supersonic

http://www.cagematch.de/?id=223&nr=138

Layfield also acted like a petulant child in recent weeks towards those who did not slight him in any way.

https://twitter.com/itsgrammarian/status/855919744683302913

Why has this suddenly gotten quiet?

Great talent that never clicked to his sustained main event level of push. Joe Lanza has it perfectly when comparing him to Roman Reigns.

Ranallo is handling the situation perfectly. He's disarming WWE from having leverage to use a violent response against him in litigation. He's not succumbing to knee jerk violent desires like Bret did in Montreal. It's clearly obvious Vince ate Bret's punch that night to legally disarm Bret. In the end, Ranallo will thrive elsewhere, fuck off with a settlement payday, and in the meantime earn the respect of those in charge to possibly return one day for having the balls (in such intelligent fashion to boot) to stand up and not accept the hazing, and also showing that although a dream job, it's not one he NEEDS. We know how WWE loves bringing back most who've left on such bad loud terms, including Bret, Warrior, Goldberg, Sammartino, and Austin.

https://youtu.be/N7_CnVv8s78 Doesn't sound like a shit-stirring, bent-out-of-shape, hateful tirade whatsoever.

I sense that within 6 months, Dave will have figuratively beaten the shit out of Layfield, Coachman, and Rosenberg just like what happened to the TNA mentals at the end of 2015, and just like what happened to the WCW mentals in 2001. All this needs is one of the archaic carny cunts or spineless shills to channel Trump and scream FAKE NEWS over this.

Observer:

Lapsed Fan podcast - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-9-1997-ecw-barely-legal/id1044102900?i=1000381662407&mt=2 For those who experienced this historic event in real-time, please share any memories before, during, and after. What is this PPV's ultimate legacy?

Dogs are legally murdered every day and I'm not referring to euthanasia at overcrowded shelters.

Super duper bump a rooper for obvious reasons.

When I'd loan out ROH DVDs back in the day, I'd always warn to not watch the first 20 minutes in company history. It deserves every bit of venom received, would make for an appropriate WrestleCrap HOF induction, and hopefully one day gets scrutinized by the Lapsed Fan, who would mock it to unfathomably merciless depths.

If indeed Taker doesn't come back for a beforehand-advertised retirement, I wonder what to do with Cena. Here's a proposal: The Authority vs. Cena & Nikki.

