ROH live on iPPV, THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!
Cage Side: March Roundup
Posted in Uncategorized 03/10/2012
UFC On Fuel: Making their debut on a third new network in as many months, thanks to the new seven year agreement with Fox, UFC On Fuel took place on February 15th from Omaha, Nebraska, and was based around the first showdown between welterweight veterans Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez. The match had initially been linked to the UFC 141 card on December 30th 2011, but due to a lingering hand injury sustained by Sanchez, the match was postponed to this event, which allowed the fight to be seen by a much bigger audience… Once the fight got to the Octagon, Ellenberger, who was on a five-match win streak, dominated the first two rounds, before Sanchez rallied and dominated the third round. However, it was a case of too little too late, and Ellenberger picked up a unanimous decision win 29-28 across the board, and winning match of the night in the process… Now with six wins in a row, Ellenberger’s future in the UFC is undoubtedly linked to the winner of a Carlos Condit-Georges St. Pierre Welterweight Title unification match… In the semi-main event slot, Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve defeated Dave Herman by TKO at 3:52 of the second round… The show averaged 217,000 viewers on Fuel, with a peak of 315,000 for the main event, making it the most watched even in the history of Fuel TV, good news going forward with five more live events scheduled for the station in 2012.
UFC 144: Marking the promotion’s return to Japan after an 11 year absence, and the first time under Zuffa, UFC 144 attracted over 22,000 fans to the Saitama Super Arena for a show headlined by a heavily anticipated Lightweight Title fight, and the Japanese return of RampageJackson… The main event saw former WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson rise to the top of the UFC with a unanimous decision win over Champion Frankie Edgar with scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 49-46 to win the UFC Lightweight Title for the first time in his career. At the post fight press conference, Henderson said he planned on defending the title ‘once more than Anderson Silva manages’, while former Champion Edgar claimed he thought he had won the fight (His swollen eye told a different story), and said he thought an immediate rematch was fair, given he had back to back matches against Gray Maynard and BJ Penn… In the semi-main event, Rampage Jackson returned to Japan for the first time since fighting in Pride Fighting Championships, before falling via unanimous decision to Ryan Bader at 30-27 across the board. Rampage had come into the bout six pounds over the light heavyweight limit of 205, leading to a catchweight bout. Post-fight, Rampage revealed he had gone into the bout with an injury… Further down the card, the native Japanese fighters had mixed results in their matches. In a Featherweight bout Hatsu Hiroki overcame Bart Palaszewski, before Yushin Okami fell to Tim Boetsch by TKO in the third round of a Middleweight bout, and Yoshihiro Akiyama, making his Welterweight debut, fell via unanimous decision to Jake Shields… The show drew in the region of 375,000 buys on Pay Per View.
UFC on FX 2: Marking the promotion’s third trip to Australia, the March 3rd show from Sydney (Broadcast live on March 2nd in North America on FX), was the birth of a new weight division for the promotion, and the rise of a potential new force in the Welterweight division… In the main event, former Welterweight Title challenger Thiago Alves fell to Danish fighter Martin Kampmann by guillotine choke at 4:12 of the third round, winning submission of the night in the process… In the first of two Flyweight matches on the card, in a tournament to name the UFC’s first Flyweight Champion, Demetrious Johnson fought Ian McCall to a majority draw with scores of 29-28, 29-29 and 28-28 in what was named as the match of the night. Due to a judging error on the night (One of the numbers was read incorrectly), the fight was originally scored as a majority win to Johnson. The two are set to have a rematch at some point in April 2012 in a semi-final rematch… In the other Flyweight match on the card, Joseph Benavidez defeated former Shooto Flyweight Champion Yasuhiro Urushitani by TKO at 11 seconds into the second round, winning knockout of the night in the process. Benavidez will now face the winner of Johnson-McCall 2 in later 2012 to name the first UFC Featherweight Champion… The FX broadcast looks to have drawn 1.4 million viewers.
Strikeforce Tate vs. Rousey: Given that Strikeforce had dissolved their 145 pound Women’s Featherweight Title and division in January due to Cristiane Santos’ drugs failure and folded the female fighters into one division, the hotly anticipated 135 pound Bantamweight Title match between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey was set to name the best female fighter on the planet. Many expected Tate to be the underdog in the match, coming in with an 11-2 record, and Rousey to win rapidly, having won her four professional and three amateur matches in less than one minute, all by armbar. As the match started, Rousey looked for a quick armbar, but was thwarted by Tate who rallied in the match, before falling to a Rousey judo-takedown into an armbar, which looked to grotesquely hyper-extend Tate’s arm before she finally tapped at the 4:27 mark to give Rousey the Women’s Bantamweight Title. Her next challenger looks to be former Champion Sarah Kaufman, who secured a unanimous decision win on the preliminary card of the show… Also on the show, Josh Thomson defeated KJ Noons by unanimous decision in a Lightweight bout, and Paul Daley fell to Kazuo Misaki by split decision… The Showtime broadcast of the show looks to have drawn 431,000 viewers.
