Column of Honor: 08.06.11: The Rise and Fall and Rise of The Embassy

Welcome to the Column. Many thanks to The Wrestling Press for running the COH on their site. I appreciate the support and clicks from readers on TWP and here at 411Mania.com.

One year ago, Prince Nana’s Embassy was stuck in a slump of failed feuds and mediocre matches. Now The Embassy has begun to rise up once again, thanks to a slow but steady rebuilding process in booking the group through the ROH undercard. The new iteration of The Embassy seemingly has its core members locked in with Prince Nana, Princess Mia Yim, Barrister R.D. Evans, lackey Ernesto Osiris and their in-ring representative Tommasso Ciampa (along with an occasional work-for-hire appearance by the likes of wrestling veterans Dave Taylor and “The Manbeast” Rhyno). Its a different look than previous roster line-ups for The Embassy, but it may be the right one for Ring of Honor in 2011.

The Embassy had risen and fallen, and now it is rising once more. However, there is still ongoing and careful handling to be done for the group to completely return to their once dazzling heights–the career peak of 2004-2006 when Jimmy Rave was The Crown Jewel and Alex Shelley had bought in to the group, adding a one-two dynamic of young and aggressive athletes. Back then it seemed like Prince Nana really did have his boot on the figurative throat of Ring of Honor’s neck.

The Embassy was a group born of money, power and influence but actually began from humble roots. However, it would soon rise to prominence thanks to the efforts of its founder, leader and bank-roll, Prince Nana. Nana was just a young newcomer to Ring of Honor in 2002, and his first year in the promotion was spent jobbing and going under to more established wrestlers that the promotion was pushing as their top stars, most memorably a knock-out loss in less than a minute against Low Ki during the inaugural ROH Title tournament.

It was when Nana transitioned from active wrestler to the role of manager that he found his place in the promotion. His greatest strengths were his gift of gab and his ability to entertain with his jive while establishing his crew as a threat to the rest of the roster. The storyline focused on Nana’s roots as a Prince of the Ashanti tribe in Ghana, West Africa where apparently he was a very wealthy man with a vast amount of financial resources. That money gave the ability to procure a stable of wrestlers whom he could lead to the top of the rankings in ROH and in the process, make even more money, power and influence.

It was a winning combination. Still, The Embassy’s formation and development was slow, with most of Nana’s initial talent pick-ups being lesser wrestlers on the lower card, such as The Outcast Killaz tag team and Texas Wrestling Academy student Fast Eddie. When all else failed, Nana would bring in several unknown and mysterious hooded wrestlers identified as Weapons of Mask Destruction. These were independent talents who were placed in ridiculous looking masks or capes and sent out there mostly as cannon fodder against up-and-coming babyfaces. They were entertaining, but ultimately futile in their efforts.

Most of The Embassy’s early feuds were based on who agreed or refused to sell-out to the group. In 2004 Nana approached Jay Lethal (breaking out of Special K as a singles wrestler at that point) with an offer to join his group. However, Nana was met with a slap to the face in response. The same fate befell the Prince in 2005 when he courted CM Punk, which led to a nasty war between Punk and Jimmy Rave that echoed the former’s brutal bloodfeud with Raven in 2003. Later Austin Aries also rejected overtures to join, leading to the several months-long heated feud between The Embassy and Generation Next.

However, other wrestlers would decide to listen to Nana’s offer and agreed to buy-in to The Embassy. Convincing John Walters, then ROH Pure Champion, to join was an early coup for the group. Unfortunately, the serious technician was then saddled with a new outfit that was something out of The Arabian Nights, seemingly killing his credibility right off the bat. Walters had been getting tagged with the “boring” label at the time (one of the first examples of the babyface backlash syndrome that would become a pattern among the ROH fan base) but it would have been better off had he remained as he was instead of dressing up as Aladdin.

