The Independent Mid-Card 02.27.07: Cabana vs. Jacobs

Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Windy City Death Match
Ring of Honor – Fifth Year Festival, Night 4 – Chicago, IL – February 24, 2007

The Wrestlers:
Colt Cabana – Over a series of matches during the summer of 2006, “Classic” Colt Cabana was unable to wrest the ROH World Title from the hands of “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson. Around the same time, Cabana began cavorting publicly with Lacey, the business manager of Jimmy Jacobs. Lacey, of course, was also the object of Jacobs’ affection, not that she returned any of his sentiments. On Lacey’s request, Cabana & Jacobs became a semi-regular tag team in ROH, even challenging The Kings of Wrestling for the ROH World Tag Team Titles in October. Later that month, when Lacey tried to get Colt to sign a contract making her his full time manager, Colt refused and then went further, encouraging Jacobs to leave Lacey, due to her cruel treatment and abuse of his feelings. Jacobs sided with his one true love, attacking Cabana and setting off four months of bitter feuding between the two, leading to a final blowoff match in Cabana’s hometown of Chicago.

Jimmy Jacobs – Jimmy Jacobs’ feud with Colt Cabana is actually an offshoot of another issue, not surprisingly started by Jacobs’ need to prove his love to Lacey. In April of 2005, Jimmy Jacobs was chosen by BJ Whitmer to be his partner for a shot at the ROH Tag Team Titles (the belts had not yet reached World status). The duo won the vacant straps and would go on to become two-time champions, losing the belts for the last time in October of that year. The pair signed on with Lacey as the new “Lacey’s Angels” not long after that, but soon tensions began to rise, as Whitmer became increasingly frustrated by mounting losses and Jacobs’ lack of focus as he was more interested in Lacey than the success of the team. Whitmer attacked Jacobs and set out on his own, with the pair engaging in increasingly violent matches over the coming months. During one particularly memorable encounter in Detroit, a botched top-rope powerbomb nearly killed both men. Once Cabana had an issue with Jacobs, it only made sense for “The Classic One” to team up with “The Hillbilly Jesus” to pool their resources and go after Jacobs and “The Shooter” Brent Albright, who was serving as Lacey’s new strongman.

The Match/The Analysis:
This was Ring of Honor’s first Windy City Death Match, and with little or no explanation going in, I was uncertain what to expect as a fan. When Bobby Cruise (ROH’s Ring Announcer) announced that the match would have “no rules”, it became a little clearer. As it turns out, Cabana and Jacobs would go back and forth in a bloody, emotional affair, punctuated by some tremendous brawling and an unforgettable highspot.

Jacobs was the first to be bloodied, though Cabana was not far behind. Normally, you’d see a chairshot do that kind of damage, but these two thought, umm, outside the box, choosing instead to use Jacobs’ trusty steel spike and a pair of scissors. That’s right, scissors. At one point, Cabana went searching under the ring for something, finally finding a hammer, which he then used to bound Jacobs’ own spike into his head. Brutal doesn’t even begin to describe it. The scissors actually became a part of a great bit of psychology, as Cabana charged at Jacobs in the corner, but missed and the scissors got stuck in the turnbuckle padding. They were left in the corner and all but forgotten until later in the match Jacobs ran in, only to have Cabana pull the scissors from the corner and plant a solid shot right to the forehead of his charging opponent.

Lacey tried to get involved early in the match, but much predicted interference from bitter rival (and Cabana ally) Daizee Haze neutralized her involvement for much of the match. At one point, Cabana seemed to be taking control, leading to Brent Albright running in from the back to assist Jacobs. Though Albright was able to temporarily turn the tide, it would not be for long as he was followed in short order by BJ Whitmer, who brawled with “The Shooter” all the way to the back, leaving Jacobs and Cabana to finish their business.

Also early on in the match, Cabana also pulled a ladder from beneath the ring, but it lay unused for several minutes while he and Jacobs engaged in other brawling. Finally, with Lacey now back at ringside providing assistance, Jacobs was able to set the ladder up in the ring while Cabana was being held on a ringside table. Jacobs climbed nearly all the way to the top of the ladder before jumping off and hitting Cabana with a flying senton, putting “The Windy City Warrior” through the table and sending the already hot crowd into a frenzy. I am not joking when I say this was one of the five most incredible spots I have seen, live or otherwise. When the ladder was first introduced early on, I commented to the people I was standing with that a senton through a table would probably be too much to hope for. Not only did Jacobs dare to do the spot, but set the ladder in the ring, forcing him to fall just that much farther onto Cabana.

