ROH and New Japan Global Wars review

It was in February at the 12^th Anniversary weekend that Ring of Honor announced they had formed a partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling. It was big news, obviously. Firstly, it came with confirmation that ROH and New Japan would be co-promoting a pair of shows in May. It’s not every day that New Japan wrestlers appear in North America, especially on the same card as one another. That alone made it a big deal.

Most people were understandably only bothered by the chance to see New Japan talent either live or on an internet pay-per-view with English language commentary (the latter is not currently something NJPW offers). That meant that the importance of the partnership to Ring of Honor was overlooked. Which is understandable but still a pity because it’s a significant thing for ROH.

Less than a year before their February announcement Ring of Honor had been in a partnership with Pro Wrestling NOAH. The gap between NOAH and New Japan is enormous. Over the last several years, through a combination of poor judgement and bad luck, NOAH has fallen from being the jewel in the puro crown to a promotion struggling desperately to stay afloat. For anyone wanting to know more I’d suggest taking a look at articles by Cewshof Cewsh Reviews and Joe of Voices of Wrestling (click the names for the links).

New Japan has rebuilt itself in the same period. New stars have been built and scores of great matches and hot shows have been promoted. In 2014 New Japan is miles ahead of any other wrestling promotion in Japan. They are easily the number two company in the world, and I’m sure there are people that would argue they’re number one.

That such a successful company wants to affiliate itself with Ring of Honor is a compliment and a vote of confidence. New Japan would not want to be associated with a second rate operation as it would only harm their painstakingly rebuilt image (note how they distanced themselves from TNA as it became increasingly evident that TNA had no idea how to succeed). The partnership was a signal that ROH is a company of significance with a good standing in the eyes of its peers.

The first of the co-promoted shows replaced Border Wars and mostly featured matches presented by one of the two promotions. There was an inter-promotional match on offer (Michael Elgin v Takaaki Watanabe) but for the most part the ROH versus New Japan matches were saved for the following weekend’s War of the Worlds event. It struck me as a strange decision at first. There are, after all, enough stars from both companies to put on several ROH v NJPW cards without worrying about repetition. But having seen the show I think it worked well. I suspect it was intended as a primer designed to introduce people with little or no knowledge of either company (though let’s face it I mainly mean New Japan because this came across as an ROH show guest starrign New Japan) to the main players.

The show started, as wrestling shows tend to, with a video recap. This one started out focusing on Kevin Steen, who said he's refocusing on the ROH world championship after a year of being side-tracked with peripheral feuds. Current champ Adam Cole said he'd beat him. That was followed by shots of New Japan wrestlers wrestling matches. No voiceovers or anything with that though. The language barrier wasn't an issue, Kevin Kelly (or whoever) could have been given something to read over it, which makes me wonder why ROH didn’t bother getting him to.

Live in the Ted Reeve Arena the audience were rowdy and Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino were on commentary. Having 'The King of Old School' was a boon for ROH here, his history in Japan allowed him to bring additional knowledge and insight. It lent an air of credibility to the commentary booth. Had Kevin Kelly had to research the background knowledge Corino dropped in throughout the night the play-by-play would have been drier than usual. And I think we can all agree Double K’s commentary is not known for being packed with personality.

ACH v Michael Bennett was the opener. It was a satisfactory match, a good choice to go on first because of the popularity of ACH and the intense dislike most fans have for Bennett. The action centred around Mr Attitude, Charisma, Heart targeting Bennett's knee, which was apparently injured last year but wasn't operated on. It was a way of evening things up between the two men. Bennett won with a Dominator after he'd knocked Todd Sinclair, causing him to crotch ACH on the top rope. 'The Prodigy' continued to sell his knee after the match, although he also slung Maria over his shoulder(necessary because ACH had avoided a Bennett spear and she’d ended up taking it) and carried her backstage. Consistent selling continues to be a problem in Ring of Honor.  

Takaaki Watanabe was the first New Japan wrestler to enter the arena. His opponent was number one contender to the IWGP heavyweight championship, Michael Elgin. Both got good reactions. Elgin's was slightly better because he's Canadian (national pride and all that). They set a faster pace than the opener, impressive when you remember ACH had been involved in that.

Elgin did his stalling suplex spot then booted Watanabe in the face. His corkscrew senton attempt wasn’t as successful, Watanabe rolling out of the way and dropping Elgin with a running neck breaker. Big Michael returned with an enziguri, a code breaker from the second rope, a rolling elbow and a stalling German suplex for a two count. Watanabe avoided the apron suplex but was nailed with a spinning back fist as he leapt from the top rope. A buckle bomb and Elgin bomb did him in.

It was a short match that didn't allow Watanabe to leave much of an impression. The focus was more on giving 'The Unbreakable One' a solid win over a New Japan guy in preparation for his challenge for the IWGP strap. Watanabe is not NJPW's biggest name so it wasn't surprising the match went this way. It was good for its length but not amongst Elgin's best offerings. I can't imagine it was a notable Watanabe outing either.

Match three was the first of two three-way tag team matches. Decade members BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs were accompanied by new young boy Tadarius Thomas. They all got booed. reDRagon got cheered, because they've gradually slotted into the cool heels role (or perhaps it’s because wrestling fans can’t resist tough-guy hipsters). Team three was Jay and Mark Briscoe. They got the most cheers. Because they're massively over. I've never fully understood why.

It was another short, action packed encounter. The Briscoes won after Jay hit a gorilla press into a Death Valley driver on Jacobs, following up with a Doomsday Device. They haven't been teaming much lately so it was a good decision to give them the win. reDRagon didn't need it and The Decade are a middle of the card pairing. The Briscoes going over reminds everyone of why they're so highly regarded. The less they lose the more it means when they do. After the match Bobby Fish complained that Todd Sinclair had had no control in the match. That might lead to some sort of future story. But it probably won't.

The Roderick Strong v Cedric Alexander match was preceded by a video package looking at their feud. They've been given a good story: Strong and his Decade pals feel that young wrestlers, Cedric in particular, need to respect the locker room veterans. Cedric felt he'd been respectful and that he needed to stand up for himself. Part of the reason it's been effective is that the "newcomers must earn respect" mentality seems prevalent in wrestling, and has occasionally been linked in interviews and on commentary to Strong. They've implemented other real life aspects like The Decade questioning whether Cedric's wife and child are proud of him, which wasn't entirely necessary but hasn't hurt anything. Cedric in particular has entered some spirited microphone performances. It's a good example of everyone involved striving to turn something good into something better, a mentality from which everyone benefits.

