On May 10th, 2008 indy darling Ring of Honor debuted in the famous Manhattan Center in New York City for one of their biggest live events ever, aptly titled A New Level. This show was a landmark event for one of the Internet’s most beloved promotions, and they filled one of the largest venues they’d ever performed in. Did the wrestling action make the most of this opportunity to impress a big crowd?
TODAY’S ISSUE: ROH presents A New Level.
The show started with a bang, jumping right into a three-way bout for the Full Impact Pro world heavyweight title. FIP, for those who don’t know, is ROH’s sister promotion. Many wrestlers work for both companies and championships are cross promoted, as was the case in this match. The contest featured defending champion Roderick Strong and his longtime nemesis Erick Stevens, still in the midst of their epic war over the FIP strap at that point, and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Go Shiozaki, today the current reigning GHC heavyweight champion. Shiozaki never fails to impress during his U.S. incursions, and he was a welcome addition to this battle for the belt.
These are three strong guys who strike very hard, take a wicked beating, and never stop charging forward. As you’d imagine, the three put on a hard-fought, entertaining battle as Strong survived a doubly dangerous challenge to his FIP crown. Two months after this event, Stevens would reclaim the FIP world heavyweight title from Strong, and less than a month later Shiozaki would end Stevens’ second FIP world title reign and hold the belt for 119 days with five successful title defenses to his name. But on this night, it was Strong who outlasted the other two sluggers and maintained his hold on the FIP gold by sneaking in the back door and rolling Stevens up in a cradle from behind for the victory via pinfall, just seconds after Stevens had drilled Shiozaki with the Doctor Bomb, and appeared to have an advantage. Shady as it may have seemed, any win for the champ against two deadly opponents is a good win!
If it weren’t for some other very good performances, the second match on the card would have easily stolen the show. The tag team contest featuring Kevin Steen and El Generico against former ROH world tag team champions the No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards & Rocky Romero) was an outstanding performance, in fact it was so much fun that I had to go back for a second look before moving forward in the DVD. I don’t remember hearing too much about this match before, but it was clearly one of the top matches of 2008. Intense, hard hitting and exciting, this is the kind of action that ensures I’ll never regret my decision to pay for all my wrestling; you’d have to sit through a lot of sportz entertainment nonsense on television before finding such a high quality match for free in the “big two”. After a fantastic give-and-take sequence, Steenerico hit their package pile-driver/brain-buster combo on Davey Richards for the pinfall. Absolutely amazing wrestling action, and the NRC’s loss furthered the angle that would result in the end of their stable and eventually allow for Richards’ current push and rise up the card as a singles main event threat. You can’t ask for more than that from one match.
More tag team action followed in the form of a three-team scramble as the Sweet & Sour, Inc. duo of Chris Hero and Brent Albright met the student/teacher combo of Delirious and Pelle Primeau, and the Vulture Squad of Jigsaw and Jack Evans. Fans of ROH will correctly guess that this was something of an unstructured spotfest, but at least it was a fun one. Delirious managed to hit Chemical Imbalance II on Hero for the victory, and because I’m a Delirious mark and not a big fan of that version of Hero, that finish worked out nicely for me. Hero was starting to morph into is “That Young Knockout Kid” gimmick here, and working out the kinks of his rolling elbow strikes while the Vulture Squad flew around the ring, Primeau showed his usual heart and determination in the face of much larger opponents, and Albright was really big and powerful.
After the bell rang, the best was yet to come when Larry Sweeney verbally assaulted Albright and blamed him for the loss. Albright did mistakenly deliver a half-nelson suplex to his own partner during the match, but he had just been blinded and thought it was Delirious in front of him, not Hero. Albright was never pleased about being optioned into S&S by former HANGM3N stable captain Adam Pearce without Brent’s consent anyway, so when Sweeney got in his face here after giving him grief for weeks leading up to this event, Albright finally had enough. The submission technician let loose on the entire S&S squad, including a foolish Sara Del Rey who tried to attack Albright along with everyone else and paid the price for her poor decision. Brent cemented his brewing face-turn then and there, and the crowd ate it up.
Leading into intermission another import from Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH’s only Grand Slam winner Naomichi Marufuji squared off against the best in the world, the American Dragon Bryan Danielson in a breathtaking match that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Phrases like must-see, match of the night, MOTYC, phenomenal, incredible, outstanding, exciting, and breathtaking all come to mind. There were so many subtle maneuvers and psychological nuances during this match that I found myself lamenting the fact that the WWE-bound Dragon will likely soon be performing before crowds of sportz entertainment fans who may not appreciate the art form being executed at this advanced level. After a nail-biter of a contest that hit on all cylinders and truly showcased the best of the U.S. indy scene, Dragon finally achieved victory via his patented Cattle Mutilation submission hold. I honestly would have bought either man winning this very evenly-matched and hotly-contested showdown of company aces. They successfully merged striking, grappling, and high-risk spots in this entertaining hybrid performance that completely knocked my socks off. If you appreciate quality in-ring action with no ga-ga, this match alone makes the DVD well worth the sticker price. If the show ended right here, after four matches, I’d still strongly recommend it. And there was even more amazing action yet to come.
When the show got back underway following the break, they started with a short but impactful angle-advancement piece when Daizee Haze came out to the ring to announce an attendance record only to be quickly interrupted by the lovesick Delirious, who was there to ask her to dinner while sporting his full wrestling gear covered by a black shirt and white tie, and holding a red rose. But “Addicted to Love” Rhett Titus cut off the Lizard Man and made his own advances on the Haze, hitting her with his catchphrases including: Have you seen the size of these thighs? I’ve got shoulders the size of boulders! And the ever popular, The thrust is a must! I realize Titus’ gimmick is a rehash of about 15 or 20 other “Love God” characters from the modern era, but somehow he makes it work and he always delivers in these situations. Since this encounter kick-started a lot of storyline activity, including Delirious’ heel-turn and membership in the Age of the Fall, his feud against Titus, and an eventual return to the light side of the force with Haze as his spiritual guide, this short segment was well worth the time, especially considering it was the lone non-wrestling segment of the show.
Back to the action! The next match featured yet another visitor from NOAH, Takeshi Morishima, who at that time was the reigning GHC heavyweight champion. The Japanese Juggernaut went toe-to-toe with renowned brawler the Necro Butcher in a wild non-title battle with “relaxed rules”, which isn’t quite a no-DQ match, but the referee gives a lot of leeway. When they announce that a match is being contested under “relaxed rules”, you can expect to see chairs, crowd-brawling, and various other activities that are normally illegal in Ring of Honor. The reason for this match and the Dragon/Marufuji contest was that Dragon and Morishima were still feuding at this time, but NOAH officials didn’t want them tangling at this event since Dragon’s status as a former GHC junior heavyweight champion might create a source of contention if he were to wrestle the current heavyweight champ, so instead ROH allowed each man to select his rival’s opponent for the evening. Morishima chose countryman and fellow NOAH wrestler Marufuji to face Dragon, and Danielson threw a big box of crazy at Morishima in the form of the Necro Butcher.
For some reason the indy universe pushes Necro’s weak, silly-looking punches as death blows, and not even the former ROH world champion was an exception. Once a feared, dominant monster, Morishima sold the Butcher’s lame strikes as if he was being drilled by Triple H’s sledgehammer-o’-doom. Still, the superior wrestler won the day as Morishima’s size, power, and will to win was too much for the fighting hillbilly, and after enduring a merciless pounding, Necro fell victim to the Backdrop Driver and that was all she wrote. Being a huge detractor of the Necro Butcher, it was fun to watch Morishima stomp him into paste but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it again. That being the case, this was the lowest point of the show and it wasn’t too bad, which is saying something. Thankfully, the next contest would ensure things picked up in a major way…
Next, two concurrent Age of the Fall feuds merged in one match when Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black faced the makeshift team of Jay Briscoe and Austin Aries in a no-DQ match for the ROH world tag team titles. Jacobs had recently knocked Mark Briscoe out of active competition for three to six months by impaling Mark’s wrist with his dreaded railroad spike, forcing the younger Briscoe to seek a surgical solution for the damage. As one half of the reigning champs, Jay Briscoe was authorized by management to chose a substitute for his brother rather than relinquishing the tag straps due to losing his partner, so to shoulder Mark’s half of the load, Jay selected Aries. Aries had just seduced Jacobs’ main squeeze Lacey and liberated her from the Age of the Fall, breaking Jimmy’s heart in the process and causing his already limited grasp on reality to completely shatter. Days before A New Level was recorded, Jacobs attacked Lacey outside her fitness center in retaliation and caused her to (kayfabe) disappear, with only vague reports about her well-being and whereabouts surfacing. Needless to say Aries was not pleased, so both Briscoe and Aries had reason to want a piece of Jacobs and his followers.
This was a brutal war in which Jay bled buckets and all four men took years off their careers in the pursuit of the gold and their individual notions of justice. They managed to maintain some semblance of a wrestling match even while bringing the ultra-violence and the result was an entertaining campaign of carnage in which the viewer could almost smell the hatred between the warriors involved. Just when Aries was temporarily knocked out of action and the AoTF’s numbers game was succeeding against Jay, who was already in quite a weakened state due to his excessive blood loss, Mark Briscoe showed up in the nick of time sporting an awkward cast on his arm and executed his portion of the Doomsday Device, allowing the champs to retain their titles.
Jacobs, of course, didn’t take the loss well at all. So after the Briscoes departed ringside to celebrate the successful title defense, the Age of the Fall viciously assaulted Aries. However, instead of inflicting further physical damage with his spike when he had Aries at his mercy, the demented Jacobs chose to attack him emotionally, laying the blame at A Double’s feet for whatever vile acts Jacobs had committed against Lacey. Nobody in wrestling is better than Jacobs at portraying the sick, twisted madman, and he showed it here. The match made me want the Aries/Jacobs feud to kick into high gear (which it did after this) and also see more battles between the Briscoes and Jacobs/Black. Any time a promoter can entertain you and leave you willing to pay money for more chapters in the story, he’s doing something right.
In the main event, the very European Claudio Castagnoli challenged ROH world champion Nigel McGuinness for his coveted crown. Double C set aside his normal happy attitude and penchant for playing to the crowd in favor of a much more serious demeanor, demonstrating how important the world title is and how badly Claudio wanted to wrest it away from the dominant McGuinness. In fact, the build to this match including Castagnoli’s training montage increased the drama and established the big-fight feel before the opening bell sounded. During the match, Castagnoli gave Nigel a run for his money and came close to unseating the ROH king while enduring a devastating beating in the process. Although he was able to deliver his powerful Ricola Bomb finisher to Nigel, the same maneuver which allowed him to defeat McGuinness just two months earlier in a tag team match, this time the champ kicked out. That’s how good Nigel is, and part of the reason he was able to hold onto the title for so long; he continuously adapted his style and evolved as a wrestler, rising to the occasion time after time.