Supercard of Honor II – March 31, 2007 Taped in Detroit, MI The DVD begins with a final Jimmy Jacobs promo. Jacobs says that Whitmer fights for the fans’ acceptance, aiming for a prideful, self-absorbed desire. But tonight, Jacobs fights for the cause that great minds such as Socrates and William Shakespeare contemplated. Jacobs compares this war to the Biblical battles between God and Lucifer. “At the end of the day, love conquered all.” Jacobs believes the two of them will both be six feet under in a few years. Thank goodness that didn’t turn out to be true. Jacobs says that his love for Lacey overrides whatever Whitmer’s legacy will be. Jacobs wants to reclaim his purity and innocence, and with Lacey in his corner, he also is accompanied by love, invincibility, and eternity. “You’ve already lost, big brother.” Lacey says this could be the night for Jacobs to reclaim her. A year later to the date, Dragon Gate brings six of their best to recreate the historic magic from Supercard of Honor. Excellent highlight package of one of the defining matches of the 2000s decade. Tag Champion Jay Briscoe begins the live audience portion of the show. Mark is out of action tonight, so they cannot defend the belts against former champions Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels as originally scheduled, but vows once Mark returns, they’ll be fighting champs. Daniels is none too pleased, completely miserable as he comes to the ring with Sydal. Daniels says to grab the crippled Mark and honor the title match. Jay says that’s impossible since Mark is currently hospitalized, so Daniels says “you two accidental prone bastards” should fuck off and just crown Sydal & Daniels as champs. Jay declines and says he has a partner, saying if Sydal & Daniels get the job done, maybe they get their rematch down the line. Jay Briscoe & Delirious vs. Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels Before the opening bell, Delirious cuts a great gibberish promo, ending with that it’s time to man up. This had one very minor tag legality, so that’s the one nitpick out of the way. Sydal & Daniels didn’t tag at one point in front of referee Paul Turner, but they may as well have done so. They cut the ring in half on Delirious once it settled down after being an early outside brawl, and Daniels was delightfully prickly as usual throughout the month. Sydal & Daniels did such a great job making Delirious be the FIP unlike in most actual Briscoes tag matches; once the hot tag was made, the crowd actually gave a shit. Jay was a very good house of fire with various bombs. It came down to Delirious vs. Sydal, paying off Daniels saying before the match to Sydal that he had his number based on past singles victories. With Delirious this time getting the victory on Sydal with the Chemical Imbalance 2 after taking out Daniels with a knee to the skull, it’s arguable that Sydal & Daniels should now be out of title contention, but looking at the thin division, maybe not so. This was a much more interesting tag match than the one involving Davey Richards in the Black Friday Fallout main event. This had the heat of Sydal & Daniels not getting their Tag Titles rematch against the Briscoes, Sydal now being a cocky prick that had just gotten a cheap 2/3 falls victory earlier in the month against Delirious, Daniels now a miserable prick rooted in his TNA tenure, and instead of being the closing match of a totally lackluster B-show, this was the opener, and a damn good one at that, of one of the biggest shows of the year. Rating: ***1/2 BJ Whitmer says things have gone too far, and that he may have created an uncontrollable monster in Jimmy Jacobs. He doesn’t wanna take him out, but he has to. Yamato vs. Claudio Castagnoli is a decisive win for the Switzerland native, although not a complete squash. Would LOVE a rematch today. Jacobs & Whitmer are shown winning the Tag Titles. Not a fan of this and Cage of Death getting sporadic video highlights spread throughout. Have an epic pre-match video like Homicide vs. Colt Cabana got. Erick Stevens earns another easy victory, this time over Mitch Franklin. Slow and steady with his push please. Don’t insert him into any big angles soon. Be patient like WWE would be with Braun Strowman in 2016. The No Remorse Corps come out to introduce the mystery partner for Davey Richards. For those paying attention at the card a decade ago, it was pretty obvious. First, Roderick Strong vows to elevate his FIP Title by taking care of Austin Aries later tonight. The mystery partner was pretty obvious for those looking at the lineup a decade ago. Jack Evans & Naruki Doi vs. Davey Richards & Rocky Romero Very good match, much better than either of Doi’s matches in Liverpool. Tag legalities were adhered to at all times. While this didn’t serve as Evans getting the ring cut in half on him extensively like I would’ve expected, it instead was just a competitive match between the Muscle Outlaw’z and NRC. At this point, Richards was really starting to come across as a try-hard as a heel. At some point, it’d be interesting if he portrayed an introverted, all-business heel, rather than creepy smirks and excessively talking shit. Everything was on point in this one, leading to a surprising finish. Evans actually finished off with the 630 splash. This seems like a mistake when establishing Romero as a new NRC member. Romero should’ve gotten the victory, and on Doi via submission to boot to establish himself. Evans was sticking around unlike Doi, who was a former Tag Champ in the company, so logic dictates him doing the job. Rating: ***1/2 At intermission, Austin Aries is seen watching Erick Stevens during his brief promo. God fucking dammit, booker Gabe Sapolsky is pulling the trigger way too fast. Aries in 2007 is no Alex Shelley in 2004 to get a new faction over with unproven personalities. Cage Match Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer Lacey and Daizee Haze accompany their appropriate men respectively. The Michigan crowd pretty much instantly makes it known they’re behind Jacobs, chanting “Please don’t die!” at him during his entrance and before he did anything remotely dangerous. Jacobs does a suicide dive to Whitmer on the outside before the opening bell, kicking this off with an outside brawl. Absolutely love it – no pussyfooting around in this feud-ender. They also waste no time getting into the caged ring. Whitmer gets the upper hand early, repeatedly tossing Jacobs face-first into the fencing. In a unique formatting, weapons get introduced when the participants request it. Once Whitmer has a chair, Jacobs futilely tries cutting off Whitmer, only to get it dropkicked in his face. However, he scouts Whitmer coming again, delivering a big boot for the successful cutoff. Whitmer scouts an elbow drop, allowing his former partner to fall on the chair and then give him a spinebuster on it for good measure. Jacobs eats a chair shot to the head, although he had a hand up which hopefully was legit protection. The Michigan native sells his mouth so Whitmer works on it, but gets fed face-first into the chair via a drop toe hold. Lacey demands more weapons for Jacobs, and his spike gets introduced, but Whitmer has one too in his boot. They then bring back memories of the all-time classic between Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA from Starrcade 1985, stabbing each other and now bleeding as the crowd chants for more! They then repeatedly stab each other as Detroit erupts! So beautiful, so unforgettable, and yet so disgusting a decade later. Jacobs then stabs his own forehead a few times for an adrenaline rush! Whitmer gets the upper hand on a strike exchange, powerbombing Jacobs in the corner and hitting a follow-up big boot. The selling of blood loss is impressive by both men, not being able to instantly keep the punishment coming. But we’re not close to down, as a barbed-wire baseball bat comes into the fold. Jacobs avoids it but Whitmer is still in control. Whitmer mistakenly calls for another forearm smash in the elbow, and he pays for it dearly as Jacobs strikes his face with the baseball bat! Jacobs keeps the punishment coming with it, then sticks the barbed wire in his own mouth and in his hair, the top half of his face a crimson mask as Detroit rallies behind him. He then digs into Whitmer’s flesh on his left bicep, triggering “You sick fuck!” chants. He then tops it by licking Whitmer’s crimson mask and spitting the blood back in his face, then uses both spikes to fuck him on the face and left bicep even more! This is fucking amazing. Whitmer’s face gets shoved in the barbed-wire bat, then driven into it when Jacobs smashes the chair to the back of his head! Jacobs keeps up the carving on the same body parts, but collapses to sell his blood loss, unable to sustain extended digging. In a piece of great storytelling, as Whitmer struggles and crawls around, Jacobs talks shit and headbutts his former tag partner. The blood loss is just disgusting. As they get back up, they have another strike exchange with Whitmer evading a spear. This causes Jacobs to hit the chair in the corner and then eat an Exploder suplex. Once again though, Whitmer’s blood loss is taking its toll, as he’s unable to go for the cover. This allows for another strike exchange with Jacobs getting the upper hand temporarily; his jumping head-scissors would be countered by Whitmer, getting driven head-first into the fencing. Whitmer delivers a receipt, striking the torso of Jacobs with the barbed-wire baseball bat and triggering “This is awesome!” chants. As Jacobs is seated on the chair, he gets his forehead carved up with the bat, but then eats a brainbuster on the chair after a brief struggle! Detroit is just going apeshit, but Jacobs kicks out! Whitmer opts to win via exit, but Lacey slams the door in his face and that’s followed up by Jacobs charging at his face with the bat again. A senton splash gets a near-fall, and the crowd energy is just off the charts in this classic. Whitmer’s forehead takes even more damage, a spike being driven into it. Jacobs wastes time blowing kisses, so Whitmer blocks a Super Hurricanrana. In an obvious nod to Dragon Gate Challenge, they tease the botch, but Whitmer gets underneath and just drives Jacobs face-first into the top turnbuckle, then follows up with a German Suplex, Dragon Suplex, and Powerbomb with a jackknife pin near-fall. Whitmer can’t get proper form, allowing this to be a near-fall. A table gets brought into the ring at Lacey’s request, and this pretty much signals we’re in the third and final act of this masterpiece. They tease the infamous botch again, but a Top Rope Powerbomb is countered with a Hurricanrana; they unintentionally just a paid somewhat of an homage to Rey Mysterio’s WCW PPV classics against Psychosis and Eddie Guerrero. Seconds later, Jacobs goes for the Shiranui, only to eat a Jumping Owen Driver for a near-fall. Lacey inserts himself, only to eat a Jumping Owen Driver for her trouble. Whitmer doesn’t waste much time celebrating as the crowd chants for him, instead going to the top of the cage. He misses the Super Frog Splash, but kicks out of a successful Shiranui. Jacobs is really feeling the pain in his sore left knee that’s been plaguing him in recent months, but Detroit breaks out some more “This is awesome!” chants. As Jacobs checks on Lacey, he orders the table be placed in the ring. Jacobs has given his all, limping very visibly. Whitmer gets placed on the table, but has had enough recovery time to thwart whatever Jacobs has in mind on the cage. Jacobs causes Whitmer to be crotched, and once again as he limps, places Whitmer back on the table. The creep climbs to the top of the cage and delivers a Super Senton through the table, bringing this work of art and epic saga spanning for multiple years to its proper conclusion. Jacobs is thanked by Detroit, as is Whitmer. The former is in VERY bad pain in his left knee, reminding me of Shawn Michaels at Taboo Tuesday 2004, but checks on his crush while Haze checks on Whitmer, who has yet to move. Jacobs is so badly hurt that the referee takes a look; Lacey selling Whitmer’s punishment is amazing storytelling; at long last, she sacrificed herself for the man that had sacrificed so much for her, not out of her own self-interest, but because she was finally falling for him. She has to be carried away as Jacobs gingerly shifts out of the ring to a standing ovation. He refuses assistance once he’s on his feet, but doesn’t return the love as he limps away. Whitmer receives a standing ovation as he finally gets up. This is simply the greatest cage match in ROH’s 15-year history. There’s no other in the company’s rich history that comes remotely close to this. The storytelling was perfect to bring this fantastic storyline to its conclusion, they sold their characters perfectly, they sold their blood loss perfectly, and absolutely thrived as the plunder got gradually brought into this unforgettable battle. Major kudos for the right move, which was for Jacobs to go over. It didn’t matter that he would get surgery after this and that Whitmer would still be active; Jacobs had to get the elusive major victory to win Lacey’s heart. Why this didn’t close out the event is still a mystery; perhaps there was hesitation due to the legit knee injury Jacobs had coming into this, as compared to the Dragon Gate match being so highly anticipated after the show-stealer provided by that company a year ago. Nonetheless, this was the real main event, and it delivered in spades, bringing a story with multiple years behind to its emotionally satisfying conclusion. This isn’t just the greatest cage match in ROH history. It’s the greatest match in the careers of Jimmy Jacobs and BJ Whitmer. Good lock to the rest of ROH 2007 in topping this. Rating: ***** We go from a battle of former tag partners to another one. There’s no breather segment in between, which is definitely a mistake. Jacobs vs. Whitmer wasn’t just a timeless classic; it was also the end of such a lengthy arc. FIP Title Match Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries Aries dominates early at every turn, eventually causing Strong to take a powder as the crowd taunts him. Of course, he can’t milk the powder like Bryan Danielson had done to him and Samoa Joe since FIP Title rules include a 20-count. Aries targets Strong’s neck, which is perfect to set up for the brainbuster, Crucifix Bomb, and Last Chancery. This should theoretically marginalize a significant chunk of Strong’s offense as well and prevent him sustaining control later. Even when Strong corners and knees Aries in the gut, it looks to be for naught, but Strong survives furious chops to finally have control despite the crowd’s taunting. Aries blocks Strong’s trademark chops with some of his own, cutting off the champion. The storytelling less than 5 minutes into this is absolutely brilliant, with both men having each other so fantastically scouted and paying off teased counters such as a dropkick to the head by Aries. Aries avoiding Strong’s chops early is the most brilliant piece of storytelling; this strategy paid off in the past for Danielson and CM Punk against Strong. The storytelling magnificence continues when Strong counters a springboard back elbow with a boot to the back of Aries, playing right into his strengths for what would undoubtedly come. He also finally gets a chop landed on Aries after an eye poke, but like before against Punk and Danielson, there’s no extended crowd pop since he’s the heel. Aries doesn’t allow Strong to deliver much punishment to his back, breaking submissions rather quckly only to see his comeback attempts be cut off and turn out to be hope spots. That finally gets Strong in position to deliver extensive back punishment, but Aries has some quality pin counters on display. Strong allows the crowd to rattle him, but the punishment continues including his trademark brutal chops and ruthless tactics not seen from him in 2 years. Aries makes a comeback after an Irish Whip, giving himself time to recover as the Detroit crowd breaks out in dueling chants. Aries furiously delivers chops aplenty and has an answer for every Strong cutoff attempt. Strong pays dearly for evaiding the slingshot senton, instead rolling out and immediately eating a Suicide Dive and Slingshot Corkscrew Press. However, Strong brilliantly scouts the Quebrada, kneeing the abdomen of Aries to set up for the gutbuster. Aries doesn’t allow the latter to happen though, cutting off Strong to regain control. Strong shoves Aries into the corner on a brainbuster attempt and then immediately hits his first backbreaker of the match for a near-fall. Aries has the Liontamer scouted, immediately reaching the ropes. Chris Jericho would be so honored by this match, and hopefully he feuds with both these men before he’s done. Aries back to working on Strong’s head and neck, hitting a Quebrada on that area as Strong draped over the middle rope. The champion deadweights a brainbuster attempt, only for Aries to scout the Half Nelson Backbreaker, so Strong drives him into the corner and drops him gutfirst -on the top turnbuckle, then hits a Super Fall Away Slam for a near-fall. Awesome. Strong calls for a backdrop suplex on the apron, which is stupid to let Aries know is coming. This allows Aries to duck a chop and drop Strong just like Punk at Death Before Dishonor III, a Death Valley Driver on the apron, leading to a count out false finish. This is just fantastic wrestling. Strong surprises Aries to regain control, only to get cut off and eat a brainbuster. Strong shoves the ref in the ropes to crotch Aries on a 450 splash attempt. As they battle on the top turnbuckle, Aries falls and crashes through an outside table, hurting his back, obviously playing perfectly to Strong’s offense. Strong keeps it up, tossing his former best friend into guardrails. He then tops that with a Release Tiger Driver onto another guardrail to go for a count out victory! The crowd erupts when Aries breaks the count; that’s what happens when the FIP Title rules have had a few months to get established. Aries goes for a desperate small package near-fall, only to get a boot, Half Nelson Backbreaker, and another Tiger Driver, before being placed into a Boston Crab, which Strong transitions into a gorgeous Liontamer. Aries passes out to bring this classic to a finish, and Detroit is none too happy. Strong goes for another Liontamer afterwards, but is chased away by Delirious. These two had quite the act to follow, which would be an understatement. They managed to bring another MOTYC to the card in a match that’s a bit under-appreciated. The storytelling in this was off-the-charts with terrific scouting all over the place and incredible strategies on display. Simply put, to find a superior match in this rivalry would be a struggle, and it’s doubtful that the rematch to come 6 months later on PPV could measure up to this. Rating: ****1/2 As Haze consoles Whitmer, whose head is bandaged, he simply laments on his failure and leaves the building. Simply but effective. Dragon Gate Rules CIMA, Shingo, & Susumu Yokosuka vs. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, & Masaaki Mochizuki Yet another Dragon Gate match in ROH that just can’t measure up to Blood Generation’s work of art trios matches in spring 2006. Once again, this match failed to have the cream-of-the-crop rules adherence to seamlessly blend in with the breathtaking fluidity of nonstop action defined by Dragon Gate. With that said, while this is another disappointing match to revisit a decade later, it still has its charming upsides. This is a bit better than the trios match at Final Battle 2006, but cannot honestly be considered superior to the forgotten one at Battle of the Icons. The exchanges between Shingo and Mochizuki brought back memories of Low Ki vs. Samoa Joe, and modern-day fans of talents such as Katsuyori Shibata and Tomohiro Ishii would likely enjoy it too. Yokosuka and Kid had obvious chemistry, one comparable to Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio. The action was crisp throughout despite the failure to adhere to the very simple rules, resulting in Detroit going insane as expected. However, there was a missed opportunity to have Kid play a genuine FIP role with Typhoon playing utter cunt heels, manipultating the rules in their favor and getting in Saito and Mochizuki’s heads. This would’ve really enhanced the finish that was blatantly a sequel to the Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation masterpiece finish, Yokosuka scouting Kid’s Springboard Hurricana Pin and winning with a Susnet Flip counter. This match does have some charm, but doesn’t measure up to its MOTYC legacy handed out at the time, and certainly doesn’t belong in the same conversation as Blood Generation against Do Fixer and Generation Next. There were simply too many psychological holes in this one for that. At least it got a positive reaction though, with the Detroit fans wanting a return from the Dragon Gate stars. Rating: ***1/4 The DVD closes with Jacoba and Lacey consoling each other backstage, not asying a word as Becky Bayless tries to get a comment from them. They are too physically and emotionally traumatized, but they have each other as Lacey embraces the arms of Jacobs. Brilliant finish to the DVD to follow up the night before, and the message is clear: Jimmy Jacobs was THE star of this weekend for ROH, not anyone else. This is certainly a fantastic show. Most will still give the closing match MOTYC reviews even though it’s not deserving of such distinction. Even if it had managed to reach that level though, the main event clearly should’ve been Jacobs vs. Whitmer. It didn’t matter that Jacobs was hurt. It didn’t matter that Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation won the 2006 Match of the Year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards. This was the cage match to end a saga that had its seeds unknowingly planted 4 years earlier through a sequence of events, coming to its first chapter 2 years earlier, and then unfolding from there. Any show that has the greatest cage match in company history, plus a fantastic technical wrestling match to compliment it, and a couple fun tags, plus a trios match that most will adore, gets the strongest recommendation. But had the trios match been the pre-intermission main event, with the FIP Title and cage matches serving as the 2 closers, then this would be as well remembered as Better Than Our Best and Glory By Honor V Night 2, while having a double closer compared to Unified and the latter. Those looking for a dissection of the Jacobs vs. Whitmer saga, be patient. A special 10-year retrospective is imminent. What a journey it has been. After a month away, Takeshi Morishima returns with the ROH Title. Who will be able to step up and get the job done now that Samoa Joe is gone, and the likes of KENTA, Homicide, and BJ Whitmer have failed? A rebirth unknowingly looms for the company. But before then, faction warfare hits its next chapter. Does this particular portion hold up well a decade later? Or will it succumb to being as limp as everything in the storyline so far that has preceded it? It’s also the advertised farewell tour of a company legend. Other stars are also finishing up in the company as eluded to with the unforeseen “rebirth.” But what no one knew a decade ago: the return of a former Pure Champion would mark his final weekend ever in ROH. Up next – This Means War II Matches will include: Delirious vs. Colt Cabana Brent Albright vs. Homicide The Resilience vs. No Remorse Corps Takeshi Morishima & Chris Hero vs. Doug Williams & Nigel McGuinness

