Column of Honor: 12.31.10: Final Column 2010 Part Six: ROH Year-End Awards Concluded

We’re almost there! One more to go and then you’ll all be off on your merry way to a great and honorable New Years.Inside, the last of the awards and a re-list of the top 100 ROH matches of 2010.

Death Before Dishonor VIII iPPV–The pinnacle of Ring of Honor this year when it came to bell-to-bell wrestling was this show, their third internet Pay Per View event. Loaded with well-executed, hard-worked and dramatic, engaging matches this show had four marquee matches in consideration for match of the year. The Richards versus Black title showdown delivered on everything promised of it and brought out the emotions of all in attendance. The Kings of Wrestling versus The Briscoes was a no-DQ war. The excellent back-and-forth physical encounters between Kevin Steen and El Generico as well as Christopher Daniels against Kenny Omega filled out the top of the card and are both infinitely watchable. The rest of the show is a very well done undercard that sought to highlight and did effectively push the wrestlers ROH knew would take more active roles in the future, namely Roderick Strong and The All-Night Express. Austin Aries and Delirious had one of the better matches of their feud and even with the inconclusive finish it was one of the few times the “grudge” aspect of their program actually felt real and serious. This was an incredibly well-paced show, starting off right away with the much-anticipated Steen versus Generico match and then the most time being reserved for the two title matches. Not to mention, fans received more than they bargained for during the intermission with a brawl between Steen and Generico that played off real wrestling events in other promotions. This show delivered something for everyone and had quality from top-to-bottom such that by the end this had become not just the best show of 2010 but also one of the top ten shows in ROH history.

The Big Bang iPPV–Perhaps the best show this year that one could also describe as being the most inconsistent in the content of the matches. However the peaks were so incredibly high (the ROH World Title three-way, the ROH World Tag Team Title change with The Kings defeating The Briscoes, Richards vs. Kenny King) that the valleys (the lucha tag main event, the NWA showcase opener), while low, proved to be inconsequential to the overall direction of the promotion. The ROH branded matches most promoted and built up through HDNet delivered beyond expectation and were some of the best of the year in ROH. It’s hard to argue with the workmanship found in the two title matches. Conversely, the Lucha tag main event was an atrocity of a styles clash for regular ROH viewers. Even though ROH heavily advertised to the Latino community, the result didn’t work out well in presentation and execution. Originally, it wasn’t supposed to be the last match of the show and was forced into that position due to the late arrival of some of the luchadores. Cassandro el Exotico entertained against Rhett Titus but unfortunately his match was cut short due to injury. The return of Christopher Daniels to ROH truly shocked, surprised and thrilled the live audience and those watching at home. The first major in-ring and officially sanctioned match involving Steen and Generico had intrigue and while it was more storytelling than action, it paid off the first part of the year-long storyline with some satisfying progression that had the crowd going crazy. Therefore, this is a show that needs to be recognized for delivering where it counted for the Ring of Honor fan and specifically when discussing the Ring of Honor branded matches.

Glory By Honor IX iPPV— A show I did not have a blast attending, but I recognize it delivered in several ways and was important to the history of ROH for many reasons including the title change, the departure of Tyler Black, the debut of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin and the return of Homicide. So like the previous internet Pay Per Views, this one had a solid undercard (weaker than DBD8 but probably stronger than Big Bang) but where it was sold on and delivered was with the top three advertised bouts. The Strong vs. Black match was held back somewhat by the excesses of run-ins, but it was a fitting coda for the year-long Strong / Black series. The true stand-out match was The Kings versus Haas & Benjamin, with the latter two super-motivated to wrestle a great match and impress the fans and wrestling world at-large. That’s just what they did and their match against the champs is one of the major reasons to buy this DVD. Generico & Cabana added another chapter to their feud against Steen & Corino with the double chain match, which had some insane usage of the chain, table breaks, chair hits, blood and a surprise post-script with Generico’s unmasking. Homicide’s return at the end of the show received one of the largest pops of the year-seriously, the iPPV / DVD does not do justice to this moment. Again, there is a lot of action to take-in and a lot of storyline developments that were well-done and added to the show, which makes this show stand-out as another must-see.

Supercard of Honor V–I assume one’s placement of this show would be determined by how one reacted to the finishes of the top two matches: Black versus Strong for the ROH World Title, where there were three referee bumps that led to the actual finish of the bout (a clean win for Black); The Kings of Wrestling versus The Motor City Machine Guns for the ROH World Tag Team Titles which was an amazing match for the first 99.9 percent of its timeframe and then had one of the absolute most disappointing finishes of the year when The Briscoes ran in for the disqualification call. It is true that TNA (who had loaned out The Guns) had called a last-minute audible on the result of that match, but it is also true that a draw in this context would have been infinitely more palatable than the interference in the end. So, do two un-ROH-like finishes diminish the show? Not for me. I had a blast attending this one live and it wasn’t just because of those top two matches. Kevin Steen and Colt Cabana had a nasty and brutal deathmatch with some must-see-to-believe weapon shots and an interesting twist with the appearance of Steve Corino and the debut of his son Colby. Christopher Daniels and Eddie Edwards delivered on a very fun and technically perfect battle that was to whet the appetite for Daniels’ eventual main-event tango against Richards. The appearance of Balls Mahoney was a pleasant surprise and a guilty pleasure for the New York fan base. The return of Awesome Kong to ROH was one of those moments where one just has to be amid an ROH audience to understand fully its meaning. Kong versus Del Rey was a very good but short match, but this wasn’t just about the women delivering in the ring, but an affirmation for Kong amid the issues she was facing in TNA before her release from that company. More like the middle of the story-that-was for ROH than the end of it, the show is still a necessary part of piece that one needs to understand what was happening in 2010.