The Bad-Boy Brit remained true to form in the face of his evenly-matched challenger’s onslaught by working on a body part, wearing down Claudio’s shoulder in anticipation of the moment when he could slap on his devastating London Dungeon submission hold and force Double C to tap out, which is exactly how this championship match came to an end. This was an intense battle that showcased the skills of both athletes and made a fine finale to ROH’s biggest show to date.
In this particular DVD release, Ring of Honor foreswore the usual process of interspersing backstage interviews and vignettes amongst the wrestling action. Commentator Dave Prazak claimed this was because ROH being in the Manhattan Center was so special that they didn’t want to take the viewer away from the unique environment and positive vibe of the show. Something tells me that all the backstage video footage was lost or that they were unable to splice it in before the DVD release was due, but at least they gave a reasonable explanation for the slightly different format of this show. It’s little touches like that which help make ROH a thinking fan’s promotion, since instead of leaving us to wonder what happened, they not only made sense of it but flipped it to a positive thing to boot.
With five of the seven matches being highly entertaining, the tag team scramble match resulting in a satisfying finish and delivering an important storyline moment, and the Morishima squash of Necro Butcher at least sating the more base desires (to see dirty hillbillies getting beat up), A New Level is a strong DVD and a great addition to any wrestling fan’s library. I highly recommend you visit the Ring of Honor online store and purchase this show. Enjoy!
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “My favorite thing is to go where I have never gone.” - Diane Arbus
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Switch!
Growing up in the 1980s as a wrestling fan, I watched the old NWA territories breathe their dying breath. Today's NWA is just not the same. Back then, fans cheered their favorites and booed the villains - and we knew which was which, without a doubt. Now, it's not so simple.
WWE has thrived on a belief that their programming immitates life. Nobody is entirely good or entirely evil. The proverbial "good guy" could go off and attack his boss without a thought. The evil demon can be cheered louder than anyone. Former WWE and WCW booker Vince Russo, now writing for TNA, feels the concept of good vs. bad, face vs. heel, is dead. This is evident in his writing by frequent turns, often without a solid action to explain it. Why did Team 3D suddenly side with Rhyno? Why did D'Angelo Dinero offer Matt Morgan and Hernandez his support after portraying a cocky street preacher for weeks? Russo's writing doesn't seem to make sense if viewed under those 1980s ways. Today, the line has been blurred.
Today's feuds are not always driven by who is face and who is heel. They are driven by who the writer wants to show, who draws the most money, and who the promotion can use as their "poster child." If Ric Flair were feuding with Blackjack Mulligan today, would their program fit into today's mold? The two had fantastic ring chemistry and their promos were classic material, but that old school feel is most often left for a nostalgia pop, and not a headlining feud.
Times have changed, and the fans will either flock to it and change as well, or they will reject these changes and walk away from the new ways. It's really up to the fans what happens. Will the writers win, or will the fans revolt and refuse what's written? Time will tell.
WWE has thrived on a belief that their programming immitates life. Nobody is entirely good or entirely evil. The proverbial "good guy" could go off and attack his boss without a thought. The evil demon can be cheered louder than anyone. Former WWE and WCW booker Vince Russo, now writing for TNA, feels the concept of good vs. bad, face vs. heel, is dead. This is evident in his writing by frequent turns, often without a solid action to explain it. Why did Team 3D suddenly side with Rhyno? Why did D'Angelo Dinero offer Matt Morgan and Hernandez his support after portraying a cocky street preacher for weeks? Russo's writing doesn't seem to make sense if viewed under those 1980s ways. Today, the line has been blurred.
Today's feuds are not always driven by who is face and who is heel. They are driven by who the writer wants to show, who draws the most money, and who the promotion can use as their "poster child." If Ric Flair were feuding with Blackjack Mulligan today, would their program fit into today's mold? The two had fantastic ring chemistry and their promos were classic material, but that old school feel is most often left for a nostalgia pop, and not a headlining feud.
Times have changed, and the fans will either flock to it and change as well, or they will reject these changes and walk away from the new ways. It's really up to the fans what happens. Will the writers win, or will the fans revolt and refuse what's written? Time will tell.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – Boom! It’s over…
As fans of professional wrestling, we’ve been trained to expect a certain amount of action and give-and-take in a match before we believe the fight will come to an end. That’s why it’s tough to sell false-finishes in a big match situation; experienced observers know better. We expect victims of signature moves and submission holds to kick out or escape at least once (if not multiple times) because there’s so much on the line, and we realize there are chapters in most matches, and the average main event won’t jump right to the end of the story without taking us on a ride first. But this certainty ruins a fun element for the crowd…
TODAY’S ISSUE: Exciting, surprising finishes.
Last week I discussed the slow, methodical, premeditated breakdown of an opponent’s body part leading to a submission victory. On the other side of that coin is the out-of-nowhere maneuver that can catch a wrestler unawares and lead to a sudden, exciting win, usually thanks to a knockout. I mentioned Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Stunner and Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music among other wham-bam finishers last week; during his run at the top of the WWF Austin’s Stunner had a high likelihood of being hit in a flash and “stunning” an opponent long enough for Stone Cold to secure the win via pinfall. Since HBK stomped the mat ten times before delivering his super-kick, it wasn’t a surprise to fans when he knocked a guy’s teeth out with it.
In 1997-98, Diamond Dallas Page was on a big roll in WCW. Locker room politics and proximity of his home to Eric Bischoff’s aside, and regardless of how notorious Page was for planning his matches in intricate detail, DDP pulled off several exciting moments between the ropes. This was largely due to his ability to shock an opponent and surprise fans by drilling his victim with a modified Ace Crusher, known as the Diamond Cutter, from all angles at any given time with no set-up whatsoever. Paired with his never-say-die attitude and “People’s Champion” gimmick, the Diamond Cutter added an element of intrigue to his routine and kept viewers guessing how his matches would end. One thing few could argue, it was never dull watching Page wrestle.
About seven months ago, in the main event of WrestleMania XXV, Triple H and Randy Orton battled in the main event for the WWE Championship. Far outside the norm for WWE matches, Orton and HHH both delivered their signature finishing moves early in the bout but each failed to keep their opponent down for more than a count of two. This was exciting and different, since finishers aren’t normally seen until late in WWE main event contests but unfortunately, after creating this unusual new first chapter of a match, Orton and Triple H failed to deliver a compelling story to go along with it. It’s too bad, because they really broke the mold and caught fans’ attention (by doing something strategically smart but practically unheard of in going for their match-ending moves early on) but rather than building from there into a new type of classic contest, they just fizzled instead.
Incidentally, I never understood why within wrestling logic, if a match is extremely important it so much harder to knock out an opponent with the same move that normally kills ‘em dead. I get why a wrestler would be willing to endure the pain of a submission hold longer in a big match environment and would be less likely to tap out and more desperate to struggle to escape, but as far as knockouts go, “wanting it badly” shouldn’t affect the physiological response to a cranial blow. If your head gets hit hard enough, or if you get nailed on the jaw just right, you’re going out for a bit, regardless of what’s at stake. But I digress…
Sometime in 1985, in the midst of the famous feud which begat the Four Horsemen, Ric Flair and Magnum T.A. faced off in a match that looked to be another classic battle in their war. But five minutes into the contest, Flair hooked an inside cradle which the crowd clearly expected to be nothing more than an annoyance for the big, strong Magnum, but something highly unusual happened; the referee pounded the match three times, Magnum didn’t kick out and the match was over. I don’t know if there was an early injury, if somebody made a mistake, or if this was the intended outcome all along, but what a surprise it was to see such an unusually quick finish in a match between these heated rivals. Perhaps the bookers were so far ahead of their time that they added a heaping dose of reality-based writing into this feud. After all, why couldn’t an experienced, world-class grappler like Flair hook a tight cover from left field and catch Mangum with his eye off the ball? I loved how different this outcome was from the standard singles match formula we’ve all seen over and over again.
That Flair/Magnum match displayed that a wrestler can secure a surprising victory at an unexpected moment in a match, and while that shakes up the status quo it certainly lacks the drama and excitement of a knockout, like the ones Jake “the Snake” Roberts used to dish out during his WWF run in the late 1980s. The Snake used to plant opponents headfirst in the canvas with his devastating DDT, and it that was all she wrote. Roberts never worked over the neck or softened up his intended victims throughout the match, he just waited patiently for his opportunity, and struck like his nickname would suggest. Sometimes he’d set up for the DDT first with a short-arm clothesline, but that was more like the kick part of Austin’s KICKWHAMSTUNNER. The DDT normally just came out of nowhere and caught the victim and viewers completely off guard, which was the most entertaining part of the maneuver for us fans. On a side note, it’s a shame that a formerly deadly finisher has since become a transition move, but I guess one could always argue that today’s wrestlers grew up watching Jake the Snake and others earn victories with the DDT, so maybe their training included strengthening their own neck muscles and learning how to soften the blow somehow, perhaps absorbing some of it with their hands as they hit the canvas.
When watching boxing or MMA, there’s always the chance that one competitor will land a big shot early in the match and knock out his opponent before the poor slug even gets a chance to consider unfolding his game plan for the fight. While that shortens the match considerably, it can be more fun to watch than a boring-but-time-consuming fight that ends up with the crowd looking to the judges’ scorecards to tell them who won. There’s no questioning the victor when one man is on his feet and the other is flat on his back, out cold, and the same can be said for pro wrestling. Figuring out a way to trap your opponent’s legs and hold his shoulders to the mat for a three-count results in the same victory as a knockout, but it certainly doesn’t make the same statement as drilling him with some huge move, strike, or kick, and putting him to sleep due to the sheer force of your blow. That’s a dominant, violent, intimidating way to defeat a man, and it makes wrestling fans take notice.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “In middle life, the human back is spoiling for a technical knockout and will use the flimsiest excuse, even a sneeze, to fall apart.” - E.B. White
~~~~~~~~~~
The original version of this syndicated column, titled Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic, appears each Friday at midnight on Pulse Wrestling.
Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…
The Ace has another new feature? Aaron Glazer switches gimmicks more often than Mick Foley in 1999! The Wrestling Guy talks new blood in ROH, First Time Match-Ups, and why WWE should steal good ideas from the old territories.
Chris Morgado discusses CM Punk in this week’s Column With No Name.