A decade from now, we will reflect back on matches such as Zayn vs. Nakamura and feel a strong sense of nostalgia. The same will be said for the Okada vs. Tanahashi rivalry and many of Cena's "PWG style" classics of recent years. Only a small percentage of fans truly have substantial minds for the business in real-time, and so time has to pass for the rest of them to reflect back and see the reality of the situations that they had missed.

All Star Extravaganza III – March 30, 2007 Taped from Detroit, MI ROH Video Wire – March 16, 2007 Important news/footage in the above video: JIMMY JACOBS. BJ WHITMER. CAGE MATCH. SUPERCARD OF HONOR II IN DETROIT. OH FUCK YES~! This is definitely the end that I saw coming for many months. A nice video package for Dragon Gate stars CIMA, Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, Naruki Doi, Shingo, Maasaki Mochiuzki, Susumu Yokosuka, and Yamato airs. I’ve high expectations for their trios and 8-man tags. In a four-way opener involving Chris Hero and Matt Sydal, Adam Pearce gets the victory by using brass knuckles on Colt Cabana’s face. FIP star Erick Stevens makes his ROH debut, squashing Alex Payne in 30 seconds. Although there are reservations about Stevens since he’s not proven to be the most interesting as a come-from-behind type of babyface, he just had a tremendous **** match against Roderick Strong in the final of the FIP Florida Heritage Title tournament. The Briscoes have fun talking about their singles match from Liverpool, but are happy to get the Tag Titles back from tonight from Shingo & Naruki Doi. They assume it happens and thus have an open contract out for any tag team to challenge them. They vow 2007 will still be their year. Davey Richards will team with the newest member of the No Remorse Corps tomorrow against Jack Evans & Naruki Doi. Bruno Sammartino’s speech is interrupted by Sweet & Sour Inc. Larry Sweeney goes through the pleasantries, then threatens for Chris Hero to kick his ass. This would be far more epic with Tank Toland’s place being filled by Claudio Castagnoli. Nigel McGuinness comes to clean house, allowing Sammartino to punch Sweeney, and then has the crowd give the HOFer a standing ovation. Even with McGuinness being groomed to become a top babyface, I certainly wouldn’t have programmed him against Hero. A feud against Jimmy Jacobs once the Michigan native returned from inevitable knee surgery would’ve been much better. Christopher Daniels reminds Homicide in a backstage promo that a year ago on this date, in this very building, he finally pinned Samoa Joe. Daniels gloats about himself further, saying he’ll prove himself as the #1 icon in the company. Lacey & Jimmy Jacobs vs. Daizee Haze & BJ Whitmer serves as a good brawl between the men, not so much between the women. Lacey saved Jacobs from a Super Powerbomb to the outside, while Jacobs attacked Haze and finished her off with a spear so devastating, her shoes flew out int the crowd. Lacey is proud of Jacobs, especially since she got the pin fall. She thinks it’s time to reward him for all his hard work. The crowd hilariously chants “Show your tits!” We’ve come a long ago in the past decade when it comes to misogyny. She rewards him with a hug. She says if Jacobs finishes Whitmer off in the cage, there will be more to come. Whitmer chases them off with a barbed-wire baseball bat. Very good go-home segment. Jack Evans is pissed off going into tonight’s encounter against Roderick Strong, citing all the shit he’d done just for fun, so imagine what’s coming tonight. The Shingo & Naruki Doi vs. Briscoes rematch is a disappointment, but in a much different way than their Liverpool match. Mark Briscoe landed badly on the concrete on a Shooting Star Press attempt, and Jay mustered up enough to get the job done on his own. The budget must’ve been tight, as there’s no other excuse for not having the Motor City Machine Guns work a match on this card against another team. Oh wait, that’s what happens when booker Gabe Sapolsky clears out the division and splits up BOTH the Kings of Wrestling and Austin Aries & Roderick Strong. DEFINITELY amped up for the match, but inexcusable not to book MCMG for these shows in Detroit since they weren’t scheduled elsewhere. Yamato makes quick work of Pelle Primeau in a cross-promotional students battle. Good effort from Primeau. Homicide vs. Christopher Daniels Very good match that’s surprisingly not on any compilations yet. Daniels was just miserable and got the early advantage, but Homicide weathered it, gaining control on the outside. But Daniels would stoop to anything to get the upper hand, including a chair shot to the back, eye pokes, and even chokeholds. He was equally awesome in his misery when delivering the Best Moonsault… Never. There were a couple times when it seems like they came close to not being in sync, but they recovered just quickly enough not to expose the business. Homicide was great in his big comeback, hitting a T-Bone Suplex and then a Tope Con Hilo. After some more good stuff, a Kudo Driver was evaded and Daniels hit the Angel’s Wings for an incredible near-fall. But then moments after that, the former ROH Champion blocked the Last Rites, hitting a snapmare and jackknife cradle for the victory. Pearce & Shane Hagadorn immediately arrive to ambush Homicide, and then former ROH Commissioner Jim Cornette makes his return to have in on the fun! I shouldn’t be in favor of this, but I’m open-minded after the goodwill of the Homicide vs. Daniels match and insane Detroit audience. Homicide gets the upper hand,, scaring off Cornette and about to use his belt. Brent Albright then arrives to give Homicide a Half Nelson Suplex and then the Crowbar submission. Colt Cabana then arrives to save the day along with other babyfaces. Cornette gets some belt licks in before scurrying away with the heels. Colt Cabana has been very forgiving of Homicide in the year since their issue was put to rest. I don’t know if Pearce’s actions earlier were enough to justify the two helping each other out like this (compared to Samoa Joe warming up to Homicide after helping out against CZW), but there’s at least a common enemy. Not completely sold on it, but whatever. Rating: ***3/4 Jack Evans vs. Roderick Strong The long wait was totally worth it. Like his stable-mate Richards, Strong was very thin-skinned, allowing the audience to bother him with various taunts, which made the match far more competitive than it really should’ve been. But that made for a classic match between two completely different styles that had previously complimented each other as a tag team. Strong was merciless to his former stablemate, tossing Evans around and stretching him to his limits, including tea-bagging him at one point just like Shelley and Bryan Danielson had done in the past. Evans put up a tremendous fight, having brief flurries of offense to stay in this one. His lack of experience in marquee singles matches seemed apparent in that he lacked conditioning at times, but this was a major improvement compared to his past encounters against Shelley and Danielson. For every bomb he took, including backbreakers aplenty, being tossed back-first into a ring post, dropped off the apron to the floor, you name it, Evans absorbed the punishment and refused to not come back with his acrobatics. Evans brought plenty of highlights into this as expected, all of them appropriately timed. From the Sasuke Special, to a cartwheel evasion on the apron to prepare a head-scissors, to a Reverse Hurricanrana, to a Handspring Moonsault Double Foot Stomp onto Strong, Evans certainly left everything in the ring for the most personal, important match of his career at the time. Despite his cockiness, Strong just had too much of an experience and size advantage to go down on this night. Once he avoided a 630 splash about 20 minutes into this classic, everyone knew the writing was on the wall for Evans. Just like had been done to PAC a few weeks earlier, Strong unleashed a running boot, Tiger Driver, and then a vicious variation of the Liontamer, showing no remorse as appropriate. An absolutely outstanding match that resulted in Evans getting a well-deserved standing ovation. Why the FUCK is that not on a compilation a decade later? Rating: ****1/4 Becky Bayless reports that Mark Briscoe will be okay to wrestle in the future, but is doubtful for tomorrow due to a concussion. CIMA, Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, & Susumu Yokosuka vs. Delirious, Austin Aries, Rocky Romero, & Claudio Castagnoli Typhoon gets their own Japanese introduction, followed by Bobby Cruise for Team ROH. This feels fucking epic as each individual gets recognized, and even Delirious, who ignored CIMA’s peeing dog taunting, relishes the crowd’s adulation when it’s his turn. There isn’t much to say about this match. It’s one of the most disappointing along this journey. This isn’t a prejudiced towards Dragon Gate talent. On WrestleMania 22 weekend, they put on some of the most psychologically sound, state-of-the-art spotfests I’ve ever seen, including with the Generation Next trio of Aries, Strong, & Evans. So language barriers can’t be used as an excuse. To call this a video game match would be giving it too much credit. Video games would adhere to the rules. As proven in the trios match at Battle of the Icons, had the match unfolded in a Dragon Gate Rules styles with tag legalities changing either via traditional tagging or rolling out to signal for a partner to enter the ring, I could’ve easily worked with that. There was no rhyme or reason to this match. That there were FIP portions for Dragon Kid and Aries only made the second half of this main event all the more irritating. Why did the referee even bother making Team ROH a “default babyface” team by admonishing them for illegally entering, only for halfway in the match stop caring? I can only imagine Jim Cornette’s reactions during this low-level at a spectacle as he sat in the back or in the crowd and watched this unfold. Any negative reactions he would’ve had are completely reasonable. In addition, not once do I recall, after meticulously rewinding at certain points throughout to stay on top of tag legalities (which obviously turned out to be a futile exercise), CIMA and Castagnoli ever going at it. That’s pretty disappointing considering I don’t believe they’ve ever been on oppostie sides other than on this night. Maybe one day WWE and Dragon Gate can work something out on a Japan tour or in a global tag team tournament. Rating: less than *** The DVD closes with a “Prom Night” promo from Jimmy Jacobs, one of the best of his career. He reflects on the whole saga with Whitmer, who had said “I love you little brother” after their matches when they teamed up. He can’t believe Whitmer ditched him when he fell in love with Lacey, reflecting also on all the bloodbaths, the attacks on Lacey, and Dragon Gate Challenge. Jacobs says his innocence has been lost, suffering through sleepless nights while visualizing how to end this and hurt Whitmer. Jacobs puts the blame on Whitmer for bringing this down to a cage match. A pin fall won’t end this, only finishing one another will. There will be no hug or handshake, no respect earned. “BJ, it’s prom night. It always ends the same. The villain gets what’s coming to him, and the hero gets the girl. I love you big brother.” What a fantastic finish to this DVD after such a messy, disappointing main event. Main event aside, there are plenty of fun (even though questionable) directions on this show, and the Detroit crowd really takes it up a notch, making me wish I had booked a flight a decade ago to be in Motown for WrestleMania 23 weekend. Homicide vs. Daniels exceeded my expectations considering both were directionless after their title reigns ended, and Evans vs. Strong is a forgotten classic that needs to be seen, a true breakthrough performance by Evans as he served as a perfect foil to Strong’s newfound mean streak. Considering the two matches that delivered aren’t on compilations as of yet and the closing promo from Jacobs, this gets an incredibly strong recommendation. The Jacobs vs. Whitmer saga simply isn’t complete without that “Prom Night’ promo at the end. At long last, another final chapter arrives. It’s a match that when deeply revisiting the Gabe Sapolsky era of ROH, turned out to actually be 4 years in the making, not just 2. That’s right, this cage match between Jimmy Jacobs and BJ Whitmer isn’t the end of a saga that started 2 years ago when they first teamed up at Best of American Super Juniors Tournament and captured the Tag Titles that were declared vacant after Dan Maff’s excommunication. No, this saga started much earlier than that, before Jacobs ever even stepped foot in ROH. But that’s to chronicle in a well-deserved retrospective. That’s not all to look forward to. For the first time ever, Strong and Aries go at it, with Strong putting the FIP Title on the line. Typhoon and Muscle Outlaw’z attempt to recreate the magic from a year ago between Do Fixer and Blood Generation. That’s a triple main event of epic proportions, one that runs parallel to the one taking place at Ford Field on this magical weekend. It’s here. It’s the end of one of the greatest feuds of the 21st Century, on one of the greatest events in ROH history. Up next – Supercard of Honor II Matches will include: Jay Briscoe & Delirious vs. Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels Jack Evans & Naruki Doi vs. Davey Richards & ??? Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries CIMA, Shingo, & Susumu Yokosuka vs. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, & Masaaki Mochizuki