Salvation — Tyler Black’s incredibly compelling title defense against Kevin Steen headlined this show, where Black received rare near-unanimous support against an opponent. One could understand why that was the case, with Steen’s heel act nearly stealing the show and drawing a great amount of heat. Also featured were four of the six opening round matches of Tag Wars 2010, which were mostly solid and highlighted by Generi-COLT versus American Wolves. With five tag matches on the card, this show may have been more Tag Wars than Tag Wars 2010 (which missed the cut).Generation Me (a.k.a. The Youngbucks) had their second match of their weekend return to ROH by wrestling against The Kings in an athletic showcase for both sides with a more satisfying finish than Kings vs. Guns. In addition, Amazing Kong defeated Sara Del Rey to draw even in their 2010 series. This show is the definition of worthwhile action in the ROH style, comparable to the kind of shows ROH had one year previously with their Death Before Dishonor VII weekend in the summer of 2009.

Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2 — The top two matches sell this show, with Chris Hero giving Tyler Black his best shot during the ROH World Title match (and delivering on several moments where it seemed a title change would happen) and then the out-and-out insanity of the “Come As You Are” Chicago Street Fight between El Generico and Colt Cabana against the team of Steve Corino and Kevin Steen. That tag match was the main event of the show, with the violence, intensity and crowd response at that level and rivaling the other notable Chicago Street Fight, Second City Saints against The Prophecy from 2004. Also on this card was a fantastic twenty-minute draw between Davey Richards and Roderick Strong with both men throwing hard and continuing to prove they cannot have a bad match when paired up in the ring. The rest of the undercard is weaker, but there was still entertainment to be found with Skullkrusher Rasche Brown’s demolishment of Sami Callahan in the opener and the “mind games” of The Briscoes playing Aries & King—faking their own dissention and planting the idea of it in their opponents. In the end though, the main event battle is the takeaway from this show and rightfully so.

Epic Encounter III — Davey Richards and Kenny Omega had an awesome match that highlighted why they emerged as two of the best in the world this year, both here in the States and abroad. ROH gave the show the “epic encounter” label (which has long been synonymous with the well-recalled Bryan Danielson versus Paul London showdown) as a result of their very physical follow-up to Clash of the Contenders. It was so excellent that for a long while it was match of the year on my top 100 list. In addition, Hero and Generico tore it up in a Pick Six match, while Steen continued his emotional torture of his former partner with a must-see in-ring promo that explained his betrayal. As well, Steen just tore into Player Dos in an undercard bout, demonstrating the bullying mean streak that would serve him well for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, an entertaining eight-man tag with Team Black against Team Aries helped to mitigate some travel issues with Roderick Strong and Mark Briscoe. A strong card with an excellent main event equals an ROH show that is worth the money.

8th Anniversary Show— Tyler Black’s shining moment in winning the ROH World Title was also sweet redemption for both he and Aries. The live crowd for Final Battle 2009 did not respond well to their match in December 2009, but this time around everything clicked in their favor, resulting in the fans having been driven to a frenzy in the final five minutes—the kind of “shake the roof off” volume that comes in the most meaningful of moments in this promotion. Along the way, Davey Richards and El Generico had one of the best singles matches of the year and demonstrating early on why they would become two of the promotion’s focal points for this year. Roderick Strong versus Brian Kendrick (in his one-off return) was an entertaining and almost under-looked opener. Colt Cabana against Kevin Steen was more storyline than action and ultimately disappointed from bell-to-bell but hooked the fans for the post-match angle with Generico grabbing the chair and threatening to use it on Steen, ultimately backing down because he couldn’t quite hit his former tag partner… yet. The Kings entertained the fans with an extended squash of The Bravados showing that sometimes it’s just fun to watch two masters of the craft beat down the opposition, whether as faces or heels.

Survival of the Fittest 2009–The best Survival tournament since the original in 2004 and that goes not just for the final (and the ferocious final two meeting between Black and Strong) but for the entire tournament bracketing. All six qualifying matches were solid to very good—heck even Petey Williams (whose run in ROH was far from standout during this time) had a great outing against Claudio Castagnoli. King against Black, Hero vs. Omega and Cabana vs. Steen were other highlights of the opening round. Still, most will remember this show’s finale with Black and Strong unloading their heavy artillery, Strong taking four superkicks and almost making it through for more. A very dramatic finish to a show which, while it took place in 2009 right after the close of consideration for my year end awards for that year, nonetheless deserves recognition and not to be lost in history.