It was a spirited, storyline driven match. Cedric wanted the win to prove he belongs. Strong wanted the win to prove he doesn't. The fans got behind Cedric and his offensive flurries. Back breakers played a part too: they'd been the original spark for the feud with Roddy, 'The Messiah of the Back Breaker' remember, feeling that Cedric should be respectful and not use "his" moves. That setup various near falls. A particularly good one saw Cedric catch Roddy as he attempted a sick kick, hoisting him up and nailing him with a back breaker. That was seconds before the finish: after kneeing Cedric in the head Strong went for a suplex but got caught with a surprise small package.

After the match Jacobs, Thomas and Whitmer ran to the ring and smacked Cedric about. The most significant moment saw Strong hitting a release suplex through four tables. The feud's clearly not over yet, which is good as there are plenty of matches that can still be booked. A stipulation rematch between Strong and Alexander is almost certainly at the top of the list.

Match four was the first New Japan match of the evening. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero) and Time Splitters (KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley) challenged the Young Bucks for the IWGP junior heavyweight tag team championship. The three teams have worked against one another a lot in New Japan so I expected slick exchanges and plenty of double team work. And I was right to. The match was easily the best thing on the show until that point, and it had by no means been bad beforehand. What's more it ended up as the match of the night too. The six men put on an incredible performance that elevated the entire card, not to mention the junior tag belts they were scrapping over. The Bucks won an electric encounter with More Bang For Your Buck on Koslov.

The second half opened up with RD Evans (now 104-0) and Ramon walking to the ring. They got a mixed reaction. I didn't appreciate that. Evans is tremendous and deserves standing ovations for being one of the most entertaining acts in Ring of Honor. He reminded us he had wrestling's only current winning streak. After the usual shenanigans (during which Evans dubbed himself 'Papa Bear') The New Streak continued with Evans cleanly defeating mighty ring announcer Bobby Cruise with a schoolboy.

Part two proper kicked off with NJPW Intercontinental champion Shinsuke Nakamura teaming with Jado to take on Jushin Liger and 'Mr Air Guitar' Hiroshi Tanahashi. The IC champ and Tanahashi are among New Japan's three biggest stars (they could arguably be considered its top two) while Jado is half of highly respected junior heavyweight tag team The World Class Tag Team with his partner Gedo (with the two also being the company's bookers, being credited with the resurgence over the last few years). Liger is one of the most accomplished junior heavyweights in wrestling history. Basically there was a lot of star power in the match.

Tanahashi and Nakamura, who have had a spirited rivalry dating back years, started off in the ring and gave an enjoyable, if not overly elaborate, sequence. From there the match delivered what it needed to. Liger delivered his signature light routine spots. Nak and Tana had further energetic exchanges. Jado acted like a heat magnet, a role he was particularly well suited to because he is not as prominent a figure as the match's other figures. The faces took extended beatings before making spirited comebacks. Tanahashi got the popular win when he hit a frog splash (not the High Fly Flow because he didn't do the double) on Jado. It was a good match but it never felt any of the four were striving to do more than was required. Perhaps it was simply that they didn’t want to upstage anyone.

Jay Lethal ,the first ever two time ROH TV champion, followed that, defending his title against Silas Young, Matt Taven and Tommaso Ciampa. The first thing I'd like to note is that Taven, while a good wrestler, is not as popular as he could be. His split from Truth Martini late last year may have been a little premature. Conversely I think ROH made the right decision turning Lethal. The crowd got on him from the moment he entered and they stayed on him throughout the match. Not only that but he's got new opponents to face and a fresh twist to put on his matches with the new dynamic being a heel and having a manager brings.

The match started with some ringside brawling. Highlights there included Ciampa taking a wild back drop into the audience, Young performing a superplex off the guard rail, and MTV performing a beautiful plancha. Once they hit the ring the four started swapping signature moves and stiff shots, as is the ROH way. The near falls racked up quickly. Ciampa hit the Celtic Cross. Taven dazzled with a moonsault from the turnbuckle to the outside. Young walloped various people with lariats.

It was another good match that left us wanting more thanks to a shorter than usual running time. The finish came when Truth wound up in the ring, where he distracted Taven with his punchable face long enough to allow Lethal to perform a Lethal Injection for the win.

The penultimate match saw Gedo team with Kazuchika Okada against 'Machine Gun' Karl Anderson and AJ Styles. Anderson is a longstanding member of Bullet Club, NJPW's lead heel faction, and half of the IWGP tag champions (alongside former Aces and Rights stalwart 'Handsome' Doc Gallows). Gedo is the other half of The World Class Tag Team mentioned above, and also the manager of Okada. Okada is a former two time IWGP heavyweight champion whose second reign had been ended just seven days before Global Wars by Styles. That had been Styles's first bout as a contracted New Japan performer, making winning the strap an even bigger deal. Plus he's the first westerner to hold the title since Brock Lesnar vacated it in the summer of 2006. 'The Phenomenal One' has also taken over as the head of Bullet Club. All of this makes it pretty clear that New Japan consider him a big deal and want their fans to as well.

The champs played heel, a peculiar choice considering his popularity in North America. That Okada was until recently about as close to a top heel as NJPW had further highlighted the peculiarity. Not that the match was bad. It wasn't. It was a satisfying affair, more so than the earlier New Japan tag offering. The decision to have AJ work as the bad guy worked out well, fans booing his and Anderson's cheating and rallying around super worker Okada. Either this match or the main event were the second best match of the night.

Gedo fell to a Pele kick, an Ace crusher and a Styles Clash, all while Okada was held back by Anderson. After the match Elgin showed up and bickered with Styles in the ring. Okada briefly got in on that. A three-way between those guys wouldn't go amiss. Not that that seems likely.

