TonyPulis'Cap

Really enjoying reminiscing about the early days of ROH - great project. The Round Robin Challenge and Road to the Title were the first two ROH VHS tapes I got back in the day and they got me hooked straight away. Interesting to see how Road to the Title holds up, as I remember that there were a lot of short first round matches and lots of guys to get through. Really interested to hear as well what you make of the British invasion, which was a bit of a prototype of what there has been the last few years. Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm bring their high flying touring match ala Ospreay and Scurll while you have Doug Williams as the mat technician working a more traditional British style in the mould of Zack Sabre Jnr. Fleisch, Storm and Williams were the original trio that were helping to revive British wrestling around this time through their work in the FWA and Williams in particular gets a really strong run in ROH in the first couple of years. I must've seen Jody and Jonny wrestle dozens and dozens of times, and I think the match on this show is very much a greatest hits package, but around the same time, check out the match they had in CZW as part of Best of the Best as it's absolutely mental. Pure unadultared spotfest but they nail everything and I love watching them go up against each other. Even last year they were having fun matches against each other.

Hogan during the 'FUNB' run is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I know he pretty much squashes Kidman still, but it's fun watching him work some 'ECW-lite' matches around this time. In fact, all of WCW got a bit this way, as I think at the first Russo-Bischoff show they said the DQ rule was being relaxed as they were trying to tap into the ECW style of having tables and chairs etc get involved in every match even though that style was already starting to get passe. In this match, and others at the time it was pretty shocking seeing things like Hogan set up tables and that makes it more interesting. I actually thought in this match that Awesome and Hogan had some pretty good chemistry and wonder how things might have gone if they'd used Awesome in the program rather than Kidman, even though that did fit the story line given Hogan's comments on him and not headlining a flea market.

As already noted that opening segment comparing Nakamura to Michael Jackson just died a death. It was one of those segments where I felt embarrassed for them. How anyone thought that it was a good way of presenting Nakamura is beyond me. Other than that thought Smackdown was pretty good overall, even if the 'Beat the Clock' stipulation has basically seen diminishing returns since the first time they used it for the Elimination Chamber in 2005 when it worked really well. I enjoyed Naomi vs Charlotte, even if I was waiting for the interference the whole time, but was pleasantly surprised the math got some time before the run ins. I saw someone on Twitter say that they were looking forward to Charlotte and Becky teaming up in the style of Sting and Luger, with Charlotte being face around Becky but a heel the rest of the time and think that could be pretty intriguing. Once Orton/Bray is finally concluded, quite looking forward to where they seem to be heading with some of the programs.

3,500? Wow, that's a really impressive number, especially considering the negative perception of ROH right now and that a couple of months ago people were showing the seating arrangements for the arena and showing that not many tickets had been shifted at that stage. I guess that shows the drawing ability of the Hardys, as outside of them there didn't look to be a stand out match that screamed that it would precipitate a bigger attendance than a regular ROH show, For those that have seen it, did it come across well on screen that a big number of people were there? Also wondering how that compares to the other biggest ROH attendances - that's the biggest they've ever had right? I guess the ones at the Hammerstein would be pretty high and I think the event in Toronto where Steen won the title had one around the 1000 mark? I was there at the York Hall last year which was pretty much full so that would prob be around 1000 as well. Hopefully they can use that to build some momentum, but as highlighted above, with all the departures you still worry about where they are going next.

I know some were disappointed at the lack of Cornette just going to town with a live mic, but while it was a bit too long (sort of a way to describe a lot of what goes on over Mania weekend), respect him for concentrating on the fact that it was not about him, but about the people he was inducting.

In some people's eyes, anyone who loses a match is instantly being 'buried'. Wrestling has always needed people that are good in their roles, can make people look good but whose job is to lose more than they win. Only one person can be world champion (well, I guess with the brand split two people can...) and for some people to be pushed you need to have others who are there to put them over. I've always liked Breeze - he's solid, rather than spectacularly good, but created a fun character that got over in NXT, and that stayed over despite the fact that as has been pointed out he'd always lose in title matches and to bigger names. I find the tag team with him and Fandango a bit of a guilty pleasure. Maybe he could be allowed to look a little more competitive in some of his matches but he's basically in the perfect spot for him.