Other Zuffa News: May looks set to be Heavyweight month for Zuffa, with the final of the Strikeforce Grand Prix set for May 19th, which sees Josh Barnett take on Daniel Cormier in what has been a highly anticipated matchup… That show is followed by UFC 146 on May 26th, with Junior Dos Santos making his first UFC Heavyweight Title defence against former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. Also on that card, in other Heavyweight bouts, Frank Mir takes on Cain Velasquez, Antonio Silva takes on Roy Nelson, and Gabriel Gonzaga takes on Shane del Rosario… The next UFC show takes place on April 14th, with the promotion’s debut in Sweden with Alexander Gustafsson taking on Thiago Silva in the main event on Fuel TV… That show is followed on April 21st by UFC 145, featuring Jon Jones next UFC Light Heavyweight Title defence against former Champion Rashad Evans in the promotion’s Atlanta debut.
Ring of Honor 10th Anniversary iPPV Recap/Review (NON-SPOILER)
Posted in articles 03/05/2012
The content below will be featured in the following format:
Winner/Loser (Spoiler)
Definition of match content (Non-Spoiler)
1. The All Night Express defeat Wrestling’s Greatest Tag-Team - * * ¼
2. Mike Bennett defeats Homicide - * *
3. The House of Truth defeat T.J Perkins & The Amazing Red - * * * ½
4. Tommaso Ciampa against Jay Lethal (Draw) - * * ½
5. The Briscoe Brothers defeat The Young Bucks - * * * ¼
6. Kevin Steen defeats Jimmy Jacobs - * * * ¼
7. Eddie Edwards & Adam Cole defeat Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly - * * * ¾
Glory by Honor X Rematch:
The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) defeat Wrestling’s Greatest Tag-Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin)
This match marks the return from what was once thought-out to be a four-month absence for Rhett Titus; however, two months after ACL Surgery, he returned to action for a Glory by Honor X Rematch. The decision to open up the event with this match is one I concur with. However, my thoughts on the design of the bout do not sit nearly as correlated. For the most part the match told two particular sub-stories that resulted with the advancement of Haas and Benjamin as full-fledged heels in Ring of Honor. Number one being: Benjamin has not lost his raw-infatuation with steel-chairs. Number two: Charlie Haas is a d**k. The contest lacked to gain the momentum needed to carry both teams to the level of a typical ROH-Quality opener. To exploit these four athletes, and the company they work for, by distributing an aroma of opinionated-pessimism when recapping this match, would result in feelings that point to not wanting to individually score/rate the match in the first place; and that is certainly not the case. - * * ¼
Quick thought: Continuing through 2012, Haas and Benjamin should obtain the pieces needed to become very dominant heels.
Special Challenge Match:
Mike Bennett defeated Homicide
I find it hard to watch Homicide wrestle for the current ROH-product considering how overwhelmingly aware I am of the history he once managed to create inside the promotion. With that being said this match was basically everything it was supposed to be, and probably should have been. Both Bennett and Homicide brought what the majority should have expected and therefore the match itself delivered, on its own, in its own way and for its own reasons. - * *
Quick thought: Old-school Homicide does not feel old.
Eddie Kingston/Kevin Steen Promo Segment
If you like to consider yourself a faithful Ring of Honor follower you will want to see this segment. Eddie Kingston was welcomed to the ring to endorse the ROH-CHIKARA Synergy Show that will be taking place in April 2012. His comments were interrupted by Kevin Steen, who laid down a very warped version of the law. With Kingston left offended, you may be able to guess what ensued.
Quick thought: “Watch your ******* mouth before I knock it off your ******* face!”
(This may not be my own thought, but quite frankly when recalling this segment, it is all I can think about!)