Adam Cole defended the ROH championship against Kevin Steen in the main event. A slugfest kicked proceedings off. Steen got the better of that, naturally. They spilled outside the ring where Steen remained in control, smashing the champ into turnbuckles and guard rails. Eventually Cole managed to take the advantage, super kicking Steen's knee and following up with a kneeDT, smacks into the ring apron and knee-centric submission holds. Cole even busted out Bret Hart's hanging figure four. Considering they were in Canada the use of the move didn't get as much heat as I would have expected. Maybe the fans no longer associate the move with hit man.

Steen gave Cole apron bombs on every side of the ring then rolled him into the ring and hit a Swanton bomb for a close two count. Cole escaped an F5 into a Death Valley neck breaker. Steen avoided a top rope hurricanrana and hit a fisherman buster for a two count which got a loud reaction. The champ avoided a cannonball. His package piledriver attempt didn't work because of his weakened knee, allowing Cole to spin out and apply a figure four leg lock. Steen flipped over to force a break. Moments later he hit a pop up power bomb on Cole and applied a Sharpshooter. It wasn't on for long but it get one of the loudest reactions of the night. That's one move Canadian fans do react for.

Steen nailed a sleeper suplex for two. Bennett showed up to try and aid his pal Cole but was swiftly eliminated by a package piledriver. Cole super kicked the challenger in the back of the head and gave him a Florida Quay for a convincing two. He was once again in the Sharpshooter shortly afterwards, this time getting a break using the ropes. A boot to the head floored Steen, giving Cole time to climb to the top rope. That proved a bad decision: Steen dropped him with El Generico's top rope brainbuster for the false finish of the night.

Cole got a small package for two. Steen went for a package piledriver but Cole rolled off his shoulders and thumped him with a super kick. That got him the three count and kept him the title.

Global Wars can’t be considered anything but a success. I don’t know how many people watched online but it was the fastest ticket sell-out in ROH history. That indicates that there was plenty of interest in the event, which should have resulted in big business on Ustream. In the ring it was a great show. I’ve mentioned that several of the matches were shorter than expected but that ended up a good thing: Ring of Honor matches tend towards the too long over the too short. It was (quite literally) a nice change of pace. The quality of the matches never dipped below good and there were three matches I wouldn’t be surprised to see crop up on many match of 2014 lists come December (the junior heavyweight tag match, Styles and Anderson v Okada and Gedo, and the ROH championship main event). I’m eagerly looking forward to War of the Worlds, and any future collaborations the two leagues care to throw our way.

The Future of ROH

At the start of the year I was positive, hopeful even, about Ring of Honor's future. Jim Cornette had been shown the door, Kevin Steen was the world champion, and the company was coming off of a very good Final Battle show. Cornette being gone meant Delirious would be free to pursue his own creative vision, one that I was interested in seeing. Steen being the champion was good because in the past ROH had had trouble manoeuvring the title onto guys when they were at their hottest. They'd managed it with Steen and fans hadn't turned on him, another norm. Things looked promising for the league.

For the first half of the year I was impressed with what I saw. Technical issues aside the promotion's iPPV output from the Eleventh Anniversary to Border Wars was excellent. It was almost certainly the best string of major shows that ROH had mustered in years. The match quality was dependable at every level of the card, there was logical show to show development, and an interesting (if utterly unoriginal) central plot (Aces and Eights... sorry, I mean SCUM!).

That hot streak ended, ironically enough, at Best in the World. The main event didn't help. Mark Briscoe versus Jay Briscoe has never struck me (and likely never will) as a worthwhile big show main event. It's a B show-slash-Friday night show-slash-DVD taping-slash-TV taping level central attraction at best. Yet it was the match that went on last at BITW.

That Jay had won the championship had disappointed me. Steen had a good few months left in his reign and it felt like his natural successor was Michael Elgin (although current champion Adam Cole would have worked well as the man to replace him too). Not only did 'Mr Wrestling's' reign reach a premature end but it came at the hands of a man I didn't feel was a logical choice for the role.

The post-Best in the World TV tapings saw Jay and Mark written off TV, with the championship being declared vacant a week or two later. I've written about the title vacation to a fairly great extent. Basically it shouldn't have happened. Jay should have been dropped the title at the June 23^rd TV taping or agreed to come back to lose it in a one off appearance (sometime in July, realistically). The title's lineage is meant to be an important part of Ring of Honor and should have been protected. The company and Jay Briscoe should know that.

The title tournament that followed was a blown opportunity. Instead of making it something to attract new viewers, introduce new regular talent, experiment with a new creative direction or promote genuine dream matches it was a rushed affair that didn't achieve half of what it could have. The eventual victor, Adam Cole, was a good choice to become champion nineteen. His reign and the tag work of reDRagon, The American Wolves, and the Forever Hooligans are some of the sparse highlights of the promotion.

 

Highlights of Ring of Honor

 

The first half of 2013 saw ACH, Silas Young, Adam Page, and Tadarius Thomas become regulars. The second half of the year has no such names to boast. Without new names appearing and established names moving on the development of younger guys and new stars grinds to halt. That's always been the case for ROH and it's beginning to happen here.

As things stand at the moment there's little about Ring of Honor I find appealing. I’m not as uninterested as I am in TNA (ROH would have a long way to go before they sunk to those levels), nor do I think the company's in the bad shape it was this time last year, but I do feel it's become stagnant.

The lead plot of ‘The Panama City Playboy’ going bad and feuding with Jay Briscoe and-or Michael Elgin is fine, but alone it's not enough to hold interest in ROH. Cole is a fine champion and an enjoyable antagonist while 'Unbreakable' is a very good powerhouse babyface but neither man has the charisma of Kevin Steen. As long as he's around he's always going to be one of the promotion's biggest stars and needs to be treated as such. I appreciate his current work opposite Michael Bennett is designed to elevate Bennett (and protect Steen from overexposure) but it can only go on for so long before he loses steam and the amount of good he can do decreases.

I want ROH to succeed. I've liked what the company has stood for in the past and believe it presents a better alternative to WWE's approach than does TNA. But if the people running the company want it to be as good as it can be changes are needed. They can probably muddle through to the end of the year with the current approach but they should really be working on having something solid for 2014. To get back onto the streak they had early this year they need focus on crafting a riveting new lead storyline supported by engaging secondary ones and new talent. It's a challenge I feel Delirious and the roster are more than capable of meeting.

