I've decided to make my jump into Ring of Honor today, beginning the 9 hour anthology that the promotion released on their YouTube channel. I will be reviewing all 19 matches in the video in many separate posts, and today, I begin with the first 3 matches, which primarily focus around one Bryan Danielson. Danielson, otherwise known as Daniel Bryan, was the central star of the early years of Ring of Honor, and exactly the type of wrestler that ROH head booker Gabe Sapolsky wanted to promote. Sapolsky had worked under Paul Heyman in ECW, but carried none of the chaotic, hardcore nature into his next venture, instead focusing around an air of legitimate competition, with "strong style" striking and crisp technical wrestling. I've seen a minute amount of ROH in my time as a fan; I know the promotion a lot more for the star they've produced that went on to large roles elsewhere, and I'm certainly not alone in that. Despite the absolute bevy of talent ROH was filled with in their early years, and despite producing some of the most acclaimed matches in the entire industry, the online buzz never truly elevated the promotion out of it's more "indy" roots. Today, Ring of Honor is no longer the trend-setter it used to be, still holding on thanks to past relevance and select loyal talent, with a roster that barely survived the gutting that was the formation of All Elite Wrestling. Over these four posts, we'll see the birth, rise, and stagnation of what was, at one point, the hottest property in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Our first match comes from The Era of Honor Begins, ROH's very first show, hosted in the Murphy Recreation Center in Philadelphia. This was taped on February 23rd, 2002, so just for reference, this is about 3 weeks before the WWF presented WrestleMania X8, with the build centering around the iconic clash between Hulk Hogan and The Rock, and Triple H's kayfabe separation from Stephanie McMahon, also featuring Undisputed Champion Chris Jericho. You're certainly not going to find any of that sports-entertainment nonsense here in Ring of Honor, at least not yet, as the new promotion kicks off with a show featuring Eddie Guerrero, in one of his final appearances on the independent scene before heading back to the WWE, and finishes with a main event between three of the hottest new stars in the US, as Low Ki faces Christopher Daniels and Bryan Danielson (referred to by his "American Dragon" moniker). This is a spell-binding main event, indicative of just how much these three brought to the table, and features about as much action as could possibly be packed into 20 minutes. Danielson and Low Ki kick everything in sight, Daniels puts both opponents in a combined Boston Crab and Camel Clutch, Low Ki breaks out a ridiculous hanging Dragon Sleeper with Daniels in the Tree of Woe in the corner, it's all so much fun and the crowd is at fever pitch throughout. The best spot is saved for last, as Low Ki delivers a Phoenix Splash onto Danielson, who had the Cattle Mutilation on Daniels, nearly breaking the future "Total Bellas" star in half. A Ki Krusher to Daniels earns Low Ki the win, although the result is skimmed over by the post-match fracas, where all three men agree to meet in singles matches next month, and Daniels begins to establish himself as the top heel in Ring of Honor, refusing to shake hands with Low Ki and Danielson. Though this match didn't feature much in the way of stakes or psychology, it was an excellent showcase for what ROH would bring to the table, a statement of intent that would define the future of American wrestling. The only real negative to this was the performance of the commentary duo of Eric Gargiulo and Steve Corino, who didn't have much in the way of chemistry, but did at least make up for it with palpable excitement and energy.
- We move forward now to June 14th, 2003, where Ring of Honor hosts a show entitled "Night of the Grudges" in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and while the night closed with a six man tag pitting Christopher Daniels' Prophecy stable scoring a big win, that's not what we're here to see. Instead, it's the semi-main event that's in the spotlight, where AJ Styles and Paul London collide for a shot at Samoa Joe and the ROH World Championship. Considering the work I've seen out of these two men, this match was much slower than I was expecting, including a long opening bit where they each attempted to outwrestle the other and kept playing mind games while exchanging handshakes. This section was a little difficult to get into, but they started to win back my attention when London began to focus on Styles' leg. London debilitates the leg with some brutal offense, stomping at AJ's knee and slamming it off the apron, delivering what appears to be a finishing blow with a Shooting Star Press onto that leg. AJ, ever the valiant babyface, does manage to make a comeback, but a Styles Clash can't be capitalized on, as AJ landed on his knee to deliver the move, and the pain causes him to waste a few precious seconds. Styles and London get in one last sequence of grappling for the finish, as each man trades standing switches, before AJ lifts Paul up for a devastating high-angle German suplex, which results in a double pinfall, as AJ can't get leverage off the mat with his bum knee. This may not have been the most exciting contest in the world, it did certainly pale in comparison to the triple threat I just saw, but it did tell a compelling story, boosted by AJ's incredible selling. Gabe Sapolsky, on commentary under the alias "Chris Lovey", did a tremendous job putting over each moment where Styles struggled with his leg, you can tell how much he admires the most basic elements of wrestling psychology.
- This post finishes out, appropriately, with the finale of a feud that put ROH on the map. CM Punk and Samoa Joe battled over the ROH World title twice previously in 2004, each time ending in a 60 minute time limit draw. The latter match was the first contest from the US to receive five stars from Dave Meltzer since Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker in 1997, and now, it's time to finish the trilogy. At All Star Extravaganza 2, in front of a rabid crowd in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Joe and Punk go to war one more time. And this was an absolute war, no hyperbole on that front, by the time these two men were finished pummeling each other, they could've easily fooled a casual observer into thinking they had seen the frontline of battle. Joe is a psychopath in this match, torturing Punk in a rather nonchalant fashion, busting Punk open with a kick early on, then ripping at Punk's bloody forehead with his fingernails in a gross display of cruelty. Even though the fans respect Joe's incredible athleticism and unrelenting power, Punk is so beloved, and Joe is such a bastard, that the crowd has almost no choice but to side with the challenger. Punk's comeback includes taking a couple big risks, with a leaping dropkick off the apron, and a diving knee drop to the back of Joe's head, both of which end up with Punk crashing onto the hard, basketball court floor. Man, taking those bumps had to kill, Punk held nothing back in this one, and that just made everyone love him more. The crowd is left completely in awe by one of the best sequences I've ever witnessed, as Joe turns a powerbomb into a hurricanrana, before nearly sending Punk's head into orbit with a hellacious lariat, only for Punk to kick out, and land a Shining Wizard, hooking both legs for an even more believable false finish. Damn, that was great. Joe desperately wants to end it by this point, and doggedly pursues a tap with the Coquina Clutch, but Punk won't go down. In a fabulous spot, Ricky Steamboat, stationed at ringside to witness this match, stops the timekeeper from ringing the bell, as he alone can see that Punk's fingers are still moving. This was a deft little booking touch by Sapolsky, who connects the beloved legend of yesteryear with the rising star of today, brilliant. Both men trade pinfalls, and Joe abandons all morals by attempting a rope-assisted pinfall, turning what little support he had left in the crowd into pure hatred. Punk's last-ditch rally is stopped when Joe yanks his tights to pull Punk back into the Coquina Clutch, and Joe finally beats the life out of his challenger with a German suplex and a Dragon suplex, with Punk passing out in the Clutch. There are not enough adjectives in the English language I can use to describe this match. Watch it, watch it right now.
Next time on my dive into Ring of Honor Wrestling, I cover three matches from 2005-2007, featuring Samoa Joe taking on a Japanese legend, a title unification match, and a tag team ladder match. See you soon.
- Henry
Comments