ROH DVD Review: The Era of Honor Begins

As promised on AMP Podcast #12 we're starting a new tradition of reviewing Ring of Honor Wrestling DVD's from now until the ROH show on March 30th, 2007 - the weekend of WrestleMania 23. In all likelihood the project will continue on from that point, but your humble reviewer will have a completely different perspective after having seen ROH in person.

Ring of Honor: The Era of Honor Begins

This DVD was released by TakedownMasters.com (I have no idea if that URL is still valid) and was briefly available in major retail outlets such as Best Buy until the Rob Feinstein controversy. We don't need to go into what that was about in detail for this review; suffice it to say that the ownership of ROH changed and so did their methods of video distribution. Since then I've only been able to buy DVD's of their shows directly through ROHWrestling.com but there were at least three ROH DVD's in the Takedown Masters series before that train got derailed. This release did not come with a date on the outside but my research on the card leads me to believe the matches are from February 23, 2002 so please correct me if I'm wrong.

The opening menu is rather generic. Some blurry video of ROH wrestlers runs in the background while some generic techno music plays, and your two generic DVD choices are either "play" or "mach by match." From here on I expect the contents to be anything but generic. Opening graphics indicate this show is from Philadelphia, but it appears to be a high school gymnasium somewhere. Wow - in this opening video everybody from Bryan Dainielson to Super Crazy to Christopher Daniels to EDDIE GUERRERO is coming out to the ring. You read that right ladies and gentlemen - Eddie Guerrero actually appeared in ROH before coming back to WWE.

Christopher Street Connection hits the ring. If you've never heard of these guys, they do a flaming homosexual wrestler gimmick, sort of like the Heartthrobs kicked up ten thousand times, and appropriately enough their entrance music is "YMCA." The announcers play up being the biggest homophobes possible, being utterly disgusted that these men are kissing men in the crowd. Allison Danger accompanies them as their valet, so how can I be mad at such two over-the-top goofballs who have such a hot manager? AND she's wearing a short short black & white tiger print skirt. Rrrrraow! Time for a promo from Buffy: "Somebody told us in the back they don't want our kind here. I'll tell you what." (This gets a crowd chant of FAG-GOT, FAG-GOT.) "Excuse me young man, I may be gay, but you're queer!" Just to turn up the crowd heat they start kissing, which causes a run-in by the Hit Squad.

* Hit Squad v. Christopher Street Connection (impromptu match).

This is practically a squash. Hit Squad are two big fat bald wrestlers, and the announce team says they're here to defend the honor of all the wrestlers in the back. In less than a minute one of the two CSC wrestlers take a burning hammer from the fat baldies and it's all over. WINNERS: THE HIT SQUAD. Afterwards the bald guys grab Allison Danger and it looks like they're going to beat her up, but instead they get in a fight over wherher she should get a beating. One Hit Squad member drags her around by the hair like a caveman while the other one goes out to get a table. One of the CSC wrestlers is laid out on the table, the pick up Allison danger on the corner turnbuckle, and powerbomb her through the table on top of her wrestler. Just now we finally learn the Hit Squad wrestlers are named Mafia and Monster Mack. The announcers keep saying things like "if you look up stiff in the dictionary you'll see these guys" but I don't exactly take that as a compliment on their wrestling skills. Hit Squad gets the mic: "Ring of Honor is not about stupid gimmicks or dumb valets. It's all about competition!" Now the other baldie gets the mic. "I tell you what, tonight, you people, get to kiss sports entertainment's ass goodbye! Tonight, right here in South Philadelphia, you people witness the birth of RING OF HONORRRRRR."