Final Battle 2009–Love or hate the main event title match between Black and Aries (and there are plenty on each side of the argument), this show ultimately does deserve to be mentioned among the best of the past twelve months. This is a show packed with major ROH moments, several of which resolved issues from the previous year and others which changed irrevocably the landscape of the promotion and its direction for 2010. Kevin Steen and El Generico put on one hell of a finale against the Young Bucks and Steen’s heel turn was a masterpiece. Eddie Kingston put his body on the line to win a huge grudge finale against Chris Hero, who still got the last laugh in ROH when he reformed The Kings of Wrestling with Claudio Castagnoli. The Briscoes won the ROH World Tag Team Titles from the dominant American Wolves team, gaining justice for a simmering year-long issue between the two teams. Jack Evans and Teddy Hart brought controversy and unpredictability to the show, first by even making it to the building amid plane issues and the snowstorm and then for their in-ring antics when they got there. Again, love it or hate it, it all added to a show that despite its length a show from which one couldn’t turn attention away. In some ways it delivered a true “show” experience and therefore, attention must be paid and respect must be given for these quality in-ring and post-match developments.

Honorable Mentions: So Cal Showdown, Pick Your Poison, From the Ashes, Aries vs. Richards, The Omega Effect

Civil Warfare — Manassas, Virginia had always been saddled as the Friday show next to major ROH events the next night, mostly for the New York shows. That has led to some pitiful to average at-best in-ring endeavors from the ROH roster that is looking to play it safe and take it eas(ier) in order to get to the major show the next night. There were some interesting matches here on paper such as Daniels versus Steen in one of The Fallen Angel’s first matches back from ROH, but even that match was woefully disappointing. Strong and Stevens failed to rediscover the spark that led them to have some of the better grudge matches of 2008. The Briscoes were split into singles matches against The Kings, which was fine but average and smacked of ‘been there, done that”. Eddie Edwards had a ten-minute hunt with Bobby Dempsey. No offense to Dempsey, but hardly a marquee attraction bout for one of ROH’s champions. The main event of this show was Tyler Black & Delirious against Austin Aries & Rhett Titus. That would have been a mid-card match at best in any major tour stop on the circuit. That just about says it all about the kind of card that was put together for this one. The booking of this show didn’t help either, as interference and run-ins were frequent and led to a dead crowd for the top bouts. Austin Aries and Prince Nana (at different points in the show) combined their efforts to put the verbal last rites on this town as an ROH tour stop with their promo work, using the “B-show” phrase and other disreputable verbiage to bury the town on the way out. At least ROH would try harder in its new Virginia home of Richmond for Champions’ Challenge. Still, this show exemplified ROH at its worst—not just playing it safe, but barely playing at all. This isn’t a show that is the worst of the year because it outright sucks, but rather because it was outright lazy and ultimately utterly boring in its production. And it outright sucks.

Buffalo Stampede II — This would have wound up on the worst of the year list for the production foibles alone, but it just so happens that until the second half this was a below average and mundane show. The first bout is Delirious versus Ernesto Osiris and that is not a promising beginning. TV champion Edwards has another non-title match against Tyson Dux, who doesn’t do anything for me. Colt Cabana stinks it up with Shawn Daivari, who was just taking up air on the ROH roster this year. Roderick Strong tried to insert some energy and thrill with his destruction of Pee Wee, but in the end it’s Roderick Strong versus Pee Wee and I can think of at least a dozen things I’d rather do than sit down to watch Roderick Strong versus Pee Wee. Watching Delirious versus Ernesto Osiris is not one of them, though. The second half is a slight rebound with Kings versus Up in Smoke, a very good Aries versus Omega match that suffered because the crowd was downed by the previous average matches and a solid (and well-worked both in terms of the crowd and the action) main event of Black versus Corino. Notice a common thread among the champions? All were involved in Non-Title matches for this show. “Luckily”, no one was actually forced to buy this DVD because it was bundled in with Death Before Dishonor VIII.

Boiling Point — Coming off two nights of television tapings the ROH roster mostly took it easy for this house show, which would end up being the last-ever show for the promotion in Edison, New Jersey. Edison had been previously a good town for them over the last five years, with very good attendance figures, albeit a crowd whose behavior seemed to vary with the waxing and waning of the moon. For much of 2009 they had bore witness to sub-par ROH shows, culminating in this one. There was a below average opener between Omega and Dutt. Then ROH booking genius showed through with a no-contest in The Embassy match and a disqualification in the Black vs. King match that immediately changed to a six-man tag. The fifth match of this seven show card was Tony Kozina versus Bobby Dempsey, which is the opposite of a draw. The only positive was the main event of Steen & Generico against Hero & Richards, as all four men came to play on this evening and did their best to save the show with a hot match. This show was called Boiling Point, but there wasn’t all that much to get heated up about. “Simmering Point” maybe. It also didn’t have many selling points aside from the main event such that ROH had to stuff it with extras from the HDNet matches, all of which were surplus from the actual first “best-of” release.