What really put The Embassy on the map was the addition of Jimmy Rave as its “Crown Jewel”. Rave had been initially positioned in Ring of Honor as the plucky undercard babyface, being mentored by the successful superstar AJ Styles. It was Style who kept impressing on Rave desired to toughen up and he worked hard to mentor him and make him a winner. Between 2003 and 2004, Rave underwent a losing streak while simultaneously becoming increasingly disliked by the ROH fan base. Rave finally lost too much and seemed to be on his way out, when he re-emerged in the promotion as Prince Nana’s chosen man at ROH Reborn: Completion in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Jimmy Rave was reborn as a cruel, hate-filled heel. It clicked big-time. The fans wanted to hate him and that hate fueled his actions in the ring, which caused even more reaction from the crowd. Rave was so disliked that the practice of throwing toilet paper (so that fans could “show their appreciation”) became common habit during his ring introductions. For a while that was one of the most enjoyable aspects of attending shows-being able to throw the TP at Rave, Nana and their cronies and watch their reactions to the white paper shower. Nana would sell it big time if he was hit, but Rave loved to catch them (one-handed, even) and launch them back in the audience. It was crowd-interaction at its finest, a little bit of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” in a wrestling event.

Nana’s promos also helped to carry The Embassy in its glory days. His catchphrases and stylish look made him stand out from the crowd. His promises of limousine rides, shrimp cocktails and massive vacations to his palaces in Ghana fluttered through every interview and conversation he was shown having with his stable. It was a great rap that he had which helped to sell the extravagance and audacious lifestyle he was to provide for his crew, though in the end, if they didn’t get the job done, they would not reap the benefits of his grace.

The corrupting effects of money and power was a common theme to storylines involving The Embassy. Korean beauty Jade Chung was brought in as Nana’s plaything, subservient to Nana because she had no other choice (her family needed the money she was earned under Nana’s employment). She would be used as Jimmy Rave’s footstool and even be leashed so that she couldn’t leave Nana’s side. Finally, she could take no more abuse and rebelled thanks to the help of Roderick Strong and Generation Next. However, others needing the money actually turned to Nana and stayed in his kingdom. Men such as Necro Butcher, who actually fought a long war against The Embassy throughout 2009 before selling out and joining them. He had to pay his medical bills and had no insurance, but Nana was willing to take care of all the costs, so long as he went to work for him from that point on.

Others who sold out for the almighty dollar at one point or another included Sal Rinauro, Daizee Haze, Erick Stevens, Bison Smith, Rhyno, Josh Daniels and the list goes on and on. Prince Nana was even able to procure the services of the monster Abyss for an extended period of time back in 2005, thus adding a very dangerous presence to his roster.

However, the high life of The Embassy didn’t last forever and by 2007 Prince Nana was out on his keester. The story was that he had fallen on hard financial times. He was shown in videowires panhandling on the streets of New York, or attempting to sell “information” to pedestrians on the street (in reality, Jimmy Rave had left for TNA and The Embassy was shut down so it could be rebuilt down the line). Nana claimed that he had to work as a taxi-driver to make ends meet. He was so desperate to rejoin Ring of Honor on a steady basis that he would run-in at various shows and beg for a job, any job. It was entertaining to see Nana cause a ruckus as well as plead poverty, but it was a sad story being depicted as well, for someone to go from such heights to such depths.

Just as Nana was on the brink of despair, a miraculous turn-around occurred. Someone named Barrock Alabama, who could have been related somehow to President Barrack Obama, decided to grant failing industries and corporations a huge monetary bail-out. Prince Nana’s Embassy group was one of those lucky enough to receive this added influx of cash from the American government.

Now Nana no longer needed to grovel for a job. He had new found wealth and he was determined to spend it-at Ring of Honor’s expense. They would pay for being fools and not bringing him in when they had the chance. Nana would reform The Embassy, bigger and badder than ever before. It began with bringing back Jimmy Rave as his Crown Jewel and from there he added a giant powerhouse in Bison Smith and a hired gun in Joey Ryan. He was even cavorting with important captains of industry, very European money-making men such as Claudio Castagnoli. The Embassy was back in business and on its way back to the top of Ring of Honor! Nana would show that stinkin’ promotion just who was boss, eh!

