supersonic

NXT Takeover: The End – June 8, 2016 Live from Orlando, FL The WWE Debut Match of Andrade Almas Tye Dillinger vs. Andrade Almas This is my first look at the former La Sombra. Enjoyable opener even though it won’t get a special star rating. The pre-match outfit of Almas is alarming, as it comes across both generic and sleazy. Mechanically he was fantastic with his timing, acrobats, and cockiness, but this surprisingly managed to actually raise Dillinger’s stock instead. There will certainly need to be some major tweaking to Almas as a character, as he can obviously work and displayed plenty of personality in this match to impress me. NXT Tag Titles Match American Alpha vs. The Revival This was about the same level of Portland, below Dallas and Seattle. The Revival were their usual tremendous selves cutting the ring in half on Chad Gable at times and cutting off hot tags. In particular, Scott Dawson turning a hot tag attempt into a spinebuster, and then cutting off another one later with a knee clipping, were just phenomenal. There was almost a business-exposing moment just like last week, as Gable tucked his head early for a DDT; this can be covered up though by him immediately shoving off Dawson, which would indicate Gable fooled Dawson. The Revival were also tremendous working on Gable’s left arm, as well as showing ass early for the champs, and of course selling for Jason Jordan’s house of fire once Gable got the hot tag. I found Gable’s shoulder never displaying weakness to be slightly disappointing, but nothing too big. The highlight for me was when Gable countered a Doomsday Device into a belly-to-belly suplex for a near-fall on Dawson, and the second highlight would be at the end when Gable got shoved out, marginalizing a Grand Amplitude attempt and Jordan getting finished off with the Shatter Machine. ***3/4 In the post-match, two generic heavyweights arrive both donned in all-black and decimate the former champs, and then Paul Ellering arrives as their obvious manager. American Alpha’s booking tonight screams that they’re getting drafted to the main roster next month. Bayley wishes NXT Women’s Champion Asuka good luck tonight. Dream Match Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries Match of the night here. These men had each other scouted and picked up on one another’s habits, showcasing their top-notch experience. Nakamura at different times evaded the Last Chancery and 450 Splash of Aries, while Aries would avoid roundhouse kicks. Nakamura also targeted the ribs of Aries, which were taped for unknown reasons. Whether it was kicks or avoiding moves to allowing more damaging opportunities to that body part, Nakamura didn’t take this dream match lightly. Aries would gain an advantage early by targeting Nakamura’s left leg, but the real focus would be the neck, perfect to set up for signature moves such as the Last Chancery, brainbuster, and Crucifix Bomb. The submission work got a bit of a dry reaction from the crowd, but it was very smart, and I’d expect if there’s a rematch between these two the body part work will be more centered on throwing bombs instead of submissions. Nakamura was fantastic teasing his comebacks, but Aries seemingly had an answer for quite the lengthy period of the match; this defeat to Nakamura did more for Aries than did defeating Baron Corbin two months earlier. Once Nakamura managed to make a comeback, it was wholly engrossing as he went back to work on the ribs of Aries, showcasing no mercy. What put Nakamura in a vulnerable position early would be going for a third choke in the corner. Likewise for Aries, after hitting a successful suicide dive in the middle of the match, he made the mistake of going for it again. Nakamura ducked, causing Aries to hit a barricade. That would leave the former TNA and ROH Champion prone to a Kinsasha to the back of the head, reverse exploder, and Bomaye knee in a spectacular finish. This turned out to be a great match, and no doubt a rematch would have MOTYC expectations should it ever happen. The personality work and psychology were crisp, with intelligent submissions and strikes and bombs aimed at weakening vulnerable body parts. The scouting in this was cream of the crop too, showing they had studied one another and had the focus to pick up on certain tendencies throughout the contest. This victory for Nakamura no doubt puts him in line for an NXT Title shot, and I just wonder where that leaves Aries. **** NXT Women’s Title Match Asuka vs. Nia Jax Good showcase for Jax’s strength, forcing Asuka to have to improvise and capitalize on any brief opportunities for strikes and submissions. It was refreshing to see Asuka’s ability get marginalized at times due to the size difference, but once she got the seated Fujiwara arm bar locked on, leaving the challenger prone to numerous strikes, that was it. Jax just doesn’t have the stamina of other heavyweight peers such as Samoa Joe to keep up with quicker opponents. *** William Regal’s backstage interview earlier in the day is interrupted when Bobby Roode walks into Regal’s office. NXT Title – Cage Match Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor Good cage match but ultimately disappointing to close out this feud. At no point did this ever have the hatred and intensity of an epic finale. Instead, this came across as Balor’s greatest hits, with him going for the same strikes and bombs as always. While effective for him, I’d have appreciated Joe having such predictable offense scouted; that he failed to do so is really glaring considering this took place less than an hour after Nakamura vs. Aries. The finish is a nice touch, with Joe finishing Balor off the same way he did to Homicide 13 years earlier at Do or Die – he hit a Super Musclebuster. The post-match selling of both is good stuff too, showing that the bombs they laid on each other were quite devastating. This isn’t a heavy compliment, but at least this had more energy than Joe’s cage match against Bryan Danielson, although not on par as the one against Kurt Angle. ***1/2 While the main event is disappointing, it’s still good and there are 2 other matches worth seeing, including an underrated dream match classic that I believe will be more beloved with fresh eyes in the future. This is definitely worth a viewing.

RECOMMENDATION: READ THIS VIA MOBILE APP OR MOBILE SITE DUE TO NUMEROUS LINKED YOUTUBE VIDEOS. ROAD TO NXT TAKEOVER: THE END Raw – May 23, 2016: The Good Shit Live from Baltimore, MD In his return promo, Seth Rollins makes it very clear that his knee injury did nothing to humble him or even soften his heart, bitter about his criticisms in 2015. This isn’t the most ideal obviously, because John Cena returning next week only makes for one legitimate tippy-top babyface. I’m willing to be patient though, as idiotic as this move is to keep Rollins heel. Maybe once Triple H inevitably betrays him, Rollins will see the error of his ways to begin his journey at redemption. Shane McMahon confirms that the Money in the Bank 2016 main event will be Rollins challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Title. That should be good at worst, but Reigns being babyface and Rollins being heel could kill that match dead since it’s not the dynamic the crowd wants at all. Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens – ***1/2 Shocking clean win for Owens here, and now that Styles has lost the program against Roman Reigns, isn’t in the Money in the Bank ladder match, and no longer has Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson on his side, one has to wonder what his next direction would be. There’s no way he’s going back to the midcard that he started at 4 months ago, no way after helping Reigns shine so significantly. About fucking time in regards to SmackDown; as for the draft, not too surprised considering how stacked the roster is getting with the returning stars and NXT graduations on the horizon. This confirms my suspicious that Emma was being groomed for a top women’s spot and that AJ Styles will continue to be in a top position. Now I wonder who’s gonna actually take advantage of the extra screen time every week. Most importantly, because this is ultimately a year-long journey to WrestleMania 33 weekend: the first ever Showcase of the Immortals of the original draft era was a rousing aesthetic success at Safeco Field. But back then, there was no third brand; the product didn’t blatantly rely on part-timers as heavily as today. Look back at that WrestleMania XIX card – including the pre-show, a total of 10 matches, with 6 of them as straight singles. How the fuck is this current WWE roster, the most stacked since the War ended, going to get everyone of substance on the Granddaddy of ‘Em All come April 2 at Camping World Stadium? NXT – May 25, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Orlando, FL TM61’s WWE Debut Match DIY vs. TM61 – ***1/4 A nice video package highlighting Samoa Joe’s perspective airs to hype up his feud-ending cage match against Finn Balor at the next Takeover. OH FUCK YES~! One of the biggest dream matches since both signed, one that ROH and RPW just couldn’t get around to ever booking. A nice video package highlighting Finn Balor’s perspective airs to hype up his feud-ending cage match against Samoa Joe at the next Takeover. SmackDown – May 26, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Norfolk, VA Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier Zack Ryder vs. Alberto Del Rio – *** US Title Match Rusev vs. Kalisto – *** AJ Styles isn’t sure what’ll be next for him, but that his WWE tenure has been an uphill battle so far. “I’ll guess have to think of something.” IC Title Match The Miz vs. Cesaro – ***1/4 Raw – May 30, 2016: The Good Shit Live from Green Bay, WI John Cena’s return turns out to be a challenger for the second-best Raw segment of the 2016 calendar year; for MY calendar, it may be very well be the absolute best. That’s to be determined as this year-long journey continues. Cena somehow weaves in a respectful promo about the military and Memorial Day into the freedom he has to be a WWE superstar still. He says that the new blood which has arrived in his absence will still have to answer to him, as his days are far from over. AJ Styles then arrives; I’m honestly disappointed by the cold reaction this got both from the crowd and the commentary team. This should’ve been treated by the crowd as a diet version of the Rock interrupting Hulk Hogan in February 2002. Like many puro classics though, the drama slowly built as Cena and Styles were in the same ring for the first time ever, with the crowd organically breaking into lengthy dueling chants for both legends. Styles puts Cena over for his work ethic and they have a handshake. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson arrive to shit on them for being ass-kissers and it looks like Cena and Styles will team up against the former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champs, only for Styles to turn heel and blindside Cena!!! The 3 former Bullet Club members prove their interaction last week was all a ruse as they gang up on Cena. Styles attacks Cena 3 more times, wanting to truly stand out to the biggest wrestling star of the 21st Century to date. The trash-talk from the Club comes across as incredibly visceral, with Styles yelling out that he’s now done the world a favor. OH FUCK YES~! OH FUCK YES~! OH FUCK YES~! This dream program finally occurring is a little earlier than I expected, but damn, we’ve got some hot shit to carry the summer here to go along with the upcoming brand split. It’s gonna be an epic night in Vegas at Money in the Bank 2016. IC Champion The Miz announces through Facebook that he’ll be gone temporarily to film The Marine 5: Battleground. Fantastically smug promo and Maryse’s introduction only made it even smugger. Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, and Alberto Del Rio have an amusing backstage segment before tonight’s trios main event. Owens is surprised when Jericho says he’s doesn’t like him, for once the former NXT Champion actually not having a problem with someone else on the roster. Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, & Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, & Alberto Del Rio – ***1/2 Main Event – May 31, 2016 Taped from Rockford, IL Summer Rae vs. Sasha Banks – *** NXT – June 1, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Orlando, FL The Revival cut their usual fantastic smug promo about being top guys and vowing to dethrone American Alpha next week, only to get interrupted by DIY. This engaging exchange leads to a tag match tonight. I foresee the Revival having huge potential on the main roster since they can actually talk and carry themselves with genuine swagger. Corey Graves has a sit down interview with Finn Balor and NXT Champion Samoa Joe. As Balor talks about their untelevised title change match, Joe is tremendous showing complete boredom. Joe responds by saying the title victory was deserving, and continues blaming Balor for making the journey difficult. Joe’s still pissed that they teamed up last year only for Balor to not pull strings to make their match happen. Joe implies he got Balor an opportunity in Japan. Joe’s attitude is somewhat understandable; after all, looks how Kevin Owens quickly came in and got to the top. Speaking of Owens, Balor brings up that he came out on top in their ladder match despite the experience disadvantage when asked about his lack of history in cage matches compared to Joe. Balor says the NXT Title is the most important goal of his career, not his main roster aspirations, even with Graves saying he may headline WrestleMania one day. Joe admits to stabling Balor in the back since Balor ran away from him last year, and says he’ll be happy to stab Balor in the heart. Damn, this was tremendous. DIY vs. The Revival After some competitive stuff at the beginning, the Revival get predictably dirty when Scott Dawson tosses Tomasso Ciampa to the outside, trolls Johnny Gargano, and Wilder attacks Ciampa behind the ref’s back. Back from commercial break, Dawson is working on CIampa’s left leg; this allowed a hot tag to build, which was fine once it happened but nothing extraordinary. Gargano is a good house of fire like usual, but he and/or Dawson expose the business a tiny bit when Gargano ducks his head too early for a DDT. Dawson eventually suplexes Gargano, who pulls off the upset by beating Dawson with a cradle pin. The Revival are none too pleased by this upset, standing tall at the end after a post-match beat down on Ciampa. NXT Tag Champs American Alpha arrive to put this to an end, leaving with the last laugh. *** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1iTTQtQH5E SmackDown – June 2, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Rockford, IL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBFaNAq7-Y0 I loved Kofi Kingston in this segment involving his crew and the Club, as it exemplified the confidence that every wrestler should have when getting mindlessly buried. It also made championships seem important. What an insane concept. Kevin Owens is awesomely narcissistic when he and Alberto Del Rio interrupt Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn’s backstage interview. Dean Ambrose & Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens & Alberto Del Rio – ***1/4 Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles – *** Raw – June 6, 2016: The Good Shit Live from Oklahoma City, OK I enjoy the dialogue exchange in the opening segment to hype up the Money in the Bank ladder match between Dean Ambrose, Chris Jericho, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Alberto Del Rio. As expected, Jericho and Owens were the kings of this segment, with Jericho bragging about creating the concept and then getting grilled by Zayn since he never won one despite being its creator. Teddy Long also returns and seems written to come across as incompetent, as Stephanie McMahon comes out to announce singles matches for tonight. Instead of having these men cutting promos while standing on ladders, I’d have preffered the segment to be another edition of The Highlight Reel or Ambrose Asylum. Since Miz is out, that means no MizTV, but my ultimate preference would’ve been The Cutting Edge, as Edge is the first ever Mr. MITB, a ladder match legend, and would really get the pot stirring among all 6 combatants. Chris Jericho vs. Cesaro – ***1/2 Those who bitch about Jericho, who else with his resume has put Cesaro over clean in the past year? For the first time on TV, it’s the announcement made online the week before: John Cena vs. AJ Styles at Money in the Bank 2016. Better late than never for this top dream match. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx2tPGIyhR4 Great piece that begs this question – WWE is determined for Seth Rollins to be the heel here. So what’s the battle plan? Showing significant footage from his emotional documentary, of course. John Cena is complimentary of his first ever interaction with AJ Styles, saying the magical crowd reaction they pulled last week was similar to when he went face-to-face with the Rock 5 years earlier. Of course, he still wonders why Styles turned heel and now relies on Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson again. When the Club comes up, the dialogue between Cena and Styles is engrossing, albeit not completely rational since they’ve got bad blood. Cena is wrong that Styles has been a bust and that he was “gifted” a shot at the WWE Title; Styles legitimately earned it by getting the last laugh on Jericho. Styles is wrong that Cena buries underground stars – all of the contemporaries that Styles traveled the road with and have competed against Cena, even the major dickhead heels, would all say that they became bigger stars after facing the face of WWE, including CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, Neville, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens. Cena is correct for pointing out that Styles is unoriginal in his criticism about Cena’s lack of technical and acrobatic skills, while Styles is correct that he isn’t in WWE out of desperation and that he could sell out any venue if he returned to Japan. The New Day come help out Cena when the Club are about to mug him. I don’t mind Cena being a dick with irrational trash-talk, as it sells that Styles is getting under his skin and he’s trying to gain the psychological leverage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3do6-_L9nwQ Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens – ***1/4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms9qWcTPqtg