Michael O’Mahony brings another Poll Position, this one about what TNA is doing right.
David Ditch continues the his look at Misawa in the finest Japanese wrestling column on the ‘Net,
Puroresu Pulse.
David Brashear keeps plugging away at his One Year in Memphis; this is a great read!
Il professore, Big Andy Mac reviews ROH’s A Cut Above DVD.
Finally this week, Anthony Perrillo kicks off a very interesting Pulse-wide effort 2009 Pulse Wrestling Fantasy Draft.
TODAY’S ISSUE: Exciting, surprising finishes.
Last week I discussed the slow, methodical, premeditated breakdown of an opponent’s body part leading to a submission victory. On the other side of that coin is the out-of-nowhere maneuver that can catch a wrestler unawares and lead to a sudden, exciting win, usually thanks to a knockout. I mentioned Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Stunner and Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music among other wham-bam finishers last week; during his run at the top of the WWF Austin’s Stunner had a high likelihood of being hit in a flash and “stunning” an opponent long enough for Stone Cold to secure the win via pinfall. Since HBK stomped the mat ten times before delivering his super-kick, it wasn’t a surprise to fans when he knocked a guy’s teeth out with it.
In 1997-98, Diamond Dallas Page was on a big roll in WCW. Locker room politics and proximity of his home to Eric Bischoff’s aside, and regardless of how notorious Page was for planning his matches in intricate detail, DDP pulled off several exciting moments between the ropes. This was largely due to his ability to shock an opponent and surprise fans by drilling his victim with a modified Ace Crusher, known as the Diamond Cutter, from all angles at any given time with no set-up whatsoever. Paired with his never-say-die attitude and “People’s Champion” gimmick, the Diamond Cutter added an element of intrigue to his routine and kept viewers guessing how his matches would end. One thing few could argue, it was never dull watching Page wrestle.
About seven months ago, in the main event of WrestleMania XXV, Triple H and Randy Orton battled in the main event for the WWE Championship. Far outside the norm for WWE matches, Orton and HHH both delivered their signature finishing moves early in the bout but each failed to keep their opponent down for more than a count of two. This was exciting and different, since finishers aren’t normally seen until late in WWE main event contests but unfortunately, after creating this unusual new first chapter of a match, Orton and Triple H failed to deliver a compelling story to go along with it. It’s too bad, because they really broke the mold and caught fans’ attention (by doing something strategically smart but practically unheard of in going for their match-ending moves early on) but rather than building from there into a new type of classic contest, they just fizzled instead.
Incidentally, I never understood why within wrestling logic, if a match is extremely important it so much harder to knock out an opponent with the same move that normally kills ‘em dead. I get why a wrestler would be willing to endure the pain of a submission hold longer in a big match environment and would be less likely to tap out and more desperate to struggle to escape, but as far as knockouts go, “wanting it badly” shouldn’t affect the physiological response to a cranial blow. If your head gets hit hard enough, or if you get nailed on the jaw just right, you’re going out for a bit, regardless of what’s at stake. But I digress…
Sometime in 1985, in the midst of the famous feud which begat the Four Horsemen, Ric Flair and Magnum T.A. faced off in a match that looked to be another classic battle in their war. But five minutes into the contest, Flair hooked an inside cradle which the crowd clearly expected to be nothing more than an annoyance for the big, strong Magnum, but something highly unusual happened; the referee pounded the match three times, Magnum didn’t kick out and the match was over. I don’t know if there was an early injury, if somebody made a mistake, or if this was the intended outcome all along, but what a surprise it was to see such an unusually quick finish in a match between these heated rivals. Perhaps the bookers were so far ahead of their time that they added a heaping dose of reality-based writing into this feud. After all, why couldn’t an experienced, world-class grappler like Flair hook a tight cover from left field and catch Mangum with his eye off the ball? I loved how different this outcome was from the standard singles match formula we’ve all seen over and over again.
That Flair/Magnum match displayed that a wrestler can secure a surprising victory at an unexpected moment in a match, and while that shakes up the status quo it certainly lacks the drama and excitement of a knockout, like the ones Jake “the Snake” Roberts used to dish out during his WWF run in the late 1980s. The Snake used to plant opponents headfirst in the canvas with his devastating DDT, and it that was all she wrote. Roberts never worked over the neck or softened up his intended victims throughout the match, he just waited patiently for his opportunity, and struck like his nickname would suggest. Sometimes he’d set up for the DDT first with a short-arm clothesline, but that was more like the kick part of Austin’s KICKWHAMSTUNNER. The DDT normally just came out of nowhere and caught the victim and viewers completely off guard, which was the most entertaining part of the maneuver for us fans. On a side note, it’s a shame that a formerly deadly finisher has since become a transition move, but I guess one could always argue that today’s wrestlers grew up watching Jake the Snake and others earn victories with the DDT, so maybe their training included strengthening their own neck muscles and learning how to soften the blow somehow, perhaps absorbing some of it with their hands as they hit the canvas.
When watching boxing or MMA, there’s always the chance that one competitor will land a big shot early in the match and knock out his opponent before the poor slug even gets a chance to consider unfolding his game plan for the fight. While that shortens the match considerably, it can be more fun to watch than a boring-but-time-consuming fight that ends up with the crowd looking to the judges’ scorecards to tell them who won. There’s no questioning the victor when one man is on his feet and the other is flat on his back, out cold, and the same can be said for pro wrestling. Figuring out a way to trap your opponent’s legs and hold his shoulders to the mat for a three-count results in the same victory as a knockout, but it certainly doesn’t make the same statement as drilling him with some huge move, strike, or kick, and putting him to sleep due to the sheer force of your blow. That’s a dominant, violent, intimidating way to defeat a man, and it makes wrestling fans take notice.
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “In middle life, the human back is spoiling for a technical knockout and will use the flimsiest excuse, even a sneeze, to fall apart.” - E.B. White
~~~~~~~~~~
The original version of this syndicated column, titled Alternate Reality by Vin Tastic, appears each Friday at midnight on Pulse Wrestling.
Elsewhere on Pulse Wrestling this week…
The Ace has another new feature? Aaron Glazer switches gimmicks more often than Mick Foley in 1999! The Wrestling Guy talks new blood in ROH, First Time Match-Ups, and why WWE should steal good ideas from the old territories.
Chris Morgado discusses CM Punk in this week’s Column With No Name.
Michael O’Mahony brings another Poll Position, this one about what TNA is doing right.
David Ditch continues the his look at Misawa in the finest Japanese wrestling column on the ‘Net,
Puroresu Pulse.
David Brashear keeps plugging away at his One Year in Memphis; this is a great read!
Il professore, Big Andy Mac reviews ROH’s A Cut Above DVD.
Finally this week, Anthony Perrillo kicks off a very interesting Pulse-wide effort 2009 Pulse Wrestling Fantasy Draft.
Monday, November 09, 2009
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – Body parts…
In a “sport” where there are so many ways to win, including pin fall, knock-out, count-out, and disqualification, the idea of forcing an opponent to give up because they can no longer endure the pain you’re dishing out is a powerful road to victory. Submissions can come from a variety of attacks but a strong game plan for the submission specialist, that wrestler who has perfected a favorite finishing maneuver, is to single out a specific body part and beat it mercilessly so that it’s aching and throbbing before the submission move is ever applied. Then, when the aggressor swoops in for the kill, the targeted limb is primed and ready for the final, debilitating, incredibly painful hold that will end the match.
TODAY’S ISSUE: Picking a body part and attacking it for a potential submission.
In the modern era of professional wrestling in which high-flying style, MMA influence, charisma and promos are an integral part of the program, a wrestler working a body part en route to a potential submission victory is one of the most time-honored, classic methods of telling an in-ring story. Along with a tag team cutting off the ring and focusing on one of their two opponents while making repeated tags to one another, the psychology of body part selection is about as old as the concept of heels versus faces, and when properly executed can make in-ring action much more dramatic and exciting than two guys pretending to punch and kick each other randomly with no sense of purpose or direction.
Unlike Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Stunner, DDP’s Diamond Cutter, AJ Styles’ Styles Clash or Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music, a submission hold won’t normally be effective it if comes out of nowhere; it usually requires some prior planning. Part of the reason I appreciate submission technicians is that they have a game plan and prepare in advance for their matches, unlike an “instinct” guy who just goes with the flow in the ring. The wrestler who builds his arsenal around a submission finish watches film, studies his opponent, and always works to find the opening required to start punishing a body part that his submission maneuver will exploit once it’s been sufficiently weakened and damaged. That’s a thinking man’s wrestler.
Perhaps one of the most respected and best in-ring performers ever, the Nature Boy Ric Flair did many different things in a match before he got to his bread and butter, the figure four leg-lock. He threw legendary chops to the chest, which obviously won’t win a match or even wear down an opponent for a leg submission later in the contest. They sting the chest and get the victim off his game plan thanks to the pain and humiliation of the strike, plus the crowd singing, “wooooo!” each time Flair connected surely affected the morale of the Nature Boy’s competition. He threw some hard punches to the jaw, but like his chops, those were chess moves to position Flair where he wanted to go strategy-wise, not intended to earn him victory. He played cat-and-mouse with his opponent, winning the battle of mind games and keeping his adversary off balance and frustrated until Flair finally got his shot, normally an underhanded one, to chop-block his victim’s knee from behind and start working over the leg, which Flair considered “taking him to school”.
All of this scheming by the Nature Boy was part of the plan to make the timing right for him to slap on that figure four. If you knew Flair’s in-ring work, you were never too surprised when he targeted the leg and started wearing it down, softening it up for his patented hold. It was always fun to watch that plan unfold, and each time his adversary grimaced, yelled in pain, or bashed his hands upon the canvas, Flair fans applauded the simplicity and effectiveness of the Nature Boy’s strategy. Countless opponents submitted to the figure four at the hands of Ric Flair, and any time a wrestler today pinpoints a body part with a tap-out in mind it’s something of an homage to Flair, whether it’s meant to be or not. That’s how powerful an influence the former 16-time world champion was on professional wrestling in the United States, and how sublime his targeted attack on his victim’s leg was.
Multiple-time world champion Bret the Hitman Hart utilized a leg-based attack much like Flair’s, which often included pounding his intended victim’s the lower back as well, as visions of the Sharpshooter submission hold danced in his head. Since this hold puts extreme pressure on the back and legs, Hart’s psychology was pure poetry. His so-called “five moves of doom”, a series of maneuvers he used when in control toward the end of a match, included a snap-suplex, a side Russian leg-sweep and a big back-breaker over his knee, all of which arguably punish the back and help set up the coup de grace, the Sharpshooter. A fan could almost envision Hart’s game plan unfolding as he pummeled his opponents leg and back while planning the exact perfect moment to execute the Sharpshooter and force yet another rival to submit, earning the Hitman a victory. For the many Bret Hart fans around the world, it was a pleasure to watch this great ring general execute such a flawless strategy and chalk up another “W”.
