Supersonic presents The Lapsed ROHbot

[supersonic]

A quick introduction:

Some of you know me more over the past 13-14 years as “Supersonic” throughout various message boards. During that time eight years ago, having grown frustrated with Jim Cornette’s direction with Ring of Honor under the ownership of Sinclair Broadcast Group, I went back to ROH’s birth and chronicled “The Good Shit” on message boards, spending 5.5 years reviewing roughly the same amount of years for ROH and other promotions, concluding with Man Up.

With over 2.5 years of not reviewing anything since, I now feel recharged and will once again go back in time during this pandemic. But this time, it’s different; no longer am I cherry-picking just “The Good Shit,” and no longer am I wasting these away on message boards. Although I grew as a reviewer, the early ROH events didn’t get the best effort from me; now they will.

In addition, as a dedicated member of the Lapsed Fan Wrestling Podcast’s “Solar System,” it’s become crystal-clear over the past several years that while the business has grown in many ways, it’s also largely evolved away from many of its emotional intangibles that once truly hooked viewers. Of the many different hashtags and catchphrases that have come from that podcast, one has stood out above the rest:

It used to be better.

And this is your chance to learn why that’s completely true for ROH. This won’t be some rose-colored glasses bullshit.

Throughout the 2020s decade, I am reviewing every ROH event of the company’s first nine years and four months (sans the Do or Die jobber/tryout cards.) Every DVD event. Every PPV. Every TV episode that would come so many years later. It’s all going to be chronicled.

This journey will capture a time period that will never be duplicated. It’s a time when a monopolized mainstream giant arrogantly spent a decade allowing the underground to become arguably the premier spot for the most dedicated, passionate pro wrestling fans.

And during that decade spanning from the end of the Monday Night War all the way to a certain Chicago wrestling icon’s barrier-breaking “Pipebomb” style promo being brought onto mainstream cable television, no underground company benefited more than Ring of Honor.

But before digging into ROH’s first chapter in February 2002, the stage was set throughout 2001 in the wake of WCW and ECW’s death, as well as one pioneer’s bad choices that briefly landed him back in the underground.

As I’m about to dig into the 2001 chapters that would eventually spawn ROH, I want to thank Voices of Wrestling for being the introductory and currently exclusive home to this journey. I can’t think of a more fitting platform than the very site that was spawned from the summer of events which ended the decade-long period that this journey will cover.

This is the Lapsed ROHbot.

ARCHIVE:

Prologue: APW's 2001 King of Indies (Plus More)
https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2020/05/29/the-lapsed-rohbot-prologue-apw-king-of-indies-2001-plus-more/

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The Lapsed ROHbot’s journey begins with APW’s 2001 King of Indies, plus a few other early 2000s underground gems that set the stage for ROH.

2002

The Era of Honor Begins - February 23, 2002
https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2020/06/12/the-lapsed-rohbot-roh-the-era-of-honor-begins-2-23-2002/

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The birth of ROH signifies a bang in both the best and worst ways, delivering an all-time classic plus a textbook example on building stars, as well as a disgraceful capture of what Western society once was.

[supersonic]

After re-subbing to the Observer, I found a gem that's available online and got it inserted into the Prologue:

Doug Williams defending the FWA British Heavyweight Championship against Christopher Daniels at FWA Crunch 2002.

In addition, spelling/grammar errors have been corrected.

[supersonic]

As we reflect on a horrific tragedy that took place 4 years ago today, the journey now officially enters the era of honor.

The Era of Honor Begins - February 23, 2002
https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2020/06/12/the-lapsed-rohbot-roh-the-era-of-honor-begins-2-23-2002/

The birth of ROH signifies a bang in both the best and worst ways, delivering an all-time classic plus a textbook example on building stars.

[supersonic]

Round Robin Challenge - March 30, 2002
https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2020/09/04/the-lapsed-rohbot-roh-round-robin-challenge-3-30-2002/

Can Ring of Honor appropriately follow up its historic debut, or was it all just a flavor of the month?

[supersonic]

Other than the flagship that is The Lapsed ROHbot, there's nothing available from any promotion in April 2002 that provides enough to warrant its own chapter on this journey. For the first time, it's all being thrown together, similarly to the initial Prologue of this lapsed timeline that looked at 2001 and early 2002.

The first edition of the Lapsed Journeyman:

Road to "A Night of Appreciation" (April 2002)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15nFtS8DJKudgZzSuxJRUqsl0iruW0VL3uDnzXpQkiZ0/edit?usp=sharing
DISCLAIMER: Due to time constraints, Voices of Wrestling wasn't able to get this one posted, so it's temporarily available here as a viewing-only Google Doc for those who want to read this stuff chronologically.

An all-time heated inter-promotional tag from puroresu highlights a month of action that also includes CZW and IWA-MS.

And the flagship that is the Lapsed ROHbot:

A Night of Appreciation - April 27, 2002
https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2020/12/31/the-lapsed-rohbot-roh-a-night-of-appreciation-4-27-2002/
DISCLAIMER: Thinking of drinking/partying tonight? You might wanna give this one a read then.

As ROH bids farewell to one Hall of Famer, another Hall of Famer makes his ROH debut in spectacular fashion.