Fade to Black — In a manner of thinking this show worked as the anti-Tag Wars 2010. That show had undercard matches featuring the likes of Necro Butcher vs. Grizzly Redwood and Corino vs. Bobby Dempsey that on paper were less than thrilling, both of those matches and others overachieved on their potential. Here, the undercard bouts featuring students, local talent or hopeful prospects failed to deliver. In fact, aside from Aries versus Kyle O’Reilly undercard matches with the likes of Bob Evans and were terrible. The entire show would have been inconsequential were it not for the really great main event of Daniels versus Black in a thirty minute draw and the terrific interaction between the two during and after the match. While Generi-COLT and The Kings tried hard for their match and The Embassy versus Corsteeno in a First Blood match was kept short and to the point, it’s hard to imagine buying this DVD for anything else other than the main event and its “Best of Tyler Black” bonus content.

–The “Mediocre” List: Eye of the Storm 2, Gold Rush, Allied Forces, Bluegrass Brawl

-Necro Butcher & Mark Briscoe vs. Erick Stevens & Joey Ryan (Boiling Point- Edison, NJ 11/7/09)
-Bobby Dempsey vs. Tony Kozina (Boiling Point- Edison, NJ 11/7/09)
-Necro Butcher vs. Erick Stevens (Reverse The Curse- Chicago Ridge, IL 12/5/09)
-Grizzly Redwood vs. Sonjay Dutt (Eye of the Storm 2- Manassas, VA 12/18/09)
-Larry Zybyszko vs. Scotty 2 Hotty (SoCal Showdown- Los Angeles, CA 1/29/10)
-Blue Demon Jr. & Magno vs. Super Park & Misterioso (The Big Bang- Charlotte, NC 4/3/10)
-Erick Stevens & Shawn Daivari vs. The House of Truth (Josh Raymond & Christian Able) (Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2- Chicago Ridge, IL 4/24/10)
-Delirious vs. Ernesto Osiris (Buffalo Stampede II- Hamburg, NY 6/18/10)
-Colt Cabana vs. Shawn Daivari (Buffalo Stampede II- Hamburg, NY 6/18/10)
-Beef Wellington vs. Paredyse (The Bluegrass Brawl- Louisville, KY 7/22/10)
-Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Necro Butcher & Prince Nana (Champions Challenge- Richmond, VA 8/27/10)
-Grizzly Redwood vs. “Brutal” Bob Evans (Fade To Black- Plymouth, MA 9/10/10)
– The All Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) vs. Matt Taven and Sid Reeves (Fade To Black- Plymouth, MA 9/10/10)
-Steve Corino vs. Andy Ridge (ROH on HDNet 1/04/10)
-Joey Ryan vs. Necro Butcher (ROH on HDNet 1/11/10)
-Colt Cabana vs. Sonjay Dutt (ROH on HDNet 2/01/10)
-Sara Del Rey vs. Reggie (ROH on HDNet 6/21/10)
-Rasche Brown vs. Ricky Reyes (ROH on HDNet 6/21/10)
-The Briscoes vs. Alex Anthony & Bobby Shields (ROH on HDNet 8/23/10)
-Colt Cabana vs. Alex Anthony (ROH on HDNet 8/09/10)
-Colt Cabana vs. Jay Freddie (ROH on HDNet 9/20/10)

Click Here to read the full descriptions for matches # 100-51
Click Here to read the full descriptions for matches # 50-21
Click Here to read the full descriptions for matches # 20-1

110. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong
—ROH on HDNet Episode 41 (Taped 11/06/09, Aired 01/05/10)
109. Tag Wars 2010 Block B Finals: The All-Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico
—Champions’ Challenge (Richmond, VA 08/27/10)
108. Sara Del Rey vs. Amazing Kong
—Supercard of Honor V (New York, NY, 05/08/10)
107. Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Tyler Black vs. Kenny King
—Survival of the Fittest 2009 (Indianapolis, IN 10/10/09)
106. Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Chris Hero vs. Kenny Omega
—Survival of the Fittest 2009 (Indianapolis, IN 10/10/09)
105. Steve Corino vs. El Generico
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)
104. Butcher’s Rules: Homicide vs. Necro Butcher
—ROH on HDNet Episode 84 (Taped 10/02/10, Aired 11/29/10)
103. Survival of the Fittest Qualifying Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Petey Williams
—Survival of the Fittest 2009 (Indianapolis, IN 10/10/09)
102. ROH TV Title Match: Champion Eddie Edwards (c) vs. Kenny King
—ROH on HDNet Episode 76 (Taped 08/21/10, Aired 10/04/10)
101. Champion versus Champion, Non-Title: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. ROH Television Champion Eddie Edwards
—Champions’ Challenge (Richmond, VA 08/27/10)
100. Six-Man Tag Match: The Briscoes & Rocky Romero vs. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) & Alex Koslov
—Eye of the Storm 2 (Manassas, VA 12/18/09)
99. ROH World Tag Team Titles Match: The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) (c) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe)
—Final Battle 2009 (New York, NY 12/19/09)
98. Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards
—ROH on HDNet Episode 70 (Taped 07/16/10, Aired 08/16/10)
97. Roderick Strong vs. Delirious
—Boiling Point (Edison, NJ 11/07/09)
96. Tyler Black, Colt Cabana & Grizzly Redwood vs. ROH World Champion “A-Double” Austin Aries, “Pretty Boy Pitbull” Kenny King & “Addicted to Love” Rhett Titus
—Boiling Point (Edison, NJ 11/07/09)
95. Semi-Finals, ROH on HDNet Television Title Tournament: Davey Richards vs. Kenny King
—ROH on HDNet Episode 54 (Taped 03/05/10, Aired 04/19/10)
94. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kevin Steen (1)
—Reverse the Curse (Chicago Ridge, IL 12/05/09)
93. Pick 6 Match: Chris Hero vs. Roderick Strong (1)
—Aries vs. Richards (Novi, MI 11/13/09)
92. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Tyler Black (4) vs. Kenny King
—Reverse the Curse (Chicago Ridge, IL 12/05/09)
91. Eight-Man Tag: ROH World Champion Tyler Black, Jay Briscoe, Skullkrusher Rashe Brown & Tyson Dux vs. Austin Aries, Kenny King, Rhett Titus & Adam Pearce
—Epic Encounter III (Mississauga, ONT, Canada, 03/20/10)
90. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Chris Hero vs. Kenny Omega
—ROH on HDNet Episode 42 (Taped 11/06/09, Aired 01/11/10)
89. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. ROH World Champion Austin Aries & Kenny King
—Eye of the Storm 2 (Manassas, VA 12/18/09)
88. Six-Man Tag: ROH World Champion Tyler Black & ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs. Chris Hero & The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards)
—Gold Rush (Dearborn, MI 03/19/10)
87. Non-Title: ROH Television Champion Eddie Edwards vs. Colt Cabana
—Tag Wars 2010 (Charlotte, NC 08/28/10)
86. Kevin Steen vs. Jerry Lynn
—ROH on HDNet Episode 71 (Taped 07/17/10, Aired 08/23/10)
85. Kevin Steen vs. Kenny Omega
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)
84. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe
—ROH on HDNet Episode 38 (Taped 11/05/09, Aired 12/14/09)
83. Non-Title Match: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. El Generico
—ROH on HDNet Episode 63 (Taped 05/22/10, Aired 06/28/10)
82. ROH World Title Match: “A-Double” Austin Aries (c) vs. Tyler Black
—Final Battle 2009 (New York, NY 12/19/09)
81. Grudge Match: Kenny King vs. Jerry Lynn
—So Cal Showdown (Los Angeles, CA 01/29/10)
80. Personal Gauntlet Challenge Series, Non-Title: Roderick Strong vs. ROH World Champion Tyler Black
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)
79. Three-Way ROH World Title Match: Tyler Black (c) vs. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries
—Phoenix Rising (Phoenix, AZ 03/27/10)
78. Pick 6 Contenders Series: Kevin Steen vs. Chris Hero (1)
—The Omega Effect (Mississauga, ONT, CN 11/14/09)
77. Hardcore Match: Jerry Lynn vs. Steve Corino
—Phoenix Rising (Phoenix, AZ 03/27/10)
76. Pick 6 Contenders Series: Tyler Black (2) vs. Claudio Castagnoli (6)
—Aries vs. Richards (Novi, MI 11/13/09)
75. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. El Generico
—The Omega Effect (Mississauga, ONT, CN 11/14/09)
74. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Roderick Strong (3) vs. Kenny Omega (5)
—Reverse the Curse (Chicago Ridge, IL 12/05/09)
73. Kenny Omega vs. Austin Aries
—Buffalo Stampede II (Hamburg, NY 06/17/10)
72. Roderick Strong vs. Brian Kendrick
—8th Anniversary Show (New York, NY 02/13/10)
71. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. El Generico & Colt Cabana
—ROH on HDNet Episode 72 (Taped 07/17/10 Aired 08/30/10)
70. Personal Gauntlet Challenge Series, Non-Title: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)
69. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels & Roderick Strong
—ROH on HDNet Episode 62 (Taped 05/21/10, Aired 07/05/10)
68. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (c) vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico
—Fade to Black (Plymouth, MA 09/10/10)
67. Pick 6 Contender’s Match: Chris Hero (3) vs. El Generico
—Epic Encounter III (Mississauga, ONT, CN 03/20/10)
66. Roderick Strong vs. Kevin Steen (w/ Steve Corino)
—Tag Wars 2010 (Charlotte, NC 08/28/10)
65. Pick 6 Contender’s Series: Kevin Steen (2) vs. Human Tornado
—So Cal Showdown (Los Angeles, CA 01/29/10)
64. Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Black
—Eye of the Storm 2 (Manassas, VA 12/18/09)
63. Non-Title: ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (c) with Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey vs. Generation Me (Jeremy & Max Buck a.k.a. The Young Bucks)
—Salvation (Chicago Ridge, IL 07/24/10)
62, Kevin Steen vs. Player Dos
—Epic Encounter III (Mississauga, ONT, Canada, 03/20/10)
61. Non-Title: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries
—ROH on HDNet Episode 60 (Taped 03/06/10, Aired 06/07/10)
60. ROH Television Title Tournament Opening Round: Davey Richards (4) vs. Delirious (5)
—ROH on HDNet Episode 51 (Taped 02/05/10, Aired 03/15/10)
59. Street Fight Rematch: Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. El Generico & Colt Cabana
ROH on HDNet Episode 64 (Taped 05/22/10, Aired 07/05/10)
58. Tag Wars 2010 Finals, Ultimate Endurance, ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli w/ Shane Hagadorn) (c) vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. All-Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) vs. Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis & Kory Chavis)
—Tag Wars 2010 (Charlotte, NC 08/28/10)
57. American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Dark City Fight Club (Kory Chavis & Jon Davis)
—Pick Your Poison (Dayton, OH 04/23/10)
56. Steel Cage Match: Steve Corino & Kevin Steen vs. El Generico & Colt Cabana
—ROH on HDNet Episode 80 (Taped 08/21/10, Aired 11/01/10)
55. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli w/ Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey) (c) vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe
—ROH on HDNet Episode 79 (Taped 08/21/10, Aired 10/25/10)
54. American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Super Smash Brothers (Player Uno & Player Dos)
—ROH on HDNet Episode 73 (Taped 07/17/10 Aired 09/13/10)
53. Non-Title ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. Claudio Castagnoli
—Bluegrass Brawl (Louisville, KY 07/22/10)
52. Special Challenge Match: Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen
—Champions’ Challenge (Richmond, VA 08/27/10)
51. No Disqualification, ROH World Title Match: Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Black (c)
—Glory By Honor IX (New York, NY 09/11/10)
50. Non-Title Special Attraction: ROH World Champion Austin Aries vs. Jushin “Thunder” Liger
—So Cal Showdown (Los Angeles, CA 01/29/10)
49. Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Davey Richards & Chris Hero
—Boiling Point (Edison, NJ 11/07/09)
48. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) w/ Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey (c) vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels & Davey Richards
–Allied Forces (Dayton, OH 10/15/10)
47. ROH World Title Match: Tyler Black (c) vs. Roderick Strong
—Supercard of Honor V (New York, NY, 05/08/10)
46. Double Chain Match: El Generico & Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen & Steve Corino
—Glory By Honor IX (New York, NY 09/11/10)
45. Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards)
—Bluegrass Brawl (Louisville, KY 07/22/10)
44. Pick Your Poison: Roderick Strong vs. El Generico
—Pick Your Poison (Dayton, OH 04/23/10)
43. No Disqualification Match: Jerry Lynn vs. Kenny King
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)
42. American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Generation Me (Max & Jeremy Buck)
—Hate: Chapter II (Collinsville, IL 07/23/10)
41. Number One Contender’s Match: The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
—ROH on HDNet Episode 37 (Taped 11/05/09, Aired 12/07/09)
40. Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
—Aries vs. Richards (Novi, MI 11/13/09)
39. Pick 6 Match: Kenny Omega (3) vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima
—Aries vs. Richards (Novi, MI 11/13/09)
38. ROH World Title Match, Steel Cage: Austin Aries (c) vs. Colt Cabana
—Reverse the Curse (Chicago Ridge, IL 12/05/09)
37. Six-Man War: The Briscoes & Amazing Kong vs. ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) & Sara Del Rey
—Hate: Chapter II (Collinsville, IL 07/23/10)