Manhattan Mayhem V review

Previous Manhattan Mayhem shows have always been a significant entry into the ROH canon. Whether it was CM Punk’s dog collar match with Jimmy Rave at the first MM show in 2005 or Eddie Edwards’ shock title win over Roderick Strong in 2011 there was always something memorable on the shows. Sadly the run of excellent Manhattan Mayhem events ended on Saturday 17^th August 2013.

Even three ROH world title tournament matches and the tag team championships changing hands couldn’t save this event . The underwhelming brackets of the tournament meant that none of the three second round matches were going to make much of an impact. The title change, as good as it was, being the third in two weeks was also not going to be a particularly momentous occasion.

Manhattan Mayhem V was not a bad wrestling show. But in the grand scheme of Ring of Honor plots and storylines it just wasn’t very important. It was used to setup the far bigger Death Before Dishonor XI. There’s nothing wrong with having one show set up another, it’s a vital part of the process in fact, but it does tend to result in the setups being average shows. And that’s exactly what happened here.

Silas Young and Adam Page kicked the evening off in a good match that surprisingly ended up being one of the best on the show. Young got the victory after hitting his impressive headstand into a moonsault from the turnbuckle.

 

Silas Young, preparing to absorb a chop there

Before match two could take place Steve Corino showed up and tried to join Kevin Kelly and Prince Nana at the commentary position. Yes, Prince Nana was on commentary, and playing a face to boot. It would be revealed later in the evening that Matchmaker Nigel McGuinness had hired him as a talent scout.

Back to ‘The King of Old School’. He was ejected from the building by Todd Sinclair and security as Kevin Kelly reminded him he no longer has a job. Nana described the experience as “nerve wracking”. Presumably Corino will show up again at Death Before Dishonor, possibly during an Adam Cole match. I remain convinced he will be Corino’s next on-screen client.

Match two saw the C&C Wrestle Factory clash with Adrenaline RUSH under scramble tag rules (basically whenever someone leaves the ring their partner can enter the match to become the legal man). It was a fast and enjoyable match but ultimately not something anyone’s going to remember. C&C won after Coleman hit a leaping hurricanrana from the top rope on ACH and Alexander followed up with a splash.

I’m beginning to think Coleman and Alexander may turn heel at some point. Other than reDRagon there aren’t any heel units in ROH at the moment. C&C could benefit from the move as it would give their matches a dynamic currently only seen with Fish and O’Reilly. It could result in a long term storyline or feud for them too.

There was very little response for home state boy Mike Mondo when he made his way to the ring in his fancy Beast Mode hoodie. Speaking of which, Nana entered Jerry Lawler mode when the Hoopla Hotties came to the ring alongside Matt Taven. He came dangerously close to talking about puppies.

What followed was a standard Matt Taven bout. The TV champ (this was a non-title affair, for the record) did some impressive things in the ring but was overshadowed by the nonsense of Truth Martini, Kasey Ray and Seleziya (finally got the correct spelling). I like entourages in wrestling, but the House of Truth is all too often a factor in MTV’s matches. It wouldn’t hurt to let him fly solo sometimes. It would give him a better chance to show how talented a wrestler he is.

That said Taven did win without direct interference from his seconds. He put a boot up as ‘No Fear’ leapt off the top rope and then followed up with his Climax finisher.

Up next was the dream tag match. The Young Bucks took on the former ROH, and current IWGP junior heavyweight, tag champs. I intimated in my All Star Extravaganza V review (get a read of that here) that I was unimpressed by the Bucks. The same was true here, though to a lesser extent. As they were in a regular tag match Nick and Matt had more time to shine and were able to work the sort of pace they prefer (as opposed to the three-way they were in at ASE). Even with that going in their favour they didn’t come across as anything special. I think it’s their limited use of ring psychology that puts me off them.

The match was the second best of the evening. I suspect a large part of the reason for that was Rocky Romero quietly and competently holding things together. It certainly wasn’t because the Jackson boys threw a dozen super kicks during the match. The Forever Hooligans won after a flying knee-torture rack combination.

After the match the Bucks shook hands with the Hooligans, something they’re not known to do. The idea has been that they don’t respect anyone but each other. That they shook hands obviously means there’s been a change of heart, which could lead to a rematch at some point. I wouldn’t be averse to seeing that but in all honesty I’d prefer to see the Hooligans clashing with ROH’s regular teams.

The second half of the show kicked off with RD Evans and QT Marshall entering the ring. ‘The Barrister’ said it was an injustice that the American Wolves, Forever Hooligans, and Adrenaline RUSH were booked but Marshall Law were not. He then announced he would not leave the ring until they got a match.

Nana got up and introduced his first two signings as opponents for Evans and ‘God’s Gift’. Two guys came out wearing shirts, ties and clown masks. After clotheslining Marshall Law the first revealed himself to be CHIKARA Grand champion Eddie Kingston. The other unmasked as Homicide.

A brief match followed that was won by Homicide and Kingston, who we were informed are to be collectively known as Outlaws Inc. After the match ‘The Notorious 187’ grabbed hold of RD and broke his finger.

 

Nobody was more excited to see Homicide and Eddie Kingston back in ROH than Homicide and Eddie Kingston

Nothing about this segment got anywhere near the reaction Ring of Honor was clearly hoping for. Homicide was greeted with indifference, whereas five years ago the NYC fans would have erupted for him. The crowd was not drawn into the action and the post-match digit breaking was not treated seriously. All of that should be enough to convince any fair-minded person that Homicide is no longer the force he once was.

I’m disappointed ROH resorted to bringing in Kingston and Homicide. I can understand the company wanting to bring in a new team. I can understand them wanting to have guys vaguely linked to Prince Nana. And I can understand them wanting to have a team that adheres to the Code of Honor but has questionable morals. But all of that could have been achieved by bringing in two newcomers in exactly the same fashion. In fact I think that would have worked better.

The evening’s first quarter final match saw Michael Bennett facing Tommaso Ciampa. ‘The Sicilian Psychopath’ was played to the ring by a band called Last Remaining Pinnacle. They’re responsible for his entrance music, you see. I can appreciate ROH were trying to make Ciampa look a star but it didn’t really pan out. He’s not quite over enough to warrant this treatment and it won’t get him over in and of itself though. Still, at least ROH are trying.