Battle of the Icons – January 27, 2007 Taped from Edison, NJ I’m once again disappointed that there was no mention or 10 bell salute for Bam Bam Bigelow, who passed away the week before this event. The failure to acknowledge his death is even more egregious than last night, for this is his home state of New Jersey. For a company that prides itself on work ethic and match quality, regardless of size, this is a black eye in its history books. While Bigelow isn’t the only athletic big man that came before ROH, who’s to say that there would’ve been a Samoa Joe without him? Who’s to say that there would’ve been a Takeshi Morishima excursion on the horizon had the Beast in the East not helped pave the way? When factoring in that Gabe Sapolsky was under Paul Heyman’s wing in ECW, it’s even more puzzling that Bigelow’s death was ignored on this weekend. Bigelow was a part of some historic moments in ECW’s history, including the beginning of Rob Van Dam’s epic run with the TV Title. It’s inexcusable not to have paid tribute to one of the greatest big men in the industry’s history, and even more so when reflecting on the bits I’ve mentioned; never mind the fact that he was no jabroni as he was actually trusted enough to carry Lawrence Taylor in the main event of WrestleMania XI. While there were major politics behind that of course, it’s still quite the assignment to have been given and speaks volumes on Bigelow’s ability to be a foil to one of the greatest linebackers of all-time. The DVD begins with Samoa Joe telling Homicide that “I’m on borrowed time.” It really is time for Joe’s ROH tenure to start winding down; it’s not his fault if Gabe Sapolsky doesn’t have a proper replacement for the roster, whether it’s Takeshi Morishima, Nigel McGuinness, or anyone else comparable. I Quit Match Jimmy Rave vs. Nigel McGuinness One of the best openers in ROH history. McGuinness targeted Rave’s left shoulder, including body-slamming him on the floor in hammerlock position, and then driving it down with a wristlock takedown on a chair. The former Pure Champion was relentless working on Rave, pissed about the former Crown Jewel’s disrespect in recent months. Rave would get a receipt by targeting the left leg of McGuinness, driving it into a barricade and using a chair for good measure, including a shin breaker on one inside the ring. Rave also had the spin around lariat scouted on the outside, preventing a McGuinness comeback. But after awhile in the ring, McGuinness managed to make it happen when Rave actually vomited as he had him in a Crippler Crossface. This allowed McGuinness to continue working on Rave, including multiple crotched lariats. But Rave would dig down deep and have a rebound lariat scouted, locking on the heel hook. McGuinness would not give in as he climbed the ropes, instead telling Rave to go fuck himself. In a judgment decision, referee Todd Sinclair ended the match. That’s a clever way to protect McGuinness but the Rave push still feels very overdone without Prince Nana. Rating: ***3/4 Last Man Standing Match Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer Brutal match here with Whitmer immediately smacking Jacobs with a chair during the latter’s entrance. This saw bloodshed aplenty and Jacobs using his work at obvious times with all kinds of terrific brawling too. Whitmer was merciless to Jacobs in this one, with the highlight being a brainbuster on a chair. There were other highlights too of course, including Jacobs hitting a suicide dive to the outside and crashing through a table. Later on, Whitmer had the spear-like move scouted in the ring, evading it and having Jacobs hit a chair head-first. Oh yes, there were unprotected chair shots aplenty, a sign of the times a decade ago while Chris Benoit was still alive. Whitmer got too consumed with his vengeful thirst, telling Sinclair not to count Jacobs down. This allowed Brent Albright to arrive and give Whitmer an exploder through a table and then keep Jacobs up for the victory. I love that there hasn’t been a definitive finish yet between Jacobs and Whitmer; preserve that shit for WrestleMania 23 weekend coming just 2 months away in Detroit. Rating: ***3/4 In their match against the Briscoes, the Havana Pitbulls have miscommunications issues, so Rocky Romero spits on Ricky Reyes and then deserts him as well as Julius Smokes. Romero claims he can win on his own and doesn’t need the Rottweilers anymore. In retrospect, I’m actually fine with Romero getting an ROH Title match against Homicide; he’s a completely fresh opponent after being gone throughout all of 2006, and now there’s a storyline reason for it. Homicide vs. Romero isn’t a main event, but it can be a good compliment underneath. Apparent Dragon Gate Rules Match Shingo, Delirious, & Davey Richards vs. Jack Evans, Austin Aries, & Roderick Strong The former Generation Next mocks Delirious during his pre-match meditation, only for Evans to apologize to him at the beginning. I love that GeNext is wearing the same color combo to display their unity. I’m disappointed there’s no mention whatsoever of Richards vs. Aries just 2 months ago in this very venue at Dethroned. That’s a missed opportunity to push that despite Richards generally being on the losing end after sweeping Jimmy Rave in their program, he has hope against the former ROH Champion. I do appreciate that since his direction is that he’s in a general downswing, Richards plays the FIP early. It also makes sense for GeNext to be in control due to their superior experience teaming up. I’m surprised that the makeshift team would then cut the ring in half on Aries instead of Evans. Of course, seeing Shingo and Aries go it for the last time in an ROH ring makes me sad that neither Super Dragon or Gabe Sapolsky never pulled the trigger on their singles dream match. There are tag legality changes when Richards exits the ring and Shingo comes in; nobody mentioned that this was under Dragon Gate Rules, but since it’s a trios match and all of the participants have experience with those rules, I’ll just consider it a lapse in error for it not being specified. The first real highlight would be Evans going for a Sasuke Special, only for Shingo to block the concluding Hurricanrana, and instead slamming Evans into a barricade. I’m sure Samoa Joe was proud of that one in the back. After outside brawling between all six men, this turned into Evans playing the natural FIP while the makeshift trio would taunt Aries & Strong. There was a funny spot when Shingo & Delirious posed together, then disapproved of Richards joining in. The cockiness of Richards was noticeable, enough to irritate Aries. This could signify a transition in his attitude from starting so humbly in the company several months earlier. Evans was brilliant with his springboard double elbow, but the crowd didn’t care about the hot tag to Strong, who came in as his usual house of fire. The match became a bit more chaotic here, but nothing overwhelming. Another highlight came when Richards gave Evans a Super Release German Suplex, causing Evans to land on Aries. Aries seems to have a leg injury after eating a Shadows Over Hell, yelling “Oh fuck!” and struggling to move around. Delirious and Richards have stereo dives moments later on Aries & Strong, with Richards taking an ugly bump on his Tope Con Hilo. Aries noticeably is still limping. Another incredible highlight happens when Evans & Strong do the Ode to the Bulldogs moonsault, but Evans does it to the outside. This allows the hobbled Aries to double-team Shingo with Strong and finish it off for the victory. Good match but nothing super special perhaps due to the injury of Aries, as this never hit the fever pitch of prior trios matches in the past year. That may be a good thing though after the borderline clusterfuck at Final Battle 2006. Rating: ***1/4 Colt Cabana says that the Fifth Year Festival will be a celebration of his fist in the face of Jimmy Jacobs. Looking forward to their obvious climax in Chicago. Nigel McGuinness says he’ll finish the job against Jimmy Rave during the Fifth Year Festival, and also claims Joe will fail against the incoming Morishima. The DVD closes with Samoa Joe, alongside ROH Champion Homicde, cutting a promo. He says he doesn’t have Japan or NOAH, but wants to prove himself because he left that country defeated in the past. He once again says he’s on limited time, so it’s imperative he get the job done against Morishima and McGuinness. Homicide then says bring on any challengers; he’s ready for Jimmy Rave in NYC, then says he’ll take on NOAH and Dragon Gate talents too. This particular weekend of events, outside of everything involving Jacobs, largely felt like guys just taking bookings instead of being part of anything special. That even includes the really good stuff all involving McGuinness. I was not in love with how 2007 kicked off, but perhaps that could all change very soon, as the Fifth Year Festival is next, complete with the beginning of Morishima’s excursion. I still have major reservations, but that plus Joe’s time coming up soon should bring some of the magic back that was missing as ROH kicked off its 2007. Up next – Fifth Year Festival: NYC Matches will include: Shingo vs. Xavier vs. Jack Evans vs. Jimmy Jacobs Brent Albright vs. BJ Whitmer Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong Briscoe Bros. vs. Colt Cabana & Nigel McGuinness Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima Homicide vs. Jimmy Rave

