Ring of Honor Wrestling

[Petey]

It was probably when he got elevated to the main event. I don't know when that was as I checked out at the end of 08 and he wasn't a featured player then, but whenever he got the mega push, that's probably when people really started to dislike him.

[Mini Bennett]

Anyone catch the ROH-New Japan show over the weekend?

[The Thread Killer]

Anyone catch the ROH-New Japan show over the weekend?

 

I was there.

 

It was...not so good. The booking was odd (not one, but two triple threat tag matches? Plus the Fatal 4 Way for the TV title didn't get anywhere near enough time) and Adam Cole is just awful. Seriously bad. I was getting nostalgic for Xavier.

 

Worst of all were the terribly obnoxious ROH fans. The ones behind me and next to me were so annoying, I may never go to a live wrestling show again. There is nothing worse than a fan who thinks he is clever and witty, but really isn't. Even if the show had been good...which it wasn't...the fans would have ruined it for me. Being surrounded by those people has made me seriously question if I have outgrown being a wrestling fan after 31 years.

 

ROH has really gone down since the last time I saw them live, at Northern Navigation in 2008.They won't be getting my business again any time soon.

[Petey]

Maybe you haven't outgrown being a wrestling fan as much as you've outgrown the smarky smark crowds.

[BillThompson]

Maybe you haven't outgrown being a wrestling fan as much as you've outgrown the smarky smark crowds.

 

My money is on this, it's one of the main reasons I've given up on reading reviews from other websites. I was just looking for some reviews for Halloween Havoc 1996 to gauge where my reaction to that event sat next to others, and pretty much all the online writing I could find was of the snarky smart mark variety. Ten years ago I probably would have dug such snark, but now that I'm older and more mature I don't have much time for paragraphs about why a guy sucks because of who he's sleeping with, guesses about the politics of backstage, stupid nicknames for the wrestlers one doesn't like, wishing for wrestlers one doesn't like to die, and the propensity to talk about anything but the action taking place in the ring.

[Petey]

Yup. When I was a teenager, all of the backstage NEWZ greatly influenced my wrestling fandom. I enjoyed being an obnoxious smark and the obnoxious smark crowds at ROH shows. But that was then and this is now. Now I cringe when I watch wrestling from several years ago and see un-protected chair shots to the head and man on woman violence. I might still be wonderfully immature, but ironically it seems as though I'm an adult with my wrestling tastes.

[Stiva]

Making my way through Global Wars now and I enjoyed the 3-way tag match a lot even though I thought it was a 2-man show with The Briscoes. Mark coming in on a hot tag with his crazy strikes and reckless dives was absolutely great. It's a damn shame that their potential WWE run got kiboshed because Briscoes vs. The Usos would be awesome.

[jpchicago23]

Sadly, there aren't too many good things to come out of ROH since '08 or so. The super push for Tyler Black was so stalled by all the starts & stops that it barely meant ANYTHING by the time he actually won the belt. The payoff just felt flat.

 

Outside of the epic Steen/Generico saga, I can't really think of too many angles that left a mark. It was one of those broad, sweeping story arcs that draw you in and capture your imagination for a good chunk of time. Highly enjoyable, and given enough pawns & players to keep it fresh the entire time - right up to the huge finale in their Ladder War, which was as good a sendoff for Generico as you were gonna get in ROH.

 

I don't know. For me, personally - ROH has fallen pretty far down the pecking order as far as my favorite indies go. Sucks to say it, but it's true. When I have some time to kill, I'd MUCH rather watch a Guerrilla or Championship From Hollywood show instead.

 

I will say this - I really, REALLY dig the Maria/Bennett combo. Very much carry that Edge/Lita vibe to them, and I eat that stuff up. Hanson's another guy I'll keep my eye on. But that's about it these days. The likes of Cole, Steen, etc. are better represented in their angles & matches over on the West Coast with PWG.

 

Oh, and spoiler: Something Savage - not Irish. Sadly, also not a Poffo.

 

I'd include the KOW and Briscoes stuff in there as well. I personally liked almost every feud both teams were in, especially with each other. The Briscoes/ANX blood feud was pretty good stuff.

[Bix]

So who else is going to be at the NYC show on Saturday? I'm looking forward to Steen-Nakamura and curious who Okada's MYSTERY OPPONENT!!! is gonna be.

[WingedEagle]

I'll be there as well, with a friend who's probably watched 2 hours of wrestling total in his life. I have to be up ridiculously early on Saturday for the Brooklyn half marathon and there will likely be a few drinks after that, so we're going to need a power nap to get us to the evening. But I am STOKED to see the New Japan crew and hopefully grab some cool merch if they've got anything unique available.

 

Really hope they put Okada in a showcase match and don't have it be something quick in the mid-card.