The match built slowly and featured some awkward exchanges early on. They weren’t helped by an unresponsive, uninterested crowd. It took some reckless brawling at ringside to wake them up, although once they were interested they stayed that way. They reacted nicely to Bennett teasing a piledriver on the apron, a call back to the injury he (unintentionally) gave BJ Whitmer at All Star Extravaganza. It was a good spot. They also reacted to Bennett attempting the GTS, a move synonymous with the ex-boyfriend of Bennett’s gal pal Maria.

Even though it was Bennett working his socks off to generate reactions it was, as predicted, ‘The Sicilian Psychopath’ who won. He blasted Bennett with a Kryptonite Crunch on the floor and then rolled him back into the win for his victory. Such a dramatic ending was another attempt at turning him into a star.

Roderick Strong versus Kevin Steen was match number seven. Learning from the mistakes of their peers the two men kicked their match off at a blistering pace. Within the first minute Strong had hit a backbreaker and attempted a suicide dive, only to be caught and hit with an apron bomb, and ‘Mr Wrestling’ had flown off the top rope to hit a Swanton bomb.

They slowed down a little as the match progressed but the start they’d chosen, coupled with the immense popularity of Steen, meant the crowd remained rowdy. Steen won an enjoyable match after a sleeper suplex followed by a package piledriver.

The evening’s penultimate match was Michael Elgin v Karl Anderson, the final second round tournament match. They too suffered at the hands of the crowd’s disinterest. They set a brisk pace but nothing they did got much of a reaction early on. Even ‘Unbreakable’s’ beloved stalling suplex didn’t get the booming ovation it has at recent shows.

‘Machine Gun’ begun playing the bad guy around five minutes in but the crowd didn’t really acknowledge it. They seemed keener on booing Elgin, occasionally breaking out into a USA chant (because Elgin’s Canadian). ROH fans, particularly those in New York, have a tendency of turning on popular wrestlers when they become ROH world champion. Elgin’s status as tournament favourite may have prompted that treatment here. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s treated by the town when Final Battle rolls around, whether he has the championship or not.

The audience did eventually get into the match after Anderson hit a TKO from the second rope and followed up with a fire thunder driver. Elgin came back with a crossface but Anderson broke it up with a handful of ropes to boos. After receiving a boot out on the apron Elgin performed his impressive deadlift second rope suplex.

Anderson would come unstuck a few moments later when he went for a boot into the corner. Elgin avoided the attack and connected with a pair of spinning back fists, a buckle bomb and an Elgin bomb for the victory. It was a good series of moves but it didn’t provide the excellent climax it has before because the audience hadn’t been as hot. It was the first Elgin match in a while that hasn’t culminated with a blazing hot final three minutes.

 

Going off the poster Elgin v Anderson was the main event

The main event was the match of the night. It saw the American Wolves defend the tag team titles against reDRagon. Richards and Edwards had won the belts just seven days earlier at All Star Extravaganza. Fish and O’Reilly had lost them only two weeks earlier at a TV taping. They would regain them here.

I’ve liked the frequent changes of the tag titles. It’s been a call back to the early days of the promotion and made the doubles division seem more unpredictable. It’s also given ROH a logical reason to book a three-way championship match between the Wolves, reDRagon and the Forever Hooligans at some point. Whether they will or not remains to be seen, but the option’s there.

The match was as slick and enjoyable as you’d expect from these four. Both Richards and Fish deserve extra credit for making it a great encounter. Richards’ recent sense of fun was alive and well here, and he seems to have taken on board criticism that he tries doing too much in matches. Fish did a fine job of winding the crowd up, useful when you remember they’d been quiet for a lot of the evening.

But it was Kyle O’Reilly who was the star of the show. He was presented as being on the same level as Richards, his former mentor. After Fish had taken Edwards out of the match by shoving him off of the top rope through a table and then been taken out himself by Davey we got a lengthy sequence designed to raise O’Reilly’s standing.

Kyle kicked out of a top rope double stomp and then a brainbuster and even countered his way out of an ankle lock. On the outside he knee dropped Richards’ arm onto a chair held in place by Fish and then returned to the ring to hit a divorce court from the top rope. Being a babyface Davey fought valiantly out of the arm bar and then caused a miscue between the challengers. Moments later O’Reilly was back in control and hit a tornado DDT following by Chasing the Dragon for a convincing near fall.

O’Reilly immediately applied an arm bar on Richards’ injured arm. After a few seconds Richards submitted and reDRagon became two time tag champions. Had O’Reilly won off a double team move he would have been enhanced, but not as much. Having him win with a submission hold over his former mentor was a big deal. He’d worked over the arm and the finish made it clear that it was O’Reilly’s persistence and skill at targeting a body part that had gained him and his teammate the victory.

As reDRagon had the belts put around their waists by Cary Silkin and Todd Sinclair the sirens and red lighting from earlier in the evening came back on. Outlaws Inc returned to the ring and brawled with the new champions. Homicide snapped O'Reilly's finger and he and Kingston posed and shouted in the ring to end the show.

The prospect of a reDRagon v Outlaws Inc match does not fill me with joy.

All Star Extravaganza V review

All Star Extravaganza V was the first Ring of Honor show this year that I would describe as a disappointment. The announced card, which we saw all of, looked very good on paper, boasting several matches that I felt could potentially steal the show. Some of them lived up to expectations. Some didn’t. We’ll come to which matches fall under which header below.

It wasn’t just a few below average matches that disappointed me. The decision to add the three first round tournament matches recorded at the July 27^th TV taping to the beginning of the All Star Extravaganza VOD created a very long run time. I like wrestling as much as the next man (in fact I probably like it more than the next man, look at how much I write about it) but a run time that exceeds three and a half hours is ludicrous. Unless it’s a particularly big event (which this wasn’t) no uploaded show should be running for more than three hours.

Don’t mistake this sentiment for ingratitude. I think it was a very nice idea for those three matches to be made available online so that fans could fully follow the unfolding tournament. I just don’t feel there was a need to staple them to this already lengthy event.