Special Tag-Team Challenge Match:
The House of Truth (Michael Elgin & Roderick Strong) defeat T.J Perkins & The Amazing Red
First of all, let me acknowledge how I subconsciously fell asleep to The Amazing Red’s entrance theme following the event. Now that I have that off my chest, let me acknowledge what came to be an impressive and notable Ring of Honor-Style Tag-Team Wrestling contest. This match felt particularly connected to 10 years of honor. The match was a typical ROH-level tag-team style bout, and this alone stands as verification for its mass significance on the 10th Anniversary card, pre and post the event. The match gave off typical performances from Strong, Elgin, Perkins and Red; however the word typical inside an ROH-ring, usually supplies an above-average connotation. The proof is in the experiment. Despite the fact this match most likely contained the least amount of story-telling in comparison with the rest of the card; the only story these four needed to tell was a tale of superior tag-team action. - * * * ½
Quick thought: That was awesome.
Ring of Honor World Television Championship Match:
Tommaso Ciampa against Jay Lethal ends in a 15 minute time-limit draw
Win lose or draw, I had expectations set for this match that suggested Ciampa would be validated as legit Ring of Honor World Television Championship material. I cannot say that happened here. Perhaps the result of this match, taking place in the amount of time that it did, accounts for how the majority of viewers feel about the contest, regardless if it has been seen or not. The match felt more like 20 minutes. Kevin Kelly continually noted the shift-down in gears for the typically revved-up Ciampa. Finally, the credibility of Ciampa’s undefeated streak may have a taken a hit, regardless of the high-stakes this match consisted of. In conclusion, there will be more to come between these two, and one cannot argue there were warning-signs that what should have or could have come out of this match, remains viable for the near future. - * * ½
Quick thought: Ciampa’s clock still ticks.
Ring of Honor World Tag-Team Championship Match:
The Briscoe Brothers defeat The Young Bucks
The level of performance that both of these teams are known for is the only thing that may have negatively impacted this match. It is impossible to deny the Briscoe Brothers and The Young Bucks the luxury of being labeled as two of the best professional wrestling tag-teams the planet has to supply. It should make any die-hard Ring of Honor fan warm and fuzzy to see #demboyz carry and successfully defend the tag-team titles at the promotions 10th Anniversary Show. The match supplied snippets of what the pioneers of the ROH tag-team division have been known for since they captured their first set of titles. The content within the bout does not fail to bring the best out of the Briscoe Brothers and the Young Bucks. However, these are only snippets. - * * * ¼
Quick thought: It’s the Briscoe’s and the Young Bucks..!
No-Disqualification Grudge Match:
Kevin Steen defeated Jimmy Jacobs
All that this match needed was some more time to brew into one of the most brutal matches in recent Ring of Honor history. Jacobs brought us back to the Age of the Fall and Kevin Steen brought me back to Final Battle 2011 where I watched his back take enormous amounts of abuse. There was a rather intriguing narrative that took place between the two in the final moments of the match and therefore what should follow in the coming weeks and months will forever connect to this match. - * * * ¼
Quick thought: Please allow me to correct you Nigel. We all know what Steen is capable of and we DO WANT to see it here.
10th Anniversary Main Event – Young Wolves Rising:
Eddie Edwards & Adam Cole defeat Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly
Perhaps the most accurate non-spoiler style report of this match exclusively relates to the suggestion that there was a lot that happened, and a lot that didn’t happen, but most viewers will believe enough happened. Enough happened to simmer the negativity that surrounded this contest. The negativity stemmed because of its design to block a Ring of Honor World Championship Match at an event as historic as this. There was something murky about the entire match, however at the very same time, there was certain clarity. This clarity managed to show what Ring of Honor has shown since the era of honor began in 2002, high-octane, in-ring performance. This match was marketed to be about two young wolves, two future Ring of Honor stars, rising above where they currently stand. For the most part, that did in fact take place. Time-span has nothing to do with what a main event should be about because the final outcome of a main event is often what fully drives an individual’s evaluation. However the time given to this main event did play an integral part in its overall delivery. Why? No matter how the match itself delivered to you as a professional wrestling fan, amongst a majority, we waited and waited and waited for the outcome to be the perfect one. - * * * ¾
Quick thought: A young wolf has risen.
Ring of Honor 10th Anniversary Over all Show Score: * * * ¼
ARTICLE: Ring of Honor – Recalling The 8th Anniversary Show
Posted in articles 02/23/2012
The 8th Anniversary Show Recall –
“Black to the Future”
In the name of what promises to be the promotions most noted and celebrated event, since their inauguration in 2002; this website will play host to various write-ups that reminisce, recall and HONOR, Ring of Honor Anniversary Shows of years-past.
“Back to Black,” “Snapping Black to reality,” and “Right Black to where he came from,” equally serve as an appropriate sub-title to this particular recall of another previous Ring of Honor Anniversary Show here at The Suplex.
