Official ROH Discussion Thread

[Adam G]

Why is Joe leaving?

[Philjax]

As much as i appreciate everything Joe's done in ROH i can't say i'm particularly unhappy that he's leaving. I think he's done everything he can there and seeing him on TNA regularly is more than enough. It was the same deal with AJ and he's gone and it's for the better. Chris Daniels next please.

[alexander]

there's no garantuee they would do a big Japan tour.

For a horrible moment, I thought you meant a Big Japan tour. They're already ruining NOAH for me...

[GIB]

Have ROH ran any big shows so far in 2007, or is the Fifth Anniversary show their first?

[stone]

Its sad that Joe is leaving ive enjoyed his work for ROH.But there are plenty of guys who can be elivated in the company to be the next big stars there

[robgomm]

Have ROH ran any big shows so far in 2007, or is the Fifth Anniversary show their first?

Nothing big yet but some big ones coming soon. This is the Fifth Year Anniversary festival:16/Fe (New York): Includes Joe-Morishima, Homicide-Rave (ROH World Title) and Daniels/Sydal-Aries/Strong (ROH World Tag-Titles)17/Fe (Philadelphia): Inc. Homicide(if champ)-Morishima (ROH WT) and Joe-Richards23/Fe (Dayton): Inc. a Morishima match, Sydal-Aries and Homicide-Whitmer (ROH WT if Homicide champ)24/Fe (Chicago) Inc. Joe/Homicide-Morishima/McGuinness, Daniels/Sydal-Briscoes (ROH WTTs) and Jacobs-Cabana (Windy City Death match)03/Mr (Liverpool): Inc. McGuinness-Joe04/Mr (" "): Inc. Joe's last ROH match (for now) and McGuinness-Rave (Fight Without Honor...or, honour, as it's really spelt)Then they have the big Wrestlemania weekend shows on the 30th and 31st of March. It's a big month, basically!

[stylesclash05]

Won't be sad to see Joe go. Arguably the TNA guys go through the motions when working for ROH and phone in their performances.

[LaGoosh]

Why is Joe leaving?

Gabe is gradually phasing out the TNA guys. And in reality, Samoa Joe has literally done everything in ROH. There's nothing else for him to do. I wouldn't be suprised to see Aries and Homicide gradually phased out over the year too.

[robgomm]

We'll likely find out more in the next Observer but I think this has happened earlier than Gabe would like. ROH-NOAH was planned for longer than a month or so. Joe-KENTA would've happened this year and that's gone now, since KENTA is, I think, working with NOAH right up to March 4th. Looking at the matches they have scheduled, I suspect ROH have known for a short while but I believe Joe is leaving earlier than he and ROH would like. Joe leaving is rough and a blow short-term but, long-term, things will very likely be fine. They have plenty of good talent and will be looking to create a couple of stars this year. And, if he's willing, DRAGON WILL BE BACK! YAY! Rob.

[MoChatra]

Meltzer reports that TNA want to put the NWA World title on Joe pretty soon and so want him to stop working for ROH. That's why he's finishing up so soon because I believe the original plans were for Joe to face Morishima at Glory by Honor VI.

[gadge]

Irresistible Forces - Chicago Ridge, IL October 28 2006

 

After three sub-par shows in the month of October since the excellent Glory By Honor V weekend, ROH returns to some form in their strongest midwest venue.

 

The DVD opens with Steve Corino and Jim Cornette bragging about Corino putting a bag over Homicide's head in an angle at the end of the previous show (titled 'Suffocation' - well done with that ROH). Then, Brent Albright~! promises that his opponent tonight either needs to "Get Out or Tap Out". Albright's match the night before against Christopher Daniels was technically solid.

 

Things kick off in the ring with Adam Pearce and Shane Hagadorn vs Irish Airborne. After a couple of years, ROH wrestling school student Hagadorn is definitely now ready for a spot on the card, and this role as Pearce's lackey is perfect for him as his heel mannerisms are the best part of his act. Meanwhile, Irish Airborne benefit from not being put into spotfests, and instead being able to work spots into an underdog role. So, as Irish Airborne always get good reactions from the midwest crowd, this therefore works nicely as an opener with clearly defined heels for them to work off. The bad guys get the win though, as Hagadorn uses brass knuckles and Pearce follows it with a piledriver for the win. The one thing Irish Airborne have against them is I still don't know which one is which.