Back in the ring, Cabana was able to kick out, and then avoided Jacobs’ spear attempt, sending him crashing through a table that had been set up in the corner. In the end, Cabana hit his finishing maneuver, the Colt 45 (a double underhook over-the-shoulder backbreaker) on Jacobs. However, before going for the win, Cabana gave the crowd some cathartic release, grabbing Lacey and hitting her with Colt 45, then stacking her body on top of Jacobs and pinning both of them for the victory.

Cabana celebrated with the crowd on his way out (though eschewed giving high-fives to members of the audience, what with his hands being covered in blood) as Jacobs knelt over the fallen Lacey in the ring. Jacobs tried to carry Lacey out of the ring, but as a result of exhaustion and blood loss, couldn’t lift her. Jacobs called for “anyone” to come and help as the crowd chanted “Cry, Jimmy, Cry!” at him. All in all, a fitting end to the match, as well as a nice wrap up to Cabana’s part of the feud.

The Aftermath:
Jimmy Jacobs is headed for a Falls Count Anywhere match with BJ Whitmer this coming weekend in Liverpool, but I don’t think that the issue between the two will end there. Jacobs will probably pick up a tainted victory there, leading to the final blowoff during the Wrestlemania weekend shows in Detroit, where the two had their first singles match right around one year ago. Though a huge physical underdog throughout their feud, Jacobs has more than held his own with Whitmer, and the two have helped to elevate each other with their intensity and the way their feud has connected with crowds nationwide.

It’s unclear whether Jacobs’ obsession with Lacey will continue past his feud with Whitmer or whether Jimmy finally realizing that he is better off without his manager will be a part of the end of that storyline. It seems to me that there are three distinct ways this storyline could go. First, Jacobs could stay with Lacey, saving that blowoff for later. Second, Jacobs could finally drop Lacey, only to be attacked by Albright, beginning a face Jacobs-heel Albright feud. Third, Jacobs could finally drop Lacey while reconciling with Whitmer and reforming one of the most entertaining teams in ROH history. I think the third is the least likely (with the second being the most likely), but Ring of Honor booking is often very difficult to predict, so your mileage may vary.

As for Colt Cabana, it seems far more up in the air where he goes from here. He has already reformed a tag team with Nigel McGuinness, but it seems unlikely that the duo will unseat new ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe any time soon, as the brothers from Delaware seem poised for a fairly long stint with the belts. Also, Nigel is one of the top rated contenders for Takeshi Morishima’s ROH World Title, meaning his stay in the tag ranks could be short-lived. In truth, Cabana is never far from a feud, as his joking style has put off more than one ‘down to business’ rival over the years (Nigel himself included). A rehash of the Colt-Nigel feud seems unlikely at the moment, but not completely out of the question. Could we see “Classic” Colt Cabana turn heel and join Roderick Strong and Davey Richards in the No Remorse Corps? I would guess not, but stranger things have happened.

The Final Word:
If you’ve read the reports of ROH’s 2/24 Chicago show, then you’ve heard some gushing praise. Let me go on record here as agreeing with the many positive reports of the event, and I think the top four contests (Briscoes-Daniels/Sydal, Cabana-Jacobs, Strong/Richards-Aries/Cross & Joe/Homicide-Morishima/Nigel) stack up well with any top four in ROH history. That’s not hyperbole, the matches really were that good. I obviously haven’t seen them on DVD, and it’s always dicey to predict how a live performance will translate to tape, but to call the show must-see doesn’t seem out of line to me at all.

Unfortunately, with this week’s match having just occurred, you can’t actually go anywhere to see it. Eventually, Ring of Honor’s Fifth Year Festival, Night 4 will be available at rohwrestling.com, and will be well worth your money.

Other stuff to read this week on 411 includes the usual (Ari’s Column of Honor & Stu’s Friendly Competition) as well as Part 3 of Jordan’s WWE vs. TNA Roundtable. You should also be sure to read JD’s Death Before Dishonor III Review, which features my single favorite heel turn ever, done masterfully by CM Punk. When you’re all done with that, check out my most recent edition of The Box in the Attic and then patiently await the next ROH Roundtable, which should be up later this week.

With all of that said, I hope you enjoyed this week’s IMC, with a special look at some brand-spanking-new material. Check back next week for a return to the traditional format, complete with play-by-play and a minimum of fantasy booking.