Shining a Spotlight 02.16.12: A Decade of Honor

When Ring of Honor began ten years ago, few really gave it much thought or chance. It looked to be just another indy trying to come together at a tough time for the wrestling business. But thanks to smart connections, good word of mouth and its terrific presentation, the company began to grow more and more. It’s survived a lot of business troubles but maintained its excellence. It’s had its low points but nowhere near the bad stuff TNA or WWE do on a regular basis. As it finishes its first decade of business, ROH has proven itself a vital part of the wrestling landscape and looks to build on that for its next era of growth. Thus, it’s the perfect time to look back at how it’s succeeded and why it maintains such a great level of entertainment in a business known for rough audience going. I’m sure Ari Berenstein will be giving a special Column of Honor for this but I wanted to weigh in myself on what is a true wrestling milestone.

Presentation

When ROH started, WWE had just finished the poorly-done “Invasion” angle and it was clear that Vince McMahon was enjoying a bit of irony: Having worked so long to make WWE the only game in town, the lack of competition was hurting his creative drive. Vince himself has acknowledged how he was at his best taking the fight to Bischoff and misses that a lot. With ECW gone as well, WWE was the only major game for most fans, a massive gap that needed to be filled. It was why Jeff Jarrett decided to start TNA and why ROH came along as well to give the fans something they needed badly. So Rob Feinstein saw the opportunity to start a small promotion that could distribute its shows exclusively on VHS (which was still popular then) and DVD. That first show had some great talent such Eddie Guerrero (starting his road to recovery) and a triple-threat match between the men would become the “Founding Fathers” of ROH, Christopher Daniels, Bryan Danielson and Low Ki. It was great with fans and they started focusing on it more, pulling in more indy talent while spreading themselves across the Northeast.

From the start, there have been comparisons between ROH and ECW. It makes sense, both based in Philadelphia, using the huge fanbase to their advantage and pulling in smaller talent WWE ignores. But there have been key differences, the biggest being the talent. Paul Heyman would be the first to say that the vast majority of ECW guys really weren’t that great in the ring. It was Heyman who presented them as superstars via his good booking, lax rules and wild matches. ROH, on the other hand, specifically went after the best guys they could, men who could deliver the good fantastically in the ring, technical masters, high-flyers and more. They didn’t go for “spot-fests” but really good matches and that was something fans ate up in droves.

The promotion presented itself as far more serious than WWE was, less backstage antics or soap opera angles, more just hard-hitting wrestling. The “Code of Honor” was an interesting touch, a set of rules that forced wrestlers to act more professional. Shaking hands before and after matches, no interference or sneak attacks no harming officials, it was something rather interesting. It was a smart move as heels were able to get over quickly by breaking these rules and best of all, it ensured the majority of ROH matches finished clean. It also further separated them from ECW, whose rules were practically non-existent. ROH was clearly defined as a place where the work, not the entertainment portions, were what mattered and that was something that truly appealed to hardcore fans.

The key factor to it all was Gabe Sapolsky. The man was a true genius of a booker, working terrific angles constantly without resorting to cheap finishes or the silly antics of WWE. He helped build major stars for ROH like Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Danielson and more, bringing out the best in these men with fantastic matches and twists to pull fans in. Better yet, he was smart enough to know you couldn’t rely on these guys forever but be ready if they left (such as Punk and Joe did) and thus be building up new guys to take their place. His model has been used by his successors, pushing the envelope with things such as the Steen Saga and Davey Richards’ great reign. It can give you laughs like Delirious but at the heart of it all, ROH remains the same hard-hitting organization they started out as and that’s a key reason it remains so highly respected.

Comparisons with the Big Two

The business model of ROH has always been different than TNA’s. From the very start, TNA was intended to replace WCW as WWE’s major competitor, trying to break out at that huge level. This has led to their troubling mentality of believing they truly are at the same level as WWE and making decisions to rise higher that backfire. ROH, on the other hand, knows its place as an indy and while they do make strides to get attention, they overall know it’s better to be the big fish in a smaller pond. Their house shows do great business as they don’t try to expand too fast but let their base grow slow and sure. They’re also great using the Internet to promote things and that fanbase to build their reputation.