70|30 – March 24, 2007 Taped from Los Angeles, CA Alex Shelley vs. Rocky Romero Submission counters lead to 2 stalemates, with no advantage until Shelley landed a kick on Romero’s head. What looks to be a sustained, relentless advantage for Shelley, that being a unique Super Jawbreaker, turns out to be the end of his domination. Instead, Shelley’s slow approach to keep it up allows Romero to gain control with a kick of his own. But that turns out to be short-lived for Romero, as the two exchange control with various counters. Romero wins a test of strength, allowing him to apply a shoulder submission. But his insistence on kicks to Shelley’s hamstring is costly, as he eats a brainbuster. Shelley’s selling of his left limbs is impressive as both get back up. He even couldn’t hit a graceful Quebrada, climbing one foot at a time on the middle rope instead of jumping, and also using the right leg to deliver a Super variation of a kick similar to Liu Kang’s Flying Dragon. Romero gains brief control but is cut off with a gutbuster. Not even a cross arm breaker submission is enough as Shelely is too close to the ropes, and then counters another one, turning it into the Border City Stretch in the middle of the ring. This is excellent stuff as Romero keeps rotating until he gets a rope break. The excellent counters just keep on coming, resulting in a highly dramatic cross arm breaker. But instead of the drama being in Shelley avoiding a tap out, it was in avoiding Romero from locking it altogether. Romero avoids a Shiranui but goes to the well too often with the cross arm breaker, allowing Shelley to counter it with a pinning near-fall. This classic concludes when Shelley hits a Reverse STO and forces Romero to tap out to the Border City Stretch. Post-match, Romero challenges Shelley and a partner to face the Havana Pitbulls in May, to which Shelley obliges that the Motor City Machine Guns accept for the upcoming DDT4 tournament. Both men are selling tremendously and just exhausted. MCMG have a backstage promo afterwards, ready to come for the vacant Tag Titles. A fucking excellent match that deserves compilation inclusion, topping PAC vs. Kevin Steen as the company’s best contest of 2007 so far. Absolutely tremendous counters and submissions, with incredible selling to boot, including in the post-match promo. Must-see. Rating: ****1/4 Joey Ryan interferes in the Ronin vs. Kevin Steen match, hitting Steen with a stupid chair shot to the head and drawing a DQ on Ronin. Steen is pissed but he’s earned a PWG Title shot by default. He quotes Owen Hart and wants to earn his title shot, not have it handed to him. Steen says he’ll kill Jack Evans coming up at All Star Weekend V Night 1, and asks for a match on Night 2 against Ryan. Excalibur & Dino Winwood grant his request to make it a hardcore match. In a backstage promo, Steen warns Ryan to watch the match against Evans. He says despite liking Evans, he will beat the shit out of him, and imagine what will happen to Ryan, who he hates. The events ever since the historic title change from Steen to Ryan at Chanukah Chaos (The C’S Are Silent) will finally come to a head. The authority figures have some special announcements. Low Ki will be debuting on All Star Weekend V to take on Davey Richards and Samoa Joe! OH FUCK YES~! For the DDT4 in May, Teams inserted into May’s DDT4 are the Briscoes, Kings of Wrestling, Richards & Roderick Strong, but before the announcements continue, Richards interrupts to the crowd’s disapproval. Richards rejects teaming with Strong since they already won the Tag Titles before, instead saying he’s selected a mystery partner. Speed Muscle is then revealed to be in the tournament. So that’s the Briscoes, Speed Muscle, Kings of Wrestling, Havana Pitbulls, Motor City Machine Guns, and Richards with a mystery partner. Not too bad of a tournament. “Scorpio Sky” returns in a mask and defeats Top Gun Talwar. Chris Sabin vs. Scott Lost Good match with a cheap finish. Sabin dominated early until Lost countered a corner move with a boot the face and follow-up gutbuster. Sabin teased a comeback outside after getting back-scratched by Jade Chung, only to eat a twirling feet strike from Lost off a ring post. Sabin would muster a comeback thanks to a Fisherman Buster, while Lost would get control back minutes later with an Ace Crusher. After Sabin hit some corner dropkicks, his inside cradle got turned over thanks to Chung, resulting in a win for Lost. Rating: *** Shingo vs. Davey Richards Shingo dominated early thanks largely to a sleeper hold swing, After a few minutes, Richards manages a knee to his gut to get control, although he’s still getting too sidetracked by the crowd jeers. Richards seems very much have made a decision to be a dick everywhere since forming the No Remorse Corps with Strong in ROH; perhaps their failure to win the Tag Titles a few weeks back with him against this very opponent and Naruki Doi are why he rejected teaming with Strong again in PWG. Shingo’s comeback gets cut off when he goes to the top rope after a powerslam, as Richards hits a Superlex hurting both men’s back. Richards causes Shingo to get fighting spirit during some kicks, with Shingo finally mounting a comeback with a Fireman’s Carry Spinebuster along with more bombs. He even counters the handspring elbow of Richards, hitting a torture rack pancake for a near-fall. Richards regains control after blocking a pumphandle move, hitting an Enziguri and Falcon Arrow for a near-fall. He also cancels a Shingo comeback via a DDT, then goes for a Shooting Star Press. That doesn’t pay off as Shingo avoids it and hits a spinning Gut Wrench Bomb for a near-fall. He shrugs off a boot to the face and lands a lariat for another good near-fall. Richards lands a low blow out of referee Rick Knox’s vision. Shingo then taps out moments later to the Kondo Clutch in a bit of a messy finish. Good match weighed down by the finish. Rating: *** Human Tornado intentionally puts Candice LeRae in harm’s way to hit the Dat Nigga Dead and beat Disco Machine. He then hits one on her. This wouldn’t hold up today, but it’s tolerable at this point in Tornado’s heel run. Christopher Daniels is back to his 2002 attitude, unimpressed by El Generico and using the same hand mannerisms. What was the point of his arrow paintings around his eye a decade ago? PWG Title Match El Generico vs. Christopher Daniels Daniels is quite irritable to Generico’s early dominance, throwing a temper tantrum on the outside. Generico still maintains control thanks to numerous arm drags and not succumbing to any Daniels strikes. When he gets a wristlock submission, Daniels gets irritated again by its positing him for pin falls. Daniels did not seem prepared for Generico bringing submissions to the table. Daniels finally cut off the champion by evading and tossing him to the outside. Daniels displayed no hesitation, scoop-slamming Generico on a chair and striking him with another one outside the ref’s vision. This allowed Daniels to work on Generico’s back, perfect to prepare for the Koji Clutch, and marginalize the champ’s signature moves. He turns up the misery he feels inside by stepping on Generico’s face for a couple near-falls, just showing complete disrespect. Daniels was able to prevent a comeback, hitting another vertical suplex and then mocking the champ’s back pain. After also stepping on his back, Generico mounts a comeback with various strikes and near-falls. However, that ends when the Fallen Angel simply punches his face and goes back to being a miserable prick. I wouldn’t have minded an ultimate heel battle between Richards and Daniels at this point in PWG. Generico finally cuts Daniels off with a reverse DDT, although has too much back pain to immediately capitalize. Once they’re both back up, Daniels has no answer for Generico’s offense, opting to take a powder. But Generico wastes no time, hitting a Twisting Plancha instantly to the outside. Generico gives a chair shot receipt to the back in front of the ref, who doesn’t care due to the antics of Daniels so far. Generico keeps selling his back as he stays in control, which is appreciated. Daniels then cuts off Generico’s tightrope attempt, hitting a Reverse STO and applying the Koji Clutch for a false finish. Daniels is displeased by the Blue Thunder Powerbomb being a near-fall, but doesn’t waste time. They have a strike exchange that ends with both collapsing when Generico hits a big boot. I love Daniels blocking the Yakuza kick, only for Generico to sandbag the Angel’s Wings and hit a leaping tornado DDT. Both are exhausted at this point, giving their all for the company’s top prize. Generico slowly prepares Daniels for a Turnbuckle Brainbuster, which allows Daniels to scoop toss him and go for a crossbody, but that’s turned into a near-fall pin. They have a great near-fall when Daniels hits an STO. Generico scouts the BME and Arabian Moonsault, finally finishing Daniels off with the Yakuza kick and s standard brainbuster. Kick up the pace a bit more and this would’ve been a classic. Rating: ***3/4 Strongest recommendation of PWG’s early years thanks to a classic and near-classic. We now arrive at one of the greatest events in PWG history. Period. Up next – All Star Weekend V Night 1 Matches will include: Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero Human Tornado vs. Claudio Castagnoli Jack Evans vs. Kevin Steen Kaz Hayashi vs. Alex Shelley Low Ki vs. Davey Richards El Generico vs. PAC

