his opponent must be the ROH World Champion.

Other notes:

There were Project 161 signs all over the building, including in the bathroom on the sinks and urinals.

The crowd was much larger than at A Fight at the Roxbury. The bleachers were full of fans this time, while the last show we had lots of room to stretch out.

Biggest pops:

Bryan Danielson

Briscoes

Bobby Dempsey (no kidding)

Nigel McGuinness

Biggest heat:

Todd Sinclair (during the world title match)

Morishima

Chris Hero

Roderick Strong

This was a great live show that should translate well into DVD. I'm looking forward to their return on October 5th.

ROH 6/8 thoughts.

So Plague and I did end up going to the ROH show last night, and it was well worth it. I don't want to hear any more nonsense about how ROH fans are in "denial" over the "depleted" roster, because everyone on the card brought their A game and delivered. It's one of those things that you cannot understand if you don't actually watch the shows, and don't pass this off as me being some sort of mindless ROHbot, because I went through a lot of driving (in fucking Roxbury at that) to get to this show and I wouldn't have had a problem tearing this show a new asshole if it didn't deliver.

Anyhow, on to the show.

-Plague and I actually arrived before the doors open.

-Student tag team match took place, I only caught Ernie Osiris and Bobby Dempsey as participants. Pretty vanilla stuff, as you'd probably guess.

-Rhett Titus and Mitch Franklin defeated two unnamed local guys. This started out on the generic side, but they picked the pace up and were able to win the crowd over.

-Main show begins.

-BJ Whitmer went no contest with Brent Albright after Whitmer headbutted the referee. Whitmer then threw a temper tantrum and destroyed everything in the ringside area. Crowd was really into this match in general, though this match was clearly set up to progress to a bigger match down the line between these two.

-Daizee Haze called out Lacey, but got Jimmy Jacobs instead. Haze attacked Jimmy, but Lacey made the save and they beat down Daizee. This is the third straight time Daizee has been laid out in Boston, I can only hope that this is leading to her getting some measure of revenge at the next show.

-Bryan Danielson defeated Jimmy Rave in a solid, ***-ish match. Lots of creative chain wrestling, as you'd expect, earned Danielson a mid-match standing ovation. Danielson won with the elbows to the face. A lot of fans were confused as to why this was so low on the card, but were into it regardless.

-Kevin Steen defeated Mark Briscoe in a rather awesome brawl. Lots of high spots and in crowd brawling. This match did a lot to put Steen over too, as he played his heel character really well and was dominant. Steen tried to take Mark out with a chair afterwards, but Jay and El Generico ran in and they were seperated.

-It was announced that ROH is coming back to Boston on August 10th for DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR Night 1!! Plague and I marked out like a couple of kids. It was announced that Aug. 10 will have the Briscoes defending the ROH Tag belts against Steen and Generico in a Boston Street Fight. Also, the upcoming four-way is for a shot at the World title on Aug. 10.

-Claudio Castagnoli defeated Chris Hero, Nigel McGuinness, and Mike Quackenbush for the title shot. Great match, with a lot of emphasis on getting Quackenbush over, and the building tension between Castagnoli and Hero. Hero had Larry Sweeney, Tank Toland, and Bobby Dempsey in his corner, and they were amusing and butting in throughout the bout. Quackenbush had a couple of redicuously close near falls, and Nigel wasn't as involved as I would have expected (he's probably got something big going on in Philly tonight). So now we have Claudio vs. Morishima for the ROH belt to look forward to.

-Intermission! I should note that before the four-way I snuck out to use the water fountain and bumped into Jimmy Jacobs. Good times.

-Eddie Edwards defeated Pelle Primeau. Match was sloppy at points, but they were able to win (most) of the crowd over by the end. Edwards is the hometown boy, so the crowd was very receptive to him.

-Matt Sydal beat El Generico in a show stealer. Crowd was very vocal throughout, with "Ole" chants for Generico and "Sydal" chants in the ole tune for good old Sydal. Only downer is that the fans really wanted Generico to go over.

-Delirious, Erick Stevens, and Matt Cross defeated Roderick Strong, Rocky Romero, and Davey Richards in an awesome six man tag. Lots of action all over the ring and ringside, and several false finishes. Delirious looked hurt afterwards and was overheard requesting a doctor in the hallway afterwards.