Recently rewatched this and actually thought it was a fun match in which Goldberg and Hall worked well together, and you feel like Goldberg gets decent revenge on Hall for screwing him out of the title at Starrcade...HOWEVER the fact that Hall then tazers him again after the match ruins everything and takes you right back to square 1. This was the problem with WCW at this time, and in fact something that wrestling companies continue to do today - the idea of building heat and keeping the good guy down to make the payoff even bigger down the line - has been way overplayed. There are not enough feel good moments - so many times the good guy gets screwed over that fans stop being pissed off enough to come back and hope it happens next month and end up just drifting away. This match hammered that home for me.

As everyone has highlighted above, this is a tremendous segment with Vince being such a spectacular heel without veering off into the more cartoon/panto villain he would become later down the road. The point about not firing Austin because he makes him too much money is a nice note for anyone asking "well, why doesn't he just fire the guy?" While not explicit, the fact WCW would have snapped him up if kayfabe wise that would've happened, adds another sense of jeopardy to Vince's decision making - he can't just get rid of him.

I think if you've been someone that has only been a watcher of ROH the last few years, through what is being called the 'SBG era' then I could make a case for him. His long reigns with the World Title and with the TV Title (and when he held both at the same time of course) made him the focus of the promotion - for better or worse - and I think he did a lot to raise the prestige of the TV Title to where the first Lethal/Briscoe title vs title match seemed to be pretty highly anticipated. His early run, from being in Special K, to being Joe's protege was less remarkable and it really wasn't until he became part of the House of Truth that he really became a main eventer. The more surprising thing to me was Hero getting a No. 1 vote. Now don't get me wrong, I love Hero as much as the next guy but was there ever a period in ROH where he was the man? I was always entertained by him, but for a lot of his run his matches had a lot of comedy (not that precludes him from being highly ranked of course) or he was tagging with Claudio. Looking at the results, I think a lot of people place pretty much exactly where I would have them, although I actually think Colt Cabana deserved a spot in the top 25, as even though he never won the belt, think of his runs there carrying far more weight than someone like Eddie Edwards for example. An excellent project though, so full marks to those that spent the time and effort putting it together. It's made me remember how much between 2004 and 2007/8 ROH was my favourite promotion.

Far from 100 per cent on this, but think that the breaks they put in during matches for NXT are because of international TV deals they might have in place? Just a guess. Anyway, enjoyable show as always!

This was pretty disappointing and nowhere near as good as I thought I recalled it being. I like Vader's body attacks, and the wrench is a nice call back to the injury that put him out (and also on a side note, a weapon which is logical for being under the ring as it's part of the ring crews tool box) but thought it lacked intensity and was very plodding when it was Kane on offence. The (missed) moonsault and tombstone are impressive spots at the end, but not really enough to make the match something I'd recommend going out of your way to see.

Think it may have been my line then that set this all off, but that really wasn't what I was intending! Maybe 'overweight' wasn't the best term to use then - thank you to those that have highlighted the points about peoples optimum weights etc being different - I think I was just responding using the terminology that another poster used, I certainly wasn't trying to body shame anyone. I was actually just trying to say that I didn't think fans did care that much about a guy wrestling being a bigger guy, more that currently, people actually seem to quite enjoy seeing a big guy that moves well and is athletic!