[rovert]

So who else is going to be at the NYC show on Saturday? I'm looking forward to Steen-Nakamura and curious who Okada's MYSTERY OPPONENT!!! is gonna be.

 

I'd assume Christopher Daniels. Devitt wrestles in London Sunday afternoon so it can't be him.

[MFoy]

I'll be there on Saturday too. I'm excited but slightly concerned about it being too long and burning out the crowd.

[rovert]

Ok Okada vs Tanahashi makes sense as the cool thing.

[Superstar Sleeze]

So who else is going to be at the NYC show on Saturday? I'm looking forward to Steen-Nakamura and curious who Okada's MYSTERY OPPONENT!!! is gonna be.

 

Just got my ticket in the general admission section. Liger is over the hill blah blah blah. I don't fucking care I am going to see JUSHIN FUCKIN THUNDER LIGER LIVE!!!! I am so pumped. I am a pretty big AJ mark so I will be happy to see him again live. I like Nakamura a lot and from what I remember Tanahashi and Okada are decent (I watched their 2012 matches when they happened but have not watched them since). This will be my first ROH show since like 2009, but getting to see the New Japan contingent without having to go to Tokyo made this must see.

[Mini Bennett]

I'll probably check out the Hammerstein show due to it actually predominantly featuring New Japan guys wrestling ROH guys, unlike the Toronto show.

 

I'm also more than a little disappointed that Chris Hero isn't on the show. I have an inkling he and Okada could have had a MOTY contender.

[Petey]

I hope Jimmy Rave appears as the mystery opponent. The heat would be tremendous. Of course, it's just a fake out and Okada kills him in 2 minutes and then someone legit actually comes out as said mystery opponent.

[Ditch]

I hope Jimmy Rave appears as the mystery opponent. The heat would be tremendous. Of course, it's just a fake out and Okada kills him in 2 minutes and then someone legit actually comes out as said mystery opponent.

Jimmy Rave might be hesitant to face someone when the finish involves taking an overwrought lariat.

[WingedEagle]

Woke up at 430, ran a PR in the Brooklyn half and just completed an epic nap. Time to pregame a bit and hopefully eat a BOMA YE tonight!

[tim]

I enjoyed the show tonight but it sure didn't evoke any desire to watch current ROH ever again.

[Petey]

 

I hope Jimmy Rave appears as the mystery opponent. The heat would be tremendous. Of course, it's just a fake out and Okada kills him in 2 minutes and then someone legit actually comes out as said mystery opponent.

Jimmy Rave might be hesitant to face someone when the finish involves taking an overwrought lariat.

 

Yeah, especially after that happened in his match with Nigel McGuinness and Rave wound up with a broken jaw.

[The Thread Killer]

I made the mistake of ordering Final Battle 2013 on PPV last night. That show was terrible - practically unwatchable. During the Moose vs. RD Evans match, I found myself waxing nostalgic about the greatness of the Heroes of Wrestling PPV back in 1999.

[Dwide Schrude]

The first mistake was ordering a card

 

 

I made the mistake of ordering Final Battle 2013 on PPV last night. That show was terrible - practically unwatchable. During the Moose vs. RD Evans match, I found myself waxing nostalgic about the greatness of the Heroes of Wrestling PPV back in 1999.

 

The first mistake was ordering a card that's a year old.

[SomethingSavage]

Haha. Beat me to the punch there.

 

I haven't caught the show yet, but I plan on scoping it out later today or maybe tomorrow sometime. Heard good things about both the main & the Tag Title bout.

 

Curious to see how Strong/Page is booked, and I figure the six-man will be a truckload of fun if nothing else.

[The Thread Killer]

The main event was basically a garbage match. Now I don't mind a good senseless brawl, but I don't think it should have been in the Main Event of their second ever Live PPV. Lower on the card, maybe. Secondly, it was basically a New Jack style match, staples, thumb tacks, etc. Not horrible for what it was, but I expected better.

 

The tag title match was fair to good in parts, but it was a spotfest with no psychology to speak of. And all four guys in the ring at the same time for the second half of the match - to hell with the standard tag team format, face or even heel in peril, tagging in and out, etc. Just a whole lot of kicking out of finishing moves and highspots.

[sek69]

Briscoe-Cole was a blood feud, I'm not a huge fan of the type of match they had but it absolutely made sense given the lead in. The only odd part was that apparently ROH had a WWE style "plans change" moment and Cole was originally supposed to win, but once the decision was made not to have a ROH title match on the Tokyo Dome show they changed the finish.

 

I thought the show was fine, Moose-Evans was more or less an Angle Advancement Match. Veda Scott's heel turn was Ray Charles level obvious, but it provided the line of the night over on the WON board when she was celebrating with Nana's crew: "three black guys and a white chick, that's how every good porno starts off".