* Jay Briscoe (w/ Mark Briscoe) v. The Amazing Red

Well holy shit - there's a guy I haven't seen wrestling in a long time. Amazing Red used to be the shit on Wednesday nights when TNA ran a weekly PPV. Jay and Red shake hands respectfully before the start of the match, and a huge RED RED RED chant breaks out. Red and Jay lock up and exchange holds on the mat, then stand up and face off to a respectful round of applause. Red with a leg sweep that barely gets a one before Jay counters and rolls through to another round of applause. A lot of standing switches before Jay knocks him down with a shoulder tackle, leapfrogs, catches a charging Red to throw him over the top rope. Briscoe leaps to the outside to get him but Red gets out of the way so Briscoe crashes and burns. Camera angles leave a little something to be desired here. Dropkick off the ropes takes down Briscoe but then Red gets the crowd to give him a round of applause when he gets back up. Okay enough with the respect shit. Red knocks him down with a loud SNAP spinning headkick for a two count. Boot to the head by Red. Briscoe picks him up and sets him in the corner, and does a fisherman buster worthy of Samoa Joe. Red kicks out at 2.9. Jay Briscoe signals that it's over and climbs the corner turnbuckle, but Red cuts him off coming down in the air and hits a brainbuster suplex for two. Steve Corino on commentary says he would have had three if he hooked the leg. Red slaps Briscoe in the face and the back of the head with kicks, so Briscoe responds with a big boot to the face. Briscoe sets up for the J-Driller but Red counters into a backbridge. Briscoe tries a second time and gets blocked. Third time's the charm but Briscoe seems to have hurt himself as much as red, and a HOLY SHIT chant is the result. Briscoe thinks he got a three count but the referee signals that Red got his foot on the ropes first. Briscoe decides to hit the corner turnbuckle again but Red charges the ropes and knocks off his footing, then both men go off the ropes and collide in mid air. Briscoe gets up first and gives him a half-and-half, then goes to the top rope for a cannonball senton, but Red rolls out of the way. Red quickly hits a crokscrew off the ropes and a red storm press and gets the three count. WINNER: THE AMAZING RED. Fine match to REALLY open the Era of Honor, since the first one on this DVD really doesn't count. If you're into that star stuff, call it 3 or 3 and 1/2 out of 5. Jay and Red shake hands and hug each other after the match, and the announcers put over that it's all about honor and sportsmanship in ROH.

* Scoot Andrews (The Black Nature Boy) v. Xavier

What would Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson say here? "It's time for some black on black crime." Of course there's no Marvin Eastman in the ring here, just two professional wrestlers. Xavier counters The Black Nature Boy into a roll through arm bar, Scoot gets back to his feet with a chop but Xavier takes over again with a series of scoop slams. The two back off and stare each other down to more applause. Lockup and Xavier again gets the better of it, but Scoot reverses it, Xavier reverses him, and these two are moving quicker than a hiccup. Head scissors leaves Xavier on the mat. Running dropkick to the face gets Scoot a two count. Scott with an overhead suplex for two. The announcers put over that Xavier used to be a security guard at shows but learned from the wrestlers he used to watch. I've just noticed that Scoot even has BNB monogrammed on his trunks. Well if you've got the gimmick, live the gimmick - I haven't seen him do an eyepoke or a Flair Flop yet. Xavvier drops Scoot on his head and gets a two count, then does six punches in the corner. Xavier charges Scoot but gets floated up and power bombed back down hard. John Finnegan gives Scoot a two count. We get some knife edge chops, although Xavier responds with a few of his own. Hard lariat by Scoot gets two. Scoop bodyslam, Scoot goes outside and hits the top rope, and misses with a flying butt drop. That's very Flair - top rope moves never work. Xavier drops the elbow on Scoot's chest and nails him wih a forearm to the throat. Two count. Xavier drills Scoot with forearms and a series of knee lifts. Xavier is owning Scoot for the moment. Sunset flip by Xavier misses and Scoot counters into a reverse DDT that's only two. Scoot counters Xavier into his finisher the Force of Nature but Xavier gets under the ropes to break up the three count, then hits the floor for time to recover. Scoot wastes time arguing with the ref about the pin before finally going out to pick Xavier up off the floor. Scoot finally rolls him back in but can only get a two. Xavier gets a schoolboy while he argues with the ref again and ALMOST gets a three. Scoot goes for a second Force of Nature but Xavier counters it into an unprettier and gets the three count. WINNER: XAVIER. An okay match but I would have liked to have seen a little more dominance by one wrestler or the other - this was just about TOO evenly matched. The announcers call for a rematch as Xavier offers Scoot a handshake, but Scoot refuses to accept it and steps out of the ropes. Xavier taunts him by pointing at the ROH sign, so Scoot steps back in and proves he has honor by accepting the handshake.

Backstage the Chrostopher Street Connection cuts a promo, One wrestler whimpers in pain and says they don't belong there, but then the other sees a guy bouncing around in a bright gold jacket and says OH YES WE DO!