The video (available now at ROH’s official website) kicked off with Nigel McGuinness in the ring with Cary Silkin and Joe Koff. Cary, for any of you who somehow don’t know, is the man that founded Ring of Honor and funded its first decade or so of existence. He said a few words about how he feels the ROH world championship is still the most meaningful in wrestling. A few years ago I’d have immediately agreed with that statement. I find it hard to now.

Joe Koff also said a few words. I expected him to get booed, considering the dreadful job ROH’s public relations department has done this year. But he got cheered almost as much as Cary. He said the tournament was happening for the fans. That’s rubbish: if ROH cared about the fans they’d know that they put stock in the ROH title’s lineage, which was harmed when it was vacated as a result of short-sightedness in July. Putting the fans first would have involved having someone without the surname Briscoe leaving Best in the World as champion.

Those first three recorded matches saw Jay Lethal beat Sonjay Dutt, ‘Machine Gun’ Karl Anderson drop ACH, and Adam Cole defeat Mark Briscoe. They were all perfectly satisfactory matches but none of them were amazing. ACH and Anderson were the best of the bunch, having a fun big man versus small man outing. The only relevant piece of information from the three bouts was Cole using the Jay Driller, former champion Jay Briscoe’s finishing manoeuvre, to beat Mark.

 

The All Star Extravaganza portion of the video kicked off with Adam Page taking on New Japan’s Kushida. Nearly an hour in and we got the first match that stood out as something special. Kushida, the current tag team partner of Alex Shelley, wrestled and carried himself like a star. The match was fast and featured a healthy number of near falls, always good for an opener. Kushida used the buzz saw kick and springboard elbow of his trainer Yoshihiro Tajiri. Touches like that are always nice to see.

Kushida won his ROH debut with the Midnight Express. That’s a twisting corkscrew moonsault as opposed to interference from a 1980s tag team. Or a film.

He may have lost but Adam Page looked very good in this match. The crowd were into him too, which is promising. I was surprised he got the spot of wrestling a foreign star because that’s something guys who have been around for a while usually get to do. It makes a change though, and it shows the company has confidence in him. I’m still expecting ROH to lose a fair chunk of their established names within the next few months so putting Page in this spot is a smart move. He’ll be ready to move up the card if and when bigger names go.

The second ASE match saw Silas Young tangle with Tommaso Ciampa. ‘The Last Real Man’ told people they should be standing up for his entrance. That earned him “You suck!” chants and some rolls of toilet paper aimed at his head when he got into the ring. During his entrance Ciampa was described as one of the most formidable competitors in Ring of Honor history by Nigel. He could earn that status but he’s not there yet.

The highlight of the match was Young suplexing ‘The Sicilian Psychopath’ off of the apron to the floor. It was a pretty cool move that illustrated Ciampa’s resiliency and showed that Young is a man who will do anything in his pursuit of victory.

Eventually it was Ciampa who went over with Project Ciampa. He offered the handshake after the decision but Young, being a sore loser (and a heel), left without accepting it. The match was about what I’d expected, which is to say better than the average WWE TV match but not something that will stand the test of time or act as a shining example of why ROH as a concept works.

Michael ‘Don’t Call Me Mike’ Bennett’s clash with BJ Whitmer ticked similar boxes. It was exactly what I’d expected and isn’t a match anyone would show to someone to convince them to watch ROH.

This match will always be remembered as the one in which BJ Whitmer was injured. When Bennett delivered a piledriver on the apron Whitmer rolled down to the floor below in what at first to be standard selling. In actuality he had suffered a severe stinger that caused him to lose feeling in most of his body. Todd Sinclair immediately called for the bell and a graphic flicked up showing that Bennett was advancing. The way the video was edited made it seem as though it was a planned and worked finish. This is apparently not the case: Whitmer was genuinely injured and got checked out at a Toronto hospital.

There’s a reason piledrivers aren’t commonly used anymore. If they are going to be used it should be in big matches on cards that mean something. A first round tourney match between Bennett and Whitmer does not constitute a special occasion. The move should not have been a part of their match. Hopefully both guys will avoid it from now on.

The next match was TV champion and House of Truth member Matt Taven versus triple crown winner Roderick Strong. Shenanigans started off this match. Nigel McGuinness said that as Scarlet didn’t have a license to be at ringside she would have to go to the back or sit at ringside next to him so he could make sure she didn’t interfere. She chose the latter option and spent several minutes trying to convince Big Nige that they could come to an arrangement regarding her license. He declined her “offer”.

Wondering why Solicia gets to stand at ringside and Scarlet doesn’t? Well luckily Kevin Kelly, the man for whom kayfabe is always a priority, addressed this very issue. It’s because Solicia has a bodyguard license. Yeah, a bodyguard license. So now you know. Thank goodness Kev’s around, eh?

I expected this match to be proficient and it was. Roddy did a backbreaker onto the ring apron and hit a textbook superplex. Truth involved himself and ended up getting accidentally kicked in the face by Taven. Strong got the win after he escaped The Climax (yes, Taven’s tumbling DDT finisher finally has a name!), hit two backbreakers, a sick kick and a third backbreaker.

There was nothing wrong with the match but it didn’t wow me, or anyone else I should think. Strong going over was the right decision. His presence in later rounds adds credibility to the tournament. He’s the sort of name you’d expect to advance considering how long he’s been on the roster.

Taven should be put into matches with other guys relatively new to the roster. The TV championship is a mid-card title. It should be used to highlight guys rising up the card rather than being on a guy who wrestles non-title matches with former world champions. When wrestling guys like Strong we know Taven’s going to lose or, if it’s a title defence, retain via shenanigans or disqualification.

Altering Taven’s opponents allow for two guys to be presented as rising stars and introduce an element of doubt as to who’ll win when. If Taven were to wrestle the likes of ACH, Tadarius Thomas, Silas Young and Adam Page we’d have some genuinely unpredictable matches. They’d benefit Taven more than the current approach. They’d also help others on the roster.

Paul London v Michael Elgin was next. Either this match or the main event was the best of the evening.

The opening minutes saw London trying to use his speed and Elgin trying to use his power. It was sloppy and awkward in places but for the most part it was good. It was certainly the most logical way of approaching the matching.