Lol. It's because he's a NXT reject who doesn't fit in a workrate promotion (or whatever ROH tries to be these days) and clearly got booked just because he was an ex WWE guy they could roll out . That your first thought would be "is it because he's fat?" is hilarious. A company that books the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and brings in Okada/Tanahashi fairly regularly. Weird that that audience doesn't give a shit about Bull Dempsey. Not hilarious . Fans of today hate wrestlers because they are overweight . That is a fact. You have to be a great worker to get past being overweight . I don't watch NXT so I have only seen a picture of James , never seen him work .Unless you are Samoa Joe or Steen , ROH fans boo fat guys out of building. Been that way since the Blue Meanie hit TV screens. I'm not sure fans of today do hate overweight wrestlers - I think if there is a big guy who can do some athletic spots then it really gets over with the crowd. I actually think it's the muscled/chiselled look that gets more hate, as a lot of fans seem to have an inbuilt prejudice against guys with that look and that they can't 'work' because they still associate it with Vince McMahon and having looks but no talent. It's sort of a hold over from the 2005-08 period where all WWE callups from OVW were jacked and looked identical, but very few were any good. In fact, if you look at WWE/NXT TV it's far more diverse now in terms of peoples body types etc that it's been in ages. It seems to me that if a guy comes out looking like a Chris Masters today, people instantly seem to think they are going to be terrible.

I think you can make a case for AJ Styles in the Elimination Chamber last month. It's a match that can lend itself to great individual performances, like Mysterio in 2009. I'd also highlight Mick Foley in the Hell in a Cell from KOTR 98. What you think about what goes on in that match may vary, but given the ridiculous bumps and punishment he endures that is one hell (pun slightly intended) of an individual effort. On that note, Shawn Michaels in the first Hell in a Cell is a tremendous individual performance getting beaten from pillar to post but managing to do it without eliciting sympathy for what's happening to him.

Yeah, much as I love Becky, I cringe when she pulls it out. When she was on Austin's podcast he actually called her up on it and basically said don't do it anymore unless it's a big match/Wrestlemania but I've noticed it creeping into TV matches again recently. I wonder if its a consequence of seeing some of the matches that Charlotte and Sasha were having and thinking that she needs to go all out in every match. Re: the match with Alexa this week, I was really digging it until the very abrupt ending. I was all geared up for the Mickie run in to cost her the match but the ending with the 'blow to the throat' seemed a bit weak when they were trying to get over the fact that the ref's back was turned and that Alexa stole the match. Also echo TG's points above about the Battle Royale being much more enjoyable than normal. I think just having the 10 guys in there meant more space for doing stuff and less just leaning on the ropes.

Finally got around to listening over the weekend and I absolutely loved this show. Both the content and the hosts delivery made this such a breezy listen, and it was so enjoyable to hear people going into a detailed level of critique on something, but doing it in such an engaging positive way. I have always been a big fan of the Trish-Mickie match and think its massively underrated. When you watch the match it feels longer than it is, and that’s very much not a criticism – it’s because of all the different great moments and bits of storytelling they’ve crammed in, but without it ever seeming like they are doing too much. The way both play their characters while still having a great match is brilliant. And as you guys discussed, the build up was fantastic, and was a match a good 6 or 7 months in the making which had I believe only had one in ring contest between them before it – when do you get that anymore? Aside from a god awful Ashley Massaro match (who played a role in the story here) a year later I think, this was the last one on one women’s title match at Mania before they just threw them all in big multi person matches. Also just picking up on Matt D’s point about Mickie James which I think is really intriguing and overlooked. For someone who had been in TNA in the Nashville PPV era and very beginning of ROH, for her to have that moment back in 2006, before as Matt says Punk and Bryan and then every other ‘Indy darling’ we’ve had since is massive – she really was a trailblazer in a way. Today if she came in, she would’ve come into NXT with a big rep and smart following that would see her get over and then debut on the RAW after Wrestlemania, but back then, that route to the top didn’t exist. Shows what a great performer she was and very happy she is getting another run right now. Great show and excited to see what matches you pick next.

