Hobbes

ThROH The Years returns with the second coming of guest Steven Graham! We cover Dragon Gate Invasion, a show that simultaneously manages to feel important and tossed off. We talk extensively about a buffet of problematic content, dial up internet, and Trevor spends way too long talking about how things go on too long. Meet the new Kings of Whoa, here at ThROH The Years. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years/episodes/52d4aff2-dfd4-4ca3-80d0-236ba94e8f5f

ThROH The Years starts its Post-Punk era with Night of the Grudges 2. It's maybe the worst ROH show of 2005, with some booking that goes horribly wrong and a bizarre Mick Foley promo. There is also one great match, a farewell to a longtime ROH act, and Matt and Trevor even find time for a mid-episode chat about their dads. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

Tonight, on a very special ThROH The Years, Matt and Trevor say farewell to CM Punk when they review Punk: The Final Chapter. We sum up Punk's entire run and cover his famous, emotional farewell, but we also cover the rest of the show, including Matt Hardy's goodbye, a bizarre undercard match that makes Trevor say mean things about a stranger, and a fantastic tag. The Summer of the Summer of Punk ends here. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years/episodes/a838d953-5cbf-4357-8072-c36396c1cf6a

ThROH The Years is at a huge stop on the Summer of the Summer of Punk as we cover Redemption! A massive four way world title match leads to one of the more emotional moments in ROH history. The fans turn on Matt Hardy! Someone joins Generation Next! We talk about hot buildings and wrestler's pay a lot! Get in, we have water. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years/episodes/3dbd5057-856c-4fb8-b381-d6423b881bc4

The summer does not stop and neither does ThROH The Years. This time we cover The Homecoming, a show featuring a less remembered 60 minute match, a big heel turn, children who are gangsters, LaRanged and so much more. You have the right to pretend, but not to miss this episode. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years/episodes/ca770a96-6c29-4e51-8734-9e3f3e0cbbf8

ThROH The Years gets Joe Gagne to join in on the Summer of the Summer of Punk of fun as we cover Fate of an Angel. We spend a surprising length of time covering Matt Hardy from every angle, explaining why this was such a special and unique moment in his career and for wrestling in general. We also cover Punk vs. Gibson, Styles vs. Strong and the rest of the show. Trevor confesses to a childhood theft and Joe wants to scream "Tower Hacker Bomb" in a crowded building. All this and a looooot more. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years/episodes/d6d53d9a-a687-4c3a-a448-d3518ddcf0ba

Thanks so much! It honestly means a lot. Yeah I've heard people talk as if Gabe didn't like Shelley that much. He obviously liked him enough to book him but he never got that big run. Have no idea how much TNA/Japan/etc played into that.

ThROH The Years is in the depths of The Summer of Punk covering Escape From New York. It's the show that cursed Matt to be an ROH fan and features one of the hottest crowds in company history. Trevor loves a match that no one else on Earth even likes, Matt is able to exorcise a 16 year old demon and we bring you hot Rick Steiner rumors. All this and so much more on this episode! https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years/episodes/17488ee6-cf08-41b3-8dca-a2beb463c2a9