-Takeshi Morishima beat Jay Briscoe to retain the ROH World title. This match surprised the HELL out of me. They booked it so that Jay got in a couple very convincing false finishes on Mori, so logic be damned, they made it seem like Jay could have actually won, which is what this match badly needed. The crowd was very solidly behind Jay the entire match, and were disappointed when Morishima "hulked up" and ate Jay for dinner. The crowd was much more into this than I was expecting.

-After the main event, Generico and Steen jumped Jay, prompting Mark to run in for the save. They brawled in the crowd again and into the hallway. Fun way to finish the show, the DVD will probably have footage of me acting like a mark during this point.
So yes, this was an awesome show to attend live. Great crowd, great card, and a lot of hard work by the roster.

Joe vs. Morishima

Early MOTYC or just really good? Since those to be the only two options, here's the review:

Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima
ROH Fifth Year Festival
February 16th 2007
Morishima doesn't waste a damn moment and nails Joe with his forearm before the bell can even ring. They brawl and Joe whips Morishima into the ropes, but is taken down by a shoulder block. Joe retreats to ringside and takes a flying shoulder block off the apron from Morishima. Joe is directed back into the ring and over powerd by Morishima, who cartwheels into a corner avalanche. Morishima is a beast and stomps Joe to the mat. "Dueling chants" from the crowd as Morishima chokes Joe on the ropes. Scoop slam and a rope assisted stomp by Morishima. Joe hits a chop and tries to regain his edge, but Morishima directs Joe back to the second rope. Jabs by Joe, but Morishima asssaults with a hard shot. Sleeper by Morishima. Joe escapes, but is splashed in the corner again. Morishima goes for a cover, but Joe gets a foot on the ropes. Rear chinlock by Morishima. Joe gets to the ropes, but Morishima reapplies the hold. Joe pops out and hits some chops. Joe bounces off the ropes and runs right into Morishima's huge ass. Morishima goes high risk and hits a missile drop-kick! Morishima is a fucking beast! Morishima gains another close cover. Joe counters an Irish whip but runs into Morishima's boot. Joe counters an off the ropes club with his knee and mounts enough offense to gain a close fall. Joe his a back elbow and enziguri on a cornered Morishima. Joe wipes his boot on Morishima's face and hits the running boot. Joe hits a ruthless kick to the face, all the while selling his back. Jabs and kicks by Joe. Snapmare by Joe into a face rake. Joe drives his elbow into Morishima's face, busting him open in the process. Joe blocks a suplex and hits some more stiff kicks, directed towards the face region. Morishima retreats to ringside, but takes a suicide dive from Joe! Joe made sure to connect his arm to Morishima's face in the process, that was awesome! Joe positions Morishima for the "ole, ole" kicks and connects in brutal fashion! Joe repeats the spot and connects yet again. Morishima is still bleeding from the nose, adding to the drama. Joe directs Morishima into the ring for a cover, but it only gets two. More jabs by Joe, but Morishima dodges a lariat, Joe keeps trying to get the lariat but runs into a side slam after a thrilling exchange. More dueling chants from the crowd. Morishima dives on a sitting Samoa Joe twice and gets a near fall. Irish whip and a big boot by Morishima. Joe dodges another boot and slams Morishima for another near fall. Morishima blocks a suplex, but Joe gets another enziguri and a Death Valley Driver! Joe only gets a two out of the cover! Joe goes for the power bomb, but Morishima blocks, so Joe hits some stiff kicks. Morishima blocks the power bomb and flips Joe over his back, and then drops his ass on Joe's chest. Morishima goes high risk again, but Joe cuts him off with kicks and shots. Joe climbs up goes for a superplex. It is blocked, so Joe hits a kick to the head and then the Muscle Buster! Somehow Morishima kicked out of the following cover! WHAT! That was damn convincing. More jabs by Joe, focusing on the nose, and a big boot! Morishima shrugs it off and connects with a lariat! They are both down for several seconds. Lou Thesz press by Morishima almost wins the match. Side suplex by Morishima! Morishima gets a second side suplex and a near fall. Joe appears to be dead. Morishima hits a lariat to the back of Joe's head, but Joe ducks a second attempt and hits a half nelson suplex! Joe goes for the headlock, blocks a chinbreaker, and keeps the hold on. Morishima fights out, but Joe goes back to the choke. Joe applis the full blown Kokina Clutch! Morishima passes out and Joe is the winner at 18:09! That finish was a little anticlimatic, but it sets the table for future rematches. The match went from "feeling out" to "going home" really quickly, but provided tons of action, psychology, and big bumps, ****1/4.
Winner: Samoa Joe