Going in, I wasn't sure what the Festival of Friendship was going to entail but it ended up being an awesome segment. They managed to get some good comedy in at the beginning before the serious part and the Owens beatdown and I really enjoyed it. Jericho was fantastic at conveying that Simpsons 'and this is the exact moment when his heart breaks' moment when he realises whats about to happen. The Charlotte/Bayley match was also terrific. I'm praying they don't do the switch the belt straight back to Charlotte moment at Fastlane as it feels like we've been there done that. I know some were upset that Bayley's moment came on RAW rather than at Wrestlemania, but if they have her win again there then that means they can still play that up as a big celebration even though she would already have the title going in. In the network era where people aren't paying for individual shows would be more than happy with a kop out finish at Fastlane to get us there, where neither Bayley loses the title straight back or Charlotte loses her record.

Have just finished up former Power Slam writer Greg Lambert's book 'Holy Grail' which covers British wrestling from around 2000 to 2007. It's a really interesting insight to what you would call the initial upturn in British wrestling popularity following the end of the World of Sport era but then goes into detail about some of the reasons behind it falling away again between 2006 and 2010/11. It's a good read when looked at it in the current light of the UK scene thriving, and I think a lot of the things that went on at the beginning of the 21st century have helped set the table for where we are now - not least some of the mistakes to learn from. You really do see what a state British wrestling was in at times and the rank amateurism of some of the projects, but despite all that and with no budgets at all to play with really, there were companies and shows which really got me into the domestic scene here in the UK in the early 2000s. I quite like Lambert's chatty and informal style and he comes across well. He also brings excellent insight from being both an 'on air/in ring' talent (he was a heel manager) and later a key decision maker in the FWA. Because of that the book has a heavy focus on the ups and downs of the FWA and it's fascinating to look at how they really were an ECW style promotion for the UK in the sense that they did things that nobody had really done in British wrestling but then the same tactics eventually led to them crashing and burning. The book also operates a bit like a biography of Alex Shane. He's very much a marmite figure, but you cant help but come away with some admiration for him at the things he was able to achieve mainly through the force of his personality. Overall I'd really recommend it as an excellent companion piece for looking at how the UK scene has grown so amazingly over the past few years.

Oh most definitely. Is there any good Harris Boys match out there?

It feels harsh in a way given their incredibly brief run, but Harlem Heat 2000. When Stevie Ray is the workrate part of the team, because the other is a hideously out of shape and overweight Ahmed Johnson sorry Big T then I think that tells its own sorry tale. As I'm sure the guys doing the PWO2K project will tell you, WCW 2000 is a general wasteland in terms of good matches and performances, but these guys still managed to stand out in their awfulness. I will also throw a nomination Deuce and Domino's way. I didn't actually hate the gimmick but these guys were so bland and boring in the ring and even managed to make London and Kendrick matches uninspiring.

Outside of the Kevin Kelly news - and for what it's worth I largely enjoyed his run there - after watching last weeks TV last night, I thought it was a really fun show. I'm not sure if anything will have long term ramifications on the quality of the overall product, but as a TV episode, it was really good. And on a commentary note, I quite liked the opportunity that presented itself with different guys in the booth for different matches. In particular I thought Alex Shelley was excellent. The show coming from Centre Stage helped it to feel fresh, and I don't know if ROH ever sweetens the audio on their TV - previous weeks with some fairly dead crowds would suggest they don't - but the Atlanta crowd was really into everything and came off a bit less smarky than some of the other places they run. I thought having three matches rather than four helped all of them to breathe more, and in different ways, I enjoyed them all. The opener was a fun energetic spotfest with fresh guys and helped set up a tag team title match for next week. That segment flowed nicely into the Adam Cole promo as well, which I thought was decent. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy Marty Scurll, and thought that this weeks match was a huge improvement as a showcase than last weeks match he had. Him and Juice Robinson matched up really well. I also liked that they set up another match for next week with the six man contenders match, which given the people in it, should be enjoyable. Being able to marry up the TV taping and live event schedule is something ROH has struggled with for years, but I do think that over the last few months they have been able to do a better job and I liked them being able to hype the two Texas events for this weekend, with matches announced that seem to fit with the story lines being progressed on TV. Lastly, I thought the Lethal/Briscoe match was a strong TV main event where they worked it differently to the longer matches they've had on PPV. At first I wasn't liking the fact that Lethal kicked out of the Jay Driller early - which used to be a kill shot finisher - but taking that move at the beginning of the match, and the clash of heads before it, meant that Lethal was off his game for the rest of the match and wasn't able to ever really come back into it. I thought that was a really strong story for the match. So, very enjoyable this week, and excited for more of the shows from the Atlanta round of tapings.