The funny thing is I agree with you about some ROH matches feeling just like stuff happening, but yet that ends up being the direction modern indie wrestling moves to. I'm not saying there still aren't great matches, but you watch recent years of say, PWG, and there's definitely less emphasis on telling stories in and out of the ring. So when I watch old ROH some matches I'll be like "Oh yeah, this is where the trend starts" and others I'll be thinking "There aren't enough matches like this today". If you listen to the show, I don't need to tell you how much I love Paul London in ROH. One of the biggest revelations to me on rewatch so far has been that if you take the one year he was in ROH, from mid-02 to mid-03, I think it compares well to basically any other wrestler's year in the first 2-3 years of ROH. But he's not remembered like Ki or Danielson. It's infuriating to think that not only did WWE squander his best years, but seemed to snuff out a lot of his passion for wrestling in general. Hydro/Lethal is, much like the Briscoes and Rocky Romero, a guy who developed his in-ring skills before he really got comfortable as a promo and character. It seems like for a lot of wrestlers, getting good in the ring is what comes first, it's everything else that takes years to get comfortable with. Even Danielson, who I always thought got unfair flack for having no charisma early on, gets way more confident doing promos throughout his entire career. One of the amazing things about Danielson is he was so good almost immediately. I haven't seen nearly as much pre-ROH Bryan as other people but he earned a rep for being one of the best guys in the US indies very quickly, at a very young age. The old wrestling geek review site of the day, Death Valley Driver, used to do a ranking of the top 500 wrestlers in the entire world twice a year. Danielson first shows up on the list in November 2000 at #284. He would've been 19 then. By their next list in May of '01, he's #42. By November of '01 he's #19 and by May '02 he's #8. I would say the other Matt Striker was actually less famous than the ROH Stryker until he became infamous for being fired from his school teaching job for using his sick days to work a tour in Japan. He got a big 15 minutes of fame then that resulted in him getting signed by WWE, which began his commentary career. Without spoiling anything, Cabana ends up being the real utility player for Gabe in ROH, the guy he can slot anywhere in the card. He can be in main events fighting for titles, he can be in big feuds, he can be in opening comedy matches and he can do anything in between. Cabana post-Europe trip around this point in 2004 is when I feel he really starts to reach a new level and eventually he'll get more to do than just being Punk's pal. If you love crazy ROH rules, pretend to be disappointed! Same with the ranking systems! I love that Gabe tried ranking systems but I think unless you're a major company, it doesn't work. WCW did it 30 years ago, but they were a promotion with 4-5 hours or more of weekly TV, with a big contracted roster. Trying to have serious meaningful rankings when you're an indie running two shows a month with no one under contract is nearly impossible, and I think you see Gabe slowly learn that the hard way in the first few years of ROH. The Code of Honor was corny but I always have to remind myself what the state of wrestling was in '02. WWF and WCW had just spent years having a million run-in's and BS finishes. The Code of Honor I think was very much the pendulum swinging hard in the other direction and I think was basically ROH telling hardcore fans that were sick of the bullshit "If you watch us, you're going to see mostly clean finishes". That's something that will ebb and flow over the years with ROH though. Thanks so much, I love that you're enjoying it! You're entering a really exciting period. Obviously there's peaks and valleys but from here through 2006 is really the golden age.

It's totally fine! Thanks so much for stuff like this, it's great to hear from people watching it for the first time and I remember you on Twitter! I am sorry for the occasional spoilers that crop up. I try to walk a fine line but sometimes it can't be helped.

The Summer of the Summer of Punk continues as Matt and Trevor review Sign of Dishonor. Quite possibly one of the greatest one night performances in CM Punk's career. There is much to talk about, including Chris Daniels' return, a stacked four way, and women screaming for crotch chains. Stay hydrated, this is a hot one! https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years/episodes/5d74bd16-9cac-430d-8a8f-634c6e3e25af

The Summer of the Summer of Punk has begun! ThROH The Years kicks off their coverage of one of the most legendary ROH storylines of all time with their review of Death Before Dishonor 3. Matt and Trevor cover a legendary angle and everything else that took place and this show. More importantly, Matt fills the show with A++ Dad jokes just in time for Father's Day. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

On the new ThROH The Years, Justin Shapiro returns for the most tangent-filled episode in show history. Topics include: Gregory Hines, macaroni salad, Trevor's teenage sex life, wedding registries and also we talk about The Future is Now. That's an ROH show with good matches and one of the most uncomfortable promos in company history! The show ends with a ThROH The Years first, as Matt and Trevor review the original Samoa Joe vs. Necro match from IWA-MS. This show is all the stuff. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

On the new ThROH The Years Matt and Trevor cover ROH's Buffalo debut, New Frontiers. Lots of tangents and Matt musical recommendations, but we find time to talk about the almost end of Punk and Cabana, Spanky vs. Aries, and two matches where one of us loved it but one of us only liked it! Plus, more than you ever needed to know about CM Punk signing with WWE. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

ThROH The Years and Dr.Keith Lipinski team up again to cover one of the best ROH shows up to this point in their history! Jimmy Rave flies off a cage! Bryan Danielson leaves ROH! Trevor loves Jack Evans and makes a weird statement he regrets! All that plus we invent the hottest new gimmick match! https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

On this episode of ThROH The Years, Matt and Trevor review The Final Showdown, a quality offering that features Homicide and Bryan Danielson in a feud ending cage match, Austin Aries and James Gibson in a big world title rematch, and one of the most beloved ROH comedy matches of all time. All of this and Danielson finally allows himself to use a fork. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