36. Fight Without Honor: Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Hero
—Final Battle 2009 (New York, NY 12/19/09)
35. Non-Title: Christopher Daniels vs. ROH Television Champion Eddie Edwards
—Supercard of Honor V (New York, NY, 05/08/10)
34. ROH World Title Match: Austin Aries (c) vs. Kenny Omega
—The Omega Effect (Mississauga, ONT, CN 11/14/09)
33. ROH World Title Match: Jay & Mark Briscoe (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
—ROH on HDNet Episode 48 (Taped 01/06/10, Aired 02/22/10)
32. Pick 6 Match: Roderick Strong (2) vs. Tyler Black (3)
—The Omega Effect (Mississauga, ONT, CN 11/14/09)
31. No Disqualification, 34th Street Death Match: Kevin Steen vs. Colt Cabana
—Supercard of Honor V (New York, NY, 05/08/10)
30. Number One Contender’s Match: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards)
—ROH on HDNet Episode 46 (Taped 01/05/10, Aired 02/08/10)
29. Hate: Chapter II: El Generico vs. Kevin Steen
—Hate: Chapter II (Collinsville, IL 07/23/10)
28. ROH World Title Match: Tyler Black (c) vs. Chris Hero
—Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2 (Chicago Ridge, IL 04/24/10)
27. Pick 6 Contender’s Series: Davey Richards vs. Kenny King (5)
—The Big Bang (Charlotte, NC 04/03/10 on iPPV)
26. Non-Title: Davey Richards vs. ROH World Champion Tyler Black
—Tag Wars 2010 (Charlotte, NC 08/28/10)
25. Finals, ROH Television Title Tournament: Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards
—ROH on HDNet Episode 55 (Taped 03/06/10, Aired 04/26/10)
24. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Jay & Mark Briscoe (c) vs. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) w/ Shane Hagadorn
—From the Ashes (Phoenix, AZ 03/26/10)
23. Six Months in the Making: Davey Richards vs. Christopher Daniels
—Richards vs. Daniels (Chicago Ridge, IL 10/16/10)
22. Pick 6 Contender’s Series: Roderick Strong (1) vs. Davey Richards (4)
—Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2 (Chicago Ridge, IL 04/24/10)
21. Non-Title: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels
—Fade to Black (Plymouth, MA 09/10/10)
20. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
—Final Battle 2009 (New York, NY 12/19/09)
19. Eight-Man Tag War: The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) & The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe & The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson)
—So Cal Showdown (Los Angeles, CA 01/29/10)
18. ROH World Title Match: Tyler Black (c) vs. Kevin Steen
—Salvation (Chicago Ridge, IL 07/24/10)
17. Survival of the Fittest Finals: Tyler Black vs. Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero vs. Delirious vs. Colt Cabana vs. Claudio Castagnoli
—Survival of the Fittest 2009 (Indianapolis, IN 10/10/09)
16. Grudge Match: Kevin Steen vs. El Generico
—Death Before Dishonor VIII (Toronto, Ontario, Canada 06/19/10)
15. Four Corner Survival, ROH World Title Match: Austin Aries (c) vs. Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong vs. Kenny Omega
—ROH on HDNet Episode 37 (Taped 11/05/09, Aired 12/07/09)
14. Non-Title Match: ROH World Champion Tyler Black vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels
—ROH on HDNet Episode 69 (Taped 07/16/10, Aired 08/09/10)
13. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) w/ Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
—Supercard of Honor V (New York, NY, 05/08/10)
12. Pick 6 Contender’s Series: “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels (2) vs. Kenny Omega
—Death Before Dishonor VIII (Toronto, Ontario, Canada 06/19/10)
11. Davey Richards vs. El Generico
—8th Anniversary Show (New York, NY 02/13/10)
10. Non-Title: ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin)
—Glory By Honor IX (New York, NY 09/11/10)
9. ROH World Title Match: “A-Double” Austin Aries (c) vs. Davey Richards
—Aries vs. Richards (Novi, MI 11/13/09)
8. ROH World Title Match: Austin Aries (c) vs. Tyler Black
—8th Anniversary Show (New York, NY 02/13/10)
7. ROH World Tag Team Title Match: Jay & Mark Briscoe (c) vs. The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli)
—The Big Bang (Charlotte, NC 04/03/10)
6. Davey Richards vs. Kenny Omega
—Epic Encounter III (Mississauga, ONT, CN 03/20/10)
5. Three-Way Elimination ROH World Title Match: Tyler Black (c) vs. “A-Double” Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong
—The Big Bang (Charlotte, NC 04/03/10 on iPPV)
4. Davey Richards vs. Tyler Black
—ROH on HDNet Episode 78 (Taped 08/21/10, Aired 10/18/10)
3. No-Disqualification ROH World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (c) vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe
—Death Before Dishonor VIII (Toronto, Ontario, Canada 06/19/10)
2. “Come As You Are” Chicago Street Fight: El Generico & Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen & Steve Corino
—Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2 (Chicago Ridge, IL 04/24/10)
1. ROH World Title Match: Tyler Black (c) vs. Davey Richards
—Death Before Dishonor VIII (Toronto, Ontario, Canada 06/19/10)