Dedicated – January 26, 2007 Taped from Boston, MA ROH Video Wire – December 28, 2006 ROH Video Wire – January 19, 2007 Important news/footage in the above video: Jimmy Jacobs has debuted his latest music video, titled “kiss2kill.” He has clearly lost his mind over Lacey, forcing himself to drink cranberry juice mixed with alcohol, which causes him to vomit, and also pours blood all over his face in another scene. The best part is him holding a spike; this is very clearly equivalent in significance to Homicide’s favorite weapon of choice, that being a fork. The first ROH live event of 2007 has yet to occur, and we’ve already got an early MVP candidate, folks. The live event immediately explains this show’s name as it begins with a 10-bell salute to Doug Gentry, who passed away earlier in the day. He was an important figure in ROH’s first 2 years, creating the company’s preview video shortly before its birth, serving as a cameraman, and providing commentary under the stage name of Ray Morrow. Gentry deserves just as much credit as Jim Cornette would get later on. Per PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, ROH was bleeding money after its first anniversary, so like Cornette would do to help facilitate the company’s purchase by SBG in 2011, Gentry reached out to Cary Silkin to invest in ROH. Had this not happened, ROH would’ve gone out of business after Night of Champions. A year later when original owner Rob Feinstein’s ephebophilia scandal was caught on camera, Gentry would be in the vehicle as Feinstein bailed from the scene. Silkin phased out RF Video, and Gentry chose to remain loyal to Feinsterin, for better or for worse. Before ROH was even born though, Gentry was a staple in the Northeast scene, and seemed to be an equal to what George Carroll, Jr. is today, as he helped international stars such as Tajiri, Super Crazy, and Masato Tanaka get bookings in ECW. There’s no certainly that any of those 3 would’ve developed such a cult following in America, let alone any of them ever reaching any level of success in WWE, had Gentry not gone to bat for them. While certainly not polished in the least, I’ve grown to appreciate Gentry’s efforts in the commentary booth throughout 2003 for ROH. Beyond the nostalgic value from watching so many hungry talents steal the show such as Homicide, CM Punk, Paul London, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson, and Christopher Daniels, his enthusiasm was contagious and a key reason why I fell in love with the company when I first discovered it. It certainly helped that he was a tremendous improvement over Donnie B. in 2002, who was absolutely wretched. The wrestling industry is a better business because of Doug Gentry’s contributions. May God rest his soul; he’ll never be forgotten as ROH’s early days grow in cherished value with each passing year. I’m really disappointed that there was no mention of Bam Bam Bigelow during the 10 bell salute, as he passed away the week before this event. The actual show begins at ringside with Bobby Cruise announcing Becky Bayless has returned as the company’s latest interviewer, and her first assignment is to interview the new ROH Champion Homicide. This is an awful segment saved only by Larry Sweeney coming out to put his client Chris Hero over; Hero shows up to give the champion a big boot and then helps Sweeney leave Julius Smokes laying. Sweeney totally saved this otherwise hideous portion of the segment, as Bayless was a total deer in the headlights. This Homicide vs. Hero match would’ve once again meant so much more had Hero actually gotten a victory over Homicide in late 2006 as I’ve mentioned before. Rocky Romero makes his return after being gone from ROH throughout its entire 2006, so Hero & Sweeney decide to immediately leave. He asks his fellow Rottweilers why there’s been a lack of communication for such a long time, apparently having lost touch throughout 2006. Homicide & Smokes are none too pleased as they leave, and Romero wants his return match against Davey Richards now. Davey Richards vs. Rocky Romero Good opening match for 2007. I’d liked to have seen Romero sell his back and abdomen a bit more as Richards did quite a bit of work on it, but not too devastating to make the no-selling extremely frustrating. Richards trying to be alpha showed that he was trying to really stand on his own and not get lost in the shuffle, but his overzealous nature would backfire. They had some good segments outside the ring, the most crucial being when Romero ducked a kick, causing the left lower leg of Richards to strike a ring post. That left Richards vulnerable to Romero’s ankle lock, which he’d fallen victim to before in PWG just the month before this actually. Richards gave a valiant effort, including a well-timed Enziguri to pop the Beantown audience and surprise Romero. But the ankle lock submissions were just too much, and once Richards failed to roll out, he had no choice but to submit. Rating: ***1/4 One of the worst staples of ROH’s 2007 immediately comes in the next segment, as the viewer is treated to the company’s first side view promo from Jimmy Rave. This was a horrendous production idea at the time a decade ago, and doesn’t age well whatsoever. Eddie Edwards gets a good pop from his hometown crowd in a defeat to the returning Jack Evans. This guy may really have some potential. The Briscoes haven’t lost their sights on winning the Tag Titles in 2007, and make the declaration they’ll sweep Austin Aries & Roderick Strong in their 2/3 falls match tonight. That’s definitely a bold one. At Lacey’s request, Jimmy Jacobs gives Daizee Haze a senton through a table, allowing Lacey to get the pinfall in their hardcore trios match with Brent Albright against Haze, BJ Whitmer, & Colt Cabana. This can’t possibly end well for Jacobs. Samoa Joe vs. Nigel McGuinness Revealed on commentary early in the match is the following: Takeshi Morishima will be making his debut matches for ROH at The Fifth Year Festival stretch of shows. OH FUCK YES~! Easily the match of the night, with this being structured as another breakthrough for McGuinness and obviously grooming him to be ROH Champion at some point. This would’ve just been better with McGuinness going over clean to groom him for dethroning Homicide, rather than have Joe go over the night before a cold title match against the Notorious 187. Long-term booking issues aside, this was good stuff from start to finish, although not completely blow away and that’s a minor disappointment. This was a slugfest with McGuinness eventually targeting Joe’s shoulders, but nothing he did could be enough to marginalize many of Joe’s trademark signature finishers such as the musclebuster or even a scoop slam for a comeback. Joe dominated early after they exchanged non-clean breaks on the ropes, just tearing McGuinness up on the outside with numerous Ole Ole Kicks. Joe taking his foot off the gas momentarily would be all the London native needed, hitting a spin-around lariat on the outside to gain control and work on the former ROH Champion’s shoulders back inside the ring. After good back-and-forth stuff with both exchanging hope spots, comeback attempts, and control segments, all of them engaging unlike numerous other matches from this time period in FIP and PWG, they got to the finishing stretch. Rather than a rope break, McGuinness actually kicked out clean in the middle of the ring to the musclebuster! Boston went fucking insane for that; without looking back to see, I don’t even recall Kenta Kobashi being put over that strongly against Joe! McGuinness then even kicked out of a follow-up lariat for good measure to put him over even more strongly. If that wasn’t enough, he passed out in the Coquina Clutch, never once giving in. A spectacular protection of McGuinness in defeat while also showing that maybe Joe’s time in the company should start winding down; this could be a potential sign that Joe’s time as a cornerstone might be fading as never before had his signature offense looked so breakable. In the post-match, Rave appeared and gave Joe a heel hock, then got shoved out by McGuinness. This Rave push was just relentless as has been mentioned; the babyfaces meanwhile exchange respect and leave to a standing ovation. Had this been booked with the correct long-term vision and the closing match of the evening, this probably gets put over the top into greatness territory. Rating: ***3/4 Becky Bayless goes backstage at intermission and sees that Daizee Haze has a fucking hematoma on her forehead. So ludicrous on any level of this business, let alone the underground. Colt Cabana cuts a passionate promo, pissed about the misogynistic actions of Jacobs. In an ROH product that almost feels as its booking gets more flawed with each passing event, this has been the arc of hope that there’s still some magic left in Gabe Sapolsky. Jack Evans claims 2007 will be his year and he wants some championship gold. 2/3 Falls Match Briscoe Bros. vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong Revealed in the commentary is that tomorrow night will be Battle of the Icons with the Briscoes taking on the Havana Pitbulls while Evans, Aries, & Strong will reunite against Delirious, Shingo, & Richards. The latter should be stellar as long as it’s not just a pile of moves. This match saw a significant chunk dominated by Aries & Strong, cutting the ring in half at first on Mark and then on Jay. Neither hot tag got a huge pop which was disappointing; I think an audible for Aries & Strong to play default heels may have been wise, as this match lacked the atmosphere from Ring of Homicide and Unified. I appreciated that this match strictly stuck to its tag legalities, including the participants remembering who was legal and it costing falls at times. This really came down to the Briscoes managing to divide and conquer Aries & Strong to hold true to their 2-0 sweep declaration. They were relentless when the opportunity was available to go for a spike double underhook piledriver. Aries & Strong were very aware of this, doing their damnedest to avoid it, but once it happened on Aries while Strong was taken out of the equation, it was all over. I appreciated Mark as the legal man putting his arm down when Jay went for the pin on Aries to ensure the pin was legal, and the crowd was in a stunned silence that this didn’t reach a third fall. This would seem to indicate Aries & Strong will undergo a major direction change soon, perhaps a split. Rating: ***1/4 Decent but skippable event, as Joe vs. McGuinness and Briscoes vs. Aries & Strong are both on compilations. Richards vs. Romero is good but not must-see at all. Up next – Battle of the Icons Matches will include: Jimmy Rave vs. Nigel McGuinness Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer Shingo, Delirious, & Davey Richards vs. Jack Evans, Austin Aries, & Roderick Strong

Goldberg or Lesnar leaving Orlando as Universal champ? Interesting but neither is currently advertised for the aftermath Raw.

Observer:

Joe Lanza has done an excellent job of conveying how protected Naito was last year.

His greatest rival is a pile of ashes.

Is Vader being held until next year? I guess it makes sense since his biggest match in the Foley feud, that being at Halloween Havoc 1993, was in NOLA. It's obvious that Foley would be the best speaker, even more than Sting.

Meltzer gave these Taker clues: Not Cena Not Strowman Not a title match Raw opponent Based on deduction, it's Balor or Reigns. I'd bet on the latter to give Reigns a third straight part-timer at WM. That's also why I predict Goldberg vs. Reigns at WM34.

Deduced so far: Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar Big Show vs. Shaquille O'Neal Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens Charlotte vs. Bayley vs. Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton (vs. Luke Harper) Seth Rollins vs. Triple H Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns Speculated: John Cena vs. Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz My preference outside the deduced: The Miz vs. Shinsuke Nakamura John Cena vs. Samoa Joe Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

Observer:

Final Resolution 2007 – January 14, 2007 Live from Orlando, FL NWA-TNA Title Shot – 30 Minute Iron Man Match Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe This never reached a fever pitch; there were dueling chants at times, but the lack of fantastic heat proved that this rubber match definitely got the incorrect hot-shot treatment instead of being meticulously built to for a stage such as Lockdown or Bound For Glory. The story itself in the match was fine, although neither man had much of an engaging control segment or comeback. I’ve no problem with this match having a total of 5 falls, as Don West and Mike Tenay clarified on commentary that this type of match necessitates such a strategy; why risk a broken ankle for the next 15 minutes, when one can just eat a fall and have less damage? The ankle work was solid by Angle to soften up Joe for the ankle lock and take away his base for finishers such as the musclebuster and Island Driver, but again it never felt epic. Joe’s selling was also good but nothing spectacular. Once he was able to hit the musclebuster, it lacked the spectacle to make it meaningful; Angle reaching his foot on the ropes couldn’t come close to the Manhattan Center shaking up and down 4 months earlier when Bryan Danielson did the same thing after eating KENTA’s Go to Sleep. Joe getting Ange in the sitdown ankle lock was a nice reverse-nod to Angle’s classic against Chris Benoit at Royal Rumble 2003, and ditto towards his classic against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21 as Angle held on for dare life to avoid a tie as the clocked ticked to zero. It should come as no surprise that Angle won here, not just because TNA didn’t see the power in elevating Joe, but in storyline, Joe doesn’t have a rich Iron Man match history, while Angle did against Michaels Benoit, and Brock Lesnar. ***1/2

Based on a True Story – January 13, 2007 Taped from Los Angeles, CA Loser Leaves Town Frankie Kazarian vs. Scorpio Sky Fun opener but nothing special at all. While the action itself was good, none of it was memorable in the slightest. I like Jade Chung’s constant interference to bail out Sky, as well as her dumping her defeated man in the post-match. I didn’t feel comfortable seeing Kazarian get physical comeuppance on Chung, nor Colt Cabana then saying on commentary to “take advantage of her.” The finish was ugly when Kazarian hit the Flux Capacitor. The segment ends with the combatants having a begrudging handshake and Sky giving Dino Winwood as Sky got a farewell sendoff from the Reseda crowd. Rating: less than *** PWG Title Shot Match Chris Bosh vs. Kevin Steen Another match with solid action but nothing memorable whatsoever. At no point did the crowd emotionally get invested, not even the big moves which could’ve been used for dramatic near-falls in the closing minutes. The pre-match segment discussing “Suck My Cock” rules doesn’t hold up well at all. Rating: less than *** Ronin vs. Super Dragon Another match that disappointed a bit, but the crowd did get into Ronin cutting Super Dragon quite a bit in the last third or so of the match. The match was a bit too long, a constantly fair criticism in SD’s matches, and I question giving Ronin a rare clean win on him instead of giving the nod to someone with more upside such as PAC, Steen, or El Generico. Good match elevated by the shocking result. Rating: *** Tag Titles Match Cape Fear vs. Los Luchas Best of the evening so far and quite easily. While there were some flaws, the match got the most genuine reaction out of anything else acclaimed on this card, feeling much like a modern-day weekly NXT main event. The highlights would of course be at the finish, with all kinds of bombs being thrown and evaded. My personal favorite spot would be when Zokre dodged Generico’s Yakuza kick, so minutes later Quicksilver held him in place for it then hit a head-scissors followed by a standard Generico brainbuster to finish it. Very good and would’ve been much better with some WWE polishing under the likes of Arn Anderson and Ricky Steamboat. Rating: ***1/2 PWG Title – Hardcore Match Joey Ryan vs. Human Tornado Ryan: “I’m gonna own you like it’s 1860.” I’m sure there’d be no backlash today for that. The highlight of an abysmal title reign for Ryan, one that truly seemed to aim as challenging Triple H and Jeff Jarrett for the most ennui-inducing of the 2000s decade. For anyone who rightfully pinpointed the flaws of Seth Rollins throughout 2015, his WWE Title reign was Kenta Kobashi 2003-05 (thanks to numerous quality matches against John Cena, Dean Ambrose, and Neville) compared to Ryan’s reign of terror from Chanukah Chaos (The C’s Are Silent) to Based on a True Story. There was not one good title defense whatsoever for Ryan until the very end, and it’s not like it was anything special. It’s been said that had Rollins not shred his right knee in November 2015, his reign would’ve ended on a high note against Roman Reigns at Survivor Series 2015. That’s exactly what happened here. Now of course, this match was far from perfect, feeling very much like a poor man’s Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley. The control segments for both participants were very tedious, neither displaying the correct body language and facial expressions to put this over as a climactic epic both to their saga and this reign. Whereas when Orton was tossed on the thumbtacks at Backlash 2004, it elevated him to being a future primary champion in WWE, when it happened for Ryan to bring his reign to its conclusion here, it didn’t come within even a fraction of that importance. The barbed wire board, the thumbtack bumps, none of it felt historic whatsoever; perhaps Orton vs. Foley is an unfair standard, and the more appropriate hardcore classic to compare this to would be SD vs. Steen from Astonishing X-Mas. The same weapons in that one had far more meaning, truly settling the hatred between both gladiators. What puts this over as a good match is that it was finally the end of one of the worst, most insufferable title reigns of the 2000s decade. Once Tornado got the victory, the crowd was in jubilance; shame on whoever had the final say on this DVD release for not keeping the footage rolling as Reseda celebrated, and for not including promos from the new champion Human Tornado either at ringside, later in the evening, or in the days following. PWG failed to make this title change mean something, when it had accidentally been handed right on its lap with the crowd’s longstanding annoyance towards Ryan reaching its relieving conclusion. This coming just 3 weeks after the final match ever between Bryan Danielson and Homicide certainly doesn’t do any favors for it. Rating: ***1/4 Despite this show being disappointing, it features a historic title change and brings hope to 2007 undergoing a major refresher. While the Tag Titles match is worth seeing, it’s not really worthy of seeing on its own, and the main event is available on the first Sells Out compilation. Recommendation to avoid. Up next – Guitarmageddon II: Armoryageddon Matches will include: Chris Bosh vs. Claudio Castagnoli Human Tornado vs. Kevin Steen Cape Fear vs. Davey Richards & Roderick Strong

Improved talent selection and higher match quality expectations. Adam Pearce's vision of ROH really benefitted the PWG brand.