Well, that was how it could have went…but unfortunately, The Embassy’s second go-round from 2008-2010 was more bust than boom. The Embassy was a victim of circuitous booking. They would lose matches and win matches, to zero-sum. They were given endless under-card battles and feuds would rinse and repeat. It was a treadmill and The Embassy quickly lost its flavor. The crowd heat was lessening (especially once Rave left again, leaving a void in the top position for the stable) and no one was ever elevated in the storylines above the under-card.

At least back in 2005-2006, The Embassy was hitting the upper-card and main event thanks to feuds against the likes of AJ Styles, CM Punk and Generation Next. Back then they were money-players and were made to be important and above all else, interesting. The second incarnation was not just treated poorly, but their feuds and matches were boring, flat and uninspired.

One year after the nadir of their usage in the promotion, The Embassy have made a comeback of sorts and the group is renewed with new members. While the stable has not quite marshaled its way through to the top of the promotion, the work-in-progress has seen some significant improvements in making the stable interesting and effective once more.

The story goes that Prince Nana, sickened by the losing streak of his charges such as Erick Stevens, Necro Butcher and Shawn Daivari, sacked the whole lot of them and decided to start over. Nana turned to Barrister R.D. Evans for help. Evans is an effective lawyer who possesses vast amounts of knowledge about international royalty. He became a sort of “make-over expert” for The Embassy, but instead of redecorating Nana’s many palaces in Ghana, West Africa, he reassembled The Embassy stable into almost an entirely new vessel for wrestling success.

It was not quite a downsizing, though, because the new Embassy employs as many members as the 2009-2010 incarnation. The big difference though, is that instead of many wrestlers that split Nana’s attention, the focus switched to one, primary wrestler around which could be supported with bodyguards and heavies, if need be. A new Crown Jewel, as it were. That man is “The Project” Tomasso Ciampa.

R.D. Evans vowed to find and hire only royalty for the new Embassy…and he claims that Ciampa is of Sicilian royal blood, though that claim is not only unproven in a court of public opinion but likely unfounded in actuality. Regardless, he has become The Embassy’s Great Hope, the man whom Nana (and ROH) is banking on carrying the workload in the ring.

It remains to be seen if Ciampa can live up to the build–his matches have proven to have mixed results. Though he has been given a win streak in singles matches (he has come up short in a few multiple-man matches throughout the year) and several victories over former ROH champion Homicide, the jury is still out on if the push will stick. In-ring Ciampa has shown the ability to flourish, as his match against Adam Cole back at Defy or Deny stands out as one of his best efforts. However, he has also had his share of awkward moments, especially in high-profile shows in New York City, where there was a stinker against Grizzly Redwood this past March and a good match with a flubbed finish against Colt Cabana this past June. Now Ciampa is going to have to begin to deliver for Nana (and for ROH) as the lead dog representing The Embassy on their new television show. It is a tough order ahead. Hopefully he can spread his wings a bit and expand his character traits and crowd interaction enough to make it work–though it is tough to stand out when the likes of Nana and R.D. Evans tear up the screen every chance they get.