 

Jim Cornette comes out post-match and has another rant at Homicide and raises the hands of Pearce and Hagadorn. This gives the commentators a chance to comment on how Cornette is losing it and needs removing as Commissioner as he's taking the focus off wins and losses. As often happens in ROH, this commentary is basically setting up and evem telegraphing events that are coming up.

 

Dragon Gate star Shingo vs Roderick Strong is probably Shingo's best ROH match to this point, as he really starts to show more of his character as well as entering a strong athletic style match. On commentary, they even say Shingo has been somewhat "bashful" in his earlier matches, which sounds gay. The twist in the tale is that, while Roderick is looking for a hard hitting yet clean athletic match, Shingo takes him out with an implant DDT from the apron through a ringside table, then hits the Bloodfall (?) for a three count, complete with arrogant cover. A great start to what seems set to become a feud.

 

Delirious then cuts one of his awesome babble promos. I made out that he's got Cornette to put him in bigger matches, and Steve Corino is set to tap out to the Cobra Stretch here. I think some of the criticism of Delirious in this thread is somewhat unwarranted, as he's earned his bigger matches and it's not like he's really been pushed as a genuine top-liner.

 

Jimmy Rave and Sal Rinauro vs Colt Cabana and Jimmy Jacobs continues the streak of good matches to this point. Rave and Rinauro still use the Embassy's music, despite Nana being gone and both men being in a big losing streak. Cabana and Jacobs come out to Copa Colt Cabana, and Jacobs is actually happy for once. Cabana has stopped treating Jacobs like a bitch, as he was when Jacobs first found him and Lacey in the shower, and they show some good chemistry as a team. Jacobs and Cabana actually score a double pin on Rave after a back senton off the top from Jacobs and a moonsault from Cabana to end this fun fifteen minute plus encounter.

 

Storyline mode kicks in after the match. First, Rave slaps Rinauro, and that's the end of any remnants of the Embassy. Then, Lacey puts all the credit for her team's victory on Cabana, and wants him to officially sign up as an official member of Lacey's Angels. Hilariously, she doesn't make it clear immediately that she is proposing a furthering of their business relationship rather than something more personal. Secondly, she's obviously not noticed that Colt has shown no interest whatsoever in joining Lacey's Angels. Doing this angle in Chicago is genius, as Colt saying that the true Lacey is "a huge bitch" gets a big pop, probably bigger than if they'd done it elsewhere.

 

Lacey responds to that by demanding that Jacobs goes after Cabana, but Cabana stops him and tries to talk sense into him. He points out the blatantly obvious truth that Lacey has no interest in Jimmy and, in response, Jacobs asks Lacey for just a hug to show there is hope for him. Of course, Lacey won't even give poor Jimmy a hug, so he sets to leave with Cabana, only to turn on him when Cabana steps through the ropes, hitting a low blow with the middle rope then using one of Lacey's high heels to bloody Cabana. The attack is actually the weakest part of the whole angle.

 

Back to action, and the streak of good matches comes to a screeching halt with Steve Corino vs Delirious. This is slooooow, as Corino plods along a very old school heel performance, and scores the pin after Hagadorn and Pearce come to ringside, Hagadorn distracts the referee, and Pearce uses Hagadorn's Top of the Class Trophy to level Delirious and Corino gets the pin. Angle time again afterwards, as referee Todd Sinclair reverses the decision because the fans tell him about the interference, then Cornette comes out and reverses the reversal. The 1980s feel of the angle makes sense in the storyline of Cornette abusing his power, but just feels lame overall.

 

Austin Aries vs Christopher Daniels in a rematch from a Survival of the Fittest qualifier (won by Aries) picks up the in-ring action, but while this 18 minute display of moves is solid, there's a lack of motive and crowd heat. Daniels gets his win back when he knocks Aries off the top rope with a hard palm strike and hits Angels Wings for three. A marmite type match, for sure.

 

Roderick Strong confronts Shingo backstage 'during intermission', then Brent Albright vs Trik Davis is basically a squash for Albright after his loss to Chris Daniels in his ROH debut the night before. Albright looks really good here, though the match might have been better at three minutes instead of five. The short haired look is definitely different for him, though trunks make his look better than tights.

