Official ROH Discussion Thread

[Devon Malcolm]

whats your problem

 

You are, you fucking trouser chili.

[hitman89762000]

maybe get some noah guys like kenta or some lucha wrestlers. I dont really follow indie wrestling that much

 

So you dont follow indie wrestling that much yet you state they should bring these guys in? That's fucking retarded.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Tag Team Turmoil 2011

[Big Benny HG]

Reviews of 'old' shows, yay. "Back on the ROH trail", one might say. If they were daft. After a bit of a break following my viewing of the excellent 'Big Bang' iPPV on DVD, I'm on my way to catching up....and this is what I see:

 

ROH Pick Your Poison (23 April 2010)

 

 

This is the first half of ROH's next Dayton/Chicago double-header, actually coming the same weekend as Chikara presented their 'King of Trios' showcase event over in Philly. The theme of this show is that warring ex-partners El Generico and Kevin Steen are given the chance to choose each other's opponent for the night, ahead of going to war in a streetfight rematch of the 'Big Bang' tag match the following night in Chicago.

 

I start by watching the 'VideoWire', the sole bonus content on the disc. This is the 14 April version of their YouTube show, which recaps 'Big Bang'and previews this weekender. Pretty standard stuff, with the usual awkward backstage promos from the majority of the roster, all talking about how they are going to beat each other up.

 

The first thing I remember when I start the main feature is that I'd forgotten ROH releases are disappointingly still only available in 4:3 picture format. Christ's sake: it's 2010 (well, it is to me, dammit). Early signs for the show are not promising, as the first 45 minutes of the disc are comprised of worthless filler in the bland Metal Master vs. the dreadful Sami Callihan, a rather pointless and uninteresting Chris Hero vs. Petey Williams bout, and a crap tag match of Necro Butcher & Rasche Brown vs. Erick Stevens & Shawn Daivari. This is the latest chapter of the awful, never-ending Necro vs. Embassy feud that no-one could possibly care about any more. The theme appears like it is going to continue with American Wolves (Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards) vs. Dark City Fight Club (John Davis & Kory Chavis), since the first ten minutes of this tag rankings bout are totally nondescript. The match does pick up though, and the second half of this 20-minute affair actually turns out to be really good stuff. Easily DCFC's best ROH showing up to this point.

 

The highlight of the show so far, however, comes during the entrance of Austin Aries & Rhett Titus for their match against the House of Truth (Josh Raymond & Christian Able), in some dude in the crowd's reaction to Titus giving his girlfriend a hotel room key and receiving a kiss in return. The show quickly goes downhill again, however, as this awkward heel vs. heel match lacks momentum, doesn't get going and failed to capture my interest. The only noteworthy aspect comes right at the end, as we continue to see the escalating tension between Aries and his two proteges.

 

Thankfully, the show gets a much-needed kick up the arse with the 'Pick Your Poison' matches. First, El Generico is matched against Steen's choice Roderick Strong, and to two assemble a compelling and exciting cracker. Adding interest to the match is the developing intensity and selfishness in Strong as he continues to have the ROH World Title in his cross-hairs. Predictably, Generico is on the receiving end of another post-match attack from Kevin Steen & Steve Corino, leading directly into their own 'Pick Your Poison' challenge against The Briscoes (Jay & Mark). No doubt about it: this is a vicious and brutal FIGHT. Starts as a red hot brawl, but definitely longer and more drawn-out than it needs to be. It ends up disappointing in that it doesn't really change gears and doesn't really build to anything.

 

The main event of the DVD is Kenny King's unconvincing ROH World title challenge against champion Tyler Black. I mean, come on, does anyone buy that Kenny King actually has a chance of beating Black for the belt here on this show? If you can manage to put that thought aside, though, this is actually a pretty good match. It develops logically at an increasing pace towards the signature spots as they look to put it away. The match also does make a point of elevating King and making him look somewhat of a competitive and credible challenger. That said, the crowd is completely dead for the match beyond polite applause for big moves, probably for the exact reason I mentioned before. If this had been a mid-card non-title match, instead of trying to be a World Title main event, it would have worked better.

 

ROH in 2010 is all about the TV show on HDNet, the major annual shows and the iPPV specials. 'Pick Your Poison' is none of those, but is instead the very definition of a 'nothing' show. Strong vs. Generico is a great match, and the Wolves/DCFC and Black/King bouts are good too, but that isn't enough for me to recommend this DVD to anyone but ROH completists. Everyone else should probably save their money.