The Embassy as it stands now has Ciampa as it one regular wrestler (Taylor and Rhyno appear to be one-offs for now, but it would be great to see either of them again). Everyone else becomes this giant entourage of “hangers-on”, including Evans as the lawyer/consultant, Yim as Nana’s gal pal (though she does well in becoming actively and physically involved at ringside during matches) and Ernesto Osiris, who was allowed to stay on despite not being of royalty most likely because he does all the menial jobs. However, it is clear that Osiris does not like Evans or the abuse he takes from him. Osiris may see through Evans’ talk for what he actually is-a shyster who is trying to spend all of Nana’s resources out from under him. As for Mia Yim, I’m, not saying she’s a gold digger, but…

The Embassy has come through both the good times and the bad ones over the years. That the stable exists and continues nearly eight years after its initial creation is praise-worthy. However, so much more could have been done and could still be done with The Embassy concept and with Nana’s role as a money-man and corrupter. So many interesting angles could have been presented if only ROH would choose to push the envelope and green-light some bold new twists for the group. For example, Nana purchasing a controlling interest in Ring of Honor (which could still work during the new Sinclair Broadcast Group era if handled right), buying out the contracts of the ROH World Champion, TV Champion or World Tag Team Champions. Or, what if R.D. Evans were to become a master manipulator of Nana and usurp control of the group for himself, leaving Nana on the outside looking in, once again having lost his fortune and having to turn to others to redeem it?

Hopefully there is still a time for those sorts of intriguing storylines to occur with Prince Nana and his men with this new television show. Then again, it seems clear that ROH is looking to focus The House of Truth (led by Truth Martini) and they are being positioned as the top stable and they may take the bulk of the promotions’ push and television time as the primary antagonists of the show. Certainly that decision makes sense as The House holds former ROH World Champion Roderick Strong and strongman Michael Elgin being pushed as top attractions. However, that could leave The Embassy slightly out in the cold.

Have The Embassy come back so far only to fall down even further again? Or will it once again be time for all-you-can-eat Shrimp Cocktail?

Short and sweet but very well-done promo by King and Titus. They showed fire, enthusiasm and like-ability with what they had to say…there was an ebb-and-flow from one to the other and they also effectively used some of their catchphrases. I just wished ROH taped this promo (and several of the others that were done to hype the SBG TV debut) in a more professional, well-lit location.

I’m not really sure I can add more to the greatness of this segment. R.D. Evans is on-point with his character and his banter with Osiris absolutely works. I can’t believe I’m actually writing this–but this could be Osiris’ ticket to a cult popularity the likes of a Bobby Dempsey.

It appears as if a decision has been made to have El Generico speak more English (albeit still broken English) as he enters the SBG era as the TV champion. You know what? I think its a smart decision and I think its time. Generico will still be Generico as a character, but being able to expand his promos with more talking will allow him to connect with the new audience faster than he would have solamente en espanol.

Shane Hagadorn looks and sounds angry. Why so angry Shane Hagadorn?

I really like the cut of Truth’s jib…and the catchphrase of “They say God created all men equal. They were wrong!” is money. This could be a great pairing for the new TV era.

Eddie looks like he could use some coffee or a few hours more sleep.

For lo tho ye walk in the valley of the shadow of death, thou shalt not fear it, for in it lies the miracle of Truth, that there is no life so rich and full that cannot be ripped asunder and no life so meager and wanting that cannot be built upon and improved. Ergo, listen ye well to this treasured advice found within The Book of Truth, for these words are worth their weight in gold. So sayeth The Truth, so sayeth The House:

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-From the Preface to The Book of Truth

-Two final notes regarding the main feature of the column- Kevin Steen in his recent “Art of Wrestling” podcast interview with Colt Cabana revealed that El Generico was in fact, one of the men dressed up as a Weapon of Mask Destruction for The Embassy.

Also, this past Monday was the esteemed Prince Nana’s birthday, so belated Happy Birthday wishes to him.

-It’s official, Ring of Honor’s September 17th, 2011 show at The Grand Ballroom in NYC will be “Death Before Dishonor IX”. The show will be available on iPPV through GoFightLive.tv.