It’s not perfect, of course. They could use some better advertisements for shows and they still suffer without a major TV deal. The Sinclair group deal is good but still limited. Plus their production values need improvement as it’s hard to win new fans over when your shows look like they’re being done by a high school video club. Also, the product has seen some ups and downs since Sapolsky left with Jim Cornette’s tenure including some rough stuff like trying to book old-school Broadways for audiences not ready for them. But for the most part, ROH has still managed to do more good than bad, which is a hell of a lot better track record than WWE or TNA in the last several years. Indeed, TNA seemed influenced by their connection with ROH in ’04-05, giving fans hard-hitting action and I don’t think a coincidence how cutting off ties led them to embrace more of a WWE-style. The people in charge of ROH know that a good undercard with poor main event or a so-so show with a great main event aren’t enough. They want top-to-bottom great shows to keep fans enthralled and they succeed at that far more often than they fail, which is a track record most bookers should be happy to get half of.

It would take far too long to cite every great angle ROH has done in the last decade but several stand out. The Punk/Joe war was a fantastic affair, their trilogy of matches rivaling Flair/Steamboat for technical brilliance and amazing storytelling. Richards’ rise as a top level champion was great to watch, a true star being born. Seeing the Briscoes tear up the tag team title division (which has been the best in any wrestling company) was a thrill, these guys eating the camera alive with their promo work and ring brilliance. To me, the true test of ROH’s ability was the war with CZW in 2006. For the first time, two North American promotions made an inter-company battle work by not getting held up on who came off looking better but really giving their all to give the fans a terrific show and pulled it off. That dedication to the wrestling more than goofy “entertainment” is a reason ROH has gained so much respect from fans.

It’s not always universal love. While the IWC does have a lot of admiration for ROH, there are some who sniff at it, look down because of its lower profile and think some go too far raving about it. Indeed, some ROH fans can be rather elitist, automatically running down WWE and TNA for not reaching ROH’s creative heights, missing the fact that both those companies are much more financially successful. ROH has had its troubles since Sapolsky left with some bookers going a bit too far giving overly technical matches that fans are cool to and not quite grasping how you need to alter that for a regular TV show. However, the fact remains that ROH has earned that respect and looks to continue to do so.

Again, unlike ECW, ROH guys have shown fantastic talent. It’s taken a while for WWE to recognize it but they are giving serious pushes to Punk and Bryan, letting them take off as the great performers they are. Punk, in fact, has been breaking out big with his promos that truly blur the line between work and shoot, openly addressing complaints fans have had of WWE for years. That was a pure ROH-style edge, biting at the big dogs and with great humor too. While it will never happen, the very idea of Punk vs Bryan at Wrestlemania would be something to make fans drool and sure to steal the show if they get the chance. Joe hasn’t gotten as much of a big run in TNA as he deserves but Austin Aries has helped reinvigorate the X Division with his great heel act and ring ability. It’s shown that ROH does what a great promotion should, bring out the best in a performer so he can shine on a bigger stage. But better is that a lot of guys in ROH are smart enough to see they’re good where they are, don’t need to leave just yet. Yes, ROH has less money but it offers a better environment and more of a chance to break out on your own rather than be packaged up and your skills muted. It’s also made ROH the go-to place for indy wrestlers, a chance to break out before a rabid audience that can lead to bigger things down the road.

They will have to break out further to survive. The economic meltdown hit the indies hard and ROH is still an indy, TV deal or not. They have the passionate fanbase and have been smart enough not to make the mistakes of past promoters and go where they’re not ready yet. But this model of survival can lead to the danger of stagnation and the risk of guys tempted by bigger paydays with WWE or even TNA. They still have access to the best indy talent around and their training school emphasizes for these guys how to get ready for the real deal. Best of all, the people in charge haven’t forgotten their roots, why they started this company and what made it all work so well in the first place. They have given wrestling fans a much-needed alternative to the sometimes painful programming WWE and TNA put out, a reminder of how great wrestling can be presented. They’ve launched stars, pushed the power of the IWC and given wrestling some of the best matches and angles of the last decade. As they close out their first ten years, ROH can look back with pride and hope to give fans another decade of honorable business that brings wrestling to a fantastic level.