 

Full show results:

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Metal Master beat Sami Callihan by pinfall

 

Necro Butcher & Rasche Brown {W, spear} beat Erick Stevens & Shawn Daivari {L}

 

Chris Hero beat Petey Williams with the stretch plum

 

American Wolves (Eddie Edwards {W, Achillee's lock} Davey Richards) beat Dark City Fight Club (John Davis {L} & Kory Chavis)

 

House of Truth {W} beat Austin Aries & Rhett Titus {L}

 

Pick Your Poison: Roderick Strong beat El Generico with a FRS gutbuster -> Gibson Driver -> Sick Kick chain.

 

Pick Your Poison: Steve Corino {W, tights-assisted roll-up} & Kevin Steen beat Jay {L} & Mark Briscoe

 

Tyler Black beat Kenning King with a superkick to retain the ROH World Title

 

[close spoiler]

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Edited December 9, 2011 by Big Benny HG

[Only_The_Strong_Survive]

ROH announced in a newswire last week that they will be releasing "Roderick Strong: Messiah Of The Backbreaker" on DVD, No matches announced as of yet but its only footage from 2005-2008, So leaves them room to make a second volume, Much like with the Briscoes DVD.

 

Really hyped for Final Battle right now!

 

SPOILER - Highlight the black box to read

really can see Jimmy Jacobs turning on Corino and helping Steen. Theme two together being insane would be awesome!

 

[superturk]

ROH announced in a newswire last week that they will be releasing "Roderick Strong: Messiah Of The Backbreaker" on DVD, No matches announced as of yet but its only footage from 2005-2008, So leaves them room to make a second volume, Much like with the Briscoes DVD.

 

Really hyped for Final Battle right now!

 

SPOILER - Highlight the black box to read

really can see Jimmy Jacobs turning on Corino and helping Steen. Theme two together being insane would be awesome!

 

technically this will be vol 2 as both roderick strong and the briscoes have already got a best of roh set

Best of The Briscoe Brothers: Tag Team Excellence focusing on 2003-2004 and Best of Roderick Strong: Suffering Is Inevitable focusing on 2004-2005

Edited December 9, 2011 by superturk

[Big Benny HG]

ROH Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2 (24 April 2010)

 

 

The second half of ROH's late-April 2010 weekender, coming from Chicago. This venue has been home to some larger and more noteworthy ROH events of recent years, and the headline attraction on this particular DVD release includes the first in-ring confrontation between El Generico and Kevin Steen since the masked man decided to fight back against his tormentor. To say I'm looking forward to this one would be an understatement.

 

The first two bouts (Rasche Brown vs. Sami Callihan and Dark City Fight Club vs. The Bravado Brothers) aren't anything to get excited about, but their short, squash-like nature means they can't really be deemed offensive. I wasn't initially drawn to TV champion Eddie Edwards vs. Metal Master (the masked alter-ego of All Star Wrestling's Chad Collyer) either, but it actually turned out to be a decent, solid little match. The Embassy (Erick Stevens & Shawn Daivari) vs. House of Truth (Josh Raymond & Christian Able), however, is dull as ditch water, exactly what the fast-forward button was invented for.

 

The DVD then picks up in a huge way, as World Championship contenders Davey Richards and Roderick Strong go to battle in a genuinely thrilling contest. The 'Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies' tag refers to Generico and Steen, but could equally apply to these former No Remorse Corps partners judging by the match they have. This is better than Strong's match with Generico the previous evening, and better than the match these same two had exactly 2 weeks earlier for PWG (at 'Titannica' - see my review in the other thread). It's not two guys hitting each other hard and pretending they are having a 'Japanese' style match, this is two guys in the middle of the title hunt trading holds, slams, strikes, submissions, reversals, near falls and near taps in a gripping struggle to get ahead. Fantastic match.

 

Like Edwards/Master, I wasn't expecting too much from Petey Williams vs. Rhett Titus. I was surprised again, though, and the two matched each other perfectly in assembling a really good match. The following bout, pitting those crazy Briscoes against squabbling stablemates Austin Aries & Kenny King, is slow out of the blocks, but ends up being another very decent scrap. The penultimate offering on the DVD is Tyler Black's latest ROH World Title defence, this time against half of the tag champs, Chris Hero. The match is unlike any other on the show, in that it has a slow, deliberate pace which draws you in and tells a great story. A terrific singles title match that had me completely engrossed.