These three sub-titles equally serve up a specific representation, of a specific ROH-star, during a specific time-period during Ring of Honor’s decade of existence.
On Feb. 13, 2010 at the 8th Anniversary Show in New York City, Ring of Honor Wrestling crowned their youngest World Champion since the titles inception 10 years ago.
Ring of Honor in 2009 and 2010 can be heavily remembered by a mass majority of the ROH-faithful, for its translucent design and emergence of a brand-new Ring of Honor bread-runner.
However, this translucency would prove to be nothing other than a premature viewing of what could have, should have, and would have been.
At Ring of Honor’s 8th Anniversary Show, at the ripe age of 23, Tyler Black captured the ROH World Championship by defeating Austin Aires to become the youngest Ring of Honor World Champion in the history of the promotion.
Obviously, the history making note above had been locked and loaded to become the focal-point of ROH’s 8th Anniversary Show for quite some time. This event was once looked at as a way for ROH to go BACK TO THE most apparent pieces of their FUTURE.
This was done by simply allowing a justifiable ROH-veteran, like Austin Aires, to carry a top-prospect, like Tyler Black; back and forth, from a hopeful Ring of Honor World Champion, to the future Ring of Honor World Champion, to THE RING OF HONOR WORLD CHAMPION. (CM Punk, Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson have similar stories)
Exactly 24 months later, unfortunately, for those who adored his time inside of ROH, the “Black to the future” sub-title now stands alone as a factual connotation of where Tyler Black’s own final countdown tour began. This material dives into recalling exactly what present day suggests. Recalling Ring of Honor’s 8th Anniversary Show looks BACK TO what once was THE start to a fresh FUTURE in ROH.
However, as unfortunate as it still stands on a personal level and for Ring of Honor, looking back on this anniversary show can be accurately acknowledged as a place to go back to where BLACK was launched TO, and as, THE FUTURE of Ring of Honor Wrestling…for about the next seven months.
What cannot be avoided during this particular recall is the factual, negative connotation following the ellipsis at the very end of the paragraph directly above.
Quite frankly, in the minds of many long-time ROH-devotees, ROH’s 8th Anniversary Show forces itself to be recalled for more than a place where one of the most celebrated moments in the promotion’s history was produced. This show is forced to be recalled as a place where ROH and their fans go back to the place where BLACK was given an unforgettable opportunity to become THE FUTURE.
Based on what would be finalized at “Glory by Honor IX,” seven months following the 8th Anniversary Show, the two above ideas seem sensible.
Prior to a little more evaluation of what Black vs. Aires means to this event, a brief re-examination of what in-ring material and drama surrounded, and ultimately led up to the Black vs. Aires five-star classic main event is deservingly notable.
Much like the majority of Anniversary Shows of years-past, each match finds a way to honor itself to Ring of Honor’s celebration of life.
The opening contest featured the return of Brian Kendrick, formerly known as Spanky in Ring of Honor. Kendrick had not been featured in an ROH-ring since 2005. Rightly so, brining in Kendrick for an event typically designed to celebrate the company’s existence seems like a feasible way to honor the past and present. Kendrick contested against Roderick Strong. Based on the quality of the contest it is rather unfortunate this would be Kendrick’s only appearance in ROH before solidifying a move to TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. Barely debatable, given the well-known turnover rate of ROH Talent, this bout still sits as a fine way to kick off this show.
The luxury of returns for Ring of Honor and their fans continues during the second match of the show, and this return has promise. The Kings of Wrestling make their tag-team return to New York City for the first time in about three years. Perhaps, right around this time is where fans could look towards their future in ROH as a tag-team as being brighter than ever.
Eddie Kingston and The Necro Butcher take on Joey Ryan and Erick Stevens in a No Rules Match that ended with a plastic bag suffocation spot. Allow yourself to imagine this manages to honor eight years of creativity.
Davey Richards would make his first appearance since signing an exclusive contract that holds him hostage to ROH, contractually pulling him from the Dragon Gate USA and EVOLVE promotion’s; thus publically allowing him to be known for making a commitment to Ring of Honor. The fact that this took place on a show I consider the exact marking of Black’s ROH-demise is interesting, to say the least.
Richards takes on El Generico to cap off the first half of 8th Anniversary Show. Both Richards and El Generico take the Manhattan Center on what feels like a tour of New York, as they draw a picture, perfectly resembling what this company has tried its utmost to be about since birth.