Former ROH world champion Nigel “Desmond Wolfe” McGuinness has many maneuvers in his offensive arsenal, and while his ridiculously stiff lariats never failed to beat his victims to a pulp, they also damaged his own arms in real life, but his set-up for submission victories was a safer style that ensured his own ring longevity and still gave the impression that he was tearing his opponents apart and making them suffer. By focusing on the left arm of his victim as he plans for the London Dungeon, Nigel makes the hold seem so devastating that when he finally slaps it on in the center of the ring, his challenger appears to be in big trouble. I’ll never forget the image of Tyler Black screaming in agony when the champ tied him up in the Dungeon during their first big meeting in the main event of the Take No Prisoners pay-per-view. Much like Flair, you could see Nigel’s wheels turning as he punished the arm, preparing his adversary to quit from the combination of pain and fear of long-term damage to his arm.
McGuinness’ strike-heavy attack was exciting, but his submission-based style displayed more of a pure wrestling comprehension, which is appropriate for the man who held the ROH Pure Wrestling title longer than anyone else. His grappling prowess is not to be trifled with, and I hope he shows it off in TNA against the likes of Kurt Angle, who also likes to force opponents to tap out with his ankle lock, although his path to the hold isn’t as methodical as other true submission specialists.
Speaking of Angle, plenty of wrestlers occasionally utilize submission moves without basing their entire move set on them. Reigning Ring of Honor world champion Austin Aries has the Last Chancery, John Cena pulls out the STF[U] from time to time, the American Dragon Bryan Danielson uses Cattle Mutilation, the Undertaker has his version of the Gogoplata known as Hell’s Gate, Delirious sometimes uses the Cobra Stretch, the deranged Jimmy Jacobs perfected the End Time, and once in a while CM Punk dusts off the Anaconda Vise, but few wrestlers who employ submission holds scheme, plot, and strategize more completely than Flair, Hart, and (to an extent) McGuinness have in the past. They were submission technicians who relied on a premeditated tactical attack to lead them to the moment where they could force their victim into the ultimate humiliation and admission of being bested by a superior opponent, the submission. What better way to wrestle your way to victory is there?
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “There is no calamity which a great nation can invite which equals that which follows a supine submission to wrong and injustice.” - Grover Cleveland
TODAY’S ISSUE: Picking a body part and attacking it for a potential submission.
In the modern era of professional wrestling in which high-flying style, MMA influence, charisma and promos are an integral part of the program, a wrestler working a body part en route to a potential submission victory is one of the most time-honored, classic methods of telling an in-ring story. Along with a tag team cutting off the ring and focusing on one of their two opponents while making repeated tags to one another, the psychology of body part selection is about as old as the concept of heels versus faces, and when properly executed can make in-ring action much more dramatic and exciting than two guys pretending to punch and kick each other randomly with no sense of purpose or direction.
Unlike Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Stunner, DDP’s Diamond Cutter, AJ Styles’ Styles Clash or Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music, a submission hold won’t normally be effective it if comes out of nowhere; it usually requires some prior planning. Part of the reason I appreciate submission technicians is that they have a game plan and prepare in advance for their matches, unlike an “instinct” guy who just goes with the flow in the ring. The wrestler who builds his arsenal around a submission finish watches film, studies his opponent, and always works to find the opening required to start punishing a body part that his submission maneuver will exploit once it’s been sufficiently weakened and damaged. That’s a thinking man’s wrestler.
Perhaps one of the most respected and best in-ring performers ever, the Nature Boy Ric Flair did many different things in a match before he got to his bread and butter, the figure four leg-lock. He threw legendary chops to the chest, which obviously won’t win a match or even wear down an opponent for a leg submission later in the contest. They sting the chest and get the victim off his game plan thanks to the pain and humiliation of the strike, plus the crowd singing, “wooooo!” each time Flair connected surely affected the morale of the Nature Boy’s competition. He threw some hard punches to the jaw, but like his chops, those were chess moves to position Flair where he wanted to go strategy-wise, not intended to earn him victory. He played cat-and-mouse with his opponent, winning the battle of mind games and keeping his adversary off balance and frustrated until Flair finally got his shot, normally an underhanded one, to chop-block his victim’s knee from behind and start working over the leg, which Flair considered “taking him to school”.
All of this scheming by the Nature Boy was part of the plan to make the timing right for him to slap on that figure four. If you knew Flair’s in-ring work, you were never too surprised when he targeted the leg and started wearing it down, softening it up for his patented hold. It was always fun to watch that plan unfold, and each time his adversary grimaced, yelled in pain, or bashed his hands upon the canvas, Flair fans applauded the simplicity and effectiveness of the Nature Boy’s strategy. Countless opponents submitted to the figure four at the hands of Ric Flair, and any time a wrestler today pinpoints a body part with a tap-out in mind it’s something of an homage to Flair, whether it’s meant to be or not. That’s how powerful an influence the former 16-time world champion was on professional wrestling in the United States, and how sublime his targeted attack on his victim’s leg was.
Multiple-time world champion Bret the Hitman Hart utilized a leg-based attack much like Flair’s, which often included pounding his intended victim’s the lower back as well, as visions of the Sharpshooter submission hold danced in his head. Since this hold puts extreme pressure on the back and legs, Hart’s psychology was pure poetry. His so-called “five moves of doom”, a series of maneuvers he used when in control toward the end of a match, included a snap-suplex, a side Russian leg-sweep and a big back-breaker over his knee, all of which arguably punish the back and help set up the coup de grace, the Sharpshooter. A fan could almost envision Hart’s game plan unfolding as he pummeled his opponents leg and back while planning the exact perfect moment to execute the Sharpshooter and force yet another rival to submit, earning the Hitman a victory. For the many Bret Hart fans around the world, it was a pleasure to watch this great ring general execute such a flawless strategy and chalk up another “W”.
Former ROH world champion Nigel “Desmond Wolfe” McGuinness has many maneuvers in his offensive arsenal, and while his ridiculously stiff lariats never failed to beat his victims to a pulp, they also damaged his own arms in real life, but his set-up for submission victories was a safer style that ensured his own ring longevity and still gave the impression that he was tearing his opponents apart and making them suffer. By focusing on the left arm of his victim as he plans for the London Dungeon, Nigel makes the hold seem so devastating that when he finally slaps it on in the center of the ring, his challenger appears to be in big trouble. I’ll never forget the image of Tyler Black screaming in agony when the champ tied him up in the Dungeon during their first big meeting in the main event of the Take No Prisoners pay-per-view. Much like Flair, you could see Nigel’s wheels turning as he punished the arm, preparing his adversary to quit from the combination of pain and fear of long-term damage to his arm.
McGuinness’ strike-heavy attack was exciting, but his submission-based style displayed more of a pure wrestling comprehension, which is appropriate for the man who held the ROH Pure Wrestling title longer than anyone else. His grappling prowess is not to be trifled with, and I hope he shows it off in TNA against the likes of Kurt Angle, who also likes to force opponents to tap out with his ankle lock, although his path to the hold isn’t as methodical as other true submission specialists.
Speaking of Angle, plenty of wrestlers occasionally utilize submission moves without basing their entire move set on them. Reigning Ring of Honor world champion Austin Aries has the Last Chancery, John Cena pulls out the STF[U] from time to time, the American Dragon Bryan Danielson uses Cattle Mutilation, the Undertaker has his version of the Gogoplata known as Hell’s Gate, Delirious sometimes uses the Cobra Stretch, the deranged Jimmy Jacobs perfected the End Time, and once in a while CM Punk dusts off the Anaconda Vise, but few wrestlers who employ submission holds scheme, plot, and strategize more completely than Flair, Hart, and (to an extent) McGuinness have in the past. They were submission technicians who relied on a premeditated tactical attack to lead them to the moment where they could force their victim into the ultimate humiliation and admission of being bested by a superior opponent, the submission. What better way to wrestle your way to victory is there?
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “There is no calamity which a great nation can invite which equals that which follows a supine submission to wrong and injustice.” - Grover Cleveland
Monday, November 02, 2009
The Rant Of The Week: Hogan Does It Again
Greetings conversationalists all across the fruited plain it is I your personal Harvester of Sorrow the one and only Phantom Lord and this is my Rant Of The Week. As always I am coming to you from the urban hellhole that is Brooklyn, New York and Halloween is almost upon us. I don’t know how it is elsewhere, but at least around here in this neighborhood it seems like with each passing year there are less and less kids trick or treating. Still plenty of incidents of busses being egged and shaving cream being used. I guess it’s just as well though. I mean it saves me the trouble of putting up a huge sign that says GO AWAY.
I am only kidding. While I am generally a bitter person, I am not that cold hearted despite what some might think. There are plenty of reasons to be joyful right now. For starters the greatest team in the history of all of sports, The New York Yankees are back in the World Series. Anthony from the Opie & Anthony show said it best on his Twitter after the game.
Fuck off Philly. We're not Tampa Bay. Have fun with your 1 championship dynasty.
It’s funny how New York and Philly have always hated each other. Back in ECW (the real ECW) there would always be a FUCK PHILLY or FUCK NEW YORK chant at shows. Ah I miss those good old days.
One good thing about writing this column by shooting from the hip is I really have no set game plan going in. I look at what news bits interest me and go from there. Doing this allows me to adapt when something big happens and today something BIG happened.
We have to fire up the Drudge sirens for this one.
I can honestly say I did not see this one coming. I’m kind of kicking myself right now because I could have went to that press conference thing at MSG. I figured it was just something stupid for Hogan’s new book and maybe that tour of Australia that he is doing. At the most maybe he was some how going to do a show at Madison Square Garden since I believe MSG is no longer exclusive to the WWE (but then again only the WWE can afford the building rental so it was a moot point). For years TNA has been trying to sign Hulk Hogan to some sort of deal so they could piggy back off him to maybe finally break the illusive 1.5 ratings mark and that day has finally come.
Right now there’s so much news breaking including the fact that apparently the signing of Hulk Hogan and Uncle Eric is only the beginning. Rumor on the Interweb has it that Ric Flair might be coming along for the ride since he signed a deal with Bischoff’s production company. TNA has been trying to get their hands on Ric Flair ever since his big send off at Wrestlemania 24 and considering the fact that Flair has alimony to pay to three ex wives, I’d say the chances of Ric Flair going to TNA have gone up ten fold. I’m all for this happening just because I’d love to see Flair vs. Sting and Flair vs. Foley again. As an added bonus Flair as X division champion would be all kinds of fun.