Extreme Rules 2016 – May 22, 2016: The Good Shit Live from Newark, NJ IC Champion the Miz modifies a reenactment of the 2004 film Miracle to gloat about why he’ll win tonight, and Maryse is hilarious having him do a second take. In the social media lounge, Rusev & Lane are fantastic diet versions of Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman. His post-League of Nations rehabilitation has been another plus these last few weeks; this kind of booking a year (after losing the feud to John Cena) would’ve made him a perfect candidate to face Undertaker at AT&T Stadium instead of having to get desperate and overpay Shane McMahon for it. Texas Tornado Rules The Usos vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson Just a straight-up brawl from start to finish. The Usos got their high-action moments to shine, but this match was all about finally elevating Gallows & Anderson. There was never a dull moment even when most were down after a series of trading finishers. I also loved the finish of an Uso falling on a ring bell and having a combo of too much pain and lack of breather to stop the former Bullet Club duo from hitting their modified raised neckbreaker finish. The NYC metro area crowd was totally behind Gallows & Anderson too, although it’s likely because of how supportive the Usos have been of Roman Reigns lately. ***1/2 US Title Match Kalisto vs. Rusev This started as a total squash in Rusev’s favor, and had the entire match been that way it would’ve worked perfectly. But after experience against Ryback and Alberto Del Rio, Kalisto knew how to manage to escape submission and hit some hope spot bombs, including a tope hurricanrana into steel steps. This was the Rusev Show overall though; once he tossed Kalisto off the top rope and onto the apron, causing the US Champ to land back-first, that was the damage needed to reaggravate the attack from 6 days earlier and cause an immediate submission in the Camel Clutch. I’m glad to see that the ship hasn’t sailed to correct Rusev’s booking, although I’m disappointed Kalisto never got over to the level of War era cruiserweights such as Dean Malenko, Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio, and Eddie Guerrero. ***1/4 IC Title – No DQ, No Count Out Match The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens Possibly the best match that Miz will ever have on his resume, and while his isn’t the most stacked, it’s still quite impressive considering some of the greatness that can be found on it. What I really love about this match and makes it stand above the majority of other four-ways is just how intelligently it was worked and timed; there wasn’t a single spot wasted or that came across as just getting their shit in. The match couldn’t have started any better with Zayn immediately surprising Owens with a Yakuza kick, and then a smug Miz eating a running uppercut from Cesaro. JBL was correct on commentary that the babyfaces should’ve have wasted any time while the heels were both out of the equation. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t crank up the urgency on each other, which I would’ve liked to have seen. That allowed the heels to get reinserted after a few minutes of selling the blows at the beginning. Everyone shined equally in this one and did so fluidly. The action in this had me bring back memories of Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles at Unbreakable 11 years earlier. But while that one had more high-risk aerial attacks in it, this was rooted more in throwing bombs. Everything in this just fired on all cylinders, the drama ascending with each passing minute. Whether it was Cesaro going to town with uppercuts or Owens doing the same with cannonballs, or the numerous counters tha dazzled and made absolute sense, this really had it all and shattered the highest expectations one could’ve had for this. Specific highlights for me would be Owens shining on Zayn and talking trash; Maryse distracting the ref so he didn’t see Miz tap out to Cesaro’s Scorpion Death Lock; and the numerous false finishes that genuinely seemed like they would’ve ended the match, including Miz’s Skull Crushing Finale on Cesaro. In addition, I loved that Cesaro’s left shoulder became a problem at the end of the match, having been thrown into a ring post by Owens early. Oh yes, who could ever forget Zayn hitting his front end modified Yoshi Tonic on Cesaro, a favorite spot of theirs for the better part of a decade in their encounters? This match most importantly elevated the IC Title and advanced the Zayn vs. Owens storyline. The finish couldn’t have been scripted any better, with Cesaro eating Zayn’s Yakuza kick, Owens yanking Zayn out of the ring to spark a brief brawl, and a dazed Miz taking advantage to seal the victory for himself. Such a fantastic cap to one of the best matches of the year, and Cesaro even sold his left shoulder when the final Yakuza kick struck him! This is easily on par with the Last Man Standing match Owens had against Dean Ambrose 4 months earlier at Royal Rumble 2016 when discussing the best IC Title match of the 2016 calendar year. For standard four-way matches in WWE history, the only one that pops to mind would be the one Zayn had 2 years earlier against Neville, Tyson Kidd, and Tyler Breeze at Takeover: Fatal 4-Way, which was one of the best WWE matches in 2014. This belongs in the conversation as one of the greatest IC Title matches of all-time, with classic such as Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith, and Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley, just to name a few. As the years pass, this will truly stand the test of time, and maybe not just the best match of Miz’s career, but arguably for the other three participants on their WWE resume as well. ****1/2 The Cruiserweight Classic premiers on July 13. Michael Cole explains that 32 cruiserweights across the globe had to qualify to be in the tournament; “the top cruiserweight in the entire world” will be crowned. OH FUCK YES~! WWE Title – Hardcore Match Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles This match certainly sealed the deal for Styles to be permanently become a top priority in the company. The NYC metro area crowd was enough to put this over the top as an important match, which speaks volumes as to how hot this arc had gotten on TV. This match could’ve easily avoided certain spots in it and still have turned out to be a great match. However, just like the IC Title classic earlier on the card, this went above and beyond; that turned out to be an all-time IC Title classic, while this surpassed it as an all-time WWE Title classic, making it the match of the night. My personal highlight in this match was midway through in the ring when Reigns went for a spear and Styles scouted it by hitting a spear of his own on the champion’s left leg. It was a brilliant counter to get the challenger back in this after taking a backdrop bump through a commentary table, one that had me wondering if I was watching 1996 Shawn Michaels in high definition. While in recent years Seth Rollins had drawn the HBK comparisons in light of Daniel Bryan’s body breaking down, Styles now took that torch and cemented the void that had been left voided for 6 years. Reigns was equally phenomenal in this match to Styles. While the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion would grab the attention with his spectacular bumps and amazing counters, Reigns once again displayed top-notch selling to sell the attacks of Styles like a million bucks. While he would still be able to use his base to bust out various bombs after getting his left leg drilled by Styles, he couldn’t really follow through on any of those bombs because of it. Case in point would be when he swung Styles around like Samoa Joe did at Turning Point 2005 (and to CM Punk as well at Joe vs. Punk II), and then threw him to take a powerbomb onto another commentary table. While Styles got the attention for his jaw-dropping bump, there was Reigns leaning onto the barricade, struggling to regain his energy. By no means will this just be a one-sided Reigns advocacy; Styles was very obviously nothing short of sensational in this contest to cement a top spot for himself on the roster. Whether it was taking unforgettable bumps to make Reigns look like such a powerful force, busting out perfectly timed counters to cut off the champion’s momentum, or pulling out the mean streak, he brought out a career highlight performance that fans of his had been privileged to consume since the War ended 15 years earlier. I loved that Styles peeled off some padding on a barricade and smashed the face of Reigns on it, then removed some from the floor to attempt a Styles Clash on the concrete. Reigns was sniffing it out and then immediately punching him was really good stuff, and with Styles down it allowed Reigns an opportunity to regain some stamina. Later on, they paid off the story told in the weeks leading up to this when Styles went for the same finish again on a chair, only for the champion to backdrop him on it. After the Usos and Gallows/Anderson interfered, Styles went for the Styles Clash again on the chair, this time successfully. In a brilliant move, an Usos yanked Styles out immediately afterwards; this was enough seconds later for Reigns to kick out as a false finish. I loved this because the alternative would’ve been just Reigns kicking out on his own, which would’ve only been more ridiculous for those who haven’t come around on him yet as Cena’s heir to the throne. The finish was sensational of course, with Styles putting everything into his springboard elbow, only for Reigns to spear him. Styles had nothing left to kick out, resulting in the champion retaining. The way Styles bumped for it made it look like it was all or nothing, giving everything he did into his elbow attack, only for it backfire to knock him unconscious. If the match itself wasn’t enough to send these people home happy, regardless of who won, here’s the return of Rollins to ensure there’s no celebration for Reigns, leaving him on the mat via a Pedigree and then holding the championship. The crowd was fucking ecstatic; while he’s very clearly not a babyface with this move, the crowd’s reaction would indicate it may be wise to have him transition into that role in the coming months. It made complete sense for obvious reasons for Rollins to target the WWE Title, but even more poetic: this was 6 months to the very date that Rollins was supposed to defind it against Reigns at Survivor Series 2015. This could very possibly end up being the greatest match in the career of Reigns. Time will tell on that one, but no matter what it’s gonna be remembered as one of his very best. As for Styles, this match elevated his stock as mentioned as he went out of his way to put Reigns over as a tremendous bad-ass. As for his resume is concerned, I’ve yet to get around to any of his acclaimed NJPW tenure (although I badly hope to make the time to do so at some point soon.) I also haven’t seen any of his IWA-MS catalog; I’ve seen more than my fair share of his best stuff though, including his entire tenure in ROH during Gabe Sapolsky’s time as booker, and the first 4.5 years of TNA’s existence. This might be the best match in the career of Styles. It wouldn’t get my vote, as that distinction goes to his singles encounter against Paul London at Night of the Grudgies. With that said, this match belongs in the conversation, along with the entire ROH trilogy against Bryan Danielson, the ROH rematch against Low Ki, the first 30 Minute Iron Man match against Christopher Daniels at Against All Odds 2005, the Unbreakable spectacular against Daniels and Samoa Joe, and the mentioned barn-burner against Joe at Turning Point 2005. That’s some elite company for Reigns vs. Styles II to be a part of, and deservedly so. In the past, this may have ended up being the WWE MOTY. The year 2016 wasn’t normal though, and besides, I don’t use a traditional calendar year: I start with WrestleMania weekend, and finish with the go-home week of the following year’s WrestleMania weekend. Bottom line either way, this doesn’t get my vote for the MOTY, not in the same year as Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. But if it wasn’t for that match, or if perhaps Reigns and Styles had just added a calf killer submission false finish to follow up on the left leg selling of Reigns, this very could’ve been. Instead, it’ll just have to settle for all the praise I’ve given it, which is that this is one of the greatest WWE Title matches of all-time. ****3/4 Strongest recommendation possible for 2 fun undercard matches of different flavors and a rare 1-2 MOTYC punch on top of it. For perspective, the only shows in WWE”s history to have a consensus 1-2 MOTYC punch have been WrestleMania X, Fully Loaded 2000, WrestleMania X-Seven, No Mercy 2002, Backlash 2004, WrestleMania 21, No Mercy 2008, Extreme Rules 2012, and SummerSlam 2013. That’s all for a company that has aired PPV events for over 3 decades. So let that sink in. I’m not quite done yet though, for this was the historic return of Seth Rollins. So time to dig into his WWE 24 documentary titled Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim. More than anything, this humanized Colby Lopez (Rollins). It showed a glimpse of just how much effort one puts in just to return to the ring, without even showing the actual rigors of being on the road full-time. This documentary also displayed the passion that this man has for the professional wrestling business; all those years he spent killing it on the indies were learning experiences as he paid his dues to reach his dream of being in WWE, the only big game left in town. The respect of his peers on display was astounding, with all of it genuine, from John Cena to Cesaro to Sami Zayn to AJ Styles to Kevin Owens to Austin Aries. If there’s one flaw in this documentary, I’d say it was to include nothing from Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns; in the latter’s case, it would also help humanize him and maybe soften the audience’s overall vitriol towards him ever since the Shield split. What’s crystal-clear is that when adding this humanizing look into Rollins to the fact that the crowd had been chanting for him days earlier and then erupted upon his return at Extreme Rules 2016, the WWE had a ready-made babyface redemption story handed on a silver platter. For those who despise fantasy booking, you can move on from here. I will give a quick outline of what I’d have in mind for Rollins in his story of redemption to go with his redesigning, rebuilding, and reclaiming. · Say he’s not 100% proud of all the decision he had made in the past 2 years, and it sucked not being part of the biggest WrestleMania of all-time, but perhaps it was his karma. With that said, “I did what I had to do, and I wouldn’t take any of it back.” · Be humbled by and appreciative of the “surprising” support he got from the fans during his 6 months away, considering how much his heart had darkened since joining the Authority · Lose clean in his WWE Title match against Reigns · Have Triple H return after Battleground 2016 and shockingly betray Rollins. HHH goes on to explain that Rollins failed him by getting hurt. “I should’ve never had to become WWE Champion again in the first place, I was counting on you to keep Roman Reigns from getting to the top of the mountain.” HHH is also displeased that Rollins failed yet again upon his return to dethrone Reigns. · Rollins vs. HHH in the dream match at SummerSlam 2016, with HHH getting an extremely dirty win to show his cerebral superiority · Rollins finally slays HHH at Hell in a Cell 2016 and then moves on · In the months that follow, Rollins is far more apologetic of his actions. The newer blood on the roster such as Zayn, Styles, and Finn Balor (assuming he’s promoted by then) are fine with him, but others on the WWE main roster in recent years not so much. · Rollins eventually is forgiven by the locker room, with Ambrose & Reigns as the last ones, but that doesn’t mean they consider him a friend or brother anymore. This forgiveness opens the door for a future Shield reunion. · Rollins wins the 2017 Royal Rumble match. The WWE Champion he must challenger in the main event of WrestleMania 33: Brock Lesnar · Lesnar: “You think I forgot about our singles match a couple years back, when Undertaker showed up and screwed me and then you took the chickenshit way out? I beat your ass that night, and it’s gonna happen again at WrestleMania. This fairytale forgiveness redemption bullshit, I don’t have time for that. Shove that shit up your ass; I’m beating the shit out of you when we get to Orlando and ending this little charade of yours. That whole locker room can forgive you for all the shit you’ve done to them; I don’t.” · Rollins clean as a sheet gives everything he has to dethrone Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 and this time cement himself as a true WWE Champion, now much more willing to take on all comers We shall see if Rollins in 2016 can come close to what I just proposed.