Following the half-way point of the 8th Anniversary Show, The Briscoe Brothers made their first Ring of Honor World Tag-Team Championship defense as six-time possessors of the tag-titles. The Briscoe’s defended against John Davis and Kory Chavis of The Dark City Fight Club in what was their first tag-team title opportunity. The Briscoe Brothers have been celebrated within the company for their candid ability to put-over up and coming talent. Despite The Dark City Fight Club’s short stay with ROH, this remained and will continue to remain relevant.
Impressions are integral to die-hard professional wrestling evaluators/supporters and the impression seen during this tag-team contest proved nothing other than The Briscoe Brothers advanced professional wrestling tag-team talent and The Dark City Fight Club’s advancement as a professional wrestling tag-team.
Following a win out of nowhere came a brawl out of nowhere when The Kings of Wrestling jumped The Briscoe Brothers post-match. This went on to warrant a short four way-brawl between the Kings, Briscoe’s, The Dark City Fight Club and the Bravado’s, which quickly transitioned into a three-way brawl between the Dark City Fight Club, The Kings of Wrestling and The Briscoe Brothers.
The Dark City Fight Club’s participation in a physical exchange with The Kings of Wrestling and The Briscoe Brothers on a stage as grand as the 8th Anniversary Show, for the time being had severe implications on the direction of the ROH tag-team division throughout 2010.
I have always felt that Ring of Honor manages to find one way or another to display the gift of culturally diversity within their locker room at each and every event. This may be considered as a slight misconception due to the notorious talent turn-over rate this company has been subjected to since the era of honor began in 2002; but one way or another it can be proven.
If you know of Kenny King, Delirious, Steve Corino and Rasche Brown, at first glance you should be able to recognize how diverse the talent matching up in this contest really is. These four men took part in a four corner survival match at the 8th Anniversary show, in an effortless, on-paper example of drawing-out how naturally diverse the culture within the Ring of Honor locker room is, and has been since the era of honor began in 2002.
If anyone feels story-telling is, was, or has become second-rate to Ring of Honor and the product they produce, the 8th Anniversary Show confrontation between Kevin Steen and Colt Cabana suggests that accusation be put on trial. Via video wire in the weeks leading up to the event, Steen requested for this to become more than just a discussion with Cabana during the event, as he first thought-out.
The events that took place between Steen and Cabana following a brief “wrestling” match, included Steve Corino and El Generico, prompting what we now know would become one of, if not the very best story-line in the world of professional wrestling in 2010. Recalling this show at this particular point in the event, while keeping note of where Kevin Steen stands with Ring of Honor in present day, clearly indicates how first-rate the story-telling in ROH can be.
There is no doubt that this show’s pretty little bow was wrapped-up in what some wrestling fans will, and do in fact consider a five-star wrestling bout.
However, as noted throughout the entire introduction of this recall, Black’s Ring of Honor World Championship victory against Austin Aires on Feb. 13, 2010 at Ring of Honor’s 8th Anniversary Show, is all about looking back at when the decision for ROH’s mission to launch BLACK TO be THE FUTURE of Ring of Honor was made.
Furthermore, this recall is all about looking back at the start date to when the decision for the company’s mission to launch BLACK TO be THE FUTURE was made; and how the missions start date tragically corresponds with a premature end-date; on a mission that was years in the making.
The general idea behind this recall or review, depending which way it is perceived, is to reminisce about a particular Ring of Honor Anniversary Show leading up to their decade celebration on March 4, 2012. In this particular case, we celebrate the youngest Ring of Honor World Champion since the era of honor began and the impact or imprint his victory left on the ROH faithful.
Ring of Honor Anniversary shows are proven to be a direct celebration of company history, and most importantly, product survival. Via this recall, the memories compiled all the way through strongly suggest this show earns a solid piece of Ring of Honor’s 10 year history.
(To complete the recall of this particular ROH event; highly comparable to a Movie or Broadway review written by a professional critic on a newspaper or website, the show score below relates to my thoughts on the delivery of the event, via a star rating out of five)
Show Score Review - * * * 3/4
Match Card:
MAIN EVENT – ROH World Championship Match: Austin Aries vs. Tyler Black
Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen
Pick Six Four Corner Survival: Kenny King vs. Delirious vs. Steve Corino vs. Rasche Brown
ROH World Tag-Team Championship: The Dark City Fight Club vs. The Briscoe Brothers
Davey Richards vs. El Generico
No Rules Tag-Team Challenge Match: Eddie Kingston and The Necro Butcher vs.
Joey Ryan and Erick Stevens
Kings of Wrestling vs. Bravado Brothers
Special Attraction Match: Brian Kendrick vs. Roderick Strong
UK NEWS: New section added to The Suplex
Posted in uk news 02/19/2012
Thanks,
Joel Allen