I still can’t believe TNA actually did it. I would love to have been a fly on the wall during the negotiations. On the one hand you know Hogan needs the money, but on the other you know TNA is so desperate to even get noticed by the WWE that they probably handed him a blank check and said “here’s the keys do what ever you want”. I imagine it more like the scene from Major League 2 where Roger Dorn is trying to buy the Indians and the owner keeps jacking up the price and finally he takes the highest offer that in the end will bankrupt him and the team. It probably wasn’t anything like that, but knowing how clueless Dixie is I am sure she rubber stamped her signature onto a huge contract that had the words CREATIVE CONTROL for me and all of my friends in it. As you can imagine this has given the IWC something to talk about for once as people are clearly divided on what Hogan means for TNA.
There are two schools of thought here. The first one is Hulk Hogan with his name and star power will finally help TNA make it over the hurdle that they’ve been trying to clear for years now. Things can only go up from here because Hogan has something to prove that there is plenty of gas left in the tank of Hulkamania.
The other theory which is the more popular one since there is a 95% chance it’s going to happen and that’s we will get a repeat of WCW from 1994 on where Hogan books himself into the top spot and books all his buddies and friends into top spots as well and all the real stars of the company get pushed aside and become so disillusioned that they end up quitting. Not to say I want to see all of that happen, but it’s like they say. If you don’t follow your history you are doomed to repeat it. I mean Dixie and the people at Spike must have seen WCW and heard the horror stories with these people in charge and I haven’t even gotten to Russo and Ferrara in charge of the booking yet…well for the time being they are anyway.
The way I see it, this is either the moment TNA finally gets their shit together and becomes a company worth a damn or they just put a gun to their head and it’s only a matter of time before the trigger is pulled.
Ironic I say that since Hogan in his new book that is coming out claims that he was minutes away from doing himself in if not for a phone call from Laila Ali. With all things Hulk Hogan I don’t know how much of this is him embellishing the story. I mean if you ask him right now about the match with Andre at Wrestlemania 3 he’ll tell you that Andre weighed over 700 pounds and the earth shook when he body slammed Andre and Andre died two weeks later from the power of Hulkamania. Point is Hogan can bullshit with the best of them. I also find it funny that TNA is betting the farm on Hogan and the publicity he can bring them and so far on his media appearances on Larry King, Howard Stern, Jimmy Fallon, and elsewhere he’s only mentioned TNA in passing.
But hey we’ll see what happens this Thursday. Maybe just mentioning them in passing is more then enough to get TNA over the hump and to the illusive 1.4 or dare I say 1.5 ratings mark. In the mean time it will be amusing to see who does come to TNA now as I said Flair is rumored but so are names like Goldberg, DDP, Austin, RVD, and others.
One thing I can’t understand is the Austin rumors. Stone Cold wants nothing to do with wrestling anymore. While I firmly believe he can wrestle a few matches if he wanted to (provided the money was really good), all these rumors of Austin going to TNA are hilarious. I am fairly certain Austin signed a deal with the WWE for his likeness along with making movies for them. I remember reading somewhere it was some long term deal and all he has to really do is show up a couple times a year on RAW and that’s it. I can’t imagine Austin who by all accounts is a very smart businessman would want to go to TNA. Austin much like Hogan likes to control how he is used and if you remember back to 2002 when he walked out of the WWE when they booked him in a King Of The Ring match with Brock Lesnar un-announced. He basically said why the hell would you want to throw that match away with no build up what so ever on television for free. We know how TNA loves to throw away matches for free on television so if hell did indeed freeze over and Steve Austin does go to TNA and he does decide to wrestle a couple of matches how long do you think it will take him to say fuck it when they book him in a match with say AJ Styles on an Impact that has no reason what so ever.
I just summed up TNA’s problems in a nutshell right there and that was with a situation that there’s a 99.999999% chance will never happen. TNA has signed Hogan. They can sign Flair, Goldberg, DDP, Bret Hart, The Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, Stone Cold, and the list can go on and on and on and it won’t make a lick of difference because the people that are in charge of TNA are morons. These people are content with PPV’s drawing in the five digits. They are perfectly fine with doing house shows to quarter sold buildings. They are perfectly fine with their TV ratings being stagnant. Maybe I am wrong and things are going to change, but with all of these people in power and the way things are run right now the chances of any of this changing are slim and none.
For now we shall see where things go, but I’m not to optimistic. TNA has gotten peoples hopes up before only to smash them into a million pieces.
BREAKING NEWS!!!
Impact drew a 1.3 rating which is amazing considering it was up against game 2 of the Yankees/Phillies series and College Football. Well I can imagine people in TNA were gloating about this one.
Wow a 1.3…if it were just a regular night it would be like double that.
Of course this will bolster some people in TNA thinking that they can have a show on Monday nights. Never mind the fact RAW isn’t even top ten much of the time anymore but they have to be delusional if they think they can take on Monday Night Football. Monday is just to stacked of a night for them to run on so I hope there are some sane people at TNA and Spike and they don’t do that. If there is a second should it should be on Saturday nights. Either have it on at the old 6pm slot that wrestling was on TBS for so long or have it on at 11 PM. It would be way easier to take on SNL then MNF.
Before all this stuff with Hogan happened, the biggest story of the year so far was the one that broke about two weeks ago when Shane McMahon announced he was resigning from the WWE effective on New Years Day of 2010. To say this caught everyone off guard would be an understatement. So far there has been nothing from anyone inside the WWE as to why Shane suddenly up and quit. All there is right now is speculation that maybe he is leaving to start or join an MMA promotion since Shane has a huge love for MMA. Apparently Shane is about the same age when Vince started his quest for world domination so if Shane has had enough with the three-ring circus that working for Vince is, it’s not out of the question to think he wants to break out on his own. He has made more then enough money over the years plus his wife is loaded due to her being a Mazolla (as in Mazolla cooking oil). So between the both of them they could easily buy into a company or front the start up cash for one.
Another theory is that Shane is stepping down so he can go work on his mothers Senate campaign.
I don’t think Shane would step down from the WWE just to work for his mother’s campaign. If it were simply that then they would have probably said something by now about it. But considering how tight lipped everyone in the WWE seems to be about it and how some reports have suggested that you don’t want to even dare bring this up to Vince it’s my best guess he’s leaving to do something more then just be a campaign manager. If one had to speculate (and as I said before here on the Internet that’s all we really can do) I like to think he stepped down because he was sick and tired of how much the product is really beginning to suck. And make no mistakes when I say the product you damn well know I mean WWE Raw. It’s the WWE’s pride and joy and right now it’s controlled by Triple H, HBK, John Cena, and Randy Orton. Basically if you are on the wrong side of them then you are pretty much guaranteed to be firmly stuck under the glass ceiling. The WWE isn’t really trying anymore. Sure Smackdown is a great show and ECW does well enough for Sci Fi to be Happy. But RAW which is what Vince and company focus 95% of their attention on has been hit or miss for a long time now.
I think the culmination of all this was the Bragging Rights PPV last weekend. Yes apparently there was a PPV on but I’m not sure anyone really noticed. I mean I took the time to catch up on some sleep rather then shall we say watch it. It was barely three weeks since the last PPV Breaking Point. I read reports about how WWE Creative was stretched thin. Well no shit, I’d be stretched thin to if I had to keep recycling the same stuff over and over. They hyped this as the end of THE RIVALRY. I mean they proclaimed it to be a RIVALRY so I guess it had to be one between John Cena and Randy Orton. A one-hour Iron man match that was anything goes. See I have no doubt that Randy Orton could work an old school one-hour match. John Cena on the other hand well lets just say if he had to do the same shit over and over for an hour it wouldn’t be a pleasant sight.
The big thing during this match was at some point John Cena got split open after getting hit by the microphone and Vince flipped out and sent trainers and medics out and they stopped the match. This no blood thing really is stupid and this was more proof of that. Ok I can understand the need for no excessive amounts of blood. But a little blood every now and then won’t kill anyone. But its all TV PG now and well the only reason they are doing all this is to sanitize the product so none of Linda McMahon’s opponent’s have ammo to use against her. Though some are having a field day digging up old WWE videos since it’s hard to explain away shit like Katie Vick. I did find it funny though how they freaked out over a little blood yet about 20 minutes later into the match, Randy Orton tried to murder John Cena by blowing him up with the pyro.
Just so we’re all clear on the WWE’s priorities and official positions
BLOOD = BAD
USING PYRO AS AN IED TO TRY AND “KILL” SOMEONE = GOOD
Hey wasn’t IED the mental disorder they picked at random to explain why Orton is a sociopath character wise? Talk about irony there.
So if anyone’s wondering why Shane McMahon is leaving I think the WWE basically becoming lame and stale is the reason. And if you need some proof into the whole Cena/Triple H/HBK/Orton control RAW thing, guess who’s in the RAW main event for the Survivor Series. Why it’s John Cena vs. HBK vs. Triple H for the WWE title. I guess this is to sew the seeds of the DX break up cause you know Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels is a feud they just haven’t done yet (roll eyes). I read a couple weeks ago that this is apparently the plan as stuff like Triple H letting Shawn take all the falls and such is leading to Triple H going back to being a bad guy again.
See now if it were me and I were running things, it would be Shawn Michaels going heel here. Yes I know he won’t do it but there’s so much more potential for a full blown heel Shawn Michaels then Shawn doing his walking cripple act. Have Shawn snap and beat the shit out of Triple H. Now that would be interesting to watch. Triple H turning heel and beating the shit out of Shawn Michaels and them having another prolonged wankfest not so much. I don’t think Triple H could work the Shawn Michaels role of face in peril even if his life depended on it. Triple H always has to be the big bad guy and I honestly think he’s reached the limits of what he can be as “The Game”.
All I know is things are getting very boring on RAW and it’s only a matter of time before they go back to Orton and Cena. My best guess is Randy will win the Royal Rumble and they’ll set up for yet another match in THE RIVALRY.
Something needs to be done and soon and turning Ted DiBiase good just so he can promote a crappy straight to dvd movie won’t be it. There are plenty of people on RAW who can feud with Cena and DX with out it being the same stuff over and over. What I think they should have done was held a tournament to crown a new number one contender but as a rule, Legacy and DX would not be part of it. It would force them to push guys like Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, The Miz, MVP, and others out of the mid card where they all have been in a holding pattern.