RECOMMENDATION: READ THIS VIA MOBILE APP OR MOBILE SITE DUE TO NUMEROUS LINKED YOUTUBE VIDEOS. ROAD TO EXTREME RULES 2016 Raw – May 2, 2016: The Good Shit Live from St. Louis, MO Kevin Owens tries politicking for an IC Title match, and both Shane and Stephanie McMahon say he’s got a great point about being contractually entitled to one. But Cesaro interrupts and is pissed about what happened last night, so now they’ll have another IC Title shot match. IC Title Shot Match Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens - *** Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson tell AJ Styles that he was phenomenal last night, but he keeps his ego in check, pointing out that Roman Reigns defeated him. But coming so close makes him even hungrier when their rematch comes at Extreme Rules 2016. Reigns shows up and gives Styles respect, but not Gallows & Anderson; he says their interference indicates they don’t believe Styles can beat him on his own. He then asks the trio if they can beat him and the Usos. Styles vows he’ll dethrone Reigns all by himself, and tonight will be a taste in a trios match. That should be a hot TV main event after a few weeks of mechanically good but rather cold ones. In what could very likely turn out to be their career highlight work, the Vaudevillains are incredibly callous cunts about Enzo Amore’s concussion. It would seem that Emma is being groomed as a clear #2 heel under Charlotte. However, around this time, perhaps something else is brewing. In recent months, there has been AJ Styles coming into the fold. Finn Balor should be getting promoted to the main roster at some point, with Samoa Joe not too far behind. John Cena, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, and Randy Orton will be returning over the next few months as well based on their recovery timetables. Cesaro and Sami Zayn have already returned, and we now know for sure that WWE is interested in Bobby Roode. When putting all these pieces together, I remember at this time saying that this would be the most loaded roster since 2002, which was so congested with star power that it had to required a brand split. Could that be on the horizon, and thus Emma is being groomed as a top heel female for one of the hypothetical brands? NXT – May 4, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Orlando, FL I’ve always viewed Eric Young as TNA’s Zack Ryder, a goofy undercard guy that has no place in the top, but can peak in the right mid-card scheme. If he can provide ***+ TV matches like Ryder, then whatever, even if I prefer more notorious workhorses from the underground and international scenes. Not the most buzzworthy presentation of a debut for a brand that prides itself on them, but understandable since Young isn’t under contract, so why make him a huge deal? After taking care of Tye Dillinger, Austin Aries is complimentary of him in a backstage interview, but can tell he’s fallen under the radar by making reference to Shinsuke Nakamura when mentioning all the buzz for the greatest signing in NXT history. Aries isn’t bitter as that has been his MO in prior companies, but believes he’ll have to take more initiative to break through in WWE. Taking initiative as part of Generation Next paid dividends for him a dozen years earlier in ROH, so he’s got the correct idea. Eric Young’s WWE Debut Match Samoa Joe vs. Eric Young - ***1/4 Raw – May 9, 2016: The Good Shit Live from Omaha, NE AJ Styles says “The Club” of himself, Luke Gallows, & Karl Anderson is back together tonight, ending his backstage interview with the trio doing the nWo’s “too sweet” gesture. Shane & Stephanie McMahon reveal to IC Champion The Miz, Cesaro, and Kevin Owens that they’ll have a three-way at Extreme Rules 2016. Miz complains as expected, and then Sami Zayn shows up just to ask for an opportunity to be inserted, which will be in a singles match against Miz tonight. The heels are obviously displeased while Cesaro isn’t bothered by it. Sami Zayn’s IC Title Shot Opportunity The Miz vs. Sami Zayn - ***1/2 Zack Ryder asks Shane McMahon for a chance to be in the IC Title match at Extreme Rules 2016, and gets interrupted by Kevin Owens who predictably tries to pitch that Ryder doesn’t deserve it. Shane books them in a singles match and should Ryder win, Owens is replaced by him in the IC Title match. Owens was just awesome here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAdsrHd4by4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHxU09eJBTQ Survivor Series Style Elimination Match The Bloodline vs. Luke Gallows, AJ Styles, & Karl Anderson - ***1/4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL6PjEBa-b8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSjRpdG7E50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81JykupNTJ0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgNt38g1_lU NXT – May 11, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Orlando, FL Bayley’s backstage interview is interrupted by Nia Jax, and the latter dismisses the result of their match 5 months ago in London. Bayley vows the same thing would happen again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khWU9V1ePYI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9np2Pgc9hc SmackDown – May 12, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Des Moines, IA The Miz & Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro & Sami Zayn - ***1/4 NXT Seattle Shockwave – May 12, 2016 Live from Seattle, WA NXT Tag Titles Match American Alpha vs. The Revival - ****+ NXT Title Match Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor - ***1/2 NXT Live – May 14, 2016 Live from Portland, OR NXT Tag Titles Match American Alpha vs. The Revival - ***1/2+ NXT Title Match Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor - ***+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mtytUuE5Q Raw – May 16, 2016: The Good Shit Live from Greensboro, NC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwRVZPs_i_g The tag match pitting IC Champion The Miz & Cesaro against Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens is good storytelling to build for the upcoming four-way match; it also serves as a reminder of what looks unlikely to ever come, in which when faced against a reunited Zayn & Owens, I’d much rather see Cesaro paired with someone a bit less… Miz-erable if you will, instead being partnered against the iconic underground tandem with someone a bit more familiar, a fellow King among men,, someone more… Heroic. The Usos vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson - ***3/4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eYcztZvnBQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3vPoGH9X00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_w_CRBnmdM https://twitter.com/EmmaWWE/status/732390707336380416 AWFUL timing with her and Dana Brooke obviously getting groomed for something, especially if there will be a major move done, which I see as a possibility, with the star power congestion that’s on horizon with so many returning from injury themselves very soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqithQryFyE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy72vkOetoc NXT – May 18, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Orlando, FL American Alpha vs. The Revival for the NXT Tag Titles is confirmed for the next Takeover on June 8. They’re having excellent matches all over the nation, so zero complaints whatsoever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Np8Zu1DLek SmackDown – May 19, 2016: The Good Shit Taped from Greenville, SC Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens - *** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpOXgpCoSF0 Rusev has another fun heel promo, proclaiming to be the greatest US Champion ever and that he’ll finish off “that Mexican churro” Kalisto at Extreme Rules 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH1FQ5AN9y4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hjggNapoEQ https://twitter.com/wwe/status/734489408406179840 I would be pissed off too if I was Cody Runnels. After he and his brother Goldust dethroned the Shield, the company did nothing substantial to follow up on their momentum. It resulted in their stock dropping, as well as the Tag Titles becoming meaningless once again, especially repeat non-title matches they’d have against Real Americans rather than making it an actual program with a clear, beginning, middle, and climactic conclusion. Even after he became Stardust and reclaimed the belts with Goldust, it ultimately led to nothing substantial; nobody was begging to see the Rhodes brothers split and feud. There could be reasons beyond WWE’s control for this, but imagine how frustrating it was to have the program with Stephen Amell that fired on all cylinders, tease a singles match in early 2016 at a comic convention in the very city that was hosting WrestleMania 32, and then the match never taking place… even though Amell was in attendance at that very event. He made the right choice by branching out to elevate his stock and leverage. As for the Extreme Rules 2016 build, the WWE Title program between Reigns and Styles is easily the hottest, most engrossing in 2 years; even though there had been occasional good directions around that title since such as John Cena against Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins, none of them could come close to Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania XXX. Reigns vs. Styles isn’t quite as magical as that one; it’s still the best one since then. The Miz looks to quietly already having a resurgence in 2016 as IC Champion and his wife Maryse returning as his valet; it started even before his IC Title reign just in his TV singles matches against Styles, showing he could hang with elite performers still. He’s not quite ready to be a major priority character, but he could be on his way. Feuding with the likes of Cesaro, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens has done nothing but help his stock. And of course, the Zayn vs. Owens programs keeps brewing without blowing through too many singles matches. Most importantly, the IC Title feels relevant again for the first time in 7 years, back when Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio were feuding over it. Meanwhile on NXT, it has yet to recapture the magic of a year ago when Zayn, Owens, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks were tearing it up. With that said, the Takeover line-up looks promising so far with Samoa Joe and Finn Balor finally wrapping up their feud in a historic cage match and a rematch between American Alpha and the Revival. For the month of May, I’ll give the edge to 2016 over 2015. Main roster improvement is more important than NXT hotness decreasing, and it always should be.

https://twitter.com/sarahcassi/status/816378718587211776

http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/wrestlemania-34-location/ First broken by Wrestling With Words 2 months ago and now further confirmed.

Observer:

A Decade Ago: Homicide's Career-Defining Moment A Decade Ago: Underground Wrestling's Greatest Title Reign Ends

WM33 proposal: Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles I like this as the only inter-brand singles match on the card. The match was possibly teased in their backstage segment involving Gallows & Anderson at SummerSlam. The direction would be that Styles gets dethroned by Chamber. He vows that even though he won't be in the WWE Title match at Mania, he'll still leave a mark. Balor returns at Fast Lane and must earn a WM33 shot for his former Universal Title. Styles arrives and spoils it, then lays down the challenge for WM33 on TV that week.