-After an appearance on Ohio Valley Wrestling, Davey Richards announced to fans in attendance that there would be a television taping there at the Danny Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky on October 1st. That should have been obvious to happen at some point given the Jim Cornette connection and that they previously ran a set of HDNet tapings there as well, though it really says something to me that New York isn’t going to be the next location–I mean, you wouldn’t want to tape a show in one of the best looking and most vocal crowds you have on your tour circuit, right? Yes, there will be an iPPV there and that will provide a great atmosphere for those viewers, but thinking in the grander scale, there are more potential new viewers available for this new television show who would see (and hear) that crowd and be impressed. Why didn’t ROH just run two shows back-to-back at The Hammerstein-one for the iPPV and one for TV tapings?

-According to PWInsider.com, Ring of Honor have registered trademarks for the name and new logo of the company. They filed under ‘Ring of Honor Wrestling Entertainment’, a Limited Liability Company based in Maryland. This is due to the existing usage of the term “Ring of Honor” for NFL team Dallas Cowboys’ Hall of Fame among other companies that use the name in other industries, so the name “Ring of Honor” itself could not be directly trademarked. So can I be the one to make the joke about ROH finally putting the “entertainment” into their “wrestling” company?

-New matches added to next week’s ROH Sinclair Broadcast Group tapings in Chicago, Illinois: The All-Night Express of Kenny King and Rhett Titus face-off once more against their current grudge rivals in Jay & Mark Briscoe. However, while the feud has gone plenty violent and bloody over the last few months, the press release hyping up the match seems to indicate that this will be a clean match focusing on athleticism and competition. Or so Jim Cornette seems to think, as this storyline-enhancing quote explains:

“We know that the Briscoes and ANX have their issues,” stated Executive Producer Jim Cornette, “and we’d be stupid not to know we are putting these two teams in a highly combustible situation. But we also know that these are four of the most talented wrestlers you’ll find, two of the strongest teams fighting today, and that’s what this is about for Chicago. There will be no weapons, no blood and guts. These four men are going out there to showcase tag team wrestling, and hat is something Ring of Honor prides itself on doing better than anyone else! And under threat of serious fines, or potential suspension in the case of Jay and Mark; that is what the Briscoes and ANX are going to do in Chicago Ridge!”

So to me, this seems to indicate one of two things–that ROH wants to re-set the feud in order to re-introduce the wrestlers to the new television audience, leaving room for a return to the more violent matches and perhaps stipulations such as a cage bout to the future…OR…these two teams WILL actually lose their cool and there WILL be a violent and out-of-control situation happening in Chicago.

Also added to the TV tapings is Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Bravado Brothers. I hope Grandma Bravado is ready to pay for Lance and Harlem’s medical bills, because I’d lay good money that Cole & O’Reilly will put a hurting on those boys next week.

-Well, in all of the excitement about the new WWE Slurpee collectors cups (actually has there been any excitement about the new WWE Slurpee collectors cups?) someone up in corporate overlooked a very important person. So my broski Paul Wachtel decided to address the issue and come up with a solution:

Woo Woo Woo, You Know It 7-11!

-Colt Cabana did a dark match try-out at this past Tuesday’s WWE Smackdown tapings in Lexington, Kentucky. He lost to Wade Barrett. He is not currently listed for the ROH TV tapings and this could be a part of his entree back into WWE, though it should be noted that Shelton Benjamin also did a dark match this year and did not ultimately leave for WWE. More as it develops.

– Andy “Right Leg” Ridge has been signed for the TV tapings, so expect him to job to Mike Bennett on that show imminently.

-A few SHIMMER Women’s Athletes Volume 34 thoughts (yes, I am once again in desperate catch-up mode with independent DVDs from promotions not named “ROH”): I’m digging the extra creativity afforded during the wrestler’s ring introductions done by Joey Eastman. His live tweeting and riotous send-ups for Kellie Skater and Athena were very entertaining…Leva Bates has earned my undying love and affection by wrestling in Iron Man mask and appropriately color-coordinated gear. She does the job to Melanie Cruise though–what’s up with that Dave Prazak? Come on man, push that woman! …Nikki Roxx and Misaki Ohata have a groovy little babyface-babyface undercard bout certainly worth checking out, though I have always wanted Roxx to use something else besides the Barbie Crusher as a finisher. Its just too obvious a set-up for the move and this time it didn’t look so hot…however, Daffney looked unbelievably hot in her goth gear as she cheated her way to victory over Neveah…

