Memphis Mark Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Well , Samoa Joe is returning to ROH on June 20 . A TV taping in NYC . Apparrently Joe can work wherever he wants .including ROH and NJPW . I cannot recall when the WWE booked a free agent but I guess there is a first time for everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Well , Samoa Joe is returning to ROH on June 20 . A TV taping in NYC . Apparrently Joe can work wherever he wants .including ROH and NJPW . I cannot recall when the WWE booked a free agent but I guess there is a first time for everything. Rhyno has the same deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Â Well , Samoa Joe is returning to ROH on June 20 . A TV taping in NYC . Apparrently Joe can work wherever he wants .including ROH and NJPW . I cannot recall when the WWE booked a free agent but I guess there is a first time for everything. Rhyno has the same deal. Â Â So does Leva Bates, but I think there's an important difference that makes Joe's contract somehow revolutionary in how WWE is doing business. Bates and Rhyno are just talent, specifically in NXT they are being used as enhancement talent while on the indies they are booked as well thought of names. Joe is being pushed as a star, complete with merch, by WWE and he's still being booked as a main eventer on the indies, including in the promotions that are arguably the biggest competitors to the WWE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Joe is also working ROH TV which is the biggest deal of them all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shining Wiz Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 WWE hasn't 'created' a new top level star they're willing to really get behind since John Cena. You can say that's because with Cena around, there's no room at the top, but the fact remains. In 2002, when Cena proper debuted, we were on the tail end of the boom where there were 3 legit 'big leagues' and booming indy scene that gave a lot of people room to grow and improve before WWE could pick and choose who they wanted. Â Over the past 10 years, the only guys to have really stepped up and broken out of the pack in WWE have been former indy darlings like Punk and Danielson. They knew instinctively how to get over and did so to an extent that they couldn't be ignored no matter how much some may have wanted to. Â Now, you've got NXT. WWE's attempt to capitalize on indy wrestling and grab the income there from. And one of the constants of indy wrestling has almost always been the 'non-exclusive' nature of it, and by that nature, the cross promotion. Some promotions have drawn the ire of fans by not allowing their performers to work with certain groups. We just want to see the best wrestlers have the best matches, and whatever gets in the way of that sucks. Â So, now you have a guy like Joe. WWE proper has no plans for him immediately. But he's an immediate headliner in NXT. But NXT has a certain budget and cost structure which, to make Joe really happy, they'd have to break. So, they lock Joe up for all their own shows, but let him travel and work whereever as long as it doesn't conflict, just like a real indy. Joe makes more money, NXT keeps it budget structure intact and gets promoted every time Joe shows up, and keeps the good will of the hardcore fanbase they're cultivating. Â On top of all that, the Joe-style contract has to look pretty attractive to a lot of indy workers who don't want to take the big paycut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cox Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Is Samoa Joe the first true independent contractor WWE has hired in a long time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillThompson Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Is Samoa Joe the first true independent contractor WWE has hired in a long time? Â Nope, they've been using Leva Bates and Rhyno in that role for a while now. There may be others as well, not sure though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Last 2 weeks of TV have continued the strong run ROH has been on. ACH/Page was really fun for what it was and a great contrast on the same show with Briscoes/War Machine, which I absolutely loved and may very well be my favorite TV match of 2015. Great characters playing their role to perfection along with simple booking. Really digging things here right now. Â This week, Lethal/O'Reilly was a bit longer than I would've liked but paid off with a terrific finish that I hope is a precursor to a post-PPV KOR singles run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 This weeks tv was another strong episode. The highlight being Lethal vs O'Reilly.  Lethal vs O'Reilly   I thought this was an excellent match and Lethal's best match this year. It was mostly O'Reilly working on top so we were saved having Lethal work on top for a long stretch. Lethal was great at taking an ass kicking. I liked how O'Reilly used the headlock early in the bout. The commentators were great at getting over the significance of it in Minnesota comparing it to Bock/Robinson. Kyle went from the head, then started going after the arms and legs. Lethal was really great at selling the arm along with his facials. Lethal using the Lethal combination bothered me a bit. I love how he protected the bad limb on Hail to the King. I thought the finish was phenomenal. O'Reilly really feels like a top 10 guy. Post match Lethal shit cans the selling and I took it down a notch because it really bothered me. Still great stuff. 4* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Apparently ROH debuts on Destination America next Wednesday, 6/3, at 8pm. Stoked that I no longer have to watch online, and excited that they have a legit opportunity to expand. Remind me to never get divorced from DA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Joe is working a TV taping. That doesn't mean he can't work a dark match in between episodes or at the end of the show and do autograph signings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parties Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 I never watch this show, but Dylan's rec on the most recent Exile on Badstreet (calling it the best wrestling TV going) got me interested. Holy hell, was Lethal-O'Reilly ever impressive. I could nitpick about O'Reilly being a lousy promo, coming off like a peachfuzzed teenage dweeb. Or the superfluous "boo-yay" trading of punches. But none of it matters when a match is that fun. Really well-executed back and forth title fight, with both guys looking major league in the process. Really liked the finish and subsequent angle that came from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 I never watch this show, but Dylan's rec on the most recent Exile on Badstreet (calling it the best wrestling TV going) got me interested. Holy hell, was Lethal-O'Reilly ever impressive. I could nitpick about O'Reilly being a lousy promo, coming off like a peachfuzzed teenage dweeb. Or the superfluous "boo-yay" trading of punches. But none of it matters when a match is that fun. Really well-executed back and forth title fight, with both guys looking major league in the process. Really liked the finish and subsequent angle that came from it. It's not just a one trick pony. The t.v has been good-great all year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 Echoing Shoe's thoughts. I've stayed on top of the last 6-8 weeks and am looking forward to starting with it on tv this week rather than downloading every Saturday. Its easy to watch and along with Lucha Underground a great change of pace to WWE that easily flies by and always gives you something entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradhindsight Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 . Or the superfluous "boo-yay" trading of punches. But none of it matters when a match is that fun. Really well-executed back and forth title fight, with both guys looking major league in the process. Really liked the finish and subsequent angle that came from it. Â I normally don't like those spots either, and to be fair, I don't believe the ROH crowd boo-yays that much (I could be wrong) but Lethal's initial strikes actually looked good and I liked how it led to O'Reilly's more advanced strikes, and subsequently Axe and Smash. I'm glad you checked this one out as it was definitely the best Lethal has looked. Awesome match, great reversal into the finish, and I actually thought - damn, they missed an opportunity to use that spot to actually move the belt down the road. O'Reilly wouldn't be a bad TV champ if they transition away from Red Dragon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradhindsight Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 Old news (ROH isn't always great with archiving the most recent TV when new TV drops) but finally got a chance to check out the 6-man tag from the SanAntonio tapings. The pop for El Patron is GREAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 FINALLY all caught up with the last year or so of ROH and, I hate to just repeat everyone else, but man, is this promotion on a roll. Just finished Global Wars Night 1 which I thought was a solid enough show though nothing really stayed with me, other than the crazy main event. I thought some of the pairings didn't lend themselves to good matches; Elgin/Tanahashi for one. Nakamura/ACH felt like it needed another few minutes to really kick up a gear but I thought Okada/Alexander was really nicely put together with Okada giving Alexander plenty of opportunities to look good. Starting up War of the Worlds now and can't wait to see the other NJPW stuff roll out with the new TV slot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilTLL Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 Apparently they drew a solid crowd here in Oklahoma City last night. I'm glad, as I had a previous engagement and want to see them come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parties Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 5/30: Briscoes seem like the best promos in America right now. Totally credible, you buy them as both cartoon characters and genuinely scary threats in a way that recalls early Randy Savage. Bray Wyatt needs to start watching them on the mic. Â Will Ferrara-Kushida may be the worst possible NJ/ROH match, but you can't fault them for not giving away the bigger stuff. Or for trying to build Ferrara, though he did nothing to impress here. I never like Kushida in overwrought NJ junior tags, but he was decent here and the crowd liked his signature spots. Pretty abrupt, lame finish: Ferrara came away looking lousy. Â Kazarian actually cut a good promo to