‘Unbreakable’ hit the first big move of the match, his adored stalling suplex. London came back with a hurricanrana from the apron to the floor and a springboard missile drop kick back in the ring. Elgin ducked a top rope leap and blasted his foe with a bicycle kick. London retaliated with a superkick but got dropped seconds later with a wild sidewalk slam. Elgin nailed a German suplex for two. He failed to connect with a buckle bomb, London escaping and double stomping him in the face.

They had a slugfest. Oddly, London managed to absorb a few blows before resorting to an enziguri. He connected with it but Elgin no sold and elbowed him in the back of the head then drop kicked him out of the ring. When he clambered back up onto the apron London was met with a deadlift suplex from the middle rope, an impressive feat of strength that the audience erupted for. Elgin sold the subsequent kick out beautifully. It was easy to believe he was beginning to wonder what he’d have to do to win.

The raw, unbridled power of Michael Elgin

He decided to try a buckle bomb. London turned the attempted Elgin bomb that followed into a reverse hurricanrana. He scored with the shooting star press that Vince McMahon famously hated but only got a two count. London slumped his foe onto the top rope and attempted a hurricanrana. That would be his downfall. Elgin turned it into a power bomb and followed up with a spinning back fist, a buckle bomb, and an Elgin bomb for the hard earned victory.

Both men deserve credit for introducing doubt into what was one of the most obvious outcomes of the show. There was no way that Elgin was going to lose in the first round but they constructed the match in such a way as to make it seem as though London would defy the odds. Without this match All Star Extravaganza would have been a much poorer show.

I’d expected the Adrenaline RUSH v C&C Wrestle Factory v Young Bucks match to be an action packed spotfest. It was action packed alright, but it was lacking in the high spots department. There was a lot of very slick double team wrestling and a ton of super kicks but… well, that was about it. Considering the reputation of the Bucks and the talent of the four ROH regulars (particularly ACH) I’d thought high flying would be the norm here. I thought wrong.

ACH scored the win for his team when he pinned Cedric Alexander after a 450 splash. Adrenalin RUSH have to get a tag team title match soon, surely? They’ve been a combo for around six months now and have won a fair number of their matches. Maybe once the Wolves, Hooligans and reDRagon scene settles down Adrenalin RUSH will get their time to shine.

The feeling before the show seemed to be that Kevin Steen v Brian Kendrick was going to be a classic, which was unfair. Both men are very popular and talented but they had a lot working against them. Their styles don’t mesh terribly well, they’ve not wrestled one another that often (if at all), and Kendrick appeared to be having an off night.

Kevin Steen, just before his "classic" match with Brian Kendrick

Kendrick ended up playing the bad guy for a lot of the match. That was necessitated when he took a tumble out of the ring that he didn’t need to take. Steen had hit him with a drop kick and was playing to the crowd (presumably because he’s a larger man and was playing up the athleticism), which prompted the former Spanky to stop, drop and roll out of the ring. It looked as though he thought he was expected to sell the move far more than he originally had. It looked sloppy.

The finishing sequence started when Kendrick low blowed Steen behind the referee’s back. ‘Mr Wrestling’ understandably wasn’t happy with this so he choke slammed and cannonballed Kendrick then locked in the Sharpshooter. That got him a submission win. Can you tell this show was held in Canada?

The evening’s penultimate match was the tournament quarter final match between Adam Cole and Jay Lethal. It wasn’t the worst match of the broadcast but it wasn’t the best either. I’ve seen better performances from both men. Cole was booked to kick out of the Lethal Injection (which everyone seems to achieve, maybe Lethal should development himself a more effective finish) and then go over clean with the Florida Key.

Streamers! Streamers everywhere!

After the match Cole continued his lethargic heel turn by proclaiming himself the better man as he shook Lethal’s hand. I’m beginning to think that he’ll cheat to beat Elgin in the finals, finalising the turn.

Speaking of Elgin, Paul London appeared in the show’s lone backstage segment following Cole v Lethal to put ‘Unbreakable’ over. ‘The Intrepid Traveller’ said he thinks Elgin is going to be the next Ring of Honor world champion. That, coupled with the commentary team’s acknowledgement that Elgin is considered the favourite, further makes me think we’ll see Elgin cheated in the finals.

Paul London's pick for next champion

The main event saw ROH world tag team champions the Forever Hooligans defend the gold against the American Wolves. Davey Richards continued his quest to become known as a more charismatic wrestler here. He wound up the crowd and even dropped in some comedy. Some worked, like the terrible Rick rude impression, and some didn’t, like his begging off form Rocky Romero. The latter went from being amusing to creepy when he kissed Rocky’s boots. It was hard to understand why Davey, a good guy, would do this. It became even more puzzling when it became clear there would be no payoff to the peculiarity.

The four delivered an intense match worthy of the main event spot. Memorable moments included Koslov applying a surfboard on Edwards off the apron, stereo submissions from the Wolves beign countered into rollups, the Hooligans hitting a Doomsday Knee, and Richards teasing a double stomp to the apron, significant because he’d concussed Paul London with the move during ROH’s last swing into Canada.

The Wolves secured the victory with a double team back cracker on Romero. I’d suspected the Hooligans would be transitional champions but I’d hoped it wouldn’t be the case. It would have been nice to see them get a month or two with the gold. Still, at least we have the Wolves as two time champions. That’s something that’s been built up for a while so they’ll likely have a lengthy reign.

And that was All Star Extravaganza V. Being the first major show since the cancellation of the live internet pay-per-views it really needed to be a classic. Sadly, it wasn’t. The hefty running time didn’t help. Nor did the abundance of tournament matches, which goes back to the tourney’s rather humdrum line-up. It did have its moments though: the Elgin match, the further emergence of Cole’s dark side, and the main event being chief amongst them.

Hopefully Manhattan Mayhem, the next major show, will feature a more varied card. Needing to include fewer tournament matches should help there. If they can trim the running time, include three or four must-see matches, and upload it with the same sort of speed that show will stand every chance of being a success.

Slaying reDRagon

Last Saturday's TV taping saw a significant development in Ring of Honor's tag team division. As Matchmaker extraordinaire Nigel McGuinness stood in the ring talking about bringing in outside talent and making the doubles scene truly world class he was interrupted by reigning champions reDRagon.