What I'd been hoping as the top matches: Balor vs. Orton Rollins vs. Nakamura Wyatt vs. HHH Joe vs. Reigns Lesnar vs. Styles Cena vs. Taker Modification after the scoop: Joe vs. Orton Rollins vs. Nakamura Wyatt vs. HHH Lesnar vs. Reigns Balor vs. Styles Cena vs. Taker

We already getting started on Nawleans. Observer:

Destination X 2007 – March 11, 2007 Live from Orlando, FL NWA-TNA Title Match Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe Joe dominated early as expected, with referee Rudy Charles being liberal as they brawled through the crowd, opting not to count them out. There were some nasty bumps in this one, including Christian eating a modified Uranage on the floor that was quite audible once he landed on the ground. There were other bad bumps taken that indicated they may not have had the best chemistry, the biggest one being Joe’s face hitting the apron and/or floor during an Elbow Suicide, causing him to grab his nose and forehead. The basics and standard moves were all good, and this could’ve possibly been a great PPV main event to eventually build to a money rematch. However, because this is a TNA main event and it’s not Joe going up against Kurt Angle, the trademark overbooking kicked in. X-Division stars kept Christian from retaining by count out, and there were ref bumps aplenty. That was somewhat offset by Christian overcoming a musclebuster (albeit because of a slow count) and avoiding the Coquina Clutch completely, but when compared at the time to WWE’s main event scene of John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels and Batista vs. Undertaker, this had some obvious room for improvement. Rating: ***1/2

Album of the Year – March 10, 2007 Taped from Los Angeles, CA Due to Quicksilver’s concussion, Cape Fear are stripped of the Tag Titles. They will be up for grabs in the first ever DDT4 tournament in 2 months. Rocky Romero vs. Claudio Castagnoli This was a battle of countering. While Romero would repeatedly go for cross armbar submissions, Castagnoli used his height advantage to get easy rope breaks. Romero failed to target a specific arm, which was arguably his downfall. He needed to take away Castagnoli’s devastating uppercut arsenal. As for Castagnoli, he never found a major advantage either, so it came down to his strength advantage, dumping Romero on his head with a trip to Suplex City, blocking a desperate adrenaline-rush kick, and hitting a discus uppercut for the victory. Good stuff that would’ve been better with more focused limb work and selling. Rating: ***1/4 PWG Title Match El Generico vs. Davey Richards This match never reached a high gear, making it quite disappointing considering it went over half an hour. There was still good stuff in here, including Generico dominating the first several minutes and causing Richards to take a few powders. Once Richards got control, he dominated the rest of the match while also jaw-jacking with the audience for whatever reason. The finishing stretch had some good scouting and counters, including Richards turning Generico’s Yakuza kick into a calf-shoulder suplex into the corner. Generico would knee the gut of Richards when the challenger went for a terrific Shooting Star Press, and finally moved to hit his trademark Yakuza kick and Turnbuckle Brainbuster, but Richards rolled out. During one of these points Richards also went for a desperate inside cradle counter for a near-fall. But once Generico hit an Apron Brainbuster, having already taken Generico’s regular finish, that was the ballgame. Rating: ***1/2 Up next – 70|30 Matches will include: Alex Shelley vs. Rocky Romero Chris Sabin vs. Scott Lost Shingo vs. Davey Richards El Generico vs. Christopher Daniels