build to next week's tag title match with reDragon, and gets props for shaving his head and ditching the horrible receding wet new-wave wisps he had previously. Â Silas-Watanabe was mediocre. I like Silas' airplane spin. Match went nowhere. Watanabe is bland as hell, but to be fair, he hit a good neckbreaker, and the German on the floor was crazy. Â Whitmer's current character appears to be chatty, closeted Dad with a good job in finance who'll talk your ear off at the BBQ in hopes you'll come to his basement dungeon after the kids have gone to bed. I actually like the Whitmer-Corinos corruption angle. Moose gets a badass squash, and Colby deserves props for that beating. He's good for 18 years old. Steve was a little detached for a guy watching his son get destroyed, but this was a solid five minute segment. Â Briscoes-Dijak/Diesel was another good build to Jay vs. Jay. Lethal deserves credit for being so good on commentary: his line about how it wasn't he who was challenging for the world title, but Briscoe who was challenging for his TV belt was really on point heel stuff. Ditto getting furious about Papa Briscoe watching chickens all day. J. Diesel officially marks one too many guys in this feud named "Jay". Match was solid. Heels didn't impress me at all, so much so that I wanted to fast forward though their control segment. But the Briscoes are on fire right now, and it was a lot of fun to see them run roughshod with the clubberin'. Strong finish to end the show. Â Looking forward to Dalton Castle vs. Liger next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 5/30: Briscoes seem like the best promos in America right now. Totally credible, you buy them as both cartoon characters and genuinely scary threats in a way that recalls early Randy Savage. Bray Wyatt needs to start watching them on the mic. Â Will Ferrara-Kushida may be the worst possible NJ/ROH match, but you can't fault them for not giving away the bigger stuff. Or for trying to build Ferrara, though he did nothing to impress here. I never like Kushida in overwrought NJ junior tags, but he was decent here and the crowd liked his signature spots. Pretty abrupt, lame finish: Ferrara came away looking lousy. Â Kazarian actually cut a good promo to build to next week's tag title match with reDragon, and gets props for shaving his head and ditching the horrible receding wet new-wave wisps he had previously. Â Silas-Watanabe was mediocre. I like Silas' airplane spin. Match went nowhere. Watanabe is bland as hell, but to be fair, he hit a good neckbreaker, and the German on the floor was crazy. Â Whitmer's current character appears to be chatty, closeted Dad with a good job in finance who'll talk your ear off at the BBQ in hopes you'll come to his basement dungeon after the kids have gone to bed. I actually like the Whitmer-Corinos corruption angle. Moose gets a badass squash, and Colby deserves props for that beating. He's good for 18 years old. Steve was a little detached for a guy watching his son get destroyed, but this was a solid five minute segment. Â Briscoes-Dijak/Diesel was another good build to Jay vs. Jay. Lethal deserves credit for being so good on commentary: his line about how it wasn't he who was challenging for the world title, but Briscoe who was challenging for his TV belt was really on point heel stuff. Ditto getting furious about Papa Briscoe watching chickens all day. J. Diesel officially marks one too many guys in this feud named "Jay". Match was solid. Heels didn't impress me at all, so much so that I wanted to fast forward though their control segment. But the Briscoes are on fire right now, and it was a lot of fun to see them run roughshod with the clubberin'. Strong finish to end the show. Â Looking forward to Dalton Castle vs. Liger next week. Castle and Liger ruled but was the 3rd or 4th best match of the tapings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've participated in an ROH thread on any board anywhere--the last show I saw was an event in Dayton in 2007. And even with the underwhelming response to the episode, I really quite enjoyed the debut on DA tonight. This (or the local syndie show, I guess) is going to go into the DVR for awhile. Agreed that Lethal's commentary was a real highlight. Â All those Jays in the main event was worse than late '80s Crockett, when they had like 18 guys in the undercard with the last name "Royal." It's enough to make you appreciate where WWE is coming from in not having multiple Shanes or Lances on the roster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 The DA debut wasn't bad at all, four matches in a one hour show is nice to see. None of the matches blew me away, although I did enjoy the Whitmer/Moose/Colby angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quentin Skinner Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 This was one of the weaker shows to debut with on DA, but hey it advanced some stories and I'm really looking forward to that Lethal/Briscoe match Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 The next three weeks are gold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quentin Skinner Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Roddy/Nakamura is going to be on one of these episodes correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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