Payback 2016 – May 1, 2016: The Good Shit Live from Chicago, IL In the social media lounge, Sami Zayn says “never say never” about trusting Kevin Owens again. There are certainly plenty of dream matchups for the former Kevin Steen & El Generico in WWE, including the New Day, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns, DIY, the Revival, American Alpha, the Usos, it could go on and on too considering the talents that have signed since this event and are on the verge of doing so. US Title – Ryback’s Last WWE Match Kalisto vs. Ryback Ryback is clearly pissed as his belt reads “Pre-Show Stopper.” He should be pissed as his workrate his improved in 2016 and the roster is thinner due to the injury bug, Daniel Bryan’s retirement, no part-time workers being on this card, and he can’t get slotted on the PPV broadcast. Chicago amuses me with the “You can’t wrestle” chants directed at Ryback, as he’s bumping for Kalisto like Batista would do for Rey Mysterio. Then most impressively, Kalisto almost fucks himself up with a corkscrew to the outside, but Ryback saves him. Sure, it was a bit business-exposing to the trained eye; I’ll take business exposing over Kalisto suffering a fate similar to Hayabusa and Tyson Kidd. Although I can easily counter that with the claim that Ryback got in position to catch Kalisto with the intention of countering the aerial attack, so maybe it’s not business-exposing after all. This wasn’t the total Ryback show on his last night in the company though. Kalisto was equally awesome playing the Spider-Man to Ryback’s Juggernaut, moving around so smoothly and bumping incredibly to sell The Big Guy’s bombs. I loved his selling of pain, enhancing Ryback’s cocky demeanor, only to use his smaller frame to his advantage with a DDT counter. I also loved Kalisto hitting a DDT to Ryback on the apron; this should marginalize the Shell-Shocked. Kalisto was able to evade Ryback’s powerful strikes for the most part. While Ryback was able to cut off a Kalisto barrage with a spinebuster, he made the mistake of going up to the top rope just to get kicked in the face. While he hit the champion with a Super Military Press Slam, his decision to go for a top rope splash was a poor one. Kalisto easily scouted it and took advantage with a Sitdown Shiranui. If Ryback had found this workrate during his star power peak of a few years earlier, perhaps he wouldn’t broken through to the heights that the company had planned for Sheamus. It’s a shame that he became a good hand once it was too late for him, but as already seen with Alberto Del Rio, a return one day wouldn’t be too surprising. ***1/4 The Tag Titles Shot Tournament Final between the Vaudevillains and Colin Cassady & Enzo Amore is abruptly ended when Amore suffers a scary concussion, having to be escorted away from ringside on a stretcher. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens Tremendous match as expected, with Zayn getting the early emotional heat dominance, but Owens would weather that storm. Owens was on fire with his shit-talking in this one, bringing the mean streak to give this a sense of legitimacy that very feuds seem to carry nowadays. In addition, the timing of major spots in this was top-notch. A great example of timing in this one would be Zayn hitting a Michinoku Driver on an overzealous Owens for a near-fall, then moments later hitting a Blue Thunder Powerbomb that the crowd bought as false finishes. Much later on, I was also certain that Owens would block Zayn’s through-the-ropes tornado DDT on the outside, but it was actually delivered surprisingly. Byron Saxton had a terrific example of why he should be reassigned away from the commentary booth, or whoever produces him should be relieved of their duties. When Owens talked shit to Michael Cole, Saxton said he should focus on Zayn. JBL then inserted the fact they were in Chicago, the city that saw Michael Jordan trash-talk his way into 6 NBA Titles. This was a missed opportunity for Saxton to point out that yes, MJ was a trash-talker to his OPPONENTS, not Marv Albert or Bob Costas. Had MJ focused any of his energy on the commentators, he never would’ve overcome the Pistons and led the Bulls to that iconic dynasty. I loved Zayn’s body language and hope spots in this one, showing the kind of fire that will one day culminate in a career-defining top title victory, maybe even in the main event of WrestleMania. His bumping also went above and beyond to make Owens look like a million bucks, including a gut-first suplex on the top rope in which he flipped over onto the canvas. The finishing sequence was also terrific. While they’d take advantage of the opportunities to throw bombs on each other, they’d also sell them, showing how successful there were in their desperation. I also loved Zayn’s tightrope DDT being countered with a backbreaker, softening the ginger’s back for the pop-up powerbomb of Owens. Owens taking a backdrop bump on the ring apron wasn’t enough to keep him down in this one. After all, this was the man that had gone to war against John Cena a year earlier and came out the victor, clean as a sheet. So this was ultimately a mismatch. Once Owens blocked Zayn’s Yakuza kick with a superkick, that left his former best friend prone for the pop-up powerbomb, securing the victory clean as a sheet. Owens continues to be abusive after the match, throwing Zayn out of the ring in what was surely a moral victory for what happened in the Royal Rumble match a few months earlier. He then demands Byron Saxton get in the ring, puts himself over, and declares that he’s coming for the IC Title again. With the IC Title match scheduled next, Owens also says he’ll be providing commentary. Awesome. **** IC Title Match The Miz vs. Cesaro Owens was on fire at the commentary booth as expected. The zingers he laid on Saxton and Michael Cole were just sensational; meanwhile there was a quality match happening in the ring. Miz targeted Cesaro’s taped left shoulder, which Owens put over as an intelligent game plan. This was a mismatch though before that, as Maryse had to hold her husband’s feet down to prevent Cesaro’s aprox superplex. I’d have liked to see Miz incite the crowd a bit more, since Chicago is DEFINITELY a Cesaro market. But he was damn good selling Cesaro’s offense, allowing the former US Champion to be displayed as the superior technician. The top takeaway of the match happened in the closing moments, as Zayn returned to brawl with Owens. They then eventually got on the apron so Cesaro knocked them both off, allowing Miz to take advantage with a schoolboy pin while holding his tights. The match then became a four-way brawl that had Owens as the last man standing. Awesome way to open up a number of different matchups and possibly even an actual four-way match probably for Extreme Rules 2016. ***1/2 In a segment that was way too long and I don’t care to recap, Vince McMahon tells his children Shane and Stephanie that they will be co-GMs of Raw. Whatever. WWE Title – Dream Match Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles Styles targets the left hamstring of Reigns early, the obvious take away his powerlifting counters and occasional aerial attacks. He shows a willingness to play mind games and bend the rules a bit, but nothing incredibly unethical. Reigns got some heat with clubbing blows, but nothing substantial until a clothesline that Styles sold tremendously. I like the powerbomb work early for Reigns, focusing on the back injury that had plagued Styles as he entered WWE. Reigns got too comfortable after showing his power though, thinking he’d be get to finish Styles an early Superman punch, but the Styles countered with a desperate Enziguri to regain control. Despite his sore back, he was able to deliver an Ushigiroshi on the champ to further cement control. That continued when Reigns tried to elbow out of waist lock, and Styles rolled him over for a Calf Killer attempt. The next part of the match was a highlight, with Styles hitting a springboard foreman to Reigns on the outside, causing both to crash through a commentary table. This got Styles a count out victory which would be overturned by Shane McMahon, who said to continue under no count out rules. Whatever, I’m too busy being pleased with Reigns selling for Styles to such a heavy degree. Reigns has a chinbreaker hope spot, only to eat a spinning backfist combo and Pele kick. Styles goes for the 450 Splash but his abdomen eats the knees of Reigns for a near-fall. In the process, Reigns has reaggravated the soreness in his left leg from the earlier work of Styles. Fantastic. Whatever Styles had in mind with a corner move backfires when Reigns actually hits his groin, causing a DQ. That gets overturned by Stephanie McMahon, ordering the match to now continue under no DQ rules. Reigns seems rejuvenated, weathering a fury from Styles, grabbing him, and striking him hard enough to fall off the corner to the outside. He continues the attack, but his left leg still hinders him. How could anyone not appreciate Reigns as a performer seeing how much respect he’s showing for Styles here by selling so tremendously? They go into the crowd, but Styles drives Reigns into a barricade and then follows that up with a jumping clothesline, then a knee drop to drives the face of Reigns onto another commentary table. There are dueling chants at this point, and they’re well-deserved. Styles attempts a springboard forearm, only to get countered with the Superman Punch for a near-fall. Both looked awesome being simultaneously in mid-air, something that could be used a company highlight reel. Moments later, Styles eats another Superman Punch and prepares for a spear, only for Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to yank Styles out and double-team Reigns. Styles takes a while to hit a successful springboard forearm, which Reigns overcomes with a foot on the bottom rope. The Usos arrive to even the numbers game; this is somewhat reminding me of John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in this very building 2 years earlier at that year’s Payback. Styles looks to go for a springboard 450 splash, but Reigns pushes him to the outside on the human pile and goes back down in pain due to his left leg. Reigns struggles to get up, but once he does he hits a crossbody to the outside, but then Styles jumps off the nearby barricade with a forearm. Back in the ring, Styles hits the springboard 450 splash for a great near-fall. Sensing the end is here, he goes for the Styles Clash and gets tossed over onto the apron. Styles counters the Superman Punch by driving the throat of Reigns on the top rope. Reigns then avoids the springboard forearm and finishes off the challenger with a spear. In the back, Vince McMahon confirms with Shane and Stephanie that Reigns vs. Styles was a great main event, and due to both that and the interference, there will be a hardcore rematch at Extreme Rules 2016. Zero complaints whatsoever here. While the interference was necessary for the overall arc of this program, it dragged this down from being on par with Cesaro vs. Reigns several months earlier. That wasn’t enough to taint this match though, as Reigns made Styles look like a million bucks with his selling. Styles undoubtedly belongs as a top priority on the WWE roster food chain going forward, while Reigns certainly learned even more by working with one of the best performers of the 21st Century. ****1/4