Fifth Year Festival: Finale – March 4, 2007 Taped from Liverpool, England The Briscoes are pumped to toughen each other up in tonight’s singles match. Delirious vs. Colt Cabana Cabana pays homage to the legendary Big Daddy, which the Liverpool crowd loves, especially the actual baby doll he brings to ringside. This is a wonderful comedy match as expected, and it starts off perfectly by Cabana going crazy at the opening bell to throw Delirious off from doing it. The crowd’s pop for this is amazing. The Lizard Man is none too pleased, tossing a chair in the ring among other itmes, including the baby doll to the crowd’s disapproval and drawing a “baby killer” chant. Cabana: “How dare you do that to my baby! I hate you!” A fan throws the baby doll back in the ring and Delirious holds onto it with his mouth. Cabana wins the first grapple battle and uses his power to pay further homage to Big Daddy, talking trash to Delirious. Back in the ring, Delirious asks Cabana if he’s sorry, leaving him vulnerable to a more Cabana grappling and his mask being shifted. This pays off in hilarious fashion with Delirious rolling up referee Todd Sinclair and Cabana counting near-falls, once again the crowd totally enthusiastic. Cabana mimics a 5-count in the corner, irritating Sinclair, and Delirious finally realizes who it is during a waist lock, only to get shoved back by the official, which Cabana takes advantage of for a near-fall. Cabana mocks Delirious about his confusion, to which Delirious replies back with jibber. He finally gains the upper hand, drawing “Bah!” chants. Cabana resorts to trying to shift the mask around, but Delirious ain’t letting that happen again. Cabana tries once again and the crowd boos, so he stops to his disadvantage. Once he regains the heat though, he starts pulling tassels out, only to have more back-and-forth action. It finally ends moments later with a La Magistral cradle variation counter. One of the best comedy matches of the decade, a fantastic choice for the opener, and a chapter very much worthy of being included on a compilation. This smokes their Back to Basics match. Rating: ***1/2 The No Remorse Corps promo is interrupted by Jimmy Jacobs and BJ Whitmer’s brawl spilling into their location. Falls Count Anywhere Match Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer This begins as their brawl continues in the audience after a totally meaningless women’s match. This is some heated stuff with Whitmer dragging Jacobs across a stadium balcony early, and then it goes backstage again. Jacobs uses a fire extinguisher on Whitmer’s back, only to get chopped and fall down a staircase. The crowd is really behind Whitmer here. Whitmer teases a powerbomb off a balcony, but Jacobs has none of that and even saves himself from being tossed over. He then eats another chop sending him down a staircase, but his relentlessness is on point, fighiting back and hitting a leaping hurricanrana off a table. Jacobs then channels Jeff Hardy and hits an elbow drop from the balcony, making me further wish for that dream match at some point. That near-fall leads him to follow that up with a Cactus Jack style elbow, but instead of off of an apron, he runs across stacked chairs in the audience. The action finally gets to the ring and continues to be splendid. Jacobs has the usual railroad spike pulled from his boot, running perfectly with it to cut Whitmer’s forehead open and then spikes it on a turnbuckle pad. Jacobs wipes Whitmer’s blood on his body, including his face, telling Whitmer to keep bleeding, then wipes his own face on the blood-soaked mat. These were very different times in the business indeed compared to a decade later. Whitmer teases a comeback, only to get literally spiked again and eat a reverse hurricanrana, but then musters up enough adrenaline to counter a Shiranui and plant Jacobs with an Owen Driver. I appreciate that Whitmer sold his exhaustion for several seconds before going for the pin. He continues selling it as they engage in a chop battle, and their pride and adrenaline keep them going with more strikes. He rocks Jacobs with an elbow. It goes to the entrance apron ramp and Jacobs blocks another powerbomb, but Whitmer cuts off a spear and hits a brainbuster on it for the finish! Perfect booking here, as Whitmer should get this victory before Jacobs comes home to Michigan to finally conquer his arch-nemesis, as well as Lacey’s heart, on the grandest weekend of them all. This was damn good stuff too, the unrelenting hatred for each other on display. Rating: ***3/4 Jimmy Rave cuts a good promo, despising McGuinness for being disrespected by him via toilet paper a few months back, just like the Liverpool audience before that. Tonight’s hardcore match will end up leaving McGuinness bloodied and crippled, and that Rave is the best wrestler in ROH, deserving of nothing less than respect. I expect this absurd Rave push to go out on a high note. PAC vs. Matt Sydal The two have acrobatic stalemates early, so Sydal pie faces the UK native to turn into a striking battle. He better be careful considering that PAC did some damage to Roderick Strong with elbow strikes the day before. With that said, Sydal gets the upper hand thanks to a leg lariat receipt, maintaining his usual arrogance and cockiness at this time in his ROH tenure. When PAC attempts a comeback, he takes an ugly bump and botches a head-scissors attempt, allowing Sydal to maintain control. He gets too cocky though, wasting time in the corner. This allows PAC to evade a jumping Super Hurricanrana, causing Sydal to be crotched. PAC is a house of fire with various strikes including a moonsault dropkick, then once Sydal is driven the outside, PAC follows up with a corkscrew press to Liverpool’s delight. PAC maintains control in the ring, and a fallen Sydal allows him to hit a corkscrew 450 splash off the second rope for a near-fall. But Sydal cuts him off moments later to deliver a Snapmare Driver and standing moonsault for a near-fall, drawing “This is awesome!” chants. Sydal is condescending with his attacks and eats a spike hurricanrana counter for his trouble, as well as a Tiger Suplex. Whatever Sydal had in mind from the second rope got cut off via an ear clap head-scissors, with Sydal immediately following up that by finishing PAC with a gorgeous Shooting Star Press. Damn good stuff proving PAC had earned a spot in ROH, and this needs to be on a compilation considering the star power both have acquired since. Rating: ***1/2 Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe The two come out together, truly signifying this is just a special challenge match for each other. Love it. Bobby Cruise even gives them in-ring introductions, a great way to present this as historic. The crowd also gets into “dueling chants” by yelling “Let’s go Briscoe!” Early grappling results in slaps to the face, and Mark grabs Jay’s nose to break a leg submission. He keeps up the aggression by absorbing a backdrop suplex to hold onto a headlock, and kicks Jay in the spine. It heats up when Jay clotheslines Mark to the outside, becoming a striking exchange before Mark hits a scoop slam on the floor. That bump sounded awful. Even though in torso pain, Mark absorbs it by getting the upper hand on a guardrail whipe, then hits a moonsault off of the guardrail. When Jay’s back up, they have another exchange with Jay getting the upper hand and taking the action to the entrance apron ramp. Mark reaggravates his back pain when he drops Jay on the ramp with a vertical suplex but brings it back into the ring. The brothers have each other naturally scouted, countering each other’s arsenal before Mark wins that battle with a spinning kick to gain control. Jay stops a springboard Ace Crusher, only to knocked down and eat a slingshot double foot stomp and springboard senton. Jay finally blocks a Northern Lights Suplex attempt, spiking Mark with a DDT counter to get control. Jay’s control segment isn’t quite as interesting as Mark’s. He hits his standard offense, and Mark regaining control with an exploder suplex makes this a bit more engaging. Mark’s control is short-lived though as he eats a Stunner and Yakuza Kick for a near-fall, then gets placed in a Stretch Plum. This is exactly what Jay should be doing: softening Mark’s neck up to eat the double underhook piledriver. It becomes a strike exchange and Jay blocks Mark’s springboard attempt, driving him to the floor. Jay hits a somersault plancha, something I’m not used to seeing out of him. Jay’s frog splash distance is impressive but just a near-fall. Jay goes for the finish but Mark blocks it and hits a unique bicycle kick to escape and go for Karate chops, then hits the springboard Ace Crusher that was teased earlier. This is some decent storytelling tell so far. Another strike exchange helps Mark maintain control, hitting more springboard maneuvers for near-falls to the crowd’s delight. Jay blocks a superplex attempt, and the match is elevated when he uses the positioning to hit a Super Gordbuster. Mark is blessed enough to get a rope break after eating a Falcon Arrow, then eats another Stretch Plum as the crowd breaks out in legitimate dueling chants. Jay doesn’t let that be a submission, hitting a lariat for a near-fall. Mark blocks the double underhook driver and hits a couple exploder suplexes for a near-fall. Mark shoves referee Todd Sinclair and then uses him as a platform to go over the top rope and take Jay off the apron onto the outside with a head-scissors. That was impressive. After getting up from their exhaustion, they have another strike exchange, only for Jay to hit his finisher… but he’s too exhausted to go for the cover! The crowd is loving this storytelling. As they rise up, Jay smiles and the crowd eupts for this strike exchange, then applauds again when they force each other collapse. Jay gets up first and opts not to win by TKO, but that backfires as he eats a Cutthroat Driver. Like Jay minutes earlier though, Mark is too exhausted to go for the cover after his finish. Instead, both men are counted down at 10. Very brief booing quickly turns into a standing ovation, the crowd wise enough to understand these siblings were equals and would be booked as such. This is actually a great match that started slow and told the story of exhaustion at the end, carefully teasing signature moves and delivering them. The Liverpool audience’s knowledge helped tremendously elevate the story told, which paid off at the finish. This is nowhere near AJ Styles vs. Paul London which also had a draw finish and a very different one at that, but like that all-time classic, the draw here paid off the story of equality and toughening each other up after a one-and-done reign as Tag Champs. Rating: **** The horrible side view promo returns, with McGuinness saying that tonight’s feud-ending hardcore match against Rave, vowing to repay respect, kick his ass, and finally get a victory in Liverpool. Tag Titles Match Shingo & Naruki Doi vs. Davey Richards & Roderick Strong Another dog shit tag match for Shingo & Doi. Tag legalities? A foreign (no pun intended) in this sham of a tag match. All booker Gabe Sapolsky had to do was schedule this as a Tornado Rules match, or at the very least a Dragon Gate Rules match. This had zero psychology and was just a pile of moves, although not as quantified as the match day before involving the Briscoes. Bryan Alvarez would despise this with a fucking passion. One of the most disappointing matches during this never-ending project. Rating: less than *** Hardcore Match Jimmy Rave vs. Nigel McGuinness As expected, Rave’s big push resulted in the end of it being a high note. McGuinness pulled his groin the night before so his right thing is strongly taped. After he got the early heat, Rave kicked a chair into that leg. Unfortunately for the former Crown Jewel, he never really went to work again on that right leg, which had to be disappointing for him. The targeting of that limb was extremely minimal. Rave made another huge mistake trying to copy Bryan Danielson at Unified and ram the head of McGuinness into a ring post. Instead, the former Pure Champion blocked it and rammed Rave’s left shoulder into it. Then this fight had an insane weapon brought into the fold, that being a solo guardrail McGuinness pulled from under the ring. McGuinness placed it as a platform on the ring apron and a standing guardrail, guaranteeing some insanity was to come. Spots on the guardrail platform included Rave’s face getting smashed into it, McGuinness getting shoved onto it off the apron and bending it, and Rave getting backdropped into it from the ring, collapsing it onto the ground. But that wasn’t the craziest spot on the guardrail; that would come in the finishing stretch to pay off this excellent story. For whatever reason, Rave opted to work on the neck of McGuinness with butterfly submissions and the Gonorrhea. While it’s good to sometimes bring a different game plan than what’s worked before iin case the opposition finally knows how to overcome it, Rave should’ve relied on the tried and true heel hook submission. Another great story in this was Rave escaping the first Tower of London attempt, thene eventually eating a regular one. A match highlight for this story though was when Rave ate another one on a chair, resulting in a shocking near-fall. Right after that, Rave got his only heel hook submission of the match by scouting a short-armed lariat. This was at least great drama as McGuinness screamed in agony; perhaps Rave saw it the move as instant death, no need to work on it. The next moment was the top highlight, paying off the story of the Tower of London, as Rave ate on on the guardrail platform that had been placed back in position. The initial referee had been knocked down so head official Todd Sinclair immediately came back out for a near-fall in the ring. They had a strike exchange, ending the match with one of the most audible, dangerous strikes I’ve ever heard as McGuinness finally put Rave to rest with a devastating rebound lariat. Rave had ever right to be pissed as reported at the time, since it broke his jaw. An insane spectacle with terrific storytelling, and the first MOTYC for ROH’s 2007. McGuinness finally shut Rave up and got his first ROH singles victory in his home country. I can only imagine if this had been his first ROH Title defense though to elevate that title. This is my pick for Rave’s greatest match ever in ROH, better than the cage match against CM Punk or his ROH Title shot against Danielson. It’s a shame it fucked him up more than any other. Rating: ****1/2 Fifth Year Festival – ROH World Championship This is obviously mostly focused on Danielson, providing a terrific highlight heel for him stretching from The Milestone Series to Final Battle 2006. Homicide got a very brief highlight reel just from January 2007, and then the video shows every ROH Champion in history prior to the Fifth Year Festival, then has a montage of every relevant star to have stepped foot in ROH, finishing with Takeshi Morishima holding up the championship. Damn good video that makes ROH’s 2006 and the rest of the early years come across as epic and intimate. Samoa Joe’s ROH Farewell Samoa Joe vs. Homicide Joe gets an epic entrance, juggling through his themes as the camera focuses on him in the Gorilla position, and whoever made this production decision to follow him from behind, gazing upon the Liverpool audience deserves major kudos. An absolutely epic, fantastic, historic visual. Also perfect for his juggling entrance theme to end on “Another Body Murdered,” bringing his ROH tenure full circle. Liverpool is fantastic in their towards Joe before the ring introductions, just as much as Paul London in New Jersey, CM Punk in Chicago, and James Gibson in Philadelphia. While Homicide gets a terrific reaction himself, it understandably doesn’t compare to Joe, who gets the well-deserved streamer treatment. That brings back memories of their encounter at Generation Next, but Homicide doesn’t go for the cheap shot to kick off the match, not to his now-friend. Liverpool continues its greatness by chanting “He’s a legend!” and “Joe’s gonna kill you!” The content of this match was good, elevated to very good by its finish. While it wasn’t the epic one would’ve hoped, one must remember that Gibson vs. Roderick Strong was an anomaly, as it’s far more common for someone out the door to have a farewell on par with Joe vs. London and Punk vs. Colt Cabana. This was ultimately better than the two farewell matches just mentioned. If there was anything disappointing in this match, it was the lack of actual moves to serve as callbacks to their ROH rivalry, Instead, the callbacks were in Homicide cheating and Julius Smokes inserting himself at times to bail out the Notorious 187, but not being as malicious as in the past to their friend. The ultimate callback would be at the finish. Homicide got a significant amount of control in this match, which is no surprise just a couple weeks removed from being ROH Champion and taking Morishima to the limit. Before the actual finish, Homicide got multiple lariats in the only non-character callback in the match for a near-fall, paying off their finish from Battle of the Icons. Homicide also got in Sinclair’s face at one point, paying off the moment that changed the game at Reborn Stage 1. When Joe hit a musclebuster, the near-fall was surprising. But we should’ve all known that wouldn’t be the end of Joe’s time in ROH, for he had yet to deliver the Ole Ole Kicks. Since Smokes yanked Sinclair out to save Homicide and make it a near-fall, Joe went after him and delivered the Ole Ole Kicks, putting Liverpool in a frenzy. He overzealously went to do it again, only for Homicide to have recovered and cut off Joe with a perfectly timed Tope Con Hilo that sent Joe over the guardrail! That was a fantastic spot. The finish finally came on the top rope, as Joe finished Homicide off just like in their first ROH main event against each other from Do or Die. Once Joe hit the Super Musclebuster, there was no turning back, securing the victory for himself and going out on top. The roster gathers at the entrance as Joe gives a wonderful farewell speech, pointing out that ROH had many doubters during its first 5 years. But now? They weren’t at a rec center in Philly, they were at a fancy sold out Liverpool venue! Joe puts over the roster, indicating to the audience that the future is very bright, and busts out a Gabe Sapolsky joke too. After getting respect from the roster at the entrance, he comes back into the ring one last time to say goodbye, posing to the crowd. Rating: ***3/4 The DVD closes with another fantastic video package, this one showcasing Joe’s time in ROH. No major match, no major foe, no major victory, no major moment is spared. Homicide, Punk, and Kenta Kobashi are particularly mentioned; Danielson should’ve been too. This truly marked the end of an era. One of the greatest shows in ROH history. A shitty excuse for exciting tag team wrestling cannot weight down an epic comedy opener, substantial Jacobs vs. Whitmer chapter, high-flyer’s dream match, epic feud-ending hardcore right, and historic farewell. This is EASILY the greatest event on this journey since Glory By Honor V Night 2. This is the quality that would’ve fit right in during the glorious 365 day period that ended with that very event. If the match quality wasn’t enough, there’s the closing video to warm the heart and water the eyes. A decade later, this obviously turned out to not be the end of Joe in ROH. But it was very much the end of an era as mentioned, and thus there will be a complimentary retrospective coming this weekend, especially because it’s so fitting that he finally makes his long-awaited WWE PPV debut. What a fantastic weekend to wrap up this birthday festival and Joe’s farewell tour. And Joe was right when he said not to worry, because now we arrive at another epic weekend in the Motor City. Another long journey is about to reach its finale. But before that, we have one of the most exciting main events on paper in ROH history, one that would make current PWG bookers incredibly envious, plus a long-awaited singles encounter between two stablemates that played key parts in ROH’s survival. In addition, the debut of a pet project for booker Gabe Sapolsky that’s been a major character in FIP. Up next – All Star Extravaganza III Matches will include: Homicide vs. Christopher Daniels Jack Evans vs. Roderick Strong CIMA, Ryo Saito, Dragon Kid, & Susumu Yokosuka vs. Delirious, Rocky Romero, Austin Aries, & Claudio Castagnoli