 

So, onto the feature attraction: a super-charged tag team grudge match with El Generico & Colt Cabana waging war with Kevin Steen & Steve Corino. A direct rematch from the 'Big Bang' iPPV with two very important differences: Generico is now fired up wanting to kill Steen.... and the match this time is a "come as you are, bring what you want" Chicago Streetfight. A super-charged, super-heated, blood-soaked, wild, crazy brawl from start to finish, this is how a pro wrestling grudge match is supposed to be done. Punches, kicks, chairs, tables, barricades, ladders, broken bottles, barbed wire and other weapon-related violence ensure this is the ultimate depiction of pure hatred. Epic, powerful, dramatic and exciting, this is right up there as one of ROH's top few matches of the year.

 

With several excellent matches and other good ones, this is an superb DVD release. In stark contrast to the previous ROH DVD offering, 'Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2' is essential material. While the promotion has been inconsistent in 2009 and 2010, this one goes to show that when they get it right, they get it right.

 

Full show results:

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Rasche Brown beat Sami Callihan with a Burning Hammer

 

Dark City Fight Club (John Davis & Kory Chavis) beat The Bravado Brothers (Lane & Harlem) via referee stoppage

 

Eddie Edwards beat Metal Master by submission with an Achille's tendon hold

 

The Embassy (Erick Stevens & Shawn Daivari) beat House of Truth (Josh Raymond & Christian Able) by disqualification due to the interference of Truth Martini

 

Roderick Strong & Davey Richards fought to a 20-minute time-limit draw

 

Rhett Titus beat Petey Williams by rope-assisted pinfall

 

The Briscoes (Jay & Mark) beat Austin Aries {L} & Kenny King with a Doomsday Device

 

Tyler Black beat Chris Hero with God's Last Gift to retain the ROH World Title

 

El Generico & Colt Cabana beat Steve Corino {L} & Kevin Steen via referee stoppage/KO.

 

 

[close spoiler]

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[wrestlemania]

i used to be a big roh fan but over the last year or so, pwg has been the much better indy company, that cant be argued imo

[Only_The_Strong_Survive]

i used to be a big roh fan but over the last year or so, pwg has been the much better indy company, that cant be argued imo

 

PWG have been outstanding since 2009 and do a great job of putting a supercard on each month, I do enjoy there shows, Always nice to watch something more lighthearted after an ROH binge.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

If we're ranking the indies, I have to put Chikara 1st, PWG second, and ROH third at the moment

[Only_The_Strong_Survive]

If we're ranking the indies, I have to put Chikara 1st, PWG second, and ROH third at the moment

 

Storyline and character wise and would say Chikara are the best, Sometimes the matches can be hit and miss but. I haven't got the time to watch all the shows Chikara does like i used to and I just can't justify paying the shipping that Smart Mark charges along alone with $20 for a DVD (Even though this has now dropped to $15) I usually just pick and choose my shows, I always pick up King Of Trios as its always awesome, Hope its a 3 Day iPPV this year.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

It's been an odd year for ROH. First six months were ok, but then the SBS deal fucked everything up. If a better booker comes along they should probably upgrade, Delirious is average at best. Not putting the tag belts on King and Titus at GBH 10 was a mistake. I read somewhere/ someone told me that WGTT wouldn't put ANX over, s the plan is from the drop the belts to the Briscoes, who then presumably will put ANX over (again)

[Only_The_Strong_Survive]

 

Known for his vicious chops, hard hitting forearms, and plethora of backbreakers, Roderick Strong has beaten his way into the history books of Ring of Honor and more than earned the nickname

[gadge]

That's a great body of Strong's work there...

 

Dragon Gate USA: Mercury Rising 2011 - Atlanta, GA - 2/4/11

 

Night one of Dragon Gate USA's pre-WrestleMania offerings from Atlanta. This clashed live with the Hall of Fame, so I wasn't in attendance, though the overall crowd size is good regardless of WWE's pre-WrestleMania shindig...

 

Jon Moxley vs Arik Cannon - An alright way to start the show, but it was very indy from Cannon as usual, and Gabe can't seem to resist booking Moxley like Raven in ECW, which is an anachronism in 2011. Cannon has the match won, but Moxley's valet runs in for the distraction, and Moxley pins Cannon after a low blow in 7:32.