https://twitter.com/wwethebigshow/status/813512447369809924

Final Battle 2006 – December 23, 2006 Taped from New York, NY The DVD release begins showing Homicide and ROH Champion Bryan Danielson arriving in the building, giving this a major sporting event feel. Love it. Some ROH students dress up in Christmas gear and hand out gifts to kick off the live event. They do not get a warm reception. “Fuck you Santa!” The segment comes to a screeching halt when the Briscoes show up, with Jay giving Santa Dempsey an open chair shot on the head. Yeah, a chair shot to the head is DEFINITELY worth the downside in THIS segment. The brothers decimate the students to a “Thank you Briscoes!” chant. Jay brags a mic and wishes the crowd a “Merry fucking Christmas!” Tonight, the Briscoes want a rematch against the Kings of Wrestling after last night’s finish. Crowd is hyped. Jimmy Jacobs cuts a backstage promo, feeling lonely in New York City. Apparently he’s generally been very introverted and unsocial, until he found love in Lacey. He’s still pissed about what’s happened to Lacey, but tonight he’s alone, even with mercenary Brent Albright as his partner against BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana. “He’s not my friend.” Jacobs feels he has very little to live for, but his opponents “will have a lot to die for.” Christopher Daniels vs. Jimmy Rave vs. El Generico vs. Davey Richards Generico is quite over already as the crowd breaks out in “Ole!” chants before the bell even rings. Rave has some good heat, but nowhere near his peak when Prince Nana was with him. Generico and Richards start the match off, and Generico is clicking on all cylinders in terms of connecting with the audience. No shocker there for anyone who’d followed him in PWG, CZW, IWA-MS, IWS, and numerous other indies at this time. Daniels and Rave is pretty heated, with the Fallen Angel having little tolerance for the former Crown Jewel’s heel tactics. That’s short-lived as Rave takes a powder, returning it to more work between Generico and Richards, only for Daniels to get back in to work on the Generic Luchador. Once Daniels is tossed out and down momentarily, Rave of course tags in to take advantage. He gets an extended Abdominal Stretch on the Tag Champ, only to finally get cut off with a Death Valley Driver. Richards tags in to reignite his program from a few months back against Rave. Generico tags back in only get dominated by Richards. Everything in this match so far is on point as the crowd chants for Richards. Geenrico tries some hope spots but gets cut off, so Daniels breaks up the pin and tags in, knowing Richards would’ve had Generico finished off. But Richards scouts the Angel’s Wings and tags Generico in to work against Daniels, and once again the match has been a perfect opener. It’s come down to Daniels, Generico, and Richards trading work with each other while Rave remains on the outside. Generico successfully hits a Yakuza kick on Daniels, but Richards has it scouted on the next attempt, turning it into an overhead T-Bone suplex into the corner. Rave is shown waiting for an opportunity to jump in, and he does as he tags Richards, who eats a Top Rope Brainbuster from Generico, and then finishes the future Sami Zayn with the heel hook submission. The crowd breaks out in “Bullshit!” chants, but Rave says he’s aiming for the ROH Title. Nigel McGuinness arrives and kicks his ass. Even with Rave being arrogant and opportunistic, this seems like a bitch move for McGuinness after Rave had just competed. Crowd is fully behind McGuinness. Perfect opener that guaranteed Generico would return in 2007, stayed true to Rave’s character, and had zero tag legalities as well. Rating: ***1/2 Ricky Reyes vs. Adam Pearce is just a storyline segment. Pearce & Shane Hagadorn give a spike piledriver to Julius Smokes, still wanting to use any way possible to undermine Homicide tonight. Brent Albright & Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana Whitmer & Cabana dominate early, with the heels getting very little offense. Jacobs even eats an Exploder Suplex on the entrance ramp. A table gets set up outside the ring and Cabana backdrops Jacobs to set him up for a Whitmer powerbomb throught it, only for Albright to cut it off. This opens the door for the heels to turn Whitmer into a FIP, with Jacobs getting vicious. Once the hot tag is made, Cabana takes care of business, with the heels having little answer for him. Jacobs finally cuts off the babyfaces with a Shiranui on Cabana and then spinning head-scissors on Whitmer. The dazed Whitmer is victim to a Splash Mountain Powerbomb from Albright onto a table, and this time Cabana cannot overcome the odds. That table spot certainly was spectacular although obviously questionable. Jacobs says this is vindication, and I like that Albright is trying to be congratulatory with Jacobs, reminding me of villainous alliances in films. Claudio Castagnoli’s ROH Farewell? Briscoe Bros. vs. Kings of Wrestling Chris Hero introduces his agent Larry Sweeney, which is a good idea since not everyone was in Hartford the night before. I love Sweeney’s reaction when the crowd breaks into a “Sweet 'N Sour” chant. Hero also says he had a special farewell planned for Castagnoli, but instead they will “man up” in a rematch against the Briscoes The Briscoes waste no time, being on KOW like white on rice before the opening bell even rings. This is some hot shit, especially when Jay hits a senton to the outside, and they just continue dominating. KOW has no answer for the Briscoes, who are dead set on making an example out of their opponents tonight. That onslaught finally ends though when Castagnoli blocks a head-scissors by Jay, allowing Hero to dropkick his head and begin dominating. Jay attempts a comeback only to eat a Fall Away Slam and continue having the ring cut in half on him. Hero’s arrogance comes at a price it looks like when Jay gives him a Fisherman’s Buster, only for Hero to prevent the hot tag by yanking Mark off the apron. It finally happens when Jay blocks a double suplex and counters that with a double DDT. The crowd doesn’t pop at all for the tag, just Mark’s house of fire. I’m glad this wasn’t treated as a turning point in the match, as KOW regained control by having Hero counter a springboard splash with knees to the torso, a scouting from the night before. Castagnoli’s Ricola Bomb on Mark is just a near-fall. Jay gets tagged back in, having regained some endurance. Everything is mechanically good so far, but there’s been very little to be considered highly dramatic. Rather than create a match that would crack the crowd emotionally, it’s been a moves exchange with dueling chants for the most part. That finally changes when Mark hits a Top Rope Doomsday Rana on Castagnoli, who then eats a splash near-fall from Jay. The crowd breaks out in ROH chants at this point. Jay tags in Mark in a different corner than they had established, which pisses Sweeney off. Sweeney is technically correct, although I’m happy to see the tag legality is being adhered to at all. The Briscoes’ dominance gets cut off when Hero prevents Jay from hitting a Springboard Doomsday Device, then Castagnoli moments later swings BOTH Briscoes around as their legs are tied on his shoulders for a great moment. KOW stack on Mark for a near-fall, and Sweeney is in disbelief that wasn’t the finish, then the crowd breaks in “This is awesome!” chants as moves start happening like there’s no tomorrow, including the Double Underhook Piledriver, Alpamari Waterslide, and Cutthroat Driver to the crowd’s delight. I love that everyone is selling the finishing moves, so when Mark crawls to Castagnoli for a weak near-fall, it made sense that Castagnoli kicked out. Hero and Jay have a strike exchange, then Sweeney distracts the ref so Hero can deliver an eye poke, but that backfires. Castagnoli uses Sweeney’s steel briefcase to try knocking Jay out, only for Hero to be shoved in the way, allowing the Briscoes to finish them off with a stereo Guillotine Leg Drop and Shooting Star Press. The crowd is very happy, but this would’ve meant far more had it been a Tag Titles change as I’ve stated before (KOW would’ve threatened to “retire” the belts had they left tonight as champions since Castagnoli was originally leaving.) Very good match, although not as great as I had remembered. This wasn’t as hot as the similarly structured classic the Briscoes had against Austin Aries & Roderick Strong a few months earlier, so in this instance I’d have liked to have seen the hot tags be more meaningful. Rating: ***3/4 The crowd thanks Castagnoli and chants for KOW too, but he reveals that he’s sticking around! The crowd is supportive when he stumbles on his English, which I love. He implies that 2007 will be even more historic for KOW, only for Sweeney to say that only Hero is his client. “When you changed your plans, you killed the Kings of Wrestling, and they ain’t coming back.” Hero then begrudgingly sides with Sweeney, leaving Castagnoli all alone in the ring. He doesn’t have any time to digest his broken friendship, as Samoa Joe arrives immediately once Hero & Sweeney go to the back. Castagnoli tries to be cordial with Joe, only to be told “This is my space, bitch, and I’m not your friend. Get out of my ring.” Castagnoli obliges as he exits through the crowd, completely dejected. Joe is disappointed he can’t compete tonight in his scheduled singles match against McGuinness. Some of the crowd breaks out a “Fuck Umaga!” chant, but Joe squashes that quickly with pure logic. Joe then says that when ROH returns to this building on February 16, he wants NOAH to send someone, whether it’s Takeshi Morishima, Naomichi Maruufji, or “I’ll tell you what, old man, send me Mitsuharu Misawa.” He then even mentions Doug Williams and Scorpio, plus McGuinness. He promises a fight in 2 months, and then McGuinness comes out to say something. McGuinness wants the match on February 16, but Rave shows up to give him a receipt for earlier on the card, only to get bitch-slapped by Joe. The former ROH Champion then suggests they have a match later tonight. Not keen on Rave doing double-duty in principle, nor since he’s supposed to be a heel too. Why not just have booked the singles match as soon as Joe was unavailable, and let the opener just be a three-way? The apparent over push of Rave, along with the splitting of KOW, comes across as desperation to manufacture individual stars going into 2007. It must first be pointed out that the KOW breakup was a HUGE mistake on booker Gabe Sapolsky’s part. KOW are very similar to the Hardyz to me, in that they’ve never been very impressive opponents against each other, and thus it’s always better to keep them paired together. Why WOULDN’T Sweeney want both as his clients too? After all, they are a just a month removed from being Tag Champs. The three of them together had the chance to also be the greatest tag team and managerial combo since Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express as well, but instead Castagnoli, who lacks the mic skills and overwhelming charisma to be a completely solo act without a partner and/or mouthpiece, is thrown in the deep end, rather than protecting him and enhancing Sweeney’s on-screen shrewdness. In addition, Castagnoli’s weaknesses that I just pointed out are very glaring considering he’s now in the same position as Alex Shelley 2 years ago, someone who DID have the traits to pull off the “man without a country” direction. Lastly, at the time of this show, the tag division is looking quite stale without KOW, as it’s now the Briscoes, Aries & Strong, and Tag Champs Daniels & Matt Sydal as the champs. That’s it. That's you’re tag team division going into 2007, folks. Even with KOW having a weak title reign, the division still NEEDED them until at least 2-3 more teams were formed or introduced and got over to a significant level. At intermission, Pearce tells Gary Michael Cappetta that Smokes has gone home due to cracked vertebrae, so no way does Homicide dethrone Danielson tonight. Jimmy Rave vs. Nigel McGuinness McGuinness dominates early, targeting Rave’s left arm and shoulder, but is finally cut off when a running corner uppercut attempt is blocked with a knee strike to the head, and he’s then driven down Uranage-style on the apron. I certainly don’t feel any discomfort whatsoever a decade later when McGuinness hits a barricade head-first, and then Lenny Leonard says “This guy might have a concussion right now. His eyes rolled to the back of his head when he hit that barricade…” Honestly though, McGuinness may have gotten his hands in front when he hit the barricade, so who knows in this instance. Rave continues dominating for awhile, not allowing the hope spots of McGuinness to stop him. But McGuinness finally regains control with a Hammerlock Takedown. They exchange strikes which McGuinness obviously wins, and Leonard is right to point out that wasn’t the best idea for Rave. McGuinness continues targeting Rave’s left arm and shoulder. However, that work is cut off when Rave spears him. McGuinness has a hope spot near-fall when he counters the Gonorrhea with a small package, but Rave spears him again while following up with a Shining Wizard. Rave scouts the rebound lariat, but McGuinness scouts his scouting, hitting a clothesline to regain control. This time the control is extended with various strikes and then a Tower of London, which is a near-fall. The crowd reacts in lukewarm fashion to that, which is disappointing. This wasn’t Rave getting a limb on the rope; he actually kicked out. That’s a huge deal for someone long established as a chickenshit heel. Rave cuts McGuinness off in the corner, finally hitting the Gonorrhea for another near-fall that had a lukewarm reaction. That’s followed up with a Pedigree near-fall, and now the crowd is waking up as McGuinness kicked out at one and has insult-driven fighting spirit. McGuinness wants more, but it ends up with a Crippler Crossface. (Little did we know what was just 6 months away…) This is a great false finish when McGuinness gets a rope break, as the crowd actually reacts. McGuinness eats a Saito Suplex and hits a rebound lariat, but the pain from the suplex delays him going for a cover. At this point the crowd is actually engaged in dueling chants which surprises me. Rave prevents another Tower of London and dumps McGuinness out, only to eat one on the apron just like Marufuji 3 months earlier in this building, and then Rave kicks out! Crowd actually treats that as a big deal, but not in overwhelming fashion. Rave kicks out again when he eats a crotched clothesline, and the crowd is pretty damn surprised. They have a strike exchange and Rave scouts the rebound lariat, securing his second victory of the night with the heel hook. “You still suck!” chants are directed at Rave, who spits on McGuinness as a receipt for earlier. Rave then says he wants to face tonight’s ROH Title match winner on February 16. Good match, no complaints about it really. They were limited without Nana being around, so of course the crowd wasn’t white-hot. This Rave push is getting really heavy-handed though. Instead of feeding so much to Rave, this was the opportunity to have McGuinness go over; instead of saying he’d face Joe on February 16, which wasn’t the plan at all anyway, he wants the winner of Danielson vs. Homicide. Joe vs. Morishima, which was the obvious plan, can be the closing match that night, with the obvious Homicide vs. McGuinness for the ROH Title underneath to have a controversial finish, leading to a rematch when ROH comes to Liverpool in March. Instead, we have what I consider the equivalent of the Maryse-less Miz’s push that resulted in him headlining WrestleMania XXVII. Without Nana around, Rave’s stock as a heel drops, and that’s the brutal reality of the situation. He’s still valuable as an mid-card to upper mid-card heel, but under no circumstances should be challenging for the ROH Title at the Manhattan Center without a charismatic mouthpiece to elevate him. Rating: ***1/2 Danielson is shown preparing, reminding me of Steve Austin looking in the mirror at WrestleMania X-Seven. Dragon Gate Rules Match Matt Sydal, CIMA, & Shingo vs. Delirious, Austin Aries, & Roderick Strong This review will be much shorter than I would’ve expected a decade later. Simply put, I was not impressed by this match whatsoever. Perhaps this should’ve been the pre-intermission main event so that Todd Sinclair, who had experience in this kind of match, could’ve been the ref instead of Mike Keener. This match overwhelmingly ignored its very easy tag legalities, which could change by standard tagging, or the legal man exiting the ring to allow a partner to insert himself. With Blood Generation, especially Sydal, being such dicks, this was a major missed opportunity to actually build some tag psychology. Let Blood Gen dominate the match and take advantage of Keener’s inexperience in this environment, with Aries playing the FIP. Aries eventually makes the comeback against Sydal, who he’s had an issue brewing with, in very testy fashion. Delirious & Strong then go crazy at the hot tag, and the match becomes a spectacle as Keener makes a judgment call to let the action fly while adhering to the tag legalities. Undoubtedly, the action in this match was incredible, as proven by how insane the Manhattan crowd went throughout much of it. The reception CIMA got afterwards was incredible. With that said, I even hate the ending of CIMA pinning Delirious. This was the opportunity for Aries & Strong to humble Sydal and give the cocky champion a sense of vulnerability, building to the former champs getting their Tag Titles shot, which based on Sydal’s Dragon Gate schedule, would happen in this building on February 16 at the very earliest. I am excited that CIMA says he’ll be back in 2007. Rating: *** Homicide is shown having his last warm-up moments. Jack Evans is returning in 2007. Reflecting back, perhaps his absence in the last quarter of 2006 is another reason the product lost a significant chunk of its aesthetic peak. Matt Cross has certainly been a downgrade, and Evans has proven to be incredibly versatile thanks to his style and personality. ROH Title vs. Homicide’s ROH Career Bryan Danielson vs. Homicide Todd Sinclair is assigned this main event, which explains why he was unavailable for the prior match. New York City is obviously crazy for Homicide, as they should be. The entire pre-match presentation has an intimacy that is often missing in much of today’s professional wrestling; this simply feels like a historic match, in fact everything that Hulk Hogan vs. Sting was supposed to be in terms of crowd hype 9 years earlier at Starrcade 1997. This feels like what Game 7 of the past NBA Finals between the Cavaliers and Warriors would’ve been had it taken place in Cleveland instead of Oakland. Danielson refuses Homicide’s gracious handshake at the beginning, instead giving the challenger a middle