2009: GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title Match: KENTA (c) vs. Davey Richards—Supercard of Honor IV (Houston, TX 4/3/09)
2008: Four Way Elimination Match, ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness (c) vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Tyler Black—Death Before Dishonor VI (New York, NY 8/02/08)
2007: # 1 Contender’s Match: “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness—Driven (Philadelphia, PA taped 6/09/07, aired 9/21/07 & 9/28/07 on PPV)
2006: ROH World Title: Bryan Danielson (c) vs. KENTA—Glory By Honor V Night Two (New York, NY 9/16/06)
2005: Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi—Joe vs. Kobashi (New York, NY 10/01/05)

Ring in the New Year with these fine writings from the 411 family of authors. Here is the past calendar year of ruminations and ramblings about ROH and the independent wrestling world:

[Alphabetical by Last Name]

Ari Berenstein
Column of Honor: A Bigger Bang?
Column of Honor: Chess Moves
Column of Honor: 8th Anniversary Show Preview
Column of Honor: Tyler Black Crowned Champion
Column of Honor: Inagural ROH TV Champion Crowned
Countdown to Wrestlemania XXVI: It’s Money, Money, Yeah, Yeah
Column of Honor: A Broken Trust
Column of Honor: ROH vs. DGUSA: A Wrestlemania Weekend Comparison
Column of Honor: Bang & Blame
Column of Honor: Editorial: Jim Cornette Needs to Stop Talking About Vince Russo
Column of Honor: To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn
Column of Honor: The Imperfect Perfect Match
Column of Honor: CHIKARmA Chameleon
Column of Honor: Death Before Column of Dishonor 2010: Dragon Undone
Column of Honor: No Dishonor Here: Death Before Dishonor VIII Review
Column of Honor: Fifth Year Festival: COH
Column of Honor: To Squash or Not To Squash?
Column of Honor: Sunset on Tyler Black in ROH
Column of Honor:Ch-Ch-Changes
Column of Honor: Glory. Honor. Homicide.
Column of Honor: Which Side of ‘Cide?
Column of Honor: Wake Up, Shake Up
Column of Honor: Richards vs. Black Finale Amazes on HDNet
Column of Honor: Survival of the Fittest 2010 Tournament Preview

Ryan Byers
Into the Indies: 108 Man Battle Royale
Into the Indies: Big Japan vs. CHIKARA Part 1
Into the Indies: Big Japan vs. CHIKARA Part 2
Into the Indies: SHIMMER’s Japanese Invasion
Into the Indies: The Portal Goes to Japan
Into the Indies: Before and After

Mike Campbell
The Tiger’s Take: It Was An Ugly Ring Anyway
The Tiger’s Take: Live in the Now 8-Bit…
The Tiger’s Take: EVOLVE Needs to Evolve

Jake Chambers
Match A Day: Week 41: I Am Mr. Perfect

Geoff Eubanks
Five Star Conversation: The Situation Surrounding the American Dragon

Kevin Ford
The CHIKARA Special: 2009 Reader’s Digest
The CHIKARA Special: The Cat’s Out of the Bag
The CHIKARA Special: KOOOOOOONICHIWAAAAAAAAAA!
The CHIKARA Special: King of Trios Retrospect
The CHIKARA Special: Wild and Young
The CHIKARA Special: Open the Challenge Gate
The CHIKARA Special: A Major Victory
The CHIKARA Special: Dodging Orioles
The CHIKARA Special: The Promised Land
The CHIKARA Special: So It’s Come to This

Jasper Gerretsen
That Was Then, Is This Too?: Enter The PPV
That Was Then, Is This Too?: Kings Reign Supreme-The Heroic Return Everyone Expects?
That Was Then, Is This Too?: The Warrior and the Dragon
That Was Then, Is This Too?: They Are Women, Hear Them Roar
That Was Then, Is This Too?: Big Bang or Small Whimper?
That Was Then, Is This Too?: Foreign Imports
That Was Then, Is This Too?: Der Neues Weltorder?

Jeffrey Harris
Interview with Christopher Daniels

Aaron Hubbard
The Contentious Ten: Bret Hart Matches
The Contentious Ten: Survivor Series Moments
The Contentious Ten: Wrestlemania Moments
The Contentious Ten: Wrestlemania Matches
The Contentious Ten: Wrestlemanias
The Contentious Ten: Running Up That Hill: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
The Contentious Ten: ROH on HDNet Matches
The Contentious Ten: Shawn Michaels’ Matches
The Contentious Ten: Ric Flair Matches
The Contentious Ten: Chris Jericho Matches
The Contentious Ten: Mitsuhara Misawa Matches
The Contentious Ten: Steve Austin Matches
The Contentious Ten: Kurt Angle Matches
The Contentious Ten: Rey Mysterio Matches
The Contentious Ten: Mick Foley Matches
The Contentious Ten: ROH Champions
The Contentious Ten: Eddie Guerrero Matches

Ronny Sarnecky
The Piledriver Report: Scapegoating Bryan Danielson
The Piledriver Report: Create Your Dream Promotion
The Piledriver Report: Right Place, Right Time
The Piledriver Report: Title Unification

Scott Slimmer
411 Instant Access: ROH Big Bang iPPV
411 Instant Access: ROH Death Before Dishonor VIII
411 Instant Access: Glory By Honor IX

Michael Weyer
Shining A Spotlight: The Monday Night Skirmish
Shining A Spotlight: Too Much Fandom
Shining A Spotlight: Making New Stars
Shining A Spotlight: Ghosts of the Past
Shining A Spotlight: Gimmick Matches
Shining A Spotlight: Responsible Mouths
Shining A Spotlight: Ode to Jobbers
Shining A Spotlight: Vince and George
Shining A Spotlight: The Dragon
Shining A Spotlight: Part of the Show
Shining A Spotlight: A Better Build

Buy or Sell Specials
King of Trios Roundtable Special

Well, that is going to call it for the end of year. I want to thank everyone for their support in the past year and especially to those who have contributed to Column of Honor and especially especially for those who contributed to Final Column 2010. Thanks to: Michael Ornelas, Mike Bauer, Kevin Ford, Chris Gee Soon Tong, Aaron Hubbard, Greg DeMarco, Obi Justice and to the ROH Message Board for their help in The Voice of The People feature.

Thanks to all for reading and following along. Happy New Year!

BROOKLYN!
–Ari–