This is the latest from the Observer site: UPDATED: According to several sources, Kelly is not necessarily gone from the company but he left his full-time position which in part is due to the time away for his job with New Japan. He is no longer an employee, but ROH still plans on using him as a freelancer in between Japan dates. His ROH off camera job, which he left, was said to be a high stress job due to his job with New Japan. There are still plans for him to work on camera with ROH in the future at this point.

Have just booked up some tickets for the Rev Pro Cockpit show in March and excited that Matt Riddle is named as appearing, as I've not seen him live before. I've also not been to one of the Cockpit shows before, but after Rev Pro rather inconveniently scheduled their last York Hall show last week for a Saturday afternoon meaning a clash with going to the football, and then announced their next York Hall show - which looks to have a great line up already - for a day when I'm at a weeding in Wales I needed to make sure I'm getting my fix!

This is one of my favourite WWF/E matches of all time - just so much to enjoy and an absolutely mental crowd that are so far behind the faces that it makes you incredibly wistful to when good guys could still get cheered. If I remember rightly there was a show long angle whereby Cactus was having to get people to stand with him, which up until the match started was only The Rock. This, and the spot in the 2000 Rumble where they all dance, is peak Rikishi and Too Cool to where they seemed like genuine threats to guys at the top of the card. There's so much action to pick up on, and the Radicalz bring a great level of intensity to the ring work which was often missing from the WWF in 1999 and you feel that it raises everyone elses game to be in there with them. As Soup says, Steph is also pretty good on commentary here and I think you can already see the progression to her becoming a really good heel. A personal memory from watching this at the time, I believe I was 15 or so and we'd just got Sky, but here in the UK they didn't show RAW until Fridays and then really late, like 2 in the morning. So I remember creeping down to watch this and waking the whole house with how loud I was popping for all the action. When the lights went out and out came Paul Bearer, even though he was wearing a red jacket and there was a red glow indicating Kane there was for a split second a part of me that thought Undertaker was coming back. It says something for how over everyone in 2000 WWF was that when Kane does come out there is no hint of disappointment and he gets an unbelievable reaction. Such a fantastic match.

Be interested to hear what you guys think about this weeks NXT (the 18th Jan show) as I know a talking point of yours on this show was that a greater number of longer matches on TV was a bit of a sign that they were trying to fill up time (a bit like what happens on RAW) rather than being creative with their segments. This week they went very much the other way! 3 matches, all less than 5 mins. I wouldn't call this weeks edition a great show, but thought it was pretty fun and worked in that they managed to advance a number of different storylines and feuds for different people (whether you like all those storylines is another matter...). In the space of the show they got me way more interested in the Nakamura/Roode match, they built up Nikki Cross, built up future matches with Ember Moon/Liv and presumably No way Jose/the Hawaiian guy, built an angle to put heat on the Revival and write off Shane Thorne to have knee surgery, explored the Dillinger has self-doubt so vulnerable to a cult with a decent way of getting Big Damo involved and set up/announced 2 new TakeOver matches. That sort of fulfils the brief of what I think the weekly show should be doing, although do prefer a model whereby most weeks you get a decent 10-12 min match in the main event just to give a nice balance. Anyway. that's my ramblings! Really enjoy the show each week guys, and think it works nicely now you've split it off from the NWA on Demand show so that both are more digestible and both have their own identities. A successful brand split!