Fish and O'Reilly, presumably wanting to prove that they're the best tag team out there, requested that their scheduled non-title match against the Forever Hooligans be turned into a championship defence. Agreeing that it would improve the show and that the Hooligans were worthy challengers Nigel granted the request.

And so it was that in the main event of the evening's first episode (which will air this coming Saturday) the Forever Hooligans beat reDRagon for the belts. It was a win that marked Alex Koslov's first title win in the promotion. For Rocky Romero it's a third. He's previously worn ROH tag gold alongside Ricky Reyes, as the Rottweilers, and Davey Richards, as members of the No Remorse Corps.

The win also makes the Hooligans double champions. They were already the NJPW junior heavyweight tag champs. It's an impressive feat for both men, and one that elevates their reputation as a duo.

 

The Forever Hooligans with their hardware

 

reDRagon's contributions over the last five months shouldn't be overlooked. The team deserves credit for their reign. Fish and O'Reilly treated the titles as though they meant something. That's always a good trait for champions. They wrestled exciting defences against the American Wolves, the C&C Wrestle Factory and the men who'd eventually terminate their run, the Forever Hooligans. They even made Cheeseburger look competitive at A Night of Hoopla. That's not something they had to do, but doing it made the match far more enjoyable than it would have been had they buried or mocked him for twenty minutes.

Both improved their characters throughout the reign. Just because ROH emphasises sportsmanship and match quality doesn't mean interesting characters have to become obsolete. O'Reilly in particular has improved greatly this year. He appears much more confident and has developed a confident persona that meshes nicely with his ring style. Teaming with Fish has been of benefit to him. I hope they continue to be used well and excel as a team.

reDRagon were going to defend the straps against the American Wolves at All Star Extravaganza V. That won't even happen as a non-title affair now, apparently: Fish and O'Reilly have announced via YouTube that as they're no longer the champions they won't be attending the show. They were omitted from the last swing into Canada too. I'm beginning to think Bobby Fish has some sort of legal difficulty crossing the border (O'Reilly won't be the issue: he's Canadian).

Instead Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards will be wrestling the new champions for the belts. I'm sure it will be a very exciting match, although I wish the Wolves v reDRagon match had remained on the card. That would have left Romero and Koslov free to defend against the Young Bucks. As the Bucks are the current Dragon Gate USA tag team champions it could have been something of a dream match, albeit one in which the champions versus champions, best versus best aspect would have been overlooked on commentary. ROH are unlikely to acknowledge Dragon Gate anytime soon. In that regard they're like the WWF used to be with WCW.

As it is the Bucks will take on Adrenaline RUSH and the C&C Wrestle Factory in a match that will be every high spot lover's dream. I can live with the omission of reDRagon with quality like this on the card.

I don't expect the Forever Hooligans to have a long reign. They're over in Japan far too often to be convenient for Ring of Honor to book. Them winning the titles feels like a way of shaking the division up a little and making things a little less predictable. Which, by the way, is fine with me: wrestling promotions should try to surprise fans more often. It's possible that the change is also a way of switching the titles onto the American Wolves without reDRagon losing straight to them, so as to prolong that feud. If that's the case the Hooligans are credible interim champs but I hope they get longer than a week with the gold. They deserve at least a couple of months. Hopefully they'll get that.

However long their reign lasts, whoever they defend against and eventually lose to, I'm pleased the Forever Hooligans' names have been added to the list of ROH tag team champions. It shakes up the division and puts a talented, entertaining and hard-working team at its head. You can't ask for more than that, can you?

golDRagon

Two weeks ago at ROH's 11^th Anniversary iPPV Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish won the promotion’s world tag team championship. I said at the time that this was a surprising and positive title switch. What I didn't say is that I think reDRagon are the ideal team to head up the tag team division, both short and long term.

I've been calling for Ring of Honor to do something with O'Reilly since last year. When he renounced Davey Richards as his mentor at Best in the World (moments before ‘The Lone Wolf’ had a world title rematch with Kevin Steen) I thought something major was going to follow. I was wrong. O'Reilly spent the majority of the remainder of 2012 wrestling in meaningless matches which were rarely long enough to give him a chance to stand out. This instead of building him up to be one of the company’s leading stars.

As the year came to a close O'Reilly was paired up with Bobby Fish for a tag match opposite the reunited American Wolves at Final Battle. It became clear at the start of 2013 that that hadn't been a throwaway addition to the final ROH show of the year. They would be a regular combo.

There are a few reasons reDRagon are the ideal team to be on top right now. First and foremost they're both very good wrestlers. That's obviously a good attribute to have in any wrestling promotion. It’s particularly useful in Ring of Honor, where work rate is what fans looks for above everything else.

They're a fresh pairing too. The majority of the other teams on the roster have yet to face them in a regular encounter. The return to bringing in non-regulars for select shows will mean even more fresh matches involving reDRagon. The Forever Hooligans, BLKOUT, the Young Bucks and the Super Smash Bros would be my top choices from outside ROH to come in and face the champs. If the recently announced working agreement with Pro Wrestling NOAH is going to be an ongoing thing then that could mean even more great matches for the pair.

A tip for Mr O'Reilly: work on your sneer

There's also the established rivalry with the American Wolves. It took a while but the Kyle and Davey dispute finally paid off. The Wolves versus reDRagon was a hot, well received encounter. The Wolves won, which should guarantee them a future match for the tag belts. More matches of that calibre wouldn’t be a bad thing. There's a lot that could be done in a prolonged reDRagon v Wolves programme. The history between Davey, Eddie and Kyle could generate months of material.

What else is nice about this scenario is that there's not one team who will clearly be the next champions. The American Wolves are certainly favourites but they haven't been set up as the men who will definitely dethrone Fish and O'Reilly. It could just as easily be one of the teams mentioned above, given a shot out of the blue. The Briscoes could add yet another reign to their tally. Or the men I've been saying should be the ROH tag champs for over six months, the C&C Wrestle Factory, could finally reach the top. Even if they don't win I expect Coleman and Alexander to get a title match sometime soon, and to have a noteworthy outing when they do.

The tag team division is just one area of ROH that Delirious has improved since taking control of the booking. It's an area that was particularly drab under Cornette so its improvement stands out more. I hope it keeps getting better.