* Quiet Storm v. Chris Divine v. Brian XL v. SAT (Joel & Jose Maximo) v. The Amazing Red w/ Mikey Whipwreck as guest referee

The first three men come out like a team but it's apparent soon enough that it's every man for himself. Whipwreck starts the match by saying all of these guys are his students "except for Lil' Bow Wow over here" Brian XL. Whipwreck refuses to start the match until Red comes to the ring, so now it appears he's doing double duty tonight. This is pin elimination format until it's down to the last man. The announcers say this match is for bragging rights, whoever wins can say they're "best in class." Joel Maximo is on offense to start but Brian XL comes off the head scissors before Red nails him with a dropkick. Joel gets a dropkick off the top but Brian XL gives him one of his own. Chris Divine gets a missile dropkick on Jose Maximo and every single wrestler is hitting a missile dropkick on somebody else. Suicide topei to the outside leads to every wrestler going over the top ropes and adding on to the dogpile. This is like a TNA X division match with shittier cameras and even more spots. Red finally joins the pile. Brian XL teases it and gets in the pile himself. There seems to be a cut in the footage and we come back to Red and Brian XL in the ring, but the two Maximos get in and pick them up but Chris Divine and Quiet Storm charge them and it becomes a giant electric chair. Chris Divine sets up a pin and Brian XL tries to steal it. The Maximos go after him but XL turns it into a standing shooting star press for two. XL goes for a cross armbreaker and now it's a clusterfuck again with everybody in the ring being stretched out. Quiet Storm clotheslines one of the Maximos for two. Rolling german suplexes by Storm but Joel Maximo fights out with chops. The Maximos powerbomb Red onto Quiet Storm. Chris Divine gets slingshotted into a big boot, Jose Maximo comes over the top with aa leg drop, Red puts him in a camel clutch and Joel dropkicks him in the face. Brian XL gets back in but Maximo sits down on him in a submission. This match has almost slowed down to a tolerable pace. XL kicks out of a pin attempt by Red. Sunset flip by XL gets turned into a modified canadian destroyer for two. XL gets suplexed by Jose Maximo, slapped in the face by Chris Divine, but he backslides Red after bumping into him and gets the three. AMAZING RED ELIMINATED. Red takes exception to his friend and partner doing that. Divine gives a spinal shot to Brian XL and gets the next pin. BRIAN XL ELIMINATED. Chris Divine goes after the Maximos but both non-SAT's and overwhelmed and a double team top rope suplex takes Divine off the top. Divine gets pinned but the other Maximo gets suplex into a backbridge by Quiet Storm and we have a double pinfall. JOSE MAXIMO AND CHRIS DIVINE ELIMINATED. It's down to Quiet Storm and Joel Maximo. They throw elbows and forearms at each other then reverse a couple of roll-ups. Cross armbreaker by Joel but Storm gets out of it and locks in a Sasketchawan stretch. Both men back to their feet, Joel with a kick to the face but Storm charges him on the ropes with a forearm and knocks him down mid-ring for two. Storm calls for his finisher the Storm Cradle Driver but instead gets clotheslined for two. Maximo picks him up by the hair and gives himk knife edge chops. Maximo misses with a leg but picks him up for a sideways thunder driver and still only gets a two count. Storm comes after Maximo with hard elbows, hits the SCD and finally gets the pin. WINNER: QUIET STORM. The match finally got decent at the end but it's still the kind of thing I'd rate two and a half stars at best because it was such a mess. Steve Corino leaves the announce booth as the two men shake hands and we have another match.