 

The Briscoes making enemies up and down the ROH roster comes back to haunt them in a pair of grudge matches, Jay Briscoe vs Matt Sydal and Davey Richards vs Mark Briscoe. Jay vs Sydal is up first. Jay is probably the better singles wrestler, and his match here shows that, while Mark vs Davey is harder hitting, so the matches feel different. Of course, both matches evoke my positive memories of the tag match between the four at 'Anarchy in the UK', so I might be a bit biased. Jay vs Sydal draws the dreaded "This is Awesome!!!" chant near the end, but it's all rather half hearted, though there is a big pop when Sydal reverses a lariat attempt into a fantastic cradle for the pin shortly after.

 

Mark Briscoe then runs in for a cheap shot and we segue straight into the second match. Mark Briscoe's missing teeth (complete with ridiculous explanation from Jimmy Bower) look nasty, though hilariously the commentators say it makes him more aerodynamic. It's clearly not the Briscoes night, as Richards gets a submission win with the 14:59 (because his fifteen minutes are up, apparently...)

 

There's then a short ad for FIP Second Year Spectacular Night Two. These FIP ads usually look good and show that FIP is more character oriented than great match based. That said, you're probably better off just watching the ads and smiling at things like Dave Prazak managing Delirious - every time I've bought an odd FIP show, I've been disappointed overall.

 

The main event is a non-title, no DQ, no time limit match between Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe after their excellent 60 minute draw at 'Fight of the Century' and another time limit draw, this one after 20 minutes, in a 'Survival of the Fittest' qualifier which never got out of second gear. It's non-title because Joe hadn't beaten Danielson to earn a title shot, and Danielson had already defended the title in October against Austin Aries, which again never reached top gear, perhaps due to Danielson's bad shoulder.

 

Unlike those last two matches, this one definitely delivers. Joe knocks Danielson off the apron before the match even begins, and follows with the elbow suicida, and it's ON. Joe goes after Danielson's leg, and generally keeps the pressure on on the outside, then when they go back into the ring, Danielson takes control and the match settles down. Joe takes it back to the floor and hits a Ole Kick, then Danielson avoids a second one and they brawl through the crowd, finally returning to ringside as Danielson gets a club and hits Joe repeatedly, then in the ring goes for a club-assisted crossface chickenwing. Joe escapes that, then Danielson takes off Todd Sinclair's belt and whips Joe. Joe takes him down with a kick and whips Danielson, then when Danielson goes for a rollup he falls into the Choke, and with the belt choking him as well, he passes out, giving Joe the win.

 

Post match, Joe then books himself in a title shot in a steel cage for the return to Chicago in early December. In a funny take on his last KO in ROH, Danielson is eventually revived by Todd Sinclair, and as Danielson snap-revives he doesn't remember being choked out, goes after the nearest thing to him, then as Todd Sinclair heads for the hills, it slowly sinks in that he's lost as Joe is nowhere to be seen and the fans are chanting "you tapped out".

 

The DVD closes with Jimmy Rave telling Sal Rinauro he's going off on his own, while Sal looks almost as upset at Rave as Jimmy Jacobs does at Lacey, then a silent shot of Konnan in full LAX-style gear with the graphic "The Revolution is Coming". That'll be something to look out for.

 

Next up is Honor Reclaims Boston, with a main event of Austin Aries and Roderick Strong vs KENTA and Davey Richards that I know has received rave reviews. Looking good.

[stylesclash05]

I currently have Better than our best and the 2 UK shows from 2006 and I'm looking to put an order in. What's everyone top 10 shows apart from those 3....that are must owns.

[LaGoosh]

there's no garantuee they would do a big Japan tour.

For a horrible moment, I thought you meant a Big Japan tour. They're already ruining NOAH for me...

Funny you say that, I just watched a Briscoes match from Noah and thought it was excellent, the fans seemed to think so too, they were going apeshit at the end.

[stylesclash05]

I currently have Better than our best and the 2 UK shows from 2006 and I'm looking to put an order in. What's everyone top 10 shows apart from those 3....that are must owns.

Sorry to bump this but help would be appreciated. Top 10 shows of 2006??

[Guest Ace_Resoland]

Supercard of Honor is a great card in my opinion, and the dragon gate match is one of the finest last year.