Fifth Year Festival: Liverpool – March 3, 2007 Taped from Liverpool, England ROH Video Wire – March 1, 2007 important news (unavailable online): A nice highlight reel of ROH Champion Takeshi Morishima’s first 4 nights competing in ROH Samoa Joe’s farewell match on March 4 in Liverpool will be against his greatest foe, now best friend in the company, none other than Homicide. That should be an emotional match for both, and it’ll be nice to compare it to CM Punk vs. Colt Cabana all these years later. The DVD kicks off with a horrendous Roderick Strong promo, revealing he attacked Jack Evans in NYC and the friendship was never real. He’s sporting the FIP Title and says it becomes a world title tonight, saying he’ll break the debuting PAC in half. Jimmy Jacobs says his 6-hour flight was miserable since Lacey couldn’t come along due to eating Colt Cabana’s Colt .45 last week. Jacobs is proud for giving Cabana a crimson mask, knowing that it pleased Lacey. Her mission for him tonight is to take out Cabana and/or BJ Whitmer. He vows this war of attrition ends in Liverpool, and Lacey’s whispers will all come true for him. THIS should’ve kicked off the DVD. Homicide vs. Davey Richards Good opener that didn’t try to be anything special even though it probably could’ve been. After some even stuff, Richards got the upper hand on the outside via kicks to the torso and then a big boot with former ROH Champion crotched on a guardrail. Richards seemed to target Homicide’s torso, going after the front end with more kicks and delivering backbreakers. But he never completely focused on the torso, going for Kondo Clutches instead of a more conducive back submission. Homicide got his shit in too, not letting the newly-turned ROH rookie boost his resume at his expense. The Notorious 187 brought plenty of his trademark bombs, including Eddie Guerrero’s 3 Amigos suplex chain, some lariats, and even a frog splash for a near-fall. Honestly though, his lariats more resembled clotheslines, lacking the epic firepower to be considered true lariats. So when that was a near-fall, It made sense. But after enough blows, Richards was prone to the Kudo Driver, not being able to evade it again. Too bad we never got a rematch between these two. Rating: ***1/4 The side view promos return! The Briscoes vow to survive Dragon Gate’s Shingo & Naruki Doi tonight, just like they did a couple months earlier against other puro stars in NOAH. There’s an open contract for tomorrow’s event for whoever wants to man up! Jimmy Rave & Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana The pre-match brawl was the best part of this match, although it wasn’t that special. While the crowd enjoyed the brawl, it lacked the heat that I would’ve expected at this point between Jacobs and Whitmer. Once this settled into a match, it was primarily Whitmer playing the FIP to build to a hot tag. There was of course a tag legality issue I saw. Jacobs got the pin on Whitmer via a Shiranui, which is the right move. Rating: less than *** 2/3 Falls Match Delirious vs. Matt Sydal The major takeaway from this match is that Sydal had become even more of a cocky little shit heel. His smugness and cheating was significantly elevated. In the first fall, he hit a low-blow that was intentionally a gray area, holding Delirious in the air and kicking him low. This was a precursor to how he’d secure the first pin, this time very blatantly kicking Delirious in the groin outside referee Todd Sinclair’s vision. The second fall began with Sydal using the tassels from the mask of Delirious to repeatedly choke him. But as typical in these types of matches, Delirious was able to get the upper hand, eventually leaving his archrival prone to hit a Shadows Over Hell, and then immediately follow that up with a Cobra Clutch. There were also plenty of bombs thrown in this one, with those bombs and exhaustion being sold with exception improvement comparted to their contest at The Epic Encounter II. Sydal became desperate and went under the ring at one point in the third fall, but Delirious wasted not time yanking him out. This was a very good final fall with Sydal going for a Shooting Star Press and landing on his feet, having scouted Delirious evading it while in midair. This then transitioned to a great sequence with crucifix pins and Cobra clutch false submissions, and even a La Magistral attempt by Sydal being counted with a Chemical Imbalance 2, getting a standing ovation and ROH chant from the Liverpool crowd. The finish paid off an earlier story in the match. Sydal had unsuccessfully gone for a Flux Capacitor but Delirious shoved him off. So at this point, Sydal shoved the ref in the ropes to force Delirious to be crotched, leaving him in position to counter the Flux Capacitor this time. Damn good stuff here. Rating: ***3/4 FIP Title Match Roderick Strong vs. PAC Arguable match of the night here. The match kicks off with Strong opting to spit on PAC instead of following the Code of Honor. As expected, Strong bullied PAC, who served as a perfect underdog body to help Strong’s recent transition into a jock bully heel. Strong was both merciless and condescending in this one, slapping the UK native early. While PAC got enough offense in this match to be showcased, this was more about Strong as mentioned. PAC’s attempts to cut off and make comebacks were often just hope spots, especially when he went for a submission game. Strong resorted to any measure, whether it was strength, pulling hair, poking eyes, or refusing to give clean breaks, to exert his force. PAC managed to frustrate Strong at times with his acrobatic ability, which came in handy both for evasions and to drop bombs. PAC’s go-to cut off would be various head-scissors, but he found himself too often caught by Strong to get tossed around. He was also very susceptible to backbreakers, including a bearhug variation that I don’t think I’ve seen before or since. But no matter the brutality, no matter how much arrogance displayed by the champ, PAC remained levelheaded, which played a huge part in the most memorable comeback spot in the match, that being a moonsault reverse DDT made famous by AJ Styles. PAC also brought the forearm firepower, showing that he was more than arm drags and spectacular moves. His aggression paid off as it allowed Strong to be dazed enough to eat a Sky Twister to the outside, unable to evade or counter it. Despite how sore his back must’ve been, he also landed a Standing Shooting Star Press and Standing Moonsault Senton on separate occasions. Strong made the mistake when in control of audibly calling the Tiger Driver. Giving that away allowed PAC to block it and hit a tornado DDT, followed by a gorgeous 450 splash for a near-fall and get his home country buzzing. But Strong baited him, allowing the exhausted PAC to attempt a top-rope corkscrew 450 splash, which was evaded. That left PAC completely vulnerable to a Yakuza kick and savage Tiger Driver to bring this classic to its conclusion. In the post-match, Strong piles in with a Liontamer, only to be chased off by Delirious. As PAC got up, the audience chanted for his return, and I wonder why he didn’t get regular bookings after this. It must’ve been a schedule issue. This was an excellent match that perfectly showcased Strong’s nasty prick attitude, while also serving as a platform for PAC to show off his resilience and creativity. A sensational contest, and why hasn’t this been placed on a compilation yet? Rating: **** Jacobs says his pin fall over Whitmer tonight is meaningless, as he’s supposed to end him or Cabana. He tells referee Todd Sinclair to inform Whitmer he’s waiting outside for a fight. Tag Titles Match Briscoe Bros. vs. Shingo & Naruki Doi A horse shit tag match. This wasn’t under Dragon Gate Rules, and even had it been, this match broke those rules over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Those who have ever listened to Bryan Alvarez’s Briscoes critques a decade ago are very familiar, and had he watched this match, this would’ve been right up there in pissing him off. This match personified the worst of 2007 underground wrestling’s fetish to provide all flash and no substance. There were no hot tags built, the moves built to absolutely nothing, and there were tag legality violations galore as the Liverpool crowd erupted. Now, the same can be said about the Briscoes against Strong & Austin Aries in this same venue at Unified. Well, that match really is a timeless classic, as it had just one tag legality violation that was very minor thanks to the match overwhelmingly making up for that flaw. The moves in that match were a battle of back-and-forth competition between the two best teams going in ROH, an electrifying neck-and-neck example for the squared circle of what so many sports fans look for in the most epic sports game. This was nothing but fucking moves. Just moves, moves, moves, moves. As for the tag legalities, they were getting completely ignored not even a minute after the closest thing to a hot tag in the match when Shingo finally reached Doi. That was the moment when all logic and psychology in this match completely fell apart. The Liverpool audience was none the wiser, completely distracted by the constant barrage of moves to see through this shallow excuse for tag team wrestling. The title change also caused a unique opportunity to have been lost that was sitting right there. While it’s nice that we’d get a once-in-a-lifetime match the next day between Shingo & Doi and Richards & Strong, it was a huge booking flaw. A decade ago, Shingo and Doi were in opposing factions, the former in Typhoon (officially formed the same day of this event), the latter in Muscle Outlaw’z. These factions were not exactly on friendly terms. So with that in mind, here’s how the pairing could’ve made sense, and what the Briscoes retaining could’ve done. Announce that ROH approached both Dragon Gate factions and negotiated for Shingo & Doi to team together. Both factions would come to the agreement that it served their mutual interests as well as the greater overall interest of Dragon Gate to challenge for the ROH Tag Titles. This puts ROH over to the Dragon Gate audience as a federation to be followed and respected, and also does wonders for the Tag Titles. Now in this match, there was actually a moment when a Briscoe ducked a clothesline, causing Shingo to strike Doi. That was the moment to use the cliché of unpleasant partners breaking apart, making them vulnerable to the Briscoes. Instead of the Jay vs. Mark singles match to mutually toughen each other up the next day, they defend the belts against the No Remorse Corps, and Shingo’s next chapter in his excursion would be a singles grudge encounter against Doi, both pissed at each other and pointing fingers for losing to the Briscoes. The Briscoes are a strong contender as the greatest tag team of the early 21st Century. Shingo is always my most anticipated performer whenever I heard Dragon Gate talent is being imported. Naruki Doi is nothing short of fantastic. They could’ve done much better than this, even with the flaws of booker Gabe Sapolsky and probably even Dragon Gate to blame. If the Briscoes have any aspirations of ever getting to WWE, I certainly wouldn’t let Triple H and William Regal watch this match. Rating: less than *** Fifth Year Festival – World Tag Team Titles A nice highlight package focusing largely on the iconic reign of Aries & Strong, plus the other champions prior to February 2007, that being the Kings of Wrestling as well as Sydal & Christopher Daniels. Samoa Joe vs. Nigel McGuinness The final chapter in this rivalry went out with a bang. While McGuinness seemed to have hurt a part of his lower body that caused him discomfort, he was unrelenting in his pursuit of a career-defining victory at this stage of his career. His targeting of Joe’s left arm and shoulder was splendid as usual, including headbutting Joe’s shoulder. But before that, the two displayed some terrific scouting, as McGuinness avoided Joe’s Elbow Suicida. Joe motioned to cut McGuinness off, so McGuinness walked through the ropes only to get swept and then swung into a guardrail. This then left McGuinness open to Ole Ole kicks to the crowd’s delight, who were on fire for this historic match. Another example of terrific scouting would be Joe never once eating the corner handstand double foot mule kick of McGuinness. Instead, just like in their prior encounters going back to their tag match involving John Walters & Jay Lethal at Weekend of Thunder Night 1, Joe canceled it out with a Yakuza kick to the vulnerable face of McGuinness. But the second time McGuinness went for it, he turned it into his signature spinal kick and forearm drive combo. McGuinness also went for plenty of lariats, although didn’t rely on it as heavily as would expected in a huge match against the likes of Joe. Joe also evaded a Tower of London and went for a rear naked choke, only to actually eat it seconds later. But the third time would certainly not be the charm, as Joe scouted it once again. This led to Joe giving McGuinness a terrifying musclebuster on the apron. While Richards had taken this same move the week before and was finished from it, McGuinness landed on his side and laid on the floor, unable to move. Numerous referees check on McGuinness and eventually walk him to the back, but Joe at least wants a handshake. Eventually the former ROH Champion tells McGuinness he’s a “British pussy,” which finally gets McGuinness back in the ring. The match at this point becomes an emotional roller coaster with near-falls that have Liverpool going ape shit for McGuinness. This portion didn’t just have McGuinness kicking out of great moves such as the musclebuster, it didn’t just have him kick out at 1 after a lariat, to make it special. The scouting on display was something to behold as well. McGuinness countered a Uranage slam with a headlock takeover, and even outsmarted Joe by faking a rebound lariat and turning it into a schoolboy pin. McGuinnesss also rolled back during a Coquina Clutch for near-fall, but once Joe rolled over and kept the choke on, McGuinness passed out. All that’s been said about this booking has been said. So instead the focus will be that this was a sensational match in front of an epic audience. In the post-match, Joe puts McGuinness over huge, saying he’s leaving ROH in great hands, making it crystal-clear that McGuinness will be ROH Champion at some point. As great as this post-match is, I can only imagine if this was McGuinness dethroning Homicide instead. Rating: **** The DVD closes with a Jacobs and Whitmer brawling cliffhanger. Not as jaw-dropping as I’d remembered thanks mostly to the awful Briscoes vs. Shingo/Doi match, and a decade later the standards have been raised significantly for quantity of workrate on individual cards. With that said, this is absolutely a fantastic show pillared by two excellent matches that told very different stories, as well as a couple undercard goodies. Strongest recommendation. An era for ROH comes to an end, the first of many to come over the next couple months for the company. What a ride it’s been to revisit Samoa Joe’s initial run in the company that put him on the map. And his initial farewell comes to be one of the most stacked match quality cards in company history. Up next – Fifth Year Festival: Finale Matches will include: Delirious vs. Colt Cabana Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer PAC vs. Matt Sydal Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe Shingo & Naruki Doi vs. Davey Richards & Roderick Strong Jimmy Rave vs. Nigel McGuinness Samoa Joe vs. Homicide