* Michael Shane & Oz v. Spanky & Ikaika Loa

This is referred to as a Texas Wrestling Academy challenge. The first man to get a pin in this match not only wins but gets a Ring of Honor contract. The announcers put over that all four men drove 26 hours from San Antonio to be here. Spanky and Oz start us off, but you may know Spanky better as Brian Kendrick from WWE, unless you remember when he was feuding with John Cena on Smackdown and said "I'M SPANKY DAWG!" And speaking of names you'd recognize, Oz is NOT Kevin Nash, Cthulhu be praised. Spanky gets outmuscles by the larger Oz but continues to outsmart him and fly around all over the place. Loa tags in as does Michael Shane, and they put over Shane/Matt Bentley/Maverick Matt as the cousin of Shawn Michaels, saying HBK made him work twice as hard so nobody thought he was getting an easy break. Now Spanky gets back in and he and Shane start slapping each other in the face and chest. Spanky with a side headlock, shoulder tackle, deep arm drag, but Shane returns the favor with an arm drag of his own. Spanky's polka dotted pants keep going ass first into the camera at ringside until the angle changes and Spanky gets pinned for two. Shane chops and punches him but Spanky leapfrogs him. Shane ends up outside the ropes and tries to jump on top of him but Spanky rolls out of the way and tags Loa. Loa with punches and slaps to the facein the corner and whips Shane hard to the other corner. Announce team keeps putting over that Loa has two herniated discs and if he had been reversed into the turnbuckle that culd have been the end of the match. Spanky gets back in and Shane attempts a comeback but gets a leg lariat and a two count for his trouble. Shane seems to be playing the face in peril now as he gets put in the bow & arrow by Spanky. Double clothesline spot and Loa gets the tag, cutting off Shane before he can get one. He keeps punching Shane in the back and suplexes him for two. Loa puts Shane on the ropes and climbs up for something but keeps getting knocked down by elbows. Shane comes off the ropes with a missile dropkick and both men are down. Shane finally gets the hot tag to Oz who comes in like a house on fire. Fisherman suplex on Spanky gets two. Loa gets thrown out landing neck first on the apron. Oz with a boot to the face and pins Spanky for two. Shane with a flying elbow on Spanky to help but it's still only two. Spanky and Oz are both down so Loa and Shane chop each other in the corner. Spanky backflips off Shane's chest and calls for Sliced Bread #2 but gets cut off and nearly pinned. Spanky gets superkicked but it's only a two count. Spanky finally hits the SB#2 on Oz and gets the pin. WINNER AND NEW ROH CONTRACT HOLDER: SPANKY DAWG! Loa and Oz looked so out of place in the ring with these younger smaller high-flyers. Spanky and Shane did such a good job of carrying the match though I'll say it was a three. Spanky and Michael Shane exchange a very angry handshake afterwards.

* Super Crazy v. Eddie Guerrero (IWA Intercontinental Heaviweight Match)

Yes indeed - we've got a luchador loco match here with an angry looking, full mulleted Eddie Guerrero, who gets a tremendous ovation from the crowd. This was during his rehab right after he got fired and just before he got rehired by WWE, so clearly they were keeping an eye on ROH during this time (and actually most of the time). Corino tries to claim this is their first one-on-one match ever, but his commentary partner Eric says they faced each other once before in Puerto Rico and that the King of Old School should have done his homework. Crazy offers him a handshake to start, but Eddie slaps him in the face instead. Apparently this match started with a shoot video from Eddie where he said he'd love to fight Super Crazy. The announcers don't hide the fact that Eddie is overcoming his personal demons, making it a shoot commentary to boot. Eddie has the best of Crazy early on, and despite heeling it up is still getting a lot of support from the crowd until a SU-PER CRA-ZY chant breaks out. Crazy goes on offense with punches to Latino Heat but Eddie knocks him down to the canvas, picks him up by the hair, and nails a belly to back suplex for two. Announcers put over how good Eddie looks right now and I have to agree. Eddie applies the side headlock trying to choke Crazy out, but Crazy gets his hand up before three. Leapfrog by Crazy and arm drags and Crazy even does an arm drag for the top rope for good measure before getting Eddie in the corner for ten punches (en espanol).Eddie falls outside to recover, Crazy goes after him and pays the price for it as Eddie was playing possum. Crazy gets run into the ringpost, held up in a high vertical suplex, and dropped on his head on the floor. Latino Heat starts to smile smugly and shimmy a little. Eddie throws him back in the ring and saults over the top rope right onto Crazy's chest for two. Scoop into an overhead fallaway slam for two. The announcers say that Eddie made his name in Philly "in a building around the corner" and they're talking about the ECW Bingo Hall/New Alhambra building. Eddie continues to work over the Insano Luchador and keeps getting hear falls. Crazy ducks a couple of lariats, rolls through a flip and kicks Eddie in the back of the head. Scoop slam by Crazy, second rope moonsault gets two. Crazy with a missile dropkick for 2.5. Crazy up top again but this time Eddie cuts him off, goes up top, 'rana off the top and a 2.5 pin. Eddie slides under a kick but eats the leg lariat and Crazy gets another near fall. Crazy counters a suplex attempt into a powerbomb and gets 2.9. The fans go wild for Eddie again. Eddie hits the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, signals that it's over with a finger slash, gets rolling vertical suplexes and climbs the ropes. FIVE STAR FROG... no! Super Crazy got out of the way and rolled up Eddie with a small package for three. WINNER AND NEW IWA IC CHAMPION: SUPER CRAZY. Crazy offers Eddie a handshake and a deep bow of respect, and the two hug before Eddie raises his hand for the victory. If you can find this DVD, you could buy it for this match alone. FOUR STARS. Super Crazy is congratulated by everybody in the back except for Christopher Daniels, who just shakes his head and looks on wearing his priest's robe and red sash.