Athena has some entertaining crowd interactions during her match with the Lance Storm trained Tenille (she of the harsh chops and who is currently signed to WWE developmental) and her uranage into a double knee backbreaker was super nice…Tenille has shown remarkable improvement in-ring and now one can definitely see why she was signed to WWE developmental…Veronika Vice’s in-ring attire is…shall we say, flattering…um…moving on… Allison Danger is still one of my favorites stemming all the way back from the early ROH days. Consummate professional wrestler. … “The Canadian Ninjas” get help from Daffney to retain the titles against Rachel & Jessica’s Excellent Tag Team. I’m liking the pluck and verve of Summerlynn and James as a team and they work well together. Prazak’s “serious voice” when Portia “appears to be” “injured” transitions into “outraged mode” when she lulls Jessica in for a divorce court arm bar. Its quite comical because one could see it coming a mile away, but it works with the crowd as they respond huge to it…

Cheerleader Melissa and Tomoka Nakagawa is strong-style Joshi at its best and both beat each other up to create a great match…Sereena Deeb and Portia Perez tease a future battle for SHIMMER 35…Jessie McKay earns the biggest win of her SHIMMER career by pinning Sara Del Rey with the Schoolgirl Crush in a triple-threat match also involving Ayako Hamada. This was an awesome match done in the usual triple-threat format but all three women worked super hard, Hamada and Del Rey traded some fierce shots against each other including some sick kicks to the head, and McKay worked well as the underdog whom the other two were overlooking to their detriment. McKay’s win received a superb ovation, letting you know that the fans know this is a big win for her (and Del Ray has been built up to mean a lot in the promotion and in independent wrestling in general that this is indeed the case) and they chant for a title shot, which she should receive in the future. … The main event SHIMMER Title Match between Madison Eagles and Ayumi Kurihara is bad-ass awesomeness. These women had the crowd going crazy with Eagles’ hard-hitting heel style against Ayumi’s inspirational comebacks. Ayumi’s dropkick frenzy is spectacular and her kicking out of close-calls feeds into the excitement. The finish is excellent. Overall, this DVD follows the formula of okay undercard but spectacular upper card. The last three-to-five matches on most SHIMMER DVDs are the attraction bouts that make the purchase worthwhile and this was definitely no exception.

At the beginning of the year, “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett vowed that within one year that he would become the Ring of Honor World Champion. So let’s see how he’s done so far, eh?

According to dictionary.com a “Prodigy” is “a person, especially a child or young person, having extraordinary talent or ability”. Second definition is “a marvelous example” and the third is “something wonderful or marvelous; a wonder.” None of those read like Mike Bennett to me, but this fourth definition may fit quite well: “something abnormal or monstrous.” Anyways, be sure to keep track of how Mister Bennett’s progress is doing. That man, he’s quite the prodigy at winning championships.

I’m still going strong on Twitter so head on over to TwitterNation and follow me at: http://twitter.com/AriBerenstein.

Michael Ornelas and Jeffrey Harris discuss ROH, PWG EVOLVE and other independent matters on this week’s 411Mania Buy or Sell

Mike Campbell brings out the big guns with his retro-review of Driven 2008 featuring Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness.

Kevin Ford bring the special from CHIKARA with his reviews of The Case of the Bulletproof Waldo and A Demon in His Pocket.

Colin Reinhart brings the PWG with his review of Card Subject to Change III.

Finally, your moment of QI (Quite Interesting) is for the birds:

That’s it for The Column for this week. Next time out, a final look at and preview of the SBG television tapings before they happen. Thanks for reading and for the feedback.

BROOKLYN!
DAH EM BAH SEE FOR-EVAH! EH!
–Ari–