 

Brodie Lee vs Jimmy Jacobs vs Silas Young vs AR Fox vs Jon Davis vs Hollywood Stalker Ichikawa - Elimination style six man, erm, mayhem here. The first part is all Stalker silliness, which the crowd is sad to see end at the hands of Jon Davis at 3:19, then Fox gets some good spots in before being eliminated by Jacobs' Contra Code at 8:19. Jacobs also eliminates Silas by End Time at 10:55 and Davis with an assist from Brodie, but can't upend the Blood Warriors monster. Big Bad Brodie finishes Jacobs with a big combo of offense culminating in the Truckstop at 13:55. This was spotty fun for the most part, I liked the attempt to make Fox look good and the fact they're doing what they can with Jacobs before he goes back to ROH.

 

Masato Yoshino vs Sami Callihan - The card begins to take a turn for the better here, from an action standpoint at least. Callihan gets a match with the Open The Dream Gate champion off the back of an online promo video (that can also be seen in the bonus features) titled CDM, which stands for Callihan Death Machine, and would have been better if Callihan's 'crazy' laughing gimmick could be taken at all seriously. Still, he's decent enough in the ring and looks competitive before submitting to Sol Naciente at 9:28.

 

Open The Brave Gate Title: Pac vs Akira Tozawa - A cracking match-up here for the secondary singles title in Dragon Gate Japan. It does take quite a few minutes to get going, with Pac having a head wound from the previous night's show in North Carolina reopened, but once they have warmed up, the battle of Pac's athleticism and Tozawa's nuttiness turns out great. The only thing I really thought a bit unbalanced was the amount of Tozawa's suplexes that Pac survived before Pac won with a German suplex of his own at 19:39. Still, I guess that'd be why he's the champion, wouldn't it? Blood Warriors jump Pac and his cornerman Yoshino afterwards, ahead of their United Gate title match the next day.

 

Danny Steel & Charade vs The Sin City Saints doesn't even get the chance to start the second half of the show, as the teams that "looked impressive at the training camp earlier in the day" are taken out by Sami Callihan and Arik Cannon. They bitch about their losses earlier in the card, then brawl to the back with each other.

 

Open The Freedom Gate Title: YAMATO vs Austin Aries - This one goes for more of an epic feel than the Brave Gate title match earlier, and the storyline that Aries would quit DGUSA this weekend if he fails to win the title here gives it more of an emotional level than the earlier bout and its "This is Awesome" and "This is Wrestling" chants. The history of Aries in ROH is stupidly referenced a couple of times, particularly when Aries hits the brainbuster and 450 at the 3:30 mark for a couple of early nearfalls and the commentary mention his "winning the World title" in "2004 in Philly". IF YOU CAN'T SAY ROH, DON'T MENTION MATCHES THERE. The pace evens out after that until they build back up for the final few minutes and the finisher-trading insanity you'd expect from this sort of thing. YAMATO survives a second *and* third brainbuster, while Aries kicks out of a brainbuster at one, then survives Gallaria, both of which have the crowd going mental. YAMATO then hits Gallaria for a second time for the pin and V1 defence at 25:25. This is the sort of match DGUSA has been lacking lately to make it essential viewing for the independent wrestling fan. Good stuff, shame the Aries stip turns out to be a nonsense...

 

CIMA, Naruki Doi & Ricochet vs Johnny Gargano, Chuck Taylor & Rich Swann - or Blood Warriors vs Ronin, if you prefer. Once again they can't help but refer to ROH (albeit without saying those three initials), as they talk about the WrestleMania weekend tradition of the six man tag, directly mentioning Blood Generation vs Do Fixer in 2006. They then claim this is the first time an American team has participated in a DG six-man on these weekends. I guess Blood Generation vs Generation Next from the night before the aforementioned "five star bout" doesn't count? Anyway, the Ronin crew have come on leaps and bounds since forming their unit, and while this match isn't anywhere near perfect from an execution standpoint (that includes Ricochet on the BW team who messes up a dive right at the finish), they have the character to fit in, and the crowd buy them in this spot, which makes it all work overall. Extra points to Gargano, who is definitely becoming the standout of the group. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this from the start, when CIMA jumps Gargano before the opening bell, to the finish, where Swann eats the Schwein and Meteora from CIMA before taking the ever devastating-looking Muscular Bomb from Doi, giving Blood Warriors yet another victory this weekend at 25:53.

 

Overall - DGUSA looks like a must-see promotion for the first time in ages. The title matches in particular are essential viewing. DVD run time is 2 hours, 42 minutes.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

It is quite funny how ROH is the elephant in the room on DG:USA commentary