Here we are for the final post for my very narrow look at Ring of Honor for 2009. This should be a good one! We're looking at DVD events only.

Claudio Castagnoli vs Davey Richards (Final Countdown: Dayton 09/18/09) - Good stuff especially at the end. It wouldn't surprise me if this was a mid card match. It lacked the intensity and pacing of anything else. But it's been awhile since I've seen Claudio. He did some really cool strength moves. Yeah this was good.

American Wolves vs Briscoe Brothers (Final Countdown: Chicago 09/19/09) - Great match! I thought this might just be stuck at a "very good" match... it had action and some kind of story but the pacing felt off. Then somewhere they got into a groove or rhythm. When that happened, it all came together and this really felt like the Wolves vs Dem Boys. Man up! * clap clap* Man up! If you like either team, check this out.

Bryan Danielson vs Davey Richards (Final Countdown: Boston 09/25/09) - Holy Cow! That was what I am talking about! High expectations met and exceeded. Excellent face/heel work with crowd, stiff as a starched shirt, white knuckle intensity, fans should have gotten a piece of the gate for taking bumps on those dives, yeah... this was all time classic stuff. Bryan Danielson yet again gets his early in the year all timer...3 years in a row, I think. But he needed to work for it as he was getting close to being corny as baby face & getting into a Ric Flair spot sequence (predictable)... then he snapped. And I like to believe Davey brought it out of him. Perhaps it was the savate kick to the throat? Top shelf stuff from both guys. MUST SEE

And here's a video leading into the next match...

American Wolves vs Steenerico (Glory by Honor VIII 2009) - This is a ladder match, Ladder War 2. It's got some pretty bananas ass spots in it. But I think it's not the best either team can do. It really just is a bunch of spots and I felt all of them were pretty telegraphed. I think the guys were more focused on not becoming paralyzed instead of having a very good intense match. That said, Generico has a knee brace, Eddie Edwards has a broken arm or something, and Steen is fat But, it was a heck of a spectacle!

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Davey Richards vs Kenny Omega (ROH Clash of the Contenders 10/09/09) - Very good PWG match in a ROH. This felt like a routine set up around a series of highspots. Those didn't always make sense though and just felt more than they needed to be. I really liked how Davey didn't allow some of Kenny's goofiness (kayfabe) so at least it felt like a good story...even Davey felt Omega was a pretender and not a contender. I think it's worth your time.

Austin Aries vs Davey Richards (Aries vs Richards 11/13/09) - Whoa, I was not expecting this! This was a slow burner but even then it was quality stuff. It felt like something great like you'd see in WWF or WCW. They did work on Davey's knee which he sold very well until they gradually moved past it. It was allowable but is what holds this back from being an all time classic. If they kept this illusion going, this would have been brilliant from beginning to end. Still I don't feel like I wasted my time with that section. I think it can be attributed to an adrenaline surge (especially from the ultra intense Davey).  This felt like a throw back to 2004 or 2005 in the best way... character work, comedy early on, surprises...an action packed match without being choreographed or a spot fest. It has flaws but if you're an old school ROH fan - It's a classic in my book. HIGHLY Recommended

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Kevin Steen & El Generico vs the Young Bucks (Final Battle 2009) - Ring of Honor YouTube has got this one. I'll post the video first then do my review.

Speaking of PWG, this should be good. The Bucks in 2009 could sleepwalk great (if similar) matches. Generico's knee looks better so I'm thinking this is going to be a hit. And dang, at around 17 minutes, this was sick!! Steen's hurt but Generico is well so, Kevin can just lay in the shots while the luchadore can run & do the flying. 2009 Bucks are in top for here and because the teams have that familiarity they are able to mix up the spots and keep it surprising. Additionally, the brothers Jackson aren't completely obnoxious yet. So this really felt like a competition rather a routine. Near classic, Recommended...oh and there's a pretty big angle at the end...

And that's a wrap! A very brief look at 2009 Ring of Honor but I definitely feel like I got a great sampling of what the company had to offer. I admit I didn't see enough of Tyler Black or Austin Aries however, I saw enough to see how they had changed from the Age of the Fall era. I like Aries as the hammy heel champ as he offers something completely different than the wrestling machine he was in the Generation Next days. Black/Rollins was always pretty good and it's been cool seeing him on his own (I did love him & Jimmy Jacobs team). Danielson had a pretty good year from what I saw and this probably isn't my favorite era of his in ROH, when he needs to deliver, he really does. If you want to know, I think there's too many smiles and repeating of popular/standard Danielson moves in smaller bouts..that's working smart and getting ready for WWE. From my totally lopsided viewing, Davey & Steen were the standouts of the year. Totally skewed that way, I know BUT I felt that they delivered on every match AND met the booking demands and transitioned to the big stars of ROH for 2010. Here's the list for those tldr folks. I've noted ones posted on YouTube, videos are embedded in my posts for your convenience. p.s.
Be sure to check out post # 3 as I added a review and video link for Tyler Black vs KENTA in the comments.

Must See:
Bryan Danielson vs Davey Richards (Final Countdown: Boston 09/25/09)

Highly Recommended:
-KENTA & El Generico vs Nigel McGuinness & Davey Richards (Steel City Clash 2009) YT
-Davey Richards vs KENTA (Supercard of Honor IV 2009)
-KENTA & Tyler Black vs Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima (Take No Prisoners 2009) YT
-American Wolves vs KENTA & Roderick Strong (Violent Tendencies 2009) 
-KENTA vs Tyler Black (End of an Age 06/27) YT
-American Wolves & Chris Hero vs Steenerico & KENTA (ROH on HDnet ep #17 aired 07/18/09) YT
-Austin Aries vs Davey Richards (Aries vs Richards 11/13/09)

Recommended:
-American Wolves vs Steenerico (ROH on HDnet ep #11 aired 05/30/09)
-American Wolves vs Steenerico (Manhattan Mayhem III 2009) 
-Bryan Danielson vs Tyler Black (ROH on HDnet ep# 18) 
-American Wolves vs Briscoe Brothers (Final Countdown: Chicago 09/19/09)
-Kevin Steen & El Generico vs the Young Bucks (Final Battle 2009) YT

2009 was certainly a transition year for ROH and from reading, they were on shaky ground especially with Bryan & Nigel leaving. I think that everyone else really picked up the slack and it was a boon to have KENTA be a part of ROH for a good chunk of the year. As you can see from my list above, it's a different group of folks holding the company up from a year or two earlier... not entirely but most of these guys were getting the big time push with little safety net. Cherry picking matches prevents me from seeing that on the rest of the shows but there is a lot to like if you're thinking of watching these or other matches from Ring of Honor 2009.