Well Kofi might be breaking through to the top since he’s entering into a feud with Randy Orton after he trashed Orton’s racecar last week. I’m guessing we’ll see Kofi get punted for his actions so that will at least give us a fresh feud when that match is set.
Over on Smackdown at least they try to keep things fresh in a sense, as they are clearly building towards a Jericho/Undertaker feud and match. Chris Jericho and The Undertaker have never really crossed paths, which is amazing considering how long they both have been in the WWE together. I still remember during the Royal Rumble this year when Jericho had that smirk on his face and then slowly it turned to a look of fear when he realized The Undertaker was standing right behind him. Smackdown has managed to keep things fresh while RAW grows stagnant. It could be that Michael Hayes in charge of Smackdown and Smackdown is GASP the “wrestling” show. I think I’ve said that before but you know what it’s true so it bares repeating.
Part of me hopes The Big Show manages to win the title when they have the triple threat with him, Taker, and Jericho at the Survivor Series. Let Taker and Jericho feud and give Big Show the title because he deserves it. He should have won it at Wrestlemania. The Big Show has been the most consistent guy on the entire WWE roster next to Jericho and CM Punk at being awesome this year. If you had asked me say four or five years ago if I ever thought The Big Show would have a second career prime I would have said no. The man deserves a run on top right now. And by run on the top I don’t mean the usual WWE logic of sending him back to RAW and having him get lost in the mix.
Speaking of being sent to RAW, Sheamus has been promoted from ECW to RAW. Apparently Triple H really likes him so unlike others who have been sent from ECW or Smackdown to RAW he might actually have some hope for a future. I just hope they don’t change him too much by making him get a tan or try to lose the Irish accent. It’s fun when he keeps calling people fella. Who knows if things go well he could be the next Fit Finlay. I guess all he would need is someone to be a William Regal for him where they just beat the piss out of each other.
Well there’s something to hope for in the future. In the mean time I am done for now as I’m going to sit back and observe what’s going to happen. The next few weeks should be very interesting especially for TNA. I really want to be wrong about them, but they are now working with Hulk Hogan. Its really all a matter of is Hogan sincere or is he just looking to piss off Vince into giving him a huge paycheck. Hulk Hogan is probably the only person in the world who can pull that off. Piss Vince McMahon off and still make a ton of money.
On that note I am done for now so until next time take care and remember someone has to give you this information and it DAMN well has got to be me.
You can click here to send me any and all feedback at phantomlordnyc@yahoo.com or leave me some feedback in my Live Journal at phantomlord-lop.livejournal.com
I am only kidding. While I am generally a bitter person, I am not that cold hearted despite what some might think. There are plenty of reasons to be joyful right now. For starters the greatest team in the history of all of sports, The New York Yankees are back in the World Series. Anthony from the Opie & Anthony show said it best on his Twitter after the game.
Fuck off Philly. We're not Tampa Bay. Have fun with your 1 championship dynasty.
It’s funny how New York and Philly have always hated each other. Back in ECW (the real ECW) there would always be a FUCK PHILLY or FUCK NEW YORK chant at shows. Ah I miss those good old days.
One good thing about writing this column by shooting from the hip is I really have no set game plan going in. I look at what news bits interest me and go from there. Doing this allows me to adapt when something big happens and today something BIG happened.
We have to fire up the Drudge sirens for this one.
I can honestly say I did not see this one coming. I’m kind of kicking myself right now because I could have went to that press conference thing at MSG. I figured it was just something stupid for Hogan’s new book and maybe that tour of Australia that he is doing. At the most maybe he was some how going to do a show at Madison Square Garden since I believe MSG is no longer exclusive to the WWE (but then again only the WWE can afford the building rental so it was a moot point). For years TNA has been trying to sign Hulk Hogan to some sort of deal so they could piggy back off him to maybe finally break the illusive 1.5 ratings mark and that day has finally come.
Right now there’s so much news breaking including the fact that apparently the signing of Hulk Hogan and Uncle Eric is only the beginning. Rumor on the Interweb has it that Ric Flair might be coming along for the ride since he signed a deal with Bischoff’s production company. TNA has been trying to get their hands on Ric Flair ever since his big send off at Wrestlemania 24 and considering the fact that Flair has alimony to pay to three ex wives, I’d say the chances of Ric Flair going to TNA have gone up ten fold. I’m all for this happening just because I’d love to see Flair vs. Sting and Flair vs. Foley again. As an added bonus Flair as X division champion would be all kinds of fun.
I still can’t believe TNA actually did it. I would love to have been a fly on the wall during the negotiations. On the one hand you know Hogan needs the money, but on the other you know TNA is so desperate to even get noticed by the WWE that they probably handed him a blank check and said “here’s the keys do what ever you want”. I imagine it more like the scene from Major League 2 where Roger Dorn is trying to buy the Indians and the owner keeps jacking up the price and finally he takes the highest offer that in the end will bankrupt him and the team. It probably wasn’t anything like that, but knowing how clueless Dixie is I am sure she rubber stamped her signature onto a huge contract that had the words CREATIVE CONTROL for me and all of my friends in it. As you can imagine this has given the IWC something to talk about for once as people are clearly divided on what Hogan means for TNA.
There are two schools of thought here. The first one is Hulk Hogan with his name and star power will finally help TNA make it over the hurdle that they’ve been trying to clear for years now. Things can only go up from here because Hogan has something to prove that there is plenty of gas left in the tank of Hulkamania.
The other theory which is the more popular one since there is a 95% chance it’s going to happen and that’s we will get a repeat of WCW from 1994 on where Hogan books himself into the top spot and books all his buddies and friends into top spots as well and all the real stars of the company get pushed aside and become so disillusioned that they end up quitting. Not to say I want to see all of that happen, but it’s like they say. If you don’t follow your history you are doomed to repeat it. I mean Dixie and the people at Spike must have seen WCW and heard the horror stories with these people in charge and I haven’t even gotten to Russo and Ferrara in charge of the booking yet…well for the time being they are anyway.
The way I see it, this is either the moment TNA finally gets their shit together and becomes a company worth a damn or they just put a gun to their head and it’s only a matter of time before the trigger is pulled.
Ironic I say that since Hogan in his new book that is coming out claims that he was minutes away from doing himself in if not for a phone call from Laila Ali. With all things Hulk Hogan I don’t know how much of this is him embellishing the story. I mean if you ask him right now about the match with Andre at Wrestlemania 3 he’ll tell you that Andre weighed over 700 pounds and the earth shook when he body slammed Andre and Andre died two weeks later from the power of Hulkamania. Point is Hogan can bullshit with the best of them. I also find it funny that TNA is betting the farm on Hogan and the publicity he can bring them and so far on his media appearances on Larry King, Howard Stern, Jimmy Fallon, and elsewhere he’s only mentioned TNA in passing.
But hey we’ll see what happens this Thursday. Maybe just mentioning them in passing is more then enough to get TNA over the hump and to the illusive 1.4 or dare I say 1.5 ratings mark. In the mean time it will be amusing to see who does come to TNA now as I said Flair is rumored but so are names like Goldberg, DDP, Austin, RVD, and others.
One thing I can’t understand is the Austin rumors. Stone Cold wants nothing to do with wrestling anymore. While I firmly believe he can wrestle a few matches if he wanted to (provided the money was really good), all these rumors of Austin going to TNA are hilarious. I am fairly certain Austin signed a deal with the WWE for his likeness along with making movies for them. I remember reading somewhere it was some long term deal and all he has to really do is show up a couple times a year on RAW and that’s it. I can’t imagine Austin who by all accounts is a very smart businessman would want to go to TNA. Austin much like Hogan likes to control how he is used and if you remember back to 2002 when he walked out of the WWE when they booked him in a King Of The Ring match with Brock Lesnar un-announced. He basically said why the hell would you want to throw that match away with no build up what so ever on television for free. We know how TNA loves to throw away matches for free on television so if hell did indeed freeze over and Steve Austin does go to TNA and he does decide to wrestle a couple of matches how long do you think it will take him to say fuck it when they book him in a match with say AJ Styles on an Impact that has no reason what so ever.
I just summed up TNA’s problems in a nutshell right there and that was with a situation that there’s a 99.999999% chance will never happen. TNA has signed Hogan. They can sign Flair, Goldberg, DDP, Bret Hart, The Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, Stone Cold, and the list can go on and on and on and it won’t make a lick of difference because the people that are in charge of TNA are morons. These people are content with PPV’s drawing in the five digits. They are perfectly fine with doing house shows to quarter sold buildings. They are perfectly fine with their TV ratings being stagnant. Maybe I am wrong and things are going to change, but with all of these people in power and the way things are run right now the chances of any of this changing are slim and none.
For now we shall see where things go, but I’m not to optimistic. TNA has gotten peoples hopes up before only to smash them into a million pieces.
BREAKING NEWS!!!
Impact drew a 1.3 rating which is amazing considering it was up against game 2 of the Yankees/Phillies series and College Football. Well I can imagine people in TNA were gloating about this one.
Wow a 1.3…if it were just a regular night it would be like double that.
Of course this will bolster some people in TNA thinking that they can have a show on Monday nights. Never mind the fact RAW isn’t even top ten much of the time anymore but they have to be delusional if they think they can take on Monday Night Football. Monday is just to stacked of a night for them to run on so I hope there are some sane people at TNA and Spike and they don’t do that. If there is a second should it should be on Saturday nights. Either have it on at the old 6pm slot that wrestling was on TBS for so long or have it on at 11 PM. It would be way easier to take on SNL then MNF.
Before all this stuff with Hogan happened, the biggest story of the year so far was the one that broke about two weeks ago when Shane McMahon announced he was resigning from the WWE effective on New Years Day of 2010. To say this caught everyone off guard would be an understatement. So far there has been nothing from anyone inside the WWE as to why Shane suddenly up and quit. All there is right now is speculation that maybe he is leaving to start or join an MMA promotion since Shane has a huge love for MMA. Apparently Shane is about the same age when Vince started his quest for world domination so if Shane has had enough with the three-ring circus that working for Vince is, it’s not out of the question to think he wants to break out on his own. He has made more then enough money over the years plus his wife is loaded due to her being a Mazolla (as in Mazolla cooking oil). So between the both of them they could easily buy into a company or front the start up cash for one.
Another theory is that Shane is stepping down so he can go work on his mothers Senate campaign.