finger. This sparks a “Fuck you Dragon” chant. Awesome. Danielson eventually targets Homicide’s taped right shoulder, but neither gets an extended advantage early. The champ’s cockiness is amazing here as he applies the La Tatipia twice, then drives the knees to the canvas on the third time. Homicide brings it to an even point when they exchange strikes though, only to eat an uppercut from the champion, who’s happy to brag about outsmarting the challenger. They exchange straightjacket submissions, which allows Homicide to gain control. Danielson cuts that off with a chinbreaker, and then chokes Homicide on the ropes while showboating to the crowd and taking full advantage of the 5 count. Danielson got too cocky though, as Homicide evaded a choking strike and then hit Eddie Guerrero’s 3 amigos suplexes. Then all of a sudden, Shane Hagadorn & Adam Pearce arrive to attack Homicide, including a spike shoulderbreaker. This ensures Danielson leaves as champion via DQ. Homicide’s various friends including Monsta Mack are fought off, only for Julius Smokes to return and drive both out despite his pain from the earler spike piledriver. The heels scurry to the back, but then Sinclair says this match will NOT end in a DQ; Danielson is livid. The cynical would say Sinclair was trying to avoid a riot and ass-kicking; the logical would see this as evidence that Sinclair never had a vendetta against Homicide over the years whatsoever, despite Homicide’s irrational claims. Homicide is a house of fire despite his right shoulder hurting; that’s all Danielson needs to cut him off and target that joint again. Homicide finally cuts off Danielson with something I don’t recall if Chris Benoit ever did with DDP and Randy Orton, which was counter a diving headbutt with an Ace Crusher. He eventually tosees Danielson out with a vertical suplex, then follows that up with a Tope Con Hilo as Smokes shows concern and tries to give his support to the Notorious 187. Homicide blocks a forearm strike from Danielson, causing Danielson’s right arm to hit a ring post, making him extra vulnerable when considering his injured right shoulder too. They then tease a great false finish when Homicide hits a Super Overhead Hammerlock Takedown, then locks a submission on the right arm. The crowd is displeased when Danielson cuts off Homicide with a boot, he gives the crowd a middle finger, and hits a diving headbutt. Danielson is showing more pain in the right shoulder than Homicide. Homicide continues going after Danielson’s arm when he kicks out of a German Suplex. They then exchange strikes, Danielson with forearms, Homicide with boots, with Homicide winning that battle. Danielson avoids a Tope Con Hilo and clotheslines Homicide over a barricade, then hits an insane springboard aerial attack considering his shoulder. After exchanging some near-falls, Homicide takes too long getting on the top rope; this allows the champ to hit a Super Backdrop Suplex for another near-fall. The champ then goes for elbows to the head, but the challenger does his best to shake them off, and then finds himself in the Crossface Chickenwing after a terrific struggle. They have an excellent false finish when Homicide’s arm drops a third time, but he holds onto Sinclair’s pants to prove he’s still conscious. Homicide gets a rope break but Danielson refuses to break, the champ obviously wanting a DQ, but Sinclair refuses. Homicide elbows out and throws a right hand, obviously in pain, then locks on an STF, dragging the champ to the middle of the ring to apply it again. Danielson rakes his eyes to break another submission attempt. Danielson avoids the Kudo Driver, only to eat a boot, but then takes advantage of Homicide’s lariat attempt, using the momentum to apply Cattle Mutilation! Homicide rolls out, kicks out of a Tiger Suplex, and then is still victim to another Cattle Mutilation. Danielson goes for more elbows to the head, then reapplies Cattle Mutilation for a third time in the middle of the ring. They have a great near-fall when Homicide uses the Tiger Suplex position to roll back on Danielson, and then the match hits a fever pitch when Danielson gets his hand on the ropes after a successful Kudo Driver! In shock, Homicide goes shirtless and grabs a ring bell, but the crowd begs him not to use it. Sinclair won’t let him, and Danielson takes advantage with a low blow and small package, but Homicide kicks out for another awesome near-fall! Danielson blocks a lariat, only for Homicide to tell his pain to fuck off just like in their first ever match at Reborn Stage 2, and hitting the lariat for the victory, and finally ascending to the top by ending the greatest title reign in underground wrestling history! A number of babyfaces are in the ring to congratulate Homicide, including Roderick Strong (that’s something to remember MUCH later in the future.) If there’s a missed opportunity here, it could be that Homicide isn’t selling the fresh low blow, but perhaps it can be argued that while Danielson struck him, it landed NEAR the groin, not actually on it. Homicide is selling his right shoulder, but is then congratulated by the former champion Danielson, who graciously gives him the belt, but makes it clear he’ll want a rematch at some point. The crowd is going crazy here, because on the underground wrestling scene, this IS as historic as a hometown team winning Game 7 of the World Series, NBA Finals, or Stanley Cup Finals after suffering an extensive drought. Homicide takes the time to put over the backstage crew and the NYC crowd, saying that this is for them. He then pays homage to the Notorious B.I.G., ending it with “Brooklyn, we did it!” The ringside celebration then plays to the tunes of Jim Jones’s “We Fly High” and even more epically, Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me” from what I can tell. A terrific main event that while not even close to the greatest in ROH’s history, is a staple in the history of underground wrestling, that wrapped up years of storylines. Since Homicide would never reach a level of significance in TNA that matched up to this, and he would unfortunately be one of the numerous victims of WWE’s primitive hiring philosophies until CM Punk was the first to break that barrier at Money in the Bank 2011, this is, like the match I just referred to, a career-defining moment for its victor. This is also one of the defining moments of my 19-year wrestling fandom, a rewarding experience that the underground wrestling scene stopped delivering years ago. Danielson should NOT have kept wrestling when he got hurt at Gut Check; with that said, his decision to keep going for another 4 months, in what primarily looks to be because he was a total team player throughout his career and wanted Homicide’s moment to be as meaningful as possible, is yet another reasons why a decade ago, there was no championship I respected more in North American wrestling than the Ring of Honor Title. This was a great, emotional ending to the greatest reign in the history of underground wrestling, a title reign that significantly defined Danielson’s Hall of Fame career and the 2000s decade in general. It was a match that paid off many of the finishers Danielson had established since dethroning James Gibson at Glory By Honor IV, making all of them meaningful when they took place on this magical night. It is the moment that made sitting through the awful booking of Night of the Grudges II a worthy venture, for this moment would likely have never happened had New Jersey not hijacked that show in Homicide’s favor. Lastly, this was yet another final chapter for a great underground wrestling rivalry for the 2000s decade in December 2006. Unlike Danielson vs. Joe 15 days earlier, this was a fitting end to the Danielson vs. Homicide rivalry that had started with a fantastic, highly under-appreciated dream match at Reborn Stage 2, and became an actual feud that spanned half a year. Rating: **** The match is followed by a video chronicling Homicide’s time in ROH since Day 1, showing his greatest moments and his worst moments (including the fact that Low Ki and Boogaloo were both excommunicated from the company), clearly stating how badly he wanted to become the ROH Champion; every decision of his since 2003 has been centered around winning this title, which even further elevated the importance of the belt as a box office attraction for the company. This video truly reminds me of what I miss so much about the Golden Age of ROH. Do I need to spell out why this show is a necessity for fans of Homicide, Bryan Danielson, and underground wrestling? Do I need to point out that the match quality on this is on par with The Final Showdown? Even with the booking red flags becoming more frequent, this gets my strongest recommendation possible. The historic main event alone would’ve made this a must-have, but the quality undercard gives this the depth to be considered just a notch below the most elite events in ROH’s history. There will be 2 separate columns coming as holiday gifts to compliment this review; one will chronicle Homicide’s journey to what turned out to be his career-defining moment, while the other will chronicle the greatest title reign in the history of underground wrestling. It’s difficult to really say if 2004, 2005, or 2006 has a stand out amongst the three as the greatest calendar year in ROH’s history. Some will pick 2004 because that’s when the switch got flipped in response to Rob Feinstein being forced out of the very company that he had founded. Some will pick 2005 because of its overall consistency, with peaks in February, May, almost all summer, and the majority of the last quarter. Some will pick 2006 because of its first 9 months, featuring all-time epic title reigns, all-time epic storylines, all-time epic rivalries, and excellent usage of special attraction talent. I for one cannot pick between the three; it’s obvious that they are collectively the true peak of ROH’s 15-year history, a peak that will never be duplicated on the underground. What I do know is that even with so many red flags popping up in the last quarter of 2006, it was one Hell of a historic, unforgettable year for the company. In a “normal” year, the breakthrough character work of Jimmy Jacobs and everyone else involved in his saga would be the angle of the year; but that’s not the case in a year featuring the greatest inter-promotional feud of all-time, which is also the greatest feud in ROH history, and my pick for the greatest feud of the 21st Century to date. In a “normal” year, when there isn’t a definite easy one or two contests to point to as the MOTY, it’s because there are great picks aplenty, but none that stand head and shoulders above the rest. That isn’t the case here; in a rarity, it was difficult for me to pick the MOTY because there were so many all-time classics in 2006, the kind that in a “normal” year, would stand head and shoulders above the competition. In a “normal” year, there would be an easy moment or two to point to as the most unforgettable, but like WWE in 2016, there are too many historic ones, just like the absurd quantity of historically great matches. Let’s also not forget that 2006 featured what is, nearly 11 years later now, the greatest event in underground wrestling history, that being Better Than Our Best. From start to finish, it wasn’t just a consistent event in the ring; it featured interesting directions across the entire card, wrapping up angles, advancing angles, and kicking off angles that had viewers dying for the next chapters in ROH’s canon. It was a show that truly displayed the variety that ROH was once so defined by, from tag team wrestling to trios action to spotfests to hardcore matches to scientific artwork; from career-advancing victories to outsider domination to championship ramifications to violent finales; and all done with talent that came in to bust their asses to put on an awesome show and steal WrestleMania 22 weekend, whether they were hoping to get WWE’s attention, had already been in WWE and WCW, or visiting from the Land of the Rising Sun. What must also be mentioned is that Better Than Our Best was the peak of the 7 events that compiled The Milestone Series. If I could use a comparison, I’ll go local here in the state of Washington. If The Milestone Series is the Cascade Ranges, then Better Than Our Best is Mount Rainier. Simply put, a fucking drop-dead gorgeous collection of artwork with a clear, distinct, breathtaking peak that like Mr. Rainier does for the Seattle and Yakima areas, is a defining staple of ROH’s history and reputation. I would like to think that one day, I will have the time to once again revisit the golden years of ROH. I’m not sure if I ever will though, as much as I really would like to. I’ll still move forward with this project for now; but there are a number of things going on in this world that I know I’ll have to eventually prioritize over my consumption hobbies of various entertainment, whether it be pro wrestling, films, television series, sporting events, or even retro video game playthrough viewings on YouTube for nostalgic purposes. It isn’t to say that I don’t love, enjoy, and appreciate these hobbies, but they are ultimately leisure activities that I know deep down in my heart, consume time that I can instead use to assist those who don’t have the same kind of leisure as I and many other of my fellow first-world citizens do. That decision, if, or more plausibly when, will be a topic for another time when I reach it. Not even taking THAT life-changing decision into effect, I will be honest. The last 3 months of 2006 for ROH have not impressed me overall. Sapolsky’s burnout has become apparent, and I’d be surprised if owner Cary Silkin didn’t notice the red flags too. Surely, he had to notice the mixture of anger and apathy displayed by the Philly crowd at Burnout The Bitter End. Surely, he had to see how dead the crowds were in Philly, Long Island, Hartford, Dayton, Cleveland, and Chicago. Surely, he cringed like I did when Christopher Daniels declared himself and Matt Sydal as “Lords of the Ring.” Like I said, I will continue this project. But the truth is that I’m not looking forward to 2007. Sure, I’m excited to see Joe go up against Morishima and McGuinness. Sure, I’m excited to see the final months of the saga involving Jacobs, which obviously will have him end his portion against Cabana in Chicago on February 24, and then against Whitmer in Detroit on WrestleMania 23 weekend (I could see those coming a mile away a decade ago.) Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Generico after his successful “tryout” at Dethroned and Final Battle 2006. Sure, I’m excited to see Evans return and notice if he’s had anymore improvement from spending even more time in Dragon Gate. Sure, I’m excited to see Shingo continue his excursion. Sure, I’m looking forward to what else Sweeney has up his sleeve, as he oozed a charisma that very few of his contemporaries could match up to. But I’m not looking forward to a Nana-less Rave get shoved down my throat. I’m not looking forward to Castagnoli being left on his own in an effort to replicate Alex Shelley’s role from 2 years earlier. I’m not looking forward to whatever Sydal & Daniels are gonna do next with the Tag Titles. I’m not excited for the tag team division at all with them as champs, and now KOW broken up. I’m not looking forward to Matt Cross, get the same if not better opportunities when it’s clearly obvious Generico brings much more to the table, already gotten over as a character and not just for spectacular moves. I’m not looking forward to B-shows that will be so unevenly slapped together by a “GM/head coach” that is clearly displaying signs of exhaustion after nearly 5 years in the position. And I’m also not looking forward to an ROH without Bryan Danielson, who obviously will finally take the time off he’s procrastinated for 4 months. Maybe the reputation that 2007 has will be a flawed narrative. Maybe I’ll find out that the unfavorable history of that year for ROH has been rewritten to an unfair degree. Maybe my reservations will be wrong. But based on every red flag I’ve seen, which honestly started showing at Fight of the Century and then became incredibly glaring at Survival of the Fittest 2006, I can’t bring myself to be excited. I know that I’m glad ROH’s next event would be 5 weeks away, which is pretty much the same amount of time for me to have a break based on my 10th anniversary shtick I got going with this. But rest assured, every problem I’ve just pointed out about ROH, has ONLY been based on what I’ve come across from late 2006. I’m not even including anything that hasn’t been alluded to yet and is still to unfold in 2007. With that said, the first 3 quarters of 2006 are enough to make this a fucking phenomenal year for ROH. Without further ado, I give to my readers… SUPER DUPER ROH 2006 AWARDS Wrestler of the Year: Bryan Danielson Runner-up – Jimmy Jacobs, Austin Aries, and Roderick Strong Debut of the Year: Chris Hero @ Hell Freezes Over Breakout Performance of the Year: Matt Sydal @ Hell Freezes Over Feud/Rivalry of the Year: Ring of Honor vs. Combat Zone Wrestling Runner-up – Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness and Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer (including Colt Cabana’s involvement) Show of the Year: Better Than Our Best Runner-up – Dragon Gate Challenge and Glory By Honor V Night 2 Moment of the Year: Homicide declines CZW’s offer @ Ring of Homicide and Bryan Danielson gets his foot on the ropes after KENTA hits him with the Go to Sleep @ Glory By Honor V Night 2 Match of the Year: Team ROH vs. Team CZW @ Death Before Dishonor IV ***** Runner-up – CIMA & Speed Muscle vs. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, & Genki Horiguchi @ Supercard of Honor ***** ROH’s Top 10 Matches of 2006 (in chronological order): 1. CIMA & Speed Muscle vs. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, & Genki Horiguchi – Supercard of Honor ***** 2. Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong – Supercard of Honor ****3/4 3. Chris Hero, Super Dragon, & Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe, Adam Pearce, & BJ Whitmer – The 100th Show ****3/4 4. Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness – Weekend of Champions Night 2 ****3/4 5. Homicide vs. Necro Butcher (entire segment) – Ring of Homicide ***** 6. Austin Aries vs. KENTA – Chi-Town Struggle ****1/2 7. Team ROH vs. Team CZW – Death Before Dishonor IV ***** 8. Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness – Unified ***** 9. Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA – Glory By Honor V Night 2 ***** 10. KENTA & Davey Richards vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong – Honor Reclaims Boston ****3/4 Up next – Dedicated Matches will include: Davey Richards vs. Rocky Romero Samoa Joe vs. Nigel McGuinness Briscoe Bros. vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong