[2003-07-19-ROH-Death Before Dishonor] Raven vs CM Punk (Dog Collar)

[Superstar Sleeze]

Raven vs CM Punk - ROH Death Before Dishonor Dog Collar

Death Before Dishonor is a great name for a Wrestling Supercard. 

Thankfully they include the pre-match promo and post-match angle on the ROH DVD I bought. I always love when I get a chance to dig into my DVD collection. Early CM Punk is a great promo reminds me a lot of MJF in terms of conviction and cadence (the Better Than You stuff does naturally draw comparisons). As someone who has never drank or did drugs, reading about CM Punk in high school actually did mean a lot to me. It was cool to know there was someone else out there who was proud of being alcohol-free and drug-free. I stopped identifying as Straight Edge even though my lifestyle never changed (I still dont drink or do drugs) but I thought sXe culture is too judgmental. I am not proud to be alcohol-free or drug-free I just happen to be alcohol-free and drug-free. CM Punk mocking Danny Doring who is probably the lowest rent ex-ECW hack you could fine was pretty good and then the post-match angle with Tommy Dreamer saving Raven from getting beer dumped all over him was so awesome! Great moment! In 2003, ECW nostalgia feels fresh. Dreamer wearing a Hooters basbeball jersey is very on brand. CM Punk made a big deal about alcohol never touching his lips so it was obvious that that Raven was going to force feed him beer and so he did! OH HELL YEAH! GOOD SHIT!

The match itself was fine. Nowhere near as good as the promos, character work and angles. I think it would have been better if ti was five minutes shorter. The shine felt more like a heel in peril. it was a lot of pummeling. It was not very fun or uptempo. Punk's lowblow was a good first heel move of the match. Liked Raven's Million Dollar Kneelift in response. Good I will not be denied spot. Raven set up the table so he went through it. Now Punk starts to work. Liked the chained wrapped around the knee for the knee drop. Lots of crowd brawling with fan participation. Punk yanks Raven down the steps. Raven does my least favorite comeback a series of Clotheslines where he lands on his knees after doing the clotheslines. Raven uses the Million Dollar Kneelift and Drop Toehold to the Chair. Goes for covers after each which I dont get. This is a blood feud dont you want to hit that Spike DDT and do maximum damage before you win. Ref is bumped and Raven DDT. Gets the visual pin. Cabana low blows and DDT on chair! Doring saves and runs Cabana off. Punk covers and wins. This puts over the DDT huge that after all that time Punk could still win. Punk looks extra scummy because he was about to lose and didnt even hit his own move after to win, which is genius heel booking. Loved the post-match angle like I said which lifts the overall match up but not by much. I am glad I finally watched some early CM Punk. This was my first time ever seeing CM Punk in ROH. ***1/2 

[ShittyLittleBoots]

This is a really good match, and as an overall package w/ Punk's pre-match promo & the whole post-match included, it's a pretty memorable one as well. I thought they made good usage of the Dog Collar gimmick with the chain coming into play in many of the momentum swifts, and both Punk & Raven offered rock-solid performances in their respective roles. Punk sold extremely well when Raven was kicking his ass all over the place, and Raven looked good doing the said ass-kicking; the clothesline frenzy he went on after Punk's control period pretty late in the match was the highlight of the thing in my eyes. That was some really good shit, as was the match as a whole. Sure Raven's initial shine maybe went on for a bit too long, but I thought Punk's selling made up for it, and the energy & the heat between 'em never left during it, so it's fine. Punk also looked great when controlling things; I especially loved when he picked up the microphone to talk some shit to Raven while beating him down, truly shining as the proud, cocky youngster heel that he was. A pretty damn great performance from him overall I thought, pre- & post-match included. ***1/2

[TonyPulis'Cap]

The Raven/Punk feud is pretty legendary, but one where it feels like the matches themselves could never quite live up to the storyline and promos around them - which is not to say they were bad, just that the promos were so good (such as the one Punk delivers before the match here). In saying that, this is a match that does deliver in-ring and I really enjoyed it. There's some great intensity from Raven early on, and as others have said, while that does maybe go a bit too long, it shows that in the hardcore/brawling environment Raven is in his element and he is able to dominate. Punk takes a great arse kicking and does a pretty nasty blade job. 

People's enjoyment of crowd brawling varies, but I thought here it added to the chaotic nature of the match and they did enough out there to keep you engaged. I also enjoyed how they were creative with the dog collar spots, meaning they worked the stipulation into the match rather than it just be window dressing to a more regular No DQ match. Punk was still finding himself as a worker at this stage, but in terms of a character he was on point, and I liked that a lot of his heel control was him talking on the mic and berating Raven rather than anything particularly physical - working to his strengths.

The ending with Cabana getting involved feels like the right kind of gaga finish in the context of continuing the feud, and both guys end up coming out of it positively. The post match angle with Dreamer and the beer is also really effective in terms of highlighting the personal nature of the feud, and maybe I'm factoring that in slightly in my match rating, but I thought this was a great brawl. It has energy and intensity to it, and doesn't descend into furniture building and hardcore match tropes that end up taking away from the storyline as often happens today. (*** 3/4) 

[ohtani's jacket]

Meh, I have no interest in watching a wrestling feud about drugs and alcohol. These guys tried to work a decent dog collar match, but this is no Valentine vs. Piper. Raven was uninspiring. The ECW stuff didn't hit a sweet spot for me since I was never an ECW fan. I can totally see other people enjoying these things, but not for me.