I don’t think Shane would step down from the WWE just to work for his mother’s campaign. If it were simply that then they would have probably said something by now about it. But considering how tight lipped everyone in the WWE seems to be about it and how some reports have suggested that you don’t want to even dare bring this up to Vince it’s my best guess he’s leaving to do something more then just be a campaign manager. If one had to speculate (and as I said before here on the Internet that’s all we really can do) I like to think he stepped down because he was sick and tired of how much the product is really beginning to suck. And make no mistakes when I say the product you damn well know I mean WWE Raw. It’s the WWE’s pride and joy and right now it’s controlled by Triple H, HBK, John Cena, and Randy Orton. Basically if you are on the wrong side of them then you are pretty much guaranteed to be firmly stuck under the glass ceiling. The WWE isn’t really trying anymore. Sure Smackdown is a great show and ECW does well enough for Sci Fi to be Happy. But RAW which is what Vince and company focus 95% of their attention on has been hit or miss for a long time now.
I think the culmination of all this was the Bragging Rights PPV last weekend. Yes apparently there was a PPV on but I’m not sure anyone really noticed. I mean I took the time to catch up on some sleep rather then shall we say watch it. It was barely three weeks since the last PPV Breaking Point. I read reports about how WWE Creative was stretched thin. Well no shit, I’d be stretched thin to if I had to keep recycling the same stuff over and over. They hyped this as the end of THE RIVALRY. I mean they proclaimed it to be a RIVALRY so I guess it had to be one between John Cena and Randy Orton. A one-hour Iron man match that was anything goes. See I have no doubt that Randy Orton could work an old school one-hour match. John Cena on the other hand well lets just say if he had to do the same shit over and over for an hour it wouldn’t be a pleasant sight.
The big thing during this match was at some point John Cena got split open after getting hit by the microphone and Vince flipped out and sent trainers and medics out and they stopped the match. This no blood thing really is stupid and this was more proof of that. Ok I can understand the need for no excessive amounts of blood. But a little blood every now and then won’t kill anyone. But its all TV PG now and well the only reason they are doing all this is to sanitize the product so none of Linda McMahon’s opponent’s have ammo to use against her. Though some are having a field day digging up old WWE videos since it’s hard to explain away shit like Katie Vick. I did find it funny though how they freaked out over a little blood yet about 20 minutes later into the match, Randy Orton tried to murder John Cena by blowing him up with the pyro.
Just so we’re all clear on the WWE’s priorities and official positions
BLOOD = BAD
USING PYRO AS AN IED TO TRY AND “KILL” SOMEONE = GOOD
Hey wasn’t IED the mental disorder they picked at random to explain why Orton is a sociopath character wise? Talk about irony there.
So if anyone’s wondering why Shane McMahon is leaving I think the WWE basically becoming lame and stale is the reason. And if you need some proof into the whole Cena/Triple H/HBK/Orton control RAW thing, guess who’s in the RAW main event for the Survivor Series. Why it’s John Cena vs. HBK vs. Triple H for the WWE title. I guess this is to sew the seeds of the DX break up cause you know Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels is a feud they just haven’t done yet (roll eyes). I read a couple weeks ago that this is apparently the plan as stuff like Triple H letting Shawn take all the falls and such is leading to Triple H going back to being a bad guy again.
See now if it were me and I were running things, it would be Shawn Michaels going heel here. Yes I know he won’t do it but there’s so much more potential for a full blown heel Shawn Michaels then Shawn doing his walking cripple act. Have Shawn snap and beat the shit out of Triple H. Now that would be interesting to watch. Triple H turning heel and beating the shit out of Shawn Michaels and them having another prolonged wankfest not so much. I don’t think Triple H could work the Shawn Michaels role of face in peril even if his life depended on it. Triple H always has to be the big bad guy and I honestly think he’s reached the limits of what he can be as “The Game”.
All I know is things are getting very boring on RAW and it’s only a matter of time before they go back to Orton and Cena. My best guess is Randy will win the Royal Rumble and they’ll set up for yet another match in THE RIVALRY.
Something needs to be done and soon and turning Ted DiBiase good just so he can promote a crappy straight to dvd movie won’t be it. There are plenty of people on RAW who can feud with Cena and DX with out it being the same stuff over and over. What I think they should have done was held a tournament to crown a new number one contender but as a rule, Legacy and DX would not be part of it. It would force them to push guys like Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, The Miz, MVP, and others out of the mid card where they all have been in a holding pattern.
Well Kofi might be breaking through to the top since he’s entering into a feud with Randy Orton after he trashed Orton’s racecar last week. I’m guessing we’ll see Kofi get punted for his actions so that will at least give us a fresh feud when that match is set.
Over on Smackdown at least they try to keep things fresh in a sense, as they are clearly building towards a Jericho/Undertaker feud and match. Chris Jericho and The Undertaker have never really crossed paths, which is amazing considering how long they both have been in the WWE together. I still remember during the Royal Rumble this year when Jericho had that smirk on his face and then slowly it turned to a look of fear when he realized The Undertaker was standing right behind him. Smackdown has managed to keep things fresh while RAW grows stagnant. It could be that Michael Hayes in charge of Smackdown and Smackdown is GASP the “wrestling” show. I think I’ve said that before but you know what it’s true so it bares repeating.
Part of me hopes The Big Show manages to win the title when they have the triple threat with him, Taker, and Jericho at the Survivor Series. Let Taker and Jericho feud and give Big Show the title because he deserves it. He should have won it at Wrestlemania. The Big Show has been the most consistent guy on the entire WWE roster next to Jericho and CM Punk at being awesome this year. If you had asked me say four or five years ago if I ever thought The Big Show would have a second career prime I would have said no. The man deserves a run on top right now. And by run on the top I don’t mean the usual WWE logic of sending him back to RAW and having him get lost in the mix.
Speaking of being sent to RAW, Sheamus has been promoted from ECW to RAW. Apparently Triple H really likes him so unlike others who have been sent from ECW or Smackdown to RAW he might actually have some hope for a future. I just hope they don’t change him too much by making him get a tan or try to lose the Irish accent. It’s fun when he keeps calling people fella. Who knows if things go well he could be the next Fit Finlay. I guess all he would need is someone to be a William Regal for him where they just beat the piss out of each other.
Well there’s something to hope for in the future. In the mean time I am done for now as I’m going to sit back and observe what’s going to happen. The next few weeks should be very interesting especially for TNA. I really want to be wrong about them, but they are now working with Hulk Hogan. Its really all a matter of is Hogan sincere or is he just looking to piss off Vince into giving him a huge paycheck. Hulk Hogan is probably the only person in the world who can pull that off. Piss Vince McMahon off and still make a ton of money.
On that note I am done for now so until next time take care and remember someone has to give you this information and it DAMN well has got to be me.
You can click here to send me any and all feedback at phantomlordnyc@yahoo.com or leave me some feedback in my Live Journal at phantomlord-lop.livejournal.com
Sunday, November 01, 2009
The Vin Sanity of Wrestling – RoHyalty…
In the second year of the second millennium as we reckon time, a new kingdom emerged and professional wrestling was reborn. The monarchs who comprised the Ring of Honor realm were master craftsmen, world-class wrestling nobility, and young princes making their first moves toward the golden crown that would signify their regal stature. Here are the tales of the kings of ROH’s ring; those men who earned majestic status and will always sit at the mountaintop amongst the many greats who have battled before ROH crowds.
TODAY’S ISSUE: Ring of Honor royalty.
In February of 2002 when the Era of Honor Began, there were three young knights who would battle before the masses seeking to entertain, gain acceptance, and display pride in their chosen trade before an appreciative sovereignty of wrestling fans. American Dragon Brian Danielson, who would go on to be know as the “best wrestler in the world”, the Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels, who would be the first to eschew the code of honor, and a fierce warrior once known as Low Ki headlined the marquee, and a new dawn began. Although of these three, only two would go on to wear the Ring of Honor crown, they were the first czars to represent the new wrestling kingdom. Their incredible triple-threat match that main-evented the inaugural ROH event set the pace for the promotion that brought real professional wrestling back to prominence in the United States.
Before long Daniels formed ROH’s first heel stable, known as the Prophecy, and continued battling against Low Ki. At Glory by Honor, the devious Fallen Angel introduced Samoa Joe, one of the greatest kings in Ring of Honor history, as his “hired assassin” charged to eliminate Low Ki for good in a fight without honor, but I doubt Daniels realized just how much Joe would dominate ROH when he brought Joe to the new indy fed. Not only did Samoa Joe quickly claim the ROH championship and proudly carry it for nearly two years in 29 successful title defenses, he also “upgraded” the title to a world championship by defending it overseas against foreign wrestlers, improving the status of the belt, and by association the entire promotion. That’s a champion of legendary status, and a title reign of epic proportions.
While the Daniels/Low Ki arm of the original three-way rivalry begat Samoa Joe’s reign as ruler of the land of ROH, it was the third member of that triumvirate, Bryan Danielson, who would go on to take the wrestling world by storm. Trained in part by the legendary Shawn Michaels and the highly underrated and extremely skilled William Regal, the American Dragon wrestled all over the world and earned the respect of his opponents and the fans who paid to watch him perform. He raised the bar yet again while he sat on the ROH throne, not only successfully defending the belt as many times as anyone would to date, but he also unified and retired the Pure Wrestling title with his own ROH world championship in yet another MOTYC against longstanding rival Nigel McGuinness. Able to successfully work as a heel or a face, Dragon could do it all. His brawls with the likes of Homicide and Takeshi Morishima were violent symphonies of chaos and artistry, and his technical classics against men like Samoa Joe and Tyler Black will leave fans of the mat game with mouths agape, constantly wanting to see more from Danielson. His best-of-three series against Austin Aries stands as some of the finest wrestling I’ve witnessed in 25 years as a fan of the game, and there’s no limit to what he can accomplish in the realm of professional wrestling. Bryan Danielson might stand atop the list of ROH royalty as the king of kings, but that’s certainly a topic for another column.
Before Danielson’s reign, another member of ROH royalty reigned supreme. CM Punk shocked the indy world when he ended Austin Aries’ first occupation of the throne as Ring of Honor world champion. On what was scheduled to be his last night with the company before his departure for the world of sportz entertainment madness known as WWE, Punk unseated Aries in an emotional classic, but that was only the first part of the story. Earning the ROH world title was billed as the one accomplishment in the world of independent wrestling that hung like an albatross around Punk’s neck. According to the story, after three epic matches against then-champion Samoa Joe, and success everywhere else he’d worked, the former Second City Saint needed to get the ROH championship monkey off his back before leaving the indies, otherwise he’d never be able to live with himself. But as I mentioned, his journey to the ROH world title didn’t end with his victory over Aries. Moments after his hand was raised, with the crowd quite literally in tears, overwhelmed with joy over Punk’s crowning as champ, he turned heel via a brilliant promo, berating the “sheep” for following him and being manipulated by his guile. Instead of leaving right away and abdicating the throne as intended, he declared the “Summer of Punk” and stayed for two more months and four successful title defenses, lighting a fire under ROH that they rode straight through James Gibson’s fun title run and into the era of the American Dragon himself. Punk’s unlikely but well deserved success in the unpredictable World Wrestling Entertainment is a testament to his skill, ability to connect with a crowd, and his determination to continue climbing mountains, as he has throughout his career.
The only Brit to attain royal standing in ROH was Nigel “Desmond Wolfe” McGuinness, who held the Pure Wrestling title longer than anyone else and later reigned as world champion, tying Bryan Danielson for most successful ROH world title defenses at 38. Nigel unseated the dominant Takeshi Morishima, himself a proud ROH “emperor” who plowed through the roster during his 8-month run at the top, in a surprising turn at the Undeniable ppv before turning heel and having great matches against everybody. Nigel brought powerful striking, strong submission-based grappling and loads of charisma to the table, and he will no doubt impress in his TNA run, which began when he attacked none other than Kurt Angle in his recent debut.
Another ROH alumnus who achieved royal status was Homicide, although his Ring of Honor tenure was clouded by storyline controversy, including attacks on referees, friendships ending on violent notes, a long, bloody war against one-time partner Steve Corino, and even some kayfabe attempted murder. His rivalry with Bryan Danielson, which ran simultaneously with his feud against ROH commissioner Jim Cornette, culminated in an epic title match between Dragon and ‘Cide at Final Battle 2006, in which the Notorious 187 won the ROH world championship and avoided a self-imposed stipulation that would have forced him to leave Ring of Honor forever. His reign as champion was short as he yielded to the unstoppable force that was Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Takeshi Morishima after only three successful defenses, but his long history of high-profile feuds and the drama of his Stone Cold-like story against Cornette and Danielson ensure his inclusion among the most revered ROH performers of all time.
In the current era of the ROH kingdom, the old kings are all gone. Bryan Danielson will debut on WWE television soon, joining fellow former ROH champ CM Punk. Homicide, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels have all been TNA mainstays for years, and Nigel McGuinness has recently jumped aboard the Hogan-express after a failed courtship by Vince McMahon which ended abruptly. Morishima has returned to Japan, making sporadic appearances for ROH but no longer in center court as he once was. Finally, Low Ki is wasting away in WWE developmental hell, with a new moniker, Kaval.
The current king of ROH is Austin Aries, the only man to ascend to the throne on two different occasions in company history. Aries is a man whose in-ring explosiveness is matched by his abundance of charisma, self-confidence, and wit. He consistently produces quality in-ring performances, and never fails to incite a live crowd in one manner or another. He’s a fine representative of the premier US indy fed, and a monarch of the highest standing. On his rule, His Majesty A-Double relies upon knights like Colt Cabana, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, and “court jester” Delirious (I mean that in the most complimentary way) to help defend his castle, with a new crop of young princes like Kenny Omega and Tyler Black making their cases to challenge for his throne.
Perhaps the greatest threat to Aries is a dangerous American Wolf who prowls the wilderness, salivating as he peers through the night beyond the moat, attentively watching as Aries plots and schemes another vile plan to ensure his grasp on the crown never weakens. This wolf, called Davey Richards, has been burned once already by the King and his deceitful ways; I’d wager he won’t be fooled a second time. Will the great kings of ROH’s past be looking down upon Aries as he staves off yet another challenge to the monarchy, or will a new ruler, a king in wolf’s clothing, be crowned?
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” - William Shakespeare
TODAY’S ISSUE: Ring of Honor royalty.
In February of 2002 when the Era of Honor Began, there were three young knights who would battle before the masses seeking to entertain, gain acceptance, and display pride in their chosen trade before an appreciative sovereignty of wrestling fans. American Dragon Brian Danielson, who would go on to be know as the “best wrestler in the world”, the Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels, who would be the first to eschew the code of honor, and a fierce warrior once known as Low Ki headlined the marquee, and a new dawn began. Although of these three, only two would go on to wear the Ring of Honor crown, they were the first czars to represent the new wrestling kingdom. Their incredible triple-threat match that main-evented the inaugural ROH event set the pace for the promotion that brought real professional wrestling back to prominence in the United States.
Before long Daniels formed ROH’s first heel stable, known as the Prophecy, and continued battling against Low Ki. At Glory by Honor, the devious Fallen Angel introduced Samoa Joe, one of the greatest kings in Ring of Honor history, as his “hired assassin” charged to eliminate Low Ki for good in a fight without honor, but I doubt Daniels realized just how much Joe would dominate ROH when he brought Joe to the new indy fed. Not only did Samoa Joe quickly claim the ROH championship and proudly carry it for nearly two years in 29 successful title defenses, he also “upgraded” the title to a world championship by defending it overseas against foreign wrestlers, improving the status of the belt, and by association the entire promotion. That’s a champion of legendary status, and a title reign of epic proportions.
While the Daniels/Low Ki arm of the original three-way rivalry begat Samoa Joe’s reign as ruler of the land of ROH, it was the third member of that triumvirate, Bryan Danielson, who would go on to take the wrestling world by storm. Trained in part by the legendary Shawn Michaels and the highly underrated and extremely skilled William Regal, the American Dragon wrestled all over the world and earned the respect of his opponents and the fans who paid to watch him perform. He raised the bar yet again while he sat on the ROH throne, not only successfully defending the belt as many times as anyone would to date, but he also unified and retired the Pure Wrestling title with his own ROH world championship in yet another MOTYC against longstanding rival Nigel McGuinness. Able to successfully work as a heel or a face, Dragon could do it all. His brawls with the likes of Homicide and Takeshi Morishima were violent symphonies of chaos and artistry, and his technical classics against men like Samoa Joe and Tyler Black will leave fans of the mat game with mouths agape, constantly wanting to see more from Danielson. His best-of-three series against Austin Aries stands as some of the finest wrestling I’ve witnessed in 25 years as a fan of the game, and there’s no limit to what he can accomplish in the realm of professional wrestling. Bryan Danielson might stand atop the list of ROH royalty as the king of kings, but that’s certainly a topic for another column.
Before Danielson’s reign, another member of ROH royalty reigned supreme. CM Punk shocked the indy world when he ended Austin Aries’ first occupation of the throne as Ring of Honor world champion. On what was scheduled to be his last night with the company before his departure for the world of sportz entertainment madness known as WWE, Punk unseated Aries in an emotional classic, but that was only the first part of the story. Earning the ROH world title was billed as the one accomplishment in the world of independent wrestling that hung like an albatross around Punk’s neck. According to the story, after three epic matches against then-champion Samoa Joe, and success everywhere else he’d worked, the former Second City Saint needed to get the ROH championship monkey off his back before leaving the indies, otherwise he’d never be able to live with himself. But as I mentioned, his journey to the ROH world title didn’t end with his victory over Aries. Moments after his hand was raised, with the crowd quite literally in tears, overwhelmed with joy over Punk’s crowning as champ, he turned heel via a brilliant promo, berating the “sheep” for following him and being manipulated by his guile. Instead of leaving right away and abdicating the throne as intended, he declared the “Summer of Punk” and stayed for two more months and four successful title defenses, lighting a fire under ROH that they rode straight through James Gibson’s fun title run and into the era of the American Dragon himself. Punk’s unlikely but well deserved success in the unpredictable World Wrestling Entertainment is a testament to his skill, ability to connect with a crowd, and his determination to continue climbing mountains, as he has throughout his career.
The only Brit to attain royal standing in ROH was Nigel “Desmond Wolfe” McGuinness, who held the Pure Wrestling title longer than anyone else and later reigned as world champion, tying Bryan Danielson for most successful ROH world title defenses at 38. Nigel unseated the dominant Takeshi Morishima, himself a proud ROH “emperor” who plowed through the roster during his 8-month run at the top, in a surprising turn at the Undeniable ppv before turning heel and having great matches against everybody. Nigel brought powerful striking, strong submission-based grappling and loads of charisma to the table, and he will no doubt impress in his TNA run, which began when he attacked none other than Kurt Angle in his recent debut.
Another ROH alumnus who achieved royal status was Homicide, although his Ring of Honor tenure was clouded by storyline controversy, including attacks on referees, friendships ending on violent notes, a long, bloody war against one-time partner Steve Corino, and even some kayfabe attempted murder. His rivalry with Bryan Danielson, which ran simultaneously with his feud against ROH commissioner Jim Cornette, culminated in an epic title match between Dragon and ‘Cide at Final Battle 2006, in which the Notorious 187 won the ROH world championship and avoided a self-imposed stipulation that would have forced him to leave Ring of Honor forever. His reign as champion was short as he yielded to the unstoppable force that was Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Takeshi Morishima after only three successful defenses, but his long history of high-profile feuds and the drama of his Stone Cold-like story against Cornette and Danielson ensure his inclusion among the most revered ROH performers of all time.
In the current era of the ROH kingdom, the old kings are all gone. Bryan Danielson will debut on WWE television soon, joining fellow former ROH champ CM Punk. Homicide, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels have all been TNA mainstays for years, and Nigel McGuinness has recently jumped aboard the Hogan-express after a failed courtship by Vince McMahon which ended abruptly. Morishima has returned to Japan, making sporadic appearances for ROH but no longer in center court as he once was. Finally, Low Ki is wasting away in WWE developmental hell, with a new moniker, Kaval.
The current king of ROH is Austin Aries, the only man to ascend to the throne on two different occasions in company history. Aries is a man whose in-ring explosiveness is matched by his abundance of charisma, self-confidence, and wit. He consistently produces quality in-ring performances, and never fails to incite a live crowd in one manner or another. He’s a fine representative of the premier US indy fed, and a monarch of the highest standing. On his rule, His Majesty A-Double relies upon knights like Colt Cabana, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, and “court jester” Delirious (I mean that in the most complimentary way) to help defend his castle, with a new crop of young princes like Kenny Omega and Tyler Black making their cases to challenge for his throne.
Perhaps the greatest threat to Aries is a dangerous American Wolf who prowls the wilderness, salivating as he peers through the night beyond the moat, attentively watching as Aries plots and schemes another vile plan to ensure his grasp on the crown never weakens. This wolf, called Davey Richards, has been burned once already by the King and his deceitful ways; I’d wager he won’t be fooled a second time. Will the great kings of ROH’s past be looking down upon Aries as he staves off yet another challenge to the monarchy, or will a new ruler, a king in wolf’s clothing, be crowned?
Vin Sanity is not categorized as a psychological disorder… yet.
p.s. – “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” - William Shakespeare
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