Holy Diver Down – February 24, 2007 Taped from Los Angeles, CA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxz12Ginc98 Chris Bosh & Scott Lost vs. Motor City Machine Guns Mentioned on commentary is that Quicksilver is still out due to a concussion, but no status is provided for the Tag Titles. Very good tag match that was brought down by tag legality issues and going a bit too long. MCMG were the obvious stars as the match, as if there would be any other expectation. They were crisp, brought the pain, worked on limbs, dropped bombs, locked on submissions, and honestly dominated this. If there was a missed universal storytelling continuity, it’d be Chris Sabin playing the Ricky Morton role once Arrogance got the heat. As Jade Chung used a piece of clothing to choke Sabin, it’d have been a nice nod for Alex Shelley to be in that spot instead, with Chung still pissed about what happened during their time in the Embassy. Now sure, Sabin comes across in the ring as much kinder than Shelley, so that’s probably the reason for him selling. Once Shelley hit an assisted standing Shiraniu, the result wasn’t in doubt. So once they got double small packages for Arrogance, it came as no surprise. MCMG were simply on top of the world at this time, and it’s a shame it won’t being showcased in a feud against Paul London & Brian Kendrick at the time. Rating: ***3/4 PAC vs. Kevin Steen Excellent match here with Steen dominating early. PAC took 2 scary head drops early, one a lariat and then an immediate trip to Suplex City courtesy of Steen. There were numerous other bombs PAC took, including the pop-up powerbomb and a draping DDT off the top rope. Had PAC sold his neck a bit more after that DDT, this would’ve taken this into potential MOTYC territory. Doing so would’ve fit into Steen’s package piledriver finisher, which would’ve been a great story to tell. This was no squash match though, as PAC got in his bombs as well, spectacular ones at that. A reverse hurricanrana, a Quebrada that turned into a tornado DDT, even a Sky Twister to the outside. No matter how much punishment he took, he took advantage at every opportunity to use his incredibly acrobatics to damage Steen. Not even Steen countering a Super Hurricanrana into a Super Powerbomb was enough to keep PAC down. The finish couldn’t have been any better. In something I’d never seen, PAC had a shooting star SENTON for a near-fall. He then wasted no time and finished off the former PWG Champion with a standard Sky Twister, pulling off a huge upset in one of the defining matches of his career. This was sensational. Post-match, Steen puts PAC over heavily, revealing how much respect he had for him throughout 2006 and lobbying for months to get him into PWG. Steen says that when PAC becomes a big star one day and makes money, remember the guy that got him an opportunity. I wonder if either one of these guys ever made money and became stars. Rating: **** PWG Title Match Human Tornado vs. El Generico Very good main event that was kept at about a dozen minutes which I appreciated, allowing both to just go for bombs on each other. Tornado was noticeably cockier than usual, a higher level of arrogance than he had shown before. This seemed strange considering that the two were occasional tag partners. He was totally fine with giving Generico the shuck and jive low blow early to hammer this home. Generico wouldn’t be denied though. Perhaps due to Quicksilver’s uncertain status, the Generic Luchador wanted to ensure he left this evening knowing he’d have a title reign to continue. Nothing would stop Generico, who pulled one bomb after another including a somersault plancha, half and half suplex, a Dat Nigga Dead of his own, and two Yakuza kicks before upsetting Tornado with a top rope brainbuster for a shocking title change. In contrast to Steen earlier on the card, Tornado opts not to show respect, declining to congratulate his friend and just leaving a sore loser. I’ll certainly take Tornado as the top heel over Joey Ryan without any hesitation whatsoever. Perhaps there should’ve been a Generico vs. Tornado feud in hindsight. Rating: ***1/2 PAC vs. Kevin Steen gets all the love, but the other two matches are worth seeing, including a shockingly historic main event. Recommended. Up next – Album of the Year Matches will include: Rocky Romero vs. Claudio Castagnoli El Generico vs. Davey Richards