I can't fault anyone for not enjoying someone's work once they find out they've done awful things, and so likewise, I'll never fault someone for not ranking somebody in a list for that reason. If learning some horrible fact ruins your enjoyment of a wrestler's work, then how can you rank them in a very personal project like a list of favorites? I generally separate art from artists but sometimes even I will have to go "I'm going to have to take a break from this wrestler/musician/writer/etc for a while" right after I learn about some atrocity they committed. What I will add though is I feel like it's pretty important for society, in general, to not conflate skill with being a good person. Talent in a profession does in no way prove any kind of personal character. You can be great at a profession and be a terrible person, you can be horrible at one and be amazingly kind and decent. I think in a world where people so often defend disgraced celebrities because they like their work, it'd be great if we could train people that talent and morality have little to no link. That's why I kind of like Meltzer creating the new Observer award that's basically "Wrestlers who actually did nice things this year", it's completely separate from awards for artistic achievement. I think it's also easier for me to separate art from the artist because I know I have zero influence on their lives. If I give a scumbag a good match review on a podcast or a high ranking on a list, I'm not doing anything to improve their lives. If I was an actual tastemaker or in a position of power anywhere, it'd get more complicated, but it's an advantage to being a shmuck. No one's life is changing because I like or dislike them. Finally, maybe this is cowardly, but separating art and artists just makes a lot of stuff easier for me. If I were to dock or ban people from reviews and projects for doing terrible stuff, where do I draw the line? If I set a moral standard you have to pass to get mentioned, what's my bar? Unpetentent murder and rape are easy to quantify and throw the book at, but there's a whole world of stuff beneath that. Also, how much responsibility would I then have to research the morals of every wrestler I talk about? Again, maybe it's cowardly, but it's just easier to say "I will cover everyone".

A big ThROH The Years is here, as first-time quest Aaron Taube (Everything Evolves) joins us to cover Manhattan Mayhem, quite possibly the greatest ROH show of all time. CM Punk bleeds buckets, Low Ki returns, Jay-Z isn't actually there and Matt makes Trevor laugh hard, all before we all complain about 16 year old PW Torch reviews. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

ThROH The Years is coming hot out of the oven with a fresh show about ROH Stalemate, a fun B+ card with lots to talk about. Kevin Steen is t-shirt shamed! Bobby Heenan quits cause of cussing. James Gibson swears up a storm of his own! Lumberjacks that are afraid of their job! Signing bloody tissues! Do something cool and listen to this episode. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

ThROH The Years has brought Joe Gagne back to cover Best of American Super Juniors. An ROH show that is infamous, but is it also underrated? We talk Dragon Soldier B, Dragon Soldier A, CM Punk winning a shoot fight, one (or possibly two) great matches and a ton more on this loaded show. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

This time on ThROH The Years, Matt and Trevor go Back to Basics, covering the show of the same name! One of the weirder shows in terms of news stories surrounding it, we talk about Steve Corino no showing, Stevie Richards's random appearance, the literal death of the Special K gimmick and the metaphorical death of a member of the roster. Oh, and some wrestling matches happened too! Come see why ThROH The Years is Denmark's 14th most popular wrestling podcast! https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

ThROH The Years kicks out 2021 with Trios Tournament 2005. It's a strangely noteworthy show, with the ROH commentary debut of Dave Prazak, the main card debuts of Steen and Generico, and a title change. It's also just a strange show. The ring breaks, Trent Acid shows up. Matt and Trevor talk about it all, but also about getting the runs and threesomes. A weird and wonderful show about a weird show. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

ThROH The Years closes out 2021 with an old friend in guest Dr.Keith Lipinski! We cover the third and final stop on ROH's Third Year Anniversary celebration, including the big Aries/Joe rematch, the start of the Punk/Joe feud, the second Heenan/Cornette battle and a lot more. Dare we say this is the only podcast episode that has both the inside scoop on CM Punk's tights and knows what portable gaming system he bought Jimmy Rave! https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

ThROH The Years welcomes first time guest Steven Graham (Shimmer HERstory, Pro Wrestling Supershow) on to talk about ROH's Third Anniversary Celebration 2. Possibly greatest Jack Evans performance ever. The return of AJ Styles. Ted Danson. Gay Marriage. It's all mentioned on this episode, and by all I mean at least those four things. https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years

ThROH The Years is back with a supersized episode covering a supersized event. Matt and Trevor review ROH's Third Anniversary Celebration Part One. It's a show with a lot of stuff. The Foley/Joe saga ends. A great cage match. The mystery of Vordell Walker. Ebestus Jack. Tonight is the night you've been waiting for! https://redcircle.com/shows/throh-the-years