Low-Ki promo time! OH YEAH BABY~! Speak on deep voiced brotha! "American Dragon, the Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels, and Low-Ki. Tonight Ring of Honor presents these 3 men in a triple threat match to prove who is the top athlete here." Damn, I was hoping he'd say more than that like "ALL YOU CAN DO IS BEEEE READYYYY." Apparently the DVD length is pressed for time though because we're going right to the match.

* 'Amercan Dragon' Bryan Danielson v. Low-Ki v. Christopher Daniels

All three have their entrance into the buildings cut short but get a full introduction in ring, Dragon being billed as from Aberdeen, Washington, Low-Ki billed as being from Brooklyn, New York and Daniels being billed as from Kalamazoo, Michigan. I could be wrong but I think Stephen DeAngelis is the one doing the ring announcing. Daniels is still wearing his robes during the intro but has everything off by the time the DVD skips ahead to the bell ring. All three men circle each other as the crowd erupts. Dragon and Low-Ki gang p on Daniels to start then lock up with each other once he's out of the way. Daniels responds with a double dropkick to their faces and stands fists-a-ready urging them both to bring it on. Dragon and Low-Ki go after each other again, Daniels takes advantage, Dragon blocks a suplex attempt by Daniels but gets floated into the tree of woe anyway and Low-Ki kicks him while in it. Low-Ki rolls through and nails Daniels then starts lighting him up with martial arts kicks before Dragon tries to get the cattle mutilation and gets broken up. Daniels scoop slams both men onto each other and the announcers remind us this is a one pinfall match. Daniels puts Low-Ki in a chin lock while simultaneously stretching out Dragon in a modified sharpshootr - you have to see it to believe it. Daniels with punches to the head on Dragon, who kicks him in the face and goes for a few stiff kicks of his own. Low-Ki looks on and picks his spot, taking feet to the face and body of Dragon, before Daniels shoulder tackles him and hits the overhead suplex for barely a count of two. Flying heel kick by Daniels, who turns his attention to Dragon and hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Knife edge chops on Low-Ki. Ki reverses for a few of his own. Clothesline misses, elbow to the throat does not, Ki gets a two count. Dragon nails Ki from behind and then starts ping-ponging knife edge chops between both men. Dragon does a chicken wing modified asian scorpion or whatever the hell the announcers decided to call it, it just looks painful. Ki again nails Dragon with kicks even though he still has Daniels leg through each one. Dragon tries a backbridge for two on Ki, then a backslide for two on Daniels, and the crowd erupts as both men kick out. Chops traded between Ki and Dragon. Dragon nails him with an elbow off the ropes and gets two. Daniels breaks it up, headbutts Dragon, but Dragon takes the arm and drags him over hard for two. Damn stiff kick by Low-Ki to Dragon's back not once but twice, and Dragon gets up with a manic look on his face and then snapmares him over to give him one. Even on these semi-acceptable cameras you can see the bruising on these men's bodies from the chops and kicks. Daniels looks both men in the eye so Low-Ki snaps him over for a kick to the back. Dragon shoves Ki and screams "THAT'S NOT HOW YOU DO IT" then gives Daniels one of his own. Low-Ki screams "NO YOU DO IT LIKE THIS" and gives Daniels another. Comedy! They're each trying to kick Daniels harder in mid-match, boy the Fallen Angel can't be happy about this. Dragon shoves him and says NO LIKE THIS and does it again, and the crowd all stand n unison to applaud. Both men kick Daniels from front to back twice but Daniels ducks on the third try and they each kick the other in the shin. Low-Ki gets up first and goes after Dragon. Another stiff chop, followed by a headbutt, and another chop, but Daniels breaks it up and drills his head into the canvas. Neckbreaker to Dragon. Daniels with a boston crab with the knee right on Ki's head and neck but Dragon breaks it up. Double suplex attempt on Daniels blocked and he turns it into a combo neckbreaker/DDT and tries to pin both men simultaneously, then each man individually, but it's all two counts. Daniels goes top rope but the other two cut him off with chops and throw him off the top rope hard, then each give him a yakuza kick. Knee lifts by Dragon on Ki and then another two count. Ki kicks Dragon off and Daniels tries to pin him but only gets two. Belly to belly by Daniels on Ki gets two. Daniels gets double teamed again but Low-Ki turns it into a tornado DDT on dragon and a tidal wave on Daniels but he can only get two on Daniels. Dragon crotched on the top rope, Dragon fights out with elbows, Daniels cuts him off and gets beind him to put on an abdominal stretch from the top. Low-Ki breaks it up, pulls Daniels down into a tree of woe stretch from the top, and apparently Ki calls that the hanging dragon. Low-Ki with an enzuguiri and Daniels turns it into a two cont on Dragon. Low-Ki cartwheels to the corner but Daniels gives him an uppercut and sets him up on the top rope, stiffs him in the face, climbs up, Ki knocks him off, but Dragon charges before he can do anything. Dragon blocked on a superplex, Daniels comes over and climbs up too, and a belly to back superplex takes all three down to the mat. THIS IS AWE-SOME~! Dragon with a judo DDT on Daniels, picks him up for a dragon suplex but Ki breaks it up before the three count. Dragon and Ki jockey for position but Ki gets the better and applies a dragoon clutch, but Daniels breaks it up. Punch to the face by Daniels, STO takedown on Ki, Daniels signals to the ropes and its the BME but Dragon makes the save before three. American Dragon Bryan Danielson hits the ropes but gets a shortarm clothesline from Daniels for his trouble. Ki hits him with a roundhouse kick and a handspring into a tidal wave. LOW-KI CHANT. Dragon cahrges him, nails Daniels in the back of the neck, goes into the cattle mutilation but Low-Ki hits a twisting phoenix splash to break it up. HOLY SHIT. Low-Ki hits the KI CRUSHER ON DANIELS and it's all over!!! WINNER: LOW-KI. Now that was a HELL of a match. I didn't think Eddie v. Super Crazy could be topped but this was four and a half, minimum. With a little better camera work and video quality it might have been even better, but you can tell this was early in ROH and they didn't quite have it all down yet. Aftert the match Low-Ki stands tall with his arms in the air. Each one sells for a minute afterwards like they've been through a war and Dragon takes the mic: "Low-Ki you may have won this match but you didn't beat the American Dragon. I propose if you're willing to accept, next month here at Ring of Honor you and me wrestle a singles match to see who's the best. What do you say?" Daniels: "Hold on a minute there Dragon. This is ROH, listen to these fans. Listen guys, like I said this is Ring of Honor, Low-Ki, American Dragon - the only thing I can say is... YOU BOTH CAN GO TO HELL. It took both of you to beat me, in a singles match I would have beat either of you, and I could beat you both in singles matches on the same night." Ki: "For someone who just got beat you're pretty brave. American Dragon if this is what you want, this is what you got. Chris Daniels if you want the same, I'll give it to you. In fact all three of us fight each other one on one the next show. And with that said and done, I want to say to you, I'm the best wrestler here in Ring of Honor." He puts the mic down and shakes Dragon's hand. They each go over to offer Daniels a handshake, but he feigns it and wipes the sweat off his head instead before walking away. HEEL FALLEN ANGEL RULES. It's a round robin tournament on the next ROH show, and hopefully that's the next DVD in my library - I think it was the next Takedown Masters release. Very good show - started off a little slow, but it kept getting better and better and led to one hell of a climactic finish. Thanks for reading and be sure to give us your feedback and listen to